THE BLUEPRINT FOR SUCCESS

What is the blueprint for success when it comes to losing weight and feeling great?

Well, just recently, 3 of our fitness programs (Lose 2 Win, Peak 10 and the Max Trainer Challenge) ended with some stunning results and pretty amazing success stories from participants.   So instead of hearing from me what I think works, I decided to look at what the most successful people in these programs did to achieve their success.

And what do I mean by success?  They all lost weight (mostly body fat), they were able to keep their BMR (basil metabolic rate) almost the same and they truly changed the way they behaved (by creating new habits) to transform how they look and feel.

And there was a common theme with all of them… a simple “blueprint” for success…one that anyone can follow and when they do, they, too, can achieve amazing results.

So I thought I would share it with you:

• They had a specific goal: they wanted to lose weight (specifically body fat) and all their workouts, nutrition and lifestyle habits focused on that single goal.

• They had a specific time frame: for the Max Trainer Challenge, it was 10 weeks, for Peak 10 and L2W, it took 8 weeks.  They had a specific start and end date to focus on, pushing them to stay focused, stay committed and achieve their goal.

• They had a “complete” strategy: 3 main areas of focus were:
  • NUTRITION- Starting first and foremost with clean eating, the foundation of any great weight loss program. Eating a set number of calories per day, pre-planning meals, avoiding processed foods and carbs and consuming lots of veggies, healthy fats and lean proteins.
  • STRENGTH TRAINING – Doing total body strength training sessions (2-3 x a week) with the sole purpose of keeping the body’s lean muscle and boosting metabolism.
  • HITT TRAINING – Participating in High Intensity Interval Training (2-3 x a week for 30 minutes), where you burn more fat and calories than with long, slow cardio sessions. It doesn’t matter if you row, cycle, dance or use cardio equipment, as long as it’s done in an interval training format.

• They changed the strategy if it wasn’t working: Many times people try something and if it doesn’t work, they just quit.  Well, for some people, if something doesn’t work, they change their strategy instead of quitting.  Some did more weights than cardio intervals, some cut out fruit or dairy, some cut out more or different kinds of calories (fat vs. sugar, for example).

• They had accountability measures: they had a trainer or coach to keep them on track each week.  They had a group of people who pushed them and others in the group to step up and stay on track.  They had weekly weigh-ins to make sure they were moving in the right direction– forward!

• They tracked what they were losing: Not just weight.  There are other important (and sometimes), more telling measurements that should be tracked.  Yes, tracking your weight is important, but you need to know what that weight is made up of and if you losing the right thing (fat).  Losing just weight, especially muscle weight, is a recipe for disaster.  This is what I meant earlier about participants managing to keep their BMR (basil metabolic rate) the same.  Think of BMR as the base number of calories your body burns just to stay alive, keep your organs and brain functioning, without even moving.  And that’s a number you don’t want to see drop.  For example, if you weigh 150 lbs. and your BMR is 1800 (calories), you don’t want to lose 20 lbs. to get to 130 lbs. and drop your BMR to 1600 (which means you now have to eat even less.)  This is why it’s so important to maintain (or better yet, BUILD), your lean body muscle:  it will burn calories even when you are not moving.

• They had GOOD pressure if they failed: this means there was motivation from either the trainer, the group or the goal to stay on track.  For example, in the Max Trainer Challenge, they could have been kicked out of the Challenge, or in L2W, they could have let their team down.  In Peak 10, they would lose their chance to win their program fee back.

• And finally, they had EACH OTHER: the group dynamics are important in helping each person feel accountable, supported and challenged all at the same time.   This keeps everyone on track through the entire process and, more importantly, motivates those who fall off track or aren’t seeing results to refocus their efforts in the program.

What not try adopting some of these 8 simple strategies as the basis to forming your own blueprint for success?  Who knows where you may find yourself? — Hopefully looking and feeling your best!

Phil Dozois, Owner, Breakthru Fitness