you gotta go slow

If you’re trying to lose weight, you gotta go slow.

I get it.

We’re all impatient, we all want the get to our goals as fast as possible. That’s what we want, but what we want doesn’t necessarily translate into reality. It’s like hoping to pass a 4 year degree in a week. It’s impossible, there’s a process that you gotta follow.

For weight loss that process takes years. No matter how much weight you have to lose the journey is counted in years. You can’t “do more” each day and expect quicker results. I mean technically you can, but when you do that you’re sacrificing sustainability and consistency, which without those two things results are meaningless cos they become temporary.

Trying to rush the weight loss process is like trying to do whatever you can to win the lottery to earn a living. Is it possible to win the lottery? Sure. Chances are pretty low though. You have a much better chance earning a living by getting a stable job that pays consistently over time.

So what does it mean to go slow with your weight loss journey?

It means make small changes little by little over time instead of flipping your life inside out with some new program then struggle to keep up with it after a few weeks and having to start over again. Go slow. This is a journey where literally slow and steady wins the race.

So what does slow look like?

Instead of completely changing the menu for your diet and going on some 3x a week workout program, why not start by changing one meal first for the next 3-4 weeks and only having 1x a week workout session? Say breakfast, try making changes to your breakfast first (rest of the day just eat as you normally do) and if you’re able to keep that up for 3-4 weeks then start adding on and working on lunch. Do that for another 3-4 weeks before you start working on dinner.

Same with workouts, after being able to do 1x a week easily start adding another day after 3-4 weeks and repeat up to 3-4x a week.

But isn't that super slow?

Yeah it is, but slow doesn’t mean there’s no progress. You’re making progress the whole time. It’s also way more sustainable cos you’re making small changes that you get used to over time. By making small changes you get a lot of chances to make adjustments without the stress of completely messing up too.

It’s easy to be consistent when you go slow.

When you go slow over time it becomes super easy. When it becomes super easy, then add on a bit more, bit by bit.

Remember the 0.01kg theory I’ve talked about in the past?

The theory was if you lost 0.01kg every single day, within a year you’d lose 3.65kg.

Is that a lot of progress? Not really, but for the effort of losing 0.01kg everyday consistently that’s huge results for absolute minimal effort.

The secret to weight loss is consistency, not intensity. It’s not about perfection either, there’s no need to be 100%, 80% will very much get you to your goals.

I hope this letter resonates.

It’s normal to mess up, it’s normal to be frustrated. Don’t give up. Take breaks if you need them and get back on track when you’re ready. The longer you keep it up, the more progress you’ll make over time both mentally and physically.

— Po