How are things going on your 30-Day Fat Loss Jump-Start? How’s your diet? Are you completely transitioned over to Paleo? I hope you’re seeing noticeable changes in your health and body. If you aren’t, give it some time and read over the posts you’ve read so far to make sure you’re doing everything right. 

Today we’re going to talk about setting realistic goals.

So you’ve made the decision to transform your body for good, and you’re on your way with this program. You’re tired of feeling uncomfortable in your own body, so you’re going to take action.

Here are your goals:

  • Buy size 00 clothes to motivate yourself to get down to that size ASAP
  • Go to the gym 3 hours every single day
  • Skip a meal every day to cut down on calories
  • Never eat a single gram of carbohydrates or sugar again
  • And you plan to lose at least 10 pounds a week, just like they do on the Biggest Loser.

But the reality is this:

  • Your goal size should maybe not realistically be a 00, depending on your frame and height.
  • You’re way too busy to work out that much! Plus, working out that much will just stress you out and inhibit your lifestyle anyway.
  • Unless you’re an elite, pro athlete with not much else on your plate, there’s no reason to do this to yourself.
  • Skipping meals is NOT the answer. Your body will not be tricked so easily and it’ll make up for the deficiency in calories later by giving you cravings for things you probably shouldn’t be eating.  
  • Carbohydrates are NOT BAD FOR YOU. Yes, we’re decreasing the amount that you were eating before, but that’s because you were eating too many of them. You still want to eat them – just the right kinds and not too many. Otherwise, you’re going to be grumpy, weak, and tired.
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  • Lastly, 1-2 pounds a week is more realistic than 10 pounds a week, unless you’re going to starve yourself and work out 6 hours a day without any stressors in your life holding you back.

I have definitely fallen victim myself to having unrealistic goals.

I want you to not make the same mistake this time. Not now, when it’s so important to make this diet and lifestyle a sustainable thing. 

aWhen you give yourself sky-high standards, you’ll likely end up getting overwhelmed, feeling defeated, and giving up on the whole dang process. 

Try to choose your goals wisely. Don’t set yourself up for failure! Be reasonable. 

 

HOW TO BE REASONABLE

Here’s some loving advice from someone who’s been there before :)

SET A REASONABLE WEIGHT GOAL

Look up your Body Mass Index (BMI) here, then figure out what yours is now and what would be a better weight for your height. The BMI is a rough guideline – it’s not perfect – but it will at least keep you honest. You can’t be 5’6″ wanting to weigh 100 pounds. 

Also, know that your weight is only a guideline, too. You might gain lean mass (muscle) and lose fat, and for some reason that means their weight loss on the scale is 0 pounds. You might lose inches and look completely different and not lose a ton of weight – or any at all. And that’s FINE. 

So instead of obsessing over the scale, pay attention to how your clothes fit, and take those before and after measurements and photos we talked about. Also, keep a record of strength gains, health cues (do you still have acid reflux, bloating, headaches, skin problems, etc.?) to figure out if the program is helping you.

 

IT TAKES TIME 

Sustainable change takes time. Big weight loss takes time. I mean, it probably took you a while to put it on and get into the habits you have now. So it’s probably going to take more time than you want to reverse all that. You’ll probably mess up a few times, too. 

It took me 3 or 4 attempts to just be gluten free, much less Paleo. And I’ve gained and lost weight a bunch of times because I’ve slipped up, and that’s just human nature. We’re not supposed to eat the same or act the same all the time, so cut yourself a little slack.  

And think about it this way: If you only change your diet 50% in the beginning, it’s better than 0%, right? 

So be tough on yourself, but not mean.

During this challenge, try to get as close to 100% perfect on your diet and lifestyle changes as you possibly can, and be totally honest with yourself about what that looks like for you. 

 

EXERCISE ENOUGH – BUT NO MORE THAN THAT

I mentioned the show “The Biggest Loser” before, and don’t get me wrong: I love that show. That’s because I love those kinds of transformations and seeing people go through a challenging process. But seriously, that show really pisses me off, too. 

They spend WAY too much time working out, and showing all that, when what they should be focusing on is their diet. How are they eating? That’s 80% of weight loss! They’re teaching America that all you need to do is work out 8 hours every day, breaking body parts along the way, and you’ll see miraculous numbers on your scale.

Yes, working out will help you lose fat and gain muscle, but it’s not the main part of the equation. Moreover, who in their right mind has time to work out that much when they also have family, work, hobbies, church, animals, and friends they need to make time for?

Even if you COULD do that, it’s not healthy to stress your body out by overexercising. So let’s pick some reasonable goals with working out. Let’s say 3 times a week for 20 minutes. All you need to do is the following:

 

A SIMPLE WORKOUT TO DO AT HOME

  • Pick 4 bodyweight exercises: pull ups, push ups, jogging, and ab crunches for example (or some modificatioin of those if your body can’t phsyically do them)
  • Do as many of those things as you can with good form for 1 minute each in a row. So it’d look like this: 1 minute of pull ups, 1 minute of push ups, 1 minute of jogging, 1 minute of ab crunches with no rest in between.
  • Rest when you need to, but get back in the game as soon as you don’t feel like puking anymore.
  • After you’ve done 1 minute of each exercise, rest for 4 minutes. Then do it again. Repeat that cycle 4 times. That’s a really good workout in 28 minutes. Not bad.
  • If you really want to get a burn in, pick some dumbbell exercises and throw them in the mix (biceps curls, shoulder presses, weighted squats, etc.).

In any case, if you do this High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) type of workout, your fat-burning will continue long after your workout is over. 

 

EAT YOUR CARBOHYDRATES

Eating too many carbs for your body type and activity level will make you gain fat. That’s just science. But eating some carbs is good for you. Carb sources include veggies and fruits, and those foods have an incredible amount of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients in them. They make your plate beautiful, and they make your food taste better. 

So eat your fruits and veggies (even some starchy ones), and even the occasional Paleo muffin or something made with raw honey, and you’ll find that you don’t miss your grains and sugar as much as you thought you would. Don’t be afraid of them! If you don’t eat enough of them, you’ll start to feel weak, grumpy, tired, and you might even get muscle cramps and have trouble sleeping.

Also, your body will tell you it’s missing something by giving you intense and sometimes uncontrollable cravings.  If you deprive yourself of all carbs, you’re going to be WAY more likely to then have super intense and uncontrollable cravings.

 

There you have it!

Setting realistic, do-able goals is really important to your success on this program! If you think of this program as the jumping off point to the rest of your life, you might be comforted knowing you have the rest of your life to achieve your big goals :)

Also, don’t forget about your downloads, which will help you get started and keep going on this diet!

 

—>>>DOWNLOADS<<<—

——> Food Guide for Fat Loss (PDF)

——> What Is Paleo? (PDF)

——> Meal Planning and Recipes Guide (PDF)

 

Yours,

Neely 

neelyquinn.com