I had a new client sign up recently, and his goal was to lose 30 pounds.
Naturally, she wanted to know, “How long is this going to take?”
And along the way, she’s going to be asking what the kids ask in the back seat of the car when on a road trip.
“Are we there yet?”
Let me give you an example.
The new client in question weighed 215 pounds. He wanted to know how long it would take him to lose 30 pounds.
So I did some math.
The average rate of weight loss for a man … if following a well-designed exercise and nutrition program about 80 percent of the time … is 0.56% of bodyweight per week. So in this case, about 1.2 pounds per week … or 25 weeks.
So, about 6-7 months.
I feel it’s important to set expectations from the get-go, so everyone is clear on what the goal is and what’s a realistic amount of time to achieve it. This debunks the faulty belief that there are no shortcuts to success.
But lately, I’m considering changing things up.
If you came to me with a weight-loss goal and asked, “How long is this going to take?” … what if I said, “The rest of your life?”
That would probably stop you in your tracks … and make you think.
My reasoning for answering the question this way is, would you stop training or following healthy nutrition and lifestyle habits just because you achieved your goal?
Once the 30 pounds were gone, would you go back to the couch with your bag of chips?
Or would you be motivated and emboldened to take your newfound health and happiness to even greater levels?
After all, my goal is to show my clients how they can do all the things they want and need to do without pain or injury for the rest of their lives.
Not for six months. Or six weeks. Or 12 weeks.
For a lifetime.
So the next time you ask yourself, “Are we there yet?” … it’s OK to say, “Not yet.”
Oftentimes, the best is yet to come.