My sweet friend, Lauren, yesterday had a bit of a 30-day breakdown. She’s been doing PiYo now–her very first home workout program–for 30 days. She saw some serious results in her first two weeks, then some minor results in week 3, then in week 4…nothing. Not a thing. Here’s what she had to say:
“I’ve plateaued… Like for over a week, plateaued… I’m eating as healthy as I can…and I’m PiYo-ing every day, and drinking way more water than I ever have… Discouraged doesn’t even begin to explain where I am… Yeah, I am more flexible, and while my stomach looks smaller, my measurements aren’t changing… Having a hard time pushing play tonight…”
I totally feel her pain. I do. I think anybody who has worked out consistently has felt this pain at some point along the way. And what’s more discouraging than not seeing any results over a long period of time, and KNOWING how hard you’re working to change your life and your body?? I don’t know about you, but it makes a pint of Ben & Jerry’s and a movie night on the couch with late-night pizza delivery pretty appealing. Pushing play? Counting grams of protein? No thanks.
But. Almost always there’s something in the big picture that’s not quite right. If you’re being totally honest about pushing play every day, and completely truthful about your nutrition being dead on…and those are huge things to admit, even to yourself…then it’s time to dig a little deeper. I am, by no means, an expert on fitness or nutrition, but I’ve had a little experience (and I’m a little bit of a nerd where reading up on this stuff is concerned…and I know some really smart people). Here’s what I had to say to Lauren. And I’d say the same to you. (And then I’d remind you that building muscle means better fat-burning potential, even if you can’t see the muscle. And then I’d ask you if you’ve ever noticed that someone with a six-pack doesn’t necessarily have a smaller waist size than somebody without one…but…I’d rather have the six-pack. 🙂 )
Anyway, here is my response (And read the article at the end. It’s good stuff. And says it way better than I can.):
“OK. First. Stop. Breathe.
Are you breathing?
Now. Listen. You are on Day 30. One month into a fitness routine. You are expecting a heck of a lot of your poor body in one month’s time. One week of no change in your weight/measurements could very well mean that…well, yesterday you oversalted yourself. Or you’re ovulating. Or something didn’t work itself out quite right in your body. Or you’re stressed (oh, your body does NOT like stress!!). Or your muscles are catching onto this whole thing and are either 1) inflamed (swollen, holding onto fluid, rebuilding), or 2) expanding. Which is HIGHLY possible. Muscle gain happens with this program because you’re building muscle by tearing it down (remember how sore you are???). You don’t always lose MORE fat than the muscle you gain!
Additionally, in the first 30 days of almost any program, I always gain weight. Always. My body has become a well-oiled machine where changing up fitness routines goes–it has a routine. First, it balks at me, like, “HOLY HECK that was new!!” and takes a little time to adjust to the new thing I’m throwing at it. Then I feel like I’m going to die a little bit because it catches on…then it REALLY gets it. Like, “Oh, yeah. I remember,” kind of getting it. The one thing my coach said to me that stays in my brain always are these three words: TRUST THE PROGRAM. Do you think they spend millions of dollars marketing and developing these programs because they don’t work if you do them as they’re written? HECK NO!! They know what they’re doing. Go look at some of the before and after pictures if you need proof. They are real people. Real results.
Don’t give up. Don’t beat yourself up. Push Play. Every day. Keep doing the right things that you know you should be doing and don’t stray from them because you’re discouraged. Trust. The. Program. This is a marathon, friend. Not a sprint. And changing your life takes time. Even if you only lose 5 pounds in the course of 8 weeks…it’s five pounds you wouldn’t have lost (and lots of beautiful, fat burning muscle you wouldn’t have developed) if you hadn’t done anything, right?
Breathe some more.
And go read this: Ask The Expert Why Do You Gain Weight When You Start Working Out ”
Discouragement happens. Don’t let it derail you. Let it motivate you to be consistent. Weed out the junk. Get through the program. Take your before measurements and pictures and be consistent. Then take your afters…and be amazed.
SweetSpot. 