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 without end. No matter.’
After diligently making an attempt to lose fats for thirty years, Katey Caswell was nonetheless morbidly overweight. She puzzled, ‘Is something ever going to work?’
This isn’t a narrative about three individuals who gave up.
Somewhat, 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 turn into licensed well being and vitamin coaches who now assist others eat, transfer, and dwell higher.
On this story, you’ll uncover their high mindset methods for persevering when fats loss feels unattainable (or a minimum of 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 looks 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 Diet’s masterclass college students. A former IT skilled, he misplaced greater than 100 kilos. |
 Katey Caswell, PN2-MHC, NBC-HWC, is an impartial 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, turned a vitamin and power coach throughout his journey to shedding 80 kilos. Along with serving as group engagement specialist for Precision Diet, he hosts the Unshakable Habits podcast in addition to coaches purchasers. 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 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 would possibly affiliate being in a smaller physique with extra confidence, and being the kind of one that takes on challenges and welcomes new experiences.
Spend time envisioning that entire 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 completely happy.
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 turn into a father, and a detailed buddy 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 resolve?”
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 facet impact of being the particular person it takes to get it.”
Easy methods 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 completely 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 pals?
- How do you spend your time?
- What are different individuals saying about you?
Think about each element.
Seize that imaginative and prescient in phrases (similar to a vacation spot postcard), photos (similar 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 this moment in an effort to turn into the particular person I need to be tomorrow?
Possibly it’s consuming breakfast as an alternative of skipping it, ingesting an additional glass of water, or taking two sluggish breaths earlier than your first chew of dinner.
“Decide one factor that’ll make you are 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 might discover that your imaginative and prescient turns into your actuality ahead of anticipated.
Lengthy earlier than you shed 50+ kilos, for instance, you’ll seemingly expertise extra power—and also you’ll be capable of do a whole lot of issues that after appeared unattainable.
When this occurs, you’ve got 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 turning into an avid runner, hiker, or CrossFitter.
Others, nevertheless, notice that they’re already the particular person they need to be. They’re pleased with 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 could 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, nevertheless, you’ll be able to 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 making an attempt to take the most effective motion doable, you improve the chance of the end result you want,” says Coach Dom.
To spotlight your conduct 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, nevertheless, you need to shine a highlight on what you’re doing nicely, she says. Chances are high, you are altering greater than you notice.
(BTW, our inside analysis reveals: Doing just a few issues persistently is far more necessary than making an attempt to do all the things 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 in the event you’re cruising on autopilot.
Different instances, it might sound as if your 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 hold the dial cranked, at a seven or increased.
Throughout more difficult instances, nevertheless, 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 most effective of my potential each single day,” says Coach Dom. “Some days, the most effective of my potential was possibly 50 p.c. Different days it was 80 p.c. However I did the most effective I might day by day.”
By scaling your effort up and down based mostly 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, based mostly on life circumstances. You’ll be able to customise every notch on the dial, based mostly in your skills and preferences. You can too create related dials for vitamin, sleep, stress administration, and another conduct 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 dwell 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 attempt.
That’s okay.
The excellent news:
YOU get to resolve what adjustments you’re keen to make and keep.
For instance, in the beginning of his fats loss journey, Coach Stephen wasn’t keen to surrender quick meals.
He ate it day by day, a pair instances a day.
As a result of he liked it.
And it was handy.
Somewhat than give it up, he set a really completely 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 completely different selections altogether, similar to getting baked potatoes as an alternative of fries and grilled hen sandwiches as an alternative 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 enlarge adjustments, like cooking a few of his meals at dwelling.
His quick meals burger became one made out of decrease fats beef. The refined bun turned an entire grain one.
And he stacked it with a number of veggies.
“Somewhat than aiming for the finest selections, all you really want to do is regularly make barely higher selections,” says Coach Stephen.
To do this, contemplate these questions:
- What tiny adjustments 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 some weight, you burn fewer energy, because of an annoying phenomenon known as “metabolic adaptation.”
(Learn extra: Can consuming too little injury your metabolism?)
Meaning it might turn into more and more tough to lose every subsequent pound.
For some individuals, which means weight reduction would possibly sluggish—possibly even stall.
Be affected person.
For those who 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, nevertheless, usually comes from placing an excessive amount of emphasis on the end result, says Coach Dom.
“Once I was dropping pounds, I saved telling myself that the end result would arrive if I did the work,” says Coach Dom.
“Somewhat than hit a particular weight, I attempted to indicate up and do my finest every day for a 12 months. By shifting my objective to one thing I might completely management, I negated the sentiments that used to return up for me when my physique didn’t behave as anticipated.”
Do some accounting.
Bear in mind the Future Me imaginative and prescient we advised 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 persistently are you consuming slowly till happy, 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 size) to what was inside his management: his conduct.
“I obtained actually targeted on making small enhancements and bettering my abilities,” he says. “Even when the size wasn’t transferring, I felt like I used to be bettering in these different areas and that saved me targeted and motivated.”
Contemplate: What extra abilities would possibly you add or develop?
For instance, in the event you’re strolling persistently, possibly you add power coaching to your train routine. Or maybe you lean into consuming slowly and mindfully, seeing in the event you can cease consuming if you really feel simply happy, even when there’s meals left in your plate.
Query the size.
In some unspecified time in the future, you could discover you’ve embraced the entire abilities you’re keen to embrace. Possibly you’re residing your imaginative and prescient, too.
On the similar time, possibly you haven’t reached the load you initially thought you needed.
Contemplate:
Is that scale weight actually the precise weight—for YOU?
In any case, many individuals’s “objective weights” are, nicely, slightly 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.
Somewhat than judging your self by a quantity, focus in your day by day actions. Are you continue to doing all your finest 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 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 loads—and that simply could be sufficient.
For those who’re a coach, otherwise you need to be…
You’ll be able to assist individuals 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 ways.
For those who’d wish to study extra, contemplate the PN Degree 1 Diet Teaching Certification.