Do you want to lose a stone in 2024?
AND
Are you a beginner when it comes to your health and wellness or maybe you’re a frustrated yo-yo dieter that’s fed up with that endless cycle of lose a pound, gain a pound?
If you meet the above criteria then this article is for you! I’m going to show you one of the steps I go through with all of my clients when they first join me.
This article is step number 2 of a 4 step process that I go through with every client of mine.
So, we have our baseline number sorted (if not, go back and read step 1). Keep that in mind as it’ll be useful for later.
The next crucial step to getting started and losing a stone in 2024 is…
Your timeframe!
How long are you willing to commit to this for? How long is this going to take you?
I'm going to say it now and get it out the way, the longer you allow yourself, the easier this is going to be, hence me always banging on about committing from the off to a YEAR!
Yes, I know, this sounds tiring, boring, long and I know that you probably want results yesterday, I get that! But hear me out…
Let me ask you this? How much progress did you make in the entirety of 2023? Did you lose a stone? Did you lose half a stone? How about 2022? How long have you been trying to lose weight for now? Most people set out to lose some weight, but they almost always focus on something short term and do you know what happens 99% of the time?
They fail, they fall off the wagon, life gets in the way, etc!
Is it not time you tried an alternative approach? A more sustainable one?
I guarantee you, if you commit now, to 1 stone in 1 year, you will succeed!
Why?
Because without the pressure of time, you can do things sustainably! And sustainably is surprisingly easy!
Let me break it down with a couple of examples below…
The most common approach
Jack has a big school reunion happening in March. He wants to show all those people he went to school with that he’s a real catch since leaving school and that he’s got his sh*t in order. It’s currently Jan 24th and the doo is happening March 23rd. That gives him a total time of 8 weeks to drop a stone… Has Jack really got his sh*t together? Let’s take a look at the numbers below:
Total calorie deficit needed: 50,000 (1 pound of fat is roughly equal to 3,500 calories. Multiply this by the target number of pounds, 14, and we end up with 50,000)
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Timeframe: 8 weeks
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Weekly deficit needed = 6,250 calories
Daily deficit = 892 calories
My underrated approach
Jenna on the other hand, is focused on her 40th next year. She’s going away with the family and friends and Jen has decided that she’s done with feeling unconfident and doesn’t want to spend the holiday constantly covering up and hiding from the camera. She wants to enter the next decade of her life feeling more positive about her body. The holiday is May 10th 2025 and just like Jack, her start date is Jan 24th 2023 so, in theory, she has WELL over a year to do this but lets say Jen wants to be 1 stone lighter by Christmas of 2024 so that she can then continue to make more progress after the festive period.That gives Jen a huge 48 weeks to lose 14 pounds! Let’s have a look at Jen's numbers below:
Total calorie deficit needed: 50,000 (1 pound of fat is roughly equal to 3,500 calories. Multiply this by the target number of pounds, 14, and we end up with 50,000)
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Timeframe: 48 weeks
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Weekly deficit needed = 1,041 calories
Daily deficit = 148 calories
The key number you get from deciding upon your timeframe is your daily deficit. The lower this crucial number is, the easier this journey will be!
Looking at our 2 examples above…
Jack needs to achieve a daily calorie deficit of nearly 900 calories. Jack's baseline is 2,140 calories which means he needs to live off around 1,000 calories per day for the next 8 weeks, that’s even without making any allowances for days or nights out, last minute takeaways etc. I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you that this approach is not sustainable and it will probably come as no surprise that Jack is likely to fail this time around.
Jenna on the other hand, just 150! Her baseline is 2,271 calories which means, minus her daily deficit, she has the grand total of 2,121 per day for the next 48 weeks! Need I say anymore?!
So, as I mentioned at the top of this article, the longer you can give yourself, the less pressure you put yourself under, the easier this journey will be!
After you’ve decided on your timeframe (I recommend a year!), you should check out the next article in this series as soon as it's released!
And if all of this makes no sense then there’s a chance that you haven’t read the previous article in the series: The Ultimate Guide To Weight Loss For Beginners - Step 1
Thanks for reading!
Dan Bryan (AKA The Thrive Health Coach)
I specialise in sustainable weight loss for beginners and frustrated yo-yo dieters with bespoke 121 health coaching. I'm based in Amersham but cover all the surrounding areas including Little Chalfont, Chesham, Berkhamsted, Tring, Aylesbury, Watford, High Wycombe, Beaconsfield, Rickmansworth and Chorleywood.
You can reach me at the following:
Email: hello@thrivewithdan.co.uk
Instagram: @thethrivehealthcoach
Facebook: The Thrive Health Coach
Whatsapp: 07368 206534
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