Opportunity is good to have

When you are trying to lose weight, most of the time we are trying to be perfect. To hit the target without a mistake. We want to stick to the diet no matter what. Sometimes people feel like they need to incorporate a nutrition plan, exercise program, hit their step goal, do intermittent fasting and be perfect at all of those things or they will not …..be successful. This is just not true and here is why.

From where your baseline is now, you can still make improvements by doing one or two changes at a time. The math supports this. Weight loss is not all or nothing and each day of eating is not a pass or fail. If your baseline is to eat whatever is in front of you, then you have a potential to make progress with just adding vegetables, watching portions, and more if you get on a planned menu. If you stop losing weight, you can add another opportunity in. This is actually good at that point to have an opportunity.

It is also less stress if you are taking on manageable steps. You can also focus more on making the changes you have made, a habit. Less stress is good for weight loss. Stress can effect hormones, especially long term, and is not good for weight.

Compare this to someone who has hit a plateau and feels that they are doing all they can. Maybe they are eating right, working out, watching steps, sleeping well and can’t imagine what else to change. Do you see? (If that is you, know that there is always an option and new science coming out, so don’t be discouraged. Hold the line.)

Science has shown that it does a disservice to our growth to constantly be improving. (That is what perfectionism is.) For example, in strength training and body building there is something called a deload week. From what I understand a reload is when you are building, increasing weights, and challenging yourself in the gym, there is a point where you actually grow more if you give your body a week of less intense workouts. This means reducing the intensity and volume but still working out. This is an important part of strength training for body builders.

Quitting is what really makes you go backwards.

Another concept learned from a strength training expert, Brett Contreras, is the rule of three’s. Even during a regular weight routine day in and day out, you don’t need to go all out on every exercise, lift the heaviest on each set and get the max number of reps each time. You actually can grow your glute muscles more if you are not maxed out all the time.

There is a concept in calorie counting that supports this as well. When you are eating at your goal calories for a period of time, sometimes it actually helps you to increase your calories for a day. This does something important to your leptin levels and is called a leptin reset. Essentially going back out and then getting back on track can help you move forward.

You also see a similar concept in calorie cycling. Calorie cycling can help people have some options for a higher calorie day, followed by 2 normal or goal calorie days. (or 1:1 or other ratio of days.) This way you have some wiggle room some days and gives you that leptin reset more often.

If you don’t know that a little back sometimes can actually help propel you forward, you will miss a good opportunity. What is also very common, is when people think they have blown it after missing one meal, they quit completely. ‘I had one piece of cake so I decided to eat it all and wait until Monday to restart.’ Quitting ensures you don’t hit your goal.