Setting a weight loss/fitness goal is just the first step in the process of making it a reality. When our members first begin with us at Real Fitness Coaching, we help them to get specific about their goal and why they absolutely have to achieve it. Then we map out a plan for them. This always involves exercise, healthy eating and behavioral change. We know with 100% certainty that people can get short term results pretty quickly, but its much harder to get those results to stick long term.
We teach our members about what to expect along the way to their goal, because we want them to be successful in keeping their weight off. That’s what this “Overcoming Obstacles” series is all about. We want you to jump up and down if you’re encountering obstacles! This is great! Obstacles are opportunities. If you can see it that way, then you can begin to develop new strategies that will help you stay successful in the long run.
Obstacle #1: You give the number on the scale too much power, plus you obsess over weight plateaus or weight gains.
No one loses 1-2 lbs a week every week. It’s an average, that’s all its meant to be. We have a member that lost over 70 lbs in just about a year, and she would lose weight, stay the same, gain, then lose again, stay the same, and you see where this is going, don’t you? The important point to see is this: she lost over 70 lbs, she did it in about a years time, and she did not lose every week. She did not lose weight every week. In case you missed it, here is the lesson: you are being successful when your weight drops, plateaus, goes up, but over time does go down. The scale does not tell us anything about body fat, it is critical to repeatedly try on a pair of pants that are too small, or have your body fat measured to really see what is happening. Scale fluctuations occur when people exercise and are losing fat. If you see yourself feeling frustrated about your weight, talk to your coach. Think about a piece of clothing you could use that is 1-2 sizes too small. Bring this in to your next training session and your coach will take photos, and keep the clothing for you to try on at 4-6 week intervals. Don’t let the scale win! Also, check in with yourself about the number on the scale and how you feel about that emotionally. We have a member who told me today that her goal weight was 100 lbs, because she was that weight in high school. For her height, it’s not a realistic or probably even healthy weight for her. We discussed that a strong body weighing about 125 was probably a better goal for her. So, instead of a 50 lb weight loss goal, her better goal, is to lose 25 lbs. There’s a big difference between a goal of 50 lbs weight loss and 25 lbs. Her brain was setting herself up for failure by having such an aggressive and unrealistic weight goal. Be very careful of how you think about your weight. It is only part of the picture. Health, body composition, strength, self esteem are just as important if not more so.
Overcoming obstacles on the way to your goal is normal and to be expected. If you’re feeling frustrated be sure to talk to your coach about it, because our job is to help you develop new strategies that will help you overcome your obstacles. We can also share stories of others who’ve been there. We don’t want you to give up when things get hard.
Stay tuned for more tips on “Overcoming Obstacles.”