Avoid Taking It to the Extreme

Written by Dan Ekblad, IAWP CWC

One of the biggest problems we face today is the “I want it now” mentality and wanting to take the easiest and quickest way to get there. “Let's take things to the extreme so it happens fast, because I want it right now!”
 
With TV shows like ABC's Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition and NBC’s The Biggest Loser, people think they can easily drop a lot of weight in a short amount of time.

The problem with this mentality is that as fast as the weight comes off, for many, it comes back even faster. Speaking from many years of experience and doing this exact thing, I can tell you that it's not that hard to lose a bunch of weight really quickly. I can also tell you that it's not that hard to gain all of it back…and then some!
 
"The hardest part of losing weight is keeping it off once you lose it."
 
If you go on an extreme diet, losing 20-30% of your body weight in 30-45 days, you're losing weight too fast. Likely, you are either starving yourself or taking something to suppress your appetite. Ask yourself this question—Do you want to live the rest of your life like this? Do you want to live on a crazy diet that will deplete you and make your body go into starvation mode? When you reach your weight loss goal while on one of these crazy diets, you likely go back to your old habits since the diet is not sustainable. Your body will start protecting itself. It doesn’t know if or when you will start starving it again, so it will store everything you eat causing you to gain weight faster than you just lost it.
 
Extreme Exercising
 
Those who jump in and start doing extreme exercising often end up in the same place as those who do extreme dieting, gaining all their weight back. Usually when January rolls around, people decide they need to join a gym and hit it hard. Many people do just that which is very evident January through March. After March, most gyms are back to their normal attendance. This happens because the extreme exercise enthusiasts cannot sustain their exercise patterns and have burnt out. Some people who have already been working out and decide they're not seeing results may decide to change to go to the extreme with their exercise routine to lose a bunch of weight.
 
I am an example of someone who goes to the gym a lot. I've been that person who thinks I can lose a bunch of weight and still eat anything I want as long as I'm killing it in the gym. A great example of this was when I was very heavy and in the process of losing all my weight. I would be at the gym at 5:30 in the morning doing 60 minutes of cardio on the elliptical and then doing anywhere between 1,000 to 1,300 reps of abdominal exercises. Yes, you read that correctly. I did over 1,000 repetitions daily! Between crunches, sit ups, planks and abdominal machines, I would spend almost an hour working my core. After six months of doing this six days a week, I was getting discouraged because I wasn't seeing any abs! "Where’s my six pack!" The answer was something I didn't want to hear, but it is the truth. Abs are not made in the gym, they are made in the kitchen.

Instead of taking things to the extreme, try to better balance the food you consume and the exercise you give your body. Without a nutritious, well-balanced diet, your body will not make permanent long-lasting changes no matter how much you do in the gym.
 
Remember, life is a marathon, not a sprint. Make sustainable changes that will serve you best for your journey through life. Avoid extremes and make lifestyle changes that will help you and those who are closest to you. Be a role model and set a good example.