When I was 
a little kid we used to spend a portion of each hot summer at the lake in Michigan.
It was a family place in the Upper Peninsula. Everyone there sounds a little Canadian, eh?
Anyway…I had this cousin who always seemed to be there. He was an avid angler. A fisherman.
Well…actually he was probably more of a lazy bum who liked to fish. A lot.
Right. Really, I think fishing was his clever way to avoid being productive. At any rate, he was fond of telling us (over and over again) about the time he caught a fish “THIS BIG”. And for whatever reason, I remembered him and his stories today.
Well, yesterday I was thinking fondly of the summers up north. And my cousins fishing fables, when suddenly realized: tall fish stories are like the fat loss fibs people tell about losing weight on commercials.
Think about it.
When you watch a commercial for a weight loss product on TV you hear exaggerated claims of weight loss. Just like how fisher-folk like to spin yarns about giant fish that got away… Seems to be human nature.
Which begs the question: what is reasonable? What is realistic? What is the truth? Well…
If you are on a fad diet where you eat only 800 calories a day, your body will drop water and muscle like crazy. At the end of your first week of starvation, your body can lose dramatic amounts of weight. The scale will seem to show the most amazing success in the world. The scale, if it could talk, would say, “WOW!” .
Now, at this moment of psychological triumph… it is the perfect time for an unscrupulous marketer to swoop in and grab a video testimonial. Which usually goes something like this: “My name is Jenny Lostalot. In my first week on Super Fat Incinerator I lost 25lbs! Friends all think I look the best I ever have. Blahbiddity fib-diddly fib.”.
And then 50,000 people rush to buy a bottle of Super Fat Incinerator and the thigh master to sculpt their inner thighs. (Impossible to spot reduce…but that’s another post for another time) All the while, knowing somewhere deep inside, that it is all a fabrication.
A hoax.
A bamboozle.
A fable.
Sigh.
It makes my job of being honest about body fat loss tougher. And a lot less glamorous. After all, I have to fight the colorful tales in the media and tell the truth.
You say you want the unvarnished truth?
Yay! OK, then here it is. Or at least this is what data says:
A good rate of body fat loss for permanent change is about 1 percent of your current weight per week or so. So if you currently weigh 180lbs, you might expect–by following a properly constructed food plan, tracking calories with a food journal, performing regular metabolic conditioning workouts (like boot camp), getting lots of motivation, accountability, and proper guidance –to lose approximately 1.8lbs per week. Sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less since body fat loss is never like clockwork.
Gee whiz. I wish it were as easy as creating a pill or radical fad diet plan which would magically cause 25lbs of body fat loss the first week. I’d be a billionaire overnight. Because I’d patent that shinola.
But alas. The only way I know to lose 25lbs in a week legitimately, is to amputate your leg.
Or throw back that giant tall-tale trout.
Coach D
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18 Comments
I agree. I was one of those people who was always looking for an easy solution. ( Part of me still does
) Now I know that there are no easy quick-fix solutions. Change takes time and it is a slow process. I used to equate slow to “boring”. But not anymore..
If I keep doing bootcamp, I dont mind if the process if slow because I enjoy it so much!
Well, said, Kanchan. Thing is: “slow” is a relative term. You should be able to tweak your caloric output and intake to lose approximately 1% of your current “weight” per week. So if you weigh 170, we should be able to cut about 1.7lbs of body fat per week or so. This is, of course, not a hard and fast rule… it’s just a target. Keep in mind how long it took to put ON… and the amount of time it takes to take off will be lightning fast. The “easy” solution is the one that works. Change does take time. Before you can blink you’ll be fit as a fiddle and feeling amazing. The progress you’ve already made is heroic. Keep it up and thanks for the great comment, Kanchan.
So true! And trust/commitment is a huge part of this. I’d love a miracle solution, but that’s temporary. What I want – and why I’m doing this – is a lifestyle change so it becomes habit, not a fad or passing interest.
Lifestyle change that becomes a habit… what a great way to put it, Amber! Thanks for your comment.
Thanks for this email. Made me laugh – the part about amputating your leg that is. Appreciate the good info and positive outlook. Especially today – mid-week of my 2nd week.
My pleasure! I little humor makes a tough subject a bit more digestible, eh?
Boot Camp is great for me because I am absolutely ‘no good’ at following strict/weird/ or really any kind of so-called diet. Never have been for my entire life – never will be. I think most of us know deep down it’s the portion control and consistent activity/muscle growth that will keep us looking and feeling healthy. The support and encouragement also seem to be necessary for me.
The thing I’ve come to appreciate about bootcamp is that all one has to do is show up, do one’s best and get a great workout; follow your eating guidelines as closely as possible and start seeing results. The hype can just be ignored. Its not as instantaneous as an amputated leg but it is going in the right direction.
Exactly, Dil! And if you have trouble…. I’ll be there to help. You rule!
so true! you are really good at what you do! thanks for caring so much!
Thank you, Sarah. Having spent some time with you in class now… I can say the same. You “bring it” to every workout.
It’s so easy to get overwhelmed by all the diet and nutrition hype out there! Even if you’re not looking to lose major weight…just to be healthy. Sometimes it’s hard to distinguish between people with an agenda or a “cause” (even when they’re not selling something) and people with good, solid info.
The great thing about Boot Camp is that trust is a big part of it. Thanks for guiding us through the maze!
Thank you for this, Asha. It IS easy to get overwhelmed. Heck, I even do at times. The information out there is so dense. I’ll do my best to keep wading through the nonsense and delivering the reality.
As an avid fly-fisher-woman I’m not quite sure what to think of this analogy! LOL! I do love all the reminders in here though….some weeks are most definitely better than others….stay the course and be honest with oneself….that’s what I got out of it anyway… Thanks for the food for thought
Good info. If more people realized this and did not spend their money on fad diets, books, pills, and hype, they would have that money to spend on good healthy foods!
Alice, that is a fantastic point! So many dollars wasted on gimmicks. Can you imagine how much money was spent and made on gadgets for slimming the inner thighs? Nonsense! Thanks, Alice.
Okay, I had to Laugh out loud when I got to your second to last sentence. So true! Thanks the these reminders. It’s easy to believe the hype!
Ha! It IS a shocking little insight isn’t it? But the crazy thing is, you are right… it’s true! Thanks, Julie!