In a world where you are surrounded by portion sizes big enough to feed a whole family and convenient high calorie foods everywhere, almost all of us will be on a “fat loss” journey at some point or another.
How successful that fat loss is can be measured by the actual fat lost as well as the ability to keep it off.
Being successful in achieving that fat loss depends on several things: a calorie deficit being the biggest factor.
Even the most successful of stories have moments of weakness where things weren’t going like “they should have been” and quitting was sounding better and better by the day.
Knowing these before you even get started will help set your expectations to be more realistic and can help with your mindset around it all, even when things get tough and you’re thinking about quitting.
First: You are going to be hungry. That’s right. It’s an unfortunate truth, but it’s a big one. Fat loss, or even weight loss, means you are eating in a calorie deficit. A calorie deficit = eating less energy (food) than you burn. That’s going to result in some hunger.
In order for sustainable fat loss, and less risk of burnout, you should not be so hungry that you feel like you are “starving”. This can result in a total swing of the pendulum and binging or a loss of control. You’ll want to aim for a little bit of discomfort, but nothing you can’t handle for extended periods of time.
Second: The scale? It’s going to lie to you. This is where I am going to tell you again, fat loss does not equal weight loss.
Weight loss is a loss of mass. You will weigh less after you use the bathroom in the morning. And, you will weigh more after you drink a glass of water. The change in the number on the scale? Is not, and I repeat, is not a reflection of fat gained or lost.
Fat loss is the equivalent of losing fat mass. Not water weight, not muscle mass, fat mass. So just because the scale says you are up half a pound from yesterday does not mean you gained half a pound of straight fat mass.
Third: Your goal weight probably isn’t what you think it is. This one can be tough.
If you have been at your goal weight relatively recently, then yes, maybe it is pretty accurate. If it has been 5+ years… it’s probably not totally accurate. As you lose fat and get closer to your “goal weight” your body will change, which means that “goal weight”? It probably will too.
Especially if you are doing this sustainably, while implementing a good resistance training program. Increasing your lean mass will not only make your body look more like you want it too (think that “toned” look you are going for) but it will also leave you feeling way better too.
An ideal “goal weight” is where all of these things intersect, and since muscle weighs more than fat (but takes up way less space) this number might be a bit higher than you originally thought.
Fourth: There is nothing about a Fat Loss journey that is adrenaline filled or “blow your hair back” sexy. If there is one sure thing about sustainable, long term fat loss, it’s that it is boring.
It’s tracking your macros (and being hungry!), working out regularly (even when you don’t want to), getting your daily steps, drinking water, getting good sleep and managing stress well. And the best part? You do this day in and day out. For a while. Which leads me to the next fact:
Fifth: Reaching your fat loss goal is going to take longer than you think it is. Or at least, it should take longer.
Rapid fat loss, while it sounds appealing, is so much harder to maintain afterwards. You haven’t built those long lasting habits that actually make a difference.
Remember? The boring ones? They are little things that make a big impact for your health, and your long lasting results.
And lastly: Your motivation? It won’t last.
It’s common for people to be “all in” right off the bat. Something in life has triggered you (or maybe several somethings) and you are ready for change. You know you need to put in some work, and you know what you think you want the end result to be.
It won’t last. You’re going to get sick of being hungry. You’re going to want to skip a workout, or have all of the “cheat days”.
Luckily, motivation isn’t what gets you results. Consistency is. And consistency comes from discipline. From doing the things you don’t want to do, when you don’t want to do them. Do not get consistency confused with perfection though. That will completely sideline your progress.
You are going to have some minor setbacks, some moments of weakness. Moments when you gave in and ate the whole bag of popcorn, or didn’t get up when your alarm went off and missed your workout.
These minor setbacks are exactly that, minor. They are not going to totally ruin your progress. But they will give you a chance to get back at it and try again.
Trying again, and again, and again is where the magic happens.
The only way you can possibly fail at this? It’s if you quit.
Hopefully knowing a little bit more of what to expect will help when you feel like quitting. It’s going to happen. It’s going to get hard. You’re going to want to quit.
Don’t. This isn’t glamorous, but it is important. It’s your health on the line. And you are worth investing the time, heartache and consistency into.
I should also mention… There is no finish line for health. It is a journey. A lifelong journey.
So quit putting pressure on yourself like you should have lost “x” amount already and enjoy the journey. You’re making small changes for big results.