The most important part of my job isn’t actually programming workouts. It’s not making sure you show up for your training sessions (although that helps!), researching the newest and coolest fitness gear, or trying to keep the witty banter going so that you can make it through “one more set”.
Common Weight Loss Problems/Roadblocks
Some people have gained weight because they are plain old eating too much. Will they lose weight and bodyfat by eating less? Absolutely, yes.
Some people have gained weight because they are sedentary, so they have lost muscle from inactivity (lowering their metabolisms) and they don’t move around enough (lowering their metabolisms again). Will they lose weight and bodyfat by being more active? Absolutely, yes.
Most of the people in those groups don’t seek out personal trainers, because they can eat less or exercise more, and they see results on their own in a reasonable timeframe (aka before they quit on themselves again).
However, most of the people I have trained do think that one or both of those solutions will fix their problems. But….
…what if the problem is that you’ve plateaued because your form is so poor that you aren’t activating the right muscles when you work out? Or that you’ve never even made it to the plateau, because you have fundamental muscle activation/alignment problems 24/7? (Pretty common issues! Working out with poor form is kind of like taking a test blindfolded – you’ll get some sort of results, but they are probably not going to be what you’re shooting for.)
…what if the problem is that you have a health issue (stress, insomina, GI conditions, poor blood sugar control from any of the above…) that is causing your body to work differently than you might assume it does? (VERY common issues! Eating less arbitrarily when you have a health issue is like setting that blindfolded test on fire, then holding it as it burns. It hurts, and it definitely won’t get you good results, because your hormones aren’t ready to hear a fat loss message from a calorie decrease – they hear scarcity instead.)
…what if the problem is a more complicated relationship with food than plain old Friday night overindulgences? (Common issues! And “diets” alone won’t fix them, but they are definitely reparable relationships.)
These are just a few of the dozens of common “problems” that I have to look for and quietly solve every time I train. Our bodies hold our stories, and I am usually aware of things about my clients’ pasts and deepest troubles that they would never tell me in words…but I fix the leftover issues anyway. (I mean, it can be like water through a rock, but I fix it.)
How do I figure out my problem?
The fact is, eating right and exercising in any old way works very well for pretty much anyone under 21 and anyone else who is in generally good health. Everyone else benefits much more quickly from targeting the problem that they actually have.
So, if you’ve “tried everything” and can’t lose weight/bodyfat, here are some things to consider, all of which can be informed by data you collect with your fitness tracker and/or food tracking tool (like MyFitnessPal):
- Are you working at an appropriate intensity level for your goals and fitness level?
- Are you eating the right macronutrient balance for your goals and personal physiology?
- Are you eating too many refined carbohydrates?
- Are you eating or drinking carbohydrates by themselves (not paired with fat/protein)?
- Are you sedentary? (Even if you work out, you can still be sedentary if those few hours in the gym are the only movement you get in your week!)
- Do you eat sporadically instead of on a regular, relatively frequent schedule?
- Do you eat quickly or in front of a screen?
- Do you include both strength training and cardiovascular exercise in your life? (not NEAT)
- Do you get sufficient, quality sleep?
- Is your stress level typically above a 5 most of the time?
- Have you been consistent about food and exercise for at least 6 weeks? (12 weeks is really a better benchmark, because our bodies need time to understand what we are trying to tell them)
…those, by the way, are good basic self care questions to ask yourself any time, because without answering those questions in a way that supports the life you want to be living, you are probably not going to feel your best! (And you will always feel better before you think you look better, because your brain takes time to catch up with the changes that have already occurred in the mirror.)
In other, other, other words…
…NO, getting a standing desk won’t make your office job count as cardio.
…NO, going keto/IF/vegan won’t help you with your workout form.
…NO, you can’t work out more to “make up for” indulgent meals, because that’s not how hormones work.
…and NO, you won’t make your incredible, successful changes overnight…you’ll make them faster than that, in the single instant during which you decide to believe in yourself, trust the process, and fix the problem that you actually have.
(And if you’re not sure what’s going on, come by for a free consultation and we can chat!)
