Trick Yourself into Weight Loss (Four Simple Steps)

Did you ever think that there might be something wrong with you? It always seems that everybody else can follow simple instructions for weight loss but not you?

No matter how simple it seems you still manage get in your own way and just don’t seem to follow through.

Why is that?

Don’t worry – it isn’t you. OR better put – it isn’t JUST you.

AND – it isn’t your fault either!

Simple Path to Weight Loss Motivation

Maybe you think you aren’t motivated enough or perhaps everything is too complicated.

Maybe.

The answer to this is simpler than that. The truth is, we are driven by our emotions and not by our logic.

Logically we know that 30 min at the gym is good. At the end of a workday though we are more emotionally driven. Bad day, bad boss, bad job. The long-term benefit of the gym cannot compete with the short-term emotional benefit of our favourite treat and TV show.

Being rational and disciplined is not something we – the human animal – will willingly choose over fun and frolic. We also habitually rebel when someone tells us to do something. Even if it is us telling ourselves!

Whenever we are introduced to something new our initial and automatic response is to support the survival instinct. The primal brain does this without any thought process. It’s the part of the brain that will allow us to react before we have even had a chance to assess what just happened.

This part of the brain is why we scream when startled – even though within a nano-second we realize we know the person and it was just a benign encounter. Regardless the scream is out there and the primal “reptilian” brain parts did their job.

This part of the brain is the first reactor to anything and it operates on the four “F’s”. Feed, Fight, Flight, Fornicate.

Without any active or conscious thinking our primitive brain will ask these three questions:

1. Can I eat it?
2. Should I kill it?
3. Can I mate with it?

These three things directly contribute to our comfort and survival.

If the answer is “no” to all three the brain quickly loses interest and NOW it is up to the higher brain, your thinking brain, to willfully take action.

This is one of the reasons why advertisers will have short ads with sudden changes in sound or visual stimuli because they know the human brain will get “bored” in split seconds.

When you think about it – it doesn’t matter how tired you are, if something was FUN you would do it! The gym might have been fun for the first couple of sessions, but now you are bored and still tired at the end of the day.

So lets trick your lizard brain shall we?

The Lizard Brain Diet

Step One

One of the first things you can do for yourself is to avoid over-complication.

Many exercise and diet plans on the market are overwhelming and involve far too much activity. This over-stimulation will send your lizard under a rock.

Throw out the complicated programs and get with the simple basics. Yes, I know, there is a lot of good and knowledgeable stuff in some of these books and programs but just for now, start simply.

If your exercise program has you moving all your body parts at once and you find it confusing and importantly “NOT fun” – pick something that works one part at a time.

If your diet is a gourmet assortment of measuring and fancy exotic meal planning, and all you are doing is looking at the pictures… Put the book away. You can go back to these later once you have accomplished the basics.

Starting with the basics will give you success and accomplishment much faster. You will be more likely to endure one full week of healthy eating and simple exercise. This will feed your ego into the following week.

Step Two

Taking it another step further, break these simple tasks down into their fundamental parts. This is the bedrock of success.

Don’t worry – this isn’t something you will have to do forever, just for the first little while, until it becomes familiar. Keeping it simple avoids stressing out the lizard brain. When the lizard is stressed it runs. (F-#2)

Step Three

Keep track of your successes. When you get to the gym, eat healthy all day, and feel good about it. Make a note. The lizard loves comfort and feeling good. This self congratulation ritual will feed this need.

Successful Weight Loss Goals Met

Be specific with your steps and tasks required to achieve your health goals. Generally speaking, generalizations, generally, don’t work. For example; rather than writing down “eat a healthy lunch” – write this out instead.
Monday Lunch is:

4oz roast beef
2 cup toss salad: with romaine, carrot, broccoli, and celery.
3/4 cup cups wild rice.
1T Italian dressing

Be specific. Make the changes you need to make smaller and less daunting tasks. Make them friendlier and simpler to master.

Step Four

Now you need to plan it – where is the roast beef coming from? Why not plan a roast beef dinner for the family for Sunday and use the leftovers to map out your healthy lunches.

Yes – it’s more work than just buying a fancy recipe book.

But once it is all written out – it isn’t at all confusing and you can readily see how to plan your time around preparation. If you can’t – then plan your prep and cook and shopping time too.

No – planning isn’t for the lizard – your aren’t a lizard. The lizard will reject change, you – the smart, intelligent, human – will find excitement in new things.

Once you have appeased your lizard you will find it easier to be the beautiful human you are. When you have simplified the tasks they are less daunting and scary. This will lead to more and more success and confidence that evolves into excitement and motivation.