Hey there. Many people on their weight loss journeys feel stuck, frustrated, or completely overwhelmed with how things are going. And I always come back to the same point. You need more data over a longer period of time.
When you're deep in your own head about how the process is going, it's easy to zoom in on just a few days or a rough week and feel like you're not making progress. But the further out you zoom, the clearer things get. When you look at how things are trending over weeks, months, and even years, that’s when you start seeing the real picture. Not the emotional version that lives rent-free in your mind, but the actual trend based on your actions and your patterns.
One of the most helpful tools I recommend is using a photo log to track your food. Now, a lot of people count calories or macros. And while those can be helpful, it’s really easy to get caught up in the exact numbers. Those numbers are still estimates. There’s no perfect number, no exact count. What matters more is the consistency and the patterns. When you have a visual record of what you’re eating, it becomes easier to step back and look at the overall approach. You can identify patterns in your habits, in your choices, and in your progress.
A post comment that stuck with me recently was when someone said they felt like they were gaining, but when they stepped back and looked at the bigger picture, they were actually trending in the direction they wanted. That’s powerful. It’s such a good reminder that days aren’t always the best way to measure progress. Weeks are better than days. Months are better than weeks. Years are better than months. And yes, decades are better than years.
Chances are you’ve already been working at this for decades in some way. You’ll be living this lifestyle for decades to come. The more you train yourself to step back and look at long-term trends, the more peace and clarity you’ll find. Sometimes it’s a nice surprise. Other times, it’s a reality check. But either way, it gives you a much more grounded perspective on how things are truly going.
If you're ready to take a deeper, more sustainable approach to your goals, join me inside The YLF Experience. Let's build something that lasts.