“Jill, why is it sooo hard to lose weight? No matter what I try, I can’t do it. It never works, and I end up quitting, and moving on to another program. But nothing works!!”
I get asked this all the time from friends, family and on social media. My first response is always, “You’re right, nothing does work–on its own. You have to work IT.”
This is one of the key principles of Metabolic Effect, and something we teach here at JillFit:
Fat Loss is a PRACTICE, not a protocol.
How frustrating! Lol. We want fat loss to be linear and predictable. We want someone who is lean & fit to give us a plan, we follow it and presto, we look like they do! I have wanted and tried this many times! And after years of yo-yoing and frankly just getting fed up looking for answers “out there,” I simply made a choice to relax, be patient and figure it out, once and for all. It was nerve-wracking at first, not being on a “diet.” I felt exposed–besides, I could just blow up at any time! But I trusted the process and that did not happen. In fact, the opposite happened. Food lost its control over me. But my journey took a greater amount of trust, practice and patience than I ever gave to it before.
I believe the key to sustainable fat loss is to dig your heels in figure this shit out. On your own, by yourself, away from plans, diets and experts. Listen to your body. Get in touch with your hunger sensations. When you experience cravings, do the detective work needed to figure out why they occur. Are you stressed? Are you tired? Did you skimp on protein or fiber earlier in the day? Have you tried BCAAs? How’s your water intake? Are you doing too much long-duration cardio? The questions are endless. Ask why. Then ask why again. And again. Until you absolutely nail it. You know your metabolism, your body, your brain inside and out.
Yikes! That’s hard work :) But if the pay off is sustainable fat loss that is effortless, why not take the time? Besides, what’s the rush? The faster it comes off, the faster it goes back on. We know this, yet we still seek quick fixes. I get it…fast results are gratifying. We are, on the whole, an instant gratification society (I participate in that too!), so of course the idea of a slow, not-always-predictable, in-depth fat loss journey is unappealing. It’s not sexy. It’s for people who practice “moderation.” Bleh. But–hate to say it–moderation over the long haul is what works. Will it get you shredded for a competition? No. But a competition plan is an example of an unsustainable short-term fix, like any crash diet. And you can’t keep going balls-to-the-wall-unsustainable dieting forever–stretching the rubber band tighter and tighter, assuming it won’t snap back at some point. It does, and always will, until you begin taking responsibility for your own fat loss journey.
That solo journey doesn’t have to be scary either. Let’s make it systematic: Eat something, monitor how you feel, make note, measure progress. Begin a regular weight training regimen, anything, stick with it for 8-12 weeks, measure progress. Repeat. Patience is a virtue, and in the case of fat loss, it is the critical element.
