When we start to lose weight we are usually motivated, excited and driven but quite often we lose our enthusiasm as we are making that journey and never actually reach our final goal. We make progress over a period of time but then there always seem to be distractions to knock us off course.
How do we stop this happening so that we reach our ultimate goal? Reflection and focus will help you stay on track and achieve weight loss success.
Make sure your goal is very clear and you fully understand why you are driving towards it. This could be down to health, fitness or appearance reasons. Is your timescale realistic? What steps do you need to take to make it happen? What support network do you need around you? All these things need to be considered to ensure you achieve success. Make sure you set yourself some mini goals which will give you a sense of achievement along the way.
Once you have started to work towards your weight loss goal it is very important that you look back and reflect on your journey so far and ask yourself these questions and write your answers down:
What have I accomplished so far?
What has gone really well?
What am I disappointed with?
Taking the above into consideration, what have I learnt?
Has anything changed regarding my initial goal?
What is my focus for the next stage of my journey?
How am I going to make sure I achieve it?
Writing this information down will help you stay on track. Looking at what you have achieved and what works for you will help when the going gets tough and you need some inspiration to push on and reach your goal. If you hit a plateau then try something new to change things up a little and give you a different experience. Maintaining motivation and enthusiasm is essential if you want to get results. I find that trying new hobbies, classes and even new recipes really help to keep me on track.
Making healthy meals that all the family can eat makes life easy for you, you feel included rather than being isolated on your diet and it also assists you in staying on track.
Here is one of my favourite family recipes:
Turkey Meatballs with Tomato Pasta Sauce
1 pack of Turkey Mince
1 medium onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic (crushed)
1 tsp ground cumin
1tsp ground coriander
1tbsp tomato puree
1tbsp any chutney
1tbsp chopped fresh coriander
Salt and black pepper to taste
Help from the family is always an added bonus.
Put all the ingredients into a bowl and mix together with your hands to form one large ball. Then take a little of the mixture and roll into a ball about the size of a golf ball. Line 2 baking trays with tin foil (or have an assistant to do it for you) and place the balls onto the trays then bake in the oven on 160 degrees (fan) for 10-15 mins.
Take a carton of passata and put in a pan with some sliced mushrooms, garlic and chilli (to taste) and season. Cook your preferred shape of pasta and add to serving bowls then place the meatballs on top and cover with the passata and mushroom sauce
This is one of the easiest meatball recipes I have made. They require no added fat to cook, and all my family enjoy them. Do let me know what you think or share any variations.
A healthy lifestyle is not just about what you put in your mouth, it is also about what you take in emotionally, spiritually and mentally. So, remember to reflect on your week, eat and sleep well, focus on your coming week, prepare, plan and then take action. Don’t forget to acknowledge your achievement and celebrate your success. Have a great week.
