Four Things Nobody Tells You About Successful Weight Loss
Anyone who loses weight successfully overcomes many of these problems. But let’s be honest: Successful weight loss is relatively rare, so many of these problems are becoming unheard of. Hence, when they arise, you may think you are doing something wrong. But this is not the case, and here’s why.
# 1: it’s more like learning a language than preparing for a marathon
If you are overweight, chances are you feel some guilt about this. You may feel like you were lazy, greedy, or lacked composure. This is not only true , many of us try to suppress feelings of guilt by means of extreme behavior and quick fixes, such as fasting on juices, tea and hours of cardio exercise a day. The goal of getting in shape becomes a form of self-punishment, not a way to improve your well-being. In contrast, those who have successfully lost weight and maintained it (i.e. none of The Biggest Loser ) know that weight loss success looks very different. Both extreme diet and exercise are recipes for failure. They know that successful weight loss is more like learning a language in a foreign country.
When you are in another country and learn their language for the first time, there is an irresistible temptation to return to your native language. Of course, you cannot do this if you want to be understood. Instead, you awkwardly bump into foreign words to convey your message.
It is difficult at first, but you will learn better over time. You get into the habit of saying things with the right accent and everything becomes second nature. It can become so intuitive that you have trouble teaching the language to beginners because you no longer understand what happens when your brain translates.
Losing weight is no different – you need to learn the language of calories and macronutrients . You will need to convert this fat-free latte to numbers using a translator (in this case, a calorie tracking app ) and then adjust everything to fit your daily nutritional goals . As well as constantly referring to the dictionary of a foreign language, it is tiresome. But if you stick to it, it becomes second nature.
Here’s what the path to weight loss success looks like: Learn fitness just like any other skill . Literally running on the ground preparing for a marathon right from the spot won’t help you. Also, you cannot copy the actions of Rocky Balboa or someone who is already in form. They are biased about survival, and their routines probably won’t work for you .
# 2: you will face many devastating setbacks
You’ve probably already seen the image above. This is true for all life problems, including weight loss. In fact, even if you’re doing everything perfectly, weight loss doesn’t have to be linear due to the way our physiology works.
But this is a moot point, because no one does everything perfectly. Not only will you make mistakes on your journey, but you will also face crushing, psychologically devastating blows. You may be traumatized or in an emotionally devastating event. Everything you have gone through emotionally is amplified even more when you step on the scales and see that your progress has been erased.
But here’s the thing: from a fitness standpoint, these kicks are rarely as awful as you might think . Overeating can lead to weight gain, but it’s unlikely that it’s all about fat – the body mysteriously retains water.
When this happens to you, repeat after me, “I’m fine. This is fine. I just need to keep going. ” Crushing blows are part of every major transformation I’ve witnessed. I asked my former client who lost over 100 pounds, Jeremy Bright, about his experience :
Losing weight in an environmentally friendly way includes pauses and setbacks. I am part of a big Italian family and my weekends are filled with family activities and of course a ton of food. I’ve often made a lot of progress just to wipe out months of work by the end of a vacation. It’s the same with vacations and cruises (or floating buffets).
Some things are under your control, some are not. And from what is, some are more than others. Injuries can be under your control, perhaps I pushed myself too hard in the deadlift when I was not positioned properly or felt uncomfortable, and strained my back, which prevented me from training in the gym for several weeks. I had months when the scales didn’t move … or times when I looked back at my weight six months ago, and it was the same.
But I quickly realized that it was all part of the process, continued to gain weight and now lost 140 pounds.
Every failure is not only a learning opportunity, but a self-fulfilling prophecy: whether or not you think your progress is flawed, you are right. So stay optimistic, realize that nothing has gone bad, and get back on that damn horse.
# 3: other people will annoy you
There are some remarks that each person will hear during their transformation. From unwelcome comments about your dietary choices to snide comments about how you have changed, they are an inevitable obstacle to weight loss.
“Why can’t you just enjoy life? You just need to be happy with who you are. “
“Why are you eating so much chicken? Should I eat that much chicken? “
“I don’t think your body type should have been skinny.”
So what do you do with these little shi … uh … those who “care” about your well-being? The first step is to split them into two buckets.
The first bucket – people are genuinely curious. Sure, their comments might sound unexpected or offensive, but they probably don’t mean it. Remember, losing weight is a very personal experience and it’s easy to get sensitive if people are in doubt about your choice. For example, when someone asks you about your exercise regimen and then compares it to their CrossFit workout (because if they do CrossFit, they will definitely tell you ), they might just try to establish rapport through your mutual love of exercise.
In addition, there are people who are genuinely trying to sabotage you. The problem with any personal change is that it threatens the status quo – something that most people, knowingly or otherwise, will try to fight . This is no exception for weight loss.
Understanding the reason given above will greatly help you rethink and empathize with the saboteurs. For example, your spouse says:
I don’t know why you do this to yourself. It’s like you’re unhappy and want to become someone else, not the person I fell in love with.
Here’s what this might actually mean:
It worries me that if you lose weight, you will stop loving me because I am still overweight. I love you and I don’t want you to leave me after your newfound success.
Empathy turns a once-impenetrable emotional barrier into something you can handle. If that’s not enough, Greatist has a terrific list of specific ways to respond when people try to undermine your health.
# 4: your journey will never end
The phrase “go on a diet” is a little misleading. It is a journey with a definite beginning and end. There really is no end.
This understanding stems from very dark personal experiences. My first fitness “transformation” relied on sheer willpower. My Spartan regimen consisted of perfectly timed chicken and broccoli dishes and an hour of cardio every morning. I did it for four months, lost 45 pounds and got into a bodybuilding competition. I thought I had finally finished my diet … and things started to blur .
Like most of the participants, I celebrated this with a (possibly over-the-top) dinner. The next day I woke up 20 pounds heavier. Although I knew it was water, an overwhelming sense of guilt created a vicious circle: I consoled myself with food, then felt worse, ate more, and started the cycle again. In just two months, I gained all 45 pounds (and then some) and returned to my original weight.
The above is a cautionary tale because it is not uncommon for those who think diets have an “end.” In fact, most people who lose weight return to their pre-diet weight within three years .
If you rely on willpower rather than learning the “language” of fitness, you will surely reach the “end,” but it will not be happy or sustainable. Everything you do must be stable and pass the litmus test: “Can I live like this forever?”
This is because if you succeed, there is no end. You will always have to work to make fitness a part of your new life, in which fitness is as important to you as food, sleep and sex. But you will not regret a minute of your trip, because this is the best life.