Hit the Reset Button and Restart Your Weight-Loss

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Scott Snow
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Hit the Reset Button and Restart Your Weight-Loss From day one of this program, you ve been setting goals whether it s hitting your weekly or monthly weight-loss target, your daily calorie level,

1 Hit the Reset Button and Restart Your Weight-Loss From day one of this program, you ve been setting goals whether it s hitting your weekly or monthly weight-loss target, your daily calorie level, weekly exercise minutes, hours of sleep, filling half your plate with fruits or vegetables, or upping your N.E.A.T. movement (like taking the stairs instead of the elevator). You ve probably gotten pretty good at it all! But maybe, just maybe, you re starting to feel like you ve lost a bit of your mojo 32 REAL APPEAL VOLUME THREE REAL APPEAL VOLUME THREE 33

Four Simple Steps to Supercharge Your Motivation Y ou started on this new venture with the best of intentions. You were excited, motivated, and energized.

2 Four Simple Steps to Supercharge Your Motivation Y ou started on this new venture with the best of intentions. You were excited, motivated, and energized. But, somewhere along the way, after the initial buzz of weight loss wears off, you might find that you get a bit bored, uninspired, or discouraged. That s actually your best sign that it s time to restart your weight-loss goals! Now you can streamline your goal setting and supercharge your motivation with just four simple steps. It doesn t get much easier than this! You ll learn the secret of crafting goals that don t just feel like duties, but truly inspire you into action! And, no matter if you ve hit every single goal you ve ever made or have stumbled off the weightloss wagon, these four steps will help reinvigorate any Real Appeal-er to achieve amazing results! 34 REAL APPEAL VOLUME THREE REAL APPEAL VOLUME THREE 35

3 Step 1: Get Clear on Your Goal Remember, the best, most effective goals for you: Feel truly important to you so you become truly committed. I want to be an exercise role model for my daughter. You may not care whether you can do a pull-up or a plank, but you passionately want to be a good example for your daughter. Driven by that zeal, you re fully committed you have no trouble hitting your goal of taking three long walks a week with her and the dog. Include tactical eating and exercise goals that will help you hit the larger weight loss or maintenance goal(s). I ll eat a Real Appeal breakfast every day this week or I ll work out to a Real Moves Cardio video four days this week. These types of tactical goals will bring down the scale. Use skills and resources you already possess. I ll set aside an hour to go grocery shopping after work (time), while my mom watches my little one. This type of support, either money or a helpful hand, is part of your skills and resources. Are specific and measureable. I will walk for 2 ½ miles in one bout by the end of this month. Having that number and that date helps you keep yourself accountable. You know whether or not you ve hit your target. Remain flexible. By the month s end I was only able to walk 2 miles at a time, but that s no problem! I ll just reset my date to hit that 2 ½ mile goal. Just because you set a specific goal doesn t mean you can t be flexible. Maybe your goal was a little too ambitious, or for some other reason you couldn t hit it, even though you tried hard. Being accountable to yourself means that you do whatever it takes to make it happen even if that means extending the deadline by a few days. Step 2: Use Positive Language Accentuate the Positive, Eliminate the Negative Once you have a goal in mind, the language you use to express it can make all the difference between a goal that seems punishing (an order that you re likely to abandon) or positive (a choice that you re likely to stick with). Psychologists call it goal framing. Punishing: I can never skip a day of working out. Positive: I ll aim to work out at least 4 days a week and if I do more, that s gravy! Instead of I should I ll never I can t I won t I ought Punishing: I ll never step into a fast food restaurant again. Positive: I ll enjoy the occasional fast food meal 3 to 4 times a month. Punishing: I won t ever watch TV at night so I can get enough sleep. Positive: I ll tape my favorite late-night shows and watch them the next day, so I can get 7 to 8 hours of sleep. Frame your goals as I choose to I will I ll challenge myself to I ll enjoy I want 2 mile walk Daily Breakfast Grocery Shopping 36 REAL APPEAL VOLUME THREE REAL APPEAL VOLUME THREE 37

Step 3: Turn Feedback into Weight-Loss Gold Step 4: Never (Ever, Ever) Give Up! You ve crafted your goal in an inspiring and positive way great! Your last step is to evaluate your progress.

4 Step 3: Turn Feedback into Weight-Loss Gold Step 4: Never (Ever, Ever) Give Up! You ve crafted your goal in an inspiring and positive way great! Your last step is to evaluate your progress. Are you achieving the goal? Will you keep everything as is, or will you tweak your goal? Feedback can come from many sources: the scale, pedometer, your Real Appeal tracker, a friend, spouse, coach anyone or anything! If used correctly, this feedback can help sharpen your weight-loss game. But how you react to feedback both positive and negative makes all the difference in whether you will keep moving toward your goal or not. Consider the following examples. Positive Feedback. Success! You got really serious about your goal of limiting treats to 150 calories per day. A week or two later you step on the scale and yes! Two pounds down. Are you inspired to continue sticking to your goal? Or are you thinking, Now I can relax! as you head out to dinner to celebrate? How to turn positive feedback into further wins. Time to up your game! Recommit to your goals so you can experience that yes! feeling over and over again. The cycle of dropping a few pounds only to gain them back was the old you. The new you has decided that achieving your goals and being healthy looks and feels so good, there s no turning back! Negative Feedback. Bummer. The scale s stuck and you suspect high calorie restaurant food is to blame. You had set a goal of eating restaurant meals that mirror the Perfect Portion Plate but when your coach looks at your food tracker, you learn that you forgot to add in the sour cream and cheese, and that Mexican dinner actually cost you 1,000 calories, not 600. Does that feedback motivate you to be a more thorough tracker and order more carefully when eating out? Or does it make you feel resentful, give up on tracking, and go into calorie denial when you sit down in a restaurant? How to turn negative feedback into success. If you feel yourself starting to get defensive, try to look at feedback as a gift that can help you change for the better, not as a personal attack. For example, if your buddy asks why you haven t been at the gym in a while, resist becoming insulted, and use his concern to a) search for the reasons you re cutting back on exercise; and b) work on ways to get back to the gym (or some other form of exercise). Remember: you are doing this hard work for you no one else. Even well-crafted goals won t always get met. When that happens, keep your spirits up and remember: The only failure is to stop trying! Analyze why this goal didn t pan out. Maybe your mom landed in the hospital, leaving you without much time to exercise. Or, you thought you d enjoy eating salads every night but they just don t work for you at dinner. Tweak the goal or switch it out altogether for a more doable one. Never give up there s always another way. 38 REAL APPEAL VOLUME THREE REAL APPEAL VOLUME THREE 39

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6 Commitment Contract I know effective goal setting is essential to weight-loss (or maintenance) success. I will stick to my big-picture goal of losing weight or maintaining my weight loss and avoid getting discouraged. I will set goals that are clear, measurable and achievable, but I ll also be flexible and tweak them if needed. I will frame them in a positive way, using language such as I will or I ll enjoy. Overall goal ( I choose to lose X pounds by next month or I can maintain my weight loss for six months ): Tactical goal(s) that will get me there ( I ll enjoy sleeping eight hours a night for the next week or I will challenge myself to drink eight glasses of water a day for the next month ): I will set doable goals that inspire me I will remain open to feedback both positive and negative to stay on track. Meanwhile, I ll continue my other healthy habits to the best of my ability. My signature: 42 REAL APPEAL VOLUME THREE REAL APPEAL VOLUME THREE 43

Coach on Call. Please give me a call if you have more questions about this or other topics.

Coach on Call. Please give me a call if you have more questions about this or other topics. Coach on Call It was great to talk with you. Thank you for your interest in. I hope you find this tip sheet helpful. Please give me a call if you have more questions about this or other topics. As your