I have been a personal trainer for almost 20 years. When I first started this profession, I had grand ambitions to educate everyone on how simple it is to lose weight and be healthy.
I have been successful with the clients that I have had the pleasure to help over the years. However, what baffles me is how complex everyone else makes being healthy and losing weight.
Every week there seems to be another diet, workout program, book, etc.
And all the time, people jump from one plan to the next. If Jillian Michaels’ program didn’t work for them, then they try the other guy from the Biggest Loser’s program (I have never seen one episode of the Biggest Loser so I don’t know his name – another blog for another time).
Or they try the hcG diet (which I personally loathe), lose weight, gain it back and then try the Acai Berry Diet.
And then the cycle begins again. Or they quit.
Now am I saying that my program is the one and only program that works? Far from it. But I don’t sugarcoat to potential clients what we are trying to accomplish. Here is what I am trying to teach my clients. It’s simple, basic and everyone can do it.
Are you ready?
The key to weight loss is… CALORIES IN, CALORIES OUT.
That’s it.
No magic pill, no magic potion, and no special program. The meat and potatoes of weight loss have not changed over the years. However, the weight loss and fitness industry would have you believe otherwise.
Too many calories in, you will gain weight. Burn enough calories, and you lose weight.
But you are probably saying to yourself, “But, Dennis, no matter how hard I work or how much I don’t eat, I still can’t lose weight! What about people who are genetically unable to lose weight?”
So let’s back up a bit.
I freely admit there are some people with certain metabolic conditions that cannot lose weight. They do need special medical diets to help them. But what we all tend to forget is that statistically speaking, this is very, very rare when compared to the general population! We always have an all-or-nothing approach in this country.
I will also admit that the majority of people know how simple it is to lose weight. They know what needs to be done, but they just don’t have the willpower to do it. What is holding them back is THEMSELVES!
Now, this is a special circumstance. And that is why I do what I do. The clients that I have (and have had) always know what they need to do. They just need that PUSH to get them going.
I can also hear people say, “So that means I can eat the calories say in a cupcake and ignore fruits and veggies? I will be burning calories as long as I exercise!”
Valid point. So I should clarify that to be healthy, you know you should be eating healthy calories. I always saw this argument as a cop-out.
And that is why I became a personal trainer. I did not set up this business to train people, get them to their goals and then leave. My philosophy is to get my clients to their health and fitness goals and EDUCATE them so they will adopt a healthy lifestyle. I want them to have the tools to continue on this lifelong quest for health. If they get to their goals and then I hear back from them a couple of years later because they are right back where they started, then I have failed.
This is also why I have said that I cannot out-train bad nutrition! If someone is taking in more calories than they are burning in their session, then they will never lose weight. Whenever a client is not losing weight, I go right back to the nutrition part. 90% of the time that is where the problem lies. The other 10% is that they are not exercising on their own, so they are not burning enough calories.
So the next time that you look at a program, and they are saying that they are the one and only weight loss solution, I encourage you to step back and take a breath. Theirs (and mine) is not the only solution.
Calories in (eat less), calories out (exercise).
Stop following the trends.
It’s that simple.