"Rome wasn't built in a day," and your new body won't be either. Most people I speak with when setting goals have one common flaw. They lack an understanding of time and its role in reaching your goals. So part 3 is going to help you set a time line to unveiling that BEST BODY EVER!
There are only two rules to this section. 1) You must have completed the homework assignments in Parts 1 & 2 in order to proceed. If you haven't take a little bit of time and finished them go back and finish before moving on. It'll totally be worth it, otherwise this step won't work. 2) No discouragement is allowed PERIOD. This means if you realize that it might be 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, or even 5 years to reach your final goal you have to stay the course and stay focused on the prize! It may seem overwhelming when looking at the whole process. I will teach you how to focus on short term goals along the way to keep you on track to your ultimate goal.
Most people don't have unrealistic goals, more like unrealistic time lines. To be honest it's not really their fault. With shows like the Biggest Loser, magazines and their 30lbs in 30 days, or any quick weight loss program out there advertising an unhealthy weight loss. It's hard to know or have the education to realize what is not only realistic but what is also healthy. Healthy weight loss is about 1-2lbs a week. In some extreme or morbidly obese situations 3-5lbs is allowable (for a short period of time.)Now that is not what some of you want to hear. Especially when you see these HUGE weight losses of 100lbs in as little as four months on shows like the Biggest Loser. I can see how 2lbs a week would seem painstaking, but you're not looking at the big picture here. You don't have 4 hours a day to exercise. You also don't have someone watching what you eat. No TV cameras documenting your triumphs and pitfalls. Still if you stop and think about it 2lbs a week would be 104lbs in a year. How big a difference would that make in your life if you have that much to lose? It would be a totally new life! Every client I have ever trained that lost 100lbs or more and kept it off did it right. Once we set the goal and got a realistic time line they went to work and chipped away steadily till they got there.
What I mean by doing it right was they worked on what was their issues. They fixed problems. I often ask people if they would rather treat the symptom or the problem? They usually have no idea what I'm talking about. What they don't realize is the reason they have failed (or produced undesirable results) in the past was because they were treating the symptoms. When you go to the doctor would you like him to treat your cough or your bronchitis? Same thing goes in weight loss. Those fad diets, pills, and gimmicky crap all prey on your desire for a quick, easy fix. The same way that cough suppressant will curb your coughing, but not heal the infection. Being overweight is a symptom. The problem isn't the weight as much as it is the inability to eat correctly and workout.
So now that we're going to focus on our problems and not our symptoms let's talk realistic time. I wish I had a hard and fast rule for you on what you can expect, but honestly, everyone is different. Factor in that not everyone reading this is wanting to lose weight, and that makes it a bit more difficult to narrow down a formula. So I'm going to split it into two separate groups with a "generic" rule of thumb for each.
Weight Loss Group.
Alright, you've tackled the biggest obstacle so far; ACCEPTANCE. You have looked in the mirror sized up where you are. Decided what you want to be (rough draft phase),and have accepted the responsibility to change! Now, what's realistic? Well, generally when sitting down with a client that has 40-100+ lbs to lose I chart about a 12-14 month time line. I calculate a very conservative 3-6lbs a month with about 1% body fat loss. Keep in mind this is VERY conservative! You should be dropping 1-2lbs a week if staying consistent with everything. Now get an estimate of how much you want to lose and where you want to be. Then figure off the 1-2lbs a week formula and get how many weeks it would take to accomplish your goal. Got it? Good. Now hold on to that number for when I get to Step 4: short term goals. It'll make that final number less intimidating, and keep you motivated with accomplishments along the way!
Muscle and Lean Out Group.
You guys are a bit harder to get narrowed down. If you are looking to lean out or add muscle chances are you already workout fairly regular and most likely are in a moderate to advanced state of fit. That means that most of you will have 30lbs or less to lose. As I'm sure you know the closer to your goal you get the slower and harder things progress. There is a reason they say the last 10lbs are the hardest. This is were buckling down and staying very, very consistent is crucial. If you are at the point where six packs and bikinis are the goal then it gets to be a little tougher on setting a time line. Example of what I mean is if you're a guy and you're seeing a 4 pack you're probably less then 12% body fat. Men get full 6 pack abs at 10% body fat. Now, that 2% doesn't seem like it's a big difference, but as you have less to lose it gets harder to take off. Things get tighter from this point diet wise, training wise, and the time to get where you want is focused too. What that means is things might come off slower and you might only loose fractions of body fat and pounds a week. This might lengthen your time line to your goal. There becomes a very small amount of room for error on your part. A realistic time line for someone in this state of fitness is about 45-90 days. In that 90 day time period it's possible to lose up to 6% body fat and 12-24lbs. That can be a MASSIVE transformation! So figure out where you are to where you want to be and calculate based off those figures and that time line. Hold on to that for Step 4.
In summary, Step 3 is about lining up realistic time lines to get to our BEST BODY. Only 2 steps left and then it's time to launch your awesome new plan! Hopefully, you're getting a bit excited, antsy, and I'm sure a little scared. Those feelings are all normal and exactly how you should be feeling! You're about to create a totally new you! That is an exciting time for you! Stay tuned for Step 4 it will be posted Saturday. Your homework from now till then is to put your best body, your goals, along with the time line you calculated down on paper. Yes, it's time to put this in WRITING so it starts to become real. Till Saturday puppets, DANCE!
Mr. J
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