Steady and Slow

As we approach a new year, it gives us time to reflect on the past and changes we want to make for the future.  A great deal of new years resolutions is related to weight loss or improving health.  

In the past 12 months since Nemesis started we have coached around 40 clients.  All our clients have different goals, aspirations and starting foundations.  Some of those clients are able to stick to their plan 100% and other’s deviate or struggle.   All our clients are asked to complete a detailed questionnaire that provides us with information regarding their goals, current lifestyle, work balance, exercise and fitness levels as well as their nutritional habits. We then assess what type of programme is best for the client.  We have turned down a number of clients who have asked to sign up, and this is mainly because they are after ‘quick fixes’ and unwilling to change certain things in their lifestyle.  If you do not embrace change – nothing will change.

We also made the decision several months ago not to take on any clients who ask for 12-week programme, our minimum sign up is for 4 months, and this is only for clients who have a good starting foundation.   We believe the key to long-term success in a lifestyle and body transformation is to ensure that the programme is healthy and sustainable long term.  We also noticed that clients who followed a 6 – 12 month programme with Nemesis are the one’s who achieved the best results.

The problem with people today in the pursuit of a transformation is they want to do it in the quickest amount of time, and they focus solely on the reduction on the scales.  We make it very clear upon sign up with Nemesis that we do not use the scales to measure ‘success’.  Although all our clients are made aware of this prior to signing up with Nemesis, 9 times out of 10 within 3 weeks that client is emailing us demotivated that they have remained the same or gained weight on the scales (despite changes in the mirror, and on body measurements!).  We have even seen clients drop out at this point unable to change their mind-set, which is heart breaking for us as coaches. 

It’s very sad that we live in a society where the scales rule and dictate if you’re successful or aesthetically pleasing and I do believe that social media, slimming clubs and magazines are responsible for this.

To put it into perspective, the scales takes into account far too many factors

·      What types of food sources you consumed the day before

·      Stress

·      Anxiety

·      Ovulation

·      Menopause

·      Menstruation

·      Lack of Sleep

·      Sodium

·      Water Consumption

·      What training you did the day before

·      The type of training programme you are following

Just to name a few!

I am constantly reminding my clients ‘when was the last time someone asked them how much they weighed?’  If they lost 1lb on the scales, I ask them the following week ‘did anyone come up and notice you lost 1lb on the scale? Did they guess you lost 1lb?”

If your body measurements are reducing then your clothes feel looser, and this is visual change - people are more aware of the changes your body is making as well as yourself. 

I always use this photograph as a comparison for my clients.

In photo 1, I was between a size 16 – sizes 18.  I weighed 136lbs, with 36% body fat.  In photo 2, I am a size 8 – 10, I fluctuate between 142lbs and 146lbs and I go between 10.1% - 13% body fat.

When I was bigger, the size of my clothes or the figure on the scales didn’t actually bother me.  I hated how I had a ‘muffin top’.  I was constantly pulling at my jeans and giving myself the ‘Simon Cowell’ look.  I hated how my arms wobbled.  I had no butt; it was flat, saggy and full of cellulite.  My skin looked dull and lifeless.  I constantly had colds and migraines and felt tired all the time – especially at work around mid afternoon.  I hated how I looked, and couldn’t believe how much I had let myself go and was extremely unhappy.  I remember going into female changing rooms to try on clothes that looked great hanging up or on the mannequin, but by the time I had squeezed the outfit on, and standing in the middle of a 1m square changing room cubicle with ‘bad mirrors’ I felt even more horrendous.

Yes I weigh more now than I did back then, but I don’t care – I FEEL GREAT.  Nobody has ever asked me how much ‘weight I have lost’ but they have asked how I manage to get such a nice butt, or arms, or how tiny my waist is.   I no longer have to tuck in that tummy into my jeans.  I feel super tight and toned, and I try on clothes all the time and look and feel fantastic. 

If your thinking about changing your lifestyle with a healthy approach whist transforming your body then please visit our website.  We don’t do fad diets, we don’t starve our clients and we support you throughout your plan with us.  We are in it for the long haul.

The hardest part of a transformation is letting go all of the conflicting information that you have read, changing your mind-set and putting 100% trust into your coach and 100% commitment into your change.  You get back what you put in.  If you deviate, you push your goal further away. 

Everyone thinks that a transformation is hard work, and it really is simple train consistently and eat healthier.  No miracle diet pills, juicing diet, 1200-calorie or point tracking is sustainable long term.

‘If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is!”.

DO IT ONCE, DO IT RIGHT – MAKE THE CHANGE.