Diets, cleanses and detoxes sell you on the promise of certain results:
- Lose XX pounds in X weeks!
- Flaunt a flatter stomach!
- Drop a dress size!
- Fit into your “skinny jeans”!
Sometimes they even deliver on those promises. Follow a restrictive diet or intensive exercise regimen for a month or two and you probably will lose a bunch of weight.
But unless you’re prepared to keep on doing whatever you’re doing to lose the weight, there’s really no point. Because if that’s not sustainable, then neither is the weight loss.
That’s why we need to focus less on the promise and more on the process. Before you embark on a new program, ask yourself:
- Will I actually enjoy eating (or exercising) this way?
- Does it fit it into my schedule and life long term?
- Would I be able to keep it up even during busy or stressful times?
If the answer to any of these questions is no, whatever success you have is likely to be short-lived.
Permanent success comes from sustainable habits.
What’s your best habit right now? Not a wish or a goal, but an actual habit–a behavior that you’ve succeeded in establishing as a long-term pattern? What sustainable result is it supporting?