Does This Sound Familiar?
You start feeling down about yourself and get fired up to lose weight. So, you commit to the gym—5, maybe 6 days a week.
You stop eating out.
You cut out all your favorite foods because they’re “bad.”
You start tracking your food and settle on 1200 calories because that’s what you’re “supposed” to do to lose weight.
You avoid carbs like the plague.
That first week, you drop 5 pounds.
But instead of feeling proud or satisfied, you think, “I only lost 5 pounds?”
So, you push harder. Maybe an extra workout or two.
The next week, you “only” lose 2 pounds.
So, you add another gym day.
As the weeks go by, the scale moves slower, and you start to think you’re stalling.
But a month in, you’re down 10 pounds. Instead of feeling accomplished, you’re exhausted, your cravings are out of control, and your hunger feels impossible to satisfy.
You start missing workouts, and suddenly you’re ravenous, standing in front of the fridge or cupboard at midnight.
Guilt sets in. You couldn’t control your cravings, couldn’t keep up with the gym.
Before you know it you gained 15 lbs back.
You think, “Why is this so hard?”
Let me tell you why: because you’re trying to stick to unsustainable practices.
It’s not realistic to think you can maintain 6-day-a-week workouts and 1200 calories long term. Calories are FUEL. Fuel your body needs to function optimally. So your hormones stay regulated, immune system strong, digestive system regular, etc.
It’s unrealistic to go from eating 3000 calories a day to 1200 and not expect to feel starved at night. Cravings are usually a sign of deficiencies. In this case, an overall calorie deficiency.
That 5 pounds you lost in the first week? Mostly water. The rest? A mix of fat and muscle.
The more extreme your approach, the more muscle you lose.
And when you lose muscle, you might weigh less, but you’ll likely look “flabbier.”
If you want to lose body fat successfully (and yes, that means losing some weight too), you need to stop viewing this as a temporary fix and start seeing it as a permanent lifestyle change.
Ask yourself, can you truly stick to 5/6 days in the gym long term? Or would 2/3 days be more realistic for you? Going to the gym helps with burning calories, but nutrition is the driver of weight loss, not exercise.
Remember, it’s not about how quickly you can lose weight; it’s about creating a lifestyle that you can maintain for the long haul, so you not only lose weight, but keep it off. Consistency beats intensity every time.
Instead of striving for perfection, focus on progress, not just what the scale says.
Celebrate the small wins and listen to your body.
A balanced approach—one that you can actually stick to—will always lead to better, lasting results.
You deserve to feel strong, confident, and energized, not burnt out and defeated. So, let go of the extreme diets and unrealistic expectations. Embrace sustainable changes that honor your health and well-being.
You’ve got this!
If you feel like you’re ready to try things another way, because the way you’ve been doing it is not working for you, Phoenix Transformations is always here for you check out our SERVICES.