Hey there. If you’ve been on and off a weight loss journey for years or even decades, I want to share some real talk that might finally help you break the cycle and build something that lasts. I’ve been there myself, and one of the biggest shifts I made was realizing that whatever I do to lose weight now is also what I’m going to have to keep doing when I’m maintaining my weight. That’s not exactly news, but how we approach it can change everything.
My biggest piece of advice is to remove the deadline. Whether you’ve set a hard deadline for how many months you want to lose weight or you just have this soft, constant pressure in the back of your mind to drop the pounds as fast as possible, let’s toss it out. Instead, I want you to start with your preferences. What do you actually like to eat? How do you like to move your body? Nothing is off limits.
If you start with what you love, that’s your foundation. You have time to add in different workouts or to bring in nutrient-dense foods like fruits, veggies, your favorite protein sources, and water. But first, figure out what you love to eat and how you like to exercise. You don’t have to worry about good or bad food lists. You could eat chocolate cake every day if that’s your thing. The truth is, when you give yourself permission to have those “forbidden” foods, they start losing their power. Eventually, you might find you don’t even want chocolate cake daily. Maybe it becomes something you enjoy once a week, or even just on special occasions.
Start with your biggest trigger food, the one you’ve been terrified to have around. The one that makes you feel guilty if you slip and eat it while on your plan. Work through that fear because you’re not on a timeline anymore. Once that food no longer has power over you, it gets so much easier to handle other foods you’ve avoided.
Over time, you’ll discover fruits and veggies you actually enjoy. These foods bring plenty of vitamins and minerals but don’t pack on tons of calories. Veggies are around fifty calories a serving, fruits about a hundred. You can always add your proteins and water goals, but keep coming back to what you like.
The same goes for exercise. Find something you genuinely enjoy. Start there. You can layer in other activities later.
When you focus on building your foundation first, all the other stuff falls into place. You end up writing the rules for your own game. Everything else out there is someone else’s program, but this is yours. For me, it’s the Daryl Eating Plan and the Daryl Workout Plan. Your program should have your name on it.
So what are your preferences? What’s your ultimate trigger food? Let me know in the comments!
If you’re ready to build your own foundation, check out one of my Your Level Fitness programs. Let’s figure it out together!