You tried on those pants that wouldn’t button…
You stepped on the scale that showed you a number that made you want to hurl it at the wall…
So now…you’ve decided you want to lose weight.
In this video I want to share 5 things no one tells you about losing weight, but I also want to ask you one very important question first…
Is weight loss what you really want?
I ask this question because it’s key we realize that losing weight as fast as possible on the scale may actually be holding us back from seeing the fat loss results we want.
Losing weight faster doesn’t mean losing fat faster.
It actually often means the opposite.
In our desire to see quicker changes on the scale, we go to extremes which are unsustainable and only truly deplete our glycogen stores, causing us to also lose water weight.
It’s why we may see immediate big drops in our weight.
It’s not fat being lost though.
If we do manage to maintain the extreme measures, we often then also start to lose as much muscle as we do fat.
And while some muscle loss will occur at points in your weight loss journey, you want to do everything possible to maintain as much lean muscle mass as you can!
Which actually brings me to the first thing no one tells you about losing weight…
Macros matter most.
I can feel the angry mob of calorie counters approaching who won’t listen a step further in this video…but hear me out….
Often people say it’s only about calories in vs calories out while saying you can’t build muscle and lose weight at the same time…
Which actually you can do.
But it is this calorie only focus that creates this issue and belief.
Adjusting your macros is key if you want to lose fat and not only retain lean muscle mass but BUILD it.
Focusing solely on a calorie deficit won’t do this and could lead to more muscle being lost in the weight loss process.
Macros are so key because higher protein diets are the only ones shown to help you not only retain but even GAIN muscle while in a deficit.
By keeping on more lean muscle as you slim down, you’ll promote more optimal hormone levels and even help keep your metabolic rate higher.
Muscle requires more energy to be maintained.
And this higher energy expenditure daily will make it easier to ultimately lose more fat!
This focus on retaining lean muscle while trying to lose fat is even more key as we get older because it becomes harder to build and retain lean muscle, which leads to more metabolic adaptations with age.
And creating an extreme deficit to lose weight quicker as we get older only puts us at greater risk to lose even more muscle!
So if you want to see the best results, you want to focus on those macros to fuel your training and even help yourself gain muscle as you lose fat.
Focusing on hitting that high protein tipping point, consuming 30% of your calories from protein, can help you see better fat loss results while even building muscle through a strategically created deficit based on your macro breakdown.
The second thing no one tells you about losing weight is something none of us really want to admit…because it stinks.
I mean, who wants to be PATIENT!?
But we need to realize that results will take longer the longer we’ve been at our current weight.
Think about how long it took for you to get into your current position.
Think about how long you haven’t been at your goal…
Often when we are considering how quickly results happen, we think about the diet we are using or the workouts we are doing.
But we never consider how much our body will fight us to maintain the balance of where it is at currently.
Our body doesn’t like change.
It feels threatened with change. It’s part of how it protects us to survive.
So the longer you’ve had the weight on, the farther you are from your goal, the longer it will probably take for you to get there.
Especially if it means hitting a new level of leanness you’ve never achieved before.
So while you may look at your friend who gained 15 pounds just like you and want your results to happen just as fast, if you’ve had the weight on for a year and they just gained it during the holidays, it is probably going to come off much more quickly for them!
When mapping out your plan, realize that gaining the weight took 10 months so you’re probably not going to see it just all melt off in 10 weeks.
Recognizing this helps give us perspective when we feel like changes aren’t happening fast enough!
The third thing no one tells you is that repeatable habits should be your focus over doing more.
When we want to lose weight, we do turn to making habit changes…but often we make massive overhauls to our current lifestyle and habits.
Our focus is on what will get us results FASTEST.
Not what habits can I actually REPEAT day in and day out.
Now this doesn’t mean every habit change will feel easy. Most won’t actually feel sustainable to start.
And they won’t be fun.
Tracking your food is not fun.
Doing the mobility work when you’re in a rush and just want to get to the meat of your workout isn’t fun.
BUT it can be repeatable if you break things down to meet yourself where you are at.
When making changes to lose weight, start with easy to repeat habits.
Focus on those small daily changes over doing more.
This allows you to build instead of overwhelming yourself so that you give up when you just simply run out of willpower and self control.
These repeatable habits are what lead to DISCIPLINE.
So as much as these may feel small, they may feel even less than “ideal” they will allow you to get consistent.
And what we do consistently we get good at.
If we consistently do habits that make us gain weight, we will.
If we consistently do habits that help us lose, we will.
So focus on repeatable habits that can help you build a lifestyle and see those results snowball.
The fourth thing no one tells you, that it is key we recognize to avoid sabotaging ourselves and giving up when results are snowballing…
Is that you’ll often feel like the areas you want to change are the LAST to change.
And even at points as you’ve made progress losing weight, they look WORSE!
Stubborn areas are stubborn for a reason.
They often contain more of the stubborn type of fat cell and have less blood flow.
They are often the places we gain first so will be the LAST we will lose from.
We may see all of these other areas trimming down, but not see any changes really to start from the places we care about.
Not only is this frustrating but slimming down in some places and not others can make the areas we want to change stand out even more.
But don’t give up.
Giving up is what keeps you from finally losing from those stubborn body parts.
Often it is pushing through and just sticking with those same old boring habits, not jumping ship in favor of some fad diet, that will finally add up.
And if you are struggling with those stubborn areas and want to learn more about what makes stubborn areas so stubborn, check out my How To Lose Stubborn Fat Video with 3 tips.
Now…The 5th and final thing no one tells you about losing weight is…
What you did to lose the weight will NOT be what you do to maintain it.
Honestly because the dieting industry is built off of us regaining the weight we’ve lost…
A new fast fix is easier to sell you than maintenance
Maintenance isn’t sexy so it’s never discussed
But maintaining your weight loss is a learned process with its own unique challenges.
And one of those challenges is actually being ok with a very small increase on the scale as you shift your body and habits from weight loss mode to maintaining mode.
You can’t just keep repeating what you did to lose and stay in a deficit forever, yet you also can’t go back to old habits.
You’ve got to slowly make adjustments to your macros and calories to increase them to a maintenance level while potentially returning to a more even macro split.
We have to remember our body, needs and goals are constantly evolving which means our diet and workout habits can’t just stay stagnant.
(At the end I’ve linked out to more free resources!)
If you’ve been only focused on losing weight fast, it’s time to change your approach. Losing weight quickly doesn’t always mean losing fat, and extreme approaches can be harmful.
By focusing on healthy habits, you can achieve lasting results that don’t have to feel overly restrictive.
More Free Resources:
