Lose Weight Four Days at a Time
Secret to losing weight permanently: Live in 4 day intervals.
Step 1: Identify a very, VERY doable goal for the next four days. Maybe you want to start exercising, or stop overeating at dinner time, or exercise in the morning, or work on the quality of foods you eat. Maybe you want more control over your eating habits.
Step 2: Cut that goal in half. If your goal was “start exercising”, your halved goal might be “identify exercises that I enjoy” or perhaps “find a place I would like to go to exercise that is convenient”. If your goal was “stop overeating at dinner”, your new 50% -sized goal is “take one bite less at dinner” or even “focus on drinking more water at dinner. Note that the goals are readily and specifically quantifiable.
How do you feel when you think of your new, smaller goal? If it seems like a piece of cake, or pie if you’re me and are not that into cake, but pies, fuggetaboutit, then you’re all set, move on to step 3. If the goal seems like it might require a modicum of discipline to accomplish, cut it in half again and again until it’s a walk in the park.
Step 3: Each day you accomplish your ridiculously easy goal, you get a prize! Winner! This is particular to your preferences and needs to be non-food based. Some of my prizes are a trip to the bookstore, putting an item to sell on eBay (love doing this! great way to clean out the clutter that feels like a fun game), and writing posts for my blog. You ONLY get the prize if you complete your goal. That’s the rule (and why the goal needs to be easy-peasy).
Step 4: After 4 days, you get a BIGGER prize if you completed goals each day. Mine include getting a pedicure, watching a good movie, buying a foodie magazine and a long convo with a good friend.
If you do this, you will be amazed at your progress. You may be thinking, “Easy goals? 4 measly days? Pshaw. Not worth my time!” This is sinking thinking. If you think about how long you’ve wanted to lose weight, and how little you’ve accomplished, you see that the tackle it all at once strategy is a bust. Small steps are THE way to get moving – so get small-stepping, right now.
Thanks to Martha Beck for this concept, which she calls the “4-Day Win”.
Would love to hear your thoughts!
