When Perfect Is A Problem

When attempting to shed unwanted fat from your body and firm up those flabby areas that you've been trying to hide, have you fallen into the 'All Or None' approach?

If you have you certainly are not alone. That moment when you finally decide that you are going to take charge of your life and put an end to emotional binge eating and the sedentary lifestyle that you've fallen into, is a moment of excitement and an intense desire on the end result.

This desire really builds up and the thought of achieving your goal makes you want it right now at this moment. The problem is you end up trying to do too much. Eat completely perfect, do cardio every day, and lift weights 5 times a week.

One of the problems is that you are striving for perfection in many areas and this can be quite overwhelming to most individuals and most likely to yourself as well.

I have been corresponding with a fellow member of The Fit Chic and The Fit Bastard community on this very topic over the past few days and it made me realise what kind of impact this issue can have on people.

In many cases either beginners or individuals that have taken a few months hiatus from fitness, will fall into this trap of overtraining at the start and there is a great risk for injury. But more often than an injury occuring is the likelyhood that you will just not be able to keep up with the demands of this kind of schedule and you end up quitting all together.

Changing your eating habits alone is a very difficult task for many people and you may be struggling with this yourself at this very moment. For others, sticking to a regular cardio program is a huge undertaking especially if you don't enjoy it. And then there are the individuals that are just unsure about what weight training routines work best or they are afraid to get too big and bulky so they never stick to a regular resistance training program. And of course we can't forget the most important area which is the mindset?

For the quickest and best results and to achieve the body that you have been dreaming of it is absolutely essential that you are following a good program for all 3 of the above areas.

But is it absolutely necessary for someone that is just getting back into fitness to focus on all 3 areas?

For some people it is absolutely possible to begin with a strong focus on all areas and be able to stick with the program for the long haul. But for many people this is just too overwhelming. So if you are totally focused on getting into great shape and keeping it for life, should you not take all the right steps to ensure that your results will continue to improve every day forward?

The answer is absolutely yes! If you feel concerned at all that you are not mentally prepared to handle the load of eating a proper diet, doing the right amount of cardio, and following an effective resistance training program, then you need to look at the big picture and what is best for you.

The best answer for your current situation may be to begin by choosing just one of those areas and mastering it to a point where it has become habit and doesn't seem like work, then move onto the next. You will then master that area and have two areas that have become habit and then work on the final area to build the well oiled machine that you deserve to be.

This will take longer to achieve your desired goal, but if it is going to have you taking a step each day in a positive direction and will reduce the chance of setbacks or abandonment of your goal, then this is the path you should choose and choose it with confidence because you have come to a better understanding of yourself, what you are capable of, and what it takes to reach it.

Now another isue when it comes to perfection and it being a problem is the pain staking ordeal of counting calories. Is it really necessary?

If you are going to compete in a bodybuilding contest the answer is absolutely yes. If you are the average person that is trying to lose body fat it is not 100% necessary, but it will produce much more accurate measurements and results.

For myself, I have not counted calories in quite a while. The reason is my diet and meals are the same on a weekly basis. After only a few short weeks of calorie counting I had a very good idea of how many calories were in the portions of the food that I was choosing.

If you are not counting calories right down to the gram, you should at least have a rough idea of your ratio of carbohydrates, protein, and fats. And most importantly you should measure your progress on a weekly basis.

If you find that you did not lose any bodyfat this week, then you know you must reduce your calories slightly until you find the results that you are looking for. Or the other alternative is to increase your activity a bit.

Again, if you know that you are the type of person that after a week of calorie counting you are going to go completely nuts and then quit altogether, than you know this approach will probably not work for you. But you should have a good idea of what your portion sizes look like and stick to those sizes if they are helping produce good results for you.

If you think that you can put up with it for a few weeks it should be enough for you to have a very good idea of the calories that you are taking in if you are eating a consistent meal plan.

In the end it boils down to how well you know yourself. That is the great thing about the journey to fitness success. You really become in tune with your body. You really can learn something new about your body pretty much on a daily basis. Go with what is going to get you the long term results that you desire, not just the short term.

If you can cover all areas with the proper attention that is needed and it is something that you can keep up for life than you should absolutely go for it. This journey is all about YOU. Do what is best for you and not for anyone else. You know yourself best and you know what you want in the end and that's to be healthy for the rest of your life and to not fall off the wagon ever again.

No matter how many steps it takes for you to achieve your goal, as long as they are all in the forward direction you are on the right track. I will be taking those steps right beside you every step of the way. If there is anything that I can do to help you along the way please do not hesitate to ask.

To your fitness success,

Scott Tousignant, BHK, CFC

The Fit Bastard
The Fit Chic