The "Right" Time To Lose Weight

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the #1 reason people join a gym, hire a trainer or start an exercise program is to lose weight. Sure, there are people who are already in good shape that are joining for other reasons, but weight loss is usually the top goal for the majority. The discouraging thing is just how much work, sacrifice and time you are going to have to commit in order to actually see sustainable results. The truth is, losing weight is not easy, in fact it’s down right hard. I have been a trainer for over 8 years and have had multiple clients lose over 20+ lbs and everyone of them will tell you how difficult it was. Not just how much work it was in the gym, but how their lifestyle had to change. I have also seen lots of people fail at losing weight, and I have come to the conclusion that it was not their fault. I believe that there is a “right” time for every person to lose weight.

Now what I mean by that isn’t that there is a specific day or time or age, but that a lot of factors that need to come together to make significant weight loss occur. The majority of people will not have those factors in alignment, which will usually end up in failure. Again, not their fault, but they just weren’t “ready” to lose the weight yet, it wasn’t the “right” time for them.

This is why the term “weight loss journey” should be not thrown aside. For people who have been successful at losing substantial weight it is a journey, and for most of them it had to be at the forefront of their life at that time. All of these individuals most likely have started this journey before and failed. So, what made this time successful?? What factors aligned to make this “journey” different from the others. Here are the 3 main factors and components of each that I believe are essential to seeing substantial and sustainable weight loss.

1. Workouts

Following a specialized program. Not every program is designed for weight loss and even specific weight loss programs do not work for every individual. Exercise history, ability and current level of fitness can all be factors when selecting a program. Programs also need to be adapted every 4-6 weeks in order to eliminate plateaus. This is why getting a program designed or working with a trainer is the best way to see results.

Schedule your workouts and don’t miss. If you make time to schedule your workouts in and treat them as appointments then it will be easier to complete them. No matter what comes up in your day or week, you cannot afford to miss a workout. If you are scheduled for 5 workouts that week, you need to make sure all 5 get completed. Treat it as a meeting with a VIP, and that VIP is YOU!!!

Challenge yourself. Most people when working out will stay inside their comfort zone and will do the minimum required during a workout. They will pick the “easy” exercises or the ones they enjoy. In order to see results you need to push the envelope, challenge yourself and get out of that comfort zone. When you think you are out of energy you need to dig down and find more. You will amaze yourself at what you can accomplish when you push yourself.

2. Lifestyle

Surround yourself with positivity. If you decide losing weight it is very important for you, then surround yourself with people and environments that will embrace and support that decision. This might be hard, because others might not understand how important this is to you, and unconsciously will try to sabotage your progress. Unfortunately, you might have to end up distancing yourself from specific people or environments in order to be successful. This can be very difficult for a lot of people.

Managing Holidays & Celebrations. Over the course of this journey there are going to be lots of unavoidable social situations that will need to require some discipline when it comes to food and alcohol. You need to allow yourself to celebrate with friends and family, but being disciplined will make sure you don’t see any setbacks. Your friends and family will support you!!

Daily Activity. Try to find ways to be more “active” in your daily schedule. Take the stairs, stand up more often when you would have sat before, and walk or bike instead of driving if it is a manageable distance. Focusing on being less sedentary and keeping your body moving will not only add to your calories burned everyday but will help with muscle recovery.

3. Nutrition

Make a plan. It is vital to map out your meals to make weight loss successful. Following a meal plan will help with grocery shopping, decision making, will keep you energized and will help avoid food binges. Counting calories is not necessary to lose weight and you should make sure to stay away from quick fix diet fads. Eating whole foods should be your focus. If necessary consult with a nutritionist to make this easier for you.

Portion Control. For lots of people their issue is not always what they eat but how much they are eating. They keep eating long after they are full and those extra unnecessary calories consumed every meal are not being burned during the day and then are being stored as fat. If you don’t over eat, you can still enjoy the foods you love from time to time without losing progress.

Snacking. When you first start a workout program you will find you are way hungrier then you ever were before. Your body is like an engine that requires fuel, and for the first time that engine is running at capacity. Between meals and at night you will find yourself hungry. Combat this by drinking lots of water, and having low calorie snacks ready to eat. Raw veggies, fresh fruit, rice cakes or plain popcorn are great snack options.

YOU TIME!!

If you can align all 3 of these factors, there is no doubt you will see great results and your weight loss journey will be a huge success. If you struggle with a few of these areas, keep working hard, focus on the easy changes first and then move your focus to the more difficult areas as you go. Once you get all of them aligned you will be “ready” to go.

At the end of the day YOU have to make the decision to lose weight. YOU will have to make the tough and necessary changes and sacrifices to see success. If it is the “right” time for YOU then get ready for a challenging but rewarding and life changing experience.

If you need help managing any of these factors, need advice or would like to start a weight loss journey of your own and need help, I encourage you to reach out, contact me and we can talk about making this happen.