If you’re like most Americans, your New Years’ Resolution will in some way be linked to weight loss or dieting.
I’m going to guess that last year’s was too and the year before as well.
You’re not alone, 91% of people fail to keep their New Year’s resolutions.
While there can be a myriad of reasons for this, when it comes to losing weight specifically we’ve found at Virtuo that
the number one reason don’t hit their weight loss goal before coming to us is….
Keep reading to see what the #1 reason is the exact process we use with our clients to fix it.
The number one reason people don’t hit their weight loss goal is they don’t have a system that works for them.
When most people set out to lose weight they either latch on to whatever fad is most popular (hello carnivore diet), get the most basic info from a friend or Buzzfeed article and then wing it.
As you can imagine this falls apart at the first meal out with friends.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Below I will lay out the exact process I would use if I wanted to lose 20 lbs this year but don’t have hours a week to spend on meal prep and working out.
(ps. It only takes a few minutes a day to work)
But first, a story to show you how effective using the right system for you can be.
Chris joined our studio last year with two goals.
First, he wanted to get back on the basketball court after knee surgery with his rec league and second he wanted to get back to within 10 lbs of what he had weighed in college.
As a busy attorney, Chris works 60+ hour weeks, ate most of his meals out and since graduating from law school 12 years ago has put on about 50 lbs.
Even though Chris was pretty active, poor sleep and even worse food choices had taken their toll.
When he came to see us he was ready for change.
When we sat down with Chris for his 1st session we could tell his life was full of chaos and unpredictability.
One day he could be working 9-5, then next sleeping at the office.
On top of that he had two young kids and was taking care of his mom who had a long-term illness.
His wife did her best to prepare healthy meals for him, but it wasn’t working.
Knowing that Chris wanted to lose a significant amount of weight but had so many potential obstacles, we made two decisions right off the bat.
First, this was going to be a long-term effort and we had to work together for at least a year.
And 2nd that we were going to have to use the minimum effective amount of coaching as not to add to his already full plate.
Since meal prepping and macro counting were out of the picture we gave Chris two very simple actions to do every day.
1. Weigh-in each morning and send his trainer a photo of the scale.
2. Take a picture of every meal and send it as well.
It was so simple that even with his schedule Christ could commit.
So, along with coming to see us in the studio twice a week, Christ sent his pictures.
And at first not much happened, but he was consistent.
We got pictures of everything from burgers to pizza with a scarce few salads in between.
Then his trainer started providing feedback on the photos he was getting.
Maybe a salad instead of potatoes, or maybe some fish instead of a steak.
Just simple suggestions.
The pictures started to change and the scale started to move.
4 months in Chris was down 20 lbs.
He was able to sleep better, and he felt more energized.
His workouts picked up in intensity and instead of watching the news in the morning, he started going for a walk with his wife for 30 minutes.
6 months in Chris was down 30 lbs and he was back on the court.
By the 9-month mark, he was able to run a 5k for the first time since college and was down 40 lbs total.
Still, all he was doing was sending us a scale picture and 3-4 food pictures every day.
The last 3 months of the year were challenging for Chris due to holiday commitments but even still he managed to lose 6 lbs bringing his total weight loss for the year to 46 lbs.
That was less than 10 lbs away from his college weight.
46 lbs is buying new close territory, getting vertical on the basketball court territory and best of all feeling confident in your body territory.
Chris absolutely crushed it.
His life is still hectic, but he still runs his play, sends his pictures, gets in his walks and workouts and continues to see progress.
It can honestly be that simple it just comes down to having a system and accountability.
First you need to know what to do, then you have to run the play.
So before I explain my favorite system for losing weight let me explain why I gave an example of Chris’s system above.
The truth is that the best system is the one that works best for you.
For Chris that was food pictures and a trainer, for you, it might be something different.
If you’re interested in finding out what might work best for you, here’s what you need to do.
Book a no-sweat intro with one of our coaches who will help identify the 2 main things that have been holding you back and then prescribe a custom approach like the one Chris got.
If you want some help staying accountable and making adjustments we can share what working with us looks like, but if not you want away with the exact system that will bring you success.
Why give that information away for free?
We believe that health should be free and so it’s part of our mission to provide you with the winning formula.
If you use it to help you along the way then that looks like joining one of our coaching programs.
👉 Click here to book your now sweat intro and get the exact formula to help you lose weight.
My Favorite system.
If I wanted to lose 20 lbs this year but don’t have hours a week to spend on meal prep and working out this is what I would do.
Step 1: Write down my goal and the reason or “why” behind it and put it somewhere that I will look at everyday.
Step 2: Figure out how many Calories I need to eat to lose 1% of my body weight every 1-2 weeks. (Considered a sustainable and healthy pace)
Ex.
Current weight: 185
Goal weight : 165
Multiply current bodyweight x 15 for amount of calories you’d need to maintain current weight.
185 x 15 = 2775
Subtract 20% to get weightloss calories
185 x .2 = 555
2775 – 555 = 2220 Daily Calories
Step 3: Track Calories – You can’t manage what you don’t measure so you need a reliable way to track calories.
MyFitnesspal is a great free app for the job.
👉 Download it here
Set your daily goal in MyfitnessPal to the number you found above.
👉 Watch this video on how to set your Calorie goal in MyfitnessPal.
Either enter meals as you go or to make things more efficient, record all meals at the start or end of your day.
Everything you eat or drink that has Caloric value gets logged.
*The more accurate the better, so I suggest investing in a basic food scale. You can find one for less than $10 on amazon.
I like this one
Step 4: Track progress – If your goal is weight loss then your measure of progress is weight lost. The more data the better, so if you are up to it, I suggest weighing in daily. Be prepared for daily fluctuations in weight. What matters most is that the trend line is heading down week over week.
If you do not want to weigh in daily then once per week is fine. I suggest Monday morning right after using the bathroom. Monday weigh in’s help keep you accountable over the weekend.
Step 5: Adjust as needed – If your Calorie goal is on track you should be losing 1% of your body weight every 1-2 weeks.
If weight loss stalls for 2 consecutive weeks then reduce daily Calories by 10% using the method above. Observed results over 2 weeks and make further changes if needed.
*As you lose weight your energy demands will be reduced so you will need to reduce Calories
Once you hit your gain weight you will need to adjust Calories to build back up to a number that helps you hold on to your progress without feeling hungry all the time.
It really can be that simple for your weight loss goals.
This advice alone is enough to get you started but if you want help getting set up, then one of our coaches would be happy to do so during a free consultation.
👉 Book your free consultation here
Remember, weight loss is simple but not easy.
The one common denominator between all that lose weight successfully is that they follow some kind of system.
Good luck with your 2023 weight loss goals and as always, make sure to reach out to us by filling out the form on our home page if you have any questions.
– Brandon
