Have you noticed, this month, that as soon as you walk into most retail stores the fitness apparel, gear and gadgets are on display front and center? Gym membership commercials are at an all time high. Your friends on social media are going crazy posting their workouts, sharing meal prepping and showing clothes they wish to get back into. As a health professional I love this, however I wish it were happening all year round and not just at the start of the New Year. New Year’s resolutions prompted by overindulgence during the holiday season brings most people to this frenzied state of exercise and fitness overload. I know it is hard to believe but excessive weight gain did not get there in one month and it will not all come off in one month. Weight loss is generally a slow process. So, what’s the rush?
We live in a fast-paced world. Just think, we can travel from one side of the globe to another in less than a day. We have access to information on the internet by just saying “Hey Siri” (What ever happened to trips to the library and looking up information using the Dewey Decimal System? LOL). We can cook food in just minutes, instead of hours with microwaves, airfryers, etc. Although getting things done quickly is often helpful and positive, when it comes to weight loss, faster is not necessarily better. If you are in a rush to get to your #GOALWEIGHT, take the time to consider what you are doing to get there and how the process will affect your life forever.
Most of my clients and people I talk to about weight loss want to lose weight like yesterday. They are in such a hurry to get to a smaller size or lower number on the scale that they will do anything to get there. At the beginning of this bootcamp several clients informed me of “their” special plan or recipe to lose weight. Most I don’t agree with however, I understand that people need to try things out for themselves. I always give them my trainer’s opinion and then the medical facts to support it. Two things I always tell my clients is to check with their physician before starting certain diets and that not all trends and fads are for everyone.
One client started out the first week of bootcamp on the keto diet, then the second week added intermittent fasting to the keto diet, then went on a planned extended weekend getaway with friends where alcohol consumption was involved. Upon her return she started to experience severe headaches, she had one so bad at work, they took her blood pressure and it was so high they sent her home. She shared her experience with me and of course I told her she couldn’t come workout that day. I explained that she basically had put her body in shock going from one drastic diet to the next. Keto is already very hard on the body and to add starving with a dehydrating agent like alcohol was overkill. She was already on blood pressure medicine and then her doctor tells her, her A1C was high…prediabetic which are both not a good recipe for the keto diet.
I truly do understand the sense of urgency to lose weight and I also know from experience that rushing through the weight loss process usually results in problems instead of progress. Here are some of the potential problems that come when you rush the weight loss process.
No long-term change of habits
Unhealthy food choices that can harm your health
Taking supplements or weight loss drugs that don’t work long term and may be dangerous
Exercising beyond capabilities and becoming injured
Developing health concerns such as gallbladder attacks, eating disorders, suppressed immune system, and thyroid problems
Imbalance of nutrients if you don’t eat the right types of foods, and aren’t taking a multivitamin
Excess kink, which may not tighten up as well if you lose weight very quickly.
Although rapid weight loss isn’t always bad, I advocate losing weight in a sustainable way giving you time to prepare yourself to maintain the loss in the healthiest way possible. In my experience, people who rush through the process of weight loss are more likely to gain it back. When you lose weight at a reasonable pace you give your mind a chance to catch up with the changes that are taking place in your body. If you find yourself rushing through the process, I want you to slow down, remember your why and know that you are worth the wait to do it right, get the weight off and to keep it off. No Mess!
