Every single day our 12WBTers inspire us with their dedication, consistency, and honesty. The Member Zone is a place for our team to share their journeys, like 12WBTer Mal. On his sixth Round of the 12 Week Body Transformation, he’s learnt a thing or two about weight loss, and shared his very honest thoughts with his teammates. Over to you Mal!
Be Honest
So we are here to lose weight right? Let’s examine that for a second or two.
The first thing we need to admit and accept is that the reason we need to lose weight is because we’re overweight or obese or morbidly obese. There aren’t many other options. So we’re FAT!
There, I said it…We’re fat and we want to do something about it. A question, before we start complaining that we’re not losing weight quick enough is, “How long did it take us to get fat?” Most of us took years to get there and the growth was incremental – we hardly noticed! So why do we complain when we ‘only’ lose 100 to 500 grams in a week? Stop this! Now! It’s a loss! Accept it and keep going!
Be Patient
The fact is, we’re not on The Biggest Loser. We’re doing this in the real world with all of its distractions and attractions. It took time to put it on, and it’ll take time to take it off! The healthy recommendation for weight loss is between 0.5kg and 1kg per week, but I accept any loss – it would even be OK to not lose any weight if I’m following the diet and exercise program because things WILL start to work.
Please! This isn’t a competition! If someone has lost more than you, that’s great. Good for them. What are they doing that you haven’t? Have you stuck to the plan, without cheating? Keep a diary, make sure you’re doing it properly and track EVERYTHING!
Be Consistent
We are all individuals. Our situations and goals are different and no plan suits everyone. This plan will, however, work for the majority. By ‘majority’, I mean everyone who follows it properly and sticks with it!
Some people (very, very few) do have legitimate excuses for their weight gain. Some medical conditions and medications can do it. For those people, stick with it. Even if the weight loss is harder you’ll still be fitter and healthier by working towards the goal.
If you don’t like the food, change the meal options. If you can’t do an exercise, start on an easier plan or find a substitute exercise.
It took time, dedication and an unwavering lack of focus to get fat…
It’ll take time, dedication and unwavering focus to get fit, slim and back to health.
And it’s SO worth it. Keep pushing people and JFDI!
Mal’s Top Tips for Weight Loss Success
1. Concentrate hardest on controlling your intake.
This is the easiest thing to control. Nobody is forcing you to eat that donut, cream bun, vanilla slice or whatever floats your craving boat…But don’t beat yourself up if you succumb to a naughty snack occasionally. Put it into your food diary and keep working on reducing the slip ups.
2. Exercise as much as you can, when you can.
If you can do six sessions a week then great, do six. If you can do more, EXCELLENT! If you can’t do six sessions, do what you can – maybe three sessions, or 20 pushups every night before bed. DO SOMETHING every day and don’t call it exercise” call it fun, call it getting toned, call it George if you have to, but embrace it as part of the new you.
More about Mal
12WBTer Mal (Mal64) is in his sixth Round of the Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation. He’s now fitter than when he was in his teens. “I’m a work in progress and my mindset is ahead of my goals so it will only get better from here.”
Well I am sorry to say that this type of talk does not fix everyone’s problems in fact since reading Mal’s entries I have fallen right of the wagon and I sure I am not the only one. I understand this is probably because it is challenging me and there are some home truths here however I get no positives from Mal and I am now in the position of not logging in to the forums. This has dampened my experience with 12WBT and am not sure where to from here. We are all different and do things different and are here because for different reasons. I thought I would get support not the reason I am in this position thrown at me. I probably will not be able to write on these forums again after this however I was in the process of complaining and then Mich was advertising it. I understand that Mich has been this hard before on people she has been involved with but I have also seen her coach and support people not run them down and make the feel even more worthless. Sorry guys I am saying it as it is this is not what expected as a supportive environment and am very disheartened in the program.
Hi Carol
I’m so sorry to hear that Mal’s comments have had such a negative effect on you. Mal is quite a character and certainly very forthright but I promise that his comments were not meant to be hurtful. He’s been where you are now and he’s come out the other side… with a brand new attitude!
There will always be things that have the potential to throw us off track (a picture, a photo, a family member’s comment about or this blog post)… especially if those things have a sting of truth to them. The thing to remember is that these things will pop up through life and although right now you’re feeling like withdrawing, this is your time to grow stronger by soldiering on! Don’t let this one blog post throw you off your entire 12WBT journey. You’re in control. Keep calm and play the long game. I can see that you’ve achieved some pretty fantastic results to date – you’re doing an amazing job and we want to see you keep going. We want to do whatever we can to support you through the next 6 weeks.
You are absolutely right that everyone that joins has done so for a different reason and we respect that. It’s never our goal to put members down – we are your biggest fans and only want to lift you up. That may not always come in the form of rainbows but we ARE cheering of you!
As you’ve said, Michelle can be a real toughie but she shows a lot of love and support as well. We believe that 12WBT is the same. It’s not often that we deliver hard truths (that’s Michelle’s job!!) but the 12WBT Support Crew are always here to help, support and advise as much as we possibly can.
This is your journey and this is your moment to jump back on that wagon and get back to doing what you were doing before you read this post… kicking your goals!
We are here for you, Carol and we can’t wait to hear about what you achieve over the next 6 weeks. If you ever need anything, but perhaps don’t feel comfortable posting about it in the Member Zone, please get in touch via email – support@12wbtsupport.com
Hi Carol,
Please don’t let my post stop you in your progress toward your goals. Send a message to the 12WBT team and ask for their support.
Mal.
This is my first time and everything Mal says is Very true…I am at my heaviest ever but I’m going to take on board the tips given and make myself accountable for what food goes into my mouth while I am in Europe. I’m sure I can manage clean eating at the very least. If not I will own it and do better the next day. My runners are packed and my gym gear. I have my Fitbit and my enthusiasm. We’ll see how I go I’m not sure I’m exactly in the right head space yet but I want to give it my best shot. Good luck to everyone undertaking this round.
I totally agree with you, Mal and admire you for your honesty – with yourself and others. I agree with your three tips to loose weight. That’s what helped me- last year. Three rounds and I weighed what I did on my wedding day – which I had only done a couple of times since that day 38 years ago!! I would also add, or support you in saying – Be honest. Be honest with yourself – with the reason WHY you are doing the 12WBT, and HOW you came to this point. And WHEN you have a bad day – or week, be honest. There is rarely any other person, or reason, other than yourself and your actions to blame for not doing as well as you thought you would. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, STOP weighing yourself every day and get back on the horse. Because Mal knows and I am STILL, one year on, thrilled at the results I have, I did that, ME. I have the 12WBT to thank for not only looking better but feeling a WHOLE lot better than I have for a very long time. So thanks Mal, for sharing your thoughts. Come ON everyone. If I could do it and be successful, if Mal could do it and still enjoy his results, his rewards today, you can to. All the best for your exciting journey . You won’t have any idea how well you will go until you take the first step. Tomorrow! Good luck. Naomi