An uncomfortable truth

Currently Max Results is in the process of finalising a new 8 Week Body Composition Program so it’s fresh on my mind how to tackle this conundrum.

I’ve spent almost 30 years working full time in the fitness industry and something hit me like a ton of bricks not that long ago.

Losing weight is really a simple premise, bear with me.

I know you’re reading this thinking what is he going on about? I’ve tried everything you can think of and I can’t lose weight! Fair enough, I struggle with it too and I have a tendency to yo-yo in weight.

The reality though, is that the actual premise is simple, a mathematical formula.

That’s it. That’s the secret.

In 99% of cases it’s as simple as that. Granted there is about 1% that may have hormonal, thyroid (or other health related issues) as to why they can’t lose weight but they are very rare cases.

Now it’s time for the uncomfortable truth. Humans aren’t simple. We are complex. That’s why sticking to that simple mathematical process is difficult.

I could list 1 million reasons/answers as to why that simple process is difficult but let’s touch on a few that you may resonate with.

Emotional eating – I’m sure we can all relate to this one. I certainly can. If you had a terrible day at work, an argument with your partner, if we are grieving or upset, we medicate our pain. We hate sitting with any type of discomfort. Instead we medicate with a tub of Ben and Jerry’s Triple-Cameral-Chunk. Gee… I can almost feel those calories just typing the words.

Boredom/Unconscious eating– Recently there was a client who couldn’t comprehend how she wasn’t losing any weight. She thought she ate perfect! Except she wasn’t really. She had a bowl of nuts on her work station and was absentmindedly munching on them all day. When I asked if she was actually hungry, she wasn’t at all. So, she moved the nuts to the other side of the room. She had to physically leave her chair to access to them. Making it a conscious decision to consume. No surprises, she started losing weight again.

Disorganised- I know when my partner or I do a weekly Sunday food shop we simply eat better that week. We have more options for healthy, unprocessed food and we generally make better decisions rather than getting Uber foods or take away. Plus, you definitely save $$ brown bagging it!

Peer Pressure- This is a big one I see with my female clients. A client will be on a weight loss journey and trying really hard to control caloric intake when the weekly cake eating contest in the tea room is underway and the bullying begins.

“Oh, eating rabbit food again are we Sarah?” Or “That’s nowhere near enough food Sarah!” Poor Sarah… I wish I was there when this conversation went down. I’d put the bully right in their place. “No. Sarah’s actually eating the right amount of food for her daily energy requirements, unlike your good self”

The person who’s making Sarah feel bad about her choices is confronted by their own choices. If you’ve been guilty of doing that, STOP IT!!

I’ve had plenty of female clients come to me in tears because of it.

Australians being overweight/obese is a lot more unhealthy than someone like ‘Sarah’, who’s trying to make better choices and eat healthier.

I’m sure you’ve got plenty of personal reasons why you rationalise and justify excessive and poor eating or worse still pretend it’s not even happening. Now, don’t deflect and think I’m coming from a place of moral superiority and judgement because I’m not. I’ve been guilty of all the aforementioned reasons

I’m just simply calling it as it is because we have to change.

We have to accept that premise as reality. Then we need to fall in love with the process.

Yes. fall in love with eating healthier and eating less. I believe you can do that easier by not just focusing on the numbers associated with weight loss but the process.

Instead focus on self-loving, being a good role model, loving how clothes feel on you and how you look in the mirror and how your body moves and feels as you lose weight rather than some arbitrary number on electronic equipment for validation.