You Need to Course Correct When Your Plan Isn’t Working

249.4 pounds. + 1.4 pounds today, - 83.6 pounds overall, - 2.6 pounds toward my goal of losing 10 pounds in January. 

One of the most important skills in any health journey isn’t discipline or motivation. It’s honesty.

Nearly a month ago, I added lifting weights to my weight loss routine. I was excited about it, and for good reason. It felt great. I could feel myself getting stronger. I could see progress in the gym, and I was still able to lose a little weight along the way.

On paper, it looked like a win.

But as time went on, I started to notice some impacts that I didn’t like. Most importantly, I wasn’t losing weight as rapidly or as easily as I had been before. And when weight loss is your primary goal, that matters.

I know what people say about lifting weights. More muscle helps you burn more calories, not just during workouts but throughout the day. I don’t doubt that. I believe it. That science is real.

But so is lived experience.

What I’ve experienced is a dramatic increase in hunger. Not mild hunger. Not manageable hunger. The kind of hunger that makes it extremely difficult to stop eating once I start. I’ve felt myself slipping back into an old pattern—the mindset I had when I played football, eating like I was trying to bulk up instead of lose weight.

That showed up again yesterday.

Yes, I’m gaining strength by lifting weights. But at the same time, I’m fighting an uphill battle with my appetite, and that fight is making it harder to stay aligned with my real goal right now.

So I’m making a course correction.

For now, I’m going to stop lifting weights. Not forever. Not because weight lifting is bad. But because it isn’t serving my current goal at this stage of my journey.

I’m going back to what worked for me before: walking for 30 minutes a day in Zone 2. It’s simple. It’s sustainable. It keeps my hunger manageable. And it helps me stay consistent.

This isn’t quitting. It’s adjusting.

Too often, we stick with plans that aren’t working because we think changing course means failure. It doesn’t. It means you’re paying attention. It means you’re willing to do what actually works for you instead of what sounds best in theory.

Your journey doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s. Your body, your goals, and your circumstances matter.

Sometimes the strongest move you can make is to stop, reassess, and choose a better path forward.

What course corrections have you had to make in your own health journey?