Day in and day out we talk to women with one thing on their mind and one thing only: They want to lose weight. They’ve tried everything. All the things that used to work for them are no longer working. In addition to not being happy with their bodies they are also feeling tired, stressed, burned out, etc. Sound familiar? Over and over again we hear different versions of the same story. These women don’t just want to look better, they want to feel better. And this is exactly where we step in. As your coach, it’s our job to help you navigate your fitness journey. We don’t have a cookie cutter or one size fits all approach. We know that even though our struggles as women over the age of 40 our similar, the journey to improved health and fat loss will be different for each of us. Ah. Notice I said fat loss and not weight loss. This is where things get tricky. Fat loss and weight loss are not the same thing. And even though you’ve been trying everything in your power to lose 10, 20, or even 50+ pounds, you might just be chasing the wrong thing and actually getting in your own way. This pursuit of a number on the scale might actually be contributing to the reason you feel like shit and why you can’t get off the yo-yo diet roller coaster. When it comes to losing weight, you need to be in a calorie deficit. You can do this by either eating less or moving more or some combination of both. But you already knew that didn’t you? That’s why you eat like a bird and exercise 5-6 days a week but still aren’t seeing any progress. Why is that? Because you’re chasing the wrong thing. By restricting calories and beating your body up in the gym for weeks, months, maybe even years on end, you’re actually doing more harm than good. Without realizing it, you’ve done a few things: Created an all or nothing mindset Created a binge/restrict cycle Made your metabolism slower Created a state of constant fight or flight in your body Contributed to gut imbalances Generated an inflammatory response Contributed to hormone imbalance Does any of that sound like the healthy and vibrant person you want to be? So while you might think you’d be happier, healthy, more energetic, at the weight you were in high school (or when you got married or when you ran that race, etc.). You might actually be a happier, healthier, more energetic version of yourself 5 to 10 pounds heavier than you think. And you might even look better too! When most women pursue a weight loss journey they lose a combination of both fat and muscle. But women that work with us are able to lose fat without sacrificing the muscle mass that supports metabolism, healthy hormones, blood sugar regulation, etc. Yes you read that right! Muscle is an important organ that goes way beyond the aesthetic factor. That’s why we rely on the data collected and presented by our Styku body scan to help us monitor fat loss and muscle mass. By eating enough total calories, protein and carbs, prioritizing strength and recovery, managing stress, etc. your body will begin to lose fat while preserving and maintaining muscle…maybe even putting on additional muscle. So you might go an entire month and “only” lose 4 pounds. When most women see this, their immediate reaction is “WTF!”. But with the Styku, we’re able to see this person actually lost 5 pounds of fat, increased bone density and increased muscle mass and lost overall inches. This gives us the external feedback a lot of us need to keep going. Some bio markers you can use to know if you’re on the right track include: Better sleep Increased libido Better stress resilience Increased energy Less cravings Clothes fitting better Less brain fog Better mood Less yelling at the kids When weight loss is “slow” but we’re seeing fat loss and improvements in other areas of our life, it not only means that what you’re doing is working but it also means it’s sustainable long term. You will be able to continue on this path for weeks, months, and years to come and easily and happily maintain your progress.
It’s time to stop chasing a smaller version of yourself and start chasing the stronger version of yourself. -Coach Megan
