How many times have we told ourselves: “I need to lose weight!” in a burst of frustration?
You know what? You DON’T need to lose weight – but you do want something far more important.
Before the big reveal, let’s cover the typical template of traditional weight loss.
- Start diet, ‘cutting back’, no treats in the house. ✅
- Salad or soup for lunch ✅
- Ignore cravings (for a period) ✅
- Start gym or walk ✅
This person is essentially reducing calorie intake and (if they’re consistent with gym/walks) upping their movement. They will naturally be taking in less and using more.
They stand on a scale and the dial moves left. It’s. WORKING!!
Now we understand this mindset. For decades, being lighter, skinny was considered more beautiful.
But standing on that scale is NOT (only) measuring fat.
It’s measuring bone density, water, undigested food, muscle mass, urine.
The traditional ‘diet’ does not support optimal health. Smoothie for breakfast, salad for lunch, no-carb dinner.
A HUGE consequence of this will be loss of muscle mass. So whilst losing muscle, the scale is moving left, that person thinks they’re moving closer to the skinny ideal they’ve conjured in their head.
Now for the bad news:
- Lower muscle mass means a slower metabolism (you burn calories less efficiently).
- Your energy levels are that of snail –Â meaning walking or exercising (to try to preserve muscle) feels impossible.
- When you return to ‘normal’ eating, more calories go in, the scale will begin to creep back up.
- Most go through this process at a later stage – despite it not working.
So what we REALLY want is: FAT LOSS.
How would we describe that in real terms?
Leaner, stronger, fitter, with sustainable, enjoyable nutrition habits that can be done *forever* – not a diet that stops suddenly. As a personal trainer, I love to see people crack this.
The (more enjoyable) process
- Finding a tracking method that suits you.
- Staying in a deficit but having enough food to enjoy life and promote movement.
- Gradually re-programming mindset to understand flexibility.
- Strength training consistently.
- Walk and sleep well to recover.
At our personal training gym in Ely, we educate our members about this very important and powerful shift in tactics.
We know which result we would want. And which process we’d prefer to follow. 💪☺️💪