Back when I used to compete I would go EXTREME.
To lean out for a show I would cut my carbs and fat very low, eat lots of protein, and only have a cheat meal once a week.
I would gag down plain egg whites, oatmeal, and chicken breasts.
I worked out for hours every day.
I was all in.
It worked great…for about 12 weeks, until myshow…then BOOM!
All that weight I lost came right back (plus an extra 5 or 10) within the first 2 months.
Following the show, not only did I resume with my normal eating, but I actually proceeded to BINGE on unhealthy foods.
The day after one of my fitness shows I ate an ENTIRE bag of Oreos.
Being that strict was hard to stick to! I felt so deprived that stuffing my face was my only relief.
And then I would do it all over again. More dieting and extreme workouts to get lean, only to return right back where I was.
I know it sounds crazy but it’s how most of us approach health and fitness.
We think it’s all or nothing. Either you’re in or you’re out.
But this approach often fails miserably. It definitelyfailed me on many occasions!
Taking the extreme approach not only leaves you feeling deprived, hungry, or tired while you’re in go mode…it also leaves you feeling frustrated, depressed, and like a failure when you “fall of the wagon”.
It RARELY if EVER amounts to lasting, long-term change.
Crazy extreme dieting and workouts just don’t work.
And it wasn’t how I wanted to continue living my life.
Yeah I looked great for a few months, but what was the point if I actually spent the rest of the year worse off than when I started?
See, we aren’t meant to change a gazillion things at once. We just aren’t wired that way.
It’s often why New Years resolutions never stick.
We are better at making single, small, realistic, and doable changes we feel confident in making.
And those small changes repeated over and over build habits.
And as that small change becomes a habit its easier to move onto the next little change and the next…
Until one day you wake up and realize your life is dramatically different.
That how you used to eat doesn’t even closely resemble how you ate a year or two ago.
How exercise and movement have simply become part of your daily life and something you look forward to.
All of a sudden you realize you aren’t craving the sweets, the pretzels, or the diet soda like you used to.
It all becomes so much easier AND you look and feel amazing!!
That’s how change really happens. That’s how results happen. That’s how you reach your goals once and for all.
Small, incremental habits that lead to BIG changes over time. That’s the key.
It’s how you make fitness and nutrition stick and get results that LAST.
So what’s one thing you can start changing today?
Leave a Reply