When you’re trying to get beach-worthy abs, sometimes you encounter unexpected problems.
Certain folks are lucky. They create a calorie deficit, work on their resistance training, eat a couple of chicken breasts and BAM — cover model abs with barely a hint of effort.
For the less fortunate among us, getting lean can be a hell of a challenge.
A lot of people seem to think that getting lean is an easy, linear process. The truth is, if it were easy, we’d all be strutting around at 10-12% bodyfat all the time.
Some issues, like large calorie deficits and lots of exercise, are predictable and easy to plan for. Other problems can sneak up on you, derailing your progress before you even recognize them.
While these might not apply to everyone, here are some common challenges you might face while trying to get lean.
The Problems You’ll Potentially Face
Problem 1 – Hunger
When you create a calorie deficit, you are forcing your body to burn fat by eating less than you need to maintain your current weight.
Your body doesn’t like being at a deficit, which means there will be times when you’re tempted to eat more than your daily calorie goal.
Cutting calories is an inevitable part of improving your physique, but it doesn’t need to be a frustrating road block.
Here are some ways you can keep your appetite in check during a cut.
Solutions:
Find foods that fill you up.
Most people find vegetables quite filling, as they are fibrous and low in calories. That means it’s all but impossible to overeat on things like broccoli, green beans, spinach.
It’s also a good idea to learn and understand what true hunger feels like. A lot of the time when you feel hungry, a drink of water or something to distract you will be enough to push the feeling away.
Finally, try to keep eating separate from other activities, like watching TV or surfing the Internet. Most of the time we aren’t truly hungry, we just think we are because we’ve learned to associate eating with other parts of our lives.
Try to keep eating separate from other activities, like watching TV or surfing the Internet. Most of the time we aren’t truly hungry, we just think we are because we’ve learned to associate eating with other parts of our lives.
Problem 2 – Failure
Even the most committed of sportsmen have off days, and you will be no exception. Whether you missed a training session or just ate too much food yesterday, there will be a point where you veer from your plan.
Solution:
Embrace this and try to learn from it.
If you’ve gone completely off of your plan, what was the trigger? Was it because you were depriving yourself of the foods you love? Was it peer pressure, or was it just a one-time thing?
Find out what led to the failure and set a plan to keep it from happening again.
Whatever you do, don’t beat yourself up about it! It’s completely natural to have failures, and one bad meal or missed workout will not make or break your physique.
Thomas Edison has a cool quote that fits in nicely here:
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work and learned from each.”
Whatever you do, don’t beat yourself up about it! It’s completely natural to have failures, and one bad meal or missed workout will not make or break your physique.
Problem 3 – Where’s my motivation gone?
We all know the feeling you get when you cannot wait to get in the gym — you’re pumped and ready to go! Unfortunately, most of us also know the feeling you get when working out seems like a humongous task that you simply can’t be bothered to do.
Solutions:
This one will definitely vary from person to person, as a lot of people may never find they have this issue.
For those of us who do, it’s important to create good habits at the beginning of your program when motivation levels are highest. That way, when your gusto starts to fade later on, you already have a solid routine in place.
I find it’s something I face pretty regularly, which is why I tend to change my program every 6 weeks.
It’s also good to remind yourself of why you are doing all this in the first place. Do you want to build a harder physique? Look more attractive? Improve your endurance?
Whatever your goals, remembering your reasons for cutting fat is an important part of keeping your motivation levels high.
Whatever your goals, remembering your reasons for cutting fat is an important part of keeping your motivation levels high. Image courtesy of Guy Code Academy.
Problem 4 – Impatience
It’s not uncommon for people to want things quicker than they can be achieved, especially in an industry where fast results are often “guaranteed”.
Fat loss is pretty easy at the beginning of a program. Later, when fat becomes more difficult to lose, people start to get impatient. This can sometimes lead to drastic decisions about reducing calorie intake or increasing exercise.
Solutions:
Getting lean isn’t something that happens overnight. It’s normal to get impatient with the process, especially when so many people are trying to sell us quick fixes.
How can you get around this? It all comes down to trusting the process, putting in the work, and believing that results will come. And they will, as long as you are:
Monitoring your progress
Maintaining a calorie deficit
Doing some kind of exercise (most likely weight training)
You’ve just gotta have faith and be consistent.
If you’re really struggling with impatience, I recommend getting a fitness coach. It’ll take the guesswork out of it and you’ll have someone to hold you accountable.
If you’re really struggling with impatience, I recommend getting a fitness coach. It’ll take the guesswork out of it and you’ll have someone to hold you accountable.
Problem 5 – The effect it can have on others
I’d say this is the number one problem people don’t expect to encounter when working on fat loss. It’s definitely something I’ve experienced, and I know my clients have, too.
Getting lean is naturally a self-centred goal, which means it can sometimes threaten to destroy your social life and relationships.
Try asking a gym-lover’s boy/girlfriend how often they go out for a drink or enjoy a meal out when they are cutting — you’ll probably get a short laugh and the word “rarely”.
People don’t usually talk about this problem, but it’s a very important thing to take into account. Otherwise, you risk becoming the talk of your mates for being boring or at the wrong end of a “chat” with your other half.
Solutions:
It’s possible to get lean and have an enjoyable social life as long as you:
- Plan ahead.
If you know you are going to eat out on a Saturday night and plan to take in loads of extra calories, leave a calorie buffer for that date. This might seem tough, but it’s pretty easy if you plan it properly. For example, if you’ve got 2000 kcal to eat each day, drop your kcals by 300 on Friday and eat small amounts of vegetables and protein throughout Saturday morning and afternoon. That way, you can still go a little off track without ruining your calorie goals.
- Get your other half involved.
Cook something healthy together, go out for a long walk, or find a fitness activity that you both enjoy.
- Make sure enjoyment is a priority.
If you force yourself to eat bland foods and do exercises you don’t even enjoy, chances are you won’t commit to getting and staying lean in the long term. If you don’t like what you’re doing, switch up your routine to make it something you actually look forward to.
If you force yourself to eat bland foods and do exercises you don’t even enjoy, chances are you won’t commit to getting and staying lean in the long term.
Problem 6 – Your Alter Ego
We’ve all had those moments when you’re at the end of the day with barely any macros left and there’s food tempting you in the kitchen. Part of you wants to resist the urge and stick to your plan, but the other part is saying “Ah screw it, some extra calories today won’t matter much”.
The thing is, your negative alter ego is correct — a handful of extra calories here or there doesn’t really matter as much as you might think. However, it’s also important to remember that consistently eating more calories is an easy way to make all of your progress grind to a halt.
Solution:
When you do your grocery shopping, don’t buy loads of calorie-dense junk food. It’s a lot easier not to eat something you don’t buy in the first place.
This should be simple, as long as you don’t go shopping when you are hungry, which is when your junk-resisting defences are lowest. Shopping with specific grocery list will also help keep you in check.
If you still find yourself tempted, remember why you are attempting to get lean in the first place. Are you really willing to give up your progress for a little bit of junk food?
When you do your grocery shopping, don’t buy loads of calorie-dense junk food. It’s a lot easier not to eat something you don’t buy in the first place. Image courtesy of Minnpost.
Conclusion
Everyone will face their own unique roadblocks throughout a fitness journey — the issues covered here are just some that I’ve personally seen, either in my own life or with my clients.
So just work hard, pursue your goal and enjoy the ride!
Sure, you’ll encounter some challenges — but isn’t that part of the fun?
About the Author
As a part of the Shredded by Science online coaching team, Stuart Aitken helps regular guys and gals get into awesome shape. As well as being a lover of coffee and deadlifts, his main passion lies in making things simple and effective for any client he helps to improve their physique. He can be found on Facebook and more of his writings can be found on the Shredded by Science blog.
We value your privacy and would never spam you