In our workshop we are discussing the stages of weightloss. I sent the participants the following stages…
THE STAGES OF WEIGHTLOSS AND LIFESTYLE CHANGE
When you are losing fat you will go through stages. How you handle yourself during these stages will dictate how successful you are at achieving your goal.
Stage One – Blind Excitement…this is where you are stoked and ready to go. You finally hit the place where you know you have to do something with your life, found a plan that is for you, got your stuff, and been to the store/signed up at the gym. Everything is shiny and new and you are ready to go! This stage lasts about 1-3 weeks and most of you are either in it or just beginning to move to STAGE TWO.
Stage Two – Reality Zone…here we are, getting into some mild cravings and calorie deficits, tired from the challenging, new workouts, hormonal most of the time, temptations all around us, and our minds are doubting what the heck we are doing to ourselves. Often in this stage you haven’t seen much happen on the scale and you are a far enough from your last measurement day/weigh in day that the excitement is gone. In this stage you either get stuck or you get some patience to keep practicing the new skills until you magically move to STAGE THREE.
Stage Three – Gaining Momentum…in this stage you know what to eat, you are faithful to the exercise program, you have a few questions as you learn more and more about exercise and eating right, but you just need a little push and shove along the way. You still have questions, but you pretty much know what you are doing and can get yourself through crisis and such without too much help. As you build more confidence you move to STAGE FOUR.
Stage Four – Cruise Control…here you are, super confident, you know what you are doing, you plan your week and do it, you make good choices, prep food, and no excuses. This is the stage we all dream of getting to.
The funny thing about these stages is that they are completely fluid. Everyone moves from one stage to another, forward and backward through the entire journey of fat loss. You don’t skip stages on your way up or down, you might move very quickly, but you don’t skip one.
Right now I am so in the middle of Stage Two of my building phase (or off season phase). My mind is racing as the last two weeks close in on what has been five months of a lot of clean eating to gain weight. LOL. How’s that for a former fat girl…spend five months eating chicken, oats, sweet potatoes, turkey, vegetables, fruit, and nuts to put on 12lbs? Honestly, I remember gaining weight being a lot more indulgent than this – but I also only got a big ass out of it versus some muscle (and some ass).
Seriously, it’s been a tough road this last month. I’m at my uncomfortable max. Most of my clothes are tight, I’m tired, ready to do something new, and there is always that self-doubt plaguing. What if THIS is the time you can’t do it? Haven’t we all been there? If you’ve ever lost weight before you know what I’m talking about – that stalker FGT creeping around telling you this is the time you will return to what you’ve always known.
The one thing that is different for me than in my old past is that I know what to do and expect. I know in two weeks I get to hit Stage One – Blind Excitement. I’ll get my new diets, new workouts, new cardio requirements, and it will be fun to have that sense of new purpose with my eating and exercising. My prize for going through this adding weight/muscle phase will be waiting for me at the end of an 18-26 week journey.
Of course I’ll move up and down the stages through the next phase of my year. I’m planning on it. What I will not plan on is giving up. I have made the commitment to myself to live a healthy, sexy, feel good, love myself life and now I just have to be patient that in two weeks I tell my FGT to take a hike – it’s time to kickass!
Now you know my plan. What is your stage right now in the workshop? Tell us all about it.
