Fat loss is easy. Fat loss is simple. You should have a straight line from your start to your goal, this way you'll get there in the quickest possible way.

We all know it's not like that though. Fat loss is simple but not easy. It's going to be hard work, you are going to have to be dedicated and put in some effort. If it wasn't so, everyone would have the ideal body. Their ideal body.​

Most peoples' line probably looks a little bit more like the one above. Familiar?
It's up and down, backwards and forwards and for some reason many people also seem to end up exactly where they started or even worse, further behind. 

If you are admiring my drawing skills above, wait until you see what I've done further below...
But first, why is it ok that the line isn't straight? Or straight down​ more importantly. We can't be 100% strict all the time, we wouldn't have a life and it would drive us nuts if every minute and every day was perfect. In fact even if it is, your line may not be straight, there's no guarantees. So I think it's perfectly fine for the line to be up and down during the journey, as long as the start and the "finish" is at different levels.

I wrote "finish" because there is no finish. I'm sorry to burst your bubble. You cannot stop, you cannot finish. If you reach a goal weight, there is still a lot of work to make sure you maintain it and also to make sure we stay healthy. You can have a finished weight, but the nutrition and training needs to always be there. 

The line above is my fat loss journey. I stepped on the scale about six years ago and was heavier than I ever had been before. My days as an ice hockey player were over but I had been eating as if they weren't. At this time, we didn't get any nutritional advice from the team so I just ate whatever I liked which was a lot. Bread.
I would probably have a loaf of bread or more each and every day. My mum worked three different jobs and didn't always have time to cook. Although she probably did but I just liked sandwiches...
So anyway, I stepped on the scales and decided it was time to change and I did. I dropped a lot early but as you can see I was going up and down, which stressed me out at the time, but I realize now it did not matter at all. I reached my goal and during the years have created habits that help me maintain exactly where I'm comfortable. When I feel like I lose too much, I eat more and if I gain a bit around the waist, I adjust the diet and will bring it down again.
It took a lot of time and consistency though, you don't create these habits in a week. 

What if your line looks like this?

Excellent if you're maintaining and are happy where you're at.​

The one below on the other hand...This is what happens to a lot of people, the weight creeps up slowly and you don't even notice it. Just buy a size larger when it's time to update your wardrobe, no biggie the sizes have probably changed since last time. I used to think that as well. "I like them baggy", I pretended. Tight around the waist and baggy legs. Supercool!​

So in summary, everyone will have ups and downs, it's what we do consistently that will create success. We have a couple of winter challenges coming up in June, registration hasn't opened yet, but you can pre-register your interest if you want to know more. Just email johan@bigfivefitness.com.au to find out more.