One Simple Shift Helped Him Lose 60 Pounds

READ TIME 4 MINUTES

This week I want to talk about the feeling of being stuck!

When you know what to do but just can’t seem to do it! It is that frustrating battle between knowing and not doing.

Sound familiar?

Most of us have experienced this at one point or another, and it usually leads to two things:

1. Self-sabotage, making it feel like an endless uphill battle.

2. Pretending it’s not a problem until it hits you in the face daily.

Here’s the truth: understanding the anatomy of transformation is key. Contrary to popular belief, long-term weight loss is less about food and more about how you think.

The Anatomy of Transformation

Your thoughts create your feelings

Your feelings shape your identity.

For example:
Thought - ”I’ve been trying to lose weight for half my life. Weight loss is really hard.”
Feeling - “I feel hopeless.”

Those feelings lead to limiting beliefs that shape our identity.

Thoughts → Feelings → Identity

But there is good news! There is a GAP between thoughts and feelings.

Check this out, we have 60,000 to 80,000 thoughts a day, and 90% are recycled from the day before.

We’re reliving the same patterns, making change feel impossible.

Our thoughts are dictated by the past, which we can’t change.

BUT we can change what lies ahead. In this GAP, we need to take action. This action will change our feelings and starts to move us into becoming who we want to be, reshaping our identity.

Thoughts → ACTION → Feelings → Identity

Let me share a story about my client Teddy to put this all into context.

Teddy joined my group in February 2024.

After 3 weeks, he felt stuck.

He said, “I had a great first three weeks, but now I feel like I’m just going back to the same old me, getting stuck in the same patterns.”

Then he said something many of us feel:

This is the golden moment when you realize; your feelings are not what you should be listening to.

They are temporary and often lie.

Teddy’s thought, “I am going back to how I used to be,” created feelings of “I must not want it enough.” and I knew this was ABSOLUTELY not true.

So here’s what we did:

I told him, “Every day, get up and remember why you started. Then go for a 10-minute walk.”

He replied, “Okay, I guess.”

I added, “Even if you get your shoes on, take three steps, and turn around to come back inside, that’s fine. Count that, but no matter what, get the shoes on and step out the door.”

He agreed.

A week later, Teddy was SHOCKED at how differently he felt.

Here’s why:

Between his thought, “I am going back to who I was,” and that feeling of “I must not want it enough,” he inserted an ACTION

The action changed the feeling.

The feeling slowly shifted from “I wish I wanted it” to “I am doing it.” The feelings carried him through the day and then changed his thoughts the next day, and then the next day, which shifted his feelings into focusing on who he was becoming based on his new actions. This is an identity change!

We don’t change by thinking about it; we change by doing it!

Fast forward to today, in 7 months, Teddy has lost over 60 pounds. He is training for an endurance run, has a strength training routine and just last week hit a record in his gym for 1 mile on an ECHO bike. The previous record was held by a college hockey player.

If you are feeling stuck think about 1 small action that will take you one step closer to who you want to be, and think about that compounding over 7 months! It is life changing!

Remember This

• Feeling stuck happens to all of us, but staying there often leads to self-sabotage or denial.

• Understanding the anatomy of transformation is crucial.

• Insert ACTIONS between thoughts and feelings to break the cycle of feelings stuck.

• Change happens by doing, not thinking.