I just turned away a potential new client.
She is sweet and desperate and while I absolutely hate not being able to help, she just isn't ready for my coaching. Why? Because she's still looking for a 'diet' and not a lifestyle change. I know lifestyle change is a trendy catch phrase these days, but it actually means something -- health and habits above outcomes. When aspects of our day-to-day, nutrition choices, fitness routine, sleep, stress management tools, and longevity practices are done for the sake of improving our health on a cellular level, our metabolism begins firing at a more optimal level. Our hormones begin to regulate. Our moods are elevated and more stable ... so we stop turning to our vices (like Pringles or complaining) and start having the bandwidth to keeping pushing forward.
And guess what happens? Those body composition changes you've been chasing for months or years or decades start to happen naturally. Not because you gave up peanut butter. Not because you swore off all alcohol. Not because you allow only 1 "cheat meal" per week (Have I ever told you how much I cannot STAND the term cheat meal? Ugh. I'll save it for another day). No ... your body composition changes because that's what bodies do ... they adapt in accordance to how we live our lives. When we balance hormones, sleep more, nourish ourselves well, have real ways of dealing with our stress, and move our bodies effectively (not too much or too little), they get a bit stronger and leaner. It's not an uphill battle because you changed your life BEFORE you changed your body. When you try to do it in the reverse order (like every diet ever), it won't work or last.
The problem with diets -- as I hear from my clients, social media followers, friends, and family -- is that they are set up to work (mayyyyybe) Monday - Friday, 9 - 4 PM. But not during the week before or during your period. And not on vacations. And not on days when Margaret brought in munchkins for Pat's birthday at work. And not when you haven't had time to prep lunches for the week.
THEY. ARE. NOT. REAL. LIFE.
And yet, people continue to try and try because you need to do something, right?
What if that something is that you need to learn more about how your body metabolizes, uses, and stores food? What if you truly understood how each meal choice and exercise choice affected how you feel in the moment and in the hours to come, how your body responds, and whether or not it allows you to use up excess body fat or store excess body fat instead?
I think then you'd never need another diet again. Truly. There would be no need to eliminate foods or food groups (unless you're allergic or for another medical reason). And there would be no deprivation ... just you in the driver's seat with the music turned up and the windows rolled down making intentional choices that sometimes include having the thing and something include not having the thing. But YOUR brain makes that call now knowing full well the pros and cons of each, not just abiding by some list you took a screen shot of from the diet-of-the-week's handbook.
Diets fail because they are designed to work against our biology, not with it. Against our neuroscience, not with it. And what's worse is that for every diet you've tried, you've told yourself YOU are the failure, right? At least that's what most of my clients tell me. Think about that. Most women are 5, 10, 20 diets deep by the time they hit their 30s and 40s. That's 5, 10, 20 times that you told yourself that you "can't commit to anything", that you're "broken and hopeless", that you "will always be like this, I guess". Ugh! That's heart-breaking.
Let's turn this around. You know I'm not gonna leave you down in the dumps! YOU didn't fail any of those attempts. You simply tried things that were never meant to work anyway. Do some people find lasting success with this approach of eating less and less and exercising more and more? Yes ... about 5% of people. Though there is no data that I'm aware of that tell us how their hormones, stress levels, or quality of life is.
The answer is not another diet. Not even a diet masquerading as a lifestyle change (think: Noom). The answer is a TRUE lifestyle change where you understand that it will take a little time to unlearn all the B.S. you've been taught from the diet industry and society and while your body begins to repair itself from any metabolic damage that has occurred. If you want to lose 5 pounds in the first week, I can never and will never be able to help you. Not with a clear conscience, anyway. But if your goal is to optimize your health, body, mind, and life ... and allow science to do its thing over time (stronger, leaner, better digestion, better sleep, better sex drive...), then I hope you will join me live on Wednesday, May 11th at 8 PM, Eastern where I will be sharing my top strategies for mending your metabolism that you can implement right away to start feeling and looking your best WITHOUT a diet.
Sign Up Here -- it's free. :-)
Can't wait to see you there!
XO,
Tara