The absolute worst thing you can do is compare yourself to others. You will ALWAYS fall short because there is always someone out there who is leaner or more beautiful or (fill in the blank)…
The ONLY person you should compare yourself to is the person you were yesterday. Your goal should be to improve your behaviors so that you can be a better person in the present day.
Where fitness is concerned, I wanted to point out that it’s easy to compare what we see on social media. Images of lean and toned (and photo shopped) women are everywhere. But most times the ‘cost’ of reaching a certain standard outweighs the benefits.
Let me explain…
For example, how badly do you want visible abs? It seems like having visible abs is a worthy and doable goal, right?
Well you see, the sacrifice required may be too much to ‘stomach’.
If you want visible abs, this is what your life might look like:
20-22% Body Fat
-fit appearance and good overall health
-livable lifestyle
-few cravings due to balanced diet
-need planning and time for meal prep
-coaching is sometimes needed to achieve and maintain
-1-2 caloric/alcoholic drinks per week
-1-2 desserts/week
16-19% Body Fat
-extremely lean with 6 pack abs
-good health
-few cravings due to balanced diet
-maintaining nutrition may be difficult in social situations
-hobbies may be fitness related to maintain fitness level
-carbs may be limited to after workout
-eat dessert/processed foods once every 1-2 weeks
-drink caloric/alcoholic beverage every 1-2 weeks
16% Body Fat
-bodybuilders/fitness models on photo shoot day
-challenge socializing where food is involved – need to pack almost all foods
-weigh, measure, track food all the time
-extreme food cravings due to deprivation
-life revolves around fitness/nutrition
-limit carbs to post workouts or on high carb days
-eat dessert/processed foods once every 10-12 weeks
-no caloric/alcohol beverages
As you can see, the leaner you want to be, (say if you want to look like a fitness or bikini model), your lifestyle may not be very balanced or even tolerable.
Let’s be realistic with your weight loss goals…
I want you to be able to set realistic goals so you avoid disappointment on the road to improving your health.
Note: It’s actually quite realistic to acquire and maintain a body fat level between 20-25%. Anything beyond this level, over the long term is difficult to acquire and maintain.
If you’d like support on your fitness and fat loss journey, let me help.
*Special thanks to John Berardi/Precision Nutrition for some of the facts in this post.