At the beginning of 2015, you made and implemented your fitness goals by eating clean and busting your butt in the gym. Four weeks deep into the year, you’re starting to get restless. The scale is still your worst enemy and the cravings for greasy food are more tempting now than ever before.

When are the results from all of your hard work going to show? And more importantly, why don’t you look like a Victoria’s Secret model or a competitive body builder yet?

Seeing a personal difference, whether that be weight loss, an increase in muscle mass or more definition all around, takes a combination of diet, exercise and a lot of patience.

How long does it take to see your body change? Every person is different, and so is every exercise plan.

If you are trying to lose weight, the important thing to remember is to be realistic about it and not pay attention to ads with false promises like: “Do this and you can lose 10 pounds per week.” To start shedding more pounds, try cutting back 1,000 calories per day. Ideally, that would be 500 calories from your diet and 500 from physical activity. Any more than 1,000 per day will slow down your metabolism and create adverse effects or even harm your body.

If you are trying to build muscle mass, it is important to increase fat intake, so your body can then turn it into muscle. To get the best results, incorporate cardio and weight training. Muscle will help burn fat, but remember that muscle out-weighs fat, as well.

It takes more than a month to see significant changes in your body that other people notice. It takes a lot of time and diligence to stick with your daily fitness goals and be consistent — do not start and stop the plans you have made.

Focus more on what your body actually looks like, how your clothes fit or how much easier it is to run up the stairs rather than the number that stares back at you on the scale. As I continue to get leaner and gain muscle mass, the number on the scale makes little transformation. For that reason, throwing my scale away was the best decision I have ever made.

For the people who want to work out for a month and see a drastic difference, you have set yourself up for failure. Be patient. These changes take time, perseverance and a lot of sweat.

Contact Katie Leyton at [email protected].