Before we get started, I just want to touch on the key principle to weight loss. Regardless of whichever diet you decide to follow (iifym, paleo, keto, atkins, etc.) one thing is in common with them all that is the MAIN force that drives fat loss: a calorie deficit. A calorie deficit is when you are eating less calories each day than what your body burns. This is the key to fat loss, not low carb, low fat, or “healthy” eating. So regardless of how we choose to diet we are all going to face the same challenges at some point throughout our journey. If you have further questions with this we have written previous blogs on the subject.
Now on to the topic…
Hunger:
The first few days of starting a diet never really seem to bad. For the most part you’re just excited to get started and motivated to see results, but putting yourself in a calorie deficit isn’t something that you are necessarily going to enjoy over a longer period of time. Your body will start to realize you aren’t giving it the same amount of energy (calories) that you are expecting it to burn each day. This leaves you feeling one way, and one way only: hungry. Which leads me to my next point.
Temptation: Â
You’ve been really good at staying on point with your food intake. Progress is starting to set in, but Friday rolls around and your friends are going out for a night on the town, or your family is having a get together BBQ. As exciting as it sounds to go you begin to realize you probably won’t be able to stay on track while you’re there. What do you do??
Sacrifice:Â
Yeah, it sucks, but if you are serious about making some changes to your body it is definitely going to take some sacrifice. If it’s a night out on the town with the friends, maybe you are at a point where you care more about making positive changes and committing to your goals than a boozy night. If it’s a family BBQ maybe you bring a chicken breast to throw on the grill instead of all the good stuff everyone else is indulging in. At some point you are going to have to sacrifice something to make positive changes to your body. That’s what makes this whole thing so rewarding at the end when you reach your goal!
Right now is the middle or close to the end of a lot of you all’s dieting season with summer just starting. So this post is just a little reminder that we all are going through the miserable parts of dieting. I know I’m going through it a little each week, but at the same time I try to find the little things to enjoy too. It’s a great feeling to hop on the scale in the morning and hit a new low weigh in, or get a compliment that you are looking leaner. Keep the momentum on your side and don’t stop grinding. It’ll all pay off sooner than you think if you stick to the protocol.
If you have questions with weight loss or anything fitness related don’t be afraid to shoot us an email at [email protected].
As always,
Happy lifting!
