Just one.
That’s what you tell yourself…
We all know what that’s like.
You tell yourself it’s just one treat. It’s just a half glass of wine, it’s just one chip.
And you’re correct. It’s just one.
But it’s just one thing, day after day.
Look, it’s actually the SMALL things that derail your health.
These small things sneak up on you. You have little or no regret for an extra bite or a small second helping. I mean, it’s just so small, right?
The fact is, when you lose these small daily battles, you lose the belly fat war over time.
I had a chat with a potential client who was unhappy with her weight. She figured she needed to lose about 10 pounds that she’d gained in the last 10 years.
I asked her what her daily nutrition was like. She said, ‘I think I eat well’ and then rattled off a fantastic list of meals full of healthy carbs, protein and vegetables. She also mentioned that she was ‘pretty diligent’ with her workouts.
It seemed like a mystery as to why she was struggling with her weight…
Then we got to it. She said she had a ‘little’ chocolate most days… She said that her weekends were a little out of control nutritionally… She said there ‘might be’ some wine during the week….She said she was stressed and not sleeping enough….
The truth is, this client probably does have a ‘pretty good’ nutrition and lifestyle plan. So good in fact that she’s ONLY gained ONE pound a year, which seems like NOTHING.
Until she gained a pound a year for 10 years…
It was the small things that added up for her.
You see it’s not necessarily the big holiday meals, the weddings, the birthdays, the things that we know can sabotage our nutrition because you might be diligent and INTENTIONAL with those big temptations.
It is often the smallest things: like a handful of M&Ms, like that dark piece of chocolate (I mean it’s dark chocolate right?), it’s that glass of wine every night…
Most people will gain 1 to 2 pounds a year minimum after the age of 20. This turns into a 20 pound weight gain by the age of 40.
This is partly due to small habits like that extra serving or the ONE mini Kit Kat bar or that handful of chips.
Do you even really savor those small things?
Intentional eating is the answer.
I told my client that she had two options now….
Option one: She could batten down the hatches and go on a calorie restrictive diet for 5 to 6 weeks. She would see results sooner but possibly risk rebound weight gain.
Option two: She could do the ‘One Change Challenge’ each week to tighten up her diet. She could choose one change that she would stick with come hell or high water each week. She could allow herself one treat meal with a 60 minute eating window over the weekend. Slowly over time, she would lose those 10 pounds without feeling deprived.
My suggestion is that the ‘no diet’ option is best. Studies show repeatedly that diets fail long term.
You can make small changes to win big time long term.
My challenge to you is to be more intentional with your nutrition. Deny yourself those small cheats so that you can really enjoy the big treats that are planned.
The good news is that when you win these small challenges the bigger wins come easier.
And, choose one change that you’ll implement over the next 7-21 days to clean up your nutrition.
If you need a little more direction, if you’re not sure where to start, or what change to implement first, I’m here for you.
Fill in this application and let’s get the conversation going on a ‘get to know you call’.