1. Cutting calories.
A calorie deficit means eating fewer calories than your body uses.[1]
First, figure out what you’re actually eating. I use MyFitnessPal. Spend a couple of weeks documenting your normal meals, snacks, drinks, sauces, and cooking oils. Get a realistic picture of where you’re starting. You don’t need to obsess over every gram.
Then start making small adjustments. Find places where you can reduce calories while still eating full meals you enjoy. Tracking can help you spot those opportunities.[4]
That’s why you see me eating the same pancakes, salads, and muffins. I genuinely like them. I want food I look forward to eating, because I’m going to be doing this for a while.
2. Exercise.
Pick a program that fits your experience and your actual schedule. Then stick to it. Give yourself a chance to learn the movements and see progress before changing everything again.
For me, that’s running and lifting. Your version might look different. Start with something you can repeat during a normal week, including when work gets busy. Put it on your calendar. Choose activities you enjoy, and build from there.[1]
You can use ChatGPT to help put a starting plan together. Tell it your experience, your goals, the equipment you have, and how many days you can realistically train.[3]
Give yourself something to work toward beyond weighing less. Getting stronger. Running farther. Feeling more comfortable in the gym.
And take your rest days. You’re trying to build a routine you can keep doing.
Which brings me to the third thing.
3. Identity shift.
To me, this is the biggest one.
Wanting to get fit and knowing you need to get fit only gets you so far. You have to actually become someone who does it.
And if you’ve already started going to the gym, you’re already practicing that change. You don’t have to wait until you look a certain way to take yourself seriously.
But this part can be tough. Because you have to consciously agree, with yourself, that you’re changing how you live for the long term.
You may even have to mourn parts of the old version of yourself.
Some of those habits gave you comfort. They helped you unwind. They were familiar, and you might miss them. You can want to change and still feel sad about what you are leaving behind.
Ask yourself what you’re actually going to miss. The food? The spontaneity? Having something to look forward to at the end of a hard day? Make room for those needs in the life you’re building.
There should still be dinners with friends, dessert, and days on the couch.
But ask yourself honestly: Am I building a routine I’m willing to keep, or am I counting down the days until I can go back to exactly how I lived before?
That’s a much bigger question than whether you can finish a workout or follow a meal plan this week.
You don’t need to keep cutting calories forever. The long-term commitment is continuing to take care of yourself after you reach your goal. Your food and exercise routine can evolve with your life.[4]
And when you miss a workout or have a day that doesn’t go to plan, you haven’t lost that identity. Have your next normal meal. Return to your routine. Setbacks are part of making lasting changes.[2]
Practice being that person now. Give yourself permission to grow into it.