Have you ever been frustrated in your path to fitness because you fail to set a proper weight loss goal? Discover that you know nothing about proper goal setting and you just keep yourself hoping, wishing, dreaming and starving (only to binge eat and jump back on the same roller coaster?)
You are not alone! Many women start with great intentions, get going on their fitness path and then fall off. Perhaps they have an all or nothing attitude or even lack in skill and knowledge. All they see are quick fixes and false promises. Once the money is spent in these scenarios and the snake oil product doesn’t work it is easy to give up and eat bon bons while binge watching Netflix.
Quick fixes and false promises give you enthusiasm and excitement but that quickly goes away. Once you step back on the scale or see your belly protrude after a one to three day nauseating eating regimen you will lose your religion. It’s time to wake up and learn some goal setting skills. Need more information on this? Sit up, pay attention and take notes. While you are at it, open your mind.
The first thing you need to do is to remove the social media fascination with weight loss. Have you ever heard the expression “Look at what everyone else is doing and do the opposite!”? The internet makes what I call “quick claims” to success. Many of them aren’t realistic or sustainable. Below is a list of the “taps” that social media claims will help you to lose weight (after they take your money):
fasting
diets like Keto, Paleo, Veganism, Vegetarianism
pills
patches
surgery
Perhaps someone you know has tried any of the ones listed and had some success with no lifestyle change. The truth is you actually need to put effort and time into eating better and exercising. When I embraced this fact, I lost 60 pounds and 10 dress sizes working out at home!
You need to start setting goals by looking into a BMI or Body Mass Index Chart(found on the web). You will keep in mind your height and in some cases, your a age. You will be shocked to know that many people average 20 to 50 pounds in excess weight. Additionally, please know that being even 30% in BMI means you are in the obese category. Obesity can lead to health issues such as some cancers, diabetes, and even heart issues. In my opinion it’s better to learn to lose weight than to invest in ill health by staying the same.
The best case scenario is to exercise and eat foods that include lean meats, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats. Be sure to include green veggies, too. You will need to be lay to rest any unrealistic expectations such as trying to lose a crazy amount of weight super quick (I heard a lady once say from a public stage that she wanted to lose 20 pounds in a month). The best case scenario is to lose between 5 to 10 pounds of unwanted fat a month. That could be 1- 2.5 pounds a week.
Muscle and fat are two distinct separate tissues that bewilder non fitness professionals. Depending on your workouts and nutrition, your muscle definition can grow while your body shrinks. Surprisingly the scale will go up because muscle is more dense than fat. Don’t be like the average person who only looks at scale by weight and totally negates the fact that their body is shrinking.
Start and keep a realistic vision for your success in weight loss. Start by calculating a realistic number of fat pounds divided by the number of months it could take you to get there. Couple those efforts with a realistic and sustainable exercise plan and eating lifestyle. Feel free to reach out to me at Nissa@nissasalasfitness.com and I will be glad to answer any questions you might have.
—
Nissa Salas