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 making an attempt 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.
Quite, 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 grow to be licensed well being and diet 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 no less than simply very irritating).
Caveat: Not each technique will really feel best for you.
Our suggestion: Learn this story via the lens of your private expertise. Strive what seems like a great 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 Vitamin’s masterclass college students. A former IT skilled, he misplaced greater than 100 kilos. |
 Katey Caswell, PN2-MHC, NBC-HWC, is an unbiased diet, well being, and life coach who focuses on serving to girls attain their well being and health targets. She misplaced greater than 120 kilos. Study extra about her at KateyCaswell.com |
 Stephen Field, PN2-MHC, grew to become a diet and energy 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. Study extra about him at UnshakableHabits. |
1. Get to know the long run 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 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 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 glad.
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 wish to be.
He’d not too long ago grow to be a father, and a detailed pal 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 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.”
How you can 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 you could’t do now?
- How do you are feeling?
- What are you carrying?
- The place are you working?
- Who’re your folks?
- How do you spend your time?
- What are different individuals saying about you?
Think about each element.
Seize that imaginative and prescient in phrases (reminiscent of a vacation spot postcard), photos (reminiscent of 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 with the intention to grow to be the individual I wish to be tomorrow?
Possibly it’s consuming breakfast as an alternative of skipping it, consuming an additional glass of water, or taking two gradual breaths earlier than your first chunk of dinner.
“Choose one factor that’ll make you are feeling like successful, on a regular basis,” says Coach Katey. “When you’ve achieved 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 prior to 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 a whole lot of issues that when appeared unattainable.
When this occurs, you could have a pair choices.
Some shoppers 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, understand that they’re already the individual they wish to be. They’re proud of 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 might 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 every day actions greater than the ultimate vacation spot, nevertheless, 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 giant fries to medium
- Strolling 10 extra minutes than final week
One other profit: Your habits is extra inside your management than your physique measurement.
“By frequently making an attempt to take the perfect motion attainable, you enhance the chance of the end result you need,” says Coach Dom.
To spotlight your habits successes, attempt the next.
Discover what small belongings you’re doing proper.
“It’s really easy to give attention to the destructive,” says Coach Katey.
To remain assured and motivated, nevertheless, you wish to shine a highlight on what you’re doing nicely, she says. Likelihood is, you are altering greater than you understand.
(BTW, our inside analysis exhibits: Doing a couple of issues constantly is rather more necessary than making an attempt 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 when you’re cruising on autopilot.
Different occasions, it may appear as if the whole world is right here to sabotage your efforts to eat minimally-processed meals or hit the fitness center.
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 increased.
Throughout more difficult occasions, 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 perfect of my capacity each single day,” says Coach Dom. “Some days, the perfect of my capacity was perhaps 50 p.c. Different days it was 80 p.c. However I did the perfect I might daily.”
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 may customise every notch on the dial, based mostly in your skills and preferences. You too can create comparable dials for diet, sleep, stress administration, and another habits you’re making an attempt 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 dwell with out.
There are going to be some meals and experiences that you just don’t wish to surrender—in addition to others that you just’re simply not keen to attempt.
That’s okay.
The excellent news:
YOU get to determine what modifications 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 daily, a pair occasions a day.
As a result of he beloved it.
And it was handy.
Quite 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, reminiscent of getting baked potatoes as an alternative of fries and grilled hen sandwiches as an alternative of burgers, because the graphic under exhibits.
“I misplaced the primary 40 kilos that approach,” Coach Stephen says.
Over time, Coach Stephen was keen to extend modifications, like cooking a few of his meals at house.
His quick meals burger become one created from decrease fats beef. The refined bun grew to become an entire grain one.
And he stacked it with numerous veggies.
“Quite than aiming for the greatest selections, all you really want to do is frequently make barely higher selections,” says Coach Stephen.
To do this, think about these questions:
- What tiny modifications 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.
If you eat much less and drop a few pounds, you burn fewer energy, because of an annoying phenomenon referred to as “metabolic adaptation.”
(Learn extra: Can consuming too little harm your metabolism?)
Which means it could actually grow to be more and more tough to lose every subsequent pound.
For some individuals, meaning weight reduction would possibly gradual—perhaps even stall.
Be affected person.
In case 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, nevertheless, typically comes from placing an excessive amount of emphasis on the end result, says Coach Dom.
“Once I was losing a few pounds, I saved telling myself that the end result would arrive if I did the work,” says Coach Dom.
“Quite 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 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.
Keep 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 constantly 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 ability 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 habits.
“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 saved me centered and motivated.”
Think about: What extra abilities would possibly you add or develop?
For instance, when you’re strolling constantly, perhaps you add energy coaching to your train routine. Or maybe you lean into consuming slowly and mindfully, seeing when you can cease consuming while you really feel simply happy, even when there’s meals left in your plate.
Query the dimensions.
In some unspecified time in the future, chances are you’ll discover you’ve embraced all the abilities you’re keen to embrace. Possibly you’re residing your imaginative and prescient, too.
On the similar time, perhaps you haven’t reached the load you initially thought you needed.
Think about:
Is that scale weight actually the proper weight—for YOU?
In any case, many individuals’s “objective weights” are, nicely, a little bit arbitrary. Maybe the quantity simply sounded good to you. Or it’s what you weighed throughout a time in your life while 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.
Quite than judging your self by a quantity, focus in your every day actions. Are you continue to doing all 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 just couldn’t earlier than?
Likelihood is, it’s so much—and that simply could be sufficient.
In case you’re a coach, otherwise you wish to be…
You may assist individuals 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.
In case you’d prefer to study extra, think about the PN Stage 1 Vitamin Teaching Certification.