Hundreds of thousands of people attempt to lose weight EVERY year. For most it is a troubling journey that ebbs and flows often leading right back to where they started.
Some weight loss advice can be terribly misguided as there are tactics to help you rapidly lose weight without the physical and mental repercussions. The resulting outcome involves gaining the weight back and then some.
What I’m going to share with you is not a quick fix. It isn’t sexy and certainly won’t be a rapid approach by any stretch of the imagination.
Why, you ask?
Because I believe weight loss is far more nuanced and rooted in behavior change, habit formation, and education. Without these 3 things it will be unsustainable and set you back from your ultimate goal.
I work with my clients to incorporate these strategies that I’ll outline for you. At the end of this I want you to walk away with specific actions that will get your body to change.
Foolproof, really! As long as you’re willing to put in the work.
Let’s dive into it…
Reason 1: You’re Not Sending The Right Stimulus To Your Body
Your body will get the most significant benefits from resistance training. This is the superior form of exercise because it sends the strongest signal to the body to build muscle tissue.
Building muscle requires your body to burn more energy while it is resting. This is the most favorable form from both a weight loss perspective as well as body composition. This mechanism of training will help you lose bodyfat and improve your overall physique.
Cardio training won’t be the best avenue for weight loss. In fact, I strongly encourage you to treat cardio as your side dish to the main entreé that resistance training offers.
Both have a place in an exercise program but only one will provide the effects of muscle building.
Reason 2: You’re Not Being Consistent
Lack of schedule, routine, and/or program are all obstructions to weight loss. Your body is a creature of habit and therefore must be treated with the same consistency as your other responsibilities.
Doing something from nothing is an okay start but developing a habit out of exercise will take some time.
It starts by planning your week out better. Failing to prepare will leave you full of excuses when it comes time to exercise. Commit to 1-3 days of resistance training. If you have trouble building momentum start with one day and slowly build up the frequency.
Your body will see favorable changes once you start to incorporate regular resistance training into your routine.
Reason 3: You’re Not Being Patient
Listen.
Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will your body. Don’t expect quick results. To master your weight loss you have to play the long game.
Treat this journey like would if you were building wealth. Warren Buffet is notorious for building his wealth slowly and methodically. Rarely is someone an overnight success. It’s the compound interest and the years of dedication that came before it.
Relax a bit.
Enjoy the process.
Reason 4: You’re Not ACTUALLY In A Calorie Deficit
Just in case you are new to this whole weight loss thing, the simplest method of action is to eat in a calorie deficit. In other words, eating less calories than you burn in a typical day.
Check out this free calculator to establish your current calorie needs.
So the reason you’re not losing weight is probably because you are eating too many calories. This is a necessary pill to swallow if you want to make considerable progress.
This leads us right into our next point…
Reason 5: You’re Overestimating Your Calories
Eyeballing your calorie intake just simply won’t cut it here. Unless you have extensive experience tracking your calories then ignore me.
People DRASTICALLY overestimate calorie contents up to 500 calories or more. This is especially true with regards to processed snack foods, dressing/sauces, and liquids.
Consider swapping your eye test with a real nutrient calculator such as myfitnesspal or my personal choice carbon diet coach. To paraphrase coach Jordan Syatt, “You can’t start saving money until you start tracking how much you’re currently spending.”
Spend a week to a month tracking your calories. This will hardly be a long-term approach, but it will help you manage calories more efficiently by creating a “budget” for weight loss.
See what I did there 😉
Reason 6: You’re Not Measuring Progress
Progress HAS to be measured. Non-negotiable. The only way to know if these strategies are working is you have proof.
Regular weight check-ins, circumference measurements and/or photos will suffice. Keep them to yourself or share them. This is for you to accurately assess your progress. If you hit a lull or progress stagnates refer to the data to make an educated opinion on what to change.
Reason 7: You’re Inactive
I hate to break this to you but that 1-3 hours you spend in the gym each week doesn’t make you a highly active individual. If the majority of your other hours are spent working or watching television then you’re not doing yourself any favors for weight loss.
Far too often do I have clients that sit at a desk 8-10 hours a day just to spend another 2 hours cruising Netflix after work.
Work can be very demanding so I suggest you take short windows of time to move your body. Stretch or go for a walk if possible. Reap the beautiful benefits of sunshine while increasing your step count for the day.
