Should you lose the last 5 pounds?

I had our quarterly check-in with Jael yesterday before class. During a member check-in we do 3 things. I ask what are some things that are going well, what are some things they’re struggling with, and if they have a body composition goal like most people do, we do an InBody scan. These check-ins are important to us because we want to make sure our members are happy and if they are not we want to help them and fix the problem.

Jael had her check-in with me and is always happy at the gym. “I live a good life” she always says. She is a college professor, has 3 kids, a husband, lots of family and friends and lives a happy and social life. She regularly comes to the gym. Always is willing to work hard and receive feedback to improve her form. She has been doing CrossFit for years and recently we broke through a wall that helped her cycle her power cleans with better technique. Before that, she celebrated a huge accomplishment of averaging 10,000 or more steps a day for an entire year. AN ENTIRE YEAR. She was motivated to keep going after one of our nutrition challenges and made it a priority. I’ve noticed a difference in her mobility in her workouts, she’s noticed a difference in helping her maintain her body weight instead of regularly fluctuating during different times throughout the year where she is busier, and has also had friends join her on her walks while getting their kids on the bus. She has made it part of her lifestyle and create something that is flexible and sustainable taking weekly averages vs. daily because that’s what works for her.

During our check-in I had asked her if she was struggling with anything. Although she is happy, she was hoping to lose 5 more pounds before her upcoming vacation. I asked her, what does losing 5 pounds really do. For some, it doesn’t make a difference all that much. For Jael, she feels more comfortable in her clothes. There’s never a one-size-all type of answer. We talked a little bit more about her nutrition and where she could make any adjustments. She mentioned around 2pm she has sugar cravings. It doesn’t matter where she is in her menstrual cycle, around 2pm she wants a handful of m&m’s. I told Jael, you have options. But you have to first decide what is important to you.

Is losing 5 pounds really important to you? If the answer is yes, then either skip the chocolate or find a way to incorporate it into your daily calories that keep you in a caloric deficit. Maybe that means smaller portions elsewhere. Maybe that means healthier alternatives like those Chobani flip cubs that have greek yogurt and a small amount of candy to satisfy these cravings with less calories or fruit that has a ton of water in it that will help keep you satisfied like watermelon for example.

Or is losing 5 pounds not really important to you? It might be better for you to enjoy a slower process of maintaining your body weight, enjoying treats here and there and then returning to a deficit when you’re motivated to lock in a little more.

I can’t answer that for Jael, she’s gotta make that decision. I am here to support her with either option she chooses. Same with you. You can book a free intro here .