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 without end. 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.
Moderately, it’s about three individuals who stored going—overcoming the almost common setbacks and challenges throughout main physique transformations.
Not solely did all three finally lose 80-plus kilos apiece, however additionally they modified in different methods: Dom, Stephen, and Katey have all change into licensed well being and vitamin 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 unimaginable (or a minimum of 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 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 objectives. She misplaced greater than 120 kilos. Be taught extra about her at KateyCaswell.com |
 Stephen Field, PN2-MHC, grew to become a vitamin and power coach throughout his journey to shedding 80 kilos. Along with serving as group 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 longer term you.
Earlier than altering what you eat or how you progress, think about this query:
What do you ACTUALLY need?
That factor you’re actually after most likely isn’t only a aim (for instance, a smaller physique), says Coach Stephen Field.
Possible, your aim 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 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 completely satisfied.
He needed the leaner physique he had again then, certain. 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 just lately change into a father, and a detailed 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 choices 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 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 individual it takes to get it.”
The right 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 which you can’t do now?
- How do you are feeling?
- What are you carrying?
- 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), photos (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 this time so as to change into the individual I need 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 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 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 power—and also you’ll be capable of do a variety of issues that after appeared unimaginable.
When this occurs, you may 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 would possibly contain changing into an avid runner, hiker, or CrossFitter.
Others, nonetheless, understand that they’re already the individual they need to be. They’re pleased with that, despite the fact 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 may 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 every day actions greater than the ultimate vacation spot, nonetheless, you possibly can 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 dimension.
“By frequently attempting to take the most effective motion doable, you enhance the probability of the end result you want,” says Coach Dom.
To spotlight your conduct successes, strive the next.
Discover what small stuff you’re doing proper.
“It’s really easy to deal with the adverse,” says Coach Katey.
To remain assured and motivated, nonetheless, you need to shine a highlight on what you’re doing properly, she says. Likelihood is, you are altering greater than you understand.
(BTW, our inner analysis exhibits: Doing just a few issues constantly is way more vital than attempting to do the whole lot 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 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 if you happen to’re cruising on autopilot.
Different occasions, it may appear as if your complete world is right here to sabotage your efforts to eat minimally-processed meals or hit the gymnasium.
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 straightforward stretches, you would possibly maintain the dial cranked, at a seven or larger.
Throughout tougher occasions, nonetheless, 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 the most effective of my potential each single day,” says Coach Dom. “Some days, the most effective of my potential was perhaps 50 p.c. Different days it was 80 p.c. However I did the most effective I might daily.”
By scaling your effort up and down based mostly on what’s occurring 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 exhibits the way you would possibly dial bodily exercise up and down, based mostly on life circumstances. You may customise every notch on the dial, based mostly in your talents and preferences. You can too create related dials for vitamin, sleep, stress administration, and another conduct you’re attempting to vary.
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 quit—in addition to others that you simply’re simply not keen to strive.
That’s okay.
The excellent news:
YOU get to determine what modifications you’re keen to make and keep.
For instance, originally of his fats loss journey, Coach Stephen wasn’t keen to surrender quick meals.
He ate it daily, 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 completely different problem for himself:
Discover a method 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 selections altogether, resembling getting baked potatoes as an alternative of fries and grilled hen sandwiches as an alternative of burgers, because the graphic beneath exhibits.
“I misplaced the primary 40 kilos that means,” Coach Stephen says.
Over time, Coach Stephen was keen to amplify modifications, like cooking a few of his meals at house.
His quick meals burger changed into one produced from decrease fats beef. The refined bun grew to become an entire grain one.
And he stacked it with numerous veggies.
“Moderately than aiming for the greatest selections, all you actually need to do is frequently make barely higher selections,” says Coach Stephen.
To do this, think about these questions:
- What tiny modifications 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. Anticipate to plateau.
Whenever you eat much less and shed weight, you burn fewer energy, because of an annoying phenomenon referred to as “metabolic adaptation.”
(Learn extra: Can consuming too little harm your metabolism?)
Meaning it might probably change into more and more tough to lose every subsequent pound.
For some folks, which means weight reduction would possibly sluggish—perhaps even stall.
Be affected person.
When you began your weight reduction journey with a particular scale weight in thoughts, plateaus can really feel like getting caught in standstill site visitors.
That frustration, nonetheless, typically comes from placing an excessive amount of emphasis on the end result, says Coach Dom.
“After I was reducing weight, I stored telling myself that the end result would arrive if I did the work,” says Coach Dom.
“Moderately than hit a particular weight, I attempted to indicate up and do my greatest every day for a yr. By shifting my aim to one thing I might 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.
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 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 talent 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 conduct.
“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 would possibly you add or broaden?
For instance, if you happen to’re strolling constantly, perhaps you add power coaching to your train routine. Or maybe you lean into consuming slowly and mindfully, seeing if you happen to can cease consuming once you really feel simply glad, even when there’s meals left in your plate.
Query the dimensions.
Sooner or later, you could discover you’ve embraced the entire abilities you’re keen to embrace. Perhaps you’re dwelling your imaginative and prescient, too.
On the similar time, perhaps you haven’t reached the burden you initially thought you needed.
Contemplate:
Is that scale weight actually the appropriate weight—for YOU?
In any case, many individuals’s “aim weights” are, properly, a little bit 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.
Moderately than judging your self by a quantity, focus in your every day actions. Are you continue to doing all of your greatest to make more healthy selections, more often than not? If that’s the 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 rather a lot—and that simply could be sufficient.
When you’re a coach, otherwise you need to be…
You may assist folks construct vitamin 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 wish to study extra, think about the PN Degree 1 Vitamin Teaching Certification.
