Hello!
A former client who lost over 100 pounds called me last week frustrated.
After changing his eating habits, incorporating exercise, substantially
improving his health and energy and in his words, "feeling physically and
emotionally better than he had in his entire life", he was stuck.
Most people would be thrilled to have lost so much weight and be feeling
so good, so why is he frustrated? Well, he's struggling to take off those
last 10-15 pounds, even though he continues to eat healthy and exercises
almost every day.
He asked me if somehow it was impossible to lose those last remaining
stubborn pounds of excess body fat. He read somewhere that our bodies "cling
to fat" and after a certain age we all "add 2 pounds per year, regardless
what we do".
There's a lot of inaccurate information on fitness and weight loss today.
The Answer is Simple, But Not Always Easy
When we purposely reduce our caloric intake and begin to lose weight, our
metabolism has the propensity to slow down (becoming more energy efficient)
in order to maintain our body weight at reduced caloric levels.
This is not to imply that we should overeat. We just need to understand
how the body responds to long term eating behaviors.
The body has a tendency to hold onto fat much more aggressively in people
that are more lean (within 10- 15 pounds of their goal), than in overweight
or obese people.
This is good news for those that need to lose a lot of weight, but means
that it becomes a little more challenging for those with just a few more
pounds to lose.
So What Do We Do?
Remember when you first started exercising? A particular exercise sequence
or workout routine was challenging, it may have even felt overwhelming and
exhausting to complete. Then after performing that specific regimen for some
time your body became accustomed to it and things got easier. Well, now that
it's easier, you are actually limiting progress if you aren't creating a new
level of challenge and stimulation. Your body no longer has a reason to
change.
