The fat loss tip no one ever wrote about!

日本語訳はこちら。

This is the simplest tip you will probably EVER read on how to lose weight, change your outlook in life, and increase your self-esteem. If implemented seriously, it can be a life changer.

One day after losing some weight I saw the number I feared most: 82 kg. The weight that I always could go down to, but could never defeat. Every time I hit that mark, I would get stuck and slowly gain what I had lost.

“After some soul-searching, I began to suspect that 82 kg was a mental limit, not a physical one. I had never been lower than 82 kg while following a healthy nutritional regime”.

This time I decided I was going to shatter it, but didn’t know how.

After some soul searching, I began to suspect that 82 kg was a mental limit, not a physical one. I had never been lower than 82 kg while following a healthy nutritional regime.

I started observing my thoughts, and noticed that the mental image I had of myself, was of a “big” guy. A part of me rally wanted to be lean, but that mental image I had of myself was preventing me from progressing. I was focused on “stopping being” the person “I knew”, so I had to focus on “becoming a new man”, rather than changing the one I was.

I also noticed that when thinking about fat loss I always started with the words “it would be great if…”. I suddenly realized those words don’t carry a very convincing or powerful message. It is a beautiful wish, but has no depth or reality. “It would be” implies a future that will never come into existence. It is a fancy dream that lives off the rent of regret and frustration. Wishing never got anything done.

Soon after realizing this a new set of words sprang in my mind: “it is inevitable”.

“Since I couldn’t escape my mind, I decided to escape its ally: the mirror.”

Still the question was there: HOW? I had lots of small, important answers, but not a way of action. How could I bypass my mind and my low self-esteem?

Since I couldn’t escape my mind, I decided to escape its ally: the mirror. By not looking at myself I was going to avoid all the mental commentary that did nothing but bring me down and cause me to doubt myself.

So I started working out with a sweatshirt. After every training session, I stopped trying to see the “gains” or “the pump”. I looked at myself only once fully dressed, and kept it to only a couple of quick glances. Even when I had to shave, I did so, wearing an old shirt.

I tried not asking my wife or anyone around if they were seeing any progress. I did set a milestone though: 3 months. For those 3 months I decided to trust what I was doing, without daily negative voices in my mind telling me that I could never achieve it.

What happened next was incredible. After a lifetime holding a very negative image of myself, I started “feeling good” in my own skin. In the mornings, instead of getting depressed about my “love handles”, I woke up, got ready and went to work without anyone (myself) calling me names, without feeling disappointed. I was trusting and relying on the progress.

“What happened next was incredible. After a lifetime holding a very negative image of myself, I started “feeling good” in my own skin.”

In the gym, I stopped being self-conscious about how I looked when exercising. Now I was working out without expecting immediate results or instant gratification. It was a first time for me; a new man was truly being born out of the old one.

In the night time, after a day of good, constant effort, I felt joyous. What I wanted, is what I was working for. I wasn’t wishing any longer; I was becoming a doer!

Eating healthy food, in correct amounts, exercising, and even the feared days off and the “cheating” days, became enjoyable. The more I kept to my good habits, the more I knew that I could trust my plan and stick to it. No more stress or fear; I was in control and loving it. It was inevitable!

Without enemies within, my body reacted better. Without negativity I wasn’t wasting precious energy doubting myself. Without the stress of “failure”, I wasn’t producing cortisone, so I wasn’t flooding my body with a hormone that tells the body to store fat.

It didn’t take long for people to mention that I was looking better, slimmer and the likes. It felt good, but since I wasn’t addicted to self-deprecating anymore, I stopped needing ego-boosting comments. I truly was breaking out of the mental cocoon I had encased myself in, and was breaking into a life that was calmer and more joyful.

3 months went by, and as the day approached, I was feeling excited about it, but interestingly, not hopeful. I knew I had given it my very best, and I already had accepted in my mind whatever result the mirror was going to reflect.

I knew it was going to be good, since all my clothes now were loose, but nothing prepared me to what I saw in the mirror. I saw a much leaner body of a man that loved himself for the first time. I had truly become a new man.

After that, I tried to get myself into a 1 month “not looking at me” project. But after only a few days, it became evident that I had nothing to win by doing it again. The new challenge was to stay present, stay grateful and stay the same man I had become, without reverting back to the comfortable, destructive self I had been for decades.

This happened a few years ago, and besides a few times when I was overly tired or sick, I haven’t caught myself being nasty to myself. I have managed to stay within the 77 to 79 kilograms range and a body fat reading of 12 to 14 percent.

So, would you like to give it a try? This is the short list of how to do it:

Set a period of time to do it (3 months is optimal according to my experience)
Avoid seeing yourself in the mirror naked or while exercising
Avoid revealing clothes
when naked try to avoid seeing yourself
be aware of thoughts judging what you are doing or the way you look
choose a nutritional regime that is conducive to fat loss (avoid crash diets or fads) while sustaining or improving health
exercise regularly but don’t go into exhausting cardio sessions
if you know how to, use bodyweight exercises to keep as much muscle as possible while losing fat
try to buy good quality produce and cook at home as often as you can
keep your mind in the present (the future only tires and distracts you)
remain positive
remember, it is “inevitable”
So there you go, the easiest, simplest tip way to lose fat, and if you are ready, become a new person.

By the way,in case you want to know, I lost 5 kgs during those 3 months. So if I could do it, so can you. Good luck!