targeting fat loss with crunches

Happy New Year!

I love the New Year, it's the only time everyone is motivated to make a change. To start and finish your fat loss program, to change your life. Maybe your goal is to quit smoking, earn that promotion, close that big deal, listen to what she says… even if you're tired… and have work… so she doesn't get upset and you can spend the weekend with your friends without any judgement. You know, the normal resolutions we all have. Smell the air, the optimism is euphoric. Welcome to day one, the first day of a new beginning. A new chance for success.

Day One

Day one, means we begin the road to fat loss. Losing fat can be tough, but thankfully many of us were gifted the tools of success during the holidays: a new gym membership, a yoga mat, some dumbbells, or even a fancy elliptical machine that is currently… still in the box, waiting to be assembled. And while our ambitions are at an all time high, they'll soon fall if we're not properly equipped. Not just with tools but the RIGHT tools for success.

Before you start make sure you know what to do. Take our Fat Loss Quiz to see if you know the right stuff.

Fat Loss is Like a Marathon

We're all on the start line right. We know the finish line, but our nerves are on high alert. If we don't pace ourselves, we'll give up and fail. Trust me, I know this all too well. At the start line of every marathon, my training partner Tony and I, always had a plan. I would repeat this plan over and over again.

 

“Remember Robert, take it easy in the beginning, get a rhythm, and then set your pace. You got this!”

The race starts and the plan goes straight out the window. I'm darting down the course as if I'm being chased by a pack of wild dogs.  I can't tell you how many times Tony has caught up to me and reminded me of our trusted plan.

 

Be Patient

I always let the start line excitement get the best of me. Unfortunately, that's how most of us are with fat loss. We sprint like a madman, only to  be pulled back to reality. Our minds know what to do, but once the gun goes off, logic disappears. We've all done it. We've started 90-day workout programs, only to give up after 7 days 🙁  We've meal prepped for an entire week, only to throw away most of the food by Friday. We take off sprinting and forget we still have 26.2 miles to go.

 

Quick shameless TBP plug. Starting off too fast isn't the only fitness fail people make during the new year. If you haven't already, check out TBP's ANIMATED VIDEO on fitness fails. It's hilarious and oh so true! 

 

But just because we aren't sprinting doesn't make it easier. We still need the right tools to get us to the finish line. I'm getting tired of these marathon metaphors, but last one, I promise. The tools below are the ones you need before the race even begins. Without them, you're setting yourself up for failure. It's called the MAD PLAN.

 

 

These are the three most important tools needed to successfully lose fat. Simple, direct, to the point. But much like that elliptical machine still waiting to be assembled, many of us will leave these tools in our box waiting to be assembled.


Number one is MOTIVATION

Why the hell are you doing this?

Ask yourself this question. What's motivating you? What's going to make you get up early, stay up late and put in the necessary work? Don't give me the classic BS excuse: I just want to be healthy? No, you don't. There's something else driving you. All of our motivations are different. You may want to look sexy in that dress that doesn't fit. You're sick of asking yourself, “Does this make me look fat?” You're sick and tired of feeling and looking sick and tired…

Maybe you don't want to be a 232 pound fatty being made fun of because his suit is too tight at the wedding of your close friend who hasn't seen you in a few years and comments about the fact that you can't button your suit. Yup, that's me! Look at those chipmunk cheeks.

 

Whatever your motivation, it must be deep enough to inspire you to not give up. Find your BIGGER BURN.

 

Number two is ACCOUNTABILITY

Nobody can climb Mt. Everest alone. We need Sherpas, a team of other climbers and a crew at base camp telling us about the storms coming ahead. Losing fat is the Mt. Everest of health. We can't do it alone. I repeat, we cannot do it alone. Once you've found your MOTIVATION, it's imperative we have supporters who are part of our Accountability Alliance.

 

Who's going to help you?

These are people who will hold your feet to the fire when times get tough. When you want that pizza slice, who's going encourage you to make a better choice? When you want to go out for beers, who's going to remind you about that 232 pound fatty that… You get my point. It can be a friend, a family member, or more importantly, your significant other. If your partner isn't on board, your fat loss success diminishes. The reason why TBP clients are successful is because we hold our clients accountable, weigh-ins, measurements, pictures. It allows us to gauge our success in short periods of time, in order to reach our long term goals. Remember, it's a marathon not a sprint. The stronger your alliance, the higher likelihood of success.

 

Number three is DISCIPLINE

Making the correct decision, even when you don't want to. Easy peezy? YEAH freaking right! We're bound to slip up. Sunday brunch? Happy hour? We'll fail, because if it was easy, everyone would be a Victoria Secret model (my dream, not yours). We won't be perfect all the time, but we have to listen to that little voice inside our head.

 

Listen to your little voice.

You know the one. That voice that creeps up and says don't do it when you're driving home and you're a little hungry. You have everything you need for a perfectly good sandwich waiting for you, but you inexplicably pull into an In-N-Out drive thru, order a triple-triple (yes, those exists) with animal fries, pay, while asking for a box with a lid to keep everything warm (I knew it was a problem when the cashier knew me by name). That voice needs to be your guiding light. It can be trained to be powerful armed with the right Motivation and supported by strong Accountability Alliance. Your little voice can take over your choices and automate decision making. Discipline is limiting the decisions taking us away from our goal while maximizing the decisions moving us towards our goal.


If you're still reading, first off, thank you. It means what you've read makes at least a little sense. You've found your true motivation and have people in mind for your Accountability Alliance. You even promised yourself to try harder to listen to your little voice. What I'm about to ask of you next requires you take a leap of faith with me. And you can't laugh. Ok, you can laugh but you have to keep an open mind. Deal?

 

Get the Right Tools

I need you to fill out a workbook. And not just any workbook but the Master Trainer, Tony Arreola's Secrets of the Skinny workbook.  Go ahead, finish laughing, I'll wait. Before you brush this off, we've used this workbook as homework for our individual personal training clients and it really works. Trust me, when Tony first sent it to me I was a skeptic. But it works because it teaches the secrets you need to master before you step foot into a gym.

 

Stop Being Fooled

Are you still with me? I told you I needed you to trust me. If this  sounds silly, it's probably because you've been taken advantage of before. The fitness industry has tricked you into believing you can lose, 10 pounds in 10 days. Juice cleanses that jump start your metabolism. Or the top 5 fat burning exercises. As a member of the fitness industry, I'm sorry we lied to you, and this workbook is our mea culpa.

 

Use the Right Tools

If you have failed to lose fat in the past, it wasn't because of lack of effort. You weren't equipped with the right tools. Now you have them. Use them and more importantly learn from others mistakes including mine. We want to make your fat loss journey as easy as possible. Take that leap of faith. If I can do it, you can too. Capitalize on the motivation before it goes away.

What goals do you have this year? Please share with me in the comments. I promise to try and help as much as possible.

 

Robert Diaz

NASM CPT, WLS, BCS

PS: If you still haven't downloaded our Secrets of The Skinny Guide, get it HERE

 

References:

  1.  Clark, M.A., Lucett, S. C., & Sutton, B. G. (2012). NASM Essentionals of Personal Fitness Training (4th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.
Related Post
The ONLY Way to Get a Flat Belly
15 Weight Loss Myths and (How To Beat Them)
How to Accomplish Any Goal You Want
Can You Pass the Fat Loss Quiz?
Comments
  • Bhuvi Kumar April 27, 2018 Reply

    Very motivational and well written piece for weight loss motivation. Keep it up and keep sharing with us!

    • admin April 27, 2018 Reply

      Thanks Bhuvi 🙂
      Glad you enjoyed the piece. Cheers to health and fitness.

  • Pranali Kamble October 22, 2019 Reply

    Keep it up, guys. This blog really motivated me. Many of us don’t actually care about being fit. But we should always take care of our health and remain fit.

    • Tony Arreola October 22, 2019 Reply

      Thank you Pranali 🙂
      We’re trying our best. We all deserve to be happy, healthy, and fit.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *