Question:
I’m a 18 year old guy that weighs 88 kilograms and is 1.78 meterstall, and I’m really having a difficult time sticking with my workoutsand diet. I’m a teenager that hates to get tired and hates to feel pain when doingexercise. Instead, I like to eat chips, drink coke, play and chat on thecomputer, sleep, see T.V. etc…
I can’t say that I’m really fat but I’m not skinny or muscular either. Now, thisis my situation: I’m about to graduate from high school (in 8 months!).Our school organizes a trip to Miami in July as our last trip as anentire Generation.
I’m sure that at this point, you understand what my problem is. I want tobe able to go to the beach without feeling embarrassed of my body. I wantto show an athletic, lean and muscular body but I’ve never been an athleteand never liked working out.
I know it will be a hard task since I had never exercised before but I’mwilling to do it so I can accomplish the body I want. I have read your book Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle and I was wondering ifmaybe the diets and exercise programs on your book are mostly dedicated toadults than to teenagers. I’m just having a hard time following it and I don’t know what to do andI’m feeling worried because my graduation is only 8 months away.
Can you please help me? Any tips could help.
Answer:
Thanks for your email. What you are experiencing is common. Many otherpeople of ALL ages go through the same thing — They have the informationthey need, but they are having a hard time implementing it.
I think you have nothing to worry about and you are perfectly set up tosucceed because you already have a big and important goal. You also have plentyof time. You can completely transform your body in 8 months. In fact,you can achieve major results in just 3 months, although I suggest startingin earnest right now.
You can definitely use the information you already have from theBurn The Fat program. It is geared towards an 18 year old everybit as much as adults, although I understand your unique challenges.I’ve been there.
When I was in high school and college, I had to make sacrifies and workat it and even distance myself from some of my partying companionsand find friends who were interested in working out. if you wantthis goal bad enough, you have to do the same.
On your diet, give yourself some leeway. Most people are just like you.We all enjoy splurging on our favorite foods sometimes. And these foodsdo not have to be totally forbidden. As long as you are on the program90% of the time, you’ll find you can eat what you want the other 10%of the time and still get results. Knowing this should take a littlepressure off you.
However, don’t kid yourself. There are sacrifices that have to be made whenyou want to achieve a big goal. If you watch tv, surf the web, sleep, loungearound and eat chips and drink coke all day, all night, you will reap theconsequences… unpleasant ones like FAT accumulation.
All you need are some specific goal-setting, time-planning, urgency-creating,and motivation-building strategies, and then you simply take the first step.
I have seen this exact situation many times. Many people easily lose focuson next years spring and summer “hard body” goals at this time of the year andas the colder months start to arrive. For one thing, they are covered upmost of the winter so the immediate motivation is not as strong.
Second, they may slip over the holidays because they didn’t set goalsto improve through November and December, and many people just “leteverything go” over the holidays and start thinking about waiting fornew years resolutions.
Third, when you are almost a year away from a goal, there isvirtually no urgency to take action today.
Your big goal for next summer may be on your mind right now, butthat voice in your head can easily say, “I have plenty of time,”so procrastination sets in and you get lazy with your diet.
then before you know it, It’s May or June and you’re running outof time and you’re not where you want to be yet. So then yougo into “diet panic mode” just weeks before your trip.(sound familar anyone?).
this usually triggers some “crash dieting” behavior which achievessome quick weightloss, but doesn’t get you to where you reallywanted to be, and you end up gaining the weight back later anyway
To stay motivated for your 8 month goal, you need to set asidesome quiet time right now – today – for some serious strategicplanning.
If you follow these 10 steps, you are sure to succeed:
1. Set specific long term goals. To keep the big picture alwaysin mind, select long term goals for next year’s summer Miami beach tripand be as specific and detailed as possible. Don’t say, “I wantto be in shape next summer,” say, “I want to have 9% body fat orless and be lean enough to see a six pack of abs by July 1st 2007.”
2. Set specific short term goals. To keep your level of urgency up,set goals for 12 weeks at a time and even break those goals down intoweekly goals to keep you laser-focused. With each goal you achieve,SET A NEW ONE!
3. Write down all your goals. On a small card, being as specificand positive as possible, write down your long term goal on thetop half of the card, and your 12 week goal on the bottom halfof your card.
4. Carry your card with you everywhere you go and read BOTH goalsat least twice a day, and as many additional times as possible.
5. As you review your goals daily, visualize yourself taking thenecessary action steps – eating healthy foods, working out andenjoying it, etc. Visualize the end result of taking those actionsteps and see yourself as already having achieved the body youwant for next year’s beach trip. Make the mental picture as big,bright and as real as you can imagine.
6. Get really emotional about your goals. When you read and visualizeyour goals, remind yourself WHY you want to achieve them and think abouthow it will FEEL when you have the body you want next summer on thebeach. How will others react when they see you? How will that makeyou feel? Build up a burning desire and really feel it.
7. Make a list of rewards and consequences. What will be therewards and pleasure you will gain from achieving your goal?What will be the “pain” you feel and the consequences you willface if you don’t reach your goal? Be sure to have strongreasons WHY you must achieve your goal.
8. Map out your eating and training plan on paper. Using whatyou learned in the book, write a menu that you are willing tofollow at least 90% of the time. Write a workout scheduleincluding what days of the week you will train and what timeyou will train. Pick exercises you enjoy, but remember, thereare no short cuts and all big achievements require hard work.Get it all in writing – don’t “wing it.”
9. Keep accountable to yourself by keeping a training journaland even a nutrition diary. Keep accountable to others bysharing your goal with a friend or family member who supportsyou and consider getting a workout partner
10. Take the first step!
This will take a little bit of time, a little bit of work and awhole lot of thinking. But I guaranteee you it will all be worth it
Email me in 8 months. I will be looking to hear from you and hopefullysee a picture of you on the beach… six pack abs and all..
Burn The Fat is the most detailed, “one-stop” guide to fat burning nutrition you’ll ever find.That’s why so many people call it “the fat loss bible.”
COMMENTS