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Welcome back to Thank God It’s Monday!
tl;dr Five weeks until Memorial Day, people! If you’re ready to buckle down and shed 5- 15 lbs before summer, I have a crash course for you. Carbs included! (You can scroll down to the “Crash Course” header if you don’t want the prologue.)
I love this time of the year when everyone who doesn’t think twice about their health is ready to overhaul their entire lives to find confidence in a bathing suit. I think I love it because I know that there’s a handful of people from the masses who will learn that they can maintain some of these habits long term, and bam! Their lives are changed forever.
Before we get to the crash course, I’d like to make an argument about why you should partake. You might choose to be moved by the impending warmth and joy of summer on the horizon. But I also want to lend an advisory from the work I do at the hospital, which is much less warm and joyful.
When you choose not to take care of yourself, you simultaneously decide to let your body deteriorate. It might not feel like an active decision since it feels like it happens slowly, passively, almost without your consent. But this is your body, your responsibility, and your choice, every single day.
There are a couple of common ways people age, and I’m sure you can call to mind examples of both. The first is the person who prioritizes their health (moves, hydrates, eats with balance, exercises their brains). This person will age with some aches and pains as their bodies are used, but maintain their autonomy and livelihood. The second is the person who plays russian roulette with their body, never forming solid habits because they didn’t have to.
This person ends up slowly declining. It takes longer for them to heal when they’re sick because their body doesn’t have any reserves. A simple cut on the ankle for the active person is a chronic, nonhealing wound ripe for infection in the inactive person. A bout of the flu for the former is a couple of days on the couch; for the latter, it could end in multifocal pneumonia, a ventilator, and a trach. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, and luck plays a part. But this is the general rule of thumb: life is a gamble, but you have the power to stack the odds in your favor.
Okay, so now that we’ve covered the doom and gloom (and reality), let’s dive into the crash course for summer.
Summer Crash Course
A few disclaimers: these are general guidelines; everybody is different. Take what’s helpful and leave what doesn’t work for you. If you want to lose some weight for the summer, here are some parameters: 0.5 lbs per week is a conservative goal, 1 lb per week is a moderate goal, and 2 lbs per week is an aggressive goal (again, generally speaking, for most people).
These recommendations are all simple but not easy (if they were easy, you’d be doing them already). Some you might be more eager to do than others. Start with the ones that feel easier and tack on others as you move through the weeks and have a good handle on the prior habits.
Without further ado, let’s dive in.
Week 1 (4/21-4/27)
The first step you have to take if you’re trying to shed weight (in a sustainable way) is shifting your mindset. End of conversation.
You have to change your mindset because the same mindset you’ve had all these years has gotten you where you are today. And if you want to see different results, you have to think differently.
Be okay with going slow!!! Everyone wants results yesterday. And I get it. I promise we’ll get some small wins to get your momentum going. But you have to be okay with incremental change. When you can be comfortable with slow change, you can be okay when there’s a bump in the road or when something goes wrong. You had candy for breakfast? Cool. The day isn’t ruined, just time to get a nutrient dense lunch in and move on.
Slow change is better than no change. And slow change can turn into fast change when motivation strikes. But solely expecting fast change won’t turn into slow change. It’ll end with you giving up when the scale isn’t going down fast enough or after the first social gathering of the season when you ate too much dessert.
Slow and steady.
Implementation: Set your goal for the summer. When you have a moment this week of feeling like you want to rush things, consider how you can slow it down to make the action more sustainable. (ie if you don’t have time for a workout so you consider sitting on the couch all night instead, go for a quick walk).
Week 2 (4/28-5/4)
Nutrition is king. Opt for nutrient dense foods instead of calorie dense ones. Nutrient dense foods are those where you can get a lot of volume and nutrients without an egregious amount of calories.
If you’re in the mood for a cheeseburger, maybe instead you opt for a burger bowl: lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles all heaped up in a bowl. Top with ground beef and cheese on top. Ketchup, mustard, light mayo to your liking. More satisfied, less guilt, more nutrients, adjustable for your goals.
For the most part cooking at home is better for weight loss than eating out. Even salads at a restaurant are filled with oils and fats that can make them calorie dense instead of nutrient dense. But if you can’t always cook, opt for alternatives where you can see the calorie count, things with higher protein, meal prep services, etc. And if you’re in the scenario where you want to enjoy a sweet treat or a meal out, eat until you’re comfortable, don’t be a glutton.
If your goal is to aim closer to the 2lbs per-week weight loss, you have to get a little more strict. Don’t drink your calories (sweet coffees, soda, juice, alcohol!!). Up your fruits and vegetables each day. Consider tracking your calories short term to get a grasp on what your intake really is. While a sustainable goal for most people is to eat 80% whole foods, in like with your goals, 2 lbs-per-week requires closer to 90-95% adherence. Don’t set your goal based on the desire for the outcome. Set your goal based on what sacrifices you’re willing to make.
Implementation: Don’t eat like an a*hole. Eat 3-5 servings of fruits and veggies per day. Stop eating when you’re comfortable, not overly full. Drink a gallon of water a day. Opt for seltzer (or diet soda in moderation) for a fuller sensation. Aim for 1g of protein per pound of body weight.
Week 3 (5/5-5/11)
Movement for momentum! Everyone just wants to exercise themselves into their dream body. But I assure you there is no amount of cardio, weight lifting, or sweating you can do to achieve your goals. Here’s how to use movement effectively.
Determine your conservative, moderate, and reach goals. If you’re already going to the gym regularly, then adding balance to your routine would be helpful. For example, if you weight lift 3-5 times a week, it’s time to add some cardio. If you only run or do the stair master, you need to add weights. Again, the goal is balance.
If you are not doing anything right now, start small. Again, the mindset of slow and steady is true for all of these habits. Figure out what you enjoy the most (or hate the least) and do that more. Maybe that’s rock climbing, roller skating, swimming, or pickleball. Increase your time doing that activity, or increase the intensity.
For everyone, you need to get your steps in. This is my favorite weight loss hack. More steps! Figure out what you’re doing currently (a smart watch, your phone, a pedometer) and increase from there. Go with a number you’re hitting some days but not every day and set a bare minimum. So if you’re hitting 12,000 steps some days but on your days off you’re only getting 5-8,000, you should be aiming to hit 10,000 consistently. Every day.
And last but not least, just move. Our jobs and lives have been engineered to be more sedentary, so you have to make an effort to work against that. Every little extra bit of movement helps.
Implementation: Get 10,000 steps per day. Lift weights 2-3x per week. Get your heart rate up during a workout 2x per week (running, HIIT class, cycling, swimming). You have to schedule your time to do these, otherwise life will always get in the way.
Week 4 (5/12-5/18)
Prioritize recovery. If you’re doing shift work, going out every weekend and drinking alcohol, spending hours a day on social media or watching TV, you are killing your progress.
Sleep and stress management will help your progress. While there are some non-negotiables we have to work around (if you’re a shift worker, have young kids, dealing with poor sleep), but I promise there are other negotiable factors you can do better at. Get off your phones before bed. Read a book instead (and not all night either). Make sure you’re getting 7-8 hours per 24 hours the best you can. The hours of TV a week can be minimized for some enjoyment, but only if you’re getting the other things done that you need to be.
Everyone likes to talk about how busy they are. Our world is built to pull our attention in 1,000 direction every moment. But you must take control of your attention. Put it towards what you want to be focused on over the next couple of months. You don’t have to cut back on screen time and alcohol forever, but you should in the short term if you want to reach your goals. (And I’d wager that if you stick to it over the next couple of months you’ll want to keep going- once you get over the initial challenge, I promise it does feel good.)
Implementation: Cut back (or cut out) the alcohol. Cut back (or cut out) the excessive screen time. Prioritize 7-8 hours of good sleep in 24 hrs. Keep the room dark and cool. Get up when your alarm goes off.
Week 4 (5/19-5/25)
It’s time to regroup. Check in on which of the implementation steps you’ve successfully done. Fine tune where needed. If you’ve completely skipped over some steps, it’s time to revisit them.
The most important thing this week is to optimize your “turn-around-time.” The difference between those people who are successful with reaching their goals and those who don’t is not that one fails and one doesn’t. Everyone fails. It’s not a matter of if but when. Those who are successful distinguish themselves by minimizing their turn around time. If something doesn’t go as planned, they don’t harp on it. They simply brush the,selves off and move on.
Everyone is going to fail at one point or another. But if you can accept that and readjust your course, you will be successful long term.
If you keep trying things the same way and they’re not working, try to tweak your approach. If you haven’t gotten yourself to the gym yet to lift weights because you’re terrified of the free-weights section, consider a group weight-lifting class or a personal trainer. There are even tons of apps that can lead you step by step through these workouts. It’s okay to accept maybe getting to the gym on your own isn’t working for you yet, adjust your course and keep moving.
The quicker your turn around time, the quicker you can be successful.
Implementation: Revisit the prior implementation steps. What has worked and what hasn’t? Decrease the time it takes between when something doesn’t go as planned and your next action step.
And just like that, it’s Memorial Day!
If you’re like me, I don’t think summer really starts until July so you have five more weeks to now hone your craft. Continue to revisit the implementation steps above. When you’ve mastered the basics, increase your frequency and intensity (one at a time).
You can use your progress thus far as a guide. If you’re losing the weight at the rate you need to reach your goal, then just stay consistent. If you’re overshooting and find yourself exhausted and starving, reel it back. And if you haven’t seen any difference, be honest with yourself, have you really put in the work?
Some last minute pointers I have:
Look at your schedule ahead of time. If you have a wedding and a birthday party before the start of summer and you want to indulge on those days, let them serve as extra motivation to be adherent to your plan the remainder of the week/month. Most people will have some travel days, longer work days than expected, an unforeseen illness, or some way of life getting in the way. Plan ahead for what you can and again, be patient!
Remember, don’t set your goals with the outcome you want in mind. Rather set your goals with what sacrifices you are willing to make in mind.
If you found some value in this, please share it with a friend you think would enjoy it! And let me know if you’d like to be added to get TGIM.
This week, my podcast recommendation is from Paul Levitin’s Change Made Easy, “The New Rules for a Mindful & Intentional Digital Life with Josh Czuba.”
With that, let me know if you’d like to join a community to support you over the next few weeks before summer!
Until next time,
Shannon
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