Recently, on my social media pages, I have been vocal about managing your expectations when it comes to weight loss. This comes from meeting many women who are frustrated by their journeys. They FEEL they are not losing weight quickly enough.
Phew! As much as it is tiring me out, I won’t stop educating us all about the uniqueness of each person’s journey. Yesterday, a private client told me she was disappointed that she lost ‘just 2kg’ in her first week. She had expected to lose more. I was surprised. 2kg and ‘just’ should not be side by side when it comes to weight loss.
Oh, I recall another dear Client who had filled out her form and had answered the question ‘Anything else I need to know?’ with ‘I want to lose 30kg in 3 months like you’. If she wasn’t serious, I may have laughed.
My post today draws two lessons from these two stories.
1. PUT IT IN CONTEXT
My Client in story 1 was disappointed about 2kg lost in a week because of her first experience in my weight loss Squad. She had lost about 4kg in her first week after the detox. Then I asked her 2 questions. How much did you have to lose then? She said about 15kg. How much do you have to lose now? About 7kg. Plus, she is a Nursing mom now. I told her that the reason she lost that much was because she had a lot more body fat to lose. That is worth noting because someone who has 5kg to lose, all things being equal, will lose weight slower than someone who has 20kg to lose. Matter of fact, if you weigh over a 100kg, like those in my premium program, I expect the early weeks of your weight loss journey to record high numbers, because of water weight.
Also, worth noting is the fact that this Client of mine had undergone a detox—that is a meal plan of 80% fruits and veggies only. A Nursing mom cannot undergo that. To ensure milk production is not hampered, the Nursing mom is advised to lose weight slowly, even 0.5kg per week. Context changes everything. So, putting your weight loss journey in context will help you manage your expectations and avoid frustration.
2. THE CEMENT ANALOGY
One day, just as I pondered about my own weight loss journey, I got a beautiful revelation using cement. You see, I had lost about 30kg in 4 months and, frankly, at the time it happened, I didn’t even realise how much of a BIG DEAL it was. Well, now I do. I see how replicating that result in the ladies I am privileged to coach seems near impossible. Yes, I worked my butt off, but was that the only reason? Well, enter the CEMENT ANALOGY.
It is easier to break down cement that was set weeks or months ago, as opposed to one set years back. You need a lot more effort with the latter. You may not even see any impact at the beginning, but with consistency in action, it soon breaks too. Fat in the body can be that way. In the space of less than 13months. I moved from 75kg to 106kg. I gained it in my 2nd and 3rd trimester, up until when my baby turned 6months. It was roughly a year, so losing it in 4months of hard work was not just magic, it was also logic.
I gained it fast. I lost it fast.
So, when a Client who has been over 100kg for years wants that kind of results—without drugs or surgery—she is most likely setting herself up for frustration with such unrealistic expectations. You gained it over time. It has lasted a while. You will lose it OVER TIME too. Sometimes, I have considered not telling my own story for fear of making people think they can have the same kind of results, but that would be throwing a baby out with the bath water. So, now, I tell my story, put it in context, and explain the cement analogy, while also emphasising that we are all on different journeys and will not have the same kind of results.
However, consistency, patience, knowledge (or a damn good Coach like CoachE’) and realistic expectations will get you to that much desired Size 10 land. Or size 0. Lol
Love
CoachE’
N.B this post was initially published on www.eziaha.ng on 30/03/2019