Diet vs. Living
That’s probably the most common reason people hire me as a fitness and nutrition coach. Many—arguably most of them—have tried every short-term diet in the book: Keto, The Whole30, a 6-week challenge, a 30-day juice cleanse or two-week detox, and on and on.
Clients who have bought into these diets tend to have completely unrealistic goals about their weight loss timeframe. One prospective client called me and boldly stated that she needed to lose 65 pounds before a boating adventure in six months. “When did you decide to take this trip? I asked. “Last week,” she replied.
I knew that I was going to burst her bubble. I told her, “Let’s work on a game plan together and I will guide you towards where you want to be, but I cannot guarantee you will lose the weight that quick in a healthy way.” I saw the light drain from her eyes, the defeat. After about 10 days and no results, she made a hard-mental decision that this would take time and if she didn’t make the weight loss target, she would be well on her way for the next time. Whoa! Relief!
It’s natural for us to be short-sighted in our goals--because who doesn’t want massive change right now? But it’s clearly not the path to long-term, lifelong change. All this mentality has done is to create the yo-yo dieter syndrome. It’s not a very happy place to be, and it doesn't set you up for success.
In my eight years of coaching—and a concept that was reinforced as I made my way through the Precision Nutrition Level 1 coaching program—I have learned that those who are most successful in the long-term aren’t the ones who apply for a 30-day diet challenge every New Year’s.
The successful ones are those who accept and embrace that their weight loss journey won’t be quick. They’re the ones who embrace small changes, little-by-little, over the course of one to two years. The ones who recognize the habits and behaviors that are keeping them from change.
I know it sounds daunting to think about mustering up the willpower to commit to something for two long years. But, it’s actually incredibly less daunting because this behavior/habit-based way to change doesn’t really require willpower! How long did it take to start the unhealthy habits? We don’t realize that they have been acquired over many years or since childhood. (We can call on my therapist husband for intense work!)
Willpower is control exerted to do something or to restrain impulses.
Here are the “coulda, woulda, shouldas.’” I shoulda worked out. I am so not in the mood to work out. I need to find the courage to restrain my impulse to drive home instead of to the gym. If I woulda brought my clothes, I could have gone for a walk. I coulda ….
That’s how we normally think, but that's not willpower.
Now think about something you do that doesn’t require willpower, like brushing your teeth.
While brushing your teeth isn’t an exhilarating two minutes of your day, it’s something ingrained in you since childhood, and probably doesn’t require much willpower to follow through and do every day. Now imagine if avoiding the donut felt like that? Or if you actually just went to the gym without thinking about it? Without mustering the willpower to get yourself to go? That’s where you can be after 12 to 25 months of small, but consistent, habit-based changes.
Precision Nutrition Concepts of the “The Behavior Based Plan”
Choose one or two new action-based habits to pursue every month for 12 months. By action-based, I mean an actual action you have control over, such as meal prepping your lunches for the week every Sunday. Before you choose your habits, make a list of the things you currently think need improvement—things that you would like to change, such as:
· I want to eat more vegetables.
· I want to eliminate sugar.
· I want to eliminate processed foods.
· I want to get outside more.
· I want to work out more.
· I want to drink less alcohol.
· I want to eat out less.
· I want to meal prep and cook more.
· I want to pack lunches for work more frequently.
· I want to overeat less.
· I want to spend less time sitting during the day.
· I want to spend less time watching Netflix.
Imagine if you tried to change all 12 of those things overnight? That would be overwhelming, that would require serious willpower, and it would be difficult to sustain, right? But, what if you tackled just one this month?
Month 1: Pick a Habit
I commit to removing sugar from my morning coffee.
That’s it. That’s all you need to do. You’re now going to drink your coffee black from now on, or with a bit of cream or milk.
On a personal note, as a former Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte addict, I can tell you I did this back when I was in my twenties and thirties. It took me about two weeks and suddenly I actually didn’t like my coffee sweet. Several years later, I now find sweet coffee less desirable. It doesn’t require any willpower to avoid putting sugar in my coffee.
Month 2: Add a Second Habit
I commit to eating vegetables at every dinner.
Again, that’s it. Ensure you eat vegetables every evening. At this point, you’re used to not having sugar in your coffee, so that no longer requires much effort, and now you can devote your energy to making sure you have vegetables each night.
Susie Tip: Don’t beat yourself up if you go out and each fish and chips for dinner and don’t get any veggies in you. You don’t beat yourself up if you accidentally go to bed without brushing your teeth once in a blue moon. You just get back on it the next day. Engage the same mindset for your vegetable commitment—don’t expect perfection, just do better than before. Recognize you are human and have a healthy lifestyle.
Month 3: Add a Third Habit
I commit to parking the furthest away at the grocery store lot to get myself walking more.
Month 4: Add a Fourth Habit
I commit to drinking a glass of water every morning when I wake up so I’m less famished for food in the morning, which often causes me to overeat.
Month 5: Add a Fifth Habit
I commit to slowing down my eating and being more present and mindful as I’m eating, so I can pay attention to my hunger cues and stop eating when I’m 80 percent full.
(This one might be more challenging and will take some more time and effort, so maybe start with doing this at just one meal a day.)
Susie Tip: If you’re not sure what this even means, consider asking yourself questions as you’re eating, such as: How am I feeling right now? Anxious? Bored? Stressed out? Why do I want this food? Am I really hungry?
The more in tune with your emotions and why they might lead you to overeat you become, the easier it will be for you to start recognizing your true physical hunger signals and to stop when you are 80 percent full, which goes a long way toward tackling your overeating habit.
Take this process into 6, 12 to 24 months – see, feel the changes.
HUGE Susie Tip: Write all your habits down and keep a log of how you’re doing each day or week. This helps you truly appreciate the changes you’re making, so even if your weight loss isn’t happening as fast as you’d like, you will still recognize that you’re making a ton of positive changes and are, in fact, a success story. It ties the behavior to your daily life and will help you stay on the path you’re on. It is way easier to focus on what you coulda, should, woulda done. That isn’t allowed in this space.
While all these small habits might sound insignificant in and of themselves, as the cliché goes, lots of baby steps will all amount to significant change over time. By the end of the 12 months, there you are:
· Rarely overeating
· Eating vegetables with every meal
· Working out three days a week
· Spending more time walking and less time sitting during the day
· Only drinking alcohol on weekends
· Rarely consuming sugar or processed foods
And you will have lost pounds. The unrealistic client[LF1] from above was down 120 pounds in 20 months! Now we are in maintenance mode, still working on the behavior changes, even modifying them to keep her motivated.
And the best part is, you will have made these changes without feeling like you’re fighting yourself to find more willpower!
Give it a try. Start one small habit change.
Remember, life gets in the way, so forgive it. Just stay consistent, feel your body, feed your body and listen to your body.
Susie
