Over the past few years I have been fortunate enough to work with many clients who have made fantastic transformations.
Although I treat all my clients individually, there are many things that remain constant throughout each individual’s journey.
I have compiled a list of the top 10 things that most of my clients have followed and has resulted in a successful transformation.
Not everyone will master all of these, but if you can incorporate some of these to your current routine or plan then you will certainly be on the right track for a successful transformation of your own.
1) They are in a calorie deficit.
You should know by now, in order to lose weight you need to be in a calorie deficit. This means you are burning more calories than you consume. It is impossible to lose weight without being in a calorie deficit. This sounds pretty straight forward in theory but the psychology of putting this in practice can prove difficult.
2) They stick to the basics.
We are surrounded by flashy exciting weight loss plans, pills and potions with cool names and unrealistic promises. Those that make the best progress avoid the fads and stick to the basics when it comes to their training and diet. They drink lots of water, increase their protein intake, incase their fruit and veg consumption and reduce the ‘junk’. They keep it simple and this prevents any confusion or over complication allowing them to stick to their eating plan and putting them in a calorie deficit.
3) They avoid extremes.
Anyone can lose weight short term through starving themselves and training like a monster for a few weeks. This however, very rarely is sustainable and never leads long term change. You all know that person (maybe it’s you) that is on the latest diet, usually eliminating a certain food or food group, they lose weight at the start then within a month they’ve given up on the diet and back to square one. Avoid eliminating foods completely from your diet – as soon as you tell yourself you can’t have a certain food, that’s all you will want and it will eventually lead to binging and overeating. All my successful transformation clients have enjoyed the occasional treats, alcohol etc and found a way to incorporate it into their diet.
4) They lift weights.
Resistance or weight training is highly effective for burning fat and building some lean muscle. Many people prioritise cardio training for losing weight but weight training will help elevate your metabolism much more efficiently than cardio training which makes it easier to be in a calorie deficit.
5) They have clear goals.
I always encourage my clients to write out their specific goals on paper – this can become quite a powerful tool to assist with your transformation. Having a clear goal, with time frames will allow you to keep motivated and put the appropriate plans in place to ensure those goals are achieved.
6) They plan and prepare.
Once we know where they want to be, we can put in place a route to get them to their destination. We plan their training sessions, food preparation and cover all the bases to ensure there are no excuses for them not to achieve their goal. I find those that plan and prepare their food always get better results than those who are unorganised and ‘freestyle’ it from day to day.
7) They develop good habits.
People think you have to be motivated to keep your training and diet going but the reality is those that have long term success develop good habits rather than rely on motivation. Yes, in order to start you need to be motivated and it may be a struggle at first but once habits are developed it is much easier to stick to. There are days and times when my clients lack motivation but because these good habits are ingrained they still show up and get the work done.
8) They focus on progress not perfection.
One of the reasons people don’t achieve the results they are looking for is that they try and be perfect, and when they don’t achieve this they give up. If someone is used to drinking 5 cans of coke a day, then rather than eliminating it all, you will still make great progress by cutting back to 2 cans. If you have never trained before, you don’t need to train 6 times a week – progress can be made with 1-2 sessions a week. This is much more realistic for people and you will be more likely to stick to this sort of approach. Slow progress over the long haul is how most of my clients achieve long term success.
9) They make sacrifices.
I’ve stated above that many of my clients still incorporate some treat meals and alcohol in their diet however, there still has to be an element of sacrifice when achieving a successful transformation. You may have to sacrifice watching TV a couple of nights a week to get to the gym, get up an hour earlier or go to bed earlier to get to the gym before work or cut back on your weekend blowouts or the daily tea break biscuit at work. You can’t expect to get results without some form of change or sacrifice, however you should be able to include the occasional treat into your diet without it impacting progress too much.
10) They fail.
This may seem a strange one to include but progress isn’t always straight forward, there will be ups and downs, plateaus and weeks where you gain weight. It is important to use failure as an opportunity to improve or do better. Failing is a great way to learn and has been very much a part of most of my clients transformations. Don’t be afraid of failing, it’s part of the process, providing you learn.
The list above is not the definitive guide to a transformation, just a snapshot of what most of my success stories have had in common. See what you can implement to assist you with your own journey and I can guarantee you if you are doing most of the points listed, you will be well on your way to a fantastic transformation of your own.
Coach Milligan 