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 ceaselessly. No matter.’
After diligently attempting 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.
Relatively, it’s about three individuals who stored 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 turn into licensed well being and diet coaches who now assist others eat, transfer, and stay higher.
On this story, you’ll uncover their prime mindset methods for persevering when fats loss feels unattainable (or no less than simply very irritating).
Caveat: Not each technique will really feel best for you.
Our suggestion: Learn this story by way of the lens of your private expertise. Attempt what seems like an excellent match and put aside something that doesn’t.
 Dominic Matteo, PN2-MHC, has been a diet 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 diet, well being, and life coach who makes a speciality of serving to girls attain their well being and health targets. She misplaced greater than 120 kilos. Study extra about her at KateyCaswell.com |
 Stephen Field, PN2-MHC, turned a diet and energy coach throughout his journey to dropping 80 kilos. Along with serving as group engagement specialist for Precision Vitamin, he hosts the Unshakable Habits podcast in addition to coaches shoppers. Study extra about him at UnshakableHabits. |
1. Get to know the longer term you.
Earlier than altering what you eat or how you progress, take into account this query:
What do you ACTUALLY need?
That factor you’re actually after most likely isn’t only a objective (for instance, a smaller physique), says Coach Stephen Field.
Doubtless, your objective simply represents what you’re actually after.
For instance, you may 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 entire individual. (Not simply the physique.)
Take Coach Stephen. His imaginative and prescient took him again in time, to when he was athletic, energized, assured, and comfortable.
He needed the leaner physique he had again then, positive. However largely, 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 lately turn into a father, and a detailed pal 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 longer term me determine?”
Now, greater than a decade after dropping 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 individual it takes to get it.”
The way to envision the Future You
Think about your self a yr or two into the longer term. You’re within the physique you need.
- What’s completely different about your life?
- What are you doing that you would be able to’t do now?
- How do you’re feeling?
- What are you sporting?
- The place are you working?
- Who’re your pals?
- How do you spend your time?
- What are different folks saying about you?
Think about each element.
Seize that imaginative and prescient in phrases (resembling a vacation spot postcard), footage (resembling 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 at the moment with a purpose to turn into the individual I need to be tomorrow?
Possibly it’s consuming breakfast as an alternative of skipping it, consuming an additional glass of water, or taking two sluggish breaths earlier than your first chew of dinner.
“Decide one factor that’ll make you’re feeling like successful, on a regular basis,” says Coach Katey. “When you’ve completed that factor, you’re good.”
▶ Has my imaginative and prescient shifted?
You could discover that your imaginative and prescient turns into your actuality prior to anticipated.
Lengthy earlier than you shed 50+ kilos, for instance, you’ll possible expertise extra vitality—and also you’ll have the ability to do loads of issues that after appeared unattainable.
When this occurs, you will have a pair choices.
Some shoppers select to re-envision their future selves. For instance, if somebody’s preliminary imaginative and prescient concerned enjoying ball with their children, their expanded imaginative and prescient may contain changing into an avid runner, hiker, or CrossFitter.
Others, nonetheless, understand that they’re already the individual they need to be. They’re proud of that, regardless that they haven’t misplaced as a lot weight as they thought they might. That’s okay, too.
2. Focus extra on actions—and fewer on outcomes.
It might take a yr or two to lose 50+ kilos.
When your journey lasts that lengthy, it may be tough to maintain your sights on the end line, says Coach Dom.
By emphasizing your day by day actions greater than the ultimate vacation spot, nonetheless, you’ll be able to 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 giant 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 attempting to take the very best motion doable, you improve the probability of the result you need,” says Coach Dom.
To spotlight your habits successes, attempt the next.
Discover what small stuff you’re doing proper.
“It’s really easy to concentrate on the damaging,” says Coach Katey.
To remain assured and motivated, nonetheless, you need to shine a highlight on what you’re doing nicely, she says. Chances are high, you are altering greater than you understand.
(BTW, our inner analysis exhibits: Doing a number of issues constantly is rather more necessary than attempting to do every part completely.)
| As an alternative 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 an entire meals
✅ Plan a meal ✅ Transfer your physique ✅ Prioritize sleep ✅ Tune into starvation and fullness ✅ Attempt a brand new veggie ✅ Handle stress |
Downshift as wanted.
Generally, you’ll really feel as for those who’re cruising on autopilot.
Different occasions, it might sound as if the complete world is right here to sabotage your efforts to eat minimally-processed meals or hit the fitness center.
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 straightforward stretches, you may preserve the dial cranked, at a seven or increased.
Throughout tougher occasions, nonetheless, take into consideration turning it right down to one thing that feels extra manageable.
“I made a decision to do the issues that I deemed necessary to the very best of my capability each single day,” says Coach Dom. “Some days, the very best of my capability was possibly 50 %. Different days it was 80 %. However I did the very best I may on daily basis.”
By scaling your effort up and down primarily based on what’s occurring in your life, you’ll have the ability to go from an “all or nothing” mindset to an “at all times one thing” mindset, says Coach Dom.
The graphic under exhibits the way you may dial bodily exercise up and down, primarily based on life circumstances. You may customise every notch on the dial, primarily based in your talents and preferences. You may also create related dials for diet, sleep, stress administration, and some other habits you’re attempting to alter.
Learn extra: By no means Press Pause on Your Well being and Health Once more
3. Know what you’re not prepared to stay with out.
There are going to be some meals and experiences that you simply don’t need to quit—in addition to others that you simply’re simply not prepared to attempt.
That’s okay.
The excellent news:
YOU get to determine what adjustments you’re prepared to make and preserve.
For instance, at the start of his fats loss journey, Coach Stephen wasn’t prepared to surrender quick meals.
He ate it on daily basis, a pair occasions a day.
As a result of he beloved it.
And it was handy.
Relatively than give it up, he set a really completely 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.
Finally he made completely different decisions altogether, resembling getting baked potatoes as an alternative of fries and grilled rooster sandwiches as an alternative of burgers, because the graphic under exhibits.
“I misplaced the primary 40 kilos that method,” Coach Stephen says.
Over time, Coach Stephen was prepared to extend adjustments, like cooking a few of his meals at residence.
His quick meals burger become one constructed from decrease fats beef. The refined bun turned an entire grain one.
And he stacked it with a number of veggies.
“Relatively than aiming for the finest decisions, all you actually need to do is regularly make barely higher decisions,” says Coach Stephen.
To try this, take into account these questions:
- What tiny adjustments are you okay attempting?
- What considerably more healthy meals are you prepared to eat?
- What parts are you prepared to shrink, only a tad?
4. Count on to plateau.
Once you eat much less and drop extra pounds, you burn fewer energy, due to an annoying phenomenon known as “metabolic adaptation.”
(Learn extra: Can consuming too little harm your metabolism?)
Which means it could possibly turn into more and more tough to lose every subsequent pound.
For some folks, which means weight reduction may sluggish—possibly even stall.
Be affected person.
In case you began your weight reduction journey with a particular scale weight in thoughts, plateaus can really feel like getting caught in standstill visitors.
That frustration, nonetheless, typically comes from placing an excessive amount of emphasis on the result, says Coach Dom.
“After I was losing a few pounds, I stored telling myself that the result would arrive if I did the work,” says Coach Dom.
“Relatively than hit a particular weight, I attempted to point out up and do my finest every day for a yr. By shifting my objective to one thing I may completely management, I negated the emotions that used to return 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 good time to revisit it.
Are you continue to making decisions that align with what the Future You wants?
How constantly are you consuming slowly till glad, exercising, and together with entire 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 dropping 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 received actually centered on making small enhancements and bettering my abilities,” he says. “Even when the dimensions wasn’t shifting, I felt like I used to be bettering in these different areas and that stored me centered and motivated.”
Contemplate: What further abilities may you add or increase?
For instance, for those who’re strolling constantly, possibly you add energy coaching to your train routine. Or maybe you lean into consuming slowly and mindfully, seeing for those who can cease consuming if you really feel simply glad, even when there’s meals left in your plate.
Query the dimensions.
Sooner or later, it’s possible you’ll discover you’ve embraced the entire abilities you’re prepared to embrace. Possibly you’re dwelling your imaginative and prescient, too.
On the similar time, possibly you haven’t reached the burden you initially thought you needed.
Contemplate:
Is that scale weight actually the suitable weight—for YOU?
In any case, many individuals’s “objective weights” are, nicely, somewhat 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 price as an individual.
Relatively than judging your self by a quantity, focus in your day by day actions. Are you continue to doing all of your finest to make more healthy decisions, more often than not? In that case, that’s one thing to really feel GREAT about.
Take a second to have fun 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?
Chances are high, it’s so much—and that simply is perhaps sufficient.
In case you’re a coach, otherwise you need to be…
You may assist folks construct diet and way of life 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 the way.
In case you’d prefer to study extra, take into account the PN Degree 1 Vitamin Teaching Certification.
