Battle Plan

Greetings once again!!! If you have not been keeping up for whatever reason, remember that you can also subscribe to my blogs via the link to the right. It will send you the most recent post straight to your e-mail.

As with most things weight loss is a journey not a destination. It should be looked upon as a constant “work in progress” so to speak. There are many ways to attack the situation at hand however out of the plans that you formulate you must understand first the enemy that you are dealing with and how expansive he really is.

The Devil is in the Details

Starting a plan is an easy albeit somewhat “humanizing” process because it will force you to face your demons head on. The things that got you to where you are will HAVE to be addressed. So start your battle plan by writing down your goals. Then once you write your goals down, you need to start to write out your weaknesses. This will require you to sometimes find an outside source that has a more objective eye than you would for yourself. You must be EXTREMELY honest with yourself during this process as this will no doubt determine your ultimate success or failure. If you know that you have a propensity to eat ice cream when you are stressed for example then for God’s sake make that an integral part of your plan to eliminate. If not then you will find yourself spinning your wheels with no progress in sight.

Find that one friend or family member that’s always nagging you about the gym or working out (everyone has one in the clique’; it’s just part of a healthy group dynamic, lol). Tell them that you are about to get serious about your weight loss goals and they will be more than happy you help I assure you. This person will be able to provide you with the feedback about habits that you are probably not aware of. For instance, I have a colleague that is a habitual snacker. Not in a good sense of snacks just your regular vending machine fodder. So one day we started to talk about his plan and I pointed out that one thing that he needed to eliminate was the amount of singles and change in his pocket at work to keep him from the vending machine. Well unbeknownst to him there was no snacking going on at all!!! Then, I explained to him in detail where and when I saw him eating Honey buns, Skittles and cookies from the machine. Now he could have been pulling my leg but I honestly think that this had become so much of a habit to him that it didn’t even register. So make sure to lay out a detailed “weakness” plan first.

Once you come to the point where you THINK that you have sufficiently covered your weaknesses now you have to address what you feel are your strengths. Are you an early riser? If so this can be used to your advantage. Do you like to cook and expose yourself to new things? If so try to find out how to make your favorite dishes WITHOUT all of the butter, extra carbs and other fattening things. There are a multitude of things that you can use that will be considered as strengths when you make this Battle Plan.

This is a Journey, Not a Destination

I have said this so many times over the years because of the sheer truth that it is. When you go into battle the plan HAS to go further than “I want to win this battle”. You have to have an after-plan. What are your reasons for starting the war and what do you look to come from this WHEN not IF you win. If you don’t have an idea of what you want the end-state to be you will find yourself standing in the middle of the battlefield with your enemy vanquished saying to yourself “now what?”
Once you begin your journey you will find yourself CONSTANTLY trying to fix or change something as the progress occurs. This is very normal. As a species we are conditioned to see the “wrong” in the mirror vs. the “right”. How many times have you actually looked in the mirror and said “I look fantastic!!!” Now how many times have you looked and said "Man I need to change this or that". It’s just human nature. So within your journey set what I call “checkpoints” to chart your progress and set your next milestone. That way you can continually progress.

Your checkpoints are YOUR checkpoints, not determined by anyone else. Set them based on your lifestyle. Too many times we find ourselves using others to chart OUR progress. I have heard so many clients and workout partners say “Well I work out with so and so and do the same things that he/she does and she has lost 20lbs compared to my 12lbs”. This is where the intangibles come in. Their metabolism, where they set their BMR, and how well they stick to the plan for the other 22-23 hours OUTSIDE of the gym. Remember that most battles are not won strictly on the battle field but in how well you actually execute the plan that you have laid out.

A Reality of War is Fratricide

In every battle you will have causalities. That’s just a part of the battle. If would be a great thing to go into battle and have no causalities on your side what so ever. One thing that should be avoided at all cost is what’s called Fratricide.

Fratricide - fire that injures or kills an ally

In terms of weight loss this would be considered as that late night doughnut. Don’t set yourself up. Try to minimize it as much as possible however if and when it does happen…………..DON’T GIVE UP THE FIGHT!!!! Fight even harder. Do not let that loss happen in vain. Get back up and put yourself back on the path to winning the fight.

Not Easily Discouraged

“Great!!!” That was the reply that I had texted back to a friend that had just lost 13lbs in the last few weeks. For some that’s nothing and for someone else that’s monumental progress when you have struggled all of your life with weight issues. Remember that one person’s inch can very well be another person’s mile. When someone shares their progress with you it’s because they are genuinely happy about that progress. That should in turn make you just as happy. To see a friend, family member or co-worker make progress in any area of their lives is something that should be celebrated, because believe it or not you will also reap the benefits. When their quality of life increases that feeling of well being will bleed over to you and everyone around them. No one likes to be around the miserable person however everyone flocks to the happy up-beat one.
Have a Great Week!!!

Yours in Fitness and Health,
Aaron “K Nine” Washington

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