Almost everyone who comes to us has tried something already. A diet, an app, a membership, a programme off the internet. It went well for a few weeks and then it came back. That is rarely about discipline. It is about five patterns we see again and again.
1. The expectation is wrong
Five kilos in a week does not exist, at least not as fat. You put it on over months or years, and the way back takes about as long. Lose a kilo a month and you are twelve kilos down in a year. It sounds slow and it is still the pace that lasts.
2. Too much, too fast
The classic start: training five times a week, changing the whole diet at once, no more alcohol. Three weeks in, the shoulder complains or life gets busy, and all of it goes at once. Better to start with less and do it properly than to start with too much and stop again.
3. Life gets in the way
Children, work, holidays, a cold. Something always gets in the way, and that is normal. What matters is what happens next. Pick it up again after two missed weeks and you lose almost nothing. File those two weeks as failure and you stop.
4. Nobody asks after you
Doing it alone is hard. With a fixed appointment, a coach and a few people who notice when you are missing, it gets much easier. Many of our long-standing clients say exactly that: they come because somebody is there who checks in.
5. Guessing instead of measuring
Without numbers you cannot tell whether the plan is working. The scale on its own is not enough, because it does not tell you whether you lost fat or muscle. That is where most diets fall apart: the weight drops, the muscle goes with it, and your energy use drops too.
When the scale sits still for two weeks
This happens to nearly everyone, and it is the point where most people give up. But a flat scale does not mean a flat body.
Your weight swings by one or two kilos within a day depending on salt, water, your cycle and digestion. If you train with weights you are building muscle and losing fat at the same time. On the scale those cancel out for a while. In the mirror and in your waistband they do not.
So we look at three things rather than one: body fat, muscle mass and waist measurement. Only when all three sit still for four weeks do we change anything in the plan.
What works instead
- A realistic goal with a realistic timeframe
- Strength training twice a week as the base, so you keep your muscle
- Eating enough rather than as little as possible, with enough protein
- Looking at sleep, steps and alcohol before you fine-tune details
- Measuring every few weeks and adjusting the plan
An example from our studio
One client came to us at around 120 kilos. He did the 12 week programme, trained twice a week and changed his eating step by step. He did not reach his goal within those twelve weeks. He laid the groundwork and then carried on by himself.
Today he weighs between 80 and 85 kilos and has held that for four years. He plays floorball again and feels fit in daily life. The point of the story is not the number, it is how long the number has lasted.
The first four weeks, in plain terms
Starting from nothing does not call for a perfect plan. It calls for one you can still manage in a bad week.
- Week 1: two fixed training slots in the calendar, change nothing else
- Week 2: add a protein source to every main meal, change nothing else
- Week 3: a fixed bedtime on five days out of seven
- Week 4: measure once, then decide what comes next
It looks like very little. That is precisely why it holds. Change everything at once and after the first setback there is nothing left to fall back on.
How we do it
We do not train on luck. In the entry check we go through your history, test strength and mobility and use a Body Scan to see what your body is made of. That becomes your plan, and we adjust it at least every two months. Nutrition coaching is part of it when it helps, and stays out when it does not.
If you want to know where you stand, get in touch.