It was 2008 when Dom Matteo stepped on the size 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.
Fairly, 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 in addition 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 reside higher.
On this story, you’ll uncover their high mindset methods for persevering when fats loss feels inconceivable (or not 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 appears like a superb 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 Diet’s masterclass college students. A former IT skilled, he misplaced greater than 100 kilos. |
 Katey Caswell, PN2-MHC, NBC-HWC, is an impartial diet, well being, and life coach who makes a speciality of serving to ladies attain their well being and health objectives. 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 Diet, he hosts the Unshakable Habits podcast in addition to coaches purchasers. Study extra about him at UnshakableHabits. |
1. Get to know the longer term 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 objective (for instance, a smaller physique), says Coach Stephen Field.
Doubtless, your objective 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 glad.
He wished the leaner physique he had again then, positive. However largely, he wished to return to that feeling of vitality.
For Coach Dom, the imaginative and prescient was about who he didn’t wish to be.
He’d just lately turn into a father, and an in depth good friend had additionally died unexpectedly of a blood clot. Coach Dom wished his son to develop up with his father in his life.
“I by no means wished 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 choices like, “Ought to I skip my exercise?” and “Ought to I supersize this?”
They requested themselves, “What would the longer term me resolve?”
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 particular person it takes to get it.”
The way to envision the Future You
Think about your self a 12 months or two into the longer term. You’re within the physique you need.
- What’s totally different about your life?
- What are you doing that you may’t do now?
- How do you are 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 (comparable to a vacation spot postcard), footage (comparable 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 at present to be able to turn into the particular person I wish to be tomorrow?
Perhaps 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 chunk of dinner.
“Decide one factor that’ll make you are feeling like successful, on a regular basis,” says Coach Katey. “When you’ve finished that factor, you’re good.”
▶ Has my imaginative and prescient shifted?
Chances are you’ll discover that your imaginative and prescient turns into your actuality ahead of anticipated.
Lengthy earlier than you shed 50+ kilos, for instance, you’ll probably expertise extra power—and also you’ll have the ability to do loads of issues that when appeared inconceivable.
When this occurs, you’ve a pair choices.
Some purchasers 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, nonetheless, notice that they’re already the particular person they wish to be. They’re pleased with that, regardless that 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 probably take a 12 months 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 may break that months-long odyssey into a number of shorter, extra attainable day journeys like…
- Going from zero to at least one veggie serving a day
- Switching from massive fries to medium
- Strolling 10 extra minutes than final week
One other profit: Your conduct is extra inside your management than your physique measurement.
“By regularly attempting to take one of the best motion doable, you improve the probability of the result you want,” says Coach Dom.
To focus on your conduct successes, attempt the next.
Discover what small belongings you’re doing proper.
“It’s really easy to concentrate on the damaging,” says Coach Katey.
To remain assured and motivated, nonetheless, you wish to shine a highlight on what you’re doing effectively, she says. Chances are high, you are altering greater than you notice.
(BTW, our inside analysis exhibits: Doing a couple of issues constantly is way more vital than attempting to do all the pieces completely.)
| As a substitute of beating your self up for… | Rejoice 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 ✅ Strive 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 health club.
On high 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 preserve the dial cranked, at a seven or increased.
Throughout more difficult 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 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 possibly 50 %. Different days it was 80 %. However I did one of the best I may on daily basis.”
By scaling your effort up and down based mostly on what’s occurring in your life, you’ll have the ability to go from an “all or nothing” mindset to an “all the time one thing” mindset, says Coach Dom.
The graphic under exhibits the way you would possibly dial bodily exercise up and down, based mostly on life circumstances. You’ll be able to customise every notch on the dial, based mostly in your talents and preferences. You can too create related dials for diet, sleep, stress administration, and every other conduct 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 keen to reside with out.
There are going to be some meals and experiences that you just don’t wish to hand over—in addition to others that you just’re simply not keen to attempt.
That’s okay.
The excellent news:
YOU get to resolve what adjustments you’re keen to make and keep.
For instance, at the start of his fats loss journey, Coach Stephen wasn’t keen 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.
Fairly than give it up, he set a really totally different problem for himself:
Discover a strategy 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, comparable to 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 manner,” Coach Stephen says.
Over time, Coach Stephen was keen to increase adjustments, like cooking a few of his meals at dwelling.
His quick meals burger changed into one produced from decrease fats beef. The refined bun turned an entire grain one.
And he stacked it with a lot of veggies.
“Fairly than aiming for the greatest selections, all you actually need to do is regularly make barely higher selections,” says Coach Stephen.
To try this, contemplate these questions:
- What tiny adjustments are you okay attempting?
- 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.
Whenever you eat much less and drop some weight, you burn fewer energy, due to an annoying phenomenon referred to as “metabolic adaptation.”
(Learn extra: Can consuming too little harm your metabolism?)
Meaning it may turn into more and more tough to lose every subsequent pound.
For some folks, meaning weight reduction would possibly sluggish—possibly even stall.
Be affected person.
When you 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, nonetheless, usually comes from placing an excessive amount of emphasis on the result, says Coach Dom.
“Once I was losing a few pounds, I stored telling myself that the result would arrive if I did the work,” says Coach Dom.
“Fairly than hit a selected weight, I attempted to indicate up and do my greatest every day for a 12 months. By shifting my objective to one thing I may completely management, I negated the emotions that used to come back up for me when my physique didn’t behave as anticipated.”
Do some accounting.
Bear in mind the Future Me imaginative and prescient we informed 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 glad, 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 dropping 80 kilos.
Every time, he shifted his focus away from what was out of his management (the size) to what was inside his management: his conduct.
“I acquired actually centered on making small enhancements and enhancing my abilities,” he says. “Even when the size wasn’t shifting, I felt like I used to be enhancing in these different areas and that stored me centered and motivated.”
Take into account: What further abilities would possibly you add or develop?
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 once you really feel simply glad, even when there’s meals left in your plate.
Query the size.
Sooner or later, chances are you’ll discover you’ve embraced the entire abilities you’re keen to embrace. Perhaps you’re residing your imaginative and prescient, too.
On the identical time, possibly you haven’t reached the load you initially thought you wished.
Take into account:
Is that scale weight actually the appropriate weight—for YOU?
In any case, many individuals’s “objective weights” are, effectively, a bit of arbitrary. Maybe the quantity simply sounded good to you. Or it’s what you weighed throughout a time in your life once 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.
Fairly than judging your self by a quantity, focus in your day by day actions. Are you continue to doing all 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 rejoice 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 just couldn’t earlier than?
Chances are high, it’s loads—and that simply is perhaps sufficient.
When you’re a coach, otherwise you wish to be…
You’ll be able to 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.
When you’d prefer to be taught extra, contemplate the PN Degree 1 Diet Teaching Certification.
