Why is it that so many of us have difficulty losing weight? I mean unless a person has an issue with their thyroid or is taking a type of medication that slows down their metabolism and causes excessive weight gain, then the reality is that losing weight really shouldn’t be that difficult. Most of us already know that to lose weight, we need to burn more calories then we consume each day. Therefore it seems pretty obvious and logical as to what is needed to be done to make that number on the scale go down a few spots. A few additional workouts each week and few hundred fewer calories consumed each day, should usually do the trick. And it usually does! Except for when it doesn’t……….

Number Don’t Lie, But They Don’t Tell The Entire Truth

Yes, it’s true, number don’t lie. If your bank account is overdrawn and your credit cards are maxed out, then you’re considered to be broke. If your body fat percentage reads 25%+ for men and 32%+ for women, then you’re considered to be obese. And if your blood pressure reads 180/120 or over, then your considered to be at risk for hypertension and therefore should consult your doctor immediately.

In all 3 of the above cases the numbers listed are linked to facts. However numbers don’t necessarily tell the entire story in all cases, especially when it comes to transforming one’s physique. As I always tell all of our clients: “Losing weight is easy”. Now most people hate to hear me say that, because most people find losing weight to be difficult. And yes, losing weight can be difficult if you don’t have the discipline to stay on track with your diet and consistent with your training. But quite honestly, if your goal is to lose a few pounds in a short period of time, all you really need to do is put yourself in a slight caloric deficit for a few weeks and hit the treadmill once a day, and you’ll reach your target weight loss goal in no time.

But for those of us that do follow a fairly clean diet and rarely if ever skip a scheduled training session, losing weight itself is not the challenging part. Where it does become challenging though is when your goal is to lose strictly body fat while maintaining and even building muscle along the way. Because I can tell you from experience that if all you care about is the number on the scale going down and are willing to follow an extreme diet while overtraining yourself for weeks on end, then yes you will lose some fat. But you’re also going to lose some muscle….and lot’s of it!

Focus on the Fat, Not The Number

Okay, so if you’re willing to look past the number on the scale and are open to the idea of building and maintaining a quality looking physique, then where should you begin?

Well for one, don’t throw out the scale. I know that many trainers out there will tell their clients to not pay attention to the scale due to the psychological effects that this can have on a person’s mental state however I feel that this is a mistake though. In fact, I believe it’s important to weigh yourself at least once a week so that you know what’s going on with your body. For example, I suggest that every single one of my clients that works with me online weigh themselves every Friday morning in a fasted state and send me that number along with their weekly check-in each week. I find that this is a good strategy to use as it holds the person accountable for their weight and allows us to see how their body is changing and responding number-wise from week to week while following the nutritional plan and/or training program that I have designed for them. Although the changes that I make to a client’s plan, are not based on the number on the scale alone, it does play a factor in the revisions that I do send them for the following week to follow. Therefore, even though I agree that it’s not healthy to obsess over the scale, I would argue and say that’s it’s ignorant to ignore it all together.

The second thing I tell our clients to do when looking to lose fat and build muscle is to EAT and EAT LOTS! I’m a firm believer in working smarter and not harder. Therefore when it comes to losing fat, I don’t fall victim to the common mindset that you need to starve yourself and suffer on daily basis to accomplish this goal. If anything, I generally will recommend that our clients eat more food, but not just any food – clean food. Now each person might have their own definition of what exactly clean food is, however mine is pretty straightforward. Essentially if a food’s listed ingredients contain flour, sugar, trans fats, saturated fats, simple carbs or is overly processed, then I don’t consider it to be a clean food. Put it this way, if 95% of your diet consists of oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa, yams, sweet potatoes, skinless chicken breasts, most white fishes, salmon, trout, omega-3 eggs, natural peanut butter or almond butter and other whole food sources that contain complex carbohydrates, healthy fats and quality protein, then chances are you don’t have much of a weight issue, if any.

Finally, stop comparing yourself to others. I understand that it can be difficult not to size ourselves up next to others, especially with the growing popularity of social media, however when it comes to losing fat and building muscle, I believe that it’s crucial for overall happiness and ongoing progress, to not compare ourselves to our peers, Instagram fitness stars, elite athletes and even other gym members at the local gym. As someone who has competed in dozens of bodybuilding shows for the past decade, and is judged purely on my aesthetics, I can honestly tell you that not once have I ever sat back after a show and examined my comparison photos with the other bodybuilders on stage. And my reason for this is because it doesn’t really matter. As cliche as it may sound, I’ve always believed that I’m my own biggest competition. And therefore each time I set foot on stage, my number one goal is to better then I was at my last show. Therefore I don’t bother comparing myself to others as I’m too focused on comparing the previous version of myself to the present version of myself. And if you think that won’t hold you accountable then I suggest that you try taking a photo of yourself now and compare it to a photo of yourself when you first started exercising regularly and paying close attention to your diet. Nothing will motivate you more to keep moving forward, then when you see how far you’ve truly come from then to now, I guarantee it.

Remember this whole fit and healthy lifestyle thing is a process. It’s not something that can happen overnight. It takes time to develop good habits and sometimes even more time to break bad ones. Don’t get frustrated when you slip up and don’t get discouraged when you see someone who is achieving results quicker then you might be. As long as you stay on course and don’t fall to too far off track with your training and your diet, then you will succeed. Be patient, stay committed and always remain hungry to succeed.

Yours in Good Health,

Nick Cosgrove
Forever Fit Performance