Why Your Fitness Results Don’t Last

Why Your Fitness Results Don’t Last

… If you are reading this and your personal  fitness has declined from where it once was, then this is for you. You are not alone

Starting over and over

It usually begins with the reality check. A sobering doctors’ appointment, or the ‘IS THAT ME???’ picture. And just like that your denial confronts the truth… you’ve let things get ugly and now immediate action is needed! For me, it was the day I saw a photo of myself that made me cringe. My Name is Jermaine Fagan. I’m a personal trainer,  and weight loss / nutrition coach and for the past seven years I have helped people reshape their bodies, increase libido, skyrocket their energy and balance their hormones using psychology of motivation and exercise science.

The old cycle

How many times has this happened to you? You finally reach the critical “pain-action” point about your body. Enough! At this point, the pain from spiraling out of control becomes too great to ignore and you decide to take action. Next, you begin to search for answers. Finally, you make a solemn resolution, “I AM ONLY GOING TO EAT CARROTS AND ICE CHIPS FOR THE NEXT 4 MONTHS!”… because according to some dude on the internet that is the only reasonable way to be healthy and fit. And guess what! You get some results in the short term, but eventually, you burn out. You return to your state of avoidance, FRUSTRATION, and denial until the next cycle begins…

Why does this happen?

 First of all, I want to tell you that I have been there more times than I can count and I feel your pain. I am not judging you. It is not your fault.

According to a study published in North American Association for the Study of Obesity (NAASO), Emotional pain related to body image may be responsible for the type of coping behaviors that  lead to increased body fat.  

Internalization of Weight Bias: Implications for Binge Eating and Emotional Well-being*. Obesity, 15(1), 19–23.

Beating yourself up and buckling down is NOT the answer. When it comes to body management, the worse you feel about yourself, the more likely you are to adopt avoidance and coping behaviors even if it negatively affects your health and weight. Among a sample group of 1013 women, participants reported more frequent binge eating and diet avoidance in response to negative stereotypes about their body weight when compared to those who did not accept the stereotype as true.  

This is due to the fact that the average person will tend to avoid suffering but will seek pleasure as a survival instinct. This is why diet or exercise plans don’t work for most people. When we associate change with pain (diet, exercise, cutting alcohol)  our  survival instinct tells us to avoid change. This leaves us in an emotionally insecure state and instead of facing pain, we seek pleasure which may take the form of coping by eating what makes us feel good. This pattern goes on until you experience enough pain about your current situation, that your brain overpowers the fear of pain associated with  changing and you take action. This is an emotional tug of war where you are the rope being pulled between two opposing Forces; pain and pleasure.

Why Taking action is not enough long term

Short term corrective action begins to alleviate pain because you make a positive change in your circumstance. Eventually, you end up losing your progress as the process begins to require too much effort to maintain, especially when you no longer feel bad about your body. At this point, motivation is at a low because you no longer have the same bad situation that motivated you in the beginning and now you see all the things you are missing out on. You may reward yourself too often with unhealthy food or too much alcohol and skip trips to the gym. Here we begin to slowly return to avoidance, coping, and denial. The same miserable cycle all over again that leads us back to square one.

The cycle is real and difficult to navigate alone.

Infact, this cycle is very common and it’s the reason why most people struggle to maintain the body they really want. A masochistic approach that tells you that you must suffer for change makes you question whether it’s really worth changing. Thankfully, there is a better way.

Emotional Support: The Secret to burning fat once and for all

The fact is your emotional health is more important than your diet, especially for improving your body.

When we begin to associate pain with the process of changing, our minds tell us to practice avoidance especially if we are alone or feel unsupported. So we must learn how to change our emotional reaction to the process of diet and consistency. This is something a fitness coach can help you to accomplish.

69 percent of participants experienced clinically significant weight loss using 12 week program online

NewsRx, 2020

New research on the efficacy of telemedicine suggests that virtual conference “health coaching may promote weight loss”(NewsRx, 2020). In a 12 week program where participants had a weekly meeting online with a dietitian once a week, 69 percent of participants experienced clinically significant weight loss (minimum 5% decrease in body weight) compared to only 8 percent of the participants in the control group that attempted the 12-week program alone without support from coaching. This is why another diet and exercise plans won’t work; without support and accountability, most people fail.

This applies to celebrities, Instagram fitness models and the average overweight person. The most successful fitness models and celebrities have coaches and dietitians that support them and guide them through the difficulties of body recomposition. As a fitness professional, one thing I recommend is to work with a professional  for at least 6 months.  

Support is better than Info

Plans don’t work, programs do. “Doing a plan” with friends will not help much because they aren’t trained to deal with the emotional or exercise and nutritional demands of a client long term and lasting results require ongoing counseling. In research from Alencar et al. (2017, p. 154)  445 participants who completed a lifestyle weight-loss intervention program with extended care via individual telephone counseling actually kept the weight off and achieved clinically significant weight loss. This means they lost a minimum 5% of their starting weight and continued to lose weight. 

How I help my clients

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For years I have worked with Men and Women ages 29 to 50+  that have struggled with body weight. I have competed in fitness competitions and have coached clients (with interest) to win fitness competitions. I have worked in the fitness supplement industry for over ten years and I know the value of emotional and psychological support. We have too many pills and not enough experienced counselors. The outdated principle of shaming and paining ourselves about our bodies is not only emotionally exhausting but it is also ineffective. 

Thankfully new research has emerged to advocate for more psychologically healthy approaches to body acceptance and recompositioning. Something I have been doing for a long time. It is no longer acceptable to bully others or ourselves.

I believe in providing strong accountability to clients which has been clinically proven to increase positive results by 69 percent.

Jay Fagan

I believe in using  proven scientific approaches to help my clients lose fat and stay fit long term. I believe in providing strong accountability to clients which has been clinically proven to increase positive results by 69 percent. I believe in educating my clients about nutrition, natural herbs and emotional health so that they can reduce anxiety, increase, libido, balance hormones, skyrocket energy and happily maintain a lean healthy body. 

The reason why my clients have the results they do is that we never use extreme or negative methods. This is why the “16 weeks to peak physique program” I use is so effective. It introduces you to a process of changing without judgment. I provide ongoing accountability. This approach creates a lasting positive association with your dream body and fitness routines. You feel happier and more inspired to push through obstacles. You see results and many people have reported having a sense of hopeful optimism as they actually finish the 16-week coaching program. Then the old cycle ends and you’re enjoying the body you worked hard to achieve. And best of all there is no judgment.

Get Started with 16 weeks to peak Physique Coaching Program below:

https://fivestarfitness.org/product/16weekpeak/

You can contact me at Jermaine@fivestarfitness.org. 

Stay Healthy
Respectfully,

Jermaine Fagan
CEO, Five Star Fitness, INC.

References

Alencar, M. K., Johnson, K., Mullur, R., Gray, V., Gutierrez, E., & Korosteleva, O. (2017). The efficacy of a telemedicine-based weight loss program with video conference health coaching support. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, 25(3), 151–157. https://doi.org/10.1177/1357633×17745471

Freud, S. (1951). Formulations regarding the two principles in mental functioning. Organization and Pathology of Thought: Selected Sources., 315–328. https://doi.org/10.1037/10584-015

Perri, M. G., Shankar, M. N., Daniels, M. J., Durning, P. E., Ross, K. M., Limacher, M. C., Janicke, D. M., Martin, A. D., Dhara, K., Bobroff, L. B., Radcliff, T. A., & Befort, C. A. (2020). Effect of Telehealth Extended Care for Maintenance of Weight Loss in Rural US Communities. JAMA Network Open, 3(6), e206764. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.6764

Puhl, R. M., Moss-Racusin, C. A., & Schwartz, M. B. (2007). Internalization of Weight Bias: Implications for Binge Eating and Emotional Well-being*. Obesity, 15(1), 19–23. https://doi.org/10.1038/oby.2007.521

Suvarna, B., Suvarna, A., Phillips, R., Juster, R.-P., McDermott, B., & Sarnyai, Z. (2020). Health risk behaviours and allostatic load: A systematic review. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 108, 694–711. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.12.020

New Telemedicine Findings Has Been Reported by Investigators at California State 

University Long     Beach (The Efficacy of a Telemedicine-based Weight Loss Program With Video Conference Health Coaching Support). (2020, April 4). Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week, 1026. Retrieved from https://link-gale-com.ezproxy.umgc.edu/apps/doc/A618875457/HRCA?u=umd_umuc&sid=HRCA&xid=5c977ae0