Things I Wish I Knew About Losing Weight Earlier

Losing weight can feel like a lifelong struggle for many, filled with trial and error, confusion, and sometimes even frustration. Looking back at my own weight loss journey, there are a few things I wish I knew earlier that would’ve saved me a lot of time, effort, and, honestly, emotional energy. Losing weight isn’t just about eating less and exercising more; it’s about understanding your body, your mindset, and the real science behind sustainable health. If I could go back in time and talk to my younger self about losing weight, here’s what I’d say, in order of importance.

1. Your Mindset Is More Than Half the Battle

I spent years thinking that losing weight was purely a physical challenge, but what I came to realize is that your mindset plays a huge role. If you’re constantly battling negative thoughts, self-doubt, and unrealistic expectations, the journey becomes 10 times harder.

What I Wish I Knew:
Weight loss is as much about mental strength as it is about physical effort. I wish I had learned earlier that it’s okay to have setbacks and that progress isn’t about perfection. Developing a positive relationship with food, being patient with myself, rewiring my limiting beliefs, and practicing self-compassion made a massive difference in my ability to stick with the journey.

2. Tracking Can Be a Game-Changer

I didn’t understand the power of tracking my food and workouts. I would eat mindlessly, assuming I was eating healthy, but often overeat or undereat without realizing it.

What I Wish I Knew:
Tracking food, whether through an app or a journal, helped me gain better awareness of what I was eating. It also showed me patterns, like where I was over-consuming calories or missing nutrients, and helped me make more informed decisions. I still track to this, whether off season, on prep, or vacations.

3. You Don’t Have to Give Up the Foods You Love

I thought losing weight meant giving up all my favorite foods, which made dieting feel restrictive and unsustainable. I felt deprived and always ended up in binging and regaining all the weight.

What I Wish I Knew:
Moderation is the key. I learned that it’s possible to enjoy the foods I love while still losing weight, as long as I practice portion control and make healthier choices the majority of the time. Creating a balanced approach to eating allowed me to stick with my plan without feeling deprived. This is where tracking is key.

4. Weight Loss is Not Linear

One of the biggest mistakes I made was expecting weight loss to be a straight path down the scale. I would lose a few pounds, hit a plateau, then get frustrated and give up. I didn’t understand that weight loss is often a messy, non-linear process filled with fluctuations. Hormones, water retention, stress, and sleep quality all play huge roles in how our bodies respond to fat loss efforts.

What I Wish I Knew:
The scale doesn’t tell the whole story. If the number on the scale isn’t moving, it doesn’t mean you’re failing—it could be a sign that your body is holding onto water, rebuilding muscle, or going through hormonal shifts. I wish I had focused more on other metrics of progress, like how my clothes fit, how strong I felt, and my overall energy levels.

5. Strength Training Is a Game-Changer, But You Can’t Spot-Reduce Fat

I always thought cardio was the key to losing weight. I’d spend hours on the treadmill or doing countless aerobics classes, thinking I was doing everything right. While cardio is definitely important for cardiovascular health, what I didn’t realize was that strength training is just as, if not more, important when it comes to losing fat and improving overall body composition.

What I Wish I Knew:
Building muscle through weightlifting or bodyweight exercises boosts your metabolism, helping you burn more calories even when you’re not working out. Strength training tones and shapes your body, giving you a leaner, more defined look—something that pure cardio just doesn’t offer. When I started incorporating more weight training into my routine, I noticed I wasn’t just losing weight—I was changing the shape of my body, feeling stronger, and gaining more confidence in how I looked and felt. However, I also learned the hard way that you can’t spot-reduce fat. I used to think that if I did enough ab exercises, I could burn fat off my belly. Unfortunately, that’s not how fat loss works. Fat loss happens all over the body, not in specific spots. I realized that no matter how many crunches I did, I couldn’t target belly fat alone. Instead, I focused on full-body strength training and cardio, which allowed me to burn fat evenly across my body and reveal the muscle I was building. It’s all about creating a balanced approach for overall fat loss and muscle gain, not obsessing over one area.

6. Dieting Isn’t About Starving Yourself, and It’s Not About Quick Fixes

I used to believe that the best way to lose weight was to eat as little as possible, thinking that the fewer calories I consumed, the faster the weight would come off. But this approach led to constant hunger, low energy, and eventually binge-eating when my body couldn’t handle the extreme restriction. I would feel guilty, ashamed, and frustrated—caught in an unhealthy cycle that wasn’t sustainable.

What I Wish I Knew:
It’s important to fuel your body properly, even when you're trying to lose weight. Eating enough to support your workouts and daily activities while maintaining a calorie deficit helped me stay energized and avoid the emotional rollercoaster of extreme dieting. I realized that eating enough quality, nutrient-dense foods was key to both fat loss and muscle preservation. When I shifted my mindset and stopped viewing food as the enemy, I found balance and sustained energy throughout the day.

In addition, I wasted so much time jumping from one fad diet to the next—low-carb, replacement shake systems, "detox" teas—chasing after the magic solution that promised rapid results. But those quick fixes only brought temporary results, leaving me frustrated when the weight inevitably crept back on.

What I Wish I Knew:
Sustainable weight loss doesn’t come from quick fixes or extreme short-term gimmicks. It’s about making long-term lifestyle changes that work for you. The key isn’t to find the fastest route, but to build habits you can maintain over time. When I started focusing on balanced eating, regular physical activity, and finding joy in the process, the weight began to come off—and, more importantly, stayed off. The true key to long-lasting weight loss is consistency, not speed. You don’t have to give up the foods you enjoy—you just need to make adjustments to how you portion and eat, and ensure those changes are sustainable for the long haul. The goal isn’t a temporary fix, but a lifestyle that helps you maintain your weight and health for the long term.

7. Weight Loss Isn’t Just About the Scale, and Body Composition Is More Important Than Weight

I used to be obsessed with the number on the scale, thinking it was the ultimate measure of my progress. Every time the scale didn’t drop as quickly as I wanted, I’d feel frustrated and discouraged, ignoring the other important changes that were happening in my body. I was so focused on that number that I overlooked how my body was transforming in other ways.

What I Wish I Knew:
There are many ways to measure progress beyond the scale. Things like how your clothes fit, changes in body measurements, improvements in strength, and increased energy levels are all indicators of progress. I started taking progress photos and tracking strength gains, and these gave me a much clearer picture of how far I’d come. I also learned that body composition is more important than the scale. Losing fat and gaining muscle is the real goal for a toned, lean physique, not simply dropping pounds. When I shifted my focus from just losing weight to building muscle and reducing fat, I began paying more attention to how my body looked and felt rather than obsessing over the number on the scale. This mindset shift helped me focus on becoming stronger and leaner, rather than just lighter. In the end, what matters most is how you feel in your body and how you perform, not just the digits on a scale.

8. You Need to Change Your Habits Long-Term, Not Just Temporarily

I used to think that once I reached my weight loss goal, I could simply go back to my old habits. I’d tell myself, “Once I hit this number on the scale, I can eat whatever I want again,” or “I’ll stop working out so intensely once I’m at my goal weight.” But that mindset led to the familiar cycle of losing weight and then regaining it, over and over again. The truth is, lasting weight loss is about more than just reaching a number on the scale; it’s about making sustainable changes that you can maintain for life.

What I Wish I Knew:
Weight loss isn’t a short-term project; it’s a lifestyle change. If you want to keep the weight off, you need to build habits that support your health for the long haul. This means continuing to prioritize things like healthy eating, regular physical activity, and mental well-being, even after you’ve reached your goal. In the beginning, I thought I had to work out intensely every day to see results, but this led to burnout and inconsistency. Consistency trumps intensity. Small, sustainable habits—like regular workouts, healthy meals, and adequate rest—add up over time and yield better results than sporadic, intense bursts of effort. I found that sticking to a manageable routine worked better for me in the long run. By developing habits that support long-term health—rather than temporary fixes—I realized I could enjoy life without the worry of gaining the weight back. Maintaining consistency, not intensity, is the key to not just losing weight but keeping it off for good.

9. It’s Okay to Have Bad Days, and Sustainable Changes Are More Important Than Perfection

In the beginning, I had a major all-or-nothing mentality. I thought that one bad meal or missed workout would completely derail my progress. If I slipped up, I would often spiral into guilt, thinking that I had ruined everything and that the entire day (or week) was lost and I might as well eat whatever I wanted and start again next week. This kind of mindset made the weight loss journey feel like a constant uphill battle. I also believed that I had to be perfect—never deviating from my plan or enjoying any treats—if I wanted to succeed. This pressure to be flawless led to feelings of failure every time I didn’t stick exactly to my routine.

What I Wish I Knew:
Bad days are a part of life, and they don’t have to derail your progress. I realized that slipping up once in a while doesn’t mean failure. The key is getting back on track as soon as possible and not letting a single day (or meal) ruin my entire journey. Sustainability is more important than perfection. Rather than stressing over being perfect, I learned to focus on making consistent, healthy choices over time. I began allowing myself occasional indulgences without guilt, recognizing that balance was crucial for long-term success. Embracing this mindset not only took the pressure off but also made the process much more enjoyable and realistic. Progress is about consistency, not perfection—and that’s what ultimately got me to my goals.

10. It’s Important to Enjoy the Process, and Progress Takes Time—Be Patient With Yourself

In the past, I focused so much on the end goal of losing weight that I forgot to enjoy the journey along the way. I was constantly chasing after the "finish line," thinking that once I hit a specific number on the scale, I would finally be happy. But in doing that, I missed out on appreciating the small, everyday victories that truly made a difference. Things like feeling stronger, having more energy, or making healthier food choices were signs of progress that I didn’t fully recognize at the time.

What I Wish I Knew:
Weight loss is about enjoying the process, not just focusing on the final result. When I shifted my mindset to appreciate the small wins, everything became easier. Whether it was feeling better after a workout or noticing that my clothes fit a little looser, these positive changes kept me motivated and excited. I also learned that progress takes time—lasting change doesn’t happen overnight. It’s easy to get frustrated when results don’t come as quickly as you’d like, but true, sustainable transformations happen over months and even years, not in a matter of weeks. I had to remind myself to be patient and persistent, trusting that every small, consistent effort would add up over time. When I stopped rushing the process and allowed myself to enjoy the journey, I found that not only was weight loss easier to maintain, but I also felt happier and more fulfilled in the process.

The road to losing weight is rarely a straight path, and it’s easy to get discouraged along the way. But by embracing these lessons and making sustainable changes, weight loss becomes less of a battle and more of a lifestyle shift. The most important thing I’ve learned is that it’s about progress, not perfection. You don’t need to change everything overnight—small, consistent changes will get you where you want to go. You just need to start and stick with it.