The #1 most googled fitness question is some version of how quickly will I see results; i.e. how much weight can you lose quickly!
We here at Fit aren’t the con artists who promise you’re going to melt belly fat (spot reduction-impossible) or lose 10 lbs in a week (I can help you to lose 10 lbs in 2 hours but it’s all gonna be water and it’s all coming back). No, we are going to give you the answer you undoubtedly will hate:
It’s going to take time.
We may even throw in the old ‘you overestimate what you can do in a day, and underestimate what you can do in a month’ cliche.
Just because it’s a cliche doesn’t mean it isn’t true.
Let’s settle it then. How much weight will this Trainer lose if he lives active, eats clean, manages portions (stop eating before I’m full) without resorting to any extreme measures (starvation/sauna sweating, chopping off limbs)…
For 5 days
Why 5 days? Because I got this idea 5 days ago. Let’s roll some highlights.
Day 1:
Starting weight: 204.8
I have a small portion of eggs for breakfast, a yogurt/blueberry smoothie for a snack, and a 2 small bbq sirloin pizzas (prepped by my Wife) for dinner. That afternoon I lift weights pretty hard for 45 minutes.
I do not sleep well because my Son is 2 months old and won’t allow it.
Day 2:
Weight: 204.8.
And after what I would deem a near perfect nutrition/exercise day I am the same weight. I work pretty hard (8 appointments) and don’t have time/energy for a workout, despite the fact that I work in a gym. The struggle is real, unquestionably.
I have a super-shake for breakfast, a yogurt smoothie snack, 2 turkey burgers and a salad for dinner.
I do not sleep well (this time the culprit is Pepper (my Dog) who wakes me up twice for bathroom trips).
Day 3:
Weight: 204.3
Now we’re moving the needle. I measure my body fat percentage. If you believe Jackson/Pollock 3 site caliper method I have 8.86% body fat. If you go by the Jackson/Pollock 4 site caliper test I am an even 12%. The truth is somewhere between the two. Both are good enough so I’m not going to obsess.
This Jackson/Pollock are a couple of nutritionists who devised a fairly reliable method of measuring body fat; not to be confused with the abstract expressionist painter Jackson Pollock. As far as I know he did not care about body fat; just painting squiggly lines.
Side note- I’d like to remind everyone that I had my BMI measured on my birthday 2 weeks ago and the minute clinic told me I was obese. Obese with 8-12% body fat. I think this meme aptly expresses my emotions:
Super shake for breakfast, 45 minutes of weights, 2 more Turkey burgers for lunch, and an Armenian protein salad from Anoush’ella (You should check this place out).
I sleep very well all things considered.
Day 4:
Aaaaand Baby boy was up just as I was getting ready for work. In the ensuing chaos I forgot to measure my weight.
35 minutes of yoga followed by Maple Walnut oatmeal (I could have eaten more) and a supershake. 30 minute run (Pepper pushes me at 6:15 pace). Light salad with protein for dinner.
I weigh myself before bed. 205.8.
Day 5
Test out: 202 lbs
Body fat: I’m still bw 8-12%.
In sum: I ate clean, I was active and I tried to get my rest. I lost 2+ lbs. That is an AMAZING result.
How did I lose over 3 lbs overnight? 2 main reasons.
- I peed twice, e.g. Water weight.
- I tape my mouth shut at night. This ensures I’m breathing optimally. Our body’s main method of purging body fat is respiration. Taping my mouth shut night after night has turned me into a ruthlessly efficient breather. My lungs are a furnace and science backs this up.
Let’s recap
My eating this week was between good and great. My exercise was okay. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: you can’t out-train a bad diet.
Eat mindfully, breathe well, move your body and leave the workouts feeling invigorated.
I could have worked out harder and eaten less; but life is too short to measure your food portions on a scale or run 15 miles a day.
Make small changes. Be disciplined. Give it time.
You overestimate what you can do in a day, underestimate what you can do in a month.
Such a cliche!
It ain’t sexy but it is the truth.