You’ve started eating clean(er) and training hard(er) and you are on a mission to lose some bodyfat. Assuming you have a solid nutrition and training plan, you are cruising along and feeling great. You weigh yourself daily and slowly things are creeping down…
UNTIL
Two weeks go by and they haven’t budged. You go through a mental check list in your head to make sure that your nutrition was on point and you didn’t miss a training session. It was and you didn’t.
You start to scrutinize your training and meal plan, “I’m not doing enough.” You think to yourself “I need to eat less and move more.” You’ve now worked yourself into a total hysteria and fired off an angry email to your coach saying we need to “Step things up” or “We need to lower my food levels”… (Neil loves this…)
I’ve done it and you’ve done it. We go one or two measly weeks without making any significant progress and we immediately push the panic button and vow to do an overhaul of our entire program. We assume that everything that was so right just a week ago is suddenly all wrong.
Now let me sympathize when this happens. Its extremely frustrating, especially because when your dieting, it feels like a lifetime.
I want you to think of somebody that has a physique that you admire. How long do you think it took that person to achieve that physique? Chances are that it took months and months, and even more likely years and years of being consistent and persistent. I’ll bet my favorite black boots that that person did not obtain that smokin’ body after a mere few weeks of eating clean and training hard. That body came from all of those crucial little bits of progress that have added up over time.
Two bits of advice. There is no ‘right time table’ for fat loss. So the next time you exclaim you haven’t lost enough bodyfat that week ask yourself, “According to whose standards?” The amount of bodyfat varies person to person. Last but not least don’t give up. One of the biggest mistakes I see people make on their quest for fat loss is throwing in the towel and diving headfirst into a cheesecake because they feel frustrated. I assure you that quitting will not get you any closer to your goals.
Set realistic expectations and know that your journey towards your goal will be full of peaks and valleys and the most important thing you can do is stay the course and keep working hard. If 3-5 week go by and you still aren’t seeing progress then its time to look at small tweaks. Your coach will do this. Making changes is not your job. You do not go to the pharmacy and say I need xyz you do to a doctor who writes you a prescription.
I’d like you to be consistent with your nutrition and training for atleast one full year, and you’ll see the amazing changes that take place. Find healthy alternatives for your unhealthy favorites and most importantly make your meals to fit your lifestyle. Below is a delicious ‘Chicken Pot Pie Muffin.’ I find muffins make everything more convenient. Enjoy!
Chicken Pot Pie Muffin
Ingredients:
1lb lean ground chicken
1/2 cup corn
1 cup frozen mix of peas and carrots
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup fat free or reduced fat parmesan
3 egg whites
1 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp parmesan and herb seasoning
Dash of s&p
Directions:
Combine ingredients. Using a sprayed muffin pan, scoop 1/3 cup into each muffin tin, forming tops into domes with hands. (Makes 11 muffins). Bake muffins at 375F for 35-40 minutes.
Macros: calories 99 – fat 2g – carb 6g – protein 14g.
With love from the Trench kitchen,
xoErika♥
