Why Is It So Hard To Lose Weight?

 It’s what the diet industry wants you to believe  and it’s also what some of the supplement industry wants you to believe.

Thing is, losing weight and keeping it off really is pretty straight forward.

Eat less calories than your body burns in a day and over the course of weeks, months and years you’ll see change.

Trouble is.

We want it all now.

We want to drop 10lb in 2 weeks.

We want a six pack in six days.

And we want it all with the least amount of effort possible. (Or at least some do).

The problem is, you don’t all of a sudden wake up 10lb, 20lb, 30lb overweight.

It happens all the time.

So if you want to lose weight and keep it off long term you have to accept that you’re in this for the long game.

In fact, you should be in this to live a fitter, healthier lifestyle for well, life.

Does that mean you can’t eat cake, drink beer or go to your favourite fast food restaurant?

Of course not. (We’ll get into that in a moment).

The way I see things, from all my years coaching hundreds of clients, a lot of people just focus on losing weight for a certain date.

 A holiday

A wedding.

A photo shoot.

They make weight loss about a destination, that they leave themselves too little time to prepare for.

And so the journey is painful, they hate it and they’re ready to throw in the towel and get back to their old ways ASAP.

Then they end up back to where they were before they started the diet.

However...

They maybe end up fatter

And more miserable ️

Because they tie their self worth to the fact that they can’t “stick to a diet and they hate exercise”

And of course you’re not going to be able to stick to anything if you hate it.

And this is why, in my opinion, they can’t lose weight and keep it off long term.

#1: Too Deep A Deficit.

The number one reason I feel people can’t keep the weight of is that they’re too aggressive with their calorie deficit.

For sure you need to burn more calories than you consume, but (and I know people who have done this), cutting 1000 calories out of their diet, or trying to get by on 1000 calories per day is going to leave you feeling hungry, tired and prone to binge eating.

And more negative self talk when the inevitable binge happens.

So, instead of being so restrictive and starving yourself, shave off less calories from your nutrition. Just dropping 250-300 calories per day is all it takes.

See how that goes for a week or so, then adjust from their.

#2: Not Factoring In Their Favourite Foods.

When a lot of people go on a diet they cut out all their favourite foods.

Pizza -  no, I can’t eat that. I’m on a diet.

Wine - no, I can’t drink that. I’m on a diet.

Cake - no. I can’t eat that. I’m on a diet.

They make it about deprivation.

I’m dieting. Therefore I can’t.

But sooner or later you’re going to think fug it, and eat the cake. But you won’t be able to stop at one slice. You’ll eat the whole frigging lot.

I know. I’ve been there.

So instead of making your diet about deprivation and “I can’t”, look for ways to incorporate some of your favourite foods into your nutrition plan.

For sure, the majority of your meals should be nutrient dense foods that leave you feeling full.

But there’s no reason why you can’t have a cake.

#3: They Go Too Hard Too Soon.

Go hard or go home.

No pain, no gain.

Skinny or dead

Wait, I used to say that all of the time at my studio as joke. Oh and the other one

Zip your man suit up

Gung ho attitudes like this leave newbie exercisers suffering from so much muscle soreness and potential for injury that they dread going to the gym or exercise class.

For sure, you’ll get a little muscle soreness from exercise but you shouldn’t feel like you’ve been trampled over by a herd of elephants.

So, if you haven’t exercised in a while, break yourself in slowly and for God sake do some stretching

And the end of the day, losing weight and keeping it off isn’t difficult if you change your mindset.

Accept that everything you put in your mouth if part of your diet.

Accept that the foods you eat either move you closer to your goals, or not.

Don’t diet too hard. A shallow deficit wins every time.

Find a way to fit your favourite foods into your calorie budget. That way you can still have a little bit of what you fancy without making dieting a misery.

Accept that it’s going to take time, longer than you probably think.

Don’t go gung ho on your exercise program. You ONLY need to train a LITTLE harder than last time.

Accept that you’ll fuck up. And when you do, don’t be so hard on yourself.

Because you’re only human.

You Got This.

MK

PS. Fire your comments in the comments section below.