What do you really need to succeed with weight loss?

Turns out, it’s not willpower, perfection or lots of time in the kitchen or the gym.

Losing weight and keeping it off is more about how you think than anything else. You might have your doubts about this and I don’t blame you.  But if you are open minded to these ideas and willing to try them out, I promise you that many of them will completely change the game for you.

I encourage you to pick few that speak to you and display them somewhere you see every day.

• Be willing to question what is currently be circulated about the right way to lose weight.

• Let go of perfectionism and embrace a messy path because life is messy. We need a path to better health to work within that reality, not fight against it.

• Keep commitments to yourself like you would for a friend.

• Be as compassionate and understanding of yourself as you would to a friend. This means not using self-talk you wouldn't say to your friend or your daughter.

• Recognize when you are white-knuckling. Don't see this as a failure but rather as valuable data. Recognize that no one can continue to do something that requires this, and shift.

• Stay connected with your support system, especially when struggling or disengaged. Don't ghost them when you get distracted or discouraged.

• Think like a scientist and of the process like a series of experiments. If the first inputs don’t give you the desired outputs, try different inputs.

• Be patient. Time is your friend if you stay engaged.

• Think of this process as ongoing with starts, stops, twists, and turns rather than being "on" or "off" a program. 

• Be curious rather than judgmental.

• Notice when you are operating from a scarcity mindset. Sometimes, it's easier to see this once you stop doing it.

• Plan with precision and execute with flexibility. This applies to how you practice your habits and manage life's anomalies – vacations, eating out, social events, illness, and unexpected circumstances.

• Keep going. This doesn't mean you can have starts and stops, but you must be willing to move forward, even if it is two steps forward or 1 step back.