This post presupposes you’ve read part 1 in the series: Smart Simple Weight Loss: Define Your Goal. 

It’s the Stop Fighting YOU part of the process! 

What we’re going to do is ensure the attainment of your weight loss goal is congruent with everything you are naturally and undeniable drawn to.

Your values, your beliefs and everything you believe to be true about yourself. 

Why is aligning your weight loss goal absolutely vital?

In any area of your life that you’re not yet experiencing the results you would love there is an in-congruency between what you say you want and the actions you take on a day to day basis.

More-so the beliefs you entertain which lead to the thoughts you have which lead to the decisions you make which lead to (eventually and often subconsciously) the actions you take.

Once your weight loss goal and your values and beliefs… most importantly YOUR IDENTITY BELIEFS are in alignment, taking the actions that will get you awesome results becomes easy.

There is no “Will I, or won’t I?”  The decision making process is eliminated.  You simply do the do because that gets you the result.

It’s the only sustainable, enjoyable and non-exhausting way to get your ideal body and to keep it.

Let’s take a step back.  The weight loss roller-coaster is exhausting right?  

It’s frustrating and disheartening.  A constant will-power battle is completely unsustainable.  To fight yourself is to focus on deprivation with your food and punishment with your exercise.  To be proud of a skipped meal or a day of meal replacement shakes and then spiral into and all-out-fake-food-binge-fest AND then to waste the energy you don’t have enough of anyway (because of that ZERO-quality food you’ve been feeding your body!) on guilt and self-loathing.

“Why can’t I be more disciplined?”

“I just need to glue my mouth closed.”

I’ve absolutely been there.

When I first made a habit of regularly getting to the gym I hadn’t taken the time to align my goal with anything.  I was likely just subscribing to ‘society’s ideal’ and wanting to look like one of those super-lean-yet-toned-chicks.  Fairly UN-compelling right?

As a result, I’d do the time, sweating out 2 hours a day at the gym and I looked ok however I never managed to achieve the consistency with my food that would allow me to really achieve my goal.

I’d fall for the energy in v. energy out trap.

You know, when you binge on say an entire box of Crunch Nut Cornflakes… (that was my Go 2 break-up remedy in my early 20’s…and there were a few break-ups to be eaten my way through!) …and then hit the gym for death by excruciatingly boring cardio machines for a couple of hours.  AND then, drag yourself back to the couch with… some more cereal or ice-cream or chocolate…. it’s a viscous cycle.

How to Align Your Winning Weight Loss Goal.

Step 1: Elicit your Values.

Your VALUES are those emotional states or qualities you value before anything else – they determine all of your decision making and therefore your destiny.

What has been of most importance in your life?  Not the emotional states you would like to think are your priority – the emotions that have until now been those you have sought out.

=> Think about what truly makes you happy?

=> What gives you a sense of achievement?

=> Consider where you spend your time and also your money?

Take as long as you need to make a thorough list and then reduce it to just 5-7 values.  Now order these top values; place them in a sentence to test how you feel about them – for example ‘What in my life has been more important to me ‘Health’ or ‘Family’?

Once you have you top values in order it will become clear why you find it so easy to excel in some areas and not in others.

Here are some examples of values – though there are 100’s more…

Love  Freedom  Security  Safety  Health  Passion  Vitality  Adventure  Honesty  Integrity  Respect  Growth  Wisdom  Gratitude  Generosity  Playfulness  Uniqueness  Creativity  Happiness  Contribution  Intelligence  Connection  Compassion  Friendship  Trust  Fun

Step 2: Elicit your Identity Beliefs.  

The beliefs you have about yourself also guide the decisions you make. So far as achieving your health goal, they can be a massive ally or a ball and chain around your ankle.

Your beliefs are possibility filters, in that you will filter in evidence to support what you believe…. and the reverse is just as true.

This is a congruency check where you check in to ensure that the achievement of your specific weight loss goal can compliment your best version of you and your ideal lifestyle.

First. This truly is as simple as asking yourself what comes up when I say “I am…” ?

Next. Clarify in what ways these beliefs are serving you and also in what ways they are limiting you (for now just in relation to your health goal to keep it simple).

For example: “I am by nature lazy and not a fan of exercise.” is not doing you any favours.

“I am a person of integrity who always follows through on my commitments to myself.” is.

Finally. In the situations where you’ve created rules or habits to support your identity belief that are in conflict with the actions you need to take to achieve your health goal… MAKE UP NEW RULES and create new habits!

For example: the NON-natural exerciser may be subscribing to the rule: an impromptu weekend walk means you get to skip a scheduled work-out.  conversely the person who always follows through on their commitments to them-self is going to walk to work as scheduled come rain – shine – late night – or slight sniffle.  No excuses!

(more on: How To Use Your Identity Beliefs To Fuel Your Fat Loss )

Step 3: Draw the connection between the achievement of your weight loss goal and your most compelling values AND your non-negotiable identity beliefs.

Caveat a) With this part of the process all you’re looking for is what works.  Not scientifically proven stats.

It’s basically playing mind games with yourself – for your benefit.

So, using myself to illustrate, if my #1 value is ‘Freedom’ and I believe I am a person of Integrity then I can choose to believe that being fit and healthy, being able to wear whatever I like, having the energy for everything that is most important to me – IS FREEDOM.  Also that as I am person committed to helping other achieve their best health and their best bodies then to demonstrate INTEGRITY I absolutely have to walk the talk.

Those beliefs are going to get me that result I want.

It takes away the decision making process because when push comes to shove there is way too much pain involved for me even thinking about being trapped in a body I’m not happy with.  Also I hate hypocrites.  When I introduce myself as a personal trainer and people give me the obvious up and down look – as they do, every. single. time. – I would be mortified if I didn’t see the “yeah, you pass” look on their face.

Again, this is a belief that lets me keep the results I want – it really doesn’t matter if it’s right or wrong, just if it works.

Caveat b) Make it easy for you to succeed.

So you’ve aligned your #1 Value of ‘Love’ with the attainment of your weight loss goal and it also sits congruently with your Identity Belief that ‘I am a loving parent who puts my kids first’.  This example could be aligned in any way, as long as it resonates with you.

For the purpose of this exercise let’s say you see your ability to be a fit, healthy role model with the energy to spend quality time with your kids and the knowledge to share with them the benefits of real food and regular exercise as limitless fuel to incentivise you to achieve and maintain your weight loss goal.

Making it easy for you means: real food (like: One Ingredient Fat Fighting Food ) is what you feed your kids 80% of the time.  Organic, vegan, raw 100% of the time is setting yourself up to fail.

Making it easy for you means: fit and healthy is fitting into your fav jeans and jogging around the park.  It’s not run-way skinny or a marathon a week.

What next?

It’s action taking time.

First to elicit your Values.

Second, to elicit your Identity Beliefs and create rules/habits to support the actions you need to take to achieve your weight loss goal.

Thirdly, to draw the connection between GOAL:VALUES:BELIEFS that will make those habits easy and sustainable.

I’ll be back next week with Part 3…  Smart Simple Weight Loss: Eliminate Limiting Beliefs.

If you dig this info and would love some help putting it into practice check out my 30 Day Plant Strong Jump Start:

P.S. If you prefer to listen check out PODCAST #250 for the audio version of this post: Smart Simple Fat Loss: Align Your Goal.