On the left-hand side of my blog, if you scroll down a little, you will see a little sidebar that gives you Feature Posts of the Week.
I have new people coming here every day and they might have missed out on some of my past glory and postings.
Today, I want you to take some time to visit one of them and see what you might have missed or just might enjoy again 
*New Article up at Figure Athlete.com*
I was in the grocery store the other day, and in the checkout line in front of me I noticed a guy reading an issue of Men’s Health while chewing on a Double-Stuffed Oreo he took from the box but hadn’t yet paid for.
I found the irony of the visual quite excellent.
I have a habit of browsing other shopping carts out of curiosity, and the Cookie Monster in front of me had all the goods. Chips, cookies, doughnuts… it was a trainer’s worst nightmare! Now, I’m not exactly judging his food choices. What I was struck by was the recurring thought in my head, “Well, at least he is eating.”
He can try to change his ways. But we all know his true instincts.
I actually confused myself! So I took a second and wondered why, when I looked at his bountiful cart of trans-fat and sugar, I didn’t think, “Holy crow, this guy is a heart attack waiting to happen. I hope he’s got a will prepared.”
Could it be because I spend so much of my day trying to convince people to eat? Could it be that I’m hoping for a client who, before they come to me, has actually been stuffing herself with three big meals, daytime snacks, and a nightly dessert?
In a time where obesity is the (not-so) secret killer around the world, why do I find myself eager for a gut-busting, jean-popping client to train?
Stop Dieting. Start Living.
When people come to a trainer to lose fat, it’s usually as a last resort. We usually get a client who has already hit rock bottom with frustration, despair, and an almost-complete loss of hope to lose their fat.
By the time they get to me, they’ve tested Weight Watchers, bought Turbo Jam, tried Atkins (twice… once to learn it, and then once “for real”) and they usually have enough Ab Lounges, mini-steppers, and Gazelle walkers to start their own small gym.
Yeah, baby? How about noooo, baby!
By the time most people finally hire a trainer they’re cynical, untrusting, and about to scream at the world. And why shouldn’t they be mad? They’re hungry, they’re tired, and they’ve been repeatedly lied to by TV commercials and magazine ads.
Why is it then, when I tell my clients, “Guess what? You get to eat more and workout less!” They get mad and argue with me?
I get so perplexed! I sit there completely dumbfounded that they don’t turn to me and say, “Thank you, Leigh, you’re a lifesaver. I’m so hungry and tired, I just don’t think I could have lasted any longer.” Nope, this isn’t the response I get. Instead, I usually hear one of three things:
Excuse #1:
“Well, I’ve already lost weight doing things my way and it seems to work for me, so I don’t think I need to eat more.”
My immediate response is, “Okay then, no problem. Thank you for your time.” They look very confused, until I follow up with “If it’s working, and you’re happy with it, then you don’t need my help.”
Of course, that’s a bit of reverse psychology, but when they hear me say it, they realize that it either isn’t actually working or it won’t continue working for long. They can’t starve themselves or they’ll be stuck at their current weight.
They know, deep down, that something isn’t right about what they’re doing. It’s why they came to me in the first place; they just needed me to point it out.
Excuse #2:
“Honestly, I just couldn’t eat any more than I do. I’m not even losing weight right now.”
The act of dieting triggers a lot of different hormones in the body. Some of these hormones, when they become slowed or when triggered, can blunt appetite stimulation. For some, this is a good thing, and it’s what you want because it makes the dieting easier.
The problem comes when you’ve suppressed hormone function to the point of slowing its overall process, which leads to slower fat loss. Next thing you know, 1,200 calories a day is all you need, and anything more than that will now be seen by the body as a surplus. It’s your body’s natural defense mechanism to a lower caloric input.
Your body’s other defense mechanism… a quick left hook.
You will see some weight loss on such low calories, but it isn’t healthy, and at some point, a change will have to happen. That change can either be you totally giving up and going back to “normal” (non-training, non-dieting) habits, or you can approach your nutrition in a smart and healthy manner. It’s up to you.
Excuse #3:
“I know I should be eating more, but I’ve also heard that when you increase your calories, you just regain the weight quickly. I can’t stand to put any weight back on.”
I get it, really, I do. It’s hard enough going through all this, and then to be told that the only way you’re going to continue losing fat carries a chance of gaining some weight back. However, you don’t have to gain fat while upping your calories.
There really isn’t any kind of argument you can give me for starving yourself and overtraining that I won’t shoot down. The science and experience speaks for itself here. This goes beyond opinion.
It isn’t just fat loss ability or metabolism we are talking about here. It’s nutrient needs, immune system requirements, and bacteria growth, just to name a few. A lot of things come into play with extreme cuts in calories.
Why, then, are people still arguing with me about not wanting to eat?
The Smart Decision… E-A-T
Picture this… in front of you, there are two tables. One table has a big plate of herb-spiced chicken, a side of seasoned brown rice, and a bowl of fresh, mixed green veggies. The other table has a container of store-bought, “healthy,” low-fat (which means high sugar) yogurt, and few carrot sticks.
One’s the smarter choice, the other is what some will choose anyway.
Now, if I tell you that the chicken, rice, and veggie meal will be better for your fat loss and overall health, are you really going to turn to me and say, “No thanks, I’d rather have my cup of sugar-filled yogurt and some carrot sticks?” I know that some of you actually will, and I also know the most common reasons why.
Reason 1: “They” Told You To Do It.
Who are they? “They” are misinformed doctors, old school dietitians, and lousy personal trainers that want results, but care more about getting a paycheck instead of your health and well-being. “They” are your friends who absolutely swear by the results they see from the latest new diet, even though they just finished regaining all the weight they lost from last year’s fad.
It’s a safe bet that ANY diet advice this guy gives, is useless.
“They” are the media, with fast-acting fat loss infomercials, shows about the biggest losing celebrity fat camp, and news channels that keep us informed about which celebs are anorexic and who just got gastric bypass surgery. All of them preach overtraining and undereating to get the most out of their time slots.
Reason 2: You’re the Exception to the Rule.
We like to think that we’re special. That somehow with all of the science and all of the research, we’re just more unique than that and the rules just don’t apply to us. We all like to overlook the problems that put us in the 1% category because, hey, someone has to be that genetically-gifted 1%, right?
Great genes or not, hard work is always rewarded.
I do want you to believe in your gifts. I want you to be encouraged by the things that make you, you. But that still doesn’t mean you defy the laws of science. Sorry, babe.
Reason 3: You’re Afraid.
We all have some fear. We’re afraid we’ll gain the weight right back and we’ll have to start all over. Or we’re afraid to actually lose the weight, and then we’ll have to put our self-esteem issues elsewhere.
Don’t be a wuss. It’s not a monster; it’s just a piece of plastic with some electronics inside.
Maybe it all won’t work, and we’ll lose all the hope that keeps us going. Maybe we’re afraid that we’ll anger those we love by changing ourselves for the better. Or we could be afraid that eating better, and eating more, will just lead to making bad food choices.
We can’t let any of these reasons get in the way of our goals. Every one of us is special – special in our strength, special in our character.
The Final Word: In the end, eating will lead to your goal. Proper nutrition is the key to getting the look you want, and if you are finding yourself stalled over and over again, it may not be that you’re eating too much, it may be that you’re eating too little.
About the Author
For more information on Leigh Peele, check out her latest releases The Fat Loss Troubleshoot and The Metabolic Repair Manual. Leigh Peele specializes in training and research that involves repairing and reaching peak metabolism performance and fat loss advancement. You can find out more information on her and her work at www.AvidityFitness.net or www.FatLossTroubleshoot.com.
Featured Images
Camouflage boxer: Lisa Marie Bickels – www.LisaMarieBickels.com
Red bikini: Sharon Van Der Horst – www.SharonVanDerHorst.com
Sometimes we just can’t see the things we should until they are staring at us directly in the face.
Using a mental mirror or self-reflection is an activity I have my clients do sometimes. It can help them see their mistakes, denial, roadblocks, positives, negatives, etc., that otherwise wouldn’t be visible to them. I don’t do this with just fat loss either. I expand this to anything in life and invite you to use it for work goals, love life, etc. The key is to be as honest as you can in a letter to yourself, to make each letter stick to that topic, and to not hold back, at all, about anything. You need to talk to this letter as if you are confessing the problem, not explaining it.
Since this is a fat loss blog I want your first letter to be about your body composition, your fat loss, your training, etc. This is what your letter should ask and answer…
Now don’t read the rest of this until you have written that letter.
Go away.
Seriously, you’re pissing me off.
Now read your letter to yourself and circle the areas of achievement.
Circle the times you lost weight.
Circle the times you were proud of your training.
Circle your dream you want to work towards.
Now are you doing those things?
Are you using your strengths?
If taking extra walks in the day and counting points worked for you then do it! Just learn this time WHY it worked for you so you don’t veer off track again.
If training body part splits and eating chicken and almonds everyday worked for you then do it! Just learn this time WHY so you aren’t just “getting lucky” with losing the fat.
Most of the time the answer is right there, you’re just mentally blocking yourself from seeing it. If you need a guide to help get past the blockage then what are you waiting for? X marks the spot.
I have but a simple message for you today…
2 days of fun can erase 5 days of work.
1-You can’t overtrain a bad diet.
Go ahead and bust your butt in that gym all you want but if you are still eating an excess of calories then you aren’t going to lose the excess bulge.
2- Sample-day at the stores might get you after all.
Nibbles can ruin your fat loss. Do me a favor and take the next week, just one week, and write down every single thing you put in to your mouth. Not the calories, just the food. Then write down what you “think” all that was calorie-wise. Now I want you to look it up. Yeah I know, sucks.
If you want to have a cookie, have a cookie! Just count the damn thing.
3-”Magic Muscle Growth” only counts if your body is actually changing.
Quick tip: if you really are putting on all that muscle that you are using to explain stalled scale weight, then your body would be changing as well. Muscle does hide scale weight, but it also shows a hot body. If you aren’t getting the hot body then re-check your efforts.
4-You will be hungry, tired, and angry.
I am one of the few trainers (in fact I don’t see this much of anywhere) that admits that this process should be hard. I don’t lie. It’s the lying and the “happy diet” approach that is getting people into so much trouble. This process sucks; I am honest about that. HOWEVER, you can do it and are awesome to even try. Remember love needs to follow tough.
5-You are not alone.
Right now I can easily give you a list of 50,000 thousand people, at the snap of my fingers, their contact info, who have cried this week because they are scared, frustrated, tired, hungry, happy, sad, proud, about to kill a loved one…all because of fat loss.
You are not in this alone. The education will guide you to getting this done faster, but the belief in yourself to do it is even more important. If you are finding you are failing yourself sometimes then do whatever it takes to find more support and take it home!
Why do I use the word ”still” in this post title?
Recently there has been a lot of talk of the importance of counting calories and measuring your intake. Who thinks though that it could possibly be that simple? If it were REALLY that simple, then what am I doing selling not one but two books on the subject?
Here’s the reasons it isn’t so simple:
Reason #1-Your Calories are Right, But Your Burn Isn’t
You may be counting your calories right but your idea of what your burn is can be so off that you are just spinning your wheels. Did you know that your burn can range from 60 calories an hour to 500 calories an hour depending on factors beyond just that of weight and gender? In my book, the Fat Loss Troubleshoot, I help explain how to really gauge your activity, and not only that but how to make the best of it.
Reason #2-You Have Been Doing This Too Long.
You CAN diet too much. You CAN train too hard. No, you CAN’T defy the laws of energy, but, that doesn’t mean you can’t screw up your laws of energy. If you find yourself in the position of trying to lose 10 pounds for 3 years, then it might be time to look into some real metabolism boosting. In the Metabolic Repair Manual you can see step-by-step how a metabolism works, how a slow-down really happens, and what to do to reverse it if need.
Reason #3-All Glory, No Guts.
It’s 100% acceptable that you don’t want to do this. It’s reasonable that you do not want to physically burn layers of your body off from the inside. I mean, when you think about the concept it’s pretty wicked! Who wants to do that?! However, when it’s all said and done you either do this or you don’t. You either want it or you don’t. Don’t fear jumping in, just don’t dive in head first into shallow water and crack your head.
We aren’t owed glory. Luck happens, glory is earned.
Common Sense Meets Advanced Knowledge
