Why Parents Struggle to Lose Weight
We’ve all heard at some point in our lives what is technically required to lose weight and be overall healthier - be in a caloric deficit aka burn more calories throughout the day than we take in from food and drinks, exercise regularly, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, prioritize water, etc. However, if it’s that simple, why is our planet currently in an obesity epidemic with the annual rate of weight gain increasing each year? Not only that but why are rates of various metabolic diseases increasing as well if more people are exercising and taking wellness supplements now than ever before?
Truth is, that is a loaded answer that cannot be thoroughly broken down into one simple blog. But, after coaching hundreds of individuals throughout the past 11 years, I can confidently share with you that everyone’s health wants and needs should be tailored to that person specifically. Our society tries to convince us that everyone is one supplement away from that toned physique or they are one diet away from that slimmer waistline when in reality, health and wellness cannot be shoved into a generic box with the belief that every diet, supplement, or workout routine works for everyone. That’s wishful thinking.
Can Keto work for you, sure…
Can Weight Watchers work for you, sure…
Can exercising every day work for you, sure…
...until it doesn’t work anymore that is.
Keto works fine until you realize living without carbs for the rest of your life is unrealistic and flat-out unenjoyable. WW is fine until you realize counting points on a daily basis is tedious. Exercising daily is great until you plateau, injure yourself, or lose interest in the workout routines themselves. So what should we do then? This is where society will convince us how we are missing out on the latest fad diet or program on the market so we need to switch things up which only leads to a repetitive cycle of what was just mentioned. Point is, everyone’s lifestyle, goals, health status, priorities, and responsibilities are incredibly different. Thus, a tailored nutrition and exercise program is key for long-term success.
This is crucial to understand, especially for parents that are seeking to lose the “Dad Bod” or “Mom Bod.” Parents have the difficult task of managing not only their own lives like everyone else but they are directly responsible for the wellbeing of their children as well. I learned very early on into fatherhood how precious every minute was in the day. Long gone were the days of spending 1-2+ hours in the gym each day, spending 4-6 hours every Sunday in my kitchen meal prepping, and mindlessly watching motivational videos on YouTube.
My time had to be redirected towards adding value to my marriage, keeping our daughter alive and well, earning a paycheck, and making sure our house and other responsibilities didn’t fall apart. My attention went more towards making sure everyone was fed and well and not on how many carbs I was eating or worrying about if I went over my WW point allowance for that day. This is where the motivational gurus would say how “I didn’t want it bad enough” or “it’s not about finding time, it’s about making time.”
They aren’t wrong.
In fact, I didn’t want it bad enough, and if I wanted to make the time for my health I definitely believe I could’ve by exercising late after everyone went to bed or waking up super early to cook and prepare my meals. Going back to what was mentioned earlier, how long would this diet/habit be sustainable? Realistically, I probably would burn out very quickly no matter how much motivation I had because I’m human and we all have our breaking points.
But what if parents didn’t have to kill themselves to achieve that toned physique or slimmer waistline? What if they could make their diets and health regimens work for them, specifically? This is what I went on a search for because I refused to believe that parents had to choose between improved health or a functionally running household. That just didn’t seem fair.
What I came to realize was this - to lose weight and improve overall health, regimens don’t have to be overly strict or involve a lot of sacrifices. We know, as mentioned earlier, to lose weight we must be in a calorie deficit. We also know that to consistently have high levels of energy and perform at optimal levels daily, we must eat the majority of our calories from plant-based, whole earthly foods that are rich in vitamins and minerals. Typically, when individuals switch up their food options and limit the box, can, or bagged food items that are heavy in processed ingredients, sugar, and sodium aka convenience foods, they see immediate positive results.
Important: as a busy parent myself, I understand the temptation that is involved with buying more convenience-based foods to save time on meals. But, sometimes we fail to realize that fresh whole foods are convenient most of the time as well. Think about how quickly we can grab an apple or a protein bar as a snack. Think about how quickly we can prepare meals for our families that consist of ready-to-eat grocery items like rotisserie chickens and steamable veggies with some rice or potatoes. Having healthy meals doesn’t have to be as complex as we typically make them out to be.
What I also discovered through speaking with mentors, reading research studies, and testing on numerous clients was that most individuals would still see phenomenal aesthetic and performance improvements while only exercising 3 times per week with full-body resistance training routines. I tested this theory even deeper and took my client’s workouts from 60 mins down to 45 minutes and then eventually 30 minutes. The crazy thing was, they all had amazing transformations!
No calorie counting. No restricting carbs. No shakes or pills. No intense beachbody programs.
Focusing on daily habits work. Water, whole foods, sleep, resistance training, meal portions, and a few others were primarily the habits we focused on that drove the greatest results. A lot of the time, due to past dieting failures and various struggles we’ve had, we are quick to overanalyze and assume there is some major piece of information that we don’t have that will magically cause our bodies to transform once we drink that shake or swallow that pill when in reality it’s quite simple - daily habits. If you’re looking for help on developing a meal plan or exercise routine that is customized to your lifestyle, contact our team 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.