What to expect in your physique pursuits short term

In terms of physique development, fat loss will likely look "worse" before it looks “better”. You'll likely feel "soft" & "small" on your way to "ripped".

This is a big factor for people who are dieting for aesthetic purposes yet are already “in shape”. For those clients, that initial drop in weight is often quite disappointing visually. This usually comes down to a couple of reasons.

1) Unreasonable expectations. This is a big one. Most people who train hard and are attentive to their diets carry a decent amount of muscle and in that pursuit pick up some excess bodyfat. We all have a comfortable point where we feel best, can enjoy social situations, and perform well at our desired tasks. And that’s usually a place that’s a bit “fluffy”. If it’s between being shredded year round and enjoying occasional meals out w/friends and my wife I’m choosing the latter every time (no one other than me cares if I have a six pack).

When we start a fat loss phase we (I) usually think, “man, I’m gonna be diced about 10lbs down.” In reality, it’s usually double. For instance, I’m currently 10lbs down and just now starting to see positive changes. I’ll prob be pretty happy with another 5lbs but 10 would really be what I envisioned I’d look like 10lbs down.

2) Initial weight loss is a lot of water and glycogen. As we diet we cut calories, usually in the form of carbs. This means we have less water and glycogen in the muscle which means we will see less “fullness” in the muscle. For me, my chest is smaller and my belly fat seems more pronounced. This can make me see a visual image that’s the opposite of what I’m looking for.

TLDR; when embarking on a fat loss phase for a vacation or shoot and already “in shape”, understand that results won’t be extreme, you might need to lose 2x as much as what’s in your head, and patience (as always) is important.

Now I’m gonna go prep some veggies because I’m finally starting to see the results I expected after 2 hours of dieting 😂