I’m going to keep this week’s post relatively short and sweet (at least according to my usual trends.)

Your goals for yourself and your ability to reach them come down to (mainly) one key thing: your willingness to change.

I was recently speaking with a client to try and troubleshoot areas in their diet and help get the needle moving the direction they wanted it to go.

When it came to a certain area, a certain luxury in their diet, they very simply said: “Yeah, I’m not going to change that.”

And as their coach, I am 100% cool with that because it demonstrates boundaries (to an extent).

It also demonstrates the power that certain aspects of a diet might have on us.

If I told you to give up all carbs for 14-days to lose weight, could you do it? Yes. Are you willing?

If I told you to train for one hour a day on a treadmill at X.X speed for 21 days, could you do it? Yes. Are you willing?

If I told you to change your carnivorous ways and drop all animal products for a 30 day vegan submersion, could you do it? Yes. Are you willing?

And I pose these questions to you because when it comes to fat loss, many people are willing to do a lot (in theory) to drop pounds.

With just a handful of caveats:

-They’re willing to do a lot until it gets too hard.

-They’re willing to do a lot until it gets boring.

-They’re willing to go to extremes ONLY if the scale rewards them every day.

-They’re willing to do a lot if it’s in the short term.

Here’s the thing. You don’t have to give up carbs for 14 days to lose weight, but you might have to consistently reduce them based on what you’re used to.

You don’t have to spend an hour a day on a treadmill mindlessly moving at X.X speed for 21 days but you might have to start moving a hell of a lot more than your sedentary job allows.

And, no, you don’t need to remove all animal products and go vegan to lose weight. Not even for 30 days but you may have to remove those desserts you’ve been treating yourself to 5 out of 7 days a week.

Is willingness everything? No.

You do still have to be concerned about your stress levels, your sleep patterns, your ability to prioritize yourself, your health and your goals PLUS potentially be simultaneously raising a family, being an attentive and intimate spouse/partner, and showing up for your job and putting in effort there.

Adulting is not for the faint of heart.

But if you’re stuck with your weight loss goals, take a critical look at what’s happening in your life. Reassess what you’re working with and ask yourself two questions:

1-What am I willing to change?

2-When will I start?