How to Lose Weight: Start Small and Don’t Look Back

If you feel overwhelmed and inept in the face of a change you need to make, I get it 100%.

I was obese with my muscles imprisoned by atrophy; Meanwhile I had all these bittersweet memories of when I used to be able to move and run and, you know… live.

I couldn’t instantly teleport myself back to my physically able self. The only way to health was to meet myself where I was at and just get started!

One step at a time. One wall push-up at a time. Then I started jogging, but could only go for a few seconds. So I went for a few seconds! The only way to push myself further was to work with what I had.

Getting started is integral, and consistency thereafter is mandatory.

It’s not easy being consistent, but it’s doable when you meet yourself where you’re at. Try to start beyond your body’s pay grade, and you’re likely setting yourself up to fizzle out.

Start small. If you’ve been stagnant for a long time, start so small it nearly feels pointless. It’s not pointless! Trust me. Each time you move your body, and then move it again the next day, and the next, you’re right on track.

The process may seem obnoxiously slow, but maybe we’re just obnoxiously impatient.

After all, there was only about two months of consistency between that first trot for a few seconds, and making it for a quarter of a mile.

And less than a month after that, I hit a mile.

Two weeks later, two miles.

Now I jog 3–5 miles about four times a week, a little less than a year after I got started. Jogging is part of my lifestyle now. I feel weird when I DON’T do it.

What would have happened if I heard that guy say, “Look at the fat guy run!” and used that as an excuse to stop running?

Ignore the clowns and haters. You’ve got a job to do. Lock on to your target and get started.

Originally published at https://andrewlhicks.com on September 27, 2020.