You Want to Lose Weight, But Can’t Get Results?

CoachBot
CoachBot
Sep 7, 2018 · 3 min read

The last time you decided that you need to lose weight, or get back into shape, what were your first thoughts? “I need to start a diet”? Or, “I should join a gym”? You may have thought to yourself, “surely, this time it’ll be different. I’m determined, and I won’t stop until I get the results”. Or maybe this time, a personal trainer might help you push yourself and stay on track.

In a world of short attention spams, and social pressure to get results quickly, we’re always looking to find the fastest shortcuts. We jump to action, and spend hours in the gym, or try the new trending diet that everyone is raving about. But, even though we may have a good start and shed a few pounds, then our progress hits a wall and we get discouraged. It’s a frustrating cycle, and we’re never satisfied.

What’s wrong? Our approach. Our focus should not be on how much we exercise in the gym, or what kind of diet we’re trying. We can only spend one or maybe two hours in a gym, but what happens in the other 22 hours of the day?

Our focus should be on our habits! As much as we’d like to think we’re always making logical, and conscious decisions, the truth is we rely heavily on our subconscious mind. It’s our ability to delegate the routine decisions to our subconscious mind that enables us to focus on new and non-recurring obstacles in our day. But this also means, we’re usually running on autopilot based on our ingrained habits. So if you’ve formed a number of bad habits overtime, and one day you decide to lose some weight, you’re facing an uphill battle against these habits that are constantly playing a game of sabotage.

So where should we start?

The first thing we need to do, is to recognize our daily conscious, and subconscious habits. We need to flag the good and the bad ones, figure out what triggers them, and the rewards that satisfy each of them. Maybe your meetings scheduled before lunch always run late, forcing you to just grab a quick sugary snack on your way to the next meeting. Or maybe it’s a late night tv show that keeps you up, causing lack of sleep, forcing you to compensate with multiple cups of coffee to stay alert on the next day.

The best way to recognize our habits is to keep a journal or use an app on your smart phone, to record everything you do in a day. Looking back at the journal after a couple of days, you start to notice patterns; some good ones, and some concerning ones. Then try to see what are the causes of these regular habits, and try to make changes. This is an iterative process, but one that will give you a more sustainable and healthier lifestyle.

So next time you decide to get back on the horse and live a healthier lifestyle, start with your habits. Take time to outline them, and then take action. At that point, when you add regular gym visits and healthy dieting to this list, you’ll be sure to see lasting results.

CoachBot.life is an AI platform that will act as your very own personal assistant to track and improve your daily habits. Her name is Alice. If you want to be one of the first 1,000 people that work with her to improve your health and lifestyle, make sure to sign up at www.coachbot.life.

CoachBot

Written by

CoachBot

CoachBot is your own personal AI assistant to help you recognize your habits and live a healthier, and more productive life (www.coachbot.life)

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade