Why is it so hard to lose weight?

Why is it so hard to lose weight?

I am foodie...... There is no mirth......

Because we make it so hard.

Here’s the deal:

The human body wants Netflix, chill, excessive amounts of palatable foods and an attractive member of the opposite sex.

It does not want to lose weight.

Losing weight is, inevitably, going to require at least some semblance of effort.

But too many people make it too fucking hard.

While weight-loss isn’t a walk in the park, it doesn’t have to be a long and gruelling journey to Mordor either.

You know what the first thing people do when trying to lose weight?

Eating less.

Often, dramatically less.

That’s the first mistake.

Your body is already going to hate you because you’re restricting it from access to excess energy—don’t piss it anymore off by going on a nutty diet eating an almond a day.

The most important principle of weight loss is this:

Make it as easy as possible.

In one way, this means eat as much as you can.

“Can” being the key-word, because you should eat as much as your diet allows while still losing weight.

Hogwarts School of Wizardry? Think not.

Seen pictures like this before?

Don’t worry—I’m not going to tell you to switch out cupcakes with broccoli. Only crazy people do that. It’s too drastic. Too unsustainable, for the vast majority of people, because cupcakes are too delicious and (especially raw) broccoli tastes too much like swamp-butt.

Let’s be more moderate.

Here’s what you should do:

Think in gradients and hierarchies.

It goes like this:

Pasta > Rice > Potatoes > Broccoli.

Fatty meat > Fatty fish > Lean meats > Lean fish.

Milk Chocolate > Dark Chocolate > Ice-cream > Low-fat ice-cream.

To lose weight without too much agony, consider switching out pasta out with rice. Or potatoes. If you still don’t lose weight, broccoli.

Same goes for meat. Same goes for chocolate.

Ever seen a toddler sprint across the room like an Olympian in full flow? Baby-steps are important. They help you to walk. Stop trying to eat broccoli instead of cupcakes. It’s too big a shift in identity and habits.

Another way this mentality of “make it easy” comes to life is through when we consume most of our food.

Most of my sedentary clients eat one version of the same lunch. It goes like this:

Protein shake + fruits.

The reason for this is simple.

When most people try to lose weight they either

1. Stop eating the food they like the most.
2. Change all their meals to something less appealing.
3. Do both 1 and 2.

But here’s the thing:

The difference between eating an unpleasant meal in the evening, either in a social setting or alone in front of an episode of your favourite TV-show, is identical in terms of caloric impact, but different in terms of emotional cost to one consumed during a busy day.

All meals are the same in terms of energy, but not all meals are the same in terms of the emotional impact it has on us.

You don’t have to stop enjoying dinner with the family.

You don’t need to bring your own food to cookouts.

You don’t have to order a salad when you’re on a date.

But perhaps drink a protein shake and eat some fruit for lunch or start eating a lean protein-only breakfast.

How high really is the emotional cost of that?

You’re probably busy at work for lunch, and if not that, you’re likely too busy in the mornings to actually enjoy the food you eat. Consuming lots of energy there is thus a bit of a waste, innit?

Which brings us to another, and the last, point the “make things easy” triad I just invented: Deliciousness.

See these strawberries?

How about these plums?

Or how about this garlic roasted chicken breast?

These foods are all delicious. They also all contain very little in terms of energy compared to volume and are thus very filling.

Dieting is inevitably going to be hard.

We should strive to make our diet as delicious and filling as possible to counteract this.

I actually eat more food when dieting down than when bulking, because when dieting, my hunger hormones are way stronger, while when bulking, eating can feel like a chore.

(Yes, this means I eat ice-cream for tactical reasons).

If this all seems a bit much, I’ve made it into one easy bullet-point list of what sustainable fat loss (usually) needs:

1. Food you like.
2. As much food as your diet allows
3. Patience.
4. Habits you can keep doing over time.
5. Probably some protein.
6. A caloric fucking deficit.
7. Not cabbage (optional).

That’s it, really.

It sounds so simple and most people don’t want to do it, perhaps precisely because it’s simple.

If losing weight is hard and complicated, that means succeeding is a herculean effort, something we’re unlikely to succeed at doing—which provides us with a handy and easy way out if we fail.

It allows us to tell lie.....

“Of course I can’t lose weight. It’s so hard. Next to impossible.”

But what if it isn’t?

What if it, in reality, isn’t that hard?

I don't believe.....

Thanks for Reading 🙏🙏🙏🙏