Look, I’m just gonna be honest with you: losing weight sucks. It’s uncomfortable and it requires sacrifice. And if anyone tells you different, they’re lying through their teeth.
Healthy eating takes effort. It goes against our most natural human tendencies. Our ancestors didn’t count calories or meal prep Tupperware containers full of meals. They went hunting and ate as much as possible to survive the next famine.
But now, all we have to do is drive through a fast food place or take advantage of a buy-one-get-one burrito deal to stuff our faces enough for an army.
That’s why we’re all fat and sick — because abundance is too available to us now in this modern world.
So if you want to lose weight in a healthy way that lasts, you have to override millions of years of instincts that are telling you to eat and eat and eat until your body can’t handle it anymore.
You need to actively fight against your cravings and desires at the deepest level because they will lead you astray time after time.
It’s not easy. And anyone who tells you it is has never done it themselves.
And here’s another hard pill to swallow: trying harder isn’t enough either. You can wish and hope for more willpower all damn day but it won’t make a difference unless you have a solid strategy in place first.
With that being said, let me share some truths about healthy eating that might put things into perspective for you:
Truth #1: Severely restricting calories leads to suffering (and failure).
If you plan to start with a 1200 calorie per day diet and fight through the constant hunger and discomfort, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Your mood will take a hit. Your energy levels will be non-existent. And at some point, you’ll probably say “fuck it” and eat everything in sight.
A smarter way to start is with a moderate calorie deficit – maybe 300-500 calories below maintenance. That should put you in the range of losing about 1-2 lbs per week without making you hate life.
Truth #2: You need to eat foods that actually fill you up.
On the topic of misery avoidance, one key is filling your plate with high volume, low calorie density foods like vegetables, fruits, lean protein sources etc., instead of trying to cut on dense shakes, bars and supplements that leave you hungry AF.
High volume, nutrient-dense foods do the opposite – they fill up your stomach so that you actually feel satisfied between meals. This makes sticking to your diet infinitely easier in the long run.
Truth #3: You have to plan your meals (at least a little).
As much as we’d all love to be free-spirited types who can eat at random whenever our hearts desire, having no game plan or pre-prepped food leads us down an unhealthy path when we’re hungry and unprepared. You know what I’m talking about – saying “screw it” and hitting the vending machine or drive-thru because we didn’t think ahead.
But this doesn’t mean that every meal needs to be mapped out or that we need days worth of Tupperware containers filled with plain chicken breasts and broccoli. Having a loose idea for what each meal will look like (and maybe prepping a few lunches / snacks) goes a long way though!
Truth #4: Exercise is NOT optional for lasting weight loss.
You can’t out-eat a poor diet. But you also can’t just diet your way to a lean, healthy body. Exercise plays a massive role in improving body composition, preserving muscle mass, increasing metabolism and more.
The good news is that you don’t have to become an ultra-marathoner or bodybuilder. You just need to move your ass most days – go for walks, lift weights, play sports…whatever you enjoy. Most people will find that 30-60 minutes per day of elevated heart rate is the sweet spot.
Truth #5: This is a lifestyle change, not a temporary diet.
Diets don’t work because they’re restrictive and short-lived. Once you go “off” the diet, you rebound and gain all the weight back (and usually then some). However, if you can make an effort to change your overall lifestyle and eating habits, the weight loss becomes permanent.
I know it’s not what anyone wants to hear and we all want a quick fix or at least an answer that doesn’t require us to change how we live for more than a week or two. But sustainable nutrition and exercise habits are the only thing that actually works.
The good news is that it gets exponentially easier over time as well. Once healthier behaviors are part of our routine / habit stack, they don’t require constant willpower and motivation to keep up with. They just become who we are / what we do.
Look, I won’t give you the predictable “you can do it!” motivational stuff. Healthy, sustainable weight loss is difficult – freaking hard. It forces you to get uncomfortable and sacrifice a lot of your basic instincts for immediate pleasure.
The good news is that the payoff is there if you put in the work. You’ll feel better about yourself and look better too. Weight loss could add years to your life.
So buckle up, find a system and approach that you can sustain long-term, and get ready to embrace some suck. The pain will only be temporary but the results will stick with you forever if you stay committed.
Oh, and if you want to go for weight loss supplements, try the authentic weight loss supplement with the proper dosage.
