“It’s so easy.”
No. No it’s not.
Even I am guilty of agreeing to this statement post weight loss a few years ago. I’m not trying to be the bearer of bad news but it’s time to get real. It isn’t easy for most people, including me and in fact, people fail constantly because it is hard. On the record, I have failed for the past year and a half.
It is easier to lose weight if you’ve mentally accepted what will be required and you’re ready to make sacrifices. Your discomfort has officially surpassed your complacency. I was successful before by “flipping the switch” and taking a black and white approach. I removed choice. My new nutritional plan was mandatory as well as lifting and walking on the treadmill. It was follow the plan or be eliminated. I treated it like a job and had very limited flexibility for 6 months. The results? 35 lbs. lost, a fully re-comped and very lean 5’6” frame.
Was it sustainable? I have mixed feelings on this. If I hadn’t deviated so far I would not have gained 20 lbs. but for me, it’s hard to imagine living 95% meal prep over the last chapter of life. When I look back to "that body” it looks too lean for the lifestyle that I prefer. I believe there is a more happy medium for me, I just took it too far over the past two years.
To lose weight, you must be at a calorie deficit. Nutrition is key and as we age, it becomes impossible to out exercise poor diet. When I first tried to lose weight in 2021, I only added exercise and lost 5 lbs. over 3 months. I didn’t lose the additional 30 lbs. until I changed my nutrition. I counted macros and did my entire transformation on 1730 calories (120g protein = 480 cal + 200g carbs = 800 + 50g fat = 450 cal). I cannot reiterate enough how critical what we feed our bodies and when we eat impacts weight loss.
If you only lift weights, you’ll see your composition change slowly but know that the scale isn’t going to be making any drastic moves. The scale only begins to trend downward and when proper food intake occurs.
For over a year now, I’ve been “trying” to lose weight. I know exactly what to do but I have failed. Read that again. Someone who has already done it and knows exactly what to do is failing. Why? Because I have been too flexible. I believed my freedom of choice was more important than my goal. Being comfortable was more important than change. My excuses have been plentiful and "valid."
Has my body changed? Yes. I’ve been consistently lifting for 4 years and over the past 5 months I’ve been pushing greater weight in my hypertrophy training. I see the new definition but the scale doesn’t budge and only a razor to my measurements.
“It’s not working.”
“Something is wrong with my hormones.”
“Something is wrong with my GI.”
“I feel defeated.”
“Should I just try the shot?”
However if a camera followed me around, you’d likely ask about the cupcakes, donuts and cookies I eat each week. You’d say “wait, you had pizza last night and you’re eating it again tonight?” “And now we’re going to sushi?!”
“But I’ve been trying so hard. It just is not working.”
Lies. I have been lying to myself. I tell myself I am following the plan but I am having multiple refeed meals a week with desserts.
It doesn’t work if we don’t follow the plan. And while I don't know if my hormones or GI aren’t optimal, I know dang well I cannot say my meal plan isn’t working when I only follow it 3 days at a time.
But why does THIS meal matter? Well, it often just isn’t “one” extra bonus meal, is it? Our daily habits add up to compound positively, negatively or neutral. These habits define our lifestyle. And while the goal is weight loss, to lose and maintain it, requires a change in habits ultimately creating a new lifestyle.
Does this vicious cycle sound familiar? What can we do?
Option 1- keep doing what we’re doing; hopefully it’s enough to keep the scale the same.
Option 2- give up- just go back to your old habits completely. We’ll keep gaining weight over time and in a few decades we’ll be dealing with potential health and mobility issues.
Option 3- DECIDE to go black and white and actually follow the plan. REMOVE THE CHOICE. No more week day treats; no more “whatever you crave weekends.” Yes, it sounds scary but so far, this is the only success route I’ve identified.
The extreme is temporary to give us the results and establish the new lifestyle. It will require sacrifices but I can say that the longer you follow it, the easier it becomes. You also develop pride when you honor the commitment you made to yourself. You deny yourself a craving and you know what, spoiler alert; you don’t die. I feel proud when I can say no. It’s not that I won’t ever have a chocolate cupcake again; it’s just that I am saying no for now.
Once the weight is where we want it, we get to maintain. We add some flexibility in but we must honor the new lifestyle long term otherwise we’ll be in the same situation a few years later (guilty).
So it is hard. Don’t let the world tell you that it’s easy. It’s hard AF to change years and decades of habits but we do it because we are capable of doing hard things. We follow through because we want to have more energy, to have libido and feel good at the pool. We do it because we want to be healthy and mobile in our later decades.
You can do it.
It is hard.
It will get easier.
Set your goal, commit to it and execute.
You are rebuilding one day at a time.
Xoxo,
Aurora