The women that come through our program are tremendously motivated to achieve their goals. Most are seeking body composition changes, a more balanced diet and to lose some weight. Almost everyone asks, “How do I achieve my goals as quickly as possible?” Our answer is always the same, “HIT YOUR MACROS.”
Consistency is everything with macros. The more consistent you are, the quicker your results will come. It is rewarding to hit your macros every day and see changes in your body. Muscles start to pop, the scale comes down, the momentum keeps building and you keep crushing your consistency.
There are also seasons where you are super consistent and the results don’t come as fast.
- Maybe you are struggling with some health issues and have had to reverse up and let your body heal before asking it to change more.
- Maybe you are a teacher and have been trying to juggle teaching everyone else’s kids and your own in uncharted waters for the last few months.
- Maybe stress is through the roof from your job or his and you are hanging on by a thread.
You hit your macros, you take your pictures, you step on the scale and nothing seems to change.
Our first instinct is to say, “This isn’t working anymore!” “Why am I even trying?!” “I should have just eaten what I wanted if I wasn’t going to make any progress!”
What if we hit the pause button, took a deep breath and considered:
- The last time I went through a really stressful time, I gained 15 pounds.
- My energy and sleep have been great even with everything going on right now.
- My entire family is eating healthy balanced meals.
- I have felt stronger in my workouts and I don’t crash after working out.
- I am continuing to create long term habits to sustain my health.
- I maintained my weight.
What if maintenance is a victory too?!
Maintenance is not nearly as fun to work for and it feels a lot less exciting. Maintenance is the valley where the fruit is grown. Maintenance is where your body heals when you are properly fueled. Maintenance is where you will live after you achieve that goal you are chasing.
We convince ourselves that we always have to be going at full steam to be successful. This is a long game, friends. There is no finish line. Sometimes, we do get to run. Other times, we are barely moving. Research has shown that 80-95% of people gain back the weight they have worked so hard to lose. Slower steps that reinforce healthy habits are the key to long term success.
The long game comes with good and bad news. The good news is that you don’t have to hurry. If you have a stretch where you or your body decide that you need to maintain for a bit before charging forward, you can. If you do stumble or get off track, you just have to get going again. The only thing that will keep you from your goal is quitting. Any other stumble or misstep is temporary. If you have fallen off of the bandwagon and need to get back on, you may find this encouraging. Read What to Do When You Fall Off the Bandwagon Here.
The bad news is there is no destination. You will never get to stop prioritizing your nutrition. You will always need to fuel your body in a healthy and balanced way. It will get easier. This is why our ultimate goal with counting macros is to create long term sustainable habits.
Right now, you may be sprinting toward your goal and seeing big changes every week, keep crushing it! Or you may be like me and taking a maintenance beat to let your body heal before forging toward your goal again. We are both playing the long game, hitting our macros and creating a long term sustainable lifestyle. We will both achieve our goals and when we do, we can celebrate maintenance together.
No Comments