Mindset principles for fat loss

Successful fat loss starts here

Many people (rightly) talk about how important ‘mindset’ is but rarely go much further than that.

Probably because it’s a lot harder than just setting macros but it’s certainly the most important part.

With that said I am going to share 5 of my key coaching principles.

I apply these principles to all areas of life.

They will make you universally happier, healthier and more successful.

1. Mood first.

How much easier is it to do the things that will drive you closer to your goals when you’re in a good mood?

Exactly, that is why we focus on mood first.

Most people are delaying starting because they are waiting to feel like it. What you need to realise is it’s the action that drives the motivation. If you’re waiting for motivation you’ll never get far.

Focus on the actions that you know will make you FEEL good.
It’s much easier to take action when you feel good… but you’ll need to start in order to do that. My advice is to focus on the first 3 days. Build some momentum and by day 3 you’ll already start to feel the benefits. If you need some help with starting listen to this.

The reason most people give up is because they get impatient waiting for the delayed reward (fat loss, increased muscle etc). You can ‘hack’ this & avoid the problem by focusing on the immediate reward - how diet & exercise make you feel.

I have written more about mood here.

2. Imperfect action.

Life is not going to perfect. The pursuit of any goal will never go exactly as planned.

Refusing to accept that is refusing to accept reality.

& it will mean you give up every time one little thing doesn’t go to plan.

& that is one sure fire way not to get results.

Imperfect action is a bit of a life mantra for me now. It forces you to take action. Embracing imperfect action remove the excuse you give yourself to give up or to not try when you can’t be perfect.

It’s what gets you out for a walk even when you know you won’t hit your step target.

It’s why you get to the gym even when you know you only have time for half the session.

It’s choosing the next best option even when none of it really fits your diet.

It’s why you stop at 2 slices of pizza

It’s what drives you to finally commit to signing up to coaching even though you don’t magically have 6 weeks of nothing on (that will never happen!)

… you get the gist.

3. The power of averages:

The power of averages is what you start to see when you embrace imperfect action (doing the best you can in the situation you’re in).

Your results will be dictated by the average of your actions.

It’s what you do, on average, every day that matters.

When you fully get your head around this it takes the pressure off.

You’ll have higher days & lower days…

Days where your actions are perfectly in line with your goals and days when they really aren’t.

The thing that will dictate your results is how consistent you are… ON AVERAGE.

Example:

Your fat loss results are dependent on your calorie deficit over the week. Not how many days you were in a deficit.

Some days you might eat more, some days you might eat less. It is the weekly average that dictates fat loss.

One common mistake people make when trying to improve their average is to try and make their good days perfect. That tends to have minimal impact. A better approach is to try and make your ‘bad’ days moderate days.

Example:

Rather than try to lower your calories on the days you’re already relatively on plan by cutting out your morning latte that you love… instead go for 2 drinks on a Friday night instead of 4 and have 1 slice of cake instead of 2.

With the focus being on trying to reduce your high calorie days rather lower your intake on days that are already relatively low. This quickly leaves you with nowhere to go.

I also apply this on a larger time frame with Cruise weeks which are ESSENTIAL to long term fat loss results.

4. Respond don’t react.

You can’t control what happens to you but you can choose your response.

Rather than reacting without thinking learn to respond in a way your future self would be grateful for.

Is that easier said than done? YES, so is literally everything.

This skill will help you in so many areas of life.

Choosing to respond in arguments rather than react will improve your relationships.
Making choices around food rather than mindless eating will improve your diet.

The pause between stimulus and response will change your life.

5. Empowered choices.

The emphasis here being on CHOICES.

You will feel as restricted on a diet as you tell yourself you are.

By that I mean if you tell yourself you can’t have X because you’re on a diet you will feel restricted. If you CHOOSE not to have it because it doesn’t align with your goals at the moment you’ll feel empowered.

Same action but a very different thought process.

You don’t have to exercise… you GET to.

You don’t have to fuel yourself with healthy nutrias food you know will make you feel good.. you GET to.

You don’t have to go for a walk.. you GET to.

You can also apply this to other areas of life.. you don’t have to go to work.. you get to.

Apply this mentality and watch your enjoyment of life increase exponentially.

This mindset changes your fat loss journey from something restrictive that you resent to something empowering that you enjoy.

I hope you find these useful & if you do send this to someone who might benefit from reading this too.

Thank you for your time & attention.

ESG x

Work with me here