katgirl55 wrote:
In my weight loss program we were taught to set goals based on behavior and not on what the scale says, because that is what we can control. It didn't make sense at first, but focusing on the cause and not the symptom now seems very obvious.
I think this is so important, it deserves its own thread. So as not to hijack the fat shaming thread, starting a new one on what katgirl brought up. And a book that I found interesting, which may benefit others if they keep an open mind.
Tracking progress is great, but it doesn't happen fast enough. Tracking behaviors can happen every day and you always know well you're doing, if you track it. I recently "got" this by reading the book Fat Loss Happens on Monday. I read it because it's co-authored by a strength coach I've learned lots from. They describe the approach that's worked best for clients over the years, and the two foundations are a detailed food log, and an incremental approach to changing food behaviors with advance planning.
The author realized early on the single biggest factor in his clients' success with fat loss was whether or not they kept a detailed food diary or not. In other words, nearly every person who kept a food log met their goals, and only a few who didn't record everything managed to succeed anyway. Like Jeff, he is a big fan on the CRON-o-meter for ease and detail. What I took away from this is that while such accurate recording is not always necessary, it is very useful in the learning process. It's really hard to troubleshoot something without data. So a detailed record was the first step. Every week you analyze what happened. From that analysis you make a new plan for the next week. Repeat what worked, change what didn't. Seeing things in impersonal numerical form might decrease some of the guilt and shame. It's all just a bunch of behaviors, some productive, some not. Not "good" or "bad", just what works and what doesn't.
The next step is where the title comes from. Athletes often schedule their hardest workouts first in the week for when they're fresh. What's most important, do it first, that way if anything goes awry later, the priority was handled. For his clients, that meant getting THE FOOD right first. Sound familiar? The number one priority is to get the week's food planned, shopped, prepped, and stored first. Before any workouts.
The nutritional advice is rooted in the typical personal training model of protein and "healthy" fats, but it does not argue for a LC or kept diet by any means. That's the purpose of recording and analyzing, find what works and repeated. He recounts how, surprise! some people do really well on high carb diets! But his criteria should sound familiar, satiety vs. calories. He just feels protein and fat work best. I wonder what he would think of Jeff's Calorie Density presentation.
He is adamant throughout that regarding fat loss, IT'S THE FOOD. The shorter second half covers his exercise progression, which is based on kettle bells and bodyweight, so that it could be done at home or the gym. Some cool stuff there for those interested.
I found it a much more interesting read than I expected. It's inspired me to try a few experiments for myself. I'll report back anything interesting.
