Weight loss … why isn’t it working?
When clients come to me, frustrated that they aren’t losing weight I start with the questions:
- How much water are you drinking
- How much sleep are you getting
- How are your stress levels
I then of course ask what are you eating and how much exercise are you doing?
But I find the first 3 questions mentioned above are often dismissed because “when I was 22 I ate what I wanted and played team sport”
Cool, me too. But did you have 2 kids and a mortgage and a full time job? Probably not. Things are different, so our approach needs to be different.
When I start to help people lose weight, I start with increasing their water intake (if it is less than 2 litres a day) and adding in 1-2 classes per week (assuming there is no exercise happening at the moment).
Why the slow approach? We want quick fixes!
What I also find out in the conversation is the weight has been lost before but it has also come back on, usually in the same fashion – fast. So again, let’s change the approach to change the outcome. Sound familiar?
My approach is ‘SLOW IS FAST’
What do I mean by this?
If we make gentle but sustaining changes, the change is more likely to become a habit. Habits last longer.
So after a week or two of drinking more water (feeling way more energised as well!) and doing 2 classes per week (also feeling energized without super tired), we then start to ask “what are you doing for breakfast lunch and dinner?”
Did I also mention that the weight has started to shift – in a downwards direction. Bingo!
I check the food diary, there are some small sustainable changes we can make there too. More protein for breakfast and more veggies at lunch time.
Again repeat for 1-2 weeks.
And so the process continues.
Why do I do the “slow is fast” process? Why can’t I help you lose 5kg in 2 weeks? Well I can, but will you learn anything? Have a taught you how to make healthy choices for yourself? No. I have just told you what to do and then the cycle of loosing and gaining will more likely be repeated. That’s not my idea of success.
I have been helping people lose weight for over 10 years. I have tried and tested a lot of methods. And trust me, Slow is fast works.
My job is to teach you, not tell you.
My job is to help you keep the weight off.
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