How Long It REALLY Takes To Get Disciplined and Never Fall Off the Wagon Again
We recently took a poll in our Tough Love Mom Squad asking this question:
How long do you feel like it REALLY takes to get disciplined and NEVER fall off the wagon again?
Most moms said 1-2 years… IF EVER!
I think that was the theme because there are 2 approaches to our journeys:
All or nothing vs. a slow, 1 habit at a time approach (in our world, the Starting Point Process)
It’s important to remind you that "being disciplined" is not the same as being perfect. I wonder if some moms who said “never” said that because they aren't willing to engage in that flexibility in their habits. Or don’t think it’s an option if you’re going to be disciplined.
I'm going to let you in on something… I'm not willing to give that up either! The definition of disciplined is simply a controlled form of behavior.
It's making conscious decisions — having control — over your mind, your thoughts, and the decisions that you make… not letting circumstances control you.
I think falling off the wagon happens because we lose control of our emotions and our thoughts and ultimately, our decisions
So how long does it take to get to THAT place?
Results happen fast with all or nothing approach, but slower with the Starting Point Process and building one habit at a time.
The catch with the all or nothing approach is that after a stretch of time, falling off will happen. It is too much effort to sustain and actually ADOPT multiple changes at once.
When that cycle is repeated, yes… progress might visually be seen, but inwardly you're not actually changing because you’re just repeating that cycle of “change all the things, fall off, start over.”
The Starting Point Process timeline can range anywhere from 3-9 months, but after that, REAL change has happened.
So just maybe it feels like never falling off the wagon again isn't possible because the approach has been unsustainable the whole time and in that case the answer is “never.”
How long does it REALLY takes to get disciplined and NEVER fall off the wagon again if done the right way? 3-9 months based on the foundation you've laid thus far.
How cool would it be if 2023 was the year your journey because sustainable? If living healthy became part of who you are?
If that’s what you want and you are ready to go from overwhelmed and stuck to disciplined and consistent in your journey…
Join Starting Point School and let's get you on track to your healthiest life!
FULL TRANSCRIPT
[00:00:00] You know, we're all about consistency and long-term sustainability in your journey and your habits here. So how long does it really take to get disciplined and never fall off the wagon again? I'm about to blow your mind, mama. Let's get into it.
Hey, mama. Welcome to the Tough Love Mom podcast. I know you're here because you're ready to get consistent and finally lose that weight, and you're not afraid of a little tough love. You know what to do to lose weight, but following through on those things feels impossible. You wish you could just feel like you're strong, competent self again and want to be a good example for your little ones, but you get thrown off by mom guilt and the unpredictability of motherhood.
It's frustra. Taking on your journey postpartum is hard, but it's not impossible. Hey, I'm Liz, and I've been where you are. I gained a lot of weight in my pregnancies, 90 pounds and then 60 pounds. I needed to lose that weight to take control of my [00:01:00] health, and honestly just wanted to feel like myself again with the sustainable approach to weight loss.
Simple consistency in working on my mindset. I lost it all in just over a year, both times, and I'm here to help you do the same. I believe that we have an ingrained ability to figure out what we need to do, make it happen, and do it in a way that AWS the world. If you're ready to stop falling off the wagon, create solid, routine, and healthy habits, and finally feel your best inside and out, all while enjoying Dino nuggets on your salad.
You are in the right place. We're about to transform your journey. My. Get pumped up. It is tough love time.
The other week I did a poll in our Tough Love Mom squad on Facebook asking how long do you feel like it really takes to get disciplined and never fall off the wagon again? And there were handfuls of different variations of answers, but the main pattern that most moms responded with said one to two years, [00:02:00] if ever.
That was usually the timeframe given. And in the. Usually a couple years if you ever actually get to that point. A handful of moms, uh, got this answer that I am going to give you today pretty spot on either because they, they have figured this out, they've walked the walk, they've figured it out, or they're avid listeners of the podcast.
So, hey, if that's you, you're listening right now. Awesome. Um, and they've been, if they've been avid listeners and putting to practice what they've learned, That's how they got that answer. But again, not the one to two years, but the one I'm gonna share today. Um, but again, most moms said a few years if it's even possible at all to like never fall off again.
So I think why that was the theme of most of the answers is because there are two approaches to our journeys that just as a society we tend to take, there's the all or nothing approach. Versus a slow one habit at a time approach in [00:03:00] this tough love mom world, the starting point process. Now, a huge part of this is mindset, so I'm gonna go on a planned little tangent here for a second before we compare and contrast these two approaches.
The all or nothing versus the slow one habit at a time, being discipl. It is not the same as being perfect, and I think we need that mindset check sometimes. So I wonder because of that difference, those are not the same things. I wonder if some moms who said you can never really reach this point, is because they aren't willing to give up that flexibility.
I'm gonna let you in on something. I'm not willing to give up that flexibility in my journey either. I can be disciplined without being perfect and you can too. The definition of Discipl. It is not perfection. It's simply a controlled form of behavior. That's all. Discipline means, a controlled form of behavior.
So you can still enjoy certain foods, but it's not because you're emotionally eating or [00:04:00] lacking mindfulness around nutrition. It's making conscious decisions, having control over your mind, over your thoughts and the decisions that you make, not letting circumstances control you. But in I. Controlling your mind and your thoughts and what you choose to do in response to your circumstances.
I think falling off the wagon happens because we lose control of our emotions, of our thoughts, and ultimately of our decisions. So how long does it take to get to that place where you instead are disciplined? Because. And basically what that means is being in control of your choices and not letting your circumstances control and dictate the choices that you make.
How do we get to that point? How do we get to that kind of discipline? How long does it take now? Results happen fast with the all or nothing approach, like physical, tangible, visual results happen fast, and they do happen slower with the starting point process and taking it one habit at [00:05:00] a time. with the all or nothing approach after a stretch of time, sometimes even as long as a couple months.
If you can hold on that long with the all or nothing approach, falling off will happen. It's almost guaranteed because it's too much effort to sustain and actually adopt multiple changes at once. It's the same thing with your brain. You can't hold multiple thoughts in your head at the same time, your brain can literally only.
One thought at a time, your habits are very similar. So when that cycle is repeated, yes, progress might visually be seen like in the mirror or on the scale, but inwardly, you're never actually changing cuz you're white knuckling, you're taking all or nothing approach. You're trying to change it all at once.
Then you fall off and then you try to change it all at once. A few weeks later, when you get back on the horse, you're never actually changing inward. All you're doing is going, it's like this repeating cycle that you're just going on. And like I said, well you may see vis [00:06:00] visual change quickly. It's not going to last the starting point process timeline can range anywhere from three to nine ish months, but after that real change has happened and like that can feel like a really long time when you're wanting to lose weight, when you're wanting to get disciplined in certain habits and in certain areas of your journey.
But when you can stay the course, when you can have that perseverance and that endurance in your journey, trusting the process. I know that sounds like such a corny phrase, but truly when you do trust that process of taking it one thing at a time, even though it will take longer. You're not gonna end up being on this repeating cycle that is just never ending and is exhausting.
So timeline, yeah, it probably feels like never falling off the wagon again. Isn't possible because the approach that you've been using has been unsustainable the whole time. So in that case, the answer is never. You're never gonna, never gonna feel like you [00:07:00] can ever fall off the wagon again. You can get disciplined enough to where that won't happen.
It's going to feel that way because the way you've been approaching it, that's, that's the end result. That's what will happen. It is a never ending cycle. So how long does it really take to get disciplined and never fall off the wagon again if you do it the right way? Three to nine months based on the foundation that you've laid thus far.
It might take, you know, if you've got a decent amount of discipline and consistency in certain areas, it's gonna be on the shorter end, cuz you just gotta tie up a few loose strings and fix up, you know, fix up just a few areas of your journey versus if you're really, you know, at square one starting over, starting a fresh, it's gonna take a little bit longer.
It just depends on what foundation you've laid so far the right way. How cool would it be? How cool would it be if next year, 2023 was the year your journey actually became sustainable? Like living healthy became part of who you were because you followed the process this way. If that's what you want, if [00:08:00] you wanna make that finally happen, starting point school is a place where you will learn the exact process that will teach you how to do this.
You'll have the accountability to stay the. When it does kind of get to that point, disease thoughts will come in the thoughts of, oh, this is taking so long. Can I really, you know, take it one thing at a time and I can have the patience and you know, life is gonna get crazy here and there. Am I gonna be able to navigate that?
You will, because you're gonna have community. You're gonna have accountability. You're gonna have guidance, and that's what starting point school will give you. It will give you the equipping and it will also give you the encouragement as you take it day by. Step by step, habit by habit. So if you want to get in on that, doors will open December 29th.
You just gotta get on the wait list cuz doors aren't open yet. So make sure you're on the wait list so you can be the first one in. You go to starting point school.co. Just throw your name, your email, boom, boom, get on the wait list. That way you can find out when the doors open. You can get access to all the exclusive bonuses that'll come with this first round of [00:09:00] starting point school.
I'm so excited and you're going. This approach. You know, you'll have to commit to it for a couple months at least, because that's when the real change starts to happen at about that three or four month mark. And if you're starting AF Fresh, that's okay. It's for you. This is for someone who is in the first few years of your journey and you're really just trying to get these habits down pat.
You're really trying to be consistent. You're really trying to be disciplined. This is. This is for you when you wanna build the habits the right way so you're not constantly falling off the wagon. And you know, in that mindset of it's gonna take a couple years if it happens. That's not, that doesn't need to be your story.
It doesn't. So join the wait list for Starting Point School. We will open doors December 29th. So head to starting point school.co. Get your booty on that wait list, and in the meantime, get after it. Before you go. Thank you for spending this time with me on the Tough Love Mom podcast. If this episode encouraged you in any way, the number one way you can [00:10:00] thank me is to leave a review letting me know how this show has impacted you.
Send this episode to another mom friend, or take a screenshot, post it on social media and tag me so I can personally thank you for helping me on this journey to impact thousands of moms. I'm so grateful to be on this journey with your sister. Until next time, get after it.
