A quick google search of the words “weight loss” or “how to lose weight” or any variation of that question will yield pages upon pages of coaches telling you what you need to do to lose the weight. That’s great and all. Some of the information is good but if I’m going to be honest with you most of it is false. As mentioned in the previous blog post “What the Fitness Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know”, most of that information is designed so you get quick results but ultimately fail and continue to purchase the product or plan because “it worked”. Regardless, I’m getting a little off track here. Let’s reel it back in. Today I’m not here to tell you what to do to lose weight. I’m here to tell you the things I DIDN’T have to do to lose 115 pounds. So let's get into it.
I DID NOT have to eliminate a food group. I see so many people eliminate carbs because they are bad, or fruit because it has sugar, or fat because they believe eating fat will make you fat. None of that is true and frankly it’s simply just not necessary (Unless you have a legitimate medical reason to eliminate a food group). Prior to 2015 when I started my successful weight loss journey I had tried eliminating food groups and it simply did not work for me long term. In fact it generally led to a binge and restrict cycle when I would eat whatever I was eliminating at that time. I’ve learned that I personally and most of the clients I work with do best learning to eat all food groups with balance and moderation. On a scientific level our bodies actually require all of those things to function optimally (comment below if you want to know more of the nerd stuff, I’m sure Ryan would love to write a blog about that). Something that is missed when eliminating a food group is that you are also eliminating important micronutrients. Sure you can supplement but our bodies function best when receiving these micronutrients from our food.
I DID NOT have to miss out on social events with family and friends. This kind of goes hand in hand with not eliminating a food group. When your diet plan allows you to be flexible at times there’s no reason not to go to that girls night out or brunch. I will be honest there were and are times I take my own food and eat in the car and order a salad or something light. This is what was best for me at the time due to the specific goal I’m working towards. It’s not necessary and as a coach I will always advocate for you to enjoy these events and the food and drink that goes along with it.
I DID NOT have to do unreasonable amounts of cardio or exercises I did not enjoy. My Exercise program progressed at my pace. I began with dieting alone. After getting some weight off I added in walking. Next were home workout videos. Finally the gym. When starting at the gym I began with 2 or 3 times a week and built up from there. Now….not everyone is going to workout 6 days a week for an hour and half like I do. For many that is unrealistic. 3 days a week is perfectly fine if that is what you can be consistent with long term. During my time in the gym I learned the things I enjoy doing and the things I don’t enjoy doing. You must enjoy what you're doing or I promise you will not stick with it. What you enjoy and what many of my clients enjoy looks very different from what I enjoy. That's ok. This is for YOU.
I DID NOT have to eat 1200 calories a day or less. Again prior to 2015 I had tried many very low calorie diets and of course I lost weight but again I always gained it back. I’m currently at my all time lowest weight and I can eat well above 1200 calories and lose weight. Now, YES you do absolutely need to be in a caloric deficit to lose weight but you want to keep that deficit moderate. Who the hell wants to starve all the time; especially if you have a large amount of weight to lose. The way Ryan taught me and the way I now teach my clients is to keep calories as high as possible as long as possible.
Example: When I was 200 lbs I could eat 2000-2100 calories a day and consistently lose half a pound to one pound per week. When I got to a point where I was no longer losing weight we would either decrease calories by 50 to 100 calories per day or increase cardio to get me back in a deficit.
The biggest problem with starting with too large of a deficit is that there’s only so many calories you cut and only so much cardio you can add before it catches up with you. When it does generally the pendulum swings back the other way and you ultimately gain everything back.
It’s also worth noting that too large of a deficit will absolutely feed into the binge restrict cycle that so many people struggle with.
I DID NOT have to spend money on products. Yes there was a time I absolutely spent tons of money on weight loss products promising quick weight loss or fast results. At this point in the story you know what I’m going to say next….sure I lost the weight but guess what…Yup gained it back and bought more products. I can guarantee you that there is not a single product on the market that yields lasting results on its own. Yes there are some that will provide faster weight loss but ONLY if you are eating in a caloric deficit. The truth is that most of these products are snake oil or whatever they say. I know we all want a magic pill and we all want things to be easy but honestly this is life; nothing worth doing is easy. The companies that manufacture these products and the people who endorse them make huge profits selling you an outcome that won’t last unless you also learn the behavior changes to sustain that outcome. And guess what…those people aren’t going to help you learn them. You wouldn’t need to keep buying their product if they did.
I DID NOT do a cleanse or detox. I’ll keep this one brief. For the love of God please don’t drink the diarrhea tea or ingest any other product that intentionally causes diarrhea. You have kidneys and a liver and those organs work to detox your body naturally. If those organs are not functioning you need to see a physician, not a girl from high school you haven’t talked to in 20 years selling the latest MLM product.
I hope my trial and error with these things saves you all some time, money, and heartache. If your goal is weight loss there’s a million coaches who can help you but not many who have walked your path. If this was helpful to you and you want to chat more or have questions drop them in the comments below. If you need help getting started and you want this to be the LAST time you ever need to diet again book a consultation with myself or Ryan. The consultation costs you nothing and you never know it just might change your life.
-Stephanie
