This week's #ThursdayQandA comes from a Rockaholic who is about 100 pounds overweight, but wasn't always this heavy, and has some prior exercise experience. Their weight has gradually kept rising due to poor diet and partying over the years. There have been a few honest attempts to lose weight, but eventually it is gained back. Looking for a few pointers about getting this things off the launch pad.
I removed all non-fitness details from the above, to keep things anonymous. Here is my unedited response (aside from the asterisks, what up corporate!):
It sounds cliche, it sounds vague, but the two most important things in any long-term weight loss journey are ALWAYS consistency and patience. I've spent the last 5+ years learning as much as I can about this stuff. There are SO MANY approaches out there. Most of them have upsides, plenty have downsides. I've been trying to learn about them all with one question in mind: "What do they have in common?" That's why I lead with consistency and patience.
The other commonly-recurring theme with the approaches that make sense to me, and help my clients stay sane in the process, is that the basics get it done. Hold up, let me amend: The basics get it done, when done consistently. People f*** the consistency up all the time because it's F***ING HARD! Life man... it comes at you fast. That's normal. That's okay. Be patient and get back with the consistency! Stick with the basics: fruits veggies and protein sources you like (EAT SLOW!), exercises you're comfortable with, and other enjoyable activities that involve moving your body. Re-read that sentence as many times as you need until you realize just how many things meet that criteria for you.
That is a long list, take your time coming up with it. Then just, do that stuff. See what works. Look for ways to improve it. Keep it simple. Be patient as you figure it out. Stay consistent. Years of poor diet and partying aren't going to undo themselves overnight. You've got time because it's gonna take time to get where you want to go. Use that time to really experiment with things and find YOUR best approach. That's why I used the terms "like" "comfortable" and "enjoy" in that sentence you read a bunch of times! Those words are signs that what you're doing is going to last for the long haul.
Think about this stuff as a scale of 1-10: 1 being you're not doing sh** about it, 10 being you're kicking ass. You can dial this up or down based on a bunch of factors (time, mood, preparedness), but this way you're staying in the driver's seat whether the pedal's to the metal or you're just cruisin'. Much better than just taking your hands off the wheel like "F*** IT I HAD A DONUT! I'M OUT!" You know what I mean? People get thrown so far off-track with the all-or-nothing thinking.
So now you've got a list of things YOU picked that will help, and a SCALE on which you will do them- as opposed to an "on/off" switch. This is a great toolbox (it's like a coloring book, some guiding lines for you to fill in however the hell you please) to keep you in control of the process, and make sure the process is basically an enjoyable life where you just gotta keep some focus on the health side of things at first. It definitely gets easier over time, but will always require some conscious effort. As long as the approach doesn't drive you crazy, you'll be happy to put that effort in!
The last thing to keep in mind is the value of "micro-wins" that take less than 5 minutes and you can just pop into your day wherever. Whether that's a quick walk, a few squats, or a banana as a snack. Real simple stuff like that will add up over time, be manageable to fit into your day, and help keep your head in the game.
Down With The Fitness is here to give you simple, actionable tips that will improve your health. If you found this helpful, feel free to check out the archives for more.
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Have fun and do your best,
Certified Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach (American Council on Exercise; Precision Nutrition)
