You’ve embarked on a transformation journey, or you’re already somewhere on your path to achieving your transformation goals. And while you might have the very best of intentions and try to equip yourself with as many transformation tools as you can, chances are, you could still make some mistakes along the way. We all do it. We all make mistakes along the way. Not one single person completes a transformation mistake-free! So, since mistakes will happen, we’re sharing some common transformation mistakes and solutions to those mistakes so you’re ready to face them head on.
Mistake #1. Relying too much on that number on the scale
Where weight loss is concerned, that all-important number on the scale can either celebrate your progress or make you feel like you’ve failed. But here’s the deal: That number on the scale is only one way to gauge your progress, and that number can be affected by so many things that in no way reflect fat loss or your efforts to lose fat: Hydration, carb intake (carbs retain water), sodium intake (sodium causes water retention), workouts (growing muscles retain water), stress, lack of sleep, and so many other factors.
Solution:
If stepping on the scale causes you anxiety or makes you feel like a failure, don’t step on the scale as often or at all. Use other measure of progress to see how you’re doing: Your measurements, how your clothes are fitting, your energy levels, how you’re feeling overall, how your workouts are progressing (Lifting more weight? Doing more reps? Trying new exercises? Etc…) how you’re sleeping, your stress levels, and so on.
Mistake #2. Aiming for perfection
No one—NO ONE—is or can be perfect. Ever. Yes, you can keep your Power Promises perfectly, or you can do some things perfectly from time to time, but striving for perfection in everything, every day on your transformation journey is a recipe for disaster.
Solution:
Do the best you can and give yourself lots of grace. Since any transformation journey is a huge education, you’ll be learning every step along the way what works and what doesn’t work for you, so embrace this education and how it will change your life! If you find yourself struggling with trying to do too many things at once, go back to that foundational Power Promise and start from there, adding a new Power Promise whenever a current one is solid.
Mistake #3. Depriving yourself.
It’s pretty common for someone who begins a transformation journey to cut out all those foods and drinks they usually crave—foods and drinks that might not be so transformation-friendly. While this seems like it might work, and it might work short-term, it will not work long-term. At some point, your ability to resist those cravings will be outweighed by those cravings. It happens to everyone! Deprivation just doesn’t work. And feeling deprived is not a happy way to live your life now or while you’re on your transformation path.
Solution:
Follow the 80/20 rule. Make sure that 80% of your nutrition plan is on plan and fill that remaining 20% with those foods you crave. Often, eating just a little bit of a food you’re craving will conquer that craving. If your cravings are really causing issues, don’t bring those foods into your house. Out of sight, out of mind can really work!
Mistake #4. Comparing yourself to others.
President Theodore Roosevelt once said that “Comparison is the thief of joy.” And he’s right. When you’re comparing yourself against others, you’re robbing yourself of the joy you could be experiencing from your own progress, even if that progress might seem slow. Here’s the deal: You can only truly compare two things that are 100% alike, and since that’s impossible, comparison just isn’t a thing. You’re sending yourself down a very long and very steep rabbit hole when you try and compare yourself to others—a rabbit hole that can be hard to climb out of. Not to mention how it can negatively affect your transformation mindset.
Solution:
Celebrate others who are on a similar transformation journey and learn from them. Are they doing something that might work for you? Have they learned things that might help you? If social media is a comparison trap, monitor the time you spend and who you follow on social media and unfollow or mute accounts that send you down that comparison rabbit hole. Set a daily screentime limit for your social media accounts, and then don’t go over that limit! And always realize that the only person you need to be comparing yourself to is YOU—the YOU of yesterday. Take one tiny step forward on your transformation journey today, and you’re already doing better than you were yesterday!
Mistake #5. Thinking transformation is a sprint.
It’s not. Transformation is a marathon. Or even a 100+ mile endurance race at times. It took you some time to put on that extra weight, and it will take some time—probably more time than you think—to lose it too. Healthy weight loss is 1-2 lbs. or 1% of your current body weight per week. And while these are realistic weekly goals to aim for, remember that your weight can fluctuate from week to week no matter how well you stick to your plan. If muscle gain is your goal, expect a marathon journey there too.
Solution:
Patience is key on any transformation journey. Focus on what you can do—all those little steps on the journey, and you will achieve your goals. If you find yourself wanting to sprint, break your overall goal down into smaller pieces, and then sprint towards those smaller targets.
Mistake #6. Trying to do too many things at once.
You want to achieve your goal, right? So, it’s tempting to dive head first into all the things: Nutrition, workouts, sleep, self-care, hydration, steps, and so on. Because if you don’t dive head first into everything, you won’t be successful, right? Wrong! Trying to do all the things at once just won’t work—it’s not sustainable. And when it becomes unsustainable, you’ll be tempted to quit.
Solution:
Try to master one new thing at a time. One and only one. Why? Check out these stats (and yes, these stats might look familiar, but we’re going to share them again and again because they are that powerful!):
- Take on one new thing at a time = 80% chance of success
- Take on two new things at a time = 35% chance of success
- Take on three or more new things at a time = 5% chance of success.
If you must try and master more than one thing at a time, make sure those things are in different areas: Nutrition, exercise, mindset, sleep, journaling, etc.
Mistake #7. Trying to make the journey alone.
A transformation journey can be long and difficult. That’s the truth. Maybe you think transformation is something you need to do alone? Or maybe you feel less than if you need to ask for help and support? Maybe you’re a bit too independent in this area of your life? But, when you try and accomplish any huge goal solo, like a transformation, you’re missing out on a huge part of transformation that can actually increase your chance of success and help you enjoy the journey so much more!
Solution:
Become part of a transformation community. If you can’t find a community, create one! Include friends and family in your journey and your goals and ask them to help support you along the way. Figure out which family and friends you can go to for a listening ear and for blunt and honest feedback—those people who will lovingly call you out. Then offer to do the same for them and their goals. The importance of being accountable to others on a transformation journey has been proven:
- Stanford University found that a progress check-in call every two weeks increased workouts by 78% on average.
- The Department of Kinesiology at Indiana University found that those who worked out with a workout buddy had a 6.3% dropout rate as compared to a 43% dropout rate for those who worked out alone
- The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) found that working out with someone else can actually make you work out harder and be more apt to try new things.
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Tip: If you’re unable to work out with someone else, set up a system where you text or call each other once your workout is completed. This is the next best thing to working out with a buddy!
You don’t have to work out with someone to get the benefits of including others in your transformation journey, but it makes sense that you can get the same or similar benefits in all aspects of your transformation by not navigating your journey alone.
We have an amazing transformation community in our The Transform App Users Community! And you don’t even have to be an app user to join. You’ll find accountability, support, and lots of amazing tips and tools in our community, so join today!
Mistake #8. Eyeballing your portion sizes and/or not tracking your nutrition
It’s like with a financial budget: If you don’t track your income and expenditures each month, you’ll often end up in a financial hole before the end of the month. The same is true with portion sizes and calories. If you’re not measuring and tracking every bit of food and drink you consume—including all sips, licks, tastes, or bites, you could very well be sabotaging yourself as these seemingly small and insignificant things can really add up!
Solution:
Make sure that you’re at least counting your calorie intake. In order to lose fat, you must burn more calories than you eat. In order to gain muscle, you must eat more calories than you burn. It really is that simple. So, make it a priority to track everything you consume. And while this can feel overwhelming, one thing that can help is to eat the same meals routinely. Once you’ve figured out a meal, you don’t have to figure it out again!
We’ve figured out the calories and macros for over 600 meals in The Transform App for you! And you also have the ability to add your own meals into the app, making tracking your food intake super simple. Not using the app?
Mistake #9. Not enjoying the journey.
Transformation can be hard. And so not fun. And boring. And tedious. Sometimes all at the same time. And yes, you will have hard days. Probably more than you’d like to. But…if you’re not enjoying most of your transformation journey, expecting that when you achieve your goal then you’ll be happy, it’s past time to change that mindset.
Solution:
Try to find joy during your transformation journey. Celebrate every single win, no matter how small it might be. Learn from every misstep or mistake along the path. When you don’t learn from the stumbles and roadblocks you WILL encounter during your transformation, you’re more apt to repeat them AND you’re missing out on a valuable education that can be applied to other areas of your life. So, find in the journey…at least most of the time.
Mistake #10. Not keeping a journal.
While this can be just one more thing to add to your ever-growing to-do list, it’s important to overall transformation success. Why? If you’re not recording what you’re learning, what you’re experiencing (physically, mentally, and emotionally), what’s working and not working, what stumbling blocks you’ve faced, what things you’ve conquered, your thoughts and feelings, what’s important to you—your values, your goals, and so on, while you think you will remember all these things, that’s not likely to happen. And then you’ll experience the difficulty of having to go through the same things over and over again, which can stall and hinder your progress on your transformation journey.
Solution:
Keep a journal. This doesn’t mean you have to write pages and pages or even make journaling a daily thing (although we do recommend some sort of daily journaling). It can be as simple as keeping notes on a calendar, making notes in your phone, writing things down in a journal, or whatever will work best for you. The key is to record your journey—all the parts of your journey that you can record as easily as possible. Where weight loss is concerned, one study found that women who journaled about what was most important to them lost more weight. And since we know your transformation journey and how transforming your life can positively affect all areas of your life, journaling can be a powerful transformation tool!
We’ve made journaling super easy for you! You can keep your own journal right inside The Transform App! Not using the app?
Your transformation journey will not be perfect. You’ll make mistakes along the way. So, give yourself all the tools you can to navigate these potential mistakes before they even happen, incorporating one solution at a time. You got this!
