If you’re struggling to follow through with a behavior you’ve planned for your long-term weight loss, you’re not alone. It’s incredibly common to start with great intentions, which you use to create plans for change, only to find later that you are falling off the path.
There are two main reasons this happens: either you forgot to do it, or you chose to not do it. Understanding which issue you’re facing, as well as how to address them, is crucial to achieving your long-term goals.
1. If You Forgot:
Sometimes, despite your best intentions, you simply forget to do something you’ve planned. Whether it’s going to the gym, meal prepping, or tracking your food, it’s easy to let these actions slip your mind once life’s distractions and commitments kick in.
The Solution: Add a Cue
To solve this, the key is adding a cue—a reminder that prompts the behavior. This could take a few different forms, such as:
- Timed Triggers: For instance, you could set an alarm or reminder on your phone to alert you when it’s time for your workout or when you should be making a healthier choice.
- Visual Triggers: These are objects in your environment that remind you that you have a plan you want to follow. For example, placing your gym bag on the car seat will remind you to go to the gym right after work.
- Habit-Based Cues: The final approach is to link any new habits to existing routines. So for instance, if you always walk your dog after work, you could link a new behaviour to this existing habit, for instance preparing the next days lunch as soon as you get back from the walk.
These cues help make the behavior automatic, reducing the mental load of remembering and increasing your consistency.
2. If You Chose Not to Do It:
If you chose not to do a behavior, the issue may lie in one of three areas: the behavior is not enjoyable, it doesn’t fit into your life, or you don’t have enough balance in your approach.
Lack of Enjoyment:
Some behaviors might be great for your goals but aren’t enjoyable, making them hard to stick to. As a silly example, you might think you need to eat nothing but plain lettuce and boiled chicken to lose weight, and whilst this would lead to a calorie deficit it’s never going to be sustainable, because the meal isn’t enjoyable. So you would have to rely on willpower and self-control to stick to the plan, which can only take you so far.
The key to long-term success is making behaviors enjoyable. Find healthy meals that excite you and physical activities that you look forward to. This might mean experimenting with new recipes and trying out different workouts. But over time you will build a real understanding of what health related behaviours actually don’t feel like a chore to stick too.
Doesn’t Fit Into Your Life:
Another reason you might choose to not engage with a behavior is because it simply doesn’t fit into your busy life. For example, you might have designed the perfect meal plan, filled with recipes and foods you love. But if implementing the plan requires hours of cooking every day, it’s unlikely to fit into your routine.
To address this, ensure that your plan is realistic and works within your lifestyle. Maybe you need to scale back some of the complexity in your meals, or try batch cooking on weekends so your weekday meals are ready to go. Likewise, your exercise plan should fit your schedule and energy levels. If a 45-minute workout isn’t feasible, try shorter sessions instead.
Lack of Balance:
The final common reason people struggle with sticking to their plans is a lack of balance. It’s easy to focus solely on what you “should” do—like eating healthy meals or working out consistently—but this can quickly create feelings of deprivation and restriction. Over time, this leads to burnout and rebellion, making you very likely to fall off track.
A well-balanced plan includes a healthy mix of behaviors that align with your long-term goals and short-term pleasures. This could mean maintaining a 90-95% focus on good behaviors, like sticking to a healthy meal plan or working out regularly, while leaving 5-10% for treats or activities you love (like enjoying a piece of chocolate after dinner). This balance allows you to stay on track while still enjoying life, making it more likely you’ll maintain your habits in the long term.
For more tips on balancing healthy eating with your life, check out Why Planned Cheat Meals Are Great (And Spontaneous Cheat Meals Are Dangerous!).
Conclusion: Creating a Sustainable Plan
To make lasting changes and to stick with your long-term weight loss goals, it’s important to address why you’re not following through. Whether it’s forgetting, choosing not to engage, or struggling with lack of balance, the solution is to be aware of what’s hurting your adherence, which will allow you to find a strategy that works for you.
For a good jumping off point, always design new behaviours with cues to remind you to engage, make the behaviors enjoyable and ensure your plan is sustainable by incorporating balance.
By focusing this way on habits that fit your lifestyle, that you enjoy, and that allow for some flexibility, you’ll be well on your way to achieving your long-term goals. Remember, consistency is key—and small, manageable changes over time will lead to big results.
If you need personalized support from a personal trainer with over 20 years experience in long-term change then sign up with Simon at Body Development Centre today. Either online or at the Leicester based studio, together we’ll create a plan that is perfect for you!
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