How To Lose Weight (And Keep It Off)
HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT (AND KEEP IT OFF)
You don’t have to be a personal trainer to know that WEIGHT LOSS is the goal for most people. A goal that, according to studies, the average American has over nine failed attempts at reaching. I’ve now invested seven years working as a personal trainer and I think I can explain why. For most people, weight loss feels like a goal that will forever be out of reach. Because of that I also want to give you the hard truth to swallow if you want to make the change for good, instead of just starting another 90-day challenge, and then another one….. and another one.
Weight Loss Failure
If you have ever experienced weight loss failure, first, I just want to say —I FEEL YOU. I fully understand wanting to feel good in your own skin and it’s a huge part of life. I’ve seen thousands of clients in the same frustrating spot saying, “I’ve tried everything!” I also understand being sad, frustrated, and the feeling of hopelessness.
But I promise there is good news- YOU can do it. You’ve just been going about it the wrong way this whole time.
Below are two personal training clients who have not only achieved weight loss by losing 50+ pounds, but they have kept it off for more than a year, which on average only 14% of people will accomplish. I will highlight the things they do DIFFERENTLY than your friends and co-workers who are stuck in the same cycle of losing weight, gain, lose, and gain weight again.
Two Examples of Weight Loss and Their Success
Tyler Niblet: Lost 50 pounds last year and.. you guessed.. he’s still rolling.
Mary Bradford: ONE OF MY FAV PEOPLE EVER. She is living proof of the list below! She has lost 80 pounds since changing her lifestyle!
HOW TO ACHIEVE LONG TERM WEIGHT LOSS:
You want to be like Tyler or Mary? To achieve long-term weight loss, the number one piece of advice that I KNOW sounds counterproductive but is actually the truest—don’t focus on weight at all. What I mean is, the scale is always going to be disappointing. You’re always going to see a number there that you don’t like. The goal of long term weight loss isn’t to get to a number that the scale tells you, it is to be fit and healthy in your body. Above all, you just need to choose ANY physical activity every day that makes you feel GOOD. Second, be aware of your calorie intake and make sure you are eating fewer calories than you used to. If you do this without becoming obsessed with the numbers, and really stay with it, in a year you can achieve a weight loss of 50 pounds or more. Check this list out and refer back to it as often as you need the reminder:
1. Understanding Calories
- They are quite literally the most influential part of your weight gain/loss. Seriously. Any diet you start is just about decreasing your calories. Yes, it’s that simple. Not necessarily what food you’re eating or not eating but the calories you are intake and burning. You can learn more about dieting and caloric expenditure here at a Training News post called How Many Calories Should I Be Eating?
2. Start being active in a way you enjoy
- Keep doing it because you like doing it. Not because it’s going to “work” to help you lose weight. It will help you burn calories and give you an energy boost for sure, so it is for sure a huge tool in weight loss. But, if you do it JUST to lose weight, you’re starting on the wrong foot. It is not sustainable if you don’t find ways to enjoy it. The whole idea here is to just be active and enjoy the fun of improving on it (example: lifting heavier, walking faster, playing harder, biking faster, etc). Then, at your next doctor’s appointment, you realize you are thirteen pounds down and you think, “Hmm, it must be all that biking/walking/lifting I’ve been doing!” If weight loss sneaks up on you, YOU ARE DOING IT RIGHT. After all, watching paint won’t dry, right?
3. Have realistic expectations
- I can’t encourage this enough. Most people can lose 50 pounds over the course of 1 year. That’s a little less than a pound a week. So let’s say you’re 12 weeks into eating in a calorie deficit and exercising a couple of days per week (GO YOU!) and you check your weight. You’ll most likely be 8-12 pounds down. Don’t expect any more, cause if you do expect more then you’ll be disappointed and quit.
4. Realize “slow” is not the same as “stopped”
- This one is simple, yet applies in more places than you might think! You’re not the exception to weight loss science. You’re just losing weight at a healthy rate instead of losing 10 pounds a month (thanks to diet-culture). And if you happened to lose much more in the first month, cool. But don’t get used to it. People mess up because the first month they might lose some weight, then the month following they may not lose the same amount. In reality, give it another 10-12 weeks, and you will see that, in fact, you ARE losing weight. Just not at the same rate. So don’t give up!
5. Don’t give up—you’re growing
- Every time you keep going when you feel like quitting, you’re getting stronger mentally, and that was what we needed in the first place.
There you go, those are my tips. Learn how to eat, MOVE your body in a way that is FUN for you (fitness doesn’t have to be a chore!), and never give in. You can do it, and I am here for you!