Physical Frustration

 Psychology is a big part of the dieting and training process.  Lets look at other common obstacles that you may encounter as you diet and train toward your ideal body.

Obstacle 1:  My weight is the same.

 If you are on a proper food plan and are eating adequate amounts of protein and complex carbs, your body weight may not go down at all.  In fact, it may actually increase.  This is because you are dropping fat and building muscle at the same time.  Hence, the scale may not move.  Instead of worrying about the scale pay close attention to your body composition.  Look at pictures and your image in the mirror.  Notice the way your clothes are fitting.  When beginning a diet, your body weight may actually go up while your body fat goes down, especially if you have never eaten properly before.  If your body weight stays the same or it goes up and you’re getting leaner at the same time, you’re on the right track.  Don’t reduce your calories further.

 Obstacle 2:  I’m supposed to eat every three hours, but I’m not hungry then.

 It may sound a little strange, but with proper nutrition you will not get hungry most of the time, even though you will be losing body fat.  In order for your diet to work properly, it’s important not to skip meals.

 You should consume an adequate amount of protein and complex carbohydrates at every meal.  Don’t drop off parts of the meal and don’t save some food for a later meal.  You should eat all of the food that you have planned for each meal, at the designated times.  It is important to give your muscles a constant supply of nutrients, and keep your metabolism stimulated.

 Obstacle 3:  I don’t  see any changes in my body.

 As I mentioned before, dieting is partly a psychological battle.  Many people have a problem keeping a handle on their self -image.  I recommend starting any diet by taking pictures and getting your body composition measured by the body fat caliper method or some reputable method.  This will help you to objectively gauge your progress.

If you’re not getting leaner, then increase your aerobic exercise slightly.  For example,  if you do aerobics normally for 20 minutes, increase to 30 minutes of aerobics.  However, aerobics should not be overdone.  If you do too many aerobics, you may start loosing valuable muscle, and end up stringy and flat looking.  After increasing your aerobics by 50% for one week, drop 200 calories from your diet and see if this creates the desired changes.  If you don’t get the appropriate response within two weeks, repeat the process again.

 Obstacle 4:  I seem to be holding fluid.

 A little water retention should be of no consequence to you unless you have a physique contest coming up.  Most people try to rid themselves of excess water retention by limiting their sodium intake or restricting fluids.  Both of these techniques fail over the long term because the body is very good at maintaining a balance of sodium electrolytes and water, and will move to compensate for any adjustments that you make.  Don’t get me wrong.  It’s Ok to limit your sodium to a healthy level, but radical sodium restriction will only result as the body adjusts.  The best policy is to drink lots of water and consume foods without added salt.

 Obstacle 5:  I’m getting leaner, but I’ve lost some of my vascularity

 Vascularity is a term used to describe the look of having visible, prominent veins on top of muscles.  It’s a quality that some men covet.  If vascularity is important to you, keep in mind that it is contingent on blood volume and blood volume changes.  Blood volume in turn depends on fluid intake.  Keep water intake as high as possible.  Consume up to one gallon of water per day when undergoing an intense diet.  Low carbohydrate intake may also result in diminished vascularity.  If your muscles are depleted of glycogen, it is important to replenish levels by increasing complex carbohydrates.  I recommend increasing complex carbohydrate intake by at least 50%, one day a week, in order to keep muscles from going flat.

 Obstacle 6:  I don’t have any energy

 This is either cutting your calories back to far or over-training.  Review your training program.  If you are showing symptoms of over-training (unusual soreness, fatigue, lack of appetite, difficulty sleeping, catching colds), take a few days of from your program to recover and adjust.  If taking a few days off doesn’t work, try increasing your calories by 500 to 800 calories per day, primarily from complex carbohydrates, for a couple of days.  Review your supplement intake to make sure that you are getting all of the nutrients you need to support your level of exercise. 

Obstacle 7:  I seem to have lost some muscle.

 Keep in mind that you muscle, or lean body mass, will always fluctuate up in down.  Because muscle is made up of approximately 70% water, dehydration is usually the problem when it appears that one has lost muscle tissue.  Examine your protein intake and make sure that you’re getting enough protein for your body weight.  Recommendation 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight.

Anna R. Dias

Naturopathy/Reflexology/Health Coach

Stay Free! Good Health is Good Living!