Venuto's 8 reasons you fall off the wagon and my thoughts on them :-)

I post this not to just rationalize, but to try to figure out why I gained 13 pounds and blew weight and shape goals. Cycling goals were all achieved and then some! (Italics indicate what I typed to come to the conclusions that I did).


--- On Tue, 1/27/09, Burn The Fat Newsletter tomvenuto@burnthefat.net; wrote:

From: Burn The Fat Newsletter tomvenuto@burnthefat.net;
Subject: 8 reasons you fall off the wagon

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BURN THE FAT - Fat Burning Tips Newsletter
Brought to you by Tom Venuto & www.burnthefat.com
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THE 8 REASONS:

1. NO FOCUS: you didn't set goals, you didn't put
your goals in writing, and or you didn't stay focused on your goals
daily (by reading them, affirming them, looking at a vision board, etc.)

I did all of the above - the way my log book was organized the goals are in your face every week and everyday. Log by Joe Friel.

2. NO PRIORITIES: you may have set a goal, but you didn't put
it on or near the top of your priorities list. For example,
your goal is six pack abs, but drinking beer and eating
fast food on the weekend is higher on your priorities list than
having a flat stomach.

This is probably it my goal stated eat appropriately to recover, but then I kept on eating like that. Turbulence Training says don't worry how you eat during the workout or immediately after and even the first meal after the workout, but then after that you go back to eating nutritiously. I have incorporated more fish and seafood for more Omega 3s and such - but there were still times when I ate to endulge! Crap!

3. NO SUPPORT SYSTEM: you tried to go at it alone; no buddy
system, training partners, family, spouse, friends, mentors
or coaches to turn to for information and emotional support
when the going got tough.

Plenty of Buddies, plenty of clubs I regularly workout with, family, friends, mentors and coaches.

4. NO ACCOUNTABILITY - you didn't keep score for your
own accountability - with a progress chart, weight record,
measurements, food journal, training journal, and you
didn't set up external accountability (ie, report to someone else
or show your results to someone else).

Ehnnn! FitDay.com did the food log and weight record, had my training journal, my blog, shared my results with others although not specifically about weight except for Joe - though.

5. NO PATIENCE: you were only thinking short term and had
unrealistic expectations. You expected 10 pounds a week or
5 pounds a week or 3 pounds a week, so the first week you
lost "only" 1 or 2 pounds or hit a plateau, you gave up.

Nah, I was trying to eat to recover and to stay out of starvation mode though. Getting used to eating enough without going overboard is a fine art that I'm yet to succeed in doing.

6. NO PLANNING: you winged it. You walked into the gym
without having a workout in hand, on paper, you didn't
plan your workouts into your weekly schedule; you
didn't have a menu on paper, you didn't make time (so instead
you made excuses, like "I'm too busy").

Ehnn! I had the whole year planned, just didn't race as much as I wanted because that costs money and I already spend a bunch on the bikes.

7. NO BALANCE: your diet or training program was too
extreme. You went the all or nothing, "I want it now"
route instead of the moderate, slow-and-steady wins the race route.

This could be part of it in the Summer because I did some intense training at the time. But I sure enjoyed all those high numbers and getting to second place on the top ten on FaceBook world wide is something I'll remember forever!

8. NO PERSONALIZATION: your nutrition or training program
was the wrong one for you. It might have worked for someone
else, but it didn't suit your schedule, personality,
lifestyle, disposition or body type.

I did eat for my Body Type, it did suit my schedule, it did suit my type "a"ness, it did suit my lifestyle and I'm a little confused on my disposition. My training program has worked for me for a long time since it's a combo of Triathlon and cycling training with components from Joe Friel, Rod Cedaro, Tom Venuto, Graeme at Cyclo-Club, Coach Levi and Dr. Gabe Mirkin with stuff from RoadbikeRider.com thrown in.

I ate enough to recover well, but kept on eating like that as if I had a license to eat to my heart's (belly's) content! I fell short on weight-accountability although I may be living a self-fulfilling prophecy for my General Practitioner Dr. Franks since he says people my age don't lose weight and aren't able to succeed again on a previous weight-loss. Balance was also a shortcoming balance in nutrition and training load during the Summer and then again the same in the fall when training is reduced. Turbulence Training says be more active and then look at some more ways to be more active. I do need to do more weight-bearing exercise to counter-act the effect of the low-impact of cycling on my bones and soft-tissue. Bring back the nightly walk with my Bride and Brinks the Dog and do a run here and there for good measure. "And that's all I'm gonna say about that!" Forrest Gump

So there you have it - 8 reasons why most people to fall
off the wagon! Have you been making these mistakes? If so, the
solutions are clear and simple:
focus, prioritize, get support, be accountable, be patient,
plan, balance and personalize.

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