Psychological Stages of Body Recomposition

Added: 2026-05-30

[00:00:00]Most women don't quit their fitness or body re-composition journey because they lack information on the importance of a calorie deficit, understanding the importance of protein, or even the importance of, of course, adding in more movement to your existing routine. They simply quit because the version of themselves that they're actually trying to build is in direct conflict with the version of themselves that they've been living with for years. So, even if you're trying to do something good for yourself, your brain is simply going to drag you back to the familiar. So, think about every single time you tried to start a new program in order to change your body for the better. Your brain always ran back to the existing program, a program that was built off of perfectionism, all-or-nothing thinking, they're a failure, and ultimately comparison. And these patterns ultimately always will sabotage your progress. And the problem is that program that your brain runs off of was probably or probably didn't even come from you. It was written years ago, and you've been following it for decades. And the problem is it is designed to keep you exactly where you are, despite your attempts for change.

[00:01:15]Because the reality is we don't necessarily act based off of what we know. We act based off of the patterns, the emotional patterns that our body is used to, and our nervous system is ultimately addicted to. And neuro-science is so brutal about this because our brains would rather stick to familiar failure as opposed to unfamiliar successes. And that's simply why when you start a new routine, you ultimately don't stick to it. So, today I'm ultimately going to go over the seven psychological stages that women ultimately experience along their fitness or even body re-composition journey. And ultimately, I'm going to go over the stage where 90% of women ultimately quit without even realizing it. Because when you simply become more aware and understand what is going on, especially with your current behavioral patterns, it becomes so much easier to actually stick with the plan and actually make the change. Hey guys, it's Becca and welcome to the channel. If you're new here, on this channel we discuss how to build a body and a mindset that you can actually maintain.

[00:02:18]>> [music] >> So, if this is something that you're interested in, go ahead and hit that like button. Don't forget to subscribe to the channel and let's get into the video. So, stage number one, the false start optimism. Don't get me wrong, stage number one definitely feels amazing, especially when you're starting a new program because you have this new found motivation that came out of practically nowhere. You're starting to meal prep, you're getting your cute little gym outfits ready. You've downloaded MyFitnessPal in preparation to actually start tracking your calories and you've ultimately bought those supplements that you've never used before. And ultimately, you're going to tell yourself that this time is different. This is the time that you're actually going to start making that change. Until ultimately the crash hits maybe a week or two into your actual new program. And let's be clear, you didn't intentionally quit because you're trying to be inconsistent when you started off this journey because that was ultimately not the plan. You ultimately quit because stage one was ultimately designed to collapse on its own anyways.

[00:03:16]The problem is when you're going from your normal lifestyle of not consistently training and not actually eating or dialing in your nutrition to a program where it requires you to do five days a week, meal prepping like you're an Olympic athlete, strict calorie restrictions, cutting out entire food groups, cutting out refined sugars entirely, [music] trying to get in those eight hours of sleep, and not to mention trying to get in those three liters of water per day.

[00:03:43]Your nervous system is going to see this as a threat because your body doesn't care right now that you are trying to be healthy. It thinks that you're in danger and you're in shock. So, the problem is most women mistake this collapse for failure and they simply tell themselves that they cannot compete at this pace, which of course they can because their lives are completely different. But, the problem is if you stay stuck here, you're going to spend years in a day one again cycle where you consistently start super strong and then you crash harder every single time you try. So, the easiest anchor for this is to at least incorporate one good habit, not five, not 10. One good habit into your current existing routine. Whether that's getting in more steps or increasing or ensuring that you're hitting your protein targets. Ensuring that you're getting in enough sleep by sleeping maybe 30 minutes earlier than you normally would.

[00:04:35]And this allows your brain to safely adapt to these changes, which will ultimately become more sustainable habits over time. Stage two, the identity collision. Now, stage two is the invisible stage, but it's probably one of the most important stages to actually solidify the change that you're going for because it's ultimately the psychological collision between the woman that you are currently and the woman that you say that you ultimately want to become in the future. Because ultimately, your old identity is going to say to yourself, "I don't work out consistently. I always simply fall off.

[00:05:07]I consistently mess up over the weekends. Fitness is simply not who I am." But, your new identity ultimately is trying to tell you that you want to be stronger. You want to have that divine body. You want to feel more in control of your health and your life.

[00:05:22]And the problem is these two identities cannot coexist because the problem is your old identity is definitely going to start sabotaging the new identity that you are trying to build. Because the problem is self-sabotage isn't a lack of discipline. It's simply just trying to be loyal to your old identity. But, the issue also is if you don't learn how to navigate this identity collision, you will always return back to that old self-identity. Because the reality is, our brain would rather stay with the familiar than the uncertain success. And what we need to understand is our identity shift is going to happen through repetition, not the perfection that we're trying to attain. So, every time you complete that small little habit, you're voting for that new identity to stick around as opposed to going or snapping back to the old one.

[00:06:13]And your brain needs to collect this evidence so it proves that you're able to make the shift. Stage three, the adaptation wall. This is the stage where most women quit around week three or so.

[00:06:25]And this is simply because you've been consistent with your routine, don't get me wrong, but you're not seeing the visible changes that you ultimately need to see to keep continuing with this new routine. So, you're going through the motions, you're sore, you're tired, and now you're hungry as well.

[00:06:43]And you're not seeing results, why would you want to stick with this? What we're not understanding is our metabolism is slowly recalibrating. Our muscles are learning new movement patterns. Our hormones are ultimately stabilizing, and our nervous system is ultimately trying to like decide if this new routine is even safe to continue. And because we're not seeing rapid change, don't get me wrong, I was definitely [music] like this. Because we're not seeing rapid change, we simply tell ourselves that this routine is pointless. So, why even continue? But the problem is if you continue to quit here, you will never see what your body can ultimately do.

[00:07:19]Week four, five, six, and the results that you ultimately will see. You're ultimately going to lose yourself to premature quitting, and this definitely happened to me for years. Where you're always stopping exactly right at the moment where your body is about to show change. So, what I want from you is to not change the plan entirely. I don't want you to simply start self-sabotaging yourself by slashing your calories even more. Just stick through the plan and see it through. You ultimately need to stick with the program until your body ultimately trusts that this is a safe process to work through. Stage number five, the neutral zone. Now, this is the stage where you're most calm. There's no actual ultimate chaos going on in the background. There's no perfectionistic I messed up or super lows where you just want to completely give up. It simply just become your routine now. It's consistency without the excitement. And this is the stage where your brain ultimately misses that adrenaline that you had at the start of the journey. So, you ultimately think the boredom of the journey, because it will ultimately get boring, means that you actually made a mistake or something is wrong. But, boredom is ultimately the sign of sustainable change. Number six is where you're actually starting to see some changes, because one day something actually starts to shift. Your jeans start feeling a lot easier to get on.

[00:08:39]Your waistline looks tighter, and you're actually able to wear the dress that you've always wanted to wear. Your posture changes. Your muscle definition actually starts to show up out of nowhere. And this is the moment where so many women actually thought they were supposed to see this week one. So, if you quit right before the stage, you would ultimately not get to see the version of yourself that shows that she is so much more capable than what she thought in the beginning of her journey. Number seven or stage seven, the breaking point moment. So, this stage isn't necessarily physical. It's more emotional. It's the stage where you're actually telling yourself that you're done living small.

[00:09:18]You're done starting over every single time. And you're done being at war with yourself constantly.

[00:09:24]And this could be triggered by a plethora of reasons. It could have been a health scare or a doctor's appointment that hit a little close to home. Could have been a traumatic event that happened as well. Where it simply puts your life into perspective. This is the moment where you actually start to realize that no one is actually coming to save you and you need to put in the work to get your desired results. And ultimately, this is where you begin to stop quitting on yourself consistently.

[00:09:52]Okay, before I wrap this up, I do want to say something that is quite important because you can understand all seven psychological stages. You can even map out exactly where you're about to fall off. But the problem is in the moment that you're actually experiencing this, your old brain patterns are trying to drag you back to where you are and ultimately to keep you there. So, I do understand that it's very difficult to win this battle alone, especially starting to be consistent alone. Change doesn't ultimately happen when everything is in perfect conditions. It ultimately happens when you reach that resistance point. So, when your nervous system is screaming for that familiarity and you're literally tempted to start negotiating with yourself to go back to your old habit. But this is ultimately the moment where accountability becomes the difference between repeating the past and actually rewiring it. This is why in my 8-week recomposition program, I did include the accountability portion because I know how important it actually is to be a part of a program, especially when you're trying to make an actual change. So, it's not simply about just following a plan. It's about checking in and getting the support that you actually genuinely need during this journey. Because ultimately, yes, of course, your body changes with the workouts and nutrition, but your mind definitely changes with that connection.

[00:11:07]It changes with guidance and having that person to support you through the most difficult and challenging times. So, if you're interested, don't forget to check out the links in the description and don't forget to hit that like button if you found any of this content valuable and don't forget to subscribe to the channel and I'll see you in the next video.

[00:11:34]>> [music] >> Mhm.