But you probably already knew that.
So you’ve tried losing weight over the years, but as you get older it just seems harder to keep the inches off. Maybe you’ve tried the big commercial programs like Weight Watchers, or your personal trainer told you to cut your calories down to 1500 kcal per day (except cheat days).
Maybe you gave keto or Whole 30 or carnivore or vegetarian a shot, and while they seemed to work for a while, you struggled through each day and eventually it just got too hard.
Truth is, you not being able to stick with a diet is not about you. Ok, no, sorry, it is about you, but not like that. Those diets didn’t work for you because those diets were not designed for you.
Let me say that again: Those diets didn’t work for you because they were not designed specifically for you.
Keto, Whole 30, carnivore and even vegetarian can be great short-term resets and can even be very therapeutic for those dealing with a chronic illness. Eliminating a certain food group can be effective at calming inflammation and getting our bodies back into balance.
But they are really hard to sustain long term, and can lead to significant nutrient deficiencies.
Diet plans like Weight Watchers stay in business because people fail and start over, again and again. It is super tedious to count points and track your food every day, worrying if you’re going to be able to afford the points for a piece of chocolate cake at your daughter’s birthday party.
Trainers and other fitness coaches are focused mostly on short-term weight loss and muscle gain, rather than creating a sustainable diet plan. Cutting calories can be effective for weight loss for a minute, but your metabolism adjusts pretty quickly and you end up hitting a plateau.
1500 calories is an appropriate amount of calories. For a 10 year old. You’re a damn adult, eat like one.
Trying to white-knuckle through a restrictive diet program that makes you miserable will fail 100% of the time.
But wait! There IS a better way. I won’t tell you it will be easier or that you won’t fail sometimes. There really is no magic pill for healthy, sustainable weight loss.
The “trick” is to forget about a “diet” and start working on your way of eating. A diet is a short-term change that is meant to create a specific result - usually a certain amount of weight loss. Problem is, once you stop the diet, the weight comes right back.
So instead of thinking “I have to go on a diet”, think about what you enjoy eating. Think about what makes you feel good when you eat it. What makes you feel like crap? (This may take some practice, most of us don’t think of food this way.)
Do you get tired and gassy after you eat a bowl of pasta? Do you feel full and energized after your breakfast, or do you feel tired and unfocused? Do you get “hangry” if you haven’t eaten in a while?
These are all things that only you can answer. No diet book is going to figure this out for you.
Once you really start paying attention to how food makes you feel, it is time to start swapping and removing foods to see what is working for you and what isn’t.
Maybe you stop eating gluten and your acne goes away. Maybe you swap soda for bubbly water and your energy evens out and you start losing weight. Maybe you eat your burger with no bun and you notice you don’t feel gassy and bloated.
Next, start applying these principles to your day:
Avoid refined, highly-processed and packaged food and drink as much as you can. Finding swaps for sugary drinks and snacks will help you drop weight and feel amazing.
Eat mostly nutrient-dense, whole foods like leafy green veggies, eggs, dairy, fish, meat (yes, RED meat!), and nuts.
Chew each bite of food at least 20 - 30 times. Put your fork down in between bites and stop looking at your phone.
Stop eating at least 2 hours before bed (no late night snacks!)
Drink more water - if you need to add lemon or flavoring, go for it. Just drink more water.
De-stress. When you’re stressed, your body doesn’t digest food well, so lower stress to help absorb nutrients from your food.
These swaps are simple, but they aren’t necessarily easy. It’s possible to do all of these without any help, but let’s be honest, most of us need some help.
My coaching practice is your "Easy Button". We start with these basic, every day changes and go from there. But we’re all different, so there may be other, more important swaps to make for you. That’s the great thing: We personalize the plan to you and your goals.
If you’re looking to drop some weight, get your energy and libido back, and start feeling like yourself again, I have spots in my 1-on-1 3 or 6 month men’s health coaching program. Set up a free consult to learn more!
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