Fitness pros have known this secret for a long time, but are reluctant to share it. Are you looking to get toned and lose a dress size or two? Are you trying to lose weight? Tried it before only to start from the beginning all over again? Then read on and find out how to get in the best shape of your life and keep it forever.
At least once a week I have a conversation with one of my clients (let’s call her Jane) during our first consultation that goes something like this:
Me: “Jane, after our fitness test and taking all the measurements, let’s talk a little bit about your goal. I want to know exactly what you would like to achieve from working with us.”
Jane: “Aside from wanting to lose weight, get toned and look amazing in my skinny jeans I bought 3 years ago, my MAIN goal is to maintain my shape throughout the year. Is it at all possible?”
Me: “Of course it’s possible! What’s the point of putting all this effort in and then let it go to waste?”
Jane: “Well, I have to say that I have tried to lose weight before, and I did work really hard for it. I’d dropped X pounds once and it was amazing! Never felt better. BUT. Life happened, and I either would quit the program or just go back to my old ways right after it and gain all the weight back…”
Me: “Here is a question: when you were on the program, were you tracking your results every week?”
Jane: “No, I just was following the program..”
Me: “OK, what about a maintenance plan after the program was over?”
Jane: “What’s a maintenance plan/there was no maintenance plan/whatthehellareyoutalkingabout???”
I have been a weight loss coach for over 8 years. If you ask me one thing that I keep seeing over and over again is yo-yo dieting, our dietitian even wrote an entire blog about that. Ask a million of other weight loss coaches around the globe and they will tell you the same.
This is because to get toned, you actually need a plan that has two main components:
- Weekly progress evaluation
- Maintenance plan after the program is over
Could it be that that most cookie-cutter programs (those that aren’t designed to fit you specifically) out there are secretly making a profit from people who are unable to succeed?
I don’t know.
What I do know is that I have reviewed countless weight loss plans over the years, and I haven’t once found both of these components present in one program.
NOT ONCE!
But the truth is that if you are looking to get toned, lose weight and actually keep the results for good (perhaps the most important part of your weight loss program?), you absolutely cannot accomplish it without these two vital parts.
All of our clients’ body transformations, including the client below, hinge on that.
Want to get toned? Get your scale and measuring tape…
Weekly progress evaluation is an integral part of your program.
Why?
Because how else would you know if what you are doing actually works? Only cookie-cutter programs come pre-planned for 3 months in advance. If you are truly trying to lose weight and keep it away for good, you need to approach this matter from a scientific point of view.
And what do scientists best at?
That’s right – tracking results!
Here is how I would work with my client Jane:
Week 1: Jane received her workout and diet programs and is super excited to start.
Week 2: Jane works extremely hard for a week, sticks to the diet plan and keeps up her motivation. She has lost 1, 2, or 5lbs this week and a few inches here and there. AWESOME! Let’s keep the same plan, Jane – it works!
Week 3: Jane stuck to the diet plan, worked hard at the gym, but the measurements stayed the same. Ok Jane, time to switch up your plan and make your workouts a bit more challenging/change up your diet. (Jane is not impressed).
Week 4: Jane comes in again and we are seeing some changes! Woo-hoo, the change worked and we are back in the game!
The truth is that when working with a human body, it is almost impossible to figure out how they would respond to training just by looking at them. The only way to do that is to start with a program and keep adjusting it based on your progress.
Heck, it’s hard even to figure out what works for your own body without following a program for a few weeks!
Some weight loss programs start you off with insane 90 minute workouts 7 days a week and on top of that cut your calories to a daily requirement of a cat. Yes, of course you will get toned from that, but how long can you keep on doing it for?
Rebound effect is very common in those instances, where you gain more weight than you have lost.
It’s so frustrating!
Your body responds a lot better when you reduce calories (if at all) and ramp up your intensity at the gym (always) GRADUALLY. You won’t confuse your body or make it think that you are in starvation mode – you will only figure out how much activity you should be getting, how many calories you should consume daily and what kind of foods you should be eating (or not eating) to get to lose weight.
Want to get toned AND stay that way? Then plan ahead…
My friend who used to be REALLY into video games once decided to go to law school. He studied hard, read tons of cases, wrote countless exams and quizzes and pulled all-nighters studying, instead of slaying dragons on his PlayStation.
Guess what he did after he graduated? Did he go back to playing video games all day or did he became a lawyer (thus executing his plan he worked so hard for)?
My point is, you absolutely have to have a plan on how you are going to maintain the results you have worked for. Your program should include the exact amount of exercise and what kind of meals you will be having during the maintenance phase.
How do you know the exact amount? You have already established that during your program by measuring your food and exercise for weeks!
All you need to do now is to workout less and be more liberal with the food you eat.
Yes, you read it right – maintaining your results is much, much easier than getting them in the first place.
You might even be able to get away with just the half of the activity in the ‘get toned’ phase, during the ‘stay toned’ phase.
You would still need to follow some structure with your diet, but you can be more liberal here too. And best of all, you can schedule cheat meals – where you can eat ANYTHING you want.
It goes without saying that you have to be extremely thorough during the ‘get toned’ phase and follow your program to the T. If you aren’t too serious about it and follow the program when you feel like it (and most of the time you don’t feel like it), you are risking to get stuck chasing your goals indefinitely.
So to summarize, planning ahead and spending 5 extra minutes once a week to track your progress are vital parts of a successful fitness program. It really is that simple and this is the reason why my clients get such amazing results.
But I also know that a lot of times it is easier said than done. Many people are simply too busy to plan and track. They need structure, someone to help them organize all this information, come up with workouts for the week, write up a meal plan, look at your progress and decide which parts of your program need to be changed.
Above all, we all need some encouragement and guidance.
I have worked with literally thousands of women in helping them to lose weight and get in the best shape of their lives, I have developed a system that allows me to work with clients online and provide individualized approach to each one of their goals. It allows me to reach women all over the world and help them achieve transformations just like these:
I hope that my advice above will help you get the best results from your current program. But if you feel stuck and need some help with your fitness journey – try Body Beautiful’s online personal training program, I know I can get you to your goal!
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