I want to help you dominate 2024 by giving you my best tips and insights for fat loss!
Here they are:
- Shop the perimeter of the store because you’ll find most of the whole foods there vs. the aisles.
- Don’t shop hungry.
- Park further away when shopping, too, because those extra steps add up!
And lastly… Just kidding.
While those are great tips and I’d encourage you to practice them they are too general. You could probably find a thousand tips, tricks and hacks (or whatever the cool kids are calling them these days) but they probably wouldn’t change your life. Why? Because they are surface level. What I want to give you are a set of tools that you can use to really change your life instead of just some fluff you may or may not practice here and there.
So let’s start with your goals specifically and how you can be better prepared from the start.
WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS?
1. CHOOSE BEHAVIOR GOALS OVER OUTCOMES
Your specific goals are unique to you and your desires but there’s something all goals have in common: a beginning and an end… Unfortunately, most people start with the end in mind but never reverse engineer all the steps involved back to TODAY.
What are your goals?
Have you made resolutions for this New Year?
Would they fall under the outcome goal or the behavior goal category?
Here are a few examples of outcome goals:
- Lose 20 pounds
- Get bigger arms
- Be healthier
- Become a better person this year
Unfortunately, these are the types of goals people set and then set themselves up for failure because these only focus on the outcomes, which we cannot entirely control.
But what we can control are the behaviors that lead to the outcomes we desire.
Let’s look at some behaviors that would lead to the desired outcomes above:
- Join a gym, hire a coach, follow a plan, and become accountable
- Follow a program that prioritizes arm training and eat to support growth
- Eat 5 servings of vegetables daily
- Volunteer at a homeless shelter every month
With that in mind what were some goals you’d like to accomplish?
And more importantly, what are the behaviors that lead there?
Take some time to write down your goals, break them down into skills, then figure out one action habit that you’ll need to do daily to build that skill to reach the goal. To create the best chances for success figure out what you really want and why.
Now that armed with action habits and deeper meaning here are some mindsets you will need to success.
WHAT IS YOUR MINDSET?
2. CHOOSE AN ABUNDANCE MINDSET VS. A SCARCITY MINDSET
Generally, when people want to lose weight they start “dieting” and often think about all the “bad foods” that they “can’t have anymore.”
A better approach is to examine one’s current “diet” and ask what can be added to improve upon it.
One mindset focuses on the negative and the other on the positive.
The scarcity mindset is one of lack; a world where there isn’t enough to go around and if others have more then I must have less.
The abundance mindset highlights all the amazing things available; it’s a world of endless opportunities and imagination.
If I tell you not to think about pizza… What’s the first thing you think about?
Exactly! That warm, gooey, cheesy pizza I told you not to think about!
If I tell you to eat more protein and vegetables then your mind is focusing on these positive actions instead.
Here is a huge nutritional truth: we’ve never lived in a time when it was easier to eat healthy. Conversely, we’ve also never lived in a time where it was easier to eat unhealthy.
Cultivate Good Nutrition habits that focus on addition rather than deprivation. After all, your body doesn’t recognize all the foods you don’t eat, it processes the ones you do!
3. CHOOSE A GROWTH MINDSET OVER A FIXED MINDSET
If you are going to change your habits you’ll definitely encounter obstacles along the way. When you fall, and you will, learn to fall forward. We having a saying in our coaching programs: there is no failure, only feedback. It’s not just our abilities and talent that bring us success–but whether we approach challenges with a fixed or growth mindset.
A fixed mindset is one in which you view your talents and abilities as… well, fixed. In other words, you are who you are, your intelligence and talents are fixed, and your fate is to go through life avoiding challenge and failure.
A growth mindset, on the other hand, is one in which you see yourself as fluid, a work in progress. Your fate is one of growth and opportunity.
(For more on the growth mindset read this article HERE.)
Said in the simplest terms: “If at first you don’t succeed, try again.” For some it’s “try, try, and try again.” Whatever you do, do not submit yourself to, “Oh well, there’s always next year.”
WHERE ARE YOU?
4. HONESTLY ASSESS YOUR NUTRITIONAL LEVEL
Level 0 – Consumes The Western Diet or The Standard American Diet, S.A.D. for short, because it is.
Level 1 – Practices Good Nutrition and eats the right things, in the right amount
at the right time, consistently.
Level 2 – Displays consistency in the basics and is ready to try more advanced strategies to achieve more aggressive performance or body composition goals.
Level 3 – This is for extreme athletes and not sustainable long term for most.
For example: A Bodybuilder who diets for 20-24 weeks (half a year!) to look shredded for a day on stage or Georges St-Pierre who cuts weight to weigh in at 170lbs for a fight and then comes in the ring at over 190lbs 24 hours later. Look out!
The mistake people make is trying to go from Level 0 to Level 3. I’ve seen too many people who try to go from their regular eating habits to eating nothing but chicken, broccoli and rice. Before you break out the Tupperware, be honest about where you are, what your limiting factors are and what changes you can sustainably make.
Here is another nutritional truth: 99.9% of the population would benefit from Level 1 eating. They may not need to advance onto level 2 strategies such as calorie counting, nutrient timing, fasting, ketosis, etc. They simply need to master the basics daily and build consistency. (Don’t mistake simple for easy.)
5. FOCUS ON SKILLS AND HABITS FIRST AND THEN STRATEGIES AND TACTICS
Good Nutrition is a skill that is built upon daily habits. I specialize in habit-based coaching and I deliver systemized action plans. I practice and teach these skills. I’ve also used more advanced strategies and tactics that I probably wouldn’t recommend to most clients.
Why not? Because they probably don’t need it.
Why do I do it? To experiment. To try it for myself and gain the experience. It’s actually something I enjoy.
So before you try that next 30 day challenge of restriction (stop doing that in 2024!) here are a few simple healthy habits you can practice that will pay off largely when you really focus on them one at a time:
- Eat slowly. Take your time. Put your utensils down in between bites, chew and really experience the food and enjoy the moment. It all starts with AWARENESS.
- Eat until satisfied instead of completely stuffed. Get in touch with your hunger cues, eat mindfully and only when you experience true hunger. Hunger is a gift.
- Have a healthy protein meal replacement on hand. You and your coworkers heading to In-N-Out? There probably isn’t that many healthy options so opt instead for a lower calorie protein shake.
See more recommendations HERE and HERE.
6. CHOOSE CONSISTENCY OVER INTENSITY
Ultimately, changing your dietary habits, lifestyle and activity level is about sustainability and flexibility.
Anyone can do a juice cleanse for 7 days and then end it with a pizza. Instead, choose the road less traveled, the one that is more difficult, yet more rewarding. That road is deciding to change your life through the power of nutrition, healthy habits and activity. If you are ready to make some changes and unlock your true potential this year I am here to help. I leave you with a poem of sorts.
THE DESTINATION IS THE JOURNEY
nutritionalmastery.com 
One thought on “TOP 3 FAT LOSS TIPS FOR A HEALTHIER, HAPPIER 2024”