Do you ever feel like you’re super consistent for a week or two, but then life happens and you fall completely off track? You’re not alone. Between work, laundry, soccer practice, birthday parties, and trying to have your own social life, it can feel nearly impossible to stay consistent with weight loss habits as a busy working mom.
Here’s the thing, though—most of the time, it’s not that you’re not trying hard enough. It’s that you’re actually sabotaging your own consistency without even realizing it.
In this post and podcast episode, I share four sneaky ways you might be getting in your own way—and more importantly, exactly how to fix each one so you can finally build the consistency that leads to real, lasting results.
The Real Problem With Consistency
Most moms don’t struggle with knowing what to do. Most of the women I work with are already doing a lot of the right things—eating protein, getting their vegetables in, and working out. The problem is they can’t seem to stay consistent with those habits. And without consistency, the results don’t come.
The tricky part? We often sabotage our own consistency without even realizing it. So let’s talk about exactly how that’s happening—and what to do about it.
1. You’ve Set the Bar Too High
Many people equate consistency with being 100% perfect all the time. But this sets you up to fail.
Nobody can be consistent 100% of the time. Not busy moms. Not single people in their 20s. Not anyone. So no wonder you feel like you just can’t get consistent—you’ve been holding yourself to an impossible standard.
A lot of this comes from the dieting mentality—the idea that you’re either all in or you’ve blown it. You’re on the program or you’re off it. That kind of thinking leads to burnout every single time.
The First Fix: Aim for 80%, Not 100%
It’s time to redefine what consistency actually means. Instead of trying to be 100%, aim for 80%. Showing up 80% of the time will get you to your goal. That’s it. You don’t have to drag yourself to the gym on the day you have a funeral. You don’t have to meal prep when your family is sick. You just have to show up most of the time.
The Second Fix: Ditch the Negative Self-Talk
You might not say it out loud but are you always thinking in your head about how you can never get consistent. That constant negative self-talk (“I’m just not consistent. I always fall off track.”) becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Our thoughts become our actions. So start telling yourself: “I am consistent. I show up 80% of the time, and I enjoy my life the rest of the time.”
2. You’re Stuck in All-or-Nothing Thinking
This one is closely related to #1, but it shows up differently. All-or-nothing thinking sounds like this: “I missed one workout. I ate one ‘bad’ meal. I’ve already blown it, so I might as well give up for the rest of the day… or the week… or the month.”
Sound familiar? This mindset is one of the biggest things holding you back from being consistent. One misstep doesn’t erase everything you’ve done. One meal doesn’t have the power to ruin your progress. It never has.
The Fix: Think in Quarters, Not Days
Here’s a simple trick: break your day into quarters—morning, lunchtime, afternoon, and evening. If lunch doesn’t go as planned, you don’t wait until tomorrow to “start over.” Just get back at it at your afternoon snack or dinner.
The sooner you get back on track after a slip, the more consistent you’ll be. And remember: progress over perfection, always. Something is always better than nothing. A 15-minute workout is infinitely better than skipping it entirely because you couldn’t do the full 45 minutes you planned.
Here’s a hack from James Clear’s Atomic Habits: physically crossing off a habit on a calendar—even if you didn’t do it perfectly—keeps the streak going. And that streak? It becomes motivation in itself. We want to keep that streak alive.
3. You Try to Change Too Much at Once
When it comes to sustainable weight loss, there are a lot of moving parts—food, exercise, sleep, stress management. And within each of those categories, there are even more habits to build. So what do most people do? They try to tackle all of it at the same time.
And guess what happens? You burn through your initial motivation in about two weeks and then you can’t keep up with any of it. Because it’s just too much. Trying to change everything at once is one of the fastest ways to fall off track.
The Fix: Layer Your Habit Changes
Pick one or two habits to focus on at a time. Get consistent with those until they feel automatic—like second nature. Then layer on the next one.
For example, maybe your first habit is eating protein at every meal. Focus on that for a couple of weeks until it feels easy. Then add in more vegetables. Then work on your movement routine. One thing at a time. That’s how you build habits that actually stick.
This is what I call the “boring basics on repeat.” It’s not sexy, but it works. Small, consistent changes over time are always going to beat a big overhaul that lasts two weeks.
4. You’re Trying to Do It All on Your Own
This one is sneaky because a lot of people don’t even realize it’s a problem. But going at it alone is one of the biggest reasons people can’t stay consistent. Without accountability and support, it’s easy to lose motivation and slip back into old habits.
Some people are naturally very internally motivated. They just do the thing. But most of us? We need someone else in the picture. Because the truth is, we will let ourselves down way more easily than we’ll let someone else down.
The Fix: Find an Accountability Partner (or an Expert)
Having a friend to walk with or workout with is great. But I’d argue that working with an expert—a dietitian, a personal trainer, a coach—takes it to another level. Why? Because an expert doesn’t just keep you accountable. They also show you the right roadmap so you’re not wasting time on things that don’t actually move the needle. They can coach you through the hard mindset stuff that keeps you stuck.
This is exactly why my clients get results in three to four months after working together, even after they’ve been trying on their own for years. One of my clients recently shared that when she started working with me, the first thing she did was mute and unfollow all the other accounts giving her conflicting advice. She focused on one clear plan, had someone to check in with, and lost 13 pounds in about 4 months.
When her friends asked what she changed, you know what she said? “It was consistency—most of the time, not all the time.” And the accountability is what helped her get there.
Why Consistency Matters More Than Perfection
At the end of the day, consistency is not about being perfect. It’s about showing up enough times that the small wins add up. You don’t have to keep starting over. You just have to keep going.
The key to consistency is making things easy and realistic—focusing on manageable changes that fit into your actual life, not some idealized version of it. When you stop chasing perfection and start embracing progress, everything shifts.
And here’s something I want you to really hear: you don’t have to have it all figured out right away. Even I struggle with consistency—in my business, with my own workouts, with all of it. The difference is I’ve learned to give myself grace, get back on track quickly, and keep going. That’s all consistency really is.
The Bottom Line: 4 Ways You’re Sabotaging Your Consistency
Here’s a quick recap of the four things to shift to get more consistent:
- Lower the bar: Aim for 80%, not 100%. Consistency doesn’t mean perfection—it means showing up most of the time.
- Ditch the all-or-nothing thinking: One slip doesn’t mean you’ve failed. Get back on track at the next meal or the next quarter of the day.
- Stop trying to change multiple habits at once: Pick one or two habits and layer from there. The boring basics on repeat will always win.
- Find someone to hold you accountable: Find someone to keep you accountable—whether that’s a friend, a coach, or an expert who can show you the right path.
Ready to Build Habits That Actually Stick?
If you’re done starting over every Monday and you want to finally learn how to stay consistent, I’d love to help.
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