Here’s a fat loss formula you haven't seen before:
Let me elaborate.
When it comes to losing fat, no matter what B.S you hear, you’re only going to achieve it if you’re doing what’s needed to place yourself in a calorie deficit.
If you’re current habits aren’t doing that for you OR you select the wrong habits for your current lifestyle and fitness, you are NOT going to get what you want. Sorry peeps, but that’s the reality.
I’ll share a common scenario I’ve seen in practice…
Introducing Suzie, a (not real) client who came to me looking to drop 10kg, a dress size or two, and get “into the best shape of her life” for a holiday she had booked 12 weeks from now (Go Suz!). Suzie is already what many would consider fit and healthy; she just wants a challenge!
Suzie and I sit down, we’ve investigated things and have established that this goal is achievable and can be done safely. We should have her beach ready just in time for happy hour. The only catch here is that we’re going to need to make a few adjustments to Suzie’s training and nutrition, stepping things up a notch to make this goal a reality.
And that’s when things start to Go Sideways!
You see, when we’re in the moment, Suzie is all pumped up and ready to make the change.
- “4 days strength training? Right now I’m only doing the 2 but sure, I can double my weekly commitment!”
- “Get back to tracking my macros? I mean, I hated it before but hell, right now I’m excited about this holiday so sure!”
- “Cut back on the Cheese? Shit… Lets do it!” (Suzie is also a bit of a social butterfly. She loves a margarita, long walks on the beach, cheese platters, and partakes in them regularly on the weekends).
But when the dust settles, that initial motivation drops off and we’re back in the real world, Suzie’s just unable to commit as she’d have hoped.
- She doesn’t hit 4 days of training. She ‘only’ gets 3. When Suzie skipped her fourth day at the gym, it wasn’t just laziness. It was the crushing weight of expectation versus reality, the fear of failing publicly, and the comfort of old habits that felt like home. What Suzie missed was the realization that every choice is a step towards or away from her goal, and perfection isn’t the goal—progress is.
- She didn’t get her macro tracking sorted either. She tried it for a couple of weeks, got disheartened and just went back to eating the same healthy foods that helped her lose weight initially (aka. What she was already doing). Suzie’s battle with macro tracking was more than just forgetting to log her meals. Every missed log wasn’t just a slip—it was a scream for freedom from the constant calculation, the obsession over numbers that turned her meals from moments of joy to equations of guilt. She didn’t just fall off the wagon with macro tracking; she jumped off, seeking refuge in the familiarity of ‘healthy’ foods that didn’t need to be quantified to be enjoyed. But in her heart, Suzie knew that without understanding the balance of her intake, her goal remained just beyond reach, blurred by the fog of guesswork.
- And then there was the siren call of her social life, with weekends of margaritas, beach walks, and cheese platters. Each invitation was a test of her resolve, with what she felt was a choice between the solitary pursuit of her goals and the collective celebration of life’s pleasures. Suzie found herself struggling to find a middle path that could accommodate both her fitness aspirations and her need for connection. The truth she had to face was that real transformation required not just changing how she ate and exercised, but also how she navigated the waters of her social existence, finding a way to blend the flavours of her life into a recipe for success that didn’t taste like sacrifice.
The holiday comes around, the goal isn’t achieved and although she had a great time, she’s a disappointed that she wasn’t able to achieve her goal.
Thinking... “Great story asshole!
You’ve really pumped me up!"
Now what!?
Relax, I’m here to help.
In hindsight, we could have done a few things to help her out.
One of them being assessing her ‘readiness to change’. Taking pause to reflect not only she was NEEDING to change to achieve the goal and truly assessing that against what she was WILLING, ABLE and READY to do.
In doing so we could have:
- Helped her establish a more realistic goal – maybe adjust the target end point
- Identified that her ideal time frame may need to be adjusted – might have needed a little longer to get there.
- Or we could have come up with strategies to get the required work done – Understand the trade-off’s she’ll need to make (easy on the cheese platters for a few months, change up the schedule to get the training done or put a timeframe on the nutritional approach) and weigh those up against the goals achievement.
When it comes to achieving this kind of thing, no matter where you are in the journey, there’ll be a sacrifice of sorts to achieve it. The process that takes you from losing that first 10kg, isn’t going to be the same one that’ll help you lose that last 5kg.
In the end, this isn’t about imaginary Suzie, tracking macros, or even a delicious margarita (my fave is a Tommy’s Marg if you’re wondering).
It's about you
Sitting there, reading this, wondering if you can make your fat loss dreams come true.
Spoiler alert: You fucking can!
But it’s not going to happen by following someone else’s blueprint or beating yourself up over missed gym days and macro miscalculations.
It’s about getting real with what you’re willing and able to commit to, then doing it consistently!
So, let’s cut the crap. Own your journey, adjust your goals to fit your reality, and celebrate every victory along the way. Because when you start playing by your rules, that’s when the real magic happens.
Here’s to making it work on your terms 🍹
P.S. Feeling inspired by Suzie’s story but not sure where to start? Contact us today, and let’s turn your fat loss aspirations into an achievable, lived reality.