Calmness Leads to Consistency

Daryl
Post

Hey there. When it comes to fitness and weight loss, we are often told that the answer is more discipline, more willpower, and more hype. I bought into that for a long time too. But over the years, I have realized that the real solution is something very different. It is about building a calm, steady confidence that comes from working on your habits from the inside/out.

Why Emotional Awareness Matters More Than You Think

Daryl
Post

Hey there. For years I thought weight loss was about doing the actions. Following a plan. Checking the boxes. Sticking to the routine. But even when I was doing all of that, something still felt off. I wasn’t as happy as I expected to be. And I started to realize that it had nothing to do with my body. It had everything to do with my emotions.

Practicing Body Neutrality Daily

Daryl
Post

Hey there. I’ve spent years unlearning what I thought I had to believe about my body. It used to be that every glance in the mirror became a chance to tear myself down. I’d start with my reflection and work inward, picking apart what made me different and assigning value—or lack of it—based on how I looked. But what if you didn’t do that anymore? What if you could quiet those thoughts instead?

Resilient AF, Confident AF, Consistent AF

Daryl
Post

Hey there. If you’ve been following along for any length of time, you’ve probably heard me talk about the “AFs” before. These are the three Always & Forever traits that I believe form the foundation for a sustainable health and fitness journey. They are Resilient AF, Confident AF, and Consistent AF. This framework has helped me stay grounded in my own process, and it’s one of the biggest things I try to pass on to others.

How I Built My Eating Plan From Scratch

Daryl
Post

Hey there. If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the last five years, it’s that sustainable change with food doesn’t come from someone handing you a meal plan. It doesn’t come from tracking every bite or living in fear of certain foods. It comes from getting honest with yourself. About what you like. About how food fits into your day. About your emotions. And about how life shifts and how your preferences shift with it.

Therapy and the Gym Serve Different Roles

Daryl
Post

Hey there. You’ve probably heard it before. “The gym is my therapy.” I’ve even said it myself. And while I understand where that phrase comes from, I want to be clear about something. The gym is a powerful tool for your mental and emotional health, but it is not therapy.

Build Momentum, Not Shame

Daryl
Post

Hey there. What if you appreciated your body at every stage of your journey? Not just when you hit a certain goal, not just when you looked a certain way, but all the time. I know that sounds like a completely different approach from what you’ve probably been told, but it can change everything.

Trade Years for Decades of Peace With Food

Daryl
Post

Hey there. I used to spend a lot of time chasing what I thought was the “optimal” way to approach weight loss and fitness. Like many of you, I followed the advice of people who looked a certain way or quoted research studies that sounded really convincing. And for a while, I thought that was what I needed. If I could just find the best way to do it, I’d finally be successful.

Why I Stopped Making Jokes About Myself

Daryl
Post

Hey there. For a long time, self-deprecating humor was my thing. I’d make the jokes first. I’d be the one to point out my flaws before anyone else could. I told myself that if people were laughing with me, they weren’t laughing at me. But what I eventually realized is that every time I did that, I chipped away at my own self-worth.

Why Smaller Steps Work Better

Daryl
Post

Hey there. One of the biggest reasons people struggle to follow through on their goals is because they’re trying to take on too much, too fast. I’ve seen it over and over again. Someone wants to make a change, and instead of starting small, they try to overhaul everything at once. It works for a few days… maybe a week. Then the overwhelm hits. Then the doubt sets in. And then it stops.

Finding Balance Between Fitness Extremes

Daryl
Post

Hey there. For a long time, I felt like everything I heard about weight loss and fitness was based on absolutes. You can eat this, but not that. You have to follow this plan, but don’t even think about doing anything else. It was all about rigid rules, strict expectations, and either being “on” or “off.” And when that’s the only narrative you hear, it’s easy to believe that’s the only way forward.

Resting Your Mind Is Part of the Process

Daryl
Post

Hey there. Sometimes we need a break. That’s something I was reminded of recently. I had a couple of days where I just took a step back. My usual morning routine is something I do seven days a week with only minor tweaks on the weekends. But around lunchtime Friday, I made the decision to chill. Saturday was more of the same. Family was visiting and I gave myself permission to slow down.

You Don’t Need Guilt to Change

Daryl
Post

Hey there. For years I’ve watched the same dynamic play out in the fitness space. Coaches put out content that says “you just have to do it” and their audience either gets motivated for a moment or feel guilty and stop altogether. I’ve even said that phrase myself in the past. But here’s the thing… it’s way more complicated than that.

Fiber-Filled Carbs Make a Difference

Daryl
Post

Hey there. For a long time, I thought carbs were the problem. If I could just cut them out, I would finally lose the weight and feel better. But what I didn’t realize back then was that carbs were not the enemy. In fact, they can be one of your best allies when it comes to weight loss, weight management, and overall satisfaction with the way you eat.

How Daily Weigh-Ins Helped Me Let Go of Guilt

Daryl
Post

Hey there. For the longest time, stepping on the scale felt like an emotional rollercoaster. One number could make or break my mood for the entire day. And honestly, I know I’m not the only one who has felt this way. So I decided to try something that felt totally counterintuitive at the time. I started weighing in every single day.

How I Made Peace With the Scale

Daryl
Post

Hey there. There was a time when stepping on the scale first thing in the morning felt like taking a test I hadn’t studied for. I’d wake up, step on, and instantly feel great or awful depending on the number that showed up. That number used to have a lot of control over me. But things started to shift when I began looking at it differently.

Trigger Foods and the Middle Ground

Daryl
Post

Hey there. We live in a world of extremes, especially when it comes to food. On one end, you’ll hear “food is fuel” and be told to only eat for nutrition. On the other, it’s all about indulgence, with messages like “eat whatever you want because life is short.” The problem is, neither of those extremes usually works for long-term success. What really works is learning to live in the middle.

Making Fiber a Priority

Daryl
Post

Hey there. Fiber needs to be a bigger part of the nutrition conversation. For something that can have such a massive impact on our health, it’s wild how little attention it gets compared to things like protein. Don’t get me wrong, protein has its place. But when I started working with people on nutrition habits about eight years ago, the thing that stood out most was how little fiber folks were getting on a regular basis.

Load More