Weight Loss Expectations Versus Reality: Where Reality Meets Expectation!

So often 'expectations versus reality' is focused on the disparity between the two, and the disappointment we feel when reality doesn't seem to meet our expectations. Reality usually gets the blame for being subpar, but many times our expectations are the problem! Our expectations tend to either ignore reality altogether or they over-amplify what could go wrong. In the last post we talked about how to avoid those two ditches by creating healthy, hopeful expectations for your weight loss journey. It's time to talk more about the reality piece of this!

Reality Is Not Your Enemy!

As I mention 'reality,' I'm referring to basic principles of life and science (ie what's humanly possible for your body) and your unique reality (ie your lifestyle, priorities, abilities). Reality is not your enemy when it comes to losing weight and making lifestyle changes. Instead of trying to fight reality with wild expectations, your expectations should embrace it!

We all deal with things in life that create 'limits' for us. Some limits are unchangeable (hello gravity), but others can be altered. Things like lifestyle based limitations having to do with time, energy, money, motivation, etc. can and do change. Regardless of what you see about your reality right now, working within the truth of your situations will actually make your weight management journey easier. It's the way to see reality meet expectation!

Have you ever tried to revamp your eating by following a meal plan? Did you download a free meal plan and try to go all-in with it? How did it go?

Maybe you forgot to think about how much time it realistically would take to prepare the meals and you have a busy schedule, or maybe you chose complicated recipes and you don't even like to cook.

Meal planning is a prime example of how expectations can clash with reality when you don't consider your reality at the same time!

Instead of expecting the plan to work perfectly and ignoring the limitations you currently have, you can take a bit of time to think through your reality and discover how to incorporate the meal plan into it. You can experience a win with that meal plan when you have healthy expectations grounded in reality about your current schedule and cooking preferences.

Sometimes we just rush ahead into creating our expectations, which means they usually end up being unrealistic and perfection-oriented. The better way is to slow down to consider what's truly possible for us at that time. When it comes to creating healthy expectations grounded in reality, it helps to take the time to be objective about your everyday life. It may not seem exciting, but it's the best way to see reality meet your expectations!

Weight Loss & Reality

When you're thinking about your weight loss journey, these conversations about expectations and reality will come into play when you're thinking about your overall goal and the smaller goals (like meal planning) that help get you there. Creating expectations grounded in reality will really help you when it comes to how motivated you feel, how resilient you are when things don't go perfectly, and ultimately with seeing your health goals (big and small) come to fruition!

Take stock of your unique realities- it will help you form expectations for your weight loss journey that will keep you grounded yet able to move forward with real hope. Here are some specific areas of reality to think about:

• Your goal weight range

  • Not necessarily what the BMI chart says...

  • It can be helpful to discuss this with a Dietitian/healthcare professional

• A realistic rate of weight loss

  • Based on what's physically possible as well as what you'd like to do

  • Talk with a Dietitian or healthcare professional about what's optimal for you, but generally speaking, 1-2 pounds per week is possible

• Your lifestyle (schedule, current habits)

  • Take a look at what your daily life looks like- think about your calendar, obligations, what you spend your time on, what you value/prioritize, patterns/routines, whether you cook, etc, etc.

• Your resources (ex. energy, time, money)

  • Consider what your current capacity is, where your limits are (what feels easy and what feels stretching to you)

    • Physical energy level

    • Mental energy level

    • Emotional energy level

    • Free time

    • Obligated time

    • Budget

  • Do you want/need your capacity to grow in any of those areas going forward?

• The potential amount of time it could take to reach your goals

  • This is mostly based on the first two (optimal weight range, rate of weight loss), but your realistic timeframe will be influenced by all of the above

These are just some of the areas that are helpful to think about. Most will be completely unique to you, so be sure to use your reality to create your very own expectations!

Remember this- what seems to limit you now, won't necessarily always limit you! That's how growth and change work. That's what happens when you're willing to step outside of your comfort zone. You push up against your current limitation until it expands and changes. So, even where you may feel 'limited' by your reality right now, there's hope for change there too!

After you've thought through some specifics of your reality, you can pull back in the healthy, hopeful expectations you've already begun thinking about. Do those expectations match up with reality or do they need some adjustment? Hope and reality can work together, and that's the sweet spot for making expectations for your weight loss journey that will actually support you. They need to begin where you are right now yet be full of hope and room for growth!

Using our meal plan example again- this would look like incorporating 1-2 recipes from that meal plan on nights this week where you have time to cook a simple meal. Maybe next week you'll be ready to add in an additional new recipe to try! Expect what's possible now, and commit to growing into more.

Where Reality Meets Expectation

This isn't about creating rock solid expectations/goals/plans, but about setting yourself up to experience the best for where you are right now in your process. At the end of the day, 'expectations versus reality' should become 'expectations and reality.' Hope and reality can go hand-in-hand when you take the time to process these things. A little proactive processing about your weight loss journey will help you avoid that 'expectations versus reality' trap and help you see reality meet your expectations more often than not!

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If you know you want to lose weight to support your health, but you're not sure what to expect or about what might be realistic for you, I'd love to help. Send me a chat or simply follow this link to set up a strategy session!

Get RD Nutrition is a virtual nutrition practice for residents of North Carolina- offering weight management support, right where you are! If you're ready to make lasting changes in your weight, check out the link to learn more about our programs and packages at Get RD Nutrition. Feel free to send me a chat- I'd love to hear from you!