It was 2008 when Dom Matteo stepped on the dimensions and noticed the quantity 300.
That’s when he stopped weighing himself.
In 2009, Stephen Field determined, ‘I’m simply going to be fats endlessly. No matter.’
After diligently making an attempt to lose fats for thirty years, Katey Caswell was nonetheless morbidly overweight. She questioned, ‘Is something ever going to work?’
This isn’t a narrative about three individuals who gave up.
Moderately, it’s about three individuals who saved going—overcoming the almost common setbacks and challenges throughout main physique transformations.
Not solely did all three ultimately lose 80-plus kilos apiece, however additionally they modified in different methods: Dom, Stephen, and Katey have all develop into licensed well being and vitamin coaches who now assist others eat, transfer, and reside higher.
On this story, you’ll uncover their prime mindset methods for persevering when fats loss feels unimaginable (or no less than simply very irritating).
Caveat: Not each technique will really feel best for you.
Our suggestion: Learn this story by the lens of your private expertise. Strive what seems like a very good match and put aside something that doesn’t.
 Dominic Matteo, PN2-MHC, has been a vitamin and well being coach for 12 years. He mentors Precision Vitamin’s masterclass college students. A former IT skilled, he misplaced greater than 100 kilos. |
 Katey Caswell, PN2-MHC, NBC-HWC, is an unbiased vitamin, well being, and life coach who focuses on serving to ladies attain their well being and health targets. She misplaced greater than 120 kilos. Be taught extra about her at KateyCaswell.com |
 Stephen Field, PN2-MHC, turned a vitamin and energy coach throughout his journey to shedding 80 kilos. Along with serving as neighborhood engagement specialist for Precision Vitamin, he hosts the Unshakable Habits podcast in addition to coaches shoppers. Be taught extra about him at UnshakableHabits. |
1. Get to know the long run you.
Earlier than altering what you eat or how you progress, contemplate this query:
What do you ACTUALLY need?
That factor you’re actually after in all probability isn’t only a purpose (for instance, a smaller physique), says Coach Stephen Field.
Doubtless, your purpose simply represents what you’re actually after.
For instance, you would possibly affiliate being in a smaller physique with extra confidence, and being the kind of one who takes on challenges and welcomes new experiences.
Spend time envisioning that complete particular person. (Not simply the physique.)
Take Coach Stephen. His imaginative and prescient took him again in time, to when he was athletic, energized, assured, and blissful.
He needed the leaner physique he had again then, positive. However principally, he needed to return to that feeling of vitality.
For Coach Dom, the imaginative and prescient was about who he didn’t need to be.
He’d not too long ago develop into a father, and an in depth good friend had additionally died unexpectedly of a blood clot. Coach Dom needed his son to develop up with his father in his life.
“I by no means needed my son to see me in an unhealthy state,” he says.
These visions allowed Coaches Dom and Stephen to be extra resolute as they made selections like, “Ought to I skip my exercise?” and “Ought to I supersize this?”
They requested themselves, “What would the long run me determine?”
Now, greater than a decade after shedding over 100 kilos, Coach Dom nonetheless retains a quote from Trevor Kashey, PhD, on his whiteboard:
“Having what you need is a aspect impact of being the particular person it takes to get it.”
Tips on how to envision the Future You
Think about your self a 12 months or two into the long run. You’re within the physique you need.
- What’s totally different about your life?
- What are you doing that you could’t do now?
- How do you are feeling?
- What are you sporting?
- The place are you working?
- Who’re your mates?
- How do you spend your time?
- What are different individuals saying about you?
Think about each element.
Seize that imaginative and prescient in phrases (equivalent to a vacation spot postcard), footage (equivalent to a imaginative and prescient board), or in a video or audio message.
As your fats loss journey unfolds, periodically ask your self:
▶ What can I do right now as a way to develop into the particular person I need to be tomorrow?
Perhaps it’s consuming breakfast as a substitute of skipping it, consuming an additional glass of water, or taking two sluggish breaths earlier than your first chunk of dinner.
“Choose one factor that’ll make you are feeling like a hit, on a regular basis,” says Coach Katey. “When you’ve completed that factor, you’re good.”
▶ Has my imaginative and prescient shifted?
You might discover that your imaginative and prescient turns into your actuality before anticipated.
Lengthy earlier than you shed 50+ kilos, for instance, you’ll seemingly expertise extra vitality—and also you’ll be capable of do a whole lot of issues that when appeared unimaginable.
When this occurs, you have got a pair choices.
Some shoppers select to re-envision their future selves. For instance, if somebody’s preliminary imaginative and prescient concerned taking part in ball with their children, their expanded imaginative and prescient would possibly contain changing into an avid runner, hiker, or CrossFitter.
Others, nevertheless, notice that they’re already the particular person they need to be. They’re proud of that, although they haven’t misplaced as a lot weight as they thought they’d. That’s okay, too.
2. Focus extra on actions—and fewer on outcomes.
It will possibly take a 12 months or two to lose 50+ kilos.
When your journey lasts that lengthy, it may be troublesome to maintain your sights on the end line, says Coach Dom.
By emphasizing your day by day actions greater than the ultimate vacation spot, nevertheless, you may break that months-long odyssey into a number of shorter, extra attainable day journeys like…
- Going from zero to 1 veggie serving a day
- Switching from massive fries to medium
- Strolling 10 extra minutes than final week
One other profit: Your habits is extra inside your management than your physique dimension.
“By regularly making an attempt to take one of the best motion attainable, you improve the chance of the end result you want,” says Coach Dom.
To spotlight your habits successes, attempt the next.
Discover what small stuff you’re doing proper.
“It’s really easy to deal with the destructive,” says Coach Katey.
To remain assured and motivated, nevertheless, you need to shine a highlight on what you’re doing properly, she says. Likelihood is, you are altering greater than you notice.
(BTW, our inner analysis reveals: Doing just a few issues constantly is rather more vital than making an attempt to do every part completely.)
| As a substitute of beating your self up for… | Have a good time everytime you… |
| ❌ Indulging in processed meals
❌ Hitting the drive-through on a busy day ❌ Skipping a exercise ❌ Staying up late ❌ Consuming mindlessly ❌ Having chips for dinner ❌ Emotionally spiraling after a triggering occasion |
✅ Eat a complete meals
✅ Plan a meal ✅ Transfer your physique ✅ Prioritize sleep ✅ Tune into starvation and fullness ✅ Strive a brand new veggie ✅ Handle stress |
Downshift as wanted.
Generally, you’ll really feel as when you’re cruising on autopilot.
Different occasions, it might sound as if your entire world is right here to sabotage your efforts to eat minimally-processed meals or hit the gymnasium.
On prime of that, some days you’ll really feel tremendous motivated. Different days you’ll crave ice cream for dinner and hours of high quality time in your favourite recliner.
That’s why Coach Dom suggests you consider your effort like a dial. Throughout simple stretches, you would possibly hold the dial cranked, at a seven or greater.
Throughout more difficult occasions, nevertheless, take into consideration turning it all the way down to one thing that feels extra manageable.
“I made a decision to do the issues that I deemed vital to one of the best of my means each single day,” says Coach Dom. “Some days, one of the best of my means was perhaps 50 p.c. Different days it was 80 p.c. However I did one of the best I may every single day.”
By scaling your effort up and down primarily based on what’s happening in your life, you’ll be capable of go from an “all or nothing” mindset to an “at all times one thing” mindset, says Coach Dom.
The graphic beneath reveals the way you would possibly dial bodily exercise up and down, primarily based on life circumstances. You possibly can customise every notch on the dial, primarily based in your talents and preferences. You may also create comparable dials for vitamin, sleep, stress administration, and some other habits you’re making an attempt to alter.
Learn extra: By no means Press Pause on Your Well being and Health Once more
3. Know what you’re not keen to reside with out.
There are going to be some meals and experiences that you simply don’t need to surrender—in addition to others that you simply’re simply not keen to attempt.
That’s okay.
The excellent news:
YOU get to determine what modifications you’re keen to make and keep.
For instance, firstly of his fats loss journey, Coach Stephen wasn’t keen to surrender quick meals.
He ate it every single day, a pair occasions a day.
As a result of he beloved it.
And it was handy.
Moderately than give it up, he set a really totally different problem for himself:
Discover a solution to lose fats whereas nonetheless consuming pizza, tacos, and burgers.
First, he downsized his meals—ordering fewer slices of pizza, fewer tacos, and smaller burgers and fries.
Ultimately he made totally different selections altogether, equivalent to getting baked potatoes as a substitute of fries and grilled rooster sandwiches as a substitute of burgers, because the graphic beneath reveals.
“I misplaced the primary 40 kilos that manner,” Coach Stephen says.
Over time, Coach Stephen was keen to increase modifications, like cooking a few of his meals at dwelling.
His quick meals burger became one constructed from decrease fats beef. The refined bun turned a complete grain one.
And he stacked it with a lot of veggies.
“Moderately than aiming for the greatest selections, all you actually need to do is regularly make barely higher selections,” says Coach Stephen.
To do this, contemplate these questions:
- What tiny modifications are you okay making an attempt?
- What considerably more healthy meals are you keen to eat?
- What parts are you keen to shrink, only a tad?
4. Count on to plateau.
While you eat much less and drop extra pounds, you burn fewer energy, because of an annoying phenomenon known as “metabolic adaptation.”
(Learn extra: Can consuming too little harm your metabolism?)
Meaning it may well develop into more and more troublesome to lose every subsequent pound.
For some individuals, which means weight reduction would possibly sluggish—perhaps even stall.
Be affected person.
For those who began your weight reduction journey with a selected scale weight in thoughts, plateaus can really feel like getting caught in standstill site visitors.
That frustration, nevertheless, usually comes from placing an excessive amount of emphasis on the end result, says Coach Dom.
“Once I was shedding pounds, I saved telling myself that the end result would arrive if I did the work,” says Coach Dom.
“Moderately than hit a selected weight, I attempted to point out up and do my greatest every day for a 12 months. By shifting my purpose to one thing I may completely management, I negated the sentiments that used to come back up for me when my physique didn’t behave as anticipated.”
Do some accounting.
Keep in mind the Future Me imaginative and prescient we instructed you about above? A plateau is a superb time to revisit it.
Are you continue to making selections that align with what the Future You wants?
How constantly are you consuming slowly till happy, exercising, and together with complete meals? Has emotional or stress consuming crept again into your life like an ex-lover? How about senseless energy?
Double down on ability constructing.
Coach Stephen hit a number of plateaus throughout his journey to shedding 80 kilos.
Every time, he shifted his focus away from what was out of his management (the dimensions) to what was inside his management: his habits.
“I obtained actually centered on making small enhancements and enhancing my expertise,” he says. “Even when the dimensions wasn’t shifting, I felt like I used to be enhancing in these different areas and that saved me centered and motivated.”
Contemplate: What further expertise would possibly you add or broaden?
For instance, when you’re strolling constantly, perhaps you add energy coaching to your train routine. Or maybe you lean into consuming slowly and mindfully, seeing when you can cease consuming if you really feel simply happy, even when there’s meals left in your plate.
Query the dimensions.
Sooner or later, you could discover you’ve embraced the entire expertise you’re keen to embrace. Perhaps you’re dwelling your imaginative and prescient, too.
On the identical time, perhaps you haven’t reached the load you initially thought you needed.
Contemplate:
Is that scale weight actually the fitting weight—for YOU?
In spite of everything, many individuals’s “purpose weights” are, properly, a bit of arbitrary. Maybe the quantity simply sounded good to you. Or it’s what you weighed throughout a time in your life if you felt good (however not essentially due to your weight).
A scale quantity is simply that—a quantity.
It’s not a measure of your value as an individual.
Moderately than judging your self by a quantity, focus in your day by day actions. Are you continue to doing all of your greatest to make more healthy selections, more often than not? In that case, that’s one thing to really feel GREAT about.
Take a second to have a good time your leaner, stronger, more healthy physique—and the way it’s modified your life.
What are you able to accomplish with this physique that you simply couldn’t earlier than?
Likelihood is, it’s lots—and that simply is perhaps sufficient.
For those who’re a coach, otherwise you need to be…
You possibly can assist individuals construct vitamin and life-style habits that enhance their bodily and psychological well being, bolster their immunity, assist them higher handle stress, and get sustainable outcomes. We’ll present you ways.
For those who’d prefer to be taught extra, contemplate the PN Degree 1 Vitamin Teaching Certification.
