[00:00:00] Melissa: Hey, I'm Melissa LaGrant, licensed nutritionist and creator of drop the diet weight loss. I am on a mission to help women drop the fad diets and lose weight in a way they love for the last damn time. I know you're ready to end the yo-yo dieting and do this weight loss thing for good. So let's go. Well, hello and welcome back.
[00:00:29] It's that time of year again, where we are being bombarded with the latest diet crazes, quick fixes and fad diets. And maybe you're thinking about improving your diet or losing weight in the new year, but with all this noise out there. Maybe you're just not really sure where to start or what to do. So in today's podcast, I want to give you some things to think about when choosing how you're going to go after your nutrition and weight loss goals [00:01:00] in the new year, so that you can make sure you're set up for success and that you don't get sucked in by the shiny promises of those latest fad diets, because I'm not just here to help you lose.
[00:01:14] Any diet plan can do that. I'm here to make sure your building the skills you need to keep that weight off for. Good. And to help you build a better relationship with food and with yourself.
[00:01:27] And then I'll give you the top four actions. My most successful ladies take to crush their weight loss goals. So to help guide you on where to get started, I'll give you a few questions to answer. The first one is if you've lost weight in the past. And usually there's multiple things here and that's okay.
[00:01:50] But out of all those programs or diets you've done, what were some of the things that you liked about them and what were some of the things you didn't.[00:02:00]
[00:02:00] So with the things that you did, like, you can start there, start incorporating more of those things now. And with the things that you didn't like or didn't really work for you, like maybe you were following a bunch of strict rules or a strict food plan. You'll want to make sure you're not doing. This time around and sometimes with this, I hear, well, I didn't like doing that, but it worked for me.
[00:02:26] So if this thought comes up for you,
[00:02:28] and you're tempted to try something like that, again, I want you to catch it because did it really work for you? It may have worked to get the initial weight off, but if you ended up gaining the weight back then it didn't actually work for you. And the brain is just funny this way. It wants to go with a pattern that's broken before it goes with a pattern it's unfamiliar with.
[00:02:55] So just keep that in mind when you're thinking about something you've done in the [00:03:00] past. And the last question I have for you. If you did lose some weight and happened to gain it back, why do you think that is with this question? The responses I usually hear are, well, I just couldn't sustain it, or I gained it back because I slipped into old habits.
[00:03:18] Now, the I couldn't sustain it is usually a red flag that it was somehow. Quick fix or extreme diet. And when people say this to me, I usually sense some defeat here, which is why I remind them. And I'll remind you. That you couldn't sustain it because these diets are unsustainable. Not because you didn't have enough discipline and willpower, these diets don't set you up for success.
[00:03:48] So let's be done with those. Okay. A weight loss program shouldn't require boatloads of willpower. All right. So what are some things to look for in a nutrition or [00:04:00] weight loss program? Well, of course it has to be the right fit for you. You'll want to do something that feels good for you and that you can do consistently, , not just for the short term.
[00:04:13] So I'll give you the top four actions. My most successful women do to give you a few boxes to check off when you're choosing what you're going to. So the top action. Number one here is surprise. Surprise, focus on changing old habits that aren't serving you and begin to create new habits because come January 1st, you're not magically going to be a brand new person on that day, the habits aren't just going to be there.
[00:04:46] You have to build. And I did a whole podcast episode on habits that you can go back and listen to check out episode 26. So a lot of programs or diets do not teach this [00:05:00] and changing and building habits is key for weight loss. So if you found yourself saying earlier that you gained the weight back because you slipped into old house, This is a work that you need to do.
[00:05:13] Okay. Action. Number two is to start small. It's so tempting to go big and even more so in the new year, when you're motivated, you feel like you have a clean slate and a fresh start, but when you start out too hard, like completely. Overhauling your nutrition overnight or doing something extreme. You're setting yourself up to fizzle out.
[00:05:38] Change is hard and the brain doesn't like it. So start small with the little things, pick something so small to start with something basic. Even if it doesn't feel like. This is how you build habits. And I know that when you have a goal, you want to reach so badly, you don't want to hear that it's going to take time or to start [00:06:00] small.
[00:06:00] You want it fast and right now, so you overlook the small things or don't think they're worth it, but I promise you that. Okay, action. Number three is build a better relationship with food. People are not overweight because they eat their favorite foods. They're overweight because they're over eating these foods.
[00:06:22] And a lot of times the overeating is happening because you're using food to deal with your emotions. You're bored. You're tired. You're unwinding after a long day
[00:06:33] there's a lot of programs that just teach you to eat this and don't eat that, but they aren't teaching you to deal with your emotions without food or how to not overeat at a party or after you've had a bad day. This is a lot of what I teach in my coaching program. How to have a better relationship with food and.
[00:06:56] Not to use food to solve for, or [00:07:00] avoid other things. You can eat the foods you love, what you want to work on is emotionally eating them. All right. Onto the last action. And that's work on changing your. Remember, it's our thoughts that create our emotions that cause us to act or not to act. And many times it's the negative thoughts that you have around something, yourself, your partner, your job that caused.
[00:07:27] To act in a way that's not aligned with your goals. So you want to get in the practice of noticing what the thoughts are that you're having before you do something. Let those old thoughts come up and work on new thoughts because the old thoughts are going to come up and that's okay. It's what you do with.
[00:07:48] All right. So to recap quickly, the four top actions for successful weight loss. Number one, change old habits, and create new habits. Number two, start small. Number three, [00:08:00] build a better relationship with food and number four, work on changing your thoughts. So before you go and get all the foods you love out of your house or eat them all on the 31st, because it's the last time you'll have this.
[00:08:15] Remember losing weight. Doesn't have to feel like a punishment. You don't have to cut out your favorite foods, entire food groups, or be starving if you're thinking about eating better or losing weight in the new year. Well, or anytime of the year, your action step is to think about what you're getting ready to do and ask yourself, is this sustainable?
[00:08:40] Is this going to work for my life? Is this something that can help me not only lose the weight, but keep it off for good. And if you answer no to any of these questions, maybe you're being pulled by those shiny fad diet hooks. So keep in mind when you're after long-term results, you cannot go [00:09:00] after short-term solutions.
[00:09:02] I'd love to help you make sure you're not tempted by the promises of another fad diet. And to set you up for success. I have a free master class coming up next week. Free yourself from fad diets for simple habits to supercharge. Where I'll be teaching live and you'll have the opportunity to ask me any of your questions.
[00:09:25] You'll also have the opportunity to join the coaching program for a limited time. So to save your spot for the masterclass, head on over to drop the diet, weight loss.com forward slash masterclass registration. And I'll put that link in the show notes
[00:09:43] where you're listening to this podcast. I hope to see you in there. Thanks so much for being here today. I'm wishing you all the success and a very happy and healthy new year.[00:10:00] .
