How Stephen, Taz fitness & nutrition client, lost 28 lbs in 90 days!
Losing weight, especially after trying multiple diets only to fail time and time again can become increasingly frustrating. Frustrating to the point where we simply want to give up and live with the consequences of never dieting again. This is why it's crucial to understand the fundamentals of wellness and what really develops positive weight management results.
For the majority of the population, many end up running to fad diets, supplements and random products and services in an attempt to get the weight off by any means necessary - even if it means suffering for a little while. As we've seen, 85% of dieters fail while attempting these get-skinny-quick solutions. What many dieters don't realize, weight loss and dieting in general is not always about restricting food consumption and exercising ourselves to death.
For the past 12 years, here at TFN, we've prided ourselves on providing our clients with a flexible dieting plan that doesn't have us hating life as a result of attempting a diet. There is a clear blueprint to follow for every unique individual and this was no different for Stephen - husband, father and MMA athlete. When he came to us, yes a diet plan and workout regimen was established but there were deeper conversations and plans that had to happen if he was to be successful. To be honest, we didn't strive to help him lose close to 30 lbs and we definitely didn't attempt to begin an aggressive diet protocol that would have him accomplishing his goal within 90 days - that was just what Bob Ross calls a "happy accident."
Disclaimer: Everyone's weight loss journey is different. The slow and steady approach to weight loss is ALWAYS the safest approach, however, when we implement very basic health and wellness strategies focusing around hydration, lean muscle tissue growth, sleep and recovery and food quality, amazing results can occur that surprise us all - which is the case for Stephen who lost 28 lbs in 90 days!
Here are 4 strategies Stephen implemented to insure he would see positive results.
1. He established a clear plan
Successful diets and being able to lose weight (without rebounding) is more than just picking and choosing which diets or exercise routines to take part in. All diets should have a beginning and an end date in mind to keep us motivated and disciplined while remembering that the temporary stressors that dieting brings will not last forever. Stephen came to us looking to lose weight and the first thing we did was set up a 21-day target to aim for. From there, once some momentum was established, we increased the end date to 90 total days in a caloric deficit before getting a diet break.
2. He set up daily & weekly accountability check-ins
We know from various test groups that individuals that have accountability partners or plug themselves into some sort of group see a vastly greater total weight loss than those that try to do things on their own. Stephen got plugged into our private member's group chat where he saw others' results which in turn motivated him to keep going. Not only that but each week we would establish weekly check-in calls as well as post a weekly leaderboard in our group to see who lost what which increased the friendly competition as well as incentivized others to give it their all since we would give out special prizes each week :)
3. He knew what he was willing to sacrifice (temporarily)
Right in the very beginning, we had a 1 on 1 chat about what he was willing to give up temporarily to achieve his goal. I do believe dieting should be flexible so it's sustainable long-term, however, it goes without saying that if we greatly reduce our alcohol or fast food intake that this will accelerate our weight loss results. Whatever Stephen wasn't willing to sacrifice (such as his date nights with his wife where he would have a couple of drinks and pizza), we would simply adjust his diet a couple of days prior to accommodate those fun items so he could still see results each week.
4. We stayed focused on the fundamentals
For my long-time readers, you know that I believe dieting isn't about gimmicks since once you start a particular fad diet and get off of it, we will just regain everything we lost since we return to previous habits. Instead, with Stephen, we focused solely on the primary movers in health and wellness - protein consumption, food quality, hydration, movement and stress management. This allowed Stephen to take his current lifestyle habits, make some minor tweaks to accelerate weight loss specifically and not ever have to experience a rebound effect since there wasn't some crazy diet/supplement/product or food restriction that was put into place to "trick" his body into losing weight.
I cannot begin to stress enough the importance of utilizing these techniques and strategies before beginning your own weight loss journey. Dieting doesn't have to feel like a chore or an endless race of failure. What are you struggling with? Lets schedule a chat so you can begin achieving your weight loss goals today.
"Coach Taz" aka Taylor Rodriguez is the owner and head coach of Taz Fitness & Nutrition. He is a Personal Trainer & Nutrition Coach located in Deltona, FL that coaches individuals online and in person. Taylor was a former partying pro wrestler turned fitness enthusiast after the economic downturn of 2008-2010. After losing almost 70 lbs, his new passion is to help struggling individuals find new confidence within themselves to achieve any goal that they see possible. To begin coaching with Taylor or to request a free consultation, contact us today.