How To Guarantee Success And Achieve Your Fat Loss & Wellness Goals!
It goes without saying that as we approach the New Year - most of us have some sort of goal or intention for the year to come. It’s no surprise that January tends to be the most profitable month for gyms, nutrition companies etc.And hey - there is nothing wrong with taking the necessary steps to set yourself up for success to reach your goals. But I see it time and time again - we start out with the best intentions - only to say “to hell with it” or have the backfire on us after the first month.And while I firmly believe that discipline is important when it comes to reaching your goals - it’s also important to make sure that you pick a plan that sets you up for long term success.After all - no one wants to lose 10 lb only to gain 20 back - but sadly the diet and nutrition industry is meant to keep us in a vicious cycle. The good news is - knowledge is power - and the more knowledge you have the more you are able to make the right decision for YOU.Let’s dive in to some ways that you can ensure you are picking a plan that will set you up for long term success - so that you can get on track to looking and feeling your best ever - whatever that means to you :)
1.) Set realistic expectations & a healthy timeline.
This can be the hardest thing to hear - especially when you want to see results and you want them now - BUT trust me, you’ve GOT to be committed to this piece of the pie to ensure your results last you a lifetime.As I mentioned earleir - you do not want to lose 10 lb only to gain 20 back. You also don’t want to completely damage your metabolism by eating too little for too long. A healthy rate of fat loss is about 1% of your body weight per week. For most people this translates into about 0.5-2lb of weight. Additionally, I recommend I know what you’re thinking - it doesn’t seem like a lot. I get it. But if you go any faster than this - your body starts to break down muscle tissue - and this is something we DON’T want!Give yourself a solid 12 weeks - no more and no less. Don’t get caught up in the subtle changes day to day - rather look at the big picture of what happens over the course of 12 weeks. After 12 weeks - it's time to re-asses.In most situations, the act of LOSING weight is actually a form of STRESS on the body - and the longer you let it go on for - the more stressful it can be on your body. 12 weeks is a good amount of time to make significant progress without sacrificing your long term wellbeing (that is of course if you follow the other steps in this post!! 😊)Take action: Make peace with the fact that you are in it for the long haul!
2.) Just say NO to any “diet” that forces you to purchase their food, or one that gives every person the same 1200-1500 calorie meal plan.
So there are two parts to this one 🌟First of all, sustainability is the key to long term success. Many companies lure customers to buy their plans and then tell the that they must purchase all of their food and ONLY eat their food/shakes.But - what happens when you have to travel, or you want to go out to eat with your family? And even more so - what happens down the line once you have “reached” your goals? How are you going to maintain your results NOW?Truth is - many plans out there tell you WHAT to eat but they do not teach you HOW to eat. This is how they keep you sucked into buying their products or services - and ultimately STUCK in the vicious cycle of dieting. What they want to happen is that once you stop eating their food - you gain the weight back - and since you lost the wieght with them initially - you believe you have to go back to them to be "successful" at it again. Just stay away from plans like these!Additionally - many companies or trainers out there push the same meal plans on thousands of people. This really fires me up - and not in a good way! Every BODY is different and therefore needs a little something different on their journey. What works for one person could have the opposite effect on someone else. Be committed to finding a plan that works with YOUR body - not just something that someone else says worked for them - or one that promises to work "for everyone".Take action: Just say no to one size fits all meal plans - or protocols that force you to buy special food/shakes/snacks from the company writing the plan.
3.) The plan you choose should not be too low calorie
I’m sure you’ve heard me say that -- while calories are important - they are not the be all! BUT I feel like I need to constantly address the calorie issue because it’s just so darn prevalent everywhere we go! And of course, calories are important - but not in the way we all think.Truth is, most main stream diets prescribe EXTREME low calorie protocols to clients - and they end up screwing up their metabolisms -- which down the line can effect thyroid function!Here’s the thing. Unless you are a very very petite (under 5’ female), 1200 calories per day is just TOO DARN LOW (and in most cases so is 1300 and 1400!).I don’t care how much weight you have to lose. If you start your journey eating 1200 calories per day you are setting yourself up for a disaster situation down the line.The body is highly adaptable - and if you go from eating 2000+ calories per day to 1200 calories per day you are going to send a shock wave to your system - your body will think it’s in a time of famine and you will hoard fat like crazy. You will also feel absolutely awful - tired, lethargic, constantly cold and hungry - it’s just a BAD situation. For many people the long term effect of eating this way can cause thyroid problems as I mentioned above.Do not, I repeat DO NOT - be tempted to cut calories TOO low. Slow and steady wins the race - and remember you don't want to start to lose muscle tissue!Take action: Be committed to not falling for the lure of low calorie diets!
4.) The plan you choose should advocate for MOSTLY whole food sources
I often get asked “Jaime, what do you think of (insert protein bar or snack or "healthy" snack)?" And the truth is - there is some great stuff out there that comes in packaged form - heck I love my collagen peptides, my protein powder and my unsweetened almond milk.But ultimately - packaged foods should only comprise 20% of your diet. You should not be relying on protein bars, and other manmade items to make up the majority of your day. If the plan you are considering - again - has you buying all of their "pre packaged" meals, shakes and snacks- say buh- bye!!!Take action: Make sure that the plan you choose welcomes an array of vegetables, proteins, fat sources.
5.) The plan you choose should not be fat phobic.
If there is one thing I see that holds SO many women back from reaching their goals is that they are scared to death of eating fat. Many mainstream diet plans also tend to be VERY low fat or low in quality fats.Here’s the thing - fat will not make you fat. In fact, it will help make you thin.Fat is an amazing macronutrient that your body uses for energy - it is also a precursor to all of our hormones. There are substances called Essential Fatty Acids - the word Essential means that we MUST get these nutrients from our foods because our body cannot make them by itself.Additionally - some vitamins like Vitamin A, D and K are fat soluble meaning that we cannot even ABSORB them correctly without fat.And did you know that ALL of the cells in our body have a lipid layer - meaning that the layer of our cells are literally made of FAT? The health of our cells DEPENDS on us getting quality fats in our diet.Take action: Make sure that the plan you choose has you eating NO LESS THAN 30% of your daily intake from fat.
6.) No matter what plan you choose - be open to the possibility that you might have some healing to do
Lastly I want to say this - many clients come to me with a goal to lose some weight because they are struggling and feel like nothing is working for them. Often times, these clients have some healing to do - whether it be with stress reduction, blood sugar imbalance or other hormone challenges. Often - once we get a handle on these things - weight loss happens almost effortlessly.I urge you to be open to the possibility that you may have some healing to do before you can successfully reach your goals. If this idea has you going HUH? I don’t get it - feel free to book some time with me for your free consultation so that we can dive in to the reasons that are holding you back from reaching your goals.Take action: Be open to understanding that the body is a complex system - and sometimes you might need a little extra personalization.