And the Magic Bullet for Maintaining Weight Loss Is…

What’s the #1 factor for sustained weight loss 6, 12 or 18 months after starting an exercise and healthy eating program?

It’s not motivation. Or willpower. It’s not even fitness level.

In the only study that controlled for all those factors and more, researchers discovered that the easier it feels for people to make healthy food choices and get to the gym, the more likely they’ll do it.

There is a magic bullet for sustainable, permanent weight loss. And it’s convenience.

Hollywood has known this for years. I have colleagues who train famous people that you’ve seen in spandex and leather on screen, and these personal trainers’ contracts are not with the client. They’re with the producers of the movie. These contracts stipulate that the actors will not only be guaranteed 3-4 hours of time 5 days a week to go to the gym, but that they will also be provided with a chef who cooks and delivers every meal. On top of that, the contracts state that the actors should get 10 HOURS of sleep per night.

Can you imagine if your had 13 hours a day carved out by your employer just for meeting your health and wellness goals?

While 13 hours a day might be a stretch for non-actors, there are a bunch of ways that you can use the principles of convenience—the real magic bullet—in your favor. It just takes a little planning, and a few extra hands.

4 Ultra-Convenient Ways to Make Healthy Living Seamless

1. Cooking Parties. A lot of movie stars hire personal chefs or meal services, and those can be very expensive. Instead, invite 2-3 friends over on a Sunday night and have a cooking party. You can plan, prep and cook every meal you need for the next 5 days and even put them into individual tupperware containers so everything is ready to go. All the convenience of a personal chef, with none of the cost!


2. Home Workouts. Nothing is more convenient than working out at home, but many people start with complicated strategies. A convenient home workout can be as simple as 10 bodyweight squats and a 1-minute plank. It’s exactly 10 more squats and a 1-minute plank more than not doing anything, and more than nothing is the only goal! So find a simple, easy plan that you can do (without even changing into gym clothes) and set a specific trigger when you will do it—I suggest every time you walk by your television set. Figure out an easy way to keep track of your progress. This can be as simple as a post-it note that you write hashmarks on every time you successfully complete the moves.


3. Car Workouts. What? A car workout? Many of us are in or around our cars a lot more than we are in our homes (sadly). When I was preparing for my oral examinations in graduate school, I carried a very heavy kettlebell in my trunk. Every time I got to school, I would carry that kettlebell as far as I could, put it down, and carry it back in the other hand. Once. That was enough. You can do that same thing with squats and planks, or even heavy bag of kitty litter. The only thing that matters is doing something!


4. One Plan for Eating Out. A lot of us get stressed out or derailed by eating out when, in actual fact, having other people prepare your food is the height of convenience. My friend and fat-loss expert Josh Hillis recommends that all of his clients have “One Plan” for eating out. For example, choose: “the greenest salad with chicken, dressing on the side,” or: “the burger, no bun, and a side salad.” Don’t think. Just order. Pick One Plan that you know just about every restaurant will have, and stick to it.

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