Wednesday's Wisdom

Alright folks, it's time to get a little REAL here.  Everyone is coming off a GREAT week!!  We're all pumped up, feeling good and ready to take on the world.  

I LOVE IT!!  In addition to that, ridiculous amounts of you lost 3 -6 lbs last week as well!  Seriously, you are all amazing for your hard work.  I can tell through your comments that you are ready to ROCK this challenge and stay strong!  Though..I'd like you to prepare yourself for the reality check I like to refer to as "WEEK 2".

Week 2 for many has it's challenges.  For one, you're working your tail off to not only get your exercise in, but now you're really focusing on your nutrition.  Excellent!  That's just what you should be doing.  So what kind of reality check am I prepping you for?  I'm attempting to prep you for the WEIGH IN on Monday.  Week 2 can be brutal.  The scale won't always reflect the blood, sweat and tears you put in during the week.  Here's the crazy part...THAT'S OKAY!  Your body is adjusting to the new way of doing things and don't worry, if you keep up with the habits the results will come.  

Bottom line is:  We are not the Biggest Loser, nor do we aspire to be.  We live in the REAL world, with real families, real jobs and real responsibilities that prevent us from working out 8+ hours a day, with someone else doing our shopping and stocking our fridge with only the BEST options.  Although... wouldn't that be fantastic?!    What this means is, we need REALISTIC expectations for weight loss, weight maintenance and habit development.  

You may have been able to report some big numbers this week, but please keep in mind that you might find you may not lose as much Week 2.  Now, you could be lucky.  Your body might just be ready to shed the pounds and you'll get a few weeks of big numbers before it slows down.  

When it does slow down (yes, it most likely will), be careful not to lose hope!!  One to two pounds of weight loss a week has been proven to be the most effective way to lose weight and KEEP IT OFF!  I know we all want to be slim, strong and healthy NOW, but patience is important!!  Who wants to lose a bunch of weight and then rebound?  Bah!  Not me!  If you continue to work hard to develop those healthy habits, they will eventually become second nature to you and you'll feel all the benefits of living a health-based life!!

Good luck this week!  Be a support to others and remember to smile through the sweat!