The last 10lbs… It’s like the final put in a golf game. Precision comes into play, you need to dial things down a notch, slow down a bit and don’t rush the process… Well, I that’s how putting seems in my head, I golf purely to spend time, drink beer, and drive a golf cart with my Dad.
But in my mind, it’s pretty similar. Because down the beginning of each hole on the course we’re whacking the ball, in a very similar sequence to fat loss.
Your first hit, the drive – this is where we crush the ball and hit it 200-300 yards down course. Or in the fat loss world, that first initial drop in weight or fat. Most of us have been there, start a new plan and see a big drop the first few weeks.
Next, we pull out the wedges and woods (I think…). This is where we’re more precise, the ball isn’t going quite as far, and we’re placing it where we want in smaller distances along the fairway. And like fat loss, after that initial jump in weight or fat, we need to start being more consistent, planning a bit smarter, pushing a little further, and making sure we’re aware of what we’re doing and where we’re going.
Lastly, we hit the final green. This is where the putter comes out, we crouch down and stare at the hole as if we have a sniper eye, lick our finger and put it in the air to test the winds, and then we execute with our softest, most precise swing of the game.
And like fat loss, the final green is exactly how that last 10-15lbs body fat is when we’re trying to get really lean. We need more detail, more specificity, more focus, and more consistency. Time flies by and we may get to this point easier and quicker then we thought we would have, but when we’re here the ball is moving slower and not nearly as far as it has thus far.
Even though I’m pretty proud of myself with these golf analogies, Pop’s would be proud if we’re to read these blogs, lets just focus on the fat… Because let’s be real, non of you are here to take golf tips from me – and you really, really shouldn’t be by the way.
So lets first go over why this last 10lbs or so is so damn difficult to get off our hips, lower abs, love handles, low back, triceps… Or wherever your body decides, because it really is all the same. Your body unfortunately decides where to store it first and most, as well as where to burn it off first and most. This is due to mainly genetics and gender, but other hormonal imbalances as well.
That Final, Evil, 10lbs…
The easiest way to describe this is that our body does NOT want to burn all our fat off. Being shredded is not nearly as healthy as having some body fat. Now, being obese is not healthy at all either but there is a good balance that we should want to achieve. Most of us see instagram filtered-out-of-control pictures all day long and assume these “ig models” stay this lean year-round. Well, first off – they don’t, 90% of them take a ton of pictures during that 3-5 day period of them being shredded and post them all year long. And guess what, I do it too. I got lean, did a photo shoot, and the result was that I received 250 photos of myself, which I refuse to post within the span of that week. So I spread them out with informational posts, blogs, and emails.
Our bodies need some fat to protect ourselves from attack (think caveman days), from hormonal suppression, for survival in times of distress, protecting our “guts”, and essentially optimal living. So being super lean just isn’t healthy. Now, some people can genetically stay very lean and still be healthy, that’s a genetic thing and a topic for another day – if you’re a genetic freak, you’re probably not worried about the last 10lbs anyway.
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So because we need some fat, our bodies will fight to get rid of it. Especially around the hips for woman and stomachs/sides/low back (spare tire) for men.
So how do we get rid of the last 10lbs, while staying healthy, and avoiding hormonal issues?
Attack The Underlying Issues…
First and foremost when we want to get rid of the last bit of fat, we need to start thinking about the “Underlying Issues” that we’ve typically been ignoring the entire time we’ve been losing weight. We’ve been ignoring them because you can build muscle and lose weight without focusing on them and simply focusing on eating the right amount of calories and training hard… But sooner or later, they become extremely important.
- 7-8 Hours of sleep EVERY night. (Yeah, I know… This one is hard as hell to do, but it truly can make the world of a difference in someone’s physique at the final stages of getting lean. You’ll train better, hormones will function better, metabolism will be better, and your stress will reduce.)
- Pushing a little harder than you are now. (This one is semi opposing to the previous, but if you get the right sleep and recovery then you can knock this out of the park. Plain and simple, most people just do not push themselves past the point of comfort and when you’re training for outstanding results, you need to do that. I personally haven’t been doing this for the last year or two and I admit that. So recently I’ve decided to do 2-3 conditioning sessions per week that really push me past the point of comfort – I kind of hate them, until I’m done and they’re extremely rewarding. This alone being implemented helped me drop 2-3lbs of body fat in the last 4 weeks and that is a lot for me, because I’m already lean.)
- N.E.A.T. (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis – a lot of studies have been coming out as of recently to prove that this is a legit and much easier way to shed some extra body fat. Just by adding a walk, standing over sitting, taking the stairs, or any other way of naturally moving a bit more, you can burn a lot more calories. Hitting 10,000 steps a day is a simple and easy, trackable, way of doing this. The fact is, walking and moving more with daily activities burns a lot of calories over days of doing so, doesn’t harm hormones, doesn’t slow down or hamper recovery, and does not add to stress, may actually reduce it! Go for a walk, once a day, and watch yourself get leaner after a month or so.)
- Varying your nutrition. (You need to look past your calories and macro’s at this point, because they do not tell you if you’re getting enough nutrients, vitamins and minerals. If you’re deficient in something, the body won’t function optimally and then it won’t produce optimal results. Are you getting enough magnesium in your diet? What about omega-3 fatty acids? Is your digestion on point? Fiber high enough? Without these staples, your body wont process nutrients or absorb your “macros” well enough to utilize them properly.)
- Water! (Super simple and probably something you’re thinking “Duh” about… But lets be real, most of us don’t get enough. If you’re training hard, you should be getting your body weight in fluid ounces on a daily basis for sure.)
As you can see, there are a few HUGE things right there that you’re most likely completely overlooking. Because just like me, you go straight to the macros, calories, strength training, and the big components of this game – and you’re right to do so, because without those you’re not going to go far. But after that, when we have just 10lbs to lose left… We need to focus the scope a little more and part of that, is the next big one….
Stress…
“I know, I know… I gotta relax a bit and relieve some stress… Easier said then done, man.”
Exactly what I hear every time and also what I used to keep saying to myself and others who tried to help. But the truth is, this really is a big deal and we all really do need to focus harder on it as hard as that may be.
Now, everyone’s stress is completely different and comes from all kinds of places. But whether it’s work, spouse, family, friends, digestive, joint, lifestyle, emotional, or any other form of stress… The fact of the matter is, we need to relieve it in order to lose that final 10lbs. Some ways you can do so are:
- Meditation. (This does not mean sitting crisscross on a rug in the middle of an empty room while humming, nor does it mean literally thinking about nothing at all – that’s impossible. It means lying or sitting in a quiet place, closing your eyes, being alone with your own thoughts, and removing all negativity for that moment. It can be hard to be present with yourself, but learning to become so can work wonders for stress relief. Start with 5 minutes and expand that until you can do 20-30 minutes straight on a daily basis.)
- Sleep!!! (Yup! This one again, but nobody can deny the fact that more sleep will reduce stress a ton.)
- Change your surroundings/atmosphere. (Some things you cannot change, but for the most part you really can if you’re willing to make it happen. Sometimes it can be hard to remove people out of your life, but sometimes it’s needed. But you can also just reduce the amount of time spent around them as well, if it’s for your own sanity and healthy then it is necessary. Same goes for work place, co-workers, places your eat or hangout, etc.)
- Get out more! (This is simple… Go grab a meal with friends, go on a hike, walk the lake, travel, be social, and get out more often! Life is about experiences and when you live that way, you’ll be less stressed.)
Last but definitely not least, may be something you’ve been ignoring thus far. It’s funny to me also, because so many people complain this is time consuming, tedious, inaccurate, and everything else they can think of as an excuse not to do it. But the truth here is simple, results from countless people and science as well have proven time and time again – this shit just works.
Tracking Calories and Macro’s…
Losing weight comes down to calories in vs. out. So in order to lose weight, especially the last 10lbs, you need to make sure you’re either burning more calories or eating fewer calories so you can create a daily deficit.
Now, understand this one VERY important thing I am about to tell you.
If you are already in a deficit, yet you’re not losing any weight – then the answer is absolutely in the underlying issues I pointed out above. You’re not losing weight because you’re stressed, under-recovered, metabolism is a bit slower, etc. and one of the above solutions WILL help you cure that.
You may be in a deficit by calculation, but if you’re stressed beyond belief then you will not be burning the calories you think you are and you will not be building the muscle you think you are – because performance is not optimal and neither is hormonal balance.
But for those who are not tracking macros, you probably need to do so at this point. It is how we adjust your plan, how we ensure the deficit (or surplus if you want to build muscle mass), and it is also how we determine whether you’re getting all the nutrients you need in order to lose more body fat.
Now, online calculators can be a good baseline starting point (hoping to have this feature on my site very soon) but at the end of the day, without adjusting, coaching, and basing all this off of your diet/training history, lifestyle, hormonal profile, activity level, and more – you really cannot just go off of a calculator.
This leaves us with two options really…. First one is start with the baseline and be patient. You may lose right away and you may not lose a thing, but you’ll need to track and journal progress over the course of weeks in order to know how to adjust and what is needed to get the result.
The other option is simple, get a coach who has experience doing this and can help you THE RIGHT WAY. And if you’re the person who doesn’t want to guess, doesn’t want to deal with adjusting and hoping to see the results, or you simply would prefer someone to help not only get you the results, but also teach you how we get there and keep you supported and accountable of the entire process – then fill out the application below for a Coaching Consultation Call with me. Even if you do not decide to coach with me, you will leave with a ton of value and knowledge – I promise you that.
