Finding your own weigh

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/03/2022 (1308 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Most people have really unrealistic expectations of how fast things should happen for them.

That’s no more relevant than in weight loss. Heck, I’ve been there. After I had my big “weight” wake-up call in my early 20s, tipping the scales at 260 pounds, I wanted to lose every pound as fast as possible. That didn’t happen. That first year ended up being a rude awakening for me.

Why? Because things didn’t happen as fast as I thought they would. I had expectations of being ripped in three months. Instead, I lost 10 only to gain back 10, rinse and repeat, jumping from one quick fix to the next.

So when I only lost 10 or so pounds in that first year, I considered that a failure. But I was 10 pounds further along than I would’ve been if I did nothing. In fact, I was adding at least 10 pounds a year prior, so it was a 20-pound swing. But I didn’t see it that way.

I remember talking with my first fat loss coach about this a few years later. And one of the things Ken helped me see was that I had unrealistic expectations about how fast I was going to build this body.

“Dude, you’ve been living on chicken fingers and fries, playing video games for six years, it’s not going to take six weeks to undo that.”

He wasn’t wrong. But, here’s the biggest breakthrough lesson I learned along the way. I realized the true prize was all the residual benefits that came along with a commitment to fitness.

By committing to the process of getting healthier, I found it changed my work ethic for the better. I was way more productive each day. My mood and mental health took a complete 180 pivot.

Frankly, before embracing fitness, my weight was holding me back from happiness many years prior. I remember eating my lunch in the bathroom in high school if I didn’t see the one familiar face I considered a “friend” because I was so lacking in confidence.

Changing the way I saw the world (from a more positive place, not so much a victim) ended up being more valuable than the changes I saw in the mirror. Fitness has been the catalyst for a completely different life than I was destined for before.

Nowadays, it goes way beyond me to setting a good example for my two daughters. If you’re a parent, I feel it’s our responsibility to lead a life of good examples.

Show them how to exercise and eat right. Show them what it means to be a good citizen and contribute to society. Show them how to take care of their mental and physical health. Show them how to take control of their lives and live it on their terms.

I know many parents feel guilty putting time into their own personal health. But, I’ll tell you this. Not once have I ever regretted working out. Never have I regretted fueling my body with good nutrition.

I have a responsibility to be healthy, and I’m a way more active participant in their lives when I’m active all around.

We’re not much good to them if we’re laid out on the couch with a beer every night.

For all parents out there, I know it’s tough but it’s always worth it to be the best possible version of yourself, inside and out.

Is the goal of losing one pound a week realistic?

The answer is: It depends.

Here’s a list of things it depends on:

How much you weigh right now?

If you’re 250 pounds, one pound a week is definitely in the range and on the low end in the early going. If you’re 120 pounds, it may not even be desirable.

If you’re 150 pounds and just reintroduced strength training and sufficient protein intake, the scale may even go up but the body will change for the better.

So, it depends.

How active are you?

If you’re a construction worker putting in long hours, losing one pound a week may be easy.

Your activity scores will trump the office worker who sits all day and goes to the gym a few times a week.

If you sit at a desk all day and don’t have time to move much outside of that, it may be downright unlikely unless you build movement into your schedule and pay close attention to the foods you eat.

How willing are you to sacrifice and stick to your nutrition?

Are you willing to stick to the plan nearly without fail no matter how uncomfortable? Ninety per cent of the time at least?

Losing one pound per week is very likely. Basically guaranteed.

No? You may find you’ll get half that at best over the course of several months. That’s still going to be a heck of a change, especially if you give yourself a longer runway and compound it over a year, not just a few months.

And there’s other factors that come into play: your food environment, your relationship with food, your dieting history, how many loyalty points you have on SkipTheDishes, what your life is actually like right now and so on.

Sounds all too real right?

Here’s what I think:

It’s better to focus your attention on the variables you control, which isn’t the scale. Rather, it’s the process. As in how well you eat, how much you exercise, how well you sleep and manage stress.

So let’s plant our flag there and then every week adjust the things that need adjusting to see progress. It won’t be two pounds a week, every week, but it will be what your body is “obliged” — not forced — to give.

After all, anyone who starts a diet is looking to lose body fat, not weight. And some diets can help you with the latter, making you think you’re making more progress than you are. But water weight and muscle aren’t things you can flush down the drain with the weight.

But if you want long-term success, you have to stop forcing it and find a sustainable way. I’d argue it’s best for most people to avoid expectations like “one pound per week” even if realistic.

You need to fit a plan into your life and run your own race. But if you keep going, keep improving, and move forward despite inevitable setbacks, you’ll get where you want to go on your own timeline, and that’s all that matters at the end of the day.

Mitch Calvert is a Winnipeg-based fitness coach who has helped more than 1,400 people transform their bodies and lives over the past decade. Visit mitchcalvert.com to grab a free copy of his metabolism jumpstart or contact him directly at mitch@mitchcalvert.com for coaching opportunities or questions.