*The title of this post was taken from the Oasis song of the same name*
Before Mark even started with me, he told me that he was more than willing to train every day just to lose weight but that he wasn’t sure he could change his diet.
I get it.
The hardest part of losing weight is the diet. It shouldn’t be, but it is.
No matter how hard those of us in this industry might try to simplify intake, eating in a deficit, and seeing the results at a sustainable pace, diet remains the hardest variable for so many people to control.
We’re around food/drink ALL.DAY.LONG. Temptation, stress, the eating cues of others, eating for a reward, eating because we’re bored, etc. It can be hard to control intake with so many points of influence.
And it’s not just the diet.
Mark said this was a recurring cycle in his life. To go about 70%, and not get to the finish line. The lure of external stimulus, inadvertent sabotage from friends and family, high stress at work.
I understand.
However, I’m not falling over myself with sympathy.
Please don’t hear what I’m not saying. I care deeply that my clients reach their goals. In my opinion, there is no greater reward than reaching the proverbial finish line. Who wants to runs a race without getting to the finish?
And as I’ve been known to say to my clients, “The better you look, the better I look.” I have a vested interest in those results.
But you do have to make sacrifices.
The sacrifices don’t have to be drastic. For a person who believes they’re giving 70% effort, pushing for 80% may be all that it takes to succeed. It may take a bit longer to see the goal but you will get there.
However, for as much as I know that conquering the diet is the path to success, not everyone is ready to tackle it from the onset.
So, focus on what you can immediately control.
Can you make it to the gym 2-3x a week? Great. Start there.
Can you increase your water intake and decrease the intake of anything else that either isn’t water or has calories included? Awesome. Do so.
If you’re giving 50% effort, can you push for 60% or 70% maybe? Excellent. Go for it.
“Little by Little”, the pieces will fall into place. Just don’t kid yourself about what will or won’t get you to your goal as fast as you’d like to be there.
If you can behave yourself all week long with your diet, just to watch the wheels fly off the car Friday, Saturday and/or Sunday, you’re probably losing the battle. Truth be told, I’ve seen some clients destroy a week’s worth of progress in one cheat meal. Sad but true.
My professional opinion? I think Mark will solve this riddle. He gives his all to his workouts and he’s been a blast to train. It would be shame if he didn’t dial it in a bit more to get to his ultimate destination of “XYZ” weight and to minimize some problem areas on his physique.
The picture below is of Shon (another RevFit family member.) Like Mark, Shon is crazy busy and has more than enough reason to let things go sideways for him. However, he got his food (and drink) under control a handful of weeks ago and he’s been dropping weight like it’s nothing. Funny how that works.
Are you ready to dial in?
