May 06, 22
5 minutes
The real challenge of fat loss
Weight loss is without a doubt one of the most common goals when it comes to a healthy training and eating journey.
In this day and age, it's not surprising. In the history of mankind, food has never been so plentiful and all the conveniences of our contemporary lifestyle mean that we need good reasons to expend energy, as everything tends to make us move our bodies less and less. Weight loss has also become an extremely lucrative business that targets people who have either failed their journey in the past or simply feel like taking a shortcut.
Magic pills, creams, dubious supplements, secret foods, extreme diets, "special" exercises, and so on. These are all rarely legitimate ways to supposedly achieve your goal and are more often than not useless, expensive, or both. The result is a great deal of confusion in the public's eye since we no longer know who or what to trust and we even come to wonder if it is possible to lose weight.
And yet, the truth is often quite simple and even "flat" to the limit. In reality, weight loss is far from complicated in most cases. The process is simple, but that doesn't mean it's easy! Not easy in the sense that each individual is different. Physiologically (metabolism, digestion, etc.), but also psychologically (attitude towards obstacles, discipline, history, trauma(s), etc.).
So why do most people fail on their weight loss journey?
In my opinion, it is the desire to go too fast!
Many times, it took several months, years, or even decades to reach a state of overweight. Even if it is definitely possible to lose the excess weight much faster than when you gained it, it is completely unrealistic, even dangerous for your physical AND mental health to want to lose 50lbs in 3 months. This brings us to the REAL challenge of weight loss: maintaining weight loss over the long term.
So, when you begin a weight loss journey, you need to ask yourself the question:
"Do I see myself maintaining the lifestyle that allowed me to lose weight in the long run?"
If the answer is no, it's time to re-evaluate the method and tools you're using to get the results you want. If your weight loss process is to follow an 800 calories diet and 2 hours on the treadmill per day, the results will only be temporary and the feeling of discouragement will eventually surface because it is impossible to maintain this lifestyle in the long term while being happy and healthy.
The statistics are striking! A quality study published in the scientific journal "Medical Clinics of North America" shows that an average of 5 to 10% of weight loss is maintained 5 years after starting the process.
The statistic may seem discouraging at first glance, but it is quite easy to correct. The solution is a change in lifestyle, habits, and approach. Because at the end of the day, one year after you have started your weight loss process, you will not care if you lost weight in 3 weeks, 2 months, or 6 months! So there is no need to try to reach the finish line as quickly as possible. The only thing that really matters is: did you use sustainable means to achieve the result? If the answer is yes, you won't be a statistic.
Here are some ways to get there:
- Combining healthy eating AND physical activity to get there
- Falling in love with the process and the well-being it brings
- Paying attention to your well-being, energy level, and physical strength rather than just relying on your body weight to know if you are making progress
- Balancing a healthy lifestyle with reasonable indulgence (no one gained 10lbs by eating a slice of pizza on Saturday night)
- Seek the help of qualified professionals to support you on your journey.
In conclusion, our approach at Everwell and the one you should adopt is a medium-term one, but so much more sustainable and satisfying. Prioritize intelligent training, 80% healthy eating, outdoor activities, stress reduction, and better quality sleep. What you will get in return will be so much more than a healthy "weight", but a quality of life worthy of your ambitions and you will thank yourself for having been patient.
Alexis Beriault
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Kasandra Hamel
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Francis Menard
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Charles Lacasse
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