You've made your new year's resolutions. During the holidays you decided to finally lose those excess kilo's. Dreaming about getting that lean body made you feel excited and motivated.

Now it's januari. The good feeling is already fading. Nevertheless, it's time to get to work and achieve your goal.

The question is: where do you start?

Do you start doing cardio or is strength training better? What diet shall you follow to lose weight? Can you do this alone or should you get some professional help?

In todays newsletter I'm going to show you 5 crucial steps to take at the start of your weight loss journey to greatly improve you success rate (step-by-step).

A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.

Many people believe that the desire to lose weight and mere willpower are enough to achieve their weight loss goal.

But if you understand the reality of sustainable weight loss, you know this isn't going to cut it. If you want a healthy weight for life, you need sustainable lifestyle changes. In order to make that happen, you need to take these essential steps.

Step #1: Your location

If someone has to give you directions to a destination, they need your exact location. The directions from Tokio to Paris won't navigate you to Paris if you are in London.

The same holds true if you want to lose weight. You need to understand where you are now —what your current location is.

I've made a questionnaire that you can use to easily specify your current location. You can use it here: Your Current Location Questionnaire.

Step #2: Your destination

You need to specify your endgoal— your destination. This might sound obvious, but this step is not as simple as it might look.

This is also the step where people need a shot of realism. In my experience, there is often a big gap between expectation and reality.

The weight you think you have to lose often differs greatly from the weight you actually need to lose. In order to get a healthy body weight.

Most people underestimate how much weight they need to lose. This is not to discourage you, but to prepare you for success.

Define your true weight loss goal with this short questionnaire. It’s a vital step towards lasting results. Complete it here.

Step #3: Road blocks

This probably isn't the first time you try to lose weight. Just like most people, you probably experienced some obstacles that kept you from achieving your goal.

To set yourself up for succes, write down every obstacle that can stand in your way.

✍🏻 Write down:

• Every past obstacle in former weight-loss attempts
• Every possible obstacle in the future

Since you've identified the possible road blocks, you need to deal with them upfront.

✍🏻 Next, write down what you're going to do to make sure these road blocks won't hinder your progress.

Step #4: Missing parts

You've identified where you are, where you're heading and you prepared yourself to clear possible road blocks.

But there's still something missing to achieve your goals, right?

You need some tools to achieve your goals. Let's identify what you need.

Start by answering these questions:

• What information do you need?
• What skills do you need?
• Do you need any help?

Step #5: Action

If you did all the previous steps, you're ready to start your journey to a lasting lean life.

In this final step you make your action plan.

Write down every action that you need to take towards your goals.

Be specific. Be accurate. Include everything you can think of.

This is not a static list. Use it as a dynamic document.

You'll learn things down the road. Make sure you'll adapt your strategy when needed. Do more of what works, stop doing things that don't work and make corrections.

Conclusion

Everyone can make new years resolutions. But only 10% of the people will actually achieve them. If you truly want to get that lean, good looking, and healthy body, start with the right things.

Start with where you are now and define your endgoal. Remind yourself of the possible road blocks and tackle them upfront.

Remember, you are the only one that can make this a succes. Just make sure that you have a clear goal, an action plan and you know what you're doing.

If you need help, I’m here to help. Let’s connect on 𝕏 or LinkedIn and send me a DM with your challenges.

🎬 Let's get to action:

Are you going to follow these 5 crucial steps?

Are you going to make a real commitment to turn your wishes into lasting results?

Then start with the right things.

That’s all for today.

I hope these crucial steps prove valuable to you.

Wishing you a happy, healthy, and lean 2024!