target.fitness • February 25, 2023

Just Don't Give Up

First...way too many people do things that are drastic and/or completely unsustainable (think juice cleanses, detox’s, keto, etc). The reason they do them is because they want to lose as much weight as humanly possible in the least amount of time. Which always sounds great but inevitably leads to rapid weight regain (usually more than they lost in the first place).

Second...people expect the scale to go down every day. Even when they logically know it won’t go down every day (or even every week), they let their emotions get the best of them and convince themselves things aren’t working when the scale doesn’t keep dropping. Even worse when the scale randomly spikes up. And, again, even though they know the scale will spike up for any number of reasons far beyond fat gain, they still freak out and use that as a justification to quit.

Third...as soon as they have one “bad” meal or a “treat” or dessert or, God forbid, take a vacation and enjoy themselves for a week, they think they messed everything up. They think they ruined all of their progress and use that as a justification to binge and quit and throw in the towel.

These are just 3 of many many many many reasons why people fail.

But suffice to say, the answer to remedy these issues are very simple.

1) Don’t do something drastic or completely unsustainable. If the methods are unsustainable, your results will be unsustainable. Do something you enjoy and can sustain long-term.

2) Quit living and dying by the scale. It’s just data.

3) You can’t mess this up unless you quit altogether. So get back on track.

We all like our Food...

By target.fitness • April 14, 2023
Food is not “just food.” Food is part of culture. Food is part of family. Food is part of celebrations. Food is part of religion. Food is part of tradition. Food is part of so many aspects of life far outside of simply being “fuel.” The goal isn’t to eliminate your “emotional relationship” with food, the goal is to not allow your emotions to dictate your actions. The goal is to be consciously aware of the decisions you make rather than justifying actions you aren’t proud of because of your emotions. So stop looking for a way to suppress or eliminate your emotions. And, instead, hold yourself to your own highest standard. Quit breaking promises to yourself. Recognize your emotions and, simultaneously, don’t allow your emotions to control you. Easier said than done, I know... So is everything in life. But just because it’s easier said than done doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing.

Struggles with Self Control

By target.fitness • April 1, 2023
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. Some people struggle with self control. They want to lose fat but have difficulty saying “no.” They mentally justify it in saying they’re “flexible dieting.” But flexible dieting doesn’t mean “eat junk and lose fat.” It means “don’t feel guilty for having a treat - but you still have to be wicked consistent to make significant, lasting changes.” For them, practicing self control and saying “no” more often might help them achieve their goal. Other people struggle with food anxiety. They get anxious at the thought of going out to eat at a restaurant because they don’t want to “ruin their progress.” They feel bad for having a slice of cake at their own birthday party. They know it sounds silly and they often give their friends/family/clients amazing nutrition advice that promotes a more flexible approach... but they struggle with it themselves. For them, saying “yes” more often and having a treat might help them achieve their goals. Progress is not only measured in weight loss or fat loss or measurements or numbers or quantifiable data. Progress is also measured in mental, emotional, and behavioral changes. And, candidly, if you don’t improve your mindset first, any physical changes/improvements are going to be short-lived. Because sustainable results only happen with a sustainable mindset.

It's all a bit Fruity

By target.fitness • March 25, 2023
It’s wild to me that this is even a thing. Often, people message me asking if it’s “ok” to eat fruit because “it has so much sugar 😱.” I get bombarded with messages from “coaches” and “professionals” telling me I’m basically sentencing people to death by encouraging them to eat fruit. What is going on. It’s fruit... Apples and grapes and bananas and oranges and watermelon and strawberries and raspberries and blackberries and blueberries. We’re talking about fruit, people. You’re worried about the “damage” caused by eating FRUIT!? What is going on? No one ever got fat from eating fruit. No one ever became unhealthy from eating fruit. No one ever looked back on their life in their death bed and said “you know...I really should of had less fruit.” No one ever got massively overweight and said, “man...I really think it was the grapes that did it.” Let’s use some common sense. Fruit. Eat it. It’s good for you.