4 Powerful Ways the Number “One” Can Help You Lose Weight

If you’re like me, you’re tired of watching the scale go up every morning. Sometimes you’re glad it’s just the same number as yesterday, even though you really wanted the number to be lower.

And you promise yourself that today is going to be different.

But it never is.

And each time this happens, you believe in yourself less and less.

And your dwindling feelings of hope are feeding the problem — literally.

This is why it’s important to stop being emotional when it comes to weight loss. It’s why we need to do more thinking and less feeling.

Because weight loss is as much a mental game as it is a physical one.

And the mental game required to lose the pounds all comes down to one word.

One.

Focus on the word “one” when it comes to exercise

When I get up in the morning to exercise, I’ve convinced myself I’m too tired before I even start to put on my shorts and sneakers.

Why?

I’m seeing Rocky flashbacks in my head.

There he is, waking up every day while the rest of the world is asleep, sweating pouring from his face as he jumps rope or hits the punching bag with willpower and determination that deep down I feel I’ll never have.

Maybe you’re seeing him in your mind’s eye too.

And we need to turn our mental movies off.

We need to start thinking about small steps. Small numbers.

The number one in particular.

We need to think about doing one minute of jumping rope, taking one thirty-minute walk, going to the gym one day (today preferably).

The truth is one is doable. For everyone.

And if you’re honest with yourself, you know this too.

Even still, your emotions may already be fighting with your common sense. Maybe they’re already telling you that one is too much.

They’re lying.

So think about those emotions trying to stop you from doing one tiny thing to help the pounds come off.

Think about them. Don’t feel them.

Think about how cruel they’re being trying to make you feel so powerless that you can’t manage to accomplish one small task.

Then look in the mirror and tell them to go to hell.

And get to doing your one thing.

Focus on the word “one” when it comes to food

Those defeatist emotions that keep you from exercising?

I’m betting they’re feeding you the same lies about eating healthier.

For example, when I have moments of inspiration to make better food choices, I start Googling all the things I should eat.

And I begin to feel the same overwhelming hopelessness that I can’t make these nutritional choices work.

I tell myself I can’t live on salad and chicken every day. I tell myself I can’t live without bread or potatoes for the rest of my life.

And getting rid of alcohol during the week?

You’ll have to fight me tooth and nail to pry that one relaxing glass of wine out of my hand when I return home from work.

Perhaps you’re thinking the same things.

So stop.

Think of the word “one” again.

There is one thing you can let go of for a meal, or if you’re feeling super motivated, one thing you can let go of for a whole day.

You can let go of one spoonful of sugar you put in your coffee each morning.

You can let go of one soda at lunch and drink water instead.

You can let go of one piece of bread on your sandwich.

You can let go of one packet of mayonnaise when you eat your burger.

The possibilities of “ones” you could eliminate are endless.

So play around with how you can make these “ones” work for you.

For example, you could choose one particular food or drink to cut out for the whole day, one unhealthy item to avoid eating at each meal, or one food or condiment you honesty know you could say goodbye to forever and not suffer.

These changes seem small, but they will add up. That’s one thing you can be certain of.

Focus on the word “one” when it comes to temptation

You’ve been repeating your “ones.” And you’ve been gaining confidence and losing calories.

But then it happens.

A company luncheon. A box of doughnuts your spouse brought home for the kids. A night out with friends where everyone is ordering pizza and your mouth is so full of drool before the waitress takes your order that you fear you can’t mutter the words “rotisserie chicken.”

Take “one” second.

One second to think before you act.

One second to think about how that one choice will affect you, both emotionally and physically.

One second to ponder if giving in to this moment of weakness will be worth the hours ahead where you’ll beat yourself up.

One second to think about the way you want to look in your bikini or your bridal gown or your class reunion photo.

And we’re human, so there will be times that one second won’t help. But there will often be moments where it will.

So stop and think for one second before you say yes to something you need to say no to in order to have the body you want.

Focus on the word “one” when it comes to motivation

All of these “one’s” are supposed to work because they’re relatively simple. However, even the simplest things can be difficult on bad days.

This is where the word “one” can help you again.

Find one thing that you can do to make you feel more motivated to keep doing the “one’s.”

Choose one self-help book that inspires you and read a few pages before deciding to blow off the gym or run to get fast food.

Choose one motivational podcast to listen to thirty minutes before dinner.

Choose one thing you can do to relax and put you in a better frame of mind so you can have more self-control when you need it.

For me, it’s a hot bath right after work.

(Now that I’m thinking about it, “two” would work really well here. I could pair the hot bath with a podcast or book and be extra motivated).

The bottom line:

Looking your best and being your healthiest is all about numbers.

It’s about math. Calories in and calories out.

And if you don’t believe the number “one” works, let me show you.

Think about one thirty-minute walk. It burns around one hundred and fifty calories. Think about one soda left untouched. You’ve erased one hundred and fifty more.

That’s three hundred calories right there.

And it only takes a five-hundred calorie deficit to lose a pound a week.

If you want, you can find more “ones” to give you those extra two hundred calories a day, or you can just be glad you’re getting closer to your goals with only with the “ones” you’re doing now.

Whatever you decide, those “ones” are moving you in the right direction. And the numbers on the scale will move in the right direction too if you don’t give up.

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This post was previously published on medium.com.

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