There are a lot of diets and fat loss coaches out there. Nearly all of them have good intentions and really want to help you be successful (although there are a few charlatans just out to make a quick buck.)
However, good intentions don’t always lead to good results. If your diet fails to follow scientific principles or if it’s too restrictive, you’ll struggle to lose weight.
Furthermore, if the diet doesn’t help you make lasting changes to your lifestyle and environment, you’ll have a hard time keeping off any weight you do lose.
Any successful diet will focus on energy balance (establishing a caloric deficit) and work with your psychology (preferences, routines, beliefs) to help you make long-term, sustainable changes. Leaving out any of these pieces will make it nearly impossible to get and stay lean.
Keep reading to learn the exact process I use with fat loss coaching clients to help them achieve their goals without falling prey to common dieting mistakes.
(If you want to apply for my fat loss coaching program, you can do so here.)
1. Gain awareness of current eating habits.
If you don’t understand what you’re doing now, it’s impossible to make well-informed decisions about how to move forward.
Oftentimes, people are already doing many things well. Yet their first instinct is to totally overhaul their nutrition and dive into a restrictive fad diet.
Identifying your baseline habits and routines can save you a lot of unnecessary headaches down the road.
Read more: All About Food Logging: Why and How
2. Fix your leaks.
Sometimes, one or two bad habits are behind the majority of extra calories in your diet. If possible, I try to help people reduce or eliminate these things first. This is a great way to get some fast wins at the start of your journey.
If you want to learn more about this concept and start identifying some of your leaks, check out this article I wrote on the subject.
3. Reduce calories in a sustainable way.
This where the bulk of the work occurs when dieting
Some of my clients track calories or macros, others monitor their portions using other methods.
During this step, I work with clients to iron out all the details of their individual diets. This usually involves some experimentation to figure out what does and doesn’t work.
Key questions we address in this stage:
- How can I eat in the most satisfying way possible while still staying in a caloric deficit?
- How can I manage hunger and cravings?
- What foods help me feel my best?
- How can I make good food choices in challenging situations?
4. Change your environment.
This is the most underrated and under appreciated step in the entire process.
Most of us gain weight because we live in an environment that makes it insanely easy to overeat and difficult to make healthy choices. Your will power can only take you so far if everything (and everyone) around you is pushing you to fall back on your old habits.
To lose weight and keep it off, you need to reengineer your environment to support your new healthy lifestyle. This might mean making changes at home, at work, and even in your relationships.
5. Build related healthy habits.
The only thing you need to do to lose weight is sustain a caloric deficit, and the best way to do that is through dieting. However, this is much easier if you stay active, get enough sleep, and manage stress.
A few ways I can help you achieve your fat loss goals:
I coach my 1:1 clients through every step in this process. If you want custom help right now, you can apply for the program here and I’ll follow up.
I also run a 6 week group course – Sane and Simple Fat Loss – to help clients lose weight without losing their minds. In the course, I teach a six pillar system to help you navigate steps 1-4 above (we don’t really cover exercise). Topics include increasing awareness, managing portions, and which foods to eat and which to avoid.
Sane and Simple Fat Loss is coming back on Monday March 8! If you think you may be interested, you can join the waitlist to receive early, discounted access on February 26.
If you’re struggling to lose weight and keep it off despite your best efforts, join me in a free webinar to learn how to avoid the common dieting mistakes that are standing in your way.