One of the biggest mistakes we make with weight loss is treating it like a temporary project. Lose 20 pounds. Get ready for vacation. Fit into an old pair of jeans. Hit a certain number before a wedding or reunion. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with having those goals. Goals give us something to chase. The problem is when we subconsciously attach a finish line to the behaviors that got us there.

I hear people say things like, “I only have five more pounds to lose.” That’s awesome. Seriously. But my question is always the same: Then what?

I started my weight-loss journey on June 7, 2011, and eventually lost more than 90 pounds. But when I look back on the last 15 years, losing the weight was really only the first part of the story. The bigger accomplishment has been not having to lose those same 90 pounds again.

And I didn’t do that by staying on a diet for 15 years. I did it by changing how I live. The foods I eat changed. Exercise became part of my normal routine. My priorities changed. Over time, a lot of the things that initially required discipline simply became part of who I am.

That’s the piece I think we miss when we talk about weight loss. We spend so much time asking, “How do I lose the weight?” Maybe we need to spend more time asking, “How am I going to live when the weight is gone?” Because if the plan is to eventually return to most of the habits that got you there in the first place, we probably already know how that story ends.

That’s also why I’ve never loved the idea of being “on” or “off” a diet. It implies that what you’re doing is temporary—that you’re going to suffer through something long enough to get the result you want, and then eventually you’re done. But health doesn’t work that way. You don’t graduate from taking care of yourself.

Now, that doesn’t mean you have to eat the exact same way or exercise the exact same amount for the rest of your life. Your goals will change. Your training will change. Your nutrition can become more flexible. Life has seasons when you’re more dialed in than others. I’ve certainly had plenty of those over the last 15 years. The point isn’t perfection. The point is that the lifestyle never completely goes away.

So set the goal. Chase the number. Celebrate every milestone along the way. Just don’t build a plan designed only to get you to the finish line.

Because there really isn’t one.

Losing the weight is an accomplishment. Building a life where you don’t have to keep losing it again is the transformation.

#WeightLossWednesday #WeightLoss #Mindset #Lifestyle #Consistency #HealthyLiving