4 Steps to Make Weight Loss Easy
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I almost never call weight loss "easy."
The reason I’m willing to use that term for this blog is because I’m echoing the exact words of so many of our clients who lose weight and exclaim, “This is easy!”
Here’s the catch…
I don’t really think they mean it’s easy like lying on the beach sipping a strawberry daiquiri is easy.
I think they just mean compared to all the other diet and exercise programs they’ve tried in the past, what we have them do actually feels realistic. So much so that they’re kind of surprised they don’t have to do more to get results!
So whether it’s truly easy, or just “waaaay easier than… fill in the blank (Keto, Crossfit, Whole 30, Beachbody, etc.)” — there are 4 steps we follow to make it possible.
1. Stay “Normal”
The more weight you lose, the harder it is to continue to lose it.
For some people, this means losing 10-20 pounds and staying there. Even if that doesn’t put them at an “ideal” body weight, they still feel better than they did before, they fit into their clothes better, and they’re happy to know they will likely live longer because of it.
For others, they lose those first 10-20 pounds and realize it was significantly easier than they thought, so they keep going.
The only time you should EXPECT weight loss to be unbearable is if you decide to get super shredded. I have nothing against people who want bulging biceps, tree trunk legs, and washboard abs — it’s just not what most people care about (and it’s not what we do here).
For us “normal” folk, even if you’re not a big fan of the weight loss process, losing belly fat to the point of having a healthy waistline… that’s doable for anyone.
2. Don’t Go Too Fast OR Too Slow
Losing weight too quickly is one of the most common mistakes. It makes you hungry, exhausted, irritable, and it causes you to lose a lot less fat and a lot more muscle. All of which makes you more likely to gain the weight back eventually.
But if you lose weight too slowly, that can cause problems, too.
It can make it difficult to know if you’re making progress at all, it becomes demotivating, and it can be mentally exhausting to feel like you’re constantly living in a state of restriction (even if it’s only a little bit).
I recommend finding the middle ground where you get motivating results within the first month or two, but where the diet and exercise plan doesn’t become impossible to follow. That way you’ll be able to keep going and continue to lose weight.
(The exact pace is different for everyone. For more, read “How Fast Should You Lose Weight?”)
3. Eat MORE
“Eat less” is NOT an effective weight loss strategy.
If it were, most people would have reached their goal and stayed there on their first try because it’s what most diets focus on.
“Don’t eat carbs.”
“Don’t eat fats.”
“Don’t eat sugar.”
Even a meal plan that says “ONLY eat these specific foods” is just a roundabout way of saying “DON’T eat all these other foods.”
Instead, when you focus on eating MORE of the nutrients your body needs — but are still allowed to enjoy ALL the foods you love — a consequence will be that you naturally cut back on the foods you were overeating in the first place.
But this time you’ll stay full, satisfied, and losing weight in a way where eating doesn’t feel like a typical (aka impossible) diet.
4. Think “Active” — NOT “Exercise”
Working out is important for weight loss — you just don’t need to do very much of it. (30 min. 2-3x per week is plenty.)
On the other hand, staying active can make weight loss significantly easier.
Here’s the difference:
Workouts:
Stress your body (in a way that can be beneficial, but it’s still stress)
Aren’t something most people enjoy
Can be hard to make time for
Being active in simple ways:
Helps your body recover from stress
Can literally be anything you do enjoy
Can fit your normal routine (so you don’t have to “make time” for it)
The cool part is, being active will help you burn far more calories than structured exercise ever will, which means you can eat even more food and still lose weight.
The Trick to Making This Work
None of this matters if you don’t find practical ways to apply these steps to your own life. For example…
You might know that you have “normal” expectations of weight loss. But do you know what it really looks like to eat the foods you love and still lose weight?
We can help you find that balance.
You might not have any desire for a “quick fix,” but can you be 100% certain the diet and exercise plan you follow will get you results fast enough to give you confidence to keep going?
We can guarantee that happens.
You might already be aware that you could eat a little better, but do you know HOW MUCH of WHICH NUTRIENTS to eat to lose weight, and can you do it without tediously counting calories and weighing your food?
We can show you.
You might think the idea of only working out 2-3x per week sounds completely doable, but do you know which exercises to choose to make those short workouts effective and to CONTINUE to get results?
We’ve got you covered there, too.
If you want to know how we can do this, we’d love to show you! Book a free 20-min. call with us to see if our coaching is the right fit for you.
Our clients are constantly surprised that the simple things we have them do are enough to get great results and they DON’T have to do more! If you…
1. Have realistic goals (e.g. losing belly fat, NOT getting shredded)
2. Know how much to eat to get noticeable results quickly (but NOT so quick that it backfires)
3. Focus on eating the foods your body needs (NOT cutting things out of your diet)
4. Emphasize simple ways to be active (NOT doing structured workouts every day)
…weight loss can be so much easier than you realize.
If you want that, book a free 20-min. call with us to see if our coaching is the right fit for you.
