How to Lose Weight and Get the Body You Want the Easy Way Part 1

Losing weight can be a very frustrating endeavor, but with the right attitude, you can lose weight whilst maintaining a positive, accepting attitude. Using a few simple strategies, you can lose weight without ever obsessing about it. Before such strategies are covered, we must explore a few perspective shifts that will allow for an easier transition between suffering to lose weight and allowing yourself to shed off those pounds.

Stop Setting Yourself Up for Disappointment

Upon deciding to lose weight, many people are hit with a huge wave of enthusiasm and motivation. They feel extremely dedicated to their weight loss goals and they adopt an extreme shift in their lifestyle.
They spend an hour and a half at the gym and follow a very strict eating plan....for a few days.
Once the initial wave of motivation dies down, many people find that they can not sustain such an extreme lifestyle, especially one that promotes habits and routines that seem alien to their previous lifestyles. This often leads them to quit and the yo-yo dieting begins.

This extreme shift causes tension and stress. In order to maintain a sustainable weight loss plan, you must slowly acclimate yourself to the process. Stopping bad habits cold turkey and adopting an intense workout plan is often too much for one to handle all at once.

The truth is disappointing to most who want a quick fix, but the truth is that sustainable weight loss is a slow and steady race.

No secret foods or secret workout plans are going to make you lost ten pounds in the next 3 days. Even if this highly unlikely method happened to work, it would be highly unhealthy and easily reversible.

Accept Yourself Right Now

You have a weight loss goal in mind. You know what you want your body to look like. You are tired of looking and feeling and performing the way you currently do.

In order to adopt a sustainable healthy lifestyle, you must accept yourself as you are right now.
Accept the fact that you are not the shape you want to be, but that you are the shape you are.
Acceptance gives you power and truth. Once you accept yourself, you gain a huge advantage- self honesty.

Skipping out of self acceptance leads to self delusion. Be honest with yourself. Take your measurements and take a photograph, record your personal bests at certain exercises and accept that this is where you are right now.

This is a bitter pill to swallow for most, but once you really, honestly take a good look at your current situation, you gain much more insight and perspective regarding your goals and what steps you need to take to reach them.

This applies to obvious observations, like accepting that you have a flat gluteus maximus and deciding that you would like to build one. This also applies to more subtle factors, like accepting that you are afraid of lifting weights because you are afraid of looking bulky because you want to look like a supermodel because the media has lead you to believe that in order to be attractive and desirable, you must be a certain size.

Try to understand why you want the body you want, and why you want to reach the goals you set up for yourself.

If your goals are driven by the desire to please others and gain the approval of others, you will be sorely disappointed. Find out what drives you and what pleases you, and you will find a source of inner motivation and self responsibility that previously seemed out of reach.

Accept That You Can't Burn Off A Bad Diet

You can't out-train a bad diet. If you eat crappy food, you are highly unlikely to burn it off.
Don't use exercise as a means to burn off calories- learn to be satisfied with less food and you won't need to work out as much.

Eat your vegetables. Many people delude themselves into thinking they can get away with eating crappy food if they don't meet their caloric requirements. This is not healthy and not sustainable. Your body needs essential vitamins, minerals, and amino acids found in natural, whole foods like fruits and vegetables.
Don't be lazy- eat your produce, fill up your plate with lots of produce, and don't delude yourself into thinking you can be healthy without eating produce.

Protein shakes and bars are not a real meal. Neither are rice cakes or whole wheat toast with peanut butter. All of these health foods are healthy alternatives in comparison to fruits and vegetables. 
Eat your fruits and vegetables! There is no magic manufactured miracle health food that can replace the benefits of wholesome produce.

Eat reasonably and use common sense.
Many diets advocate unreasonable portions of food consumption. Don't feel pressured by the diet claims that insist you eat an extremely high amount of protein per day, or extremely low amount of carbohydrates or fats per day. You don't need to eat every two hours. You don't need to consume a certain amount of protein at various parts of the day to avoid muscle loss.

Unless you are a bodybuilder or a professional athlete, you do not need to inconvenience yourself with such extreme strategies. Eat reasonably. Eat small portions and eat good food. Allow your self the occasional treat and allow yourself the time and energy to enjoy a meal. Enjoy eating.

Stop Spending So Much Money
Stop buying the diet pills. Stop buying the countless supplements. Stop buying the "healthy substitute" food products that reek of ingredients produced exclusively in factories. Stop buying the spot reduction gym equipment. Stop buying the overly redundant magazine.

You can spend your money on items that claim to speed up your metabolism and guarantee a five pound lighter version of yourself in three days, or you can spend money on things you actually enjoy.

Weight loss is not a hobby. Spend your money on a legitimate past time.

Be Realistic About Your Goals
Do you hate working out? Or do you hate certain types of work outs?
If you want to look like Jessica Biel but would rather walk to the nearest elevator instead of walking up the stalled set of escalators, then you are barking up the wrong tree.

Transformations are possible, like Chris Hemsworth immense muscle gain for his role as Thor. But are you willing to commit to a strenuous lifestyle that revolves around eating and working out?

Ease Is A Relative Term

What is easy for you may not be easy for another. What matters most if finding what works for you, and what resonates with you.

Some people thrive on a challenge and love outdoing themselves and beating their personal bests. That attitude and drive comes to them with ease- they feel as if they are not fully themselves if they are not meeting their challenges. Intensity is fun for them.

Other people fare best with more moderate and gentle approaches. These people like to be healthy but hate going to the gym. Leniency works best with them, and these people really do not hold aspirations towards looking like the next cover model of Sports Illustrated.

Find out what you value more. What do you naturally feel compelled to do, and what are you naturally driven by?

Regardless of your values, you will need to step out of your usual comfort zone, but the leap won't be too drastic. The leap will have a steady foundation and you will be able to sustain your progress and lifestyle. This new lifestyle will come with ease if you let go of your resistance to what you really want to do.