I’m not gaining…but, I’m not losing either…WHY?
I know you.
You're up at 6am. Kids to get ready, a job to get to, and about 47 things on your mental to-do list before noon. You're trying to eat halfway decent. You're getting to the gym when you can — maybe once a week, sometimes twice if the stars align. You're not going off the rails.
And yet ... nothing is changing.
The scale isn't moving. Your energy is still mediocre at best. You don't feel like you're losing ground, but you sure don't feel like you're gaining any either.
Sound familiar?
The problem isn't that you're failing. The problem is that you're doing just enough to maintain ... but not quite enough to improve.
And the gap between those two things? It's smaller than you think.
The Myth of the Big Change
When people hit this wall, the natural instinct is to go all-in. New diet. Six days a week at the gym. Cut out everything. Make it hurt.
I get it. But I've been doing this long enough to know how that story ends. You go hard for two or three weeks, then life happens — a sick kid, a work deadline, a rough Thursday night — and suddenly you're back to square one with the added weight of feeling like you failed.
The all-or-nothing approach is almost always nothing.
What actually works? Doing just a little bit more than what you're currently doing. Not a lot more. A little more.
What "A Little More" Actually Looks Like
I'm not talking about a fitness overhaul. I'm talking about small, specific shifts that, done consistently over time, compound into real results.
Getting one strength training session in per week? Can you get two? Even 30 minutes counts. That's not a massive time commitment — but over the course of a year, you've doubled your training volume. That matters.
Walking occasionally? What if you added one more walk (or even add 10 minutes to the walk you can do) per week? Twenty minutes around the neighborhood while your kids ride their bikes. That's a win.
On the nutrition side — this is where people quietly sabotage themselves without realizing it — the shifts can be even smaller. Those two peanut M&Ms you grab off the counter that somehow always turn into the whole bag? That's not a character flaw. That's just how it works when the food is in front of you. One small decision, made consistently, has real impact.
Or take the Friday night drinks. Four becomes two. You still unwound. But you've cut a few hundred calories that weren't doing anything for you anyway — and you'll sleep better and feel better Saturday morning.
These aren't dramatic changes. But they're the kind that actually stick.
I Live This Too
Last week I had about 15 minutes between getting home from work and having to leave again to pick up Noah from school.
I hadn't eaten. And I knew if I didn't eat right then, it wasn't happening until 8:30 or 9pm. Not ideal.
I didn't have time to think about the perfect meal. I didn't stress about macros or whether everything was optimally timed. I just asked myself one question: what can I put together right now that still gets me toward the goal?
Protein first. Always protein first.
What followed wasn't pretty, but it worked. A Chomps beef stick. Siggi's yogurt. An apple. Some carrots. A slice of sourdough with a little peanut butter.
Was it a perfectly constructed meal? No. Did it hit my protein, keep me fueled, and get me out the door in time? Absolutely.
That's the point. You don't need perfect. You need good enough, right now. A decent decision made in a 15-minute window beats a great plan that never happens.
Just Do One More Thing.
You've got family. You've got commitments. There is no magical window of free time coming that's going to let you execute some perfect program. So stop waiting for that.
Ask yourself one question: What is one thing I could do more of this week that I'm currently not doing?
One more walk. One less drink. Protein at breakfast instead of skipping it. Stopping at two cookies instead of six.
Pick one. Do it consistently. Then next month, pick another one.
That's the process. No 30-day transformation. No dramatic overhaul. Just real, sustainable, and compounding progress — the kind that actually sticks.
You're closer than you think. You just need to nudge the needle, not reinvent the wheel.
As always ...
GIVE YOUR BODY WHAT IT NEEDS, WHEN IT NEEDS IT!
Jaime Rothermich, RD, CSSD, LD, PPSC*KB, PPSC
Functional Elements Training & Nutrition
TRAIN FOR LIFE
(c) 314.518.4875
functionalelements@gmail.comhttp://www.functionalelements.net
If you’re searching for evidence-based nutrition coaching and personal training in or around St. Louis, Missouri, these same principles form the foundation of the work we do every day at Functional Elements—helping adults build strength, lose weight sustainably, and improve long-term health. Check out our 14-day 360° to get you motivated, educated and aligned with the very best Functional Elements Training & Nutrition has to offer over a period of just 14 days.
