Anybody that reads my writing knows that I have an obsession with a deep respect for the amazing work of Jill Coleman and the entire team at Metabolic Effect, and I reference their stuff frequently. They are experts in the field of fat loss and health, and my approach and theirs are both built on the same foundation: sustainability.
We want our clients to succeed, feel good, and ooze confidence over the long term; not just today, or for the next month, but forever.
I’m so excited about this special guest post by Jill today that is all about diets, why they don’t work, and how you can make it a lifestyle.
Check it out!
Why “Dieting” Will Always Fail and 3 Tricks to Making It A Lifestyle
by Jill Coleman
There’s a distinct difference between rapid weight loss and sustained fat loss. We say we really want the latter, but we incessantly employ outrageous tactics that promise the former.
“Try this new Cookie Diet! I know someone who lose 50 lbs on it!”
“I need to do the HCG Diet, it’s the only thing that gets the weight off!”
“I’m sick of always sabotaging my efforts on the weekend, I need to go back on a competition diet and just do it this time!”
Sound familiar? These statements all have one thing in common—they are short-term crash diets that use restrictive techniques that we can’t possibly hope to do long-term, yet we hold onto them because WE NEED ALL THE RESULTS RIGHT NOW. And the latest diet, program, coach or expert promises the short-cut, The Magic Meal Plan, the secret formula. Voila!
And yet, intellectually, we know that crash dieting doesn’t work in the long-term. “All or nothing” always ends up being nothing, and we inevitably gain the weight back (and usually more and faster with each attempt), while also mentally reinforcing that we’ll never be successful.
So why do we cling to diets? Because “I’m going to slowly start eating healthier and then dig in my heels when it gets tough and try to figure out my own metabolism and work at it for months and years, staying as consistent as I can, even if I can’t be perfect, while also practicing self-compassion along the way” doesn’t sound as sexy or inspiring
And yet, that’s the reality of what it takes to achieve sustained fat loss.
So let me break it down for you. How can you stop crash dieting and start on your journey to becoming someone who loses fat steadily, sustains that loss long-term and lives a healthy lifestyle effortlessly?
1. Ditch Your Timetable.
Fat loss is neither linear, nor predictable—a truth that seriously messes with our human need for certainty. We want to be able to follow a tried-and-true plan and lose X weight by Y time. But unfortunately, your metabolism has other plans, and it’s not always a matter of eating less and exercising more. It’s often way more complex than that.
When we assume we can and “should” lose a specific amount within some random time period we pulled from thin air, and then we inevitably don’t, we’re left frustrated and discouraged. And we find ourselves right back at square one.
For lasting fat loss, we need to commit for the long haul, regardless of the ups and downs. We won’t get it right 100% of the time (believe me, no one does), but the more good choices we make over weeks, months and years, the more we move down the spectrum toward fat loss and toward the outcomes we desire.
Give up your time table and strap in for the forever-plan.
2. Own Your Process.
Realize that any diet, program, meal plan, coach or expert who creates the plan for you will ultimately fail. Not because those experts or coaches or authors aren’t knowledgeable, but simply because they are not YOU. Fat loss is a process, not a protocol. We can’t simply “plug in” to someone else’s diet and expect the same results.
The “right plan” will be YOUR plan, not a plan that anyone can give you. It will be the plan that you CREATE as a result of understanding you—your unique metabolism, your psychological sensitivities and your personal preferences.
At Metabolic Effect, we believe every person is as different on the inside chemically as they are on the outside physically, which is why for sustained fat loss, you’ll need to be the one to take the reigns of your own journey.
Do this systematically. Start with a diet plan that is effortless for you (probably what you would naturally fall into), and then change one thing. That’s it. For example, move from cereal in the morning to protein shakes. And just do that for a few weeks until that too becomes effortless. Then make another change. Same thing. Continue on, all the while monitoring your results, keeping hunger and cravings in check.
Take 100% responsibility for everything. Stop blaming other people, circumstances, your busy schedule or your lack of knowledge. If you don’t know something, go find it on the web; you’re 2 clicks away. Stop complaining, start taking action and dig in when the going gets tough.
3. Give Yourself an Attitude Adjustment.
The reality is that what you think and say out loud about your fat loss process is exactly what you get.
Think eating healthy is hard? Think it sucks? Well, you won’t be surprised then, when you experience just that. Think you have no time to exercise? Then you certainly won’t find time with that mindset. Think your body is disgusting? That’s a choice you are making to see it that way. Someone else may look at your physique and kill for it. Your attitude determines your reality–bottom line. If you can change your attitude about the fat loss process, you can change your experience of it.
Fat loss is hard. The easy way is going from diet to diet looking rather than digging in your heels and doing. But with a few key mental switches, you can successfully turn your crash dieting approach into a long-term fat loss journey. Like Jade Teta, ND and owner of Metabolic Effect says, “Easy is earned through practice.” So start practicing now, make small adjustments over time, resist the desire to reach for the latest diet trend and instead. Start doing what you know to do. Make a single change right now and you are on your way. It’s as simple as that.
Want to get started on your fat loss journey? Metabolic Effect’s 4 Week Fat Loss Jump Start begins September 1, 2013 and the best thing about a jump-start? It encourages you to keep going! Forever. Through the program, Metabolic Effect coaches teach you how to learn about your individual metabolism, make adjustments as needed so that by the end of the 4 weeks, you have effectively CREATED your own unique fat loss formula based on YOU.
For all of the details click —> HERE!
I hope you’ll join me!
ox, Jill
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