I’m horrible with internet slang, acronyms, phrases…whatever.

The first time someone posted TLDR I had to google it.

I thought of this the other day when my managers and I were talking about abbreviations and acronyms and lingo that may be helpful to make a list of.

I made the joke about how I’m so bad with knowing what those things are…

And I mentioned to Michelle, my lead Dietitian, the first time I saw TLDR.

She Googled it the second I mentioned it as she didn’t know either.

Anyway, why am I rambling on about this TLDR…and for those of you about to Google it, it is Too Long Didn’t Read….?

Because the first time I saw it, it was commented on one of my blog posts.

And seeing it oddly made me sadder and madder than any troll comment I could have gotten at the time.

I wasn’t mad because my articles are freaking fabulous and they were missing out but because they were holding themselves back.

I was honestly sad for them.

Because in their search for a quick answer, a fast fix, simply WHAT TO DO, they were missing out on the part that would actually allow them to find something that works for them…

Something that lead to lasting results…

The WHY behind the systems so they could implement them correctly.

They weren’t open to learning.

And their desire to just be told what to do quickly, was probably what kept them working really hard without seeing results….wasting far more time putting in pointless effort than it would have taken them to just embrace the learning and read the post.

I bring this up because I know I’ve even been guilty of this….

Skipping around an article, course or program to pull what I think I need.

To pull out the actions I can take.

Not always realizing the details and nuance and double checks that are included between what I’ve skipped around to.

But I can tell you this is also often what leads to us not getting the results the article or program or video promised.

It leads to us wasting time on even potentially a component of the system that has no benefit on it’s own.

It leads to us ending up with a slightly…well…off or disappointing result.

It’s honestly like trying to put together IKEA furniture without following the steps…especially if you’re Ryan.

You end up with one shelf upside down.

What may feel like pointless details is often the information you need to implement a system correctly – to fully understand it.

What may feel like pointless fluff is often the mindset shift you need to make so the habits and actions stick.

What may seem like pointless education is often the information we need to make sure the system is right for us, teaching us how to adjust based on our needs and goals.

What may seem LONG and not the actual “good stuff” is often what makes the good stuff work.

Systems work together.

Forget or ignore one piece and it may seemingly come together only to fall apart the second you stack books on the shelves….

Take the time now to learn.

Realize it can save you a lot of time in the future undoing what you’ve done because you didn’t take the time to put it together correctly in the first place….

So next time you want to find a solution and start a new program I would recommend you do read and listen to every component…

Breaking down how I try to approach taking on a new program and truly LEARNING how to do things correctly the first time….

1. Start at the beginning and don’t skip around unless there are directions directing you to follow a specific path based on your goals. And even then, go back and check out the parts you may have skipped as you dial in the other components.
2. Really seek to understand the details BEFORE you take action.
3. Pay attention to the details in the instructions. Don’t ignore the nuance or details that you deem “unimportant.”
4. Focus on not only the actions but how those actions work together to create the system.
5. Track your implementation to make sure you truly are following the steps so you can assess how everything works.

SUMMARY:

If you want to truly know if something works, you have to embrace every part. You have to take the time to learn over just skipping over things to get going.

While we all want to start immediately and take action, sometimes the most important action is simply reading and watching through everything to understand what we will need to do!

You’ve reached your goal…Now what?

Now comes oddly the hardest part…MAINTAINING YOUR RESULTS!

And maintenance is hard because it’s a new process in and of itself.

You can’t keep doing what you did to get to your goal – you can’t stay in a deficit forever.

And you can’t go back to what you were doing prior.

Old habits will just lead to you losing everything you’ve worked hard for.

Soooo, what do you do?

Here are 4 tips to help…

#1: Realize that maintaining itself has cycles.

We don’t do one thing forever.

Mentally I don’t think we could handle that.

Plus, there will always be mini goals, ebbs and flows, we need to adjust and tweak to work toward.

There will be times you don’t care as much and hit minimums and get lax.

There will be times you want to look extra fabulous on vacation and dial in those macros for more of a cut.

There will be times you want to lift more. Train for a marathon. Or simply feel in shape.

There will be times you’re out with an injury or surgery or child birth.

There will be times you’re stressed. 

And there will be times you’re super motivated.

The key thing is to realize you can tweak based on any goals you have and even the lifestyle you want or need to work around at that time.

The key is to give yourself mini cycles and end dates and have clear goals for your workouts to keep you motivated.

#2: Be patient with yourself as you transition and retrain your body to eat more.

You have to slowly transition from a deficit to more of maintenance calories.

You will slowly need to increase as you retrain your body to use the increased calories.And you will slowly adjust ratios as well.

Doing one thing at a time can be key. Whether you’re slowly increasing over the weeks 100 calories at a time or first going to more even macros, you want to find more sustainable ways of fueling.

And even then realize you may at time do short cuts with a small deficit. Short muscle building phases with a small surplus.

You may give yourself protein minimums to stay consistent enough or increase your protein for a little cut with set ratios to get ready for that beach vacation.

But you need to start retraining your body to use more calories which is a slow process while also finding a balance to work in more foods you love!

#3: Don’t freak if the scale fluctuates.

There will be times as you learn to maintain that you do gain. Especially to start.

Your glycogen stores will now be constantly full over depleted. So you have to be aware that maintaining may mean a gain of a few pounds to start but it shouldn’t just continue. 

You may also see bigger fluctuations from cheat days or lack of sleep as your body does fight against staying down.

But over time, with patience, you will create that new set point.

And as you maintain for longer, you will find it is easier and easier to stay down and you have more flexibility.

But just realize you can’t restrict or stay super motivated forever, so you need those breaks where you do the minimum. 

Be patient as you cycle learning what feels best. 

And at the slightest gain don’t go back into that deficit. Watch your data but realize that little fluctuations will help.

By tracking you WILL catch anything before you lose progress.

#4: Don’t stop tracking.

It’s tempting to start stringing together workouts based on how you feel. It’s tempting to stop tracking or at least not measuring everything.

But this is a quick backslide into old habits.

Especially because we feel good.

So as you first are retraining your body to eat more and trying to create that new set point, to even help yourself trust the process when the scale does increase slightly, MEASURE AND TRACK EVERYTHING.

Once you’ve maintained for a few months, you may just do tracking check ins if you feel or hit minimums, but give yourself time to really understand what you need to maintain.

Do NOT stop tracking and realize that using it to check in is also a good way to hold yourself accountable!

SUMMARY:

It is key we prepare for maintaining and realize that maintenance is a process. Our habits, lifestyles and goals are constantly evolving. We will never fully do one thing forever. But through macros and clear progressions we can tweak as we need.

So realize that learning to maintain takes time and you will have cycles.

But recognize it is a process and journey in and of itself!

As kids some of us loved asking WHY…like annoyingly so.

Ok…we were asking it often more JUST to be annoying, but still…as kids there is a curiosity there to understand more of our world.

But at a certain age, we stop….we stop assessing and being as curious.

However, as annoying as constantly being asked WHY is, we need to embrace our inner child more if we want to learn and grow.

If we want to overcome our own self limiting beliefs and doubts, if we want to break free of the self imposed limitations and negative mindsets, we need to start asking ourselves WHY.

Think about it, how often do you ask yourself WHY you have a specific belief?

How often do you ask yourself, WHY you believe something is a certain way?

How often have you asked yourself WHY you feel you’re good or bad at something?

Why you like or dislike things?

Why you’ve succeed or failed at certain activities or ventures?

Why you are willing or unwilling to do certain things?

Why you even expect certain results.

Think about all of the times we make statements, especially in opposition to making a change, yet never really question WHY.

We just accept things as fact and never dig any deeper.

Kind of interesting when you think about all of the things you’ve never really questioned or assessed.

We either just rule things out or even condemn ourselves for actions without really assessing WHY they happen.

We just even think there is something wrong with us at times…

Like think about eating out of stress.

We’ve all probably done it…

And usually we just feel guilty, which leads to us eating more or even falling off or giving up on our program completely.

But when was the last time you asked yourself WHY you did it?

Why did it happen?

Why did you feel the need to eat out of stress?

Why couldn’t you stop yourself?

Why do you even feel guilty when you’re a human and we’ve all been there?

And of course not just asking WHY but even WHAT you could do to change those things.

What could you do next time to stop or change the behavior?

What could you do to help yourself move forward now?

To often we don’t pause and assess to learn.

And getting in the habit of learning to ask WHY can help us do that.

It can help us overcome false beliefs about ourselves that hold us back.

Like you saying you can’t do something…

Why?

When was the last time you actually tested this or worked to improve at it?

Or you saying you’re too old…

Why does getting older have to stop you?

Why do you believe that age has anything to do with what you’re experiencing? Couldn’t it be other lifestyle factors adding up?

Or even saying you don’t have the time or any number of excuses…

Why can’t you make the time?

Why can’t you work around your schedule?

Why can’t you do something small instead?

Instead of questioning our belief, our excuses or even realizing our priorities, we make statements and hold ourselves back.

Or believing that a certain habit or routine is something specific…

Like for example tracking macros…

Why do you think it is restrictive?

What made it restrictive in the past so you can avoid that now?

Or Keto…

Why didn’t it work for you before?

Because you cut out carbs?

Why did cutting out carbs make it hard? Was it really cutting out the carbs or simply the restriction in general? Telling yourself you can’t have something?

While it may seem unimportant to dive into exactly what it was that sabotaged you, it can truly make all the difference.

Because it being just that you cut out carbs is very different than that it triggered a restrictive mindset as seemingly small a difference as that may seem.

With one just learning to balance in the carbs may be key. With the other you may find any diet that eliminates ANYTHING or simply tells you NOT to include something will make you obsess over it.

The key is in breaking things down to understand the nuance in our feelings, thoughts and actions.

Start QUESTIONING yourself and your beliefs.

BE CURIOUS.

Be that annoying kid to yourself and ask yourself WHY far too many times if you feel yourself resisting a change or believing something negative about yourself.

The more we can dive into the WHY behind things, the more we can truly learn what we need and give ourselves the opportunity to make changes and succeed.

There is more nuance to life than we often realize or take the time to recognize.

But the more we ask why the more we can see the shades of grey that really exist and give ourselves the best chance to improve daily!

So this week, take a second to assess a few beliefs you have about yourself. Take a second to look at habits and changes you’ve resisted. Take a look at excuses you’ve made….

And ask yourself WHY you believe or feel or think these things!

And don’t just stop at one. Really annoyingly dive in!

I was one of these people…

So I always sympathize with this comment, “I’ll workout all day. It’s just so hard to change my diet.”

Or…

“I can train hard. I just can’t change my diet. I love food too much.”

The thing is…

We CAN change our diet.

And yes, we all know we just aren’t “willing” to or we don’t “want” to….

But what we don’t realize is that training is NOT easy.

We’ve just become comfortable being uncomfortable in that way.

Realizing that was oddly eye opening for me.

Because A. It made me truly recognize that many people do NOT like training. I’ve just developed a comfort zone that includes it.

And B. Even with training there are still things I’m not comfortable doing…often new skills I’m not good at. And when you start to assess moves or tools or such you won’t include and often scoff at even, you’ll start to see where your comfort zone ENDS.

Basically what we’ve got to recognize is that dietary adjustments are possible…they’re just outside our comfort zone.

So how do we learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable with dietary adjustments?

And I think that it starts with how we approach changes…

First…Realize that when you push too much, you rebel more. Assess the mindsets that make you resistant.

So often when we make a ton of changes and mentally can’t handle them, we then start to associate those habits with that negativity. They become one in the same.

Like tracking.

When we only track to seriously restrict, when we feel super hungry and miserable tracking, we believe tracking is restrictive.

Realizing we will associate the habit with our mindset and that can 100% color things, A. We want to assess why we don’t like habits. But B. We want to break those mindsets around them and find new ways to implement them.

Like tracking.

Start tracking without making changes.

It will be eye opening and you’ll see you can actually make sustainable changes. You’ll start to learn. You won’t just be cutting out or restricting.

You can even learn to ADD IN foods you love more.

But the key is making small changes and assessing the mindsets behind the changes when we are resistant.

Second…Start by making changes that are closer to your current comfort zone.

Usually super different things, things that seem to threaten our lifestyle will be further from our comfort zone.

And we will be more likely to come up with excuses to resist making those changes.

So start with things closer to your comfort zone. Start with changes that seem easier.

Associate those changes with creating MORE of the lifestyle you enjoy.

Like maybe you know you need to boost your protein, but the idea of figuring out changes to your meals is overwhelming. But you’re also really into fueling your workouts and so much want to see gains from them.

Just add in a post workout protein shake!

It may be a small change but it can easily be linked to habits you enjoy and the lifestyle you’re living.

And as you see results from the small changes and feel better, you’ll start to want to make more.

Too often we make these massive changes that pull us outside our comfort zone only for us to run back into it.

Instead we almost need to keep expanding our comfort zone so little at a time we don’t almost even fully realize it’s moving. And as we get comfortable even challenging ourselves in these new ways, we’ll find it easier to do more!

Third…Own the awkward.

Sometimes I think we try to downplay how uncomfortable change is. But instead we need to really recognize it and own it.

When we can admit something is going to be hard, there will be challenges, it’s going to suck, it’s almost easier to embrace the hard.

Instead often we try to downplay things and say it will be easy, it’s no big deal…but then when it doesn’t feel that way, it almost leads to us rebelling more.

I like to remind myself to own the awkward.

Embrace the learning process.

Realize I’m going to suck at things before I get better.

Even the master was once the beginner.

Recognize the challenges you will face. Recognize that the journey will NOT feel good at points.

This can help you lower your defenses and get more comfortable being uncomfortable.

SUMMARY:

Remember changes are hard. And especially diet changes that we’ve never really tried to make that “threaten” our current lifestyle balance.

Remember we’ve created the comfort zone we are in and at any time we can expand it BUT it takes a conscious effort!

I think something we too often like to gloss over is the sacrifices and challenges involved in achieving results.

Getting a new and better result, making a change is NOT easy.

Even something that eventually feels sustainable can be hard to start because it isn’t instinctual. It isn’t what we’ve always done.

So when I work with a client I like to discuss the options in how we move forward.

While I don’t believe in fad diets or quick fixes, I do believe we have a choice in the speed of our results…

And how fast we choose to move forward toward a goal is dependent on how much we are willing to go all in, embrace change and make sacrifices.

While everything in our program needs to be focused on the basics of macros and a clear workout progression IF we want to create sustainable habits we can adjust as we transition to maintaining our results, how we dial in our programming off of these foundational things at any given time can shift based on how quickly we want to make progress vs how much we want to really just create something that’s a lifestyle.

So basically what I’m telling you is…

If you want something that really feels like a lifestyle right from the start, you’ve got to be prepared for results to take longer to build.

However, if you are willing to go to the faster side of this sustainable continuum, you can see results faster…you just have to be ready to make more sacrifices. You have to be ready to be more “perfect” and precise for awhile.

You almost have to be ready to overcorrect to then slowly come back to more of a lifestyle as you reach your goals or even need a break.

And then you have to recognize you may adjust over time. You may be more motivated at points to push harder. Or you may need to back off because other things in your life take priority.

And this isn’t a bad thing.

But it’s key we constantly assess what we need to realize that WE control how fast we go or how much we focus on just that lifestyle balance.

We also have to recognize that we can’t necessarily have both all of the time!

That’s why I wanted to share some things I discuss with clients so we can determine what they need or truly want in terms of results vs. the habits they are willing to commit to.

And again…just remember, once you understand this balance, you can choose to change at any time. You may have an event you’re willing to do more to feel and look a certain way for.

Or you may have too much going on right now and need to back off. No right or wrong but we want to know the “cost” of any decision we make.

1: Know thyself!

The biggest thing to first consider is who you are and what has derailed you in the past.

Do you tend to get too gung-ho to start and ultimately derail yourself with too much restriction?

If this is the case, maybe ease in. Start with more of a lifestyle balance and, as you adjust, maybe then consider periods to kickstart things.

Don’t overwhelm yourself with strict macro ratios or 6 days a week of training. Start with something more manageable. Maybe even just tracking. But allow yourself to make the transition in easier by breaking things down so the changes become innate before you build further.

However, if you know you’re a person who will give up if results don’t happen fast enough to start, maybe you consider jumping in with more of a cut ratio or more dramatic change to ease up a bit after you’ve built that momentum.

Maybe you do habits that you know aren’t fully sustainable with a game plan to transition progressions or ratios as you settle in and see progress happening.

The key is assessing you and knowing what will help you settle into changes and stick with things.

2: Know you’re going to adjust.

Creating a lifestyle doesn’t mean doing one thing the rest of your life. You can have periods you’re more intense and times you’re less intense. And if you feel motivated, use it.

If you don’t feel motivated, also don’t be afraid to give yourself that strategic break or transition to minimums.

We have to remember that part of what leads to lasting results is sometimes embracing the ebbs and flows and even accepting minimums.

The more you allow yourself breaks at points, often the more we can capitalize on those times we are motivated because we are fully charged to go.

But this is also why it is key we embrace the learning process. When we understand macros, we can adjust ratios to be more dialed in or even more maintenance. We can know how we’re truly fueling to adjust.

Same goes for workouts. We can know what is or isn’t working and even tweak our schedule to work for different realistic schedules based on what our lifestyle is at that point. But when you think through how you’re programming, you can truly adjust for the time you have so you keep moving forward.

The key is not ignoring our mindset so we can even plan ahead and adjust accordingly so we don’t just fall off!

3: Remind yourself of your decision.

We always want results faster. But I think reminding ourselves of the sacrifices involved in going faster can be key if we’ve chosen NOT to implement all of the habits that are needed.

I think at times we need to remind ourselves we COULD go faster, but we’ve chosen something more based on a lifestyle.

I think it’s key to remind ourselves it is our CHOICE because it also allows us to reassess if we want to get results faster. We can CHANGE our decision.

Too often with lifestyle changes, with trying to reach a goal, we act like things are done to us. This takes away our control and makes us feel like we’re suffering more.

Realizing that we are “inflicting” these things on ourselves can often be helpful. Because then we can change things if we need!

Just remember you can change at any point. Remind yourself of why you’ve chosen the habits you have and why they relate to the speed of progress you’re going to make!

4: Plan end dates and cycles.

Honestly, it may even be best to plan in set cuts. To plan in set times you’re going to do a diet break or even just maintain. It can make things easier when you know you have an end date.

It can be helpful to allow you to know you won’t have to “suffer” with more sacrifices forever.

It can even allow you to embrace different times in your life where you may have more or less time to commit. It can also help you capitalize on motivation when it strikes to use bigger events to drive forward and make more sacrifices while also allowing you to embrace those times you can’t do as much because you can see them as the breaks you need.

But don’t be afraid to even look at your overall year and plan in times you know you can bring that intensity while also recognizing times you may have to strategically back off. I think knowing there will be times you get a break can motivate us to do more during the more ideal times we have!

We don’t do well with suffering indefinitely and driving forward faster does mean more sacrifice!

SUMMARY:

Remember we have some choice in how fast we get results. And while we shouldn’t turn to crash diets and need to focus on those fundamentals, we can choose to make more sacrifices or focus more on the lifestyle balance based on how quickly we want results.

And we can change our focus over time…but it’s key we’re constantly assessing to adjust based on what we need and what is possible at that time!

Often when we start a new program, we tell ourselves it’s going to be THE THING. The lifestyle change we’ve been looking for.

We tell ourselves it’s going to be easy and magical (ok maybe not the magical part).

Heck maybe we’ve even been convinced of this by friends who claim it was soooo easy to do and the BEST thing they’ve ever done.

We can even manage to convince ourselves there won’t be struggles.

But this is exactly the OPPOSITE of what we should be doing.

It’s honestly what often sets us up for failure.

Because if we think or believe that a change should be easy? We’ll only end up super frustrated and overwhelmed when it isn’t.

Which 98% of the time…IT ISN’T!

Something almost always comes up.

And when it does, if we’ve told ourselves things SHOULD be easy?

We’ll feel like there is something wrong with us because it isn’t, especially if we’ve been told it was easy for someone else.

We have to realize instead that there will ALWAYS be set backs and hiccups and mistakes.

And that often when someone is LOOKING BACK and saying it was easy, even they encountered struggles when first starting out.

So instead of trying to convince yourself that the process will be easy, OVERSELL THE NEGATIVE.

That sounds…well…negative but it is the best way to set yourself up for success.

Because if you recognize that the changes WILL be hard…that there WILL be setbacks…that life WILL try to get in the way…

You’ll be ready for it when it happens.

And being prepared makes it so much easier to embrace the hard.

The more we even slightly “oversell” the negative, the more we can make the hard times even feel…well…easy because they aren’t as bad as we expected.

So as you’re starting to make changes in this program, don’t try to gloss over the challenges that will arise.

Instead prepare yourself for them admitting there will be struggles.

Oversell that negative to prepare yourself!

Take some time right now to think of a few problems you could see popping up…

If you aren’t sure of what may be the hold up or hiccup, consider what has caused you to fall off of programs in the past.

Will life try to get in the way? Will you get so busy you can’t stay consistent with your workouts?

Will you struggle to track? Will it be hard to stop snacking?

What struggles have derailed you before so you can recognize they may pop up again to try to hold you back?!

Here are 4 big points to consider and make notes on…

What’s been the biggest challenge for you in the past when it comes to being consistent with a program?

What’s been the biggest workout struggle for you? consistency or making time for it?

What’s been the biggest struggle for you in terms of adjusting your nutrition? Have you struggled to track?

What makes you the most nervous about this program? What do you think will be the hardest part?

SUMMARY:

Plan for the worst! It will help you better handle hiccups and issues when they arise.