We have been conditioned to want results in short periods of time, 20, 30 and 60 days. With the rise of social media, more money is being spent on marketing which also includes money spent on photoshop. Images coming out are of muscular men and lean lassies. Not to bash the models but more often than not their image is going to be unachievable for the general population due to things like being able to dedicate their life 24/7 to their image and photoshop. Now, of course you’re able to drop fat but it’s harder than simply wishing for it. Below are 5 reasons you’re not reaching your goal and some ways to combat it.
You’re Eating too much.
This one is the most common issue but one that people don’t often admit to, and that’s absolutely fine if you don’t want to admit it to me, it’s not my body but don’t lie to yourself. We’ve discussed a few times on this blog about what a calorie deficit is and what a calorie surplus is. To lose weight you need to be in a calorie deficit for a consistent period of time. Many people get caught out at weekends on this one. They may stay in their deficit Monday-Friday and over consume Saturday and Sunday, remember, alcohol has calories. The over consumption at the weekend brings them out of the deficit and either puts them at their maintenance calories or in to a surplus.
I think we see a lot of people who drastically under-eat for a few days but end up so hungry and low on energy they binge and then keep repeating that cycle over and over again.
If you’re keen on dropping fat for an event or just for some extra confidence when it comes to getting naked you should count your calories. I don’t recommend doing this year-round but for a couple of months it’s the best way for staying accountable and dropping fat. You can use an app like MyFitnessPal or just do old school pen and paper. To find out how much calories you need to be consuming you can check out my last blog here, or just google ‘calorie calculator’.
You’re Not Eating the Right Stuff
I’m not talking about superfoods and magic teas. I’m talking about macronutrients. The typical Irish diet is very low in protein, over the decade’s companies have done some very clever marketing and now when we say breakfast most people think about cereal and toast instead of a protein packed meal. The only time protein enters the equation in an Irish breakfast is the full Irish breakfast. This is where many people fall down on hitting overall protein requirements.
When it comes to dropping fat your protein intake is going to be very important. In a calorie deficit the body is just trying to drop weight from whatever source it can. Through correct protein consumption and training to compliment (more on that in a minute) we can maintain our muscle mass.
Remember from last week, there aren’t any superfoods. There are, however, more nutritious foods and less nutritious foods. Our priority should always remain fresh fruit and vegetables for a number of reasons including the vitamin and minerals they supply and the fiber in those foods. After that, we should be concerned with the protein portion of the meal and finally the carbohydrate contribution.
You’re Not Being Patient
Change doesn’t happen overnight or even week to week. It can take months of consistency to see change and depending on your situation, you may need to trust the process for a couple of years to completely overall your weight. If you’re starting off and expect drastic results in 30 days you’re setting yourself up for failure.
But let’s say you’ve been put on a calorie deficit of a couple hundred calories, nothing wrong with that, and you’re training away but it’s been two weeks and you still don’t have a 6 pack… you throw the toys out of the pram and get a pizza. It happens so often. But I can’t stress enough that two weeks isn’t enough time to see change. Try stay consistent for two months and see. It’s not easy to make change like this, if it was, everyone would be lean and ripped.
I’ve seen people stick to the process for 2 years and they’re only getting to where they want to be now, not because I’m a bad coach or my training sucks but because we understood that they had long road ahead and we wanted to do it the right way without any health side-effects. Small changes over a long period of time add up. So when you don’t see change in 30 days ask yourself what will you be like in another 30… will you stick to the process and see change or pack it in now and try start all over again in 30 days?
Your Training Isn’t Complimenting You
While being in a calorie deficit is the number 1 priority to dropping fat, your training will have a massive impact on the final product. We’ve discussed the idea before that when people want to ‘get in shape’ or ‘drop some kilos’ they automatically revert to pounding the roads. While running is a great form of exercise it doesn’t stimulate muscle growth or strength development. The toned, athletic and lean look that many people want needs muscle.
There’s no need to train every day. Ideally, you’ll be able get 3-4 high intensity sessions a week. This doesn’t mean high intensity interval training, by high intensity I mean stressing the body correctly. For muscle development that means resistance training and high intensity means relative high loads and volume.
You’re Not Sleeping Enough
Finally, recovery plays a big part to any goal. When it comes to fat loss, sleep is crucial. While the physical act of sleep itself doesn’t necessarily contribute to fat loss it aids in many other ways.
Firstly, if you’re sleeping for 8 hours a day vs 4-5 hours a day there’s less time to eat, simple. Secondly, getting adequate sleep can help the body suppress hunger. Remember, calories are your body’s energy source, not little demons that make you fat. If you’re not getting adequate sleep and rest you’re going to need more energy to get through your day and fight the tiredness. Your body will crave excess calories and probably crave poor nutrition too.
Lastly, getting enough sleep will help your body recover from training and get ready for the next session, making sure you can keep the intensity levels up.
They are my 5 top reasons as to why you’re not reaching your fat loss goals. They are based off what I’ve seen over the last 4 years working with members of general population. The people who have achieved the best results have been smart and strict with their calories, have had plenty of patience and trained extremely hard. Get into a calorie deficit and train hard, stick with it for 3-6 months and reap the rewards. It’s not down to your hormones, it’s not down to fat burning foods and it’s definitely nothing to do with how much or little cardio you do.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day,
Rory.