As a fitness trainer who had never had a problem with my weight, I didn’t really understand my client’s struggles. And one day, when I was grilling someone about what I perceived was a lack of effort on his part, he informed me that I had no right to be so hard on him since I’d never been his size. That really hit home for me, and I began thinking about my inability to empathize with the people I was serving. So, I challenged myself and decided to put on weight intentionally by not going to the gym and eating a standard American diet of processed, fast foods, candy, and soda. Over six months, I gained 75lbs and then tried to lose it again. I quickly discovered that it was harder than I thought.
In theory, I understood that junk food was addictive, but in practice, I had no idea how strong that addiction was and how much it controlled your life. I also learned that being unhealthy had a negative impact on my relationships and finances. My confidence was at an all-time low, and I felt drained and unmotivated to do anything other than sit in front of the TV, eating pizza all day. I wasn’t helping as much around the house, and I wasn’t as enthusiastic about playing with my two-year-old daughter.
After six months, I started going back to the gym, and I found it extremely humiliating. I had to do push-ups on my knees, I couldn’t lift the way I used to, and I got out of breath very quickly. I could feel the eyes staring at me and all I could think about was this is what my clients go through every day. I felt terrible, and this was an experiment. Carrying this weight around for years must be horrific.
After my weight gain experiment, I had complete sympathy for my clients. Their problems were not rooted in laziness but in food addiction, and as with any addiction, breaking it is extremely difficult. To get back on track, I designed a weekly workout plan that would give me the best results. This included working out for 45 minutes to one hour five days a week. I learned a lot during my weight loss journey, and my advice to anyone wanting to shed the pounds is:
- Make a plan: If you don’t plan how you’re going to lose weight, you’ll fail. Create an exercise plan and a meal plan, set a date to start, and stick to it.
- Enjoy the process: One of the main reasons people give up is because they don’t see immediate results. That was definitely something I struggled with. Every week I’d look in the mirror and not see any noticeable difference. I was so desperate to get back to what I looked like, and I was getting frustrated that it wasn’t happening fast enough. I quickly learned that enjoying the process is an important part of the journey. The more you enjoy the process, the easier it will be to achieve your desired results.
- Take two days off: Working out seven days a week and healthy eating seven days a week isn’t advisable. Firstly, you need to give your body a break, and second, having something to look forward to motivates you. There are plenty of healthy options for the junk food you enjoy. Splurge on them for two days, and then get back to your routine.
It took me six months to lose the 75lbs I had gained, and I found it extremely difficult, but it’s most definitely possible.
