Where Do You Start
This is a huge mistake I see most make as a former trainer. The question is where should you start? The answer is that it depends on where you are at. I want my trainees to change their lives for good, not just get a 12 week cure. Everyone gets motivated when they throw 200-500 dollars at a trainer for quick results. For most trainees, they want to start out on a strict diet, and high intensity workout. This lasts for about 2 weeks then reality sets in. The trainee loses interest in the bland diet and is too sore to push hard in the workouts. Plus usually these trainees watch TV and believe that 12lbs a week losses should be a normal thing. This is only true if you are at a ranch working out as your sole job and dieting. Truth is most of us have a 40 hour job. So where do you fall?
Category 1 (very overweight and sedentary)
Most Americans fit this category. This would be a 200+ pound female or a 250+ pound male with little to no muscle mass. This is a person who doesn't work out on a consistent basis. Food habits are awful and has tried many fad diets to lose quick weight. If you fall into this category take my 2 month challenge and see where your at.
Your Plan: (food) Identify your pit falls. Major ones being fast food, caloric beverages (soda, punch, juice, alcohol), sugar/starches (in excess), and high saturated/trans fatty foods (processed foods). Find your biggest offender and limit these to 2 meals a week for one month. This will be hard enough but hold yourself to that standard. For the meals you usually eat these foods, choose decent foods to eat instead. Month 2 you want to identify your second pitfall and do the same thing. For most if its soda and fast food your cutting out thousands of calories just off of these two things.
(exercise) Do something for 1 hour 3 times a week. If you have a gym membership go there. Use the machines, do what you know. Just get there and do something. Walk outside, do exercise tapes, just something 3 times a week.
Category 2 (overweight, active)
This is a group of people who usually have one or two big road blocks they just cant get passed. This is usually females 180-210 depending on height, and males 225-265 depending on height. These people frequent the gym and can usually tell you more about fitness than I can. They study fitness but just cant seem to get it together to look the part. This person tends to neglect the difficult exercises and routinely program jump anytime a new article in shape or muscle and fitness comes out. This person eats good but then eats horrible when things don't go their way.
Your Plan: (food) Write down a weeks worth of food and drink and then take an honest look at it. Look at the calories, carbs, protein, and fat intake. Carbs and Protein should be close to equal and fats only 10-20%. Also be honest about your bad habits. If you drink 2-3 times a week and drink a lot when you do, your not going to lose what you want. If your percentage of fast food is close to your cooked food, you are going to have problems losing weight. If you put 2 good weeks and then fall off the third week, you are going to get frustrated. So your challenge is to find where you having issues by writing it down. Then fix it. It could be simple it could be adjusting your macro-nutrients.
(exercise) Put down the magazine and get to work. Choose one reputable program to go on for 12 weeks time. Examples: starting strength, 5/3/1, circuit training, p90x, insanity...just something you can do for about 12 weeks. Do the programs as the author has written it! Do not play trainer and change the program. Stick to the program and watch your results!
Category 3 (Healthy Weight just have a little more until a perfect body)
This is a group of people who are 15lbs away from their ultimate body goal. This is usually guys who want a 6 pack or girls who want nothing to jiggle anywhere. The problem lies in what it takes to get there. You are already eating good and killing it in the gym, so what gives?
Your Plan (food) do yourself a favor and open your wallet to a reputable diet program. Carb Backloading, Carb cycling, intermittent fasting, etc... These will usually cost 70-150 bucks but they work. Realize that unless you are a machine or blessed with good genetics, you will not keep the perfect body year round. Find a time 12 weeks away from bikini season, beach season, competition or whatever it is and just follow the program as written!
(exercise) The biggest pit falls for this group is intensity. 3-4 days of intense weight and cardio training is in order! Males and Females should lift heavy and do at least 2 days of intense cardio. This once again would be a time to open up the wallet to a trainer. Find someone reputable.
If you follow these tips at your category you will make it to the next level. Try it for 12 weeks and see how it works. Do look at the scale and expect miracles. If you lose 12 permanent pounds in 12 weeks and continue to do so after then you are going to be satisfied. Strict diets only work for a little bit. Lifestyle changes can put you at the next level comfortably and permanently.
if you like what you read feel free to donate it takes about an hour to write these so every little bit will keep me writing these
