As a personal trainer, if there is one question I get asked after “How much do you bench press?” It is “How do I lose weight?” Well, to be honest, I always recommend a structured diet and exercise plan, but it often goes deeper than that, especially on the diet end of things. Making it to the training sessions is easy, all it involves is a little scheduling, and perhaps some rescheduling, if you are new to training. The diet aspect of the program is where it seems that clients miss the most. For some, it is the inability to eat 5-6 meals per day, whether it be due to travel, incompatible work schedule, or what have you. For others, it is the sudden influx of all healthy foods, replacing their normal fare of comfort foods, is too much for them. We all know that people have different abilities when it comes to willingness, or ability to stick to their plan. For the ones who have a difficult time with the conversion to clean eating, I try to recommend two things:
- TRY TO ADHERE TO THE 90/10 RULE
The 90/10 rule is actually one that I try to recommend to any client who walks through the door of our facility. On the most basic level, what it amounts to, is that we would like to see a personal training client stay the course 90% of the time. It sounds great to expect clients to have a 100% compliance with the dietary program that has been laid out, but in the real world, some slipping is to be expected. As the saying goes, “Life happens!” Think of it like this. If you are eating 6 meals per day, that is 42 meals per week. If you adhere to the 90/10 rule that means that 38 meals will be spot on. It also means that you have room for 4 meals to be a bit looser than what they normally would be. Judging by the way most people eat on their first trip through our door, 38 good meals per week will do wonders for getting them well on the way to their health and fitness goals. There is one thing to remember here though. Just because you have 4 meals a week that can be a bit more “loose,” it doesn’t mean that it is a free pass to run to the chinese buffet, then head down the road to the ice cream parlor, and finish it off with some beers at home watching the game four nights a week! Try to keep it reasonable. Some icecream at your kids birthday party? Go for it. Beer and wings for Monday Night Football? Try to avoid it if you can.
- BREAK INTO NEW EATING HABITS SLOWLY
As a trainer, it pains me to say this, but sometimes, breaking into the diet slowly is sometimes the path we have to take to make sure that clients are making lifestyle changes that they can stick with, versus just going on a diet, doing it for 12 weeks, and then going right back to their old ways as soon as they finish the program. By breaking in slowly on the diet, it allows you to make small changes to your diet, one at a time. While this may seem like the wrong way to go about it, it allows people to break old dietary habits and relearn new ones. If you have been stopping at the gas station every morning for the last few years and grabbing a big 44 ounce Pepsi, it may take some time before passing the fountain and reaching for the liter of water becomes a habit. I know this because I struggle with it sometimes too. Something you should do in that situation is simply stop, and ask yourself what is more important? Getting that Pepsi, or losing those 10 pounds to look great at your daughters wedding? I bet I know the answer to this one, and I am guessing that it is the same as mine.
If losing weight and getting healthy is something you have wanted to do, but arent sure how to start or what to do, why not give us a call?
