One of my biggest gripes with the fitness field is that people are always looking for short cuts. This is expected, the so called fitness gurus and the media promise that we can look like an elite athlete, model, body builder, etc… without doing half the amount of work they do.
The ironic thing is, if the general population would put down the magazine, stop searching for quick fixes, and expend that same energy into working out, eating clean, and staying consistent then they would be much closer to their goal. Instead, we fall into the trap same cycle of looking for the new best method to kick start your diet and training that requires half the work but will never work.
Popularity Contest
They then show you these ridiculous before and after physique or performance results that’s more than likely not obtainable for the everyday lay person or simply fake. But hey, if you buy their new online program or supplement then you’re “guaranteed to lose weight, gain strength, build lean muscle, and run faster in 30 days!”
The Truth
There is an optimal level of training and dieting that everyone can achieve. However take a person that is just getting back into shape and expect them train like a pro athlete, just isn’t happening. Despite it being the “optimal” method to obtain the faster results, it’s setting them up for failure. Any personal trainer or performance coach that does this should be immediately fired.
There seems to be an obsession with this sort of sadomasochistic training and dieting. “Deprive yourself of calories, train hard till you can’t walk, and then and ONLY then can you obtain your goal.” But these same people after training hard for however many weeks then go right back to their old ways and put the weight back on.
Here’s the truth, if you do small moderate changes CONSISTENTLY, you will be much closer to your goal for the LONG term. Instead of doing bouts of dieting and hard training, then falling right back down to your old weight.
This waving up and down is a LOT worse for your body, mind, and long term physique then slowly lowering yourself down in a healthy manner. It’s not glamorous, it’s not a quick fix, and it’s not being marketed but it actually works.
Slow Changes
Slow changes do work and it’s proven to be a lot more effective for the long term, especially for those that wave up and down with their training and diet.
Think about this, if you’re used to eating burgers, fries, and a soda on a daily basis. And then I said, “you can’t eat any more fries or burgers, you’re now eating fish and vegetables”. That just isn’t happening, at least for the long term.
However, if I asked you to now switch out the french fries to baked fries and your soda to a diet soda or sparkling flavored water every other day. That maybe more achievable.
Switching the fried french fries to baked fries, can save you 100kcal per 3oz, so let’s say about 200kcal total. And switching out one 12oz can, is about 130kcal. Then the total amount taken per day would be 330 kcal x 4days (every other day) =1320 kcal lost per week.
Since 3600 kcal = 1lb lost, that means at this rate you’ll lose a a little over a pound in 3 weeks from this simple change, not too bad. Since we’re focused on the long term, this simple method will help you lose about 17lbs in one year! To top that, if you’re also consistently training then you’ll be burning a calories there too. Win-Win.
Conclusion
To conclude, the premise is that small changes make a difference. In fact, small changes over time seems to be the easiest method for the general population to achiever their goals. Despite what Joe Schmoe “Celebrity Personal Trainer” says and what XYZ fitness magazine is propagating, this method allows you to have a greater balance with life, gym, and dieting = consistency. In short, moderation done with consistency is completely fine to do! For the average person, it’s okay to have a balanced approach and then some times have spurts where you go off the track or tighten up the diet a good bit.
With that said, if you’re a bit confused on where to start it’s okay to hire a personal trainer or nutritionist. A qualified one will help develop an achievable and balanced game plan for you.
I use this pretty often but I love how honest Chris Pratt and his advice is spot on:
“Also seek the help of somebody as a coach, like a personal trainer or nutritionist, it might cost you a little bit of money but it won’t cost as much as the crap that you’re not going to be eating over the next 6 months.”
-Chris Pratt
