If Only I Had Known: My Top Weight Loss Journey Tips for Long-Term Success

Embarking on a weight reduction journey might be difficult, however with the proper ideas and methods, you may obtain sustained weight reduction, with out medication like Ozempic. I do know this as a result of I’ve accomplished it. 

I’m going to share my prime ideas for long run weight reduction success on this put up, however first, do you ever want you could possibly journey again in time and provides your self slightly recommendation?

I do, particularly after I take into consideration how a lot time and power I wasted doing all of the improper issues, or about what number of errors I made, and the way a lot frustration I may have averted, had I solely identified THEN what I do know now.

And whereas there’s part of me that understands that generally we simply must be taught issues the onerous means, I additionally suppose there’s one thing extremely beneficial about sharing these classes, these errors, and people reflections within the hope that another person can be taught from them.

And perhaps, simply perhaps, your journey will probably be slightly simpler consequently.

That’s why on this weblog put up, as we have fun our two yr anniversary of launching Thinlicious into the world, I assumed it could be enjoyable to have a look again and share among the greatest issues I want I might have referred to as I used to be beginning my weight reduction journey, and likewise the issues our most profitable purchasers want they’d have referred to as nicely.

Whether or not you’re simply getting began in your well being and weight reduction journey, otherwise you’re nicely in your means, I assure this put up goes to encourage you, encourage you, and inspire you to make these lasting modifications in your personal life.

My Journey: From Wrestle to Success

For these of you who don’t know me, my title is Ruth Soukup, and I’m the founding father of Thinlicious and the creator of the Skinny Tailored System, in addition to the New York Instances bestselling creator of seven books.

I’m additionally a 46 yr previous girl who struggled for years and years to shed weight and get wholesome earlier than lastly taking a very totally different strategy—the identical strategy that we now information our purchasers by means of at Thinlicious—and misplaced greater than 40 kilos.

And whereas I’ve simply maintained that weight reduction for a number of years now—which in and of itself appears like a miracle after struggling for therefore lengthy—the ache and frustration of that years-long battle remains to be VERY contemporary in my thoughts.

The frustration of attempting one weight loss program after one other, the distress of continually depriving myself and attempting to chop energy and eat much less and train extra, the disgrace of falling off the wagon and gaining all the load again, many times.

The one factor I DIDN’T strive was Ozempic, however that’s solely as a result of it wasn’t a factor then! However imagine me, had it been round I most likely would have been first in line.

As a result of actually, I used to be so determined to repair that piece of my life. And it nonetheless feels so uncooked.

In case you’re studying this since you too are fighting this, you then most likely know precisely what I’m speaking about. The disgrace. The lack of self-worth.

You begin avoiding footage and even desirous to look within the mirror. You begin saying no. You begin hiding. It principally begins eroding your confidence and your life.

And on prime of that, you simply don’t FEEL good. You’re drained on a regular basis. You are feeling bloated. Your joints harm.

It’s simply this vicious cycle. It’s onerous to get motivated to do one thing about it since you’re simply exhausted on a regular basis, however there’s no method to cease feeling exhausted except you truly change one thing.

Imagine me, I GET it. 

Breaking Free: A New Method to Lengthy-Time period Weight Loss

For me, it wasn’t till I made a decision to take a very totally different strategy that issues FINALLY circled. The largest factor was that I lastly stopped in search of a fast repair, one other crash weight loss program, and as a substitute determined to do some actual analysis into the science of weight reduction, and into why we achieve weight within the first place. 

Actually, what I found SHOCKED me as a result of it’s SO totally different than the whole lot we’ve ever been instructed about what’s wholesome and never wholesome, and what makes us shed weight and what makes us achieve. As a result of reality is, sustained weight reduction methods give attention to (doable!) long-term modifications relatively than fast fixes.

As a result of because it seems, the factor that regulates our weight ISN’T counting energy, it’s hormones. 

As I began to vary the way in which I eat in a means that restored stability to my hormones and reversed insulin resistance and healed my intestine, the load simply began to return off.

With out weight-reduction plan. With out medication. And with out making myself depressing.

I misplaced 40 kilos in six months, and for the primary time EVER I didn’t simply achieve all of it proper again. I’ve simply maintained that weight reduction for years now.

And let me inform you pals, after fighting this for SO LONG, it felt—and nonetheless does really feel—like FREEDOM.

It’s why I’m SO freaking captivated with this work. It’s why I began Thinlicious and this weblog. As a result of I can’t assist however need to share it, and to assist different girls discover that very same freedom.

And that’s additionally why in TODAY’s weblog put up, as we have fun two large milestones—the one yr anniversary of our podcast, and the 2 yr anniversary of launching Thinlicious, I need to take that story one step additional and share actually with you among the issues that I do know now, trying again, most likely would have made issues an entire lot simpler for me.

Not solely that, however I need to share among the insights my purchasers have shared with me as nicely—the issues THEY wished they may again and inform themselves as they have been simply getting began.

As a result of, as one among my favourite purchasers as soon as stated, generally you simply don’t know till you recognize, ya know?”

My hope is that this weblog put up will each encourage and empower you to both KEEP GOING, when you’ve already began your well being journey, or to really GET STARTED when you’re nonetheless sitting on the sidelines.

Listed below are the six issues I want I knew at the beginning:

1. Sustained weight reduction takes time (and it’s not a straight line.)

Actually, that’s most likely the very first thing I want I might’ve been extra cognizant of—that sustained weight reduction takes TIME. And never solely that, it doesn’t occur in a straight line. There will probably be days when you’re up slightly bit, and days the place you might be down, and that’s completely regular. What you’re in search of is a line that traits downward over time.

And that’s why you actually have to take a look at it as a JOURNEY or a LIFESTYLE, not as a weight loss program.

As a result of I don’t find out about you, however I’m undoubtedly an instantaneous gratification type of particular person. My workforce has this ongoing joke that by the point I ask them for one thing, I already needed it yesterday. But it surely’s true. I hate ready. I need to take motion and do the issues and see outcomes. Proper now.

That’s actually the strategy I had at all times taken to weight-reduction plan and attempting to shed weight. I might discover the most recent fad weight loss program lose-weight-quick strategy, and I might go all in on slicing energy and ravenous myself and ingesting all of the water and understanding, all with the thought that I may simply rapidly shed the additional kilos and transfer on. And generally I’d lose 5 or ten kilos, at all times by making myself completely depressing, after which lastly I couldn’t take it anymore so I’d go proper again to consuming all of the issues and achieve all of it proper again.

However after I lastly hit my breaking level and realized that strategy wasn’t working, and that I wanted to make a LIFESTYLE change, not simply strive one other fad weight loss program, I nonetheless struggled with not being very affected person. And actually, I do know I’m not the one one who struggles with this as a result of I usually hear it from our purchasers.

As a result of though in HINDSIGHT dropping 40 kilos in 6 months sounds prefer it occurred comparatively quick—and it did—within the second, within the day after day, it didn’t FEEL prefer it was occurring quick. It felt painfully, excruciatingly, frustratingly SLOW.

What occurred for me, which is fairly regular for our purchasers as nicely, is that I had some preliminary quick success, the place I misplaced the primary 10 kilos or so fairly rapidly. It simply type of dropped off within the first two weeks. And I used to be like, YES that is superior. I’ll be skinny very quickly!

However then my progress slowed waaaaaay down.

And I do know now that these first ten kilos have been principally WATER WEIGHT. And never that water weight isn’t actual weight or doesn’t depend—it does. Belief me, dropping 10 kilos of something feels nice! However water weight comes and goes. It fluctuates. It could possibly rely in your cycle and even what you’re consuming. Carbohydrates actually make you keep water, so once you cease consuming them, the water flushes proper out of you. And that’s superior. However for many of us which have greater than 10 kilos to lose, that’s not sufficient.

As a result of you then gotta begin burning by means of all that extra fats. And that’s the place the frustration begins to occur, as a result of fats comes off a LOT slower than water. That doesn’t imply it’s not working. It simply means it’s a must to be extra affected person.

Actually, I feel generally that quick water weight reduction can virtually be a detriment as a result of it units you up for disappointment in a while when the fats loss is extra sluggish and regular. However I feel if I had been extra conscious of the slowdown, and likewise to not focus a lot on the day after day, however the outcomes over an prolonged time period, I might have had fewer moments of frustration.

In order that’s the very first thing—SUSTAINED weight reduction takes time, and it doesn’t occur in a straight line. Don’t count on the size to maneuver each single day.

2. You’ll Most likely Get Indignant

The subsequent factor I want I might have identified is how indignant I might really feel after I lastly began to be taught the TRUTH about what truly permits us to shed weight and hold it off, as I got here to grips with the truth that we’ve all been LIED TO for YEARS by principally EVERYONE. The load loss business. The federal government. Our docs. The media. By Huge Meals and Huge Pharma.

Actually it STILL makes me tremendous indignant, at any time when I give it some thought.

As a result of after I take into consideration all that ache and frustration and YEARS of struggling that didn’t truly need to occur, after which after I see the statistics in regards to the present weight problems disaster on this nation, and the truth that 80% of the inhabitants is overweight and that 85% of individuals have some type of insulin resistance, and that 90% of us have some type of leaky intestine syndrome and that every one of that has led to SO many well being points on this nation—Sort 2 diabetes and coronary heart illness and most cancers and autoimmune circumstances and despair—and SO MUCH, if not ALL OF IT, is totally preventable.

However nobody is speaking about it. Huge Meals & Huge Pharma are making WAY TOO MUCH MONEY off of retaining all the inhabitants fats and sick, and so they’ve paid off the media and the federal government and even taken management of the medical faculties on this nation, in order that principally the entire info we’re getting is full bullshit.

As a result of the answer is definitely SO easy and so highly effective and so efficient, and but NO ONE—none of those people who find themselves SUPPOSED to be defending us and combating for us are literally doing any of that. As an alternative they’re mendacity to us.

Telling us issues like “eat much less and train extra” and “energy in and energy out” and to chop again on fats and eat extra plant-based processed rubbish and to only take extra remedy to masks all of the signs however not truly repair the actual underlying drawback.

So yeah, it will get me fairly pissed off. And once you begin to see it—actually see it—you most likely will probably be too.

That’s precisely what one among my purchasers, Anna Barton, shared with me. She stated:

“I inform folks to arrange to really feel INCREDIBLY ANGRY, after which DO one thing about it. I want that my dad and mom, my docs, my Dwelling Ec. trainer – ANY OF THEM – knew higher.

What within the precise world was I doing, consuming crappy meals, feeling crappy, and looking out FORWARD to Junior Mints on the motion pictures… washed down by a ginormous coke? Trying ahead to Friday night time pizzas, or the gargantuan blueberry or double-chocolate Costco muffins… 

All whereas I used to be fighting fertility points, FIBROIDS all through my uterus… hemorrhaging for over two weeks each month… and was instructed {that a} hysterectomy was the one method to resolve it. My hormones have been out of whack from pressured menopause and from INSULIN RESISTANCE, I used to be drenched in probably the most uncomfortable means from scorching flashes.

However the make-me-angry kicker—ALL of that was all PREVENTABLE… and nobody, up till Ruth and Dr. Edie, ever instructed me. I might by no means have guessed it by myself. I didn’t know to even WONDER about it. I owe Ruth my life, and my husband’s life. Am I at my very best weight? No. Not YET. Will I be? Abso-stinking-lutely.”

And Anna undoubtedly wasn’t alone—so lots of my purchasers shared comparable emotions of how shocked they have been on the degree of anger they felt at lastly realizing that just about all of their well being and weight struggles have been preventable, had they solely identified the reality.

In order that’s the second factor to arrange your self for—simply how indignant it might make you.

3. Doc the Starting of Your Journey (Even When You Don’t Actually Need To)

The third factor I want I may return and inform myself—and one thing lots of my purchasers shared with me as nicely—is to really take the time to DOCUMENT the start of your journey, and to determine a baseline of the place you’re ranging from.

And it is a onerous factor to do, as a result of once you’re not comfortable together with your weight or your well being or the way in which you look, you don’t actually need to take into consideration how dangerous you truly really feel proper now. You definitely don’t need to take any pictures. You could be avoiding the size. And also you would possibly even be avoiding the physician since you’re scared to search out out simply how dangerous issues have actually gotten.

I personally want I had accomplished a greater job of taking an precise “BEFORE” image on the day I began, and likewise a greater job of taking progress pictures alongside the way in which.

The one factor I did do was get common physique scans on the fitness center, and it’s truly SO cool to have the ability to return and have a look at all of these and see the transformation going down over time.

One in every of my purchasers, Laura Collis, stated this: “If I used to be beginning my well being journey once more, I might take a look at, take a look at, take a look at to get a baseline on the whole lot – a full blood panel, hormones and I might do genetic testing. I feel it could have been so useful to raised know among the different challenges I wanted to concentrate to and monitor past weight. I additionally suppose it could have been an added motivator to remain on monitor throughout these instances when life bought in the way in which.”

And Kathy Buseman added, “My one factor can be to take the earlier than image as ultimately you gained’t bear in mind what you actually regarded and felt like!”

And it’s truly true. The factor I spotted in my very own journey, and that so lots of my purchasers have stated too, is that you simply don’t even notice how BAD you felt till you begin to really feel higher, and you then want you had accomplished a greater job of truly documenting the way you felt.

And that’s truly why now in our program, we begin with Part Zero—the Put together Part. As a result of clearly it’s good to arrange to start—it’s a must to be taught slightly about this system and the way it works, and get the proper meals and provides and all of that—however we additionally information you thru a means of documenting your starting, with an in depth well being evaluation that asks quite a lot of questions on how you are feeling proper now, in all totally different areas of your life. After which we revisit that evaluation in every section of our program so you may see the way you’ve improved.

We additionally offer you suggestions for beginning bloodwork and STRONGLY encourage you to TAKE THE PICTURE, even when you by no means need to have a look at it once more.

However that’s undoubtedly the third factor I want I might have identified—simply how essential it truly is to doc your starting.

4. Perfection doesn’t matter almost as a lot as consistency.

The subsequent factor I want I might have identified—and perhaps that is extra of a mindset, or simply my very own persona factor—however it’s that PERFECTION doesn’t matter NEARLY as a lot as consistency.

And I do know this has been a HUGE aha second for therefore lots of my purchasers too.

As a result of like I discussed earlier, in the case of diets, I’m the type of one that likes to go all in and tremendous gung-ho and do all of the issues, and I are likely to go slightly bit overboard after which I get overwhelmed and I lose my focus and motivation after which I surrender. I need to be PERFECT, however I can solely preserve that for just a few days at finest.

What I’ve realized in hindsight—and what I want I might have discovered a LOT earlier—is that consistency is SO rather more essential than doing the whole lot completely 100% of the time, and checking off each field. (And that’s onerous, as a result of I wish to verify off containers.)

You’ve additionally bought to have the ability to stay your life. And so now my motto is that this: Huge objectives NEVER occur unexpectedly. They’re solely the results of small steps taken constantly over time.

What I began to do was give myself permission to NOT be excellent, however as a substitute to make the absolute best selections in any given state of affairs. That meant that generally we’d exit to eat or hang around with pals, and my macros can be slightly off. However as a substitute of letting that derail me, as it could have prior to now, I praised myself for making your best option in that state of affairs.

As a result of over time, these small selections add as much as quite a lot of large outcomes.

And actually, I see this quite a bit in our program. There are lots of people with perfectionist tendencies who get careworn once they don’t know a precise serving dimension or discover themselves in a state of affairs they’ll’t completely management. So it’s virtually like they go off the rails. And I get it, as a result of at one level I used to be the identical means.

However the purchasers who’ve seen the MOST success over the previous two years are those who’ve discovered this precise lesson—that perfection doesn’t win the race, consistency does. Consistency over perfection is essential in your weight reduction journey.

In order that’s the fourth factor.

5. It’s not likely about weight reduction. It’s about FREEDOM.

The fifth factor I want I understood earlier is that though my preliminary objective was actually simply to shed weight, and that’s the primary factor I used to be centered on, this journey isn’t REALLY about weight reduction.

It’s about freedom.

I don’t even actually suppose I spotted how NOT free I used to be after I began, or how caught I used to be in previous patterns and paradigms. I didn’t notice simply how BAD I felt, each bodily and emotionally, or how a lot I used to be a slave to meals addictions, or how I used to be caught in a disgrace spiral, or how I simply didn’t even have sufficient power to make it by means of the day.

However once you remodel your well being and truly HEAL your physique, it’s LIFE CHANGING.

It opens up an entire new a part of you that you simply didn’t even know existed.

It’s SO empowering. The entire sudden you’ve gotten SO a lot power however not simply that, your complete MINDSET has modified. You notice you are able to do something. And also you truly FEEL GOOD sufficient to do something.

That is undoubtedly one thing I’ve heard from my purchasers over and over.

Tiffany Thompson stated, “That is it! That is the way in which to get wholesome, shed weight and hold it off. That is the way in which to stay. It really works with you rather than having to work round it or undergo the results. What I imply by that’s if life will get hectic, disturbing no matter and also you want a break from monitoring and weighing in and checking in, that’s okay. In case you’ve flipped that change and simply transfer into upkeep section now and again, even for prolonged durations of time it’s okay. I do know as a result of I’m residing it. I misplaced a superb chunk of weight after which have been coping with quite a lot of disturbing issues for over a yr. I haven’t gained weight. That is the primary time in my life I’ve “stopped” a plan I used to be on and didn’t achieve the load again. When I’m prepared I transfer again to section 2 and proceed to shed weight. This has modified my life and my household’s life and I had no concept the attain it could have after I began.”

Sherry Sheehan stated, “I had no clue that it was a lot extra than simply keto or that I might be taught a lot about hormones and intestine well being or that my mindset would shift so drastically or that my lipid profile can be one of the best it has been in years. I’m so grateful for Thinlicious.”

And Shannon Greer stated, “I used to be very cautious about this program after I first began. I had tried so many various packages and none of them caught for various months. I assumed it could be simply one other “purchase our merchandise and eat what we inform you to and you’ll lose some weight” type of program. Boy was I improper! If I may return and inform myself one factor earlier than I began this journey, I might say “regardless of ups and downs, that is probably the most sustainable program and can train you tips on how to put together and eat scrumptious meals for the remainder of your life. To not point out the training you’ll get alongside the way in which that can fully change your life!” 

Actually, it’s onerous to even describe the extent of freedom you’ll really feel once you lastly get a deal with on this piece of your life that has doubtless felt uncontrolled for therefore lengthy.

But it surely’s so price it. In order that’s the fifth factor. That it’s not likely about weight reduction, it’s about freedom.

6. Individuals gained’t at all times get it (or be tremendous supportive.)

The sixth and last factor I want I might have identified after I began was that different folks gained’t at all times get it. And so they gained’t at all times be tremendous supportive.

And that’s okay.

I had lots of people inform me that this will’t presumably be wholesome, and that I used to be ruining my well being and that I used to be simply going to achieve all the load proper again.

I had pals who bought bizarre after I did lose a noticeable quantity of weight—virtually like they resented it, as a result of that they had stayed the identical.

I had different pals who flat out instructed me, “Wholesome Ruth isn’t enjoyable Ruth,” principally as a result of I reduce means again on my ingesting and was now not convincing everybody to do Fireball pictures throughout our neighborhood events. Have you learnt how a lot SUGAR is in Fireball? It’s quite a bit.

However I had a LOT of help from the those who mattered to me. My husband was and is my greatest cheerleader, and hopefully he would say that about me for him. We even have numerous nice pals who embraced the Thinlicious life-style proper together with us, and we now have a tendency to arrange our gatherings round meals and drinks we will all get pleasure from.

Understanding what I do know now, I might say that discovering individuals who DO get it, and who’re cheering you on is SO key for with the ability to make your modifications stick. There’s power in numbers and the help of an superior group.

That’s actually why I like our Thinlicious group a lot. In case you’re already in our TAS program then you recognize precisely what I’m speaking about. It’s AWESOME. Like actually probably the most unbelievable, supportive fantastic group of ladies you’ll ever discover on the Web.

So even when you’re not discovering the help you want from the folks round you in actual life, for no matter motive, know that you will discover it on-line in a group like ours.

As a result of actually buddy, when you’re critical about wanting to rework your life by remodeling your well being, when you’re able to have extra power and get your metabolism working once more and dramatically scale back irritation and reverse your insulin resistance and heal your intestine and doubtlessly even get off remedy, then I PROMISE there may be NO higher means to try this than by becoming a member of our TAS program.

I do know I’m most likely slightly bit biased right here, nevertheless it actually is the whole lot that I want I might have had entry to YEARS in the past, as a result of it could have saved me a lot ache and frustration and battle. It’s SUCH an unbelievable program—simply SO complete and jam-packed with each the sensible instruments it’s essential succeed AND the in-depth, physician-led training that can enable you to make everlasting modifications AND the continuing help and training and accountability that can truly mean you can keep on monitor. It truly is the full bundle.

In case you’re able to get began, then you may be a part of our program proper now by going to Thinlicious.com/program. Or, if you wish to discover out slightly extra earlier than committing to the complete program, I encourage you to look at our free coaching. It’s referred to as Wholesome, Joyful & Free and it’ll stroll you thru precisely how our program works and tips on how to get began. You’ll be able to entry that at Thinlicious.com/training. 

In case you discovered this put up useful, share it with somebody who would possibly profit too. Collectively, we will encourage and help one another on our journeys to raised well being and freedom!