motivation – The 10 Minute Body

DRAMATIC weight loss in 1 week!!!

My new PT client Mel just lost 4 lb in her first week with me. That's a dramatic result. But now we've got work to do - and that's to focus on MAINTENANCE. There's no point in losing that much weight in a short space of time if we can't keep it off (I'm sure though, in her case, we can. You'd know why if you met her [I'm talking motivation and determination]).

THE PROBLEM: Although that's a great and motivating start for her, nowhere near all of that lost weight is fat. The majority of the weight loss will have been loss of fluids - and that's not REAL weight loss because it comes back on very easily. Some of the weight lost will most likely have come off her precious muscle tissue as well - and we certainly don't want that because muscle turns your body into a fat burning machine.

You see results like this all the time in weight loss clubs. In fact, this type of rapid weight loss gets rewarded -- and in my opinion that's WRONG. This way most people will initially be happy with the weight they've lost - and then struggle to keep it off. I'd say probably 95% people I've met who've been in these weight loss clubs have put the weight back on after they've stopped going to the weekly meetings. Sad, isn't it.

So... As harsh as it is, I told Mel "That's great, but bot ideal". We have to keep it real. The aim is not to lose so much weight each week, and it certainly doesn't mean failure if one week she'd "only" lost 100g (or even put on a bit of weight!). Fat loss is not linear - weight will fluctuate, and that's perfectly fine. And that is because we're only concerned with LONG TERM WEIGHT LOSS, i.e. FAT LOSS.

I posted this on Twitter last week:

"Do yourself a favour and never ever even consider going on a shake diet. They're so bad for you and they MAKE YOU FAT. Fact."

Bear that in mind and you will already be closer to achieving all of your fat loss goals.

Stay tuned - Mel's before/afters to follow!! (You can subscribe to updates easily on the side -->)

REMINDER: Healthy weight loss rate is around 0,5kg per week, or 1kg per week for those who are overweight.

There is no fast way to permanent weight loss. As hard as it is, take it easy.

TAKE IT EASY.

Love,

Erika

The No. 1 reason for weight loss failure

erika

Ever lost weight quickly? It's OK if you've been

a) really ill or
b) been on a proper binge -> your body is bloated due to excess fluids -> you're losing the excess fluids fast.

Any other occasion (like a fad diet)? This is where it gets scary - because it will never work in the long term.

If you lose a lot of weight initially, you must ensure your lifestyle habits are radically changed directly following the rapid initial weight loss.

See, that's what it is - weight loss - not fat loss. And there's a massive difference.

Rapid weight loss 95% of the time results in you ending up heavier than you ever were before. And this is due to the muscle mass lost in the progress (meaning slower metabolism). Anyone saying you can lose a lot of fat and not muscle tissue in a short space of time is bullshitting you. This is a scientific fact.

There was a woman who came to me at the gym the other day asking about personal training and bragging that she can lose up to a stone in a week, easy (my reaction certainly wasn't WOW). I then asked if she's prepared to change her eating and drinking habits for good with a bit of help, and the answer was negative (all the regular excused; "I can't [you can] because my social life depends on getting drunk twice a week"/"I don't have time to cook [yes you do]"/"I can't cook [yes you can]"/"I don't like cooking or preparing meals [that's just being lazy and a big part of the problem]"/"My husband eats takeaways every night so I must as well [no you don't/how about the healthier options and smaller portions?]"/"I have to eat chocolate and cake every night" [unnecessary emotional eating] and other invalid reasons).

It was desperately obvious she wasn't ready for a real change - and consequently because of that I wasn't interested in training her as a private client. It's also obvious she'll continue yo-yo dieting = getting bigger every year. I truly hope she doesn't keep going like that forever, because it is frustrating seeing people voluntarily (yes, voluntarily) suffer with their weight.

There's one important message everyone seeking a positive long term change in their body composition must internalise:

Personal training doesn't give you motivation. You must have it first. Don't even think about radically changing your body composition for good if

1) you can't see beyond tomorrow (unless you're seriously ill or significantly change your everyday activity levels) or

2) are not ready to change.

Personal training can "only" give you the tools to change your life. For good. But you must want it first.

P.s. I do personal training differently from many others - I sell results, not exercise sessions. Not all PTs will provide you with anything but exercise - and that's fine - but not my cup of tea :-)

/Erika Helsinki

Weight loss: The saggy skin concern

erika

"I'm a big woman and I've got 30+ kg to lose. I'm determined and now taking part in the Blogfit Project. My only concern is that my skin will become saggy. I have a friend lost around 30 kgs and now she says she used to be happier when she didn't have all that loose skin, caused by the weight loss."

Great question.

1. Your friend will have lost that weight too quickly. That's bad, unless she's preparing for a tummy tuck. Aim for a maximum of 1 kg loss each week.

2. Bad news: Losing that much weight can indeed result in saggy skin, even if the weight is lost gradually and in a healthy way. Especially with age your skin will become less elastic and such incredible weight loss will probably never leave your body without evidence of it having happened.

3. Exercise. This can dramatically lessen your concerns. Increase in muscle tone will result in a more shapely you and helps you lose weight in a healthy way. Besides, it'll automatically make your body burn more calories than before.

4. Question: Would you rather be normal weight and live 20 years longer or stay at your current weight and die young? Even losing a bit of excess weight can significantly contribute towards your better health.

You've got kids, and I'm sure they'd love to have you around for longer. Just saying.