Before I explain, these 3 mistakes to avoid if you want to get leaner are very common so if you’re making one or all of them, don’t feel bad.
I’ve made every single one of these mistakes at various points in my life and had to learn the hard way. I’m speaking from personal experience and from having coached hundreds of individuals in achieving their body composition goals.
My recommendation is to view this through the lens of personal experience. If they resonate with you then consider how they’ve served you over the years.
My guess is…they haven’t.
And if that’s the case, then the answer is simple. If you want a different outcome then you need to do things differently than you’ve done them in the past.
With that said, let’s dive in.
1. Trying to be too perfect
This is likely the most common mistake that gets in the way of the goal-achievement process. Why? Because it triggers the all-or-nothing cycle. This is especially problematic with high performers because we tend to think in terms of getting an A or an F. I don’t know about you, but if I didn’t get an A in school, I was afraid to tell my parents.
I have high expectations for myself, which can be a gift and a curse. It drives me to do better but it also can manifest in perfectionist tendencies. When I first started my nutrition journey, I was all in. I tried to eat perfectly, train perfectly, and stay 100% dialed in. That would backfire, literally every weekend. The problem is that perfection isn’t real. So the minute you make a mistake (which we all do), things tend to unravel. The solution is to address your relationship with consistency and failure. At some point, you learned that a mistake is a personal letdown (or a letdown of others).
Re-write that narrative into one that’s more productive. Expect that mistakes are going to happen and set the standard for being consistent, not perfect.
2. Following a plan that doesn’t fit your lifestyle
Do you associate results with restriction? Do you immediately assume that you have to eat super “clean,” cut out foods you love, eliminate entire food groups, or join a program with a lot of “rules” around food?
Hopefully not…But many of us do.
If your plan doesn’t allow you to still live your life and do the things you enjoy, you’re not going to sustain your results. An easy litmus test is this… have you ever lost weight and gained it back? If you have, it means you likely followed a plan that didn’t fit your lifestyle.
It was too restrictive and you didn’t learn how to build sustainable behaviors that can account for the missteps that are inevitable. The more you have to white-knuckle your way through a program, the more mental fatigue and frustration will set in.
It’s not about working harder, it’s about working smarter. You can and should still be able to go out for dinner with your family, enjoy vacations, be social, and eat foods you love. Everyone loves to say that they want to “make it a lifestyle,” so it’s important that we execute accordingly.
3. Thinking you can do it on your own
Consider this… we live in the age of information overload. It’s rarely a matter of not knowing what to do, it’s simply a matter of having the guidance and accountability to implement.
If you ever catch yourself saying.. “I know what to do, I’m just not doing it.” That’s exactly what coaching is for. It’s the fastest and most effective way to reach your destination and stay there. Why? Because it removes all of the guesswork and detours and holds you accountable for the things you say you want.
Think of it like this… could you get into your car right now and drive from Arizona to New York without directions? Of course. Eventually, you’d find your way there. But wouldn’t it be significantly more efficient to use an app like Waze to give you the quickest path to get there? That’s what coaching does for you. We’re all human and we all need accountability. When you invest in a coach, you invest in yourself, and you are making a statement that you are worth it and deserve more.
Getting leaner can be an enjoyable and rewarding process.
Unfortunately, most people overcomplicate the process and follow a plan that removes all joy and freedom from their lives.
Our clients get to reach their body composition goals while falling in love with the process, which means that they never have to worry about losing their results. We help them maintain it for life.
If you’re struggling with any of the above mistakes, shoot me a message and let me know which one resonates the most with you.
I’d love to see if I can help.
Your Coach,
Ben
