Hey there. One of the most valuable skills I’ve developed on my weight loss journey is learning to observe my actions without judgment. For years, my default response to setbacks was to criticize myself, get frustrated, and feel like I had failed yet again. But over time, I realized that being hypercritical wasn’t helping me move forward. In fact, it was slowing me down.
Now, when life throws me a curveball I take a step back and look at the situation for what it is. I ask myself, “What led me here?” without attaching shame or negativity to the answer. It might be something I’ve been doing for the last day, week, or month. Sometimes it’s a pattern that’s been around for years. The point is not to judge myself for it, but to understand it.
From there, I can decide how to move forward. If I notice that something I’ve been doing hasn’t been working, I’ll test one or two small changes at a time. I pay attention to how I feel, how my body responds, and whether those changes are moving me closer to where I want to be. If something doesn’t work, that doesn’t mean I’ve failed. It just means I’ve learned what not to do next time.
This approach has helped me stay curious instead of critical. When I catch myself slipping into negative self-talk “telling myself I can’t get it together or that I’ll never make progress” I pause and call those thoughts out for what they are. Then I let them go. They’re just stories I’ve told myself for too long, and they don’t define who I am or what I’m capable of.
It takes practice to get here, especially if you’ve been on a weight loss journey for decades. Many of us have been conditioned to think that discipline means constant self-criticism, but the truth is that discipline is about honest self-awareness. You can acknowledge when something isn’t working without tearing yourself down in the process.
This mindset is the foundation of an inside/out approach. It’s about building a forever active lifestyle by paying attention to your choices, testing what works for you, and making adjustments without shame. Over time, this practice not only makes your journey more sustainable, it makes it a lot more enjoyable.
If you’re ready to stop beating yourself up and start building a sustainable, self-aware approach to your health and fitness, you can join one of my YLF programs and start practicing this for yourself.