Pick One Goal and Stick to It

Your body is a wonderful machine, but it's also a very complex one. You have to understand how it works and reacts to the physical stresses you put it through.  If you don't, you could be asking your body to do two contradictory things at once.

How many people want to lose weight and get stronger? 

You're asking your body to do two different things metabolically,  which takes longer than just picking one goal at a time.    You're asking your body to lose weight by altering the meals that you eat, (see past post on eating to lose weight ) and you're also asking your body to get stronger.  As you adjust your food intake your body has to adapt to the change first before it can work toward another process. As you lose weight, you get weaker due to the body using resources differently.    

  Unless you have never exercised, the results that you get will be minimal at best. If you're new to physical activity, you have a chance to see results relatively fast if you stick with the program designed by the trainer. Why? Because any change to your meals and any physical exertion will show up due to the fact that it's new to your body, so you will see results.

The opposite applies to getting strong. Don't change your meals and work at getting stronger by performing compound exercises to meet that goal. As you see an increase in your strength, then you start to implement a change in your meal planning.

Keeping a log book is a great way to see strength gains from your exercise. WHY?   Meal planning is the most difficult change one can make to one's life -- it's a lifestyle change that takes a total commitment.  Psychologically, it will also help you to achieve success with one goal and then add on the next goal knowing you can do it instead of being overwhelmed trying to do too much at once.

Please pick one goal at a time and stick to it for two months. After that, start to plan your next step.