The girlfriend of a close friend of mine is always trying new fad diets and workout routines with no success. She has almost zero motivation but she wants to be thin. I can tell you the exact reason for her problems too.
She doesn’t track anything other than her weight.
If I were to give her advice, I’d tell her to write down her body circumference measurements, weight, body fat %, and body water percentage. Then she should set a goal for herself based on improving several of those things.
If you’re in the same boat, which all of us are in the beginning, these are the steps you need to follow.
After taking your measurements, you need to design a workout routine and a meal plan. This isn’t easy. You need to learn about how different types of exercises can help you burn fat and target multiple muscles (compound exercises as composed to isolation exercises. Compound exercises target multiple muscles and are great for anyone trying to build muscle and losing fat. Isolation is usually better left for those who are body building or if you have a problem area you really want to work on.
Then you need to learn about nutrition and how many calories you should be eating per day. Not only that but how much fat is contained in the food you’re eating, as well as carbohydrates, sodium, sugar, and protein. I track this stuff in an Excel spreadsheet. It takes some time to set all of this up, but preparation is key if you want to succeed.
My go-to source for routines and nutrition plans have always been bodybuilding.com. There are tons of success stories on the site too, with complete nutrition plans and routines. You can emulate these to start with.
Plan ahead and don’t stress yourself out trying to put everything together at the last minute. As a matter of fact, I plan on updating my routine and nutrition plan over the next two weeks so that I can transition smoothly.
Track your progress the entire time and you’ll push yourself to meet your goals. Now let’s see if I can get my friends girlfriend on the right track. She’s kinda stubborn so we’ll see 😉