Things I Wish I Knew Earlier For Easier Weight Loss

I've been in the health and wellness industry for almost 14 years professionally but my journey goes back even further than that. In fact, I my love for everything fitness, mindset and health goes back 26 years to when I was 12 years old.

It's safe the say that I've learned a lot over that time. What works and what doesn't work at all.

Today my goal is to speed up your journey with the top things to know to make your weight loss easier and faster.

Let's dive in.

In no particular order:

1. Eat similar meals every damn day.
Resist the urge to make every meal a gourmet meal. Resist the urge to have too much variety in your diet. Yes, its nice at times but the more simple and easy you make your eating habits, the easier it will be to stick to it. Your success depends on your ability to make this easier. So keep it easy by rotating 5-7 meals that you can dial in on with flavor, calories, and portions. Research shows that you eat the same 10 foods everyday anyways. 

2. Stop changing up your workouts so often.
Similar to food, your body doesn't need so much variety. With exercise, your body actually needs to get used to a style of training and a certain stimulus over time before you want to change things up. Changing it up too soon will just keep your body from building muscle (which keeps fat off!) . This is why my upcoming course, Back to Basics, will focus on similar workouts each week over a 6 week period before many changes. If it doesn't adapt it won't make the progress you want because every week it is thinking "wtf is going on here?! can't they just stick to something so I can build off of last week?!"

3. Learn about bio-feedback and hormones.
When I was younger I'd just lift heavy and eat whatever. The problem was I'd feel awful and wonder why? 
I was doing everything right but I didn't know how to listen to my bodies natural cues. This lead to some disordered eating and a 4 day trip in the ER where I almost died. Another story you can read about here. Have you ever dieted and been exhausted, hungry and crabby? well things like sleep, hunger, mood, energy and food cravings are giving us real time feedback on if our lifestyle is sustainable and healthy long term. There are various routes and paths to take depending on which ones are out of whack. Also, since they play a role in our ability to exercise and eat healthy, understanding the health of each is crucial for long term fat loss. 

4. Eat more protein.
I've talked about this one a lot and you've probably read this before too. Protein plays such an important role in fat loss because it is most costly to break down and digest, meaning it'll keep you full longer and the nutrient profile nourishes our bodies in ways that allow it to recover and build muscle. A natural effect of fat loss is a slower metabolism. Keeping protein high also keep metabolism healthy while we lose fat. 

Aim for roughly .8-1g of protein per pound of bodyweight. Ex. 200lb person would eat 160-200g per day.

5. Don't ditch the carbs.
Carbs have been villainized more than just about anybody or anything but they serve a purpose in our fat loss goals. They help stabilize energy and also are the more palatable parts of our meals. Both are important for sustainability. If you've ever tried to cut out bread and pasta completely, then you already know the struggle. Don't ditch them, just be smart with them.

Here's how I use carbs most of the time.
-A meal with 40-60g of carbs 1-2 hours before my workout and then another 30-40 carbs (preferably from a veggie or potato) at dinner. 

I minimize them the rest of the day. In short, I eat carbs at the busiest times of my day.

6. Stop focusing on outcomes, focus on who you need to be.
Most people are just obsessed with the number on the scale. They want to lose 20 lbs. by any means necessary. For this reason they'll crash diet and lose weight but then put it all back on again. You must focus on not just the goal but who you need to be. 

A physical change, like fat loss, demands an internal change with it. I learned this the hard way. I thought could just crash diet, and workout for 2 hours a day and be fine. This back and forth took a toll on me mentally and emotionally. It was unsustainable to "punish" myself after every "bad" weekend.

You must change your identity. Focus on the traits and habits of your ideal self. How does this fit and healthy version of you view food? How do they act each day? How do they talk to themselves and see themselves? These things matter just as much as any number or pant size. 

When you are someone you can be proud of, the results will take care of themselves.

7. There's no quick fix and it'll take longer than you think.
I've had clients lose 60 lbs. in 6 months only to learn they gained it all back a year or two later. Sure, you can lose weight quickly. But to keep it off is a whole other story. It'll take longer than you think. You'll have success and make progress but from there you must learn to live at your new normal. Your new fit life. This is where you must learn the lessons and lessons take time. 

Spend 3-8 months losing weight and then another year learning to solidify the identity, habits and traits demanded to live the new fit life.

96% of people trying to lose weight fail within the first 24 months. Not only that but the ones that fail, 66% gain even more weight than they lost, ending up fatter than when they started.

Take these lessons, give them time, commit to them and maybe you can be part of the 4% who succeed.

Don't be in a rush and stay consistent. 

That'll guarantee your success.

Until next week...