So you’re getting ready to sign up for the next 12 week challenge
#keen #excited #summerbody
It’s been a good 6 months at least since you did the last 12 week challenge
You did really well on it too, you lost 8kg
But it was a little harder than the challenge before that. That one you lost 10kg
This new challenge though is going to be great. You’re so committed and ready to lose the 10kg again
You know what though; I’ve got to be honest with you. All these challenges are doing is making you fat
I mean yes, you lost 10kg the first time- but how much did you gain back when it was finished? 5-10-15kg?
And what about the challenge you lost 8kg on? How much did you gain after that? Another 5-10-15kg?
So why is this time different?
See the problem with challenges is they are usually pretty intense. Because they are such a short time frame the trainer wants you to get the best results possible in that short time frame – so you are going to work really hard, and eat super clean and most likely eat pretty low calories. And the scales will drop over the 12 weeks – SUCCESS right? Wrong.
Success is defined as the ‘Accomplishment of an aim or a purpose’
I’m pretty sure you don’t sign up for a challenge to lose 10kg for 6 months and then to put weight back on. You sign up for a challenge because you want to lose 10kg permanently – not regain it. So unless you keep the 10kg off it’s not really successful. It’s more of a temporary solution
Now let me explain why you are putting the weight on after the challenge.
Challenges will typically either reduce your caloric intake or cut out food groups – no sugar, no carbs, no fats, no beige food etc etc.
When you do this type of food restriction you initially lose weight, but after a little while the results start to slow (that’s usually around the 12 week mark – coincidence the challenges don’t go longer than that?) anyways the reason the results start to slow is because your body has adapted to the low intake of calories. Your metabolism has slowed down.
But hey – you lost 10kg in the 12 weeks right ?
Now the challenge is done, and you don’t have accountability to your trainer for food and exercise you start to eat some of the foods you were eating before the challenge, old habits start to re-emerge…. sound familiar?
This means your calorie intake increases.
But your body isn’t used to this amount of calories, it’s used to functioning with less. So it puts the excess calories into “Storage” for a time when you may need them.
The bodies “storage” compartments are what we refer to as fat
Over time the storage of excess calories builds up and up and up and before you know it, you’ve regained 8kg of the 10kg you originally lost… Time for another challenge right
And this is where it gets harder. Because your bodies metabolism has slowed it effectively fights against weight loss, so it’s harder to lose weight this challenge…. And the cycle continues
So how do you avoid regaining the weight?
First of all you don’t do a 6-8-12 week challenge.
You have to be honest with yourself and really assess why you are over weight. It’s not actually because of the food you choose to eat, its more about why you choose too eat that food.
The habits and routines that exist in your current lifestyle that lead to the poor choices in food and being inactive throughout the day
To really lose the 10kg and to keep it off you need to accept it’s going to take at least 6-12 months of committed work focusing on your lifestyle and your habits. And for most people the thought of it taking 6-12 months seems far to long.
But if you lose 10kg in a challenge at the beginning of the year and regain it through the year just to relose it again doing another challenge at the end of the year … well that’s 12 months right there isn’t it…
So step away from the challenges and start committing to having life lasting results.
That’s what Kylie did and she has successfully lost over 50kg and kept it off. You can read HERE about Kylie’s lifechanging transformation or watch the 3 interview in the article as she explains what she did and the difference it has made in her life.
And if you would like to be a part of a supportive community where we share tips tricks and information to help you succeed, join the Gym It Community Facebook Group – it’s open to everyone
