It happens more often than you think—people make two completely opposite statements about their progress, goals, or struggles without even noticing. And these contradictions are usually the very thing holding them back.
- “I haven’t been too consistent.” → “I’m not seeing any progress.”
→ Progress is a byproduct of consistency. If you already know you haven’t been consistent, why are you questioning the lack of results? - “I feel great and see a big difference in my physique.” → “But the scale isn’t moving.”
→ You just admitted you feel and look better. Why let a number dictate how you view your progress? - “It’s been four months and the scale hasn’t moved.” → “But I keep restricting while wanting harder workouts.”
→ You’re in a constant energy deficit and expect to perform better? Strength, muscle growth, and endurance require fuel. - “I put in so much work this last year and my body hasn’t changed as much as I thought after all the work I put in. Also, it’s my first year of strength training ever and focusing on my diet with high stress levels.
→ You’re acknowledging that you went through a lot of life stressors while trying to build muscle for the first time ever and you’re defeated that you don’t look like what you envisioned?
These contradictions create frustration and confusion, but they’re also opportunities to step back and realign your expectations. Progress doesn’t always look the way you expect it to. If your actions don’t match your goals, it’s time to reassess and shift your approach.Despite recognizing these improvements, they can’t seem to connect them to their long-term progress, leading to a sense of discouragement and confusion. This disconnect stems from a pattern of self-contradiction. For instance, someone might say they’re unhappy with their lack of visible results, but also recognize improvements like more energy or increased strength. They’ll feel disappointed with how they look in the mirror, yet when asked about their workouts or lifestyle changes, they acknowledge that things are heading in the right direction. The confusion arises because their expectations of immediate, dramatic change conflict with the reality that sustainable progress takes time and comes in many forms.
Many people set extremely high expectations at the outset of their journey, hoping for rapid transformations. These goals often stem from comparisons to others, social media influencers, or “before and after” stories that seem to promise fast results. When progress doesn’t happen as quickly as they expect, they get discouraged and think they’re not making progress. But here’s where the contradiction occurs: despite these high expectations, they often fail to track their progress properly and consistently, which contributes to their unrealistic sense of how fast change should happen. People rely too much on the scale, expecting it to provide a full picture of their progress. Yet, the scale doesn’t account for changes in muscle mass, strength, or how clothes fit. These positive shifts are often overlooked, especially since many people don’t track them properly—whether it’s through photos, measurements, or strength benchmarks. Without documenting these changes, they forget or minimize the subtle but important progress they’re making, which reinforces the disconnect between where they want to be and where they actually are.
