One of the questions I get asked time and time again from my clients is how long until they see results? The problem these days is that due to social media and companies pushing diet pills and shakes that willget you amazing results in 2 weeks everyone wants results to happen overnight. So, can you lose a lot of weight in a short period of timelike these sites suggest? In short, the answer is yes, however is this safe, healthy and maintainable long term? Absolutely not.

The good news however is that as soon as you start exercising and taking control of your diet your body will benefit. The key things I tell most of my clients to focus on is; dropping bodyfat, maintaining / gaining muscle and improving their overall health. These three things will all improve how they look and feel in themselves. Results like this can take around 4-6 weeks of consistent training and healthy eating.


Planting Seeds

A great analogy with regards to seeing results is this: when you plant seeds you can’t see what is happening under ground, often for several long weeks. Does that mean nothing is happening? Absolutely not! That little seed is changing, growing and evolving under all that dirt, you just can’t see it yet. Slowly but surely though, with diligent watering and nutrients, that little seed breaks through the surface and begins to show you all the hard work it’s been doing under ground all that time.

Think of your body in the same way – there is SO much going on and changing inside that you can’t see yet. But with consistent healthy habits like nutrition, exercise, sleep and stress relief you WILL start to see those changes on the surface eventually too. Just give yourself at least 6 weeks before you begin to see that seed of change sprout physically. And in the meantime, put away the scale and instead focus on all the changes you can FEEL even sooner – like increased energy, stamina, strength, even happiness. Those are priceless improvements to your health and well being – enjoy those results!

Here are a few tips for seeing results as quickly and safely as possible:


Be as active as possible.

The key way to drop unwanted bodyfat is to put your body in a calorie deficit, this can be achieved by moving more and eating less. This extends further than the 1 hour a day you spend in the gym. To make this work you need to go above and beyond. If you already have an active job then great! However, if like most people you spend the day sedentary at work sitting at a desk you need to make a conscious effort to move when possible. Go up and down the stairs a few times one your break, go for a walk around the building, park your car at the far end of the car park, you get the gist. These small bouts of activity burn extra calories and will help actually you feel more energetic.


Use a training diary and follow a structured training plan.

I bash on about this all the time on my posts, but keeping a training diary is an absolute must in order for you to progress in your training. Alongside this, having a structured training plan so you can track your progress over the weeks will allow you to push yourself and continually improve. It will also allow you to see what you are due to train so certain body parts (Legs… I know you do it) aren’t missed out.


Get enough sleep.

Even if you are dedicated to your workouts and healthy eating, if you aren’t getting enough sleep you could be slowing down your results. Sleep is when your body repairs muscle tissue and it can also help balance your fat burning and hunger hormones, which can be a key factor in keeping your fat burning processes in check. Numerous studies have shown that we’re more likely to consume more calories when sleep deprived! Bottom line: make sure you are logging in 7-10 quality hours of sleep a night if you are serious about seeing results.


Track your eating.

You can nail these 3 things above, but if you are guessing how many calories you’re consuming it won’t matter. You’re going to slow down or even halt your progress. Without tracking there is no way of knowing if you are giving your body enough fuel to get through your workouts, help you to recover and get you through your day to day life.

Alternatively, if you are eating too much you could be halting fat loss completely. If you can afford to, speak to a qualified nutritionist or PT who can advise you on how many calories you should be consuming and from there you can make a game plan. A completely free way is to use the MyFitnessPal app. This will estimate how many calories you should be on and you can use it to log all your eating for the day which is a great way to keep you accountable.

If you can do your best to follow these steps, I can promise you will see results as long as you, most importantly, STAY CONSISTENT! It didn’t take you 2 weeks to get into the shape you’re in now and it will take longer than that to achieve the body you want. If it was easy, everyone would look incredible all the time. So work hard, find solutions to anything life throws in the way, stay focussed and be patient. Good luck!

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