What can you learn about weight loss from a cat on an escalator in Istanbul?

There’s a viral video going round at the moment about a cat on an escalator. At first glance it’s really very funny, and so cute. I shared it in my Healthy Weight Solutions Group  last week, and everyone had a bit of a chuckle about it. Take a look. Make sure you have the sound on!

 

It struck me though, as I was watching it, that there is a very important message here. 

 

The wrong path

The cat going up the ‘down’ escalator very effectively demonstrates what happens when we choose a path that is not right for us.

When we start off doing a weight loss approach that is not right for us, it can be a little bit of a struggle to get going. Then we get the hang of it, and we get into a routine and we think we’re making great progress. The weight even may seem like it’s falling off, for a few weeks, maybe even a few months.

But eventually, things grind to a halt, maybe something happens to take us out of our normal routine. It could be anything like a holiday or a stressful event or even a celebration.  We quickly get out of that routine, our fragile sense of motivation and discipline is shattered, and it’s a real struggle to get back into it.

Eventually we stop trying.

Before we know it, we end up back where we started.

We feel confused, frustrated, angry at ourselves, and lacking in confidence to try again, certainly for a little while…

Then the whole cycle starts again once we reach the point where we’re ready to give it another go or we see the next shiny advert to ‘lose weight quickly‘.

However, because we don’t fundamentally change anything, we still don’t achieve the success we so desire.

It’s not for the lack of trying, we’re just on the wrong path.

 

The right path

The cat being picked up by a kind stranger and placed at the bottom of  the ‘up’ escalator represents that when we realise that actually we need some support,  we find the right approach and have someone to guide us to it, it suddenly becomes a whole lot easier, because we are taking the path of least resistance.

Then there’s no stopping us and we can achieve our goals.

 

What is the right path?

The right path has to be one that is easy for YOU to follow.

It has to be one that you have prepared for properly.

It has to be one that fits into YOUR life easily, no matter what is going on.

It has to be one where you don’t have to change too many things all at once.

It has to be one where you get the right support around you, either informally or formally.

It has to be one that you enjoy, so that you want to keep doing it.

That is what is fundamental to our success.

Helping you to find your unique path is my speciality. 

If you’re feeling stuck and not sure what approach to follow, why not take my 1-minute quiz to find out more about what makes weight loss so difficult for you and what your next step could be.