Happy {Half} Hour! How to stay motivated to lose weight even when you aren't seeing results.

Hey, hey, hey! Good afternoon, everyone. It is Happy Half Hour. I don't know why I say hour. I like to sing that sometimes. So it's Friday, it is May 3rd, and today is Happy Half Hour. I am Jennifer Dent-Brown. I am a life coach and I help women learn to stop dieting forever. So this is what I love to do on Fridays at 5 PM Eastern, is get on Facebook Live, talk to you guys about your weight, your struggles with your weight, and how to help you stay on track over the weekend. I know as a former professional dieter, a reformed dieter, and hopefully you guys can hear me okay because I am streaming live from my hotel room in the beautiful Dayton, Ohio. I'm in the Marriott, really nice room. They like refurbished the hotel, but I forgot my microphone. I packed my camera, I got my laptop, forgot my microphone, so I'm speaking through my computer. And so hopefully the sound quality is okay. If you can hear me okay, give me a thumbs up. If you're watching the replay, go ahead and type replay and give me a thumbs up. I would appreciate it. So why am I doing Happy Half Hour? The reason why I do Happy Half Hour, well, first of all, I love happy hour. Not the traditional happy hour, right, where you go sit down and have a cocktail and all that fun stuff. But I want to encourage you all to stay on track with your plans over the weekend because I know how easy it is to stay on point all week, Monday through Friday. You are like, Yes, getting your exercise in, getting your workouts in, eating the right foods, doing what you do. And then as soon as Friday comes around, you just kind of like lean back, relax a little bit, you exhale, and then you decide to have a cocktail, some fries, wings. Hey, La Mesa! If you can hear me okay, just give me a thumbs up. I'd appreciate it. And then you just kind of like, you know, that snowball effect, right? You just chill out with your plans on the weekend. And hold on, I'm gonna check to make sure my tech people can hear me okay. Okay, awesome. Again, I'm live streaming from the lovely Dayton, Ohio. First of all, I just have to tell you, so this morning I've been up since— got up around 5 AM. We I flew out here, caught a 9 o'clock flight from Philly. Hey, Charmin! Good to see you. Caught a 9 o'clock flight from Philly to Dayton. I am in Dayton for the weekend because my beautiful sister-in-law is graduating from law school tomorrow, University of Dayton. Super excited. She's like— we just actually came from the movies. So we're here. Graduation is tomorrow. We flew in this morning and it was like really rainy and kind of yucky, so we decided to go see The Avengers. So it's a perfect day for a movie. 3-hour movie, but it was pretty good. Um, thank you, thank you, Charmin. So yeah, tomorrow is graduation day and we're super excited. So the family is like all descending upon Dayton and we're getting together, but I was like, wait, I gotta go do my Live at Five. So here I am, live at 5, because I want to talk to you guys today about how to stay motivated even when you are not seeing results. OK, so again, the reason why I come on and do these live streams on Friday afternoon at 5 o'clock, because I know that is when that trigger, that mental trigger happens, and you just kind of like, it is easy to just say, you know what, forget the diet. I am going to do what I want to eat. I am going to eat when I want to eat. I am going to do what I want to do. And worry about everything else on Monday. So hopefully you find these Friday half hours, happy half hours, motivational, right? To keep you focused and keep you on track. All right. So today we're talking about how to stay motivated even when you're not seeing the results. This is so common. I was having a one-on-one call, coaching call with one of my clients this week. She is, I think, about her 6th week in the Program. My Program is 7 months. So this is our, yeah, she is about 6 weeks in and classic, right? Everybody kind of gets to that 4-week period and it is kind of like, I don't feel motivated anymore to like stay on plan. I am not motivated to stick to my eating protocol. I don't feel motivated to go and work out. And that is 100% common, right? So we go through these phases. We begin a program and you are like, yes, you are all excited because you have this goal in mind. You have this, this goal weight that you want to reach in mind and you are like doing all, everything you need to do perfectly and you get tired, right? The willpower kind of fades after a couple of weeks and this is not exciting anymore. You are not seeing like drastic weight loss improvements. You are not like close to your goal weight in a month. And so it is kind of easy to fall back into those old habits and just say, you know, I just really don't feel like it, right? So how do you stay motivated when you get to that point and you are just like, I don't feel like it, right? I don't feel like it. I am not seeing the results. I am not motivated. So we were having the conversation, we were having a coaching session, And I was listening to her talk and I was like, oh man, this is so common. And I wanted to get on live and talk about it because I know other women are experiencing this as well. Because I know, first of all, something that I definitely experienced when you are just like, she's so, it's interesting, right? She was just like, I just don't feel motivated. I just don't feel motivated to do what the program entails. I don't feel motivated to write down my eating plan. I don't feel motivated. To follow my eating protocol. I don't feel motivated to tell you what I'm doing. I don't feel motivated to weigh myself and all that fun stuff. And I was like, you know what? Motivation is not like this magical thing that falls into your body while you're laying on the couch waiting for motivation to hit you, right? Motivation is not like this external thing. Motivation is inside of you. Motivation is generated intrinsically. That means it's generated internally, and it's generated by your thoughts, right? And so lots of times we're just like, well, I don't feel like cooking today because I'm not motivated, or I don't feel like meal prepping or going to the grocery store because I don't feel motivated. And again, motivation is not this thing that like comes out of the sky and falls into you, and all of a sudden you wake up off the couch like, oh, I'm motivated, let's go, let's do it, right? Doesn't work that way. We would like it to, but it doesn't work that way. So I asked her, I was like, when you do feel motivated, I was like, where do you think that comes from? And she was like, I don't know. She's like, maybe thinking about the size 6 clothes I'm gonna wear, or thinking about the cute clothes I can buy. I was like, yeah, that's part of it. Motivation, does anybody know where motivation comes from? Comes from here, comes from your thoughts, right? If you are thinking like, man, I don't feel like it, it's raining today, I'm not going to the gym, then guess what? You're not going to be motivated to go to the gym. But if you're thinking like, you know what, I have a goal, I committed to myself, I'm going to the gym even if it's snowing or raining outside, and you go to the gym, that, right, that comes from your thought, that comes from your beliefs, about yourself, and that comes from commitment. So I want to tell you right now, if you're waiting for motivation to come like sneak up on you and like, you know, inspire you or like take over your body, like— actually, you know what, I'm not even going to do this whole superheroes analogy. I just came from watching Avengers. I'm not even going to go there. But if you're thinking like it's going to just like start coursing through your body, like your blood, you are completely wrong. Your motivation comes internally and it comes from your thoughts, and you are responsible for generating that internal motivation. OK? So how do you do that? Number 1, you become motivated when you are 100% committed to your goal, no matter what. Right? Hey, Lil' Leegan! Talking about motivation here. When you are 100% committed to your goal, you are motivated. Think about it. When is the last time you were 100% committed to getting something done? Right? When was the last time you were like, I am doing this thing come hell or high water? Maybe it had to do with your weight. Maybe it had to do with going to the gym. Maybe it had nothing to do with that. Maybe it was like something with your kids. Maybe it was stopping a bad habit, right? Maybe it was, I don't know, tell me, what was it when you were 100% committed to getting something done, right? When you are 100% committed to getting something done, it is very easy to get up and go to the gym. It is very easy to choose the sautéed kale over the scalloped potatoes at the restaurant, right? When you are 100% committed. So without commitment, it is very hard to get to your goal. Your goal weight is very elusive if you are not 100% committed. Think about it. If you are not 100% committed, it is very easy to be all excited when you start a new eating plan or a new workout program and like, first couple weeks, you are in it to win it. But if you are not committed, as soon as the first obstacle comes up, you are like, I ain't doing that, right? The weather is not nice outside, I ain't going to the gym. Or how about this, ladies? Oh, I have menstrual cramps. PMS is kicking in. I am not being bothered with y'all today. I am not going to the gym. Or how about girlfriend calls you up, hey, Hey, I want to go out to dinner tonight. Are you free? Sure, let's go to our favorite restaurant, instead of sticking to your eating plan of what you decided you were going to eat that day. When you are committed, 100% committed, it's easy to be like, girl, you know I love you, but today I got to stick to my eating plan because I have this goal in mind and I got to meet that goal. Right? When you are 100% committed, it is easy to be like, suck it up, let me take some evening primrose oil and some Tylenol to combat these PMS symptoms, but I'm going to get a workout in regardless. I may not work out as hard, I may do a different type of workout, but I'm going to get it in. Best believe, right, when you're 100% committed. So there are 6 key principles to commitment. Actually, there's 5. So if you have a piece of paper and a pen, write this down. Oh, I forgot to tell you guys what I'm drinking today for Happy Half Hour. Bubbly sparkling water. I bought this in the airport. One of my clients turned me on to this. She drinks this every day. So when I saw it in the airport, I was like, oh, I'm going to try it. It's pretty good. Pretty good. All right, so the key principles to commitment. Number 1, actually no, here is number 1. Wanting something is easy. It is easy to be like, oh yeah, I want to reach my goal weight. Oh yeah, I want to reduce my body fat. Oh yeah, I want to eat healthy. I want to be a healthier person. Oh yeah, I really want to wear this bikini this summer. Oh yeah, I really want to like stop smoking. Oh yeah, I really want to like be a size 6. It's easy to want. Like, we want tons of things. If I ask you right now, like, give me 5 things that you want, you could rattle them off very, very quickly, right? We all want stuff, right? But wanting something is easy. Being committed to getting it is a little bit harder, and that's where a lot of people fall off. Being committed to getting that thing that we want requires— and this is number 2— Taking action. Taking consistent action. Okay? So commitment requires taking action. You cannot get into your dream size 6 wedding dress or whatever it is that you are aiming for if you are not taking consistent action. You can't run on the treadmill for 3 miles, get off, look in the mirror and be like, am I skinny? Am I smaller yet? Doesn't work that way. And sometimes taking action takes a lot longer than we think it's gonna take to start to see those results. I'm gonna talk about that in a minute. So that's number 2, commitment requires taking action. Number 3, 100% commitment, not 98%, not 95%, not 92%, not even 99%, but 100% commitment. Commitment is taking action until you get what you want. Ooh, that is so good, right? We think that as soon as we decide to like do something, create a good habit, and we do it for like a week consistently or even 3, 4 weeks consistently, we want to see those results, right? We want to see that automatic gratification. Like, why isn't the scale moving? Why isn't my stomach smaller? Why am I not motivated anymore? We want to see those instant results. But guess what? Being 100% committed is being committed to taking action no matter what the scale says, no matter what your body fat percentage says, no matter what. You have got to stay the course, right? This is what separates the successful people from the not successful people, the people who quit. Because they get to this point, they don't see the results that they think they should be seeing because they exerted a little bit of effort, and then they fall off, right? So 100% commitment is taking action until you get what you want. What if I told you it was going to take you a year to get to your goal weight? Would you still be committed? Would you still be eating your protocol, sticking to your protocol every day for a year? Would you still be sticking to your gym workouts every day for a year? If you knew at the end of the year you were going to get to your goal weight? I ask people that question and sometimes they are like, a year? I don't know. They are not committed. They are not committed. They are just like, oh, you know, that goal weight, that would be nice. It would be nice to be a healthy person. It would be nice to be stronger or more athletic. They are not 100% committed. The person who is 100% committed is like, hell yeah. If it took me a year and I was guaranteed to get to that goal weight or guaranteed to be that strong person, I am all in it to win it. Right? So that separates those who are going to be successful and those who are not. So ask yourself, are you 100% committed? All right. Number 4, that people who quit, right, the people who say, ooh, I don't know if I could stick with it that long. It just slows you down, right? How many times have you started a diet with the intention of losing— oh, I was going to lose 10 pounds, right? And you don't lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks, so you get frustrated and you quit. And then you get to a point 2 weeks later where you're like, oh my God, I can't believe I'm still this weight. I really need to get this 10 pounds off of me. And you are like, I am going to start again. I am going to start over again. How many times have we done that before in our lives? How many times have we quit? Got tired, got frustrated, and then tried to do it again? Quitting just slows you down. So guess what? One easy way to get to your goal weight, stop quitting. Stop it. Just keep going. Going. Trust the process. Keep going. And remember, every time you quit, you're just getting farther and farther away from your goal. So stop doing it. Alright, that's number 4. Number 5 is level 10 commitment always equals level 10 results. So if you know You are putting in a level 10 every time you eat, sit down to eat, every time you wake up in the morning and you get your day ready, or every time you walk into the gym and you are giving 100%. You know that you are going to get level 10 results. It may not come as quickly as you think it should be there, but it will come. Trust me. I promise you. Guarantee it. Number 6, patience is required, right? Patience is required for those people who are like, oh no, I need to see that 10 lbs. come off like yesterday. Guess what? Patience is required, my friend. We all want to lose weight very, very quickly, but that kind of weight loss is not sustainable. Do you want the weight that stays off for good, that permanent weight loss, or do you want to just like lose the weight, real quickly, which is fine, but then you have the potential to gain it back. I don't want that for you. I want you to be strong. I want you to be healthy. I want you to live a healthy lifestyle. I want you to embody the identity of someone who lives and breathes every single day a healthy lifestyle. And how do you do that? You do that by staying 100% committed and consistent. Consistent to following and trusting the process. Now, personal story. Lil is on here. We have the same trainer. I have been going to this trainer for 6 weeks or so, and I have been working my ass off. Sorry, Mom. But if you look on my personal Facebook page, there are some videos on there of me actually working out, getting my butt kicked. Now, I have not been used to working out at that level of intensity for a while. So of course, I am thinking, yes, I am kicking butt up in this gym. I am getting stronger. I am like lifting heavier weights than I have ever lifted before. I am even getting little calluses from holding that, holding the weights, right? I am 3 days a week. I am in it. I am doing sprints on my off days. Like, I am in it to win it. I am 100% committed. But part of me is like not seeing the results as quickly as I want to see them. And I had to check myself, right? I had to totally check myself. I was like, hold up, right? I got to practice what I preach. Just because I've been in here working for 6 weeks, mind you, doesn't mean all of a sudden I'm going to have like Angela Bassett arms, right? And get those sexy shoulders that she has, right? It takes time. So I had to go back and check myself and be like, am I 100% committed to this process? Do I trust the process? Yes, I trust the process, and I understand that I may not get to my perfect body fat percentage in 2 months like maybe somebody else did, but I am in it to reach my goal. I am going to do whatever I need to do to get there because I am committed. I am sticking with it. I am going to do it. I am totally going to do it, but I am human, and I had that I had that thought like, hey, Keisha Jenkins, I had that thought like, seriously? Like, why are these muscles popping out right now? Like, I am in here killing it 3 times a week. Muscles sore, achy, everything that goes along with it, the calluses from holding the weights, all that stuff, hair dirty and all craziness, right? And in 6 weeks I don't have the lean muscles that I think I should have, does that mean I am going to quit? No, mm-mm, because I trust his process. I know his workouts work. I have seen evidence in other people, and so I know it is going to work for me. It may take me a little bit longer than other people, and guess what? That is OK. I am good with that. So I want to keep moving in that direction. I want to keep taking action. I want to keep I am going to keep up with my workouts. I am going to keep tweaking my meals and I am going to be in it to win it. Then one day I am going to get on, on this live stream on a Friday and flex my Angela Bassett parts. Yeah, see, it is coming. It is coming. We are getting there. We are getting there, right? So any questions you guys have? I just want to go over the 6 key principles again, the commitment, if you missed the the beginning of them. Number 1, wanting something is easy. So it's easy just to want something, but to be 100% committed takes a little bit more effort, which rolls right into number 2, commitment requires taking action, which rolls into number 3, 100% commitment is taking action until you get what you want. How many of you all are ready to keep going No matter what happens, right? No matter what happens. I am out here kind of sort of on vacation, right? Away from home, staying in a nice hotel. I am committed to following my eating plan. I mean, I just, that is the plan, right? No sugar, no flour. Why am I? I am out here. All good. I am fine with that. Because my trainer wants to know what my weight is when I come back. That is why it is always good to work with an expert. Number 4, quitting just slows you down, so stop quitting. Make the decision to just stop quitting. If you can't commit, if you can't be 100% committed, then just commit to, or say to yourself, I am just going to stop quitting and see what happens. You might be really amazed. You actually might be blow your own mind. Number 5, level 10 commitment always equals level 10 results, every single time. So when you stay committed at a level 10, you will get the results that you're looking for. And then patience is required, people. Patience is required. This is what I had to tell my client yesterday. We were talking on the phone, I was like, girl, 6 weeks and 6 weeks of inconsistent action, you expect to be like, you know, lost 20 lbs. It is not happening. I am sorry. It is not happening. So let's look back and see why you are not motivated. What are you thinking? What are your thoughts and what actions are you taking? Let's correct that. Let's do a little course correction. So in the next 6 weeks, we can actually see some real progress happening. If you're watching the replay, I want you to go ahead and type replay in the comments. If you have a question, go ahead and type it in. I'm happy to answer. We got 5 minutes left. Happy half hour. Happy to answer your questions. Keisha, tell me how you're doing. It's been a while. Bubbly. So this water, no calories, no fat, no carbs, no sugar, no protein. It's carbonated water with natural flavor. And so natural flavors is just chemicals. Most likely it's not a natural derivative, it's not a natural, it's not technically a natural flavor. It could be anything. And the term natural flavors, this is a total side note, is not regulated by the FDA. So companies don't have to write what their natural flavors are. Flavoring is. In most packaged processed foods, natural flavors is usually created in a lab somewhere. So this is probably not real grapefruit in here because it doesn't say anything about fruit. It says grapefruit flavor with other natural flavors. So just always something to be aware of. Not terrible, but not the best thing. There are other sparkling waters out there that have actual fruit juice in it instead of natural flavors. But for today, it's delicious. Alright ladies, go enjoy your weekends. I hope you all have a fabulous weekend. Thank you so much for joining live. Thank you so much for watching the replay. If you have any questions, go ahead and type them in. You can always private message me on Facebook. I am— I love my clients. I love watching them transform. I am 100% dedicated and committed to watching their transformation and coaching them through their transformation. So if you are ever, ever, ever wondering like, what is life coaching? Like, what is that about? Is that something I— do I need it? Like, is it something that would help me? I would love to talk to you about it. If you're interested, I do 60-minute Stop Dieting Forever strategy calls with women who are like, okay, what is my next step? I want to lose weight. I want to get healthy. I want to beat the the diseases in my family. I want to like get healthy before I get to that point. I have talked to many a woman who are like, my family has a history of diabetes, heart disease, cancer. I am good right now and I want to stay that way. How can I get better? So I do 60-minute strategy calls just to figure out what is the next best step for you, right? What is keeping you from your goal weight? What are your biggest obstacles? What are your challenges? And then we talk about whether that is something that I can help you with. All right. So if you're interested in setting up a strategy call with me, send me a message. I will send you a link and we will make it happen. Get you on the calendar. All right. Have a luxe weekend. It was fun hanging out with you. Happy half hour. Now I'm going to go celebrate my sister-in-law on her weekend of her law school graduation. Graduation. Yay, Kira! I'm so proud of you. All right, see you ladies. Bye!