The first thing you have to ask yourself when you decide upon doing something, is:
Do you know your "WHY"?
WHY do you want to do this?
WHY should you carry on?
WHY is this important to you?
I came into my cut with a great mindset, thinking that I was at a mentally happy place and could conquer anything thrown in my way. Then after a couple days, as my body adapted to the deficit, I found myself faltering. A caloric deficit affects your hormones in all kinds of ways.
I think it is very important to first understand that dieting will NOT be easy, and that if your mind is against you, you will fail, eventually.
As you go into a diet, always mentally prep yourself and be 100% sure of your WHY.
Is this diet for an upcoming competition?
Is this diet for aesthetic reasons?
Is this diet for personal achievement?
Is this diet for reasons of obesity and you just want to lose a couple lbs and find your own happy medium?
When you find out your WHY, proceed on to the next question:
Are you willing to SACRIFICE for this goal?
With every goal comes a little bit of sacrifice.
For example, if you want to score straight A's for your examinations or get 4.0 GPAs, you will have to sacrifice a little time out of your social life to actually sit your ass down to study.
Or if you're a budding entrepreneur, you'll have to sacrifice a little bit of your sleep to sort out the troubles and stresses that accompanies business set ups.
Likewise, if you come into the battle with the goal of losing fat/weight, you have to sacrifice some of the calories you love. Or some parts of the social life you have. And also probably a lot of time if you're planning to meal prep and exercise 5-6x a week.
If you're not willing to make sacrifices, this journey is not for you.
Next, ask yourself:
Are you mentally STRONG enough?
You will meet a lot of detours and setbacks as you go along with this journey. Sometimes, you will question yourself why you're doing this. At times, your friends and family members will peer pressure you into eating that slice of cake or that box of chocolate chip cookies. As you lose fat and get leaner, outsiders may even begin making remarks of your body, some not always nice.
Are you sure you're not losing too much weight?
You look like you need to eat a cheeseburger.
You look too skinny, are you starving yourself?!
Not a lot of people will understand your journey, but if your WHY is strong enough, you will be able to brave through all the comments coming your way.
Always remember, you are never alone.
