The Number One Fat Loss Mistake

I was looking back through my old articles yesterday, and a few things caught my attention:

 

1.) My writing has improved (at least in my opinion), and I’ve gone from sounding illiterate to slightly less illiterate.

 

2.)  I said some really dumb things in previous blog posts (thank God for science and research).

 

3.)  I had/have a really bad habit of using exclamation points (I really am excited all the time, but when it comes to writing, too many exclamation points just look stupid).

 

4.) I haven’t written a “Fat Loss Mistakes” article.

 

In all honesty, the last one caught me by the most surprise.

 

You see, I’ve written articles on HOW to lose body fat, how to regulate food intake so that you CAN lose body fat, what NOT to do when trying to lose body fat (which I guess is similar to a “mistakes” article), and how to set up macros and cardio IN ORDER to lose body fat.

 

But, I’ve never actually covered what I consider to be the biggest fat loss MISTAKE, and in my opinion, it’s starting a fat loss phase before learning to be happy with where your body is currently.

 

 

WHAT? Are You Out of Your Mind?

 

I know, I know;  when you sit down and think about it, this doesn’t make a lot of sense.

 

I want you to be happy with your body before you start a fat loss phase, yet the main reason most people start a fat loss phase is because they aren’t happy with their body.

 

But the thing is, a poor body image and fat loss don’t mix, and going in to a fat loss phase with the expectation that achieving a certain physique will bring happiness and self-worth (which is what a lot of people do) is a recipe for mental and physical disaster.

 

No matter what – no matter how big, strong, lean, or fast you get – it will never be good enough.

 

You’ll ALWAYS want to get bigger, stronger, leaner, or faster (because there’s always room for improvement), and if you aren’t happy with where you are now – and you don’t go in with the mindset that everything going forward is simply enhancing (not building) the awesome body that you already have – you’re setting yourself up to fail because you’re betting everything on a goal that doesn’t have a finish line.

 

If you hit a set back, or don’t end up with the physique you wanted, you lose confidence.

 

Once you lose confidence, you start to lose the belief in yourself.

 

Once you lose confidence and the belief in yourself, you become angry and depressed (because you’re no longer sure if you can achieve this “perfect” physique, yet you still believe that you need that “perfect” physique to be happy).

 

All of this combined leads to a lack of consistency (Because the journey is no longer fun or enjoyable, and this stops any and all progress in its tracks).

 

And eventually, you just burn-out and give up.

 

I’ve seen this happen to a lot of people (myself included), and that’s why I truly believe that if you want to achieve a great physique, it’s imperative you maintain focus on what’s truly important.
 

 

Hint: It’s NOT Having a Six Pack

 

Your health.

 

Your family.

 

Your friends.

 

Your experiences.

 

Your career (i.e. helping people).

 

These are the things that are actually important.

 

Not having abs.

 

Because, at the end of the day, nobody really cares how lean you are.

 

Sure, you look aesthetically pleasing based on what society has brainwashed us in to thinking looks good or not, but when it really comes down to it, people like you for who you are, what you do, and how you treat them.

 

They like you for how your body PERFORMS (yes, I stole that from a recent article by Neghar Fonooni), not for how it looks, and it’s being surrounded by people that love you, helping others, and engaging in new and enriching experiences that breeds true happiness.

 

Not going from 20-10% body fat.

 

Now look, is this meant to say that having a six pack is a bad thing?

 

Is it meant to deter you from your pursuit of getting leaner?

 

No it’s not.

 

It’s simply meant to question your motives for doing so.

 

Because, having a six pack?

 

Really not that important.

 

And if you’re healthy, have a great family life, have great friends, have had/are having a ton of great experiences, and have an enjoyable career that allows you to help others in the best way you know how, why does having a six pack even matter?

 

If you have a good answer to that question, start chipping away at your physique.

 

If you don’t, you’re probably not ready to lose body fat.