3 Stages of Fat Loss - Part 2

Here we are at the mid-point of the 3 stages of fat loss. You see, in my opinion, there are three distinct stages that a person will go through before they see their fat loss goals truly come to be.

Admission, Decision and Realization are my 3 stages of fat loss, and, as we get closer to the end of this rather short list, I want to help you understand that, just because there are only 3 stages, it doesn't mean that they are going to be easy. In fact, the most difficult stage is upon us in this very article. Let's explore what it takes to move beyond this crucial stage.

If you've already read my previous article about the first of the 3 stages of fat loss, you know that the admission that there is a problem is a very difficult thing for many people to get past. Nobody wants to admit that they have a problem with food, or admit that they don't do enough physical activity.

This is the very reason why the second stage is such a big hurdle to overcome. More on that in a moment. The third stage, known as Realization is what I would refer to as the "downhill section" of the 3 stages of fat loss, simply because the hardest parts have been done by that point, and things will finally start to click.

Let's assume that our subject, perhaps it's you, has admitted that there must be some changes made if they are to realize their fat loss goals and live the healthy, happy, long life they deserve. At that point, we would naturally assume the rest of the pieces will just naturally start to fall into place. In other words, the denial that a problem exists has been put to rest, so we're free and clear to start living a healthier life, right?

I wish that it were that easy, but, as the article title states, there are 3 stages of fat loss, so once the admission has been made, the next step is to Decide to do something about it.

This stage will either make you or break you. Let's see why.

Over the past number of years, I have been fortunate to work with literally hundreds of clients, all of whom had their own reasons for wanting to live a healthier lifestyle. The simple fact that they had come to me for help told me that they had crossed-over from the first stage and into the second. Unfortunately, the vast majority of these folks didn't take things any further than that.

If I had to guess, I would say that over 90 percent of people who start a fat loss program of some sort, will ultimately fail to see the results they want, simply because they failed to make a conscious decision to keep going until their goals were achieved.

Whenever I started with a brand new class full of people for one of my programs, they pretty much all came to each session with the same amount of enthusiasm and energy, until about the 3rd or 4th week of a typical 12-week program. At that point, I was able to see very clearly the difference between those participants who had made their decision to move forward in a positive direction until they had met their goals, and the ones who didn't.

Those people would start to miss sessions, making excuses whenever they did show up about why they weren't there the week before. Interestingly enough, these were also the folks who would always be complaining that they weren't seeing the results they wanted, and, ultimately giving up.

However, for those people who had conquered their second stage of fat loss and made the decision that, no matter what, this was their time to shine, the rewards were (and still are) very sweet indeed. These are the people who make up that tiny percentile, and achieve great things.

Here comes the hard part. The only thing that separates the achievers and the non-achievers in my example is the ability to make that life-changing decision. You see, this is not just any old decision. It's not like the decision we make about what color of car to buy, or which toothpaste to use. This is probably one of the most difficult decisions that a human being can make, and I'll tell you why.

Society has taught us that looking good and feeling good are things that we should all be striving for in our lives. The tough part is that once we see what's required to get there, we start looking for the "easy way." Well, I'm here to tell you that there isn't one.

That's right, the road to good health is paved with things like disbelief, uncertainty, lack of confidence and worst of all, fear of failing. Nobody likes to be a failure at anything, so when the going gets tough, the tough get going, but the not-so-tough get the heck out of there! They go back to their old ways, their old habits, and all of the effort it took for them to get past the admission stage is for not. The real secret to success with fat loss is the ability to decide that no matter what stands in your way, you will persevere and overcome those obstacles, making you a stronger person in the end.

So, if you have admitted that you need to change the way you're living, and begin a journey to achieve the best condition of your entire life, you now must decide that you will not look back. You must decide to always be positive, even when others are feeding you negativity. You must decide that today's workout will be just that little bit harder than the workout you did yesterday. You must decide that there is no food on earth that tastes as good as living healthy feels. You must decide to take on life one day at a time, living each one to the maximum where your fitness, nutrition and motivation are concerned. Finally, you must decide that, no matter what, you will make it to the final stage of the 3 stages of fat loss and "Realize" your full potential as a healthy, fit and happy person.

Make your decision.

Right here and right now.

Do it.