4 Rules To Avoid Diet Failure This Time

Before I get to the article, this is last call for my next Mansformation 2.0 group challenge. The last one had 16 guys lose more than 150 lbs during the holidays of all things. You can see their testimonials HERE. The price is still at the beta 50% reduced rate for this final time so get on it, bucko.

I was wrong.

When I first became a coach, I thought every client would instantly buy in and find the passion for exercise to the same level I was at.

“OMG, I love the way my biceps femoris responds to this exercise, Mitch!”

It’s not reality. I never get asked that.

And, frankly, I should never have expected that.

Because I completely forgot where I came from.

13 years ago, the gym was this foreign meat market with wall to ceiling windows and ripped dudes and hot chicks.

A diet was something Richard Simmons and hippies preached about (OK, I’m not that old) and certainly nothing I wanted to get myself into.

I was scared to go to the gym.

I was scared to face reality.

I was scared to get my shit handled because change is hard and my comfort zone was safe.

And there was good reason for that. It’s a TOUGH first step.

In fact, the first few months will be a  grind, especially if you’re starting from ground zero.

But if you break through and come out on the other side? Awesomeness ensues, I promise you that.

Higher metabolic rate, more energy and confidence, little black dresses, Borat speedos, and complete respect from that asshole co-worker who used to always judge your weight.

So how to do you avoid the weight loss merry-go-round that has you losing 5-10 lbs, only to put it back on and then some? Rinse and repeat?

Follow these 4 Dieting Rules, Jacko.

#1 Have A Concrete Plan, Man!

Often one of the first questions I ask to a prospective client is what their goal is.

The first answer is often vague such as “I want to lose my belly” or “I just want to feel better”

But you have to know where you want to go clearly and definitively, and have a strong reason for doing it.

The best approach is to clearly define your goal in 90 day increments.

Far off year-long goals are nice to strive for, but breaking it down into quarterly mini goals is better.

Let’s say your end goal is to lose 40 lbs. That’s going to be tough to do in 90 days the right way, but if you set a target of 20 lbs it breaks down to simply losing about 2 lbs per week.

Next, make sure you give yourself constant reminders of your goal.

On Sept. 6, I aimed to be under 210 lbs by Dec. 15 for my Vegas Trip – starting at 223 lbs.

I put a weekly notice in my cellphone calendar to go off every Thursday reminding me of my goal.

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Here’s my weigh-in on the hotel scale in Vegas on the morning of Dec. 16…

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You may want to take a page from the self development community and practice visualizations and positive affirmations. Nobody in fitness teaches this stuff, but it’s universal. Regardless of your goal, practicing these techniques can help you reach it.

You may need to get a little crazy and repeat your goal in the mirror every morning in the present tense:

“I’m so happy and blessed to have a lean physique at 210 lbs that I can be proud of, so I can truly be the father my children deserve”

Pair your concrete goal (weight loss #) with your big reason for wanting to achieve it.

Take home point: If you can get to a point with exercise that it’s a habit, it’s not a chore to go and do, then you’re going to be far more successful than the guy that goes really hard for two months and burns out and quits. Plan your goal in 90 day increments and reinforce that goal with reminders of where you want to go and why.

P.S. You can download my FREE 14 Day Belly Burner diet challenge to get you started (available this month only). Start NOW for free.

#2 Prepare Ahead

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When you’ve got a balanced lunch prepared, you’re less likely to swing by the drive-thru at break or buy something out of a vending machine.

 

You need to take the 10 minutes necessary to prep some quality meals to pack for the day or week ahead.

I cook a big pot of jasmine rice once a week. Alongside that is a pan-full of extra lean beef. That’s my fall back meal for lunches most days.

Your dinner preparations might involve some cooking the night of, but then you have left overs for tomorrow’s lunch.

You’re a grown adult – start eating like one.

Take home point: Simply match up your carb of choice (i.e. potato) with veggies and leftover protein from the night before, and you’ve got yourself a healthy lunch.

#3 Think Long Term

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Once you hit your first plateau, do you take the pedal off the gas?

“Okay, I lost this weight, now I’m going to go back to doing what I did before.”

You need to focus on making this a permanent lifestyle change that’s part of your identity.

Here’s where most go wrong…

They drop the first 10-20 lbs and then… stall. You may be doing the same things that got you there, but your weight is stuck. You get frustrated and fall back into old habits, and the weight literally comes back on in weeks. That’s your body’s set point pulling you back to where it was comfortable.

But you need to understand that plateaus are a necessary part of the process.

It’s the same approach you need to take with your training. Sometimes, a deload from the gym is just what you need to come back stronger the next time.

If you go from 250 to 220 pounds and wait out the set point process, your body’s drive to move back to the old weight is no longer so intense.

My set point is 220 now. I can slip up from time to time and it’s VERY easy to get back to that number.

According to Mike Israetel, depending on how far from your goal weight you are, dieting phases should be no longer than 3 months in duration and/or involve losing 10% of your starting bodyweight.

Follow that with a maintenance phase of comparable length where you relax your calorie deficit and work like hell to stay around the weight you ended the diet at: establishing a new set point.

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Take home point: The diet doesn’t end after you’ve cut weight, but after you’ve maintained the same weight for a few months (by closely monitoring your caloric intake).

#4 Enlist A Support Group or Coach

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Are you going in circles trying to “figure it out” on your own, only to end up at square one?

Sure, you could take the canoe across the lake, but the speed boat gets you there 10x as fast.

Those who succeed in life invest in themselves because they know it’ll pay off.

Short term pain for long-term gain.

Like the 16 guys in my Mansformation 2.0 challenge…

who lost more than 150 pounds collectively in 8 weeks.

You can see some of their comments below.

Want in the next Mansformation 2.0 group challenge?

It’s ONLY for those who are ready to go all in on themselves.

You must have:

  • Some prior exercise experience
  • Be a man (sorry, ladies)
  • This is NOT for those who want the quick fix or magic pill solution

Some potential side effects may include:

  • Having to buy a new wardrobe to accommodate your leaner, muscular physique
  • Getting free shit just because you’re devilishly good looking and carry yourself with confidence

http://calendly.com/calvertfitness/15min <<<=== GO HERE TO BOOK A CHAT WITH ME

Take home point: Involve your friends and family in your fitness pursuits. Or enlist a cool coach to guide you.

 

 

 

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mitch

Mitch Calvert is a Winnipeg-based fitness coach for men and women like his former self. Heavyset in his 20s, he lost 60 pounds and now helps clients find their spark and lose the weight for life.