It's that time of year when for some reason it becomes harder than normal to keep on top of your Nutrition. Apart from the darker evenings, shorter days & chillier climate, all of which can make you reach for the warming comfort foods, the onset of the festive party season means a constant overload of eating & drinking super high calorie treats.

**HEALTH WARNING** weekends can seriously sabotage your fat loss plans!!


















​For many people on a fat loss journey, its the weekend overeating (and over-boozing) that prevents them from seeing the RESULTS they work hard for Monday to Friday. It's something I see over and over again. Individuals killing it in the gym and managing their eating during the normal working week and then Friday night comes and BOOM.  For a lot of people it's become so routine now its a habit.

The common theme;
"Every Friday around 5pm, as I waited for the bus after work, I’d start to salivate. The end of the work week means red wine, pizza, a giant bag of crisps, and a movie. It's my Friday ritual. Friday night, is eat whatever I want, the highlight of my week. My job is stressful so fast food and booze is my way of unwinding. Friday is a gateway drug to the rest of the weekend. a big breakfast on Saturday, and big lunches afterwards. Either out on Saturday night for drinks and a big meal. Or stay home for a takeout and movie on the couch. Then its Sunday brunch, perhaps coffee & cake during a Sunday walk. And, naturally, winter weekends is a big Sunday roast… because it’s Sunday"
. 
Because it’s Friday. Because it’s Saturday. Because it’s Sunday. Sound familiar?

We aren't talking about compulsive bingeing here. This kind of overeating is a routine, stress-fuelled, social habit. In most cases, your social circle supports it, even encourages it - 'its just what people do at the weekends'.
The problem is, that after a while, weekend overeating starts to bite you in the ass.
As every overeater knows, the over indulgence comes with consequences.
By Monday you feel physically uncomfortable, bloated, and mentally, you feel crap, guilty and angry for eating it all. And while a little weight fluctuation is inevitable when you’re trying to get in shape, if you want to stay healthy and fit, or make fitness and health a permanent part of your lifestyle, then weekend overeating can easily  sabotage your goals. 

Aside from the obvious extra body fat or poor performance in the gym, there’s all the other associated health related side effects. Your joints hurt because of inflammation from junk food. You’re too heavy to train properly. Or you lie awake in bed with food sweats or get a shitty sleep because of the overdose of sugar, saturated fats & alcohol. The problem is, like any habit, the cycle can be hard to break. Training harder in the gym the Monday after a social weekend isn't the answer. Nor is drastically cutting your calories as you begin another new diet on Monday as the starvation attempt almost always leads to an even bigger blowout the following weekend. The more the binge-diet cycle continues; the further the health and fitness goals remain out of reach.

How do you break free of the weekend overeating cycle?
Are your weekday eating patterns affecting your weekend behaviour?
Do you have a healthy, unemotional relationship with food?
Here are the 5 strategies to help ditch the 5:2 habit (and hopefully the weight) for good.

Strategy #1: Instead of trying to be perfect - start to live with balance.
Aim for “consistently good” instead of “perfect”.
By trying to follow the “perfect” diet and super strict meal plans Monday to Friday and constantly stressing about screwing things up, by the time you get to the weekend, you're mentally exhausted with it all and the willpower gives out. You’re so fed up of restrictive eating you can’t wait to eat ALL THE food you actually enjoy. Bring on the weekend binge! For most people trapped in this vicious cycle, there are only two options in their mind: perfect or crap. So the distorted logic of “It’s Saturday, I’m out to lunch with my family, and I can’t have my perfect pre-portioned kale salad like I usually do, so instead I’ll just overeat a giant bacon cheeseburger and a huge plate of fries.” If you take “perfect” off the table, things change. You feel empowered because there are now other options. Instead of kale salad vs. five servings of fries, there’s:
“I’m actually in the mood for a salad with my burger so ill sub the fires for a green salad.”
Always aim for “good enough”. Don't separate weekdays from weekends, instead make every day an opportunity to consider your health and fitness goals, what you're in the mood for, which healthy options are available, etc. Remember: The consistently good method you stick to is better than the “perfect” one you quit.

Strategy #2: Let go of rigid food rules.
Food rules tell you:
* what you can and can’t eat,
* when you can or can’t eat it,
* how you can or can’t eat it, and/or
* how much you can or can’t have.
These rules take up an awful lot of mental headspace. They also set you up for failure… aka “the Fucked It Effect”. Here’s how the Fucked It Effect works.
If #1 food rule is Don’t Eat Carbs. No bread with the soup; won’t touch a sandwich; no toast with your eggs. Then Friday night, you find yourself out with friends, and everyone’s having beer and pizza. You try and hold out but you give in and grab a slice. You've  fucked it, you’ve “blown your diet”, so you might as well keep eating. Cue the binge and miserable, guilty after effects.That normally means you let go all night. Maybe all weekend. Eating by the rules almost always leads to overeating, because once you deviate, there’s nothing left to guide you.
Ditch the rules and let your healthy lifestyle be your guide. Non-dieters (or so-called “normal eaters”) eat when they’re physically hungry and stop when they’re physically full, no matter if it’s Wednesday or Saturday, morning or evening, work lunch or weekend brunch. Remember every choice has a consequence and don't let it spiral out of control.

Strategy #3: Don't allow yourself Cheat Days.
Monday through Saturday is all about sticking to your diet. But Sunday… That’s Cheat Day. The happiest day of your week. You wake up on Cheat Day morning like a kid at Christmas. Go wild all day long, eating all the stuff you don’t allow yourself during the week. As evening nears, you start to freak out. So you eat (and maybe drink) even more. Because tomorrow, it’s back to reality, diet starts again. Back to fidelity and compliance. And no fun.
Some people find the idea of a weekly Cheat Day useful both mentally and physically. If this is you, and it works for you, then by all means crack on. But ill be honest, for most of the people I’ve coached, having one Cheat Day means the rest of the week is food purgatory. Instead, don't exclude anything and make good choices all week. You don’t need to “cheat” because there’s nothing, and no one, to “cheat” on. Maybe you enjoy some dessert on a Tuesday night because you’re in the mood for it, or maybe you don’t because you’re satisfied from dinner. Either way, you're on control of your daily calorie intake. What and when you eat is up to you — and your hunger and fullness cues. No matter what day of the week it is. And whatever you choose is going to be key to how you look & feel.

Strategy #4: Own your choices. 
There is no “good” and “bad” food. Sins aren't for adults. Mind games like this undermine your health goals — and your authority over your decisions. Instead owning your choices, and letting your adult values and health principles guide you when you sit down to eat. By making food decisions by acknowledging the outcome, based on your past experience. For example:
“I’m choosing to eat this tub of ice cream on Saturday night. I’ll probably feel nauseated and anxious afterwards. In this instance, I’m okay I understand that.” In the end, own your choices: But don’t try and justify them. You’re free to eat and drink anything you want. You choose your behaviour. Just remember that different choices produce different outcomes. It’s your call.

Strategy #5: Stop justifying your behaviour.
Weekends present all sorts of justifications for eating a bunch of non-nutritious foods. And trust me, Ive heard them all!
* You were busy. Or maybe you had nothing going on.
* You were travelling. Or maybe you were at home.
* You had to work. Or you were bored.
* You had a family/social. Or maybe you were home alone.
We can all try to rationalise our beehive with excises. Busyness, boredom, travel, work, or family dinners don’t inherently cause overeating. People eat or drink too much in lots of different situations. The explanation simply matches whatever happens to be going on at the time.
Rationalisations are a convenient way of helping us make sense of — and perpetuate — our overeating.
Stop justifying your behaviour or blaming something or someone else, and ask yourself why you are really overeating. On the odd occasion, you’ll want to eat crap. And too much of it. That’s normal. But instead of justifying it, take the opportunity to ask yourself what’s really going on in your head at that moment. Are you bored? Stressed? Sad? Happy? If you do this you’ll start to see some patterns. That’s the key, your opportunity to change overeating behaviour — and do something to address those emotions instead of bingeing.

TAKE HOME MESSAGE:
There is no perfect time to eat better, or to live a healthier lifestyle  Not tomorrow; not on Monday. Not after Christmas. Life is always a busy, there will always be an excuse. All we can do is our best with what we’ve got. Right here, right now. Ask yourself: How’s that weekend overeating working for you?
If you’re loving all your junk-food nights out or gut-punching Sunday brunches, and you’re happy with the results, keep going. But if you’re fed up with how you look, how you feel and the vicious cycle  it could be time to make a change.  Ask yourself: What does weekend overeating do for you? What does it lead to? What does it add to your life? How does it solve a problem or have a purpose for you?
Often weekend overeating is self-medication for stress, stimulation and novelty, and a way to connect socially with friends/family.
To reset your mindset and break the cycle of weekend overeating, try:
* aiming for “good enough” instead of “perfect”,
* letting go of your food rules,
* giving up the idea of Cheat Days or Cheat Meals - carte blanche permission to eat everything,
* own your choices, and/or
* quitting the rationalisation/justification for your behaviour.
If you do over eat, park it and move on. Don’t try to compensate. Just get back to your normal.
You don’t “pay back” the damage in the gym or on the treadmill, nor do you need to kamikaze your way through a whole jar of peanut butter. You just pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and go back to doing your best. Sometimes it helps to put someone else in control for a while.
You are the boss of you, and you should own your choices. But changing a deep-seated habit — like overeating on the weekend — is challenging.  And just like your fat loss, the process of changing your habits will have ups and downs. Its a lifetime journey. It helps to have someone who will support and encourage you - a friend, a partner, or your trainer who will listen to you and keep you accountable. Good luck, I know you can do this. 

​ 



How big is your spoon?















One of the reason why I advise using MyFitnessPal to track your daily nutrition is because even if you're eating good quality, real, whole foods its still very easy to gain weight. Actually its also possible to eat crap food and lose weight if I'm being honest (although I would strongly advise against this method if your health is important to you). Either way, what I'm saying here is that ultimately if youre looking to drop body fat ratio and/or lose weight - it comes down to calories. The calories you consume on a daily basis (food & drink) vs the calories need to survive (NEAT, sleep, live & your activity level). Im a big advocate of eating REAL whole foods but you also need to be calorie conscious if you don't want to get fat. Simple. I can't just eat what I want, unlike many people would like to think, I have to nail both what I eat to fuel my busy lifestyle AND how much I eat to maintain the physique I own. The good news is that it IS POSSIBLE to eat a decent amount of good food every day, feel full & satisfied, feel strong and healthy. But portion control is the key. Some might call this will power, either way, it matters and its the difference between seeing the results and not. Take the picture above for case in point. a level tsp (15g) of Nut Butter is 94 cals. I sometimes add it to my greek yoghurt and it nicely rounds up my fats for the day. 1 heaped tsp of Nut Butter (30g) is around 188 cals, and this will push me over my daily maintenance calories, to the point where if I do this consistently, over time I will gain weight. So while I encourage including healthy fats in your nutrition, you need to be mindful of the portion size you're eating especially when you're goal is to lose weight! Its these kinds of incremental changes that can make BIG differences and sabotage your results. Its the equivalent of adding in an small, extra snack every day that you don't account for a food. Nut butters are often referred to as health foods, but eating a whole jar in a week is going to fuck up your fat loss, if you don't make allowances for the additional calories, which you probably wont. The reason I advise eating real food over snacks in general, is because you can eat much more food for the same number of calories, which means you're more likely to be satisfied and less likely to be miserable or binge. The take home lesson here is, when it comes to high calories treats, even if deemed 'healthy', be mindful about how much you eat and how often - stay accountable and then you will reach your goals without having to sacrifice or cut out the odds you enjoy. 

From Cardio Queen to LEAN Machine...

​When it comes to fat loss its important to establish your goal at the outset. If you don't have a destination that you want to get to, how can you expect to go in the right direction?? Once you have a clear idea WHERE you want to get to, its important to know where you are now, i.e. your starting point. Only when you have the two clear in your head, can you begin to map out what you need to do to get there. Destination CHECK - Current location CHECK - Route Map CHECK.

Taking the time to understand where you are now will help you to workout HOW you bridge the gap to get to where you want to be. Its no different to planning any journey - and one size approach doesn't fit all.
My recommendation is to change one or a few of your current behaviour /habits at a time from your current lifestyle. Do enough to make a change but don't try and do too much or you'll be less likely to succeed or stick to it for the long term.

GOAL ONE 'I WANT TO LOSE FAT & WEIGHT'
If your goal is to lose weight AND drop body fat then achieving a calorie deficit is key. If you are over weight for your size/age and also carrying a higher ratio of fat to lean body mass, your priority must be NUTRITION as number one. The best nutrition plan for you to follow is simply the one that you can stick to over the long term. Your training should simply support this goal and is the second priority after your nutrition. Move more (NEAT - see previous BLOG post), such as daily walking or do something formal that you enjoy. In the gym RESISTANCE training (lifting weights) should be your priority - not necessarily to burn calories but also to maintain lean muscle mass, as ultimately the more lean muscle you have the faster your engine/metabolism is to drop weight and help you get leaner.   

GOAL TWO 'I WANT TO LOSE FAT AND LOOK MORE TONED'
If you want to lose fat and look 'more toned' it is all about improving you overall body composition. its possible for slim people to carry too much overall body fat ratio - often referred to as 'skinny fat'. You might have a healthy weight for your size/height and to the normal eye not look overweight but when you're naked you might have areas of stubborn body fat, often around the belly, upper arms. Dieting hard isn't the goal here. And doing more cardio activity or classes isn't the solution! instead you should follow a smart RESISTANCE training programme that challenges you. Focus on getting quality protein in your daily neutron to support our lean muscle building, help recovery and remove junk from the diet that is contributing to the fat deposits. Calorie wise aim for maintenance calories or just very slight;y below, nothing drastic. 

GOAL THREE "I WANT TO BE THE BEST I CAN BE'
If you are small and light, not overweight with a petite frame, you might simply want to improve your overall fitness and improve how you feel about your body. Or you might have succeeded in dropping weight and reducing your body fat percentage and now want to continue to maintain the results. The key for you in the gym is lifting weights and progressive/steady over load. Your nutrition should support your training as fuel rather than the other way around. Eating enough for improved performance and progress is key! Build the engine for a fitter, leader, stronger and happier healthier life!  

Remember whatever your personal GOAL, change is a process not a destination. Your goals will change over time and how you look/feel /perfrom will also evolve over the process as you continue to learn about yourself and progress in your training. 

CHEAT CHART:
LOSE FAT & WEIGHT = calorie deficit + NEAT + lift
LOOK LEANER = calorie maintenance or small deficit + meet preen needs + less cardio more lift
MAINTAIN FOR LIFE = Lift + eat to fuel + meet protein needs for recovery 

Should we include fruit in our daily nutrition? Is drinking Fresh Fruit juice healthy or not?
For most of us, completely cutting out sugar from our diet isn't easy. The over stimulation of our taste buds  and pleasure messages in our brains means that its harder and harder to satisfy the carvings and almost impossible to appreciate the sweetness of foods like strawberries, carrots or vine ripened tomatoes. the reward-response from sugar means that its highly addictive. When you stop your intake of sugar abruptly you can suffer withdrawal symptoms including headaches, fatigues, low mood, frustration and it can impact on physical performance and brain ability.

Its also worth knowing that the fruits we eat today compared to our ancestors, are a lot sweeter, but they are sill REAL food in their whole form, so although they contain varied amounts of sugars, fruits also contain good fibre, water, vitamins, minerals and photo-nutrinets which are good for the body.
Should you include whole fruit in your daily nutrition?
It really depends on your body composition and also your goals.
Excess fruit can impact your diet in the same way that regular sugar fixes do, so be aware that eating an apple as your mid afternoon snack may fuel your sugar addiction rather than help you break it! 
A helpful guidance is to stick to fruit in his whole form, not smoothies or juices,and look for those containing lower levels of sugar, particular if you are insulin resistant and/or want to lose body fat!
Also eating some good fats or protein with your fruit will also help to slow the insulin response of the fruit. For example a small handful of fresh nuts or nut butter on your apple slices, greek face yoghurt with your berries or sliced chicken breast as part of your snack.

I've listed below a few examples of the higher and lower sugar options as a guide;

LOWER SUGAR : Lemon, Lime, Avocado, Strawberry, Grapefruit, Blueberry, Fresh Fig.
HIGHER SUGAR : All dreid fruits, Grape, Banana, Mango, Apple, Pineapple, Pear.
 
 Food for thought!

I'm a big Flat White fan, so much so that I definitely know the difference between a real FW and a 'skinny' one. Interestingly, on occasion if I order one at a new coffee shop, wearing lululemon (which in most cases I am!) without asking for skinny milk, I get given one thats been made with skimmed milk. There's clearly an incorrect assumption that because I train, I must therefore follow a low fat diet. Nothing could be further from the truth!

First of all, lets clarify a common misconception about what we call 'full-fat milk' (AKA regular, full cream, whole, blue top milk). It's actually not really full fat: as it contains only around 3.25 per cent fat, which, if you’re only drinking the equivalent of a glass or two a day, is significantly less than the fat you're consuming in other foods. Interestingly whole milk sales plummeted after the big saturated fat scare of the 70's, when everything naturally creamy and buttery was replaced for processed and man-made “low fat” foods instead. I can't help but think that's when it all went wrong. The Government and the food companies/supermarket giants did such a good job at convincing people that low fat was the healthier way forward that over 40 years on and some people still think that full fat milk is bad for you?!

​The truth is that fat or even saturated fat is not the enemy. Fats are an important part of a complete & healthy diet, they also help with the feeling of being satisfied after a full-fat tea or coffee, unlike skinny versions, and fat (along with protein, also found in milk) fills you up longer, which curb the sugar cravings you get when your stomach is empty. Fats also do other important things - they're highly stable, lower cholesterol, enhance the brain and even protect the liver. Obviously, that’s not a free pass to binge on burger and fries, but the small amount in natural milk will actually do you good. As a 70's child, I remember my own Mum being swayed into believing the low fat phenomena. Even in her later years, once I was better informed and educated to know better, she still insisted on buying low fat yoghurts, skimmed milk and flora margarine! Essentially I was fighting against the scientists who for years  warned us off full-fat milk because of so-called evidence pointing to increased LDL levels (bad cholesterol). But new research actually suggests that dairy actually increases good cholesterol which helps metabolise LDL anyway. The “blue milk makes you fat” argument doesn’t convince me either. Infact, a significant study of subjects followed over a 12 year period, showed there was a common link with those with a higher dairy fat intake with a lower risk of dangerous belly fat, while subjects with low dairy fat intake showed the opposite! Do you or anyone you know suffer with gut issues? There are some promising studies with mice have shown milk fat globules may heal the intestinal mucosa (protective lining of the gut) and help people with leaky gut syndrome. 

So the next time you order a skinny latte, think twice. The benefits of 1) the taste 2) the good fatty acids 3) the satiety and 4) the relatively low fat content/calories may well outweigh your decision to go skinny, especially if you are lucky enough to choose a grass fed, GM free, farm fresh, high quality milk like Mossgiel* from the Ayrshire Cows. Plus I can pretty much guarantee, that if you are overweight or carrying too much fat, its unlikely to be the full fat Flat White thats the issue! 

*served at Southside Roasters and other fine coffee establishments in Glasgow.

One thing that surprises a lot of new clients that I work with is the fact that it is very possible to eat more and lose weight.
In fact, in some cases, this is the key to long term fat loss and results. You don’t need to starve yourself or be constantly hungry. You certainly shouldn't feel tired all the time either. But one of the hardest concepts for people to accept is that counting calories just doesn’t work. the old saying 'eat less : move more' is actually poor advice for a lot of over weight people. Why? Firstly, we are all unique, with different body shapes and will all burn different amounts of calories on a daily basis. As well as the calories we consume as food & drink, we also have to consider the different rates at which we burn calories during movement, digestion, functioning. So we all have a need for calories. When people cut calories that they consume, its likely that the body may lose weight at the start but then once it realises it’s not getting enough fuel in to keep you running properly, it starts to slow things down, you stop losing weight and instead start storing fat. Your body basically thinks it’s starving and so will do everything it can to prevent that.

Let’s also look at it another way. If you ate 2000 calories of broccoli one day and then 2000 worth of mars bars the next, which do you think would make you fat? Not all calories are equal and dropping them too low is also detrimental to our health.

Fat loss is actually more complex than just what we eat and how we move. Our hormones also play a really important role in determining our own weight and shape. Hormones like insulin, testosterone, growth hormone, estrogen, thyroid hormone, cortisol, leptin and ghrelin are some of the most important things to look at when trying to drop excess fat, change your shape and get healthier. As a result of poor lifestyle choices over time, many people are out of balance and produce too much of some hormones and not enough of others, which also results in low energy, weight gain, loss of muscle and strength, poor moods, lack of concentration, low libido and much more. Hormones are produced in places like our adrenal glands, testes and ovaries but in order to produce them we need to intake certain nutrients. As the majority of popular diets restrict calories, they also therefore restrict nutrients, which is bad news if your goal is fat loss. For example, some of the most important nutrients for optimal hormonal balance are good, quality fats. so any diet that encourages 'low fat' nutrition is flawed! Not all fat is bad and understanding this is one of the keys to getting long term results. 

​Eat well Monday to Friday and fall off the wagon at the weekend?
Does this sound familiar to you?
You religiously record your food in MyFitnessPal during the week, but at the weekend you tend to slack off. You try and stick to a good routine on weekdays but at the weekend you eat more junk and the routine goes out the window? Do you allow yourself a 'cheat' which ends up a cheat weekend of poor food choices and often have a few drinks too. Answer: Weekend eating is just as important as Monday to Friday eating. 2 poor days can erase 5 good ones!
 The truth:  weekends can kill your fat loss.
Just like snacks and little extras in between meals can also ruin your fat loss. On their own they might not seem like much but little + little + little is no longer little. In the long term, these little nibbles here and there add up and WILL put the brakes on your progress. If it goes in your mouth; it counts.
There's nothing special about weekends. If you can eat well from Monday to Friday, you can eat well Saturday and Sunday. Your Monday to Friday success proves it. There's nothing about a weekend that should mandate a lack of structure - particularly when you’re aim is fat loss and you're trying to achieve a personal goal. If you're serious about your goal, and you really want to shed the extra fat your carrying around, then you'll stick to the program. In this sense, there's no such thing as ‘everything in moderation’. That’s like being 'sort of committed'. You’re either IN, or you're not.

Remember, it was YOU who didn’t like what you saw in the mirror. And YOU chose to make a change. That comes with a responsibility to yourself to accept what is involved to stay ON IT and be accountable. Of course it's fine if you want to ‘sort of eat CLEAN’, on one condition; that you're also willing to accept the consequences of that choice, which means slow, or NO visible change to your body. So next Monday when you go back to the gym and you wonder why you still feel fat compared to other members, maybe ask yourself how much fun the weekend really was? Is it worth it? It’s not rocket science but it's the one thing we ALL need reminding of when we're talking about successful, long term CHANGE : CONSISTENCY is key.
 
Ultimately when it comes to nutrition, accountability is and always will be, the KEY to long-term, successful fat loss. I don't care how hard you train, or how many group classes you do, or how many extra block runs or calories on the rower you push out, if you can't nail your nutrition week in and week out, you're short changing yourself of the RESULTS you deserve. You're working hard at your training for sub-optimal, or in some cases, no, physical results. If you want great results you need to make good food choices, consistently. Week in and week out. One day at a time.
 
“Extraordinary RESULTS requires extraordinary effort”
 
There is nothing more frustrating as a Coach than someone who moans and complains about belly fat, being over weight, feeling unhappy, and not seeing results and when you look at their MyFitnessPal, there are obvious and simple mistakes.
 
In some cases people tell me that they're bang on with their diet, except for the odd night out and little cheats/odd glass of wine here and there. What? That's not bang on in my book. That's extra. I don't care how small it is, when 'small' is repeated often, it's no longer small.
 
Sometimes people complain that they feel hungry? So what? What do you expect? If you've been on holiday and got used to eating high calorie/high fat foods you're effectively detoxing and eating in a caloric deficit compared to what you have been eating and your mind (not your body) is craving the sugar and fats.
Hunger level is not always an indication of the need for more food. Look back at your food diary – if you have fuelled correctly then I promise you’re not going to starve or die. So get over it.
 
Everything counts, and it ALL makes a difference to the results you see in the mirror. Binge drinking nights out, little cheats here and there, additional this or that, it all adds up. If you're needing to lose a few extra pounds you can cope with the odd night out. However if you're carrying 3-4 stone excess body fat then I'm afraid it calls for some serious effort on your part to shift it. Choose the behaviour, choose the consequences. It's fine to fall short of 100% compliance, if you're willing to accept the results of those choices. If not, then don’t cheat. GREAT RESULTS are waiting for you once you're prepared to make the right choices. .
 
Instant gratification is the mindset of a child. The need to satisfy a WANT (not a need) “ I want chocolate” NOW, NOW, NOW. We've ALL been there; no one said it would be easy. But we can't honestly expect to see and feel results if we don't put in the work. So find ways to stay on track and stop giving yourself excuses or permissions to eat the food you want but you know you shouldn't. That food you want now will still be there in 28 days!
 
It's Simple, But It's Not Easy. Clearly it's not that easy, otherwise no one would have body fat issues and we'd all be ripped all-year round.  But, fat loss IS simple once you realise how hard it is. When you finally understand and appreciate how much effort, responsibility, planning, creativity, intensity, discipline, thought and control the journey involves, and that RESULTS are not going to happen from a half-hearted ‘average’ or moderate effort -  you will succeed. This takes work. YOU have to be willing to put in the hard graft with your nutrition!
 
Some people can work on a  90% rule - meaning that you have to be on plan 90% of the time, allowing you 10% off plan. Sometimes I get asked “what if you're 90% and the results aren't showing?”It might be that 90% simply isn’t going to work for you. I know for me, 90% doesn't really cut it. I’m lean but when I hit 100%, and put in the extra effort, it makes a big difference. I strongly encourage your focus to be on changing your lifestyle to become more conscious of what you eat, i.e.  the process and the mindset and not the outcome. Instead of focusing on what weight you want to be, or the size 10 jeans or the number on the scales – aim to make good choices consistently in the way you eat day in and day out, and the outcome will take care of itself!

"I will nail my nutrition 100% of the time this week'. If you meet your process goals, your outcome goals (i.e. RESULTS) will take care of themselves.
 
Fat loss is a battle: its you versus your body.
The key to winning is NUTRITION compliance. Unless you enter the battlefield with that strategy in place, you might as well wave the white flag before you even start. We work as a Team but your success is ultimately your responsibility.