June 11, 2025 • 38 mins
Ready to ditch the "all or nothing" approach to weight loss that's been failing you for years? This raw, unfiltered episode cuts through the noise and introduces you to stackable habits—the secret weapon for sustainable weight loss that actually fits into your real, messy life.
We've all been there: Monday motivation hits and suddenly you're intermittent fasting, going keto, and signing up for dawn workouts. By Friday, you're face-first in ice cream wondering what went wrong. The problem isn't your willpower—it's trying to change everything at once. Stackable habits offer a refreshingly simple alternative that works with your brain's natural tendencies instead of fighting against them.
These tiny, consistent actions don't require extra time in your day or superhuman discipline. They're so ridiculously small they almost feel stupid—and that's exactly why they work. By attaching new behaviors to things you already do (like drinking water before your morning coffee or taking five deep breaths before eating), you bypass your brain's resistance to change and build momentum through small, daily wins.
Throughout the episode, you'll discover five plug-and-play stackable habits you can implement immediately, learn why the gym isn't necessary for significant weight loss, and find out how to navigate social eating without derailing your progress. Most importantly, you'll see that weight loss doesn't require a personality transplant or giving up the foods you love—it just requires choosing better, one small decision at a time.
Stop waiting for the perfect time to transform your health. Choose one stackable habit today and watch as small, consistent actions add up to big results. Your future self needs you to shut up and choose differently now.
Lose Weight Without Starving or Obsessing! Learn the simple, no-BS system that helped me lose 140 pounds naturally—no extreme diets, no endless gym hours, just real, sustainable fat loss for real people.
Join the Effortless Weight Loss Academy HERE
Please leave me a review on whatever platform you listen to your podcasts.
Send me questions or comments to Jonathan.Ressler@gmail.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
If you're a whiny snowflake that can't handle the
truth, is offended by the wordfuck and about 37 uses of it in
different forms gets ass hurt.
When you hear someone speak theabsolute, real and raw truth,
you should leave Like right now.
This is Shut Up and Choose, thepodcast where we cut through
(00:25):
the shit and get real aboutweight loss, life and everything
in between.
We get into the nitty gritty ofmaking small, smart choices
that add up to big results.
From what's on your plate tohow you approach life's
challenges.
We'll explore how the simpleact of choosing differently can
transform your health, yourmindset and your entire freaking
(00:48):
life.
So if you're ready to cutthrough the bullshit and start
making some real changes, thenbuckle up and shut up, because
we're about to choose our way toa healthier, happier life.
This is Shut Up and Choose.
Let's do this Now.
Your host, jonathan Ressler.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Hey, welcome back to Shut Up and Choose the podcast
that cuts through the noise ofall the times and all that
bullshit about the internet,instagram influencers and all
those idiots out there spewingand throwing your way, telling
you eat this, don't eat that.
It's all a bunch of bullshit.
You know what to do Today.
I want to talk about something.
Well, last week, if youlistened to the podcast, you
(01:35):
know that I talked aboutsomething called stackable
habits, and this week I got abunch of emails, people asking
me what did you mean bystackable habits?
So let me tell you aboutstackable habits, because I
think they're probably one ofthe most important things you
can do on your weight lossjourney, and it's so painfully
simple that most of you outthere are probably going to try
(01:56):
to overcomplicate this anyway.
So, again, we're talking aboutstackable habits.
They're tiny things that, whendone consistently, actually move
the needle.
Now, if you're someone wholoves to overthink and over plan
or wait until next Monday tochange your life, this episode
probably going to hurt you alittle bit.
So let's talk about why are youfailing.
(02:16):
If we call it like it is, ifwe're being honest and that's
what we do here, we kind of cutthrough the bullshit.
Most people don't fail a weightloss because they don't know
what to do.
You already know.
So don't play dumb, don't make.
I don't know.
It's bullshit.
You know what to do.
You know that vegetables arebetter than donuts.
You know water is better thansoda.
(02:36):
You know going for a walk, besinking into the couch and
sitting on your fat ass forthree hours.
So enough.
What gives here right?
Here's what happens everysingle time.
You decide this is it, I'm allin.
I know.
I've done it a hundred times.
I'm doing it this time.
You start intermittent fasting.
(02:57):
I went keto.
I signed up for the 6 am bootcamps, toss out all the
quote-unquote bad foods anddownload like five new fitness
apps.
I'm in, I'm in, and for a fewdays you feel like a machine.
I was always the best.
In that first week I was mealprepping.
You're weighing chicken, you'rehydrating like a camel and even
, maybe every now and then, alittle flex in the mirror.
(03:19):
And then shit happens.
Life happens.
Your kids get sick, workexplodes, you forget your fancy
meal that you prepped at home.
You have one ah, fuck it.
You know those moments.
You have one ah, fuck it momentand then another, and by Friday
night, you're whispering sweetnothings into a pint of ice
cream.
I am so guilty of that, and ifthat sounds familiar to you,
(03:42):
you're in the right place.
So let me say this, and let mesay this loudly the problem
isn't you, it's the idea thatyou need to become a completely
different human being to lose 20pounds, that you need the full
personality transplant, that youneed to wake up with David
Goggins discipline.
The truth is you don't.
(04:03):
You don't need to turn into afood-weighing, gym-obsessed monk
.
You don't need to startmeditating on a mountain or
giving up bread for the rest ofyour life.
I've done those things Well,maybe not meditate on the
mountain, but certainly givingup bread.
You just need a system thatworks around your real messy,
unpredictable and honestlystress-packed and pizza-filled,
(04:23):
deadline-driven life.
That's what you need, and I getthat nobody talks about that
part.
When people are talking aboutthat, they're well, you do this,
prep, this, do, and that's abunch of shit.
That's not taking life intoaccount.
Nobody's telling you that it'sokay to want to lose weight
without hating your lifestyle.
Nobody is giving you permissionto change without turning your
(04:43):
life upside down, but I am.
I'm giving that permission tochange without turning your life
upside down.
But I am.
I'm giving that permission.
I'm doing it right now, becausethat's what this episode is
about.
Stackable habits they're small,realistic things you can do, not
tomorrow, not next month, buttoday that make the next right
choice easier.
They don't require discipline,they don't require a gym.
(05:04):
They just require that you stoptrying to win the weight loss
lottery with a crash plan andstart building consistency with
things that actually fit intoyour life.
So if you're sick of burningout, quitting, restarting and
repeating that process over andover again, if you're ready to
do the smarter, not harder, thenlet's go on.
So let's get into it.
So, what are stackable habitsand why they might be the only
(05:27):
thing that actually works.
Look, I get it.
We've all tried the shit thatdoesn't work.
Let's talk about what actuallydoes work, because if you're
listening to this, chances areyou've tried all the extremes.
You've done the macros, thepoints, the shakes, the weird
lemon water cleanse that madeyou hate lemons and your life at
the same time.
And where has that gotten you?
(05:48):
Tired, frustrated, honestly,and still stuck.
And I'm not saying thisjudgingly, because I did the
same thing.
So let's break it down.
Let's talk about the one thingthat no one's telling you
because it's not flashy and it'snot Instagrammable or it's not
selling supplements, and that isstackable habits.
They're small, repeatablebehaviors that you attach to
(06:09):
something you already do, sothey become a part of your day
without feeling like some newgiant task you have to find the
time for.
Think of it like a Trojan horse, but for good behavior, you
sneak it into your life withoutsetting up your brains.
This is hard abort mission,abort mission, alarm.
It's the ultimate sneak attackon your life without setting up
your brains.
This is hard Abort mission,abort mission, alarm.
It's the ultimate sneak attackon your old excuses.
So stackable habits work likethis After I do something you
(06:33):
already do, I will do some smallintentional behavior.
That's it.
So after I do this, I'll dothat.
It sounds too simple, which iswhy most people ignore it.
It sounds too simple, which iswhy most people ignore it, but
I'm telling you the mosteffective, sustainable,
sanity-saving method to buildmomentum when you're trying to
lose weight without lightingyour whole life on fire is
stackable habits.
(06:54):
It's not some bullshit mindtrick either.
This is behavioral science.
You're hacking the pattern ofyour day.
So let me hit you with thisuncomfortable truth your brain
is fucking lazy, right?
Mine too.
We all are.
It's not an insult, it's design.
(07:17):
Your brain wants to save energy.
It likes patterns, routines andfamiliarity, which is why
massive change freaks your brainout.
So when you try to flip yourlife upside down, what happens?
Your brain resists and itresists hard.
And that's when you fall.
To flip your life upside down,what happens?
Your brain resists and itresists hard.
And that's when you fall off.
Not because you're weak,because you try to change
everything.
But stackable habits they feelsmall, almost stupid small
actually.
So your brain doesn't reallyfight them, it doesn't even know
(07:39):
.
They slip into the flow of yourday without needing willpower,
motivation or some kind of moodboard.
Right, and when something iseasy to repeat, you do it more
often.
And when you repeat somethingmore often, boom, you get the
results.
And I know you're thinking Idon't have time to put all this
stuff in my life, but the goodnews is you already have the
time.
The beauty of a stackable habitis they don't take time, they
(08:03):
use time that already exists.
So here's the reality youalready have routines, whether
you realize it or not.
You drink coffee in the morning, you check your email, you eat
dinner.
You collapse on the couch likea lazy sack of shit.
You brush your teeth, stackinga habit onto.
One of those things is how youcreate real change without
changing your entire identity.
And I get it.
(08:25):
I know everybody wants results.
They want it fast, you want thescale to drop, you want to feel
in control, you want your jeansto fit without having to lay on
the bed to put them on.
But that doesn't mean that youneed to suffer or sacrifice your
life.
It means you need to startsmarter.
Stackable habits work becausethey don't just ask you to
become someone else.
They ask you to be moreintentional with the life that
(08:47):
you already have and the lifethat you're already living.
They build momentum, they buildconfidence and they make the
next right choice a lot easier.
And isn't that what this isabout?
It's not about changingeverything.
It's about just choosing better, one stack at a time.
So let me show you how you canbuild your own stackable habit
system and give you the secretto actually sticking with it.
(09:08):
When life gets messy and I gotto tell you it's not discipline.
So look, let's do the math right.
One small habit, cool, five ofthem stacked into your actual
day.
That's a full-on system thatdoesn't suck, that doesn't feel
like a diet.
And get this that actuallyworks.
This is how real people lose 20to 40 pounds without changing
(09:31):
everything all at once.
It's not sexy, it's not viraland it's not going to trend on
TikTok, but it works.
And if you're tired of failingbecause everything feels too big
, make it smaller and then do itdaily.
So here's the thing.
Right, we already kicked thatmyth to the curb that you need a
whole new personality to loseweight.
(09:52):
I talk about it all the time,and we've talked about what
stackable habits are and whythey work better than 99% of the
shit out there.
So the next question is obviousOkay, how do I actually build my
own stackable habit system?
So let me break it down for you, because if you don't put this
into action, it's just anepisode that you're going to
listen to, nod along with andthen forget while you're chowing
(10:14):
down on cookies at midnight.
So let's fix it.
So the first step in buildingstackable habits this is the
absolute first step is audityour day, not your diet.
So audit your day, not yourdiet.
So audit your day, not yourdiet.
Stop thinking like a dieter.
You're not here to countlettuce leaves.
You're here to change yourbehavior.
So, before you stack anything,just take one day, just one, and
(10:38):
observe your current routine.
No judgment, no over analysis,just notice, like when do you
wake up?
When do you drink coffee?
When do you check your phone?
You eat your meals, sit downfor, finish work, watch Netflix,
go to bed.
Your day is already full ofanchors, routines and patterns.
You just don't realize thembecause they're all on autopilot
.
But that's exactly what makesthem powerful.
(11:00):
We're not adding time to yourday, we're adding intention to
things that already exist.
So write that stuff down, yourhabits, or give yourself a voice
note or just remember them.
But once you see that naturalrhythm, you'll know where to
stack the new stuff.
So here's the trap and it's kindof step two, but here's the
(11:22):
trap that a lot of people fallinto.
They hear habit and they thinkit needs to be big or impressive
.
Here's a trap and it's kind ofstep two, but here's a trap that
a lot of people fall into theyhear habit and they think it
needs to be big or impressive.
Here's a spoiler alert thesmaller the habit, the more
likely it sticks.
So here's what you want Usethis as kind of your framework,
something you can do in under 60seconds, something you can do
anywhere.
So no special gear, no setup,just something you can do
(11:43):
anywhere and something that youdon't hate, or at least
something that you don't dread,because, at the end of the day,
this is not about self-torture.
If your habit requires ablender, a journal and 45
minutes of alone time you'vealready lost.
You're not going to do it.
So let me give you this littlereality check If it feels hard
on day one, it's going to feelimpossible on day five.
(12:04):
So pick habits that are sosmall your brain can't come up
with an excuse to skip them.
So here's a couple examples,and I'm going to go deeper into
this further in the episode, buthere's an example Drink a glass
of water before your morningcoffee.
Take five deep breaths before ameal, stand and stretch for a
(12:24):
minute after every singlemeeting and maybe plan
tomorrow's meals during yournighttime scroll.
This really is the magic move.
You don't need to find time forthis new habit, you need to
attach it to a time that alreadyexists.
And this is where most peoplefuck this up.
They pick a habit, then theytry to shove it into a random
part of the day and then theyforget or it gets crowded out by
(12:45):
something urgent.
So here's your formula againAfter I do something current
habit I will do this newbehavior.
Let's run through a coupleexamples.
Like I just said, after I pourmy coffee, I'll drink a glass of
water.
After I close my laptop, I'llgo for a 10-minute walk.
After I brush my teeth, I'llmake a protein snack for
(13:06):
tomorrow or later.
After I put the kids to bed,I'll write down what I'm eating
for lunch tomorrow.
You're creating a cue thatcreates a cue.
It's like an automatic trigger.
So the more consistent theanchor, the easier the stack.
That's why it's called thestack.
You're building onto whatalready exists.
The next step is you got totrack that habit, not the
(13:27):
outcome.
This is a hard truth.
If you're only focused on thescale, you will quit.
Why?
Because weight loss isn'tlinear.
Your body doesn't give a shitabout your spreadsheet, but you
know what is linear, whether ornot you did the habit.
So track the action, not theresult.
I'm not telling you don't weighyourself, but I'm saying don't
get obsessed and hung up on thescale Every day.
(13:49):
Ask yourself did I do my habit,can I do it tomorrow and the
day after, and that's it.
You're building consistency,and consistency, not perfection,
is what gets results.
So I don't care if you have toput a check on the calendar or
use some app on your phone whichI don't think you need, or get
a calendar on Amazon and markX's on the days.
But whatever you do, track yourhabit, because what you track
(14:13):
you definitely repeat.
The next thing to remember isyou got to prepare for the shit
happens days, because they'recoming, and here's where most
systems crash and burn.
They don't account for chaos.
Life isn't all about beingperfect.
You're going to have stressfuldays, sick days, bad moods, long
meetings, travel and probably atotal loss of interest and
(14:35):
self-improvement.
That shit just happens andthat's why your habit needs a
low-friction backup version.
I call it the minimum version.
So let's just say your stack isafter dinner I go for a 10
minute walk.
Your minimum version might beafter dinner, I'll walk for two
minutes.
Just stand up and stretch, walkaround the house.
Why?
Because when you lower the barand you've heard me say that
before but when you lower thebar, instead of skipping the
(14:57):
habit entirely, you keep themomentum.
It's the difference betweenbuilding a track record and
hitting the reset button for the105th time.
This is adult life.
You don't need to be perfect,you need to be repeatable.
The next step is something thatyou've heard me say before is,
absolutely positively celebratethe win.
(15:18):
Look, I get it.
It feels small.
You drank a glass of water Bigfucking deal.
You stood up after your meeting.
Woo, you took a breath beforeeating big fucking deal.
Right, yes, it actually is,because doing something small
every day beats the shit out ofdoing something extreme for two
weeks and then bailing for thenext six months.
So celebrate the win.
(15:39):
Tell yourself, hey, I followedthrough today.
I don't think that's soft.
That's like building a strategy, and your confidence will come
from keeping the promises toyourself, even the tiny little
ones.
So this isn't complicated, butit's powerful.
If you stack one habit this week, just one, and you do it every
day, you're already ahead of 90%of the people who are just
(16:02):
sitting out there waiting forthe right time.
There is no right time, there'sonly now, and whether you
choose better than yesterday.
So choose your habit, stack itonto something real, keep it
simple, track it, repeat it.
That's your system and that'show you lose weight in the real
world without blowing up yourlife.
All right, if you've made itthis far, that's good, and it
(16:25):
means you're either reallycommitted to changing your life
or you hate listening.
Honestly, either way, I'm coolas long as you're listening and
I respect it.
Now that you know whatstackable habits are, why they
actually work and how to build ahabit system that doesn't
implode, the second life getsmessy.
Let's get into five real plugand play stackable habits I give
my clients all the time.
They're not Instagram hacks orMonday motivation bullshit time.
(16:50):
They're not Instagram hacks orMonday motivation bullshit.
These are habits that actualhumans use in the real world to
lose weight without trackingevery bite, living in the gym or
swearing off pizza for eternity.
That shit doesn't work.
So here's one.
I talked about these, but Iwant to go a little bit deeper
into them.
So your morning coffee when youhave your morning coffee, before
you drink your morning coffee,drink a 12 to 16-ounce glass of
water first.
So the stack is before you sipyour coffee, drink a full glass
(17:12):
of water.
Why it works?
Because you wake up dehydratedand your body is great at
confusing dehydration withhunger.
So what do most people do.
They skip the water, they poundthe caffeine and then wonder
why they're ravenous by 10 am.
And then, of course, it's bageltime or leftover kid snacks or
whatever has got a shitload ofcarbs ready for you to eat.
(17:35):
So how do you make that stick?
Well, make your coffee machineyour habit anchor.
Stick your water bottle rightnext to it.
So no coffee until you drinkthe water, no excuses.
Oh, and by the way, iced coffeeor iced tea doesn't count as
hydration, so don't try to getcute, drink a glass of water.
Second one that I tell peopleall the time and I do this
myself is when you sit down toeat, take a breath, or two, or
(17:58):
five, so the stack is as soon asyou sit down for a meal, pause
and take one full breath beforeyou take a bite.
Why does that work?
A bite?
Why does that work?
Because most people eat and Iam guilty, guilty, guilty,
guilty of this but most peopleeat like they're in a
competitive hot dog eatingcontest.
They're stressed, they'redistracted or they're just
(18:18):
rushing.
And when you eat in that fightor flight mode, your digestion
sucks, your appetite cuesabsolutely short circuit and you
end up overeating without evenrealizing it and I get one
breath sounds like nothing,until you realize it's the one
second of your day where you'reactually in control.
(18:39):
So how do you make it stick?
Your habit anchor is simple.
It's sitting down to eat.
The breath is.
The stack you sit equals youbreathe.
It's simple, it takes less thanthree seconds.
If you don't have time, theproblem isn't time, it's mindset
.
And that's why we're here.
Let me give you another one.
(18:59):
After dinner, take a 10-minutewalk.
The stack is after your lastmeal of the day.
Go for a 10-minute walk.
It doesn't need to be fast, itdoesn't need to be sweaty, it
doesn't need to be scenic, justmove.
And why does that stack work?
Well, there's three big reasons.
Number one is it helps withdigestion.
Number two is it improves yourinsulin sensitivity, especially
(19:20):
at night.
And number three, it keeps youaway from the fridge when
boredom, stress or the Netflixmunchies kick in that evening
snack.
We all know that's rarely abouthunger, it's about habit.
And the walk replaces thathabit, or helps to replace that
habit with a better one.
How do you want to make itstick?
Anchor it to the end of dinnerIf walking outside isn't an
(19:43):
option.
Walk around the house or juststand and do something besides
flopping on the couch house.
Or just stand and do somethingbesides flopping on the couch.
10 minutes of walking is betterthan zero minutes of guilt
eating.
The next one, the fourth one isafter your last meeting or task,
stand up and move.
So here's the stack.
(20:03):
If, after your final call, youremail, your work task, just get
up, move your body for one tothree minutes, stretch, walk,
breathe.
Just move your body afteryou're done for the day or after
your last meeting.
Why does that work?
Because a lot of people go fromtheir laptop to the couch or
hop in their car without evennoticing.
You close your laptop and yourbrain hits the shutdown mode
(20:24):
right along with it.
And this micro movement.
It shakes off the stress, itsignals the end of your workday
and it creates a mental reset soyou don't roll into the evening
already drained and hungry forcomfort food.
So how do you make this onestick?
Anchor it to your last Zoomcall, your last work email,
whatever.
When that's done, you're up,even if it's just walking into
(20:47):
the kitchen and back.
This is about breaking patterns, not're up, even if it's just
walking into the kitchen andback.
This is about breaking patterns, not burning calories.
The fifth one that I tell peopleand this is more for planners,
but the fifth one is Sundaynight.
Pick just two go-to lunches forthe week.
The stack is every Sunday nightbefore bed or while you're
watching your TV or whateveryou're doing.
Choose two go-to lunches you'llstick to during the work week.
(21:09):
Why does that work?
Because most people don't makebad food decisions because they
want to.
They make them because they'restressed or distracted or,
honestly, just busy as fuck.
You know, deciding your lunchesahead of time removes decision
fatigue.
You don't need to meal prep,you don't need to be a
Tupperware fucking queen or king.
(21:30):
Just decide in advance so youdon't get to 1 pm and then eat
like a panic burrito.
So how can you make that stick?
It's easy Anchor it to yourSunday wind down, whatever you
do.
Last thing on Sunday nightMaybe it's while you're setting
up your calendar, you'rewatching TV or half paying
attention, scrolling your phoneStack it right there.
No meal planning spreadsheet isrequired.
Just pick two things, writethem down or think about them,
(21:53):
and then you're done.
So why do habits like that willwork, even when life sucks.
Well, here's what all five ofthose habits that I just gave
you have in common Number onethey're easy to do.
Number two, they're easy torepeat.
And number three, they don'trequire you to change who you
are.
They work with your life, notagainst it.
(22:15):
They build momentum, andmomentum leads to consistency,
and consistency is what leads toweight loss, not willpower, not
punishment, and definitely nota fucking detox tea.
You don't need a meal planwritten by a nutritionist who
says the same shit to everyperson, regardless of their life
, their body, whatever.
You don't need to work outseven days a week.
(22:36):
You just need to repeat smallsmart actions, make small smart
choices daily and let them stackup.
So I told you those things, butdon't try to do all five of
them tomorrow.
That's just another version ofthe all or nothing trap that you
keep falling for.
Instead, just pick one, justone.
(22:57):
Start tomorrow, stack it ontosomething you already do and I
always found most of my clientsfind that to drink a glass of
water before you drink yourcoffee is the easiest one but
repeat that thing until itbecomes automatic and then stack
another.
That's how real people loseweight without turning their
weight loss into a full-time job.
(23:18):
So no more waiting formotivation, no more waiting for
the right time.
Pick your first habit, stack it, stick with it and then watch
what happens.
So now I know everybody'sthinking this and I have my
opinions on the gym, buteverybody always goes.
Well, what about the gym?
Don't I need to work out tolose weight?
And the short answer is no.
(23:39):
Let's talk about the gym,because one of the first things
people say when they want to getback on track is I've got to
start hitting the gym again,like it's some kind of magical
place where you swipe that keyfob or your card and suddenly
your cravings disappear, yourmetabolism like goes into
overdrive and your belly justgoes away.
That's a bunch of shit, solet's shut it down right now.
(24:02):
The truth is, you don't need thegym to lose weight.
Let me be crystal clear you donot need to set foot in a gym to
lose weight.
Can you use the gym as a tool?
Absolutely, is it required?
Not even close.
Most people use I need to jointhe gym as a stall tactic.
(24:22):
Right, it's the ultimate excusedressed up as a solution.
But here's what they're reallysaying when they say that I'm
going to start when I have moretime or I need to get in shape
before I go to the gym.
I can't imagine that.
But whatever, wrap your headaround that I can't afford a gym
membership right now.
I hear that one.
I'm too embarrassed to go.
The translation is I'm notready to change, but I want to
(24:44):
feel like I'm doing something.
So if you're being honest, youdon't have a workout problem.
You have a consistency problem.
And guess what?
The gym doesn't solve that.
So here's where a lot of peoplekind of go sideways, right,
they assume that more exerciseequals more weight loss, and
that's so fucking wrong.
(25:04):
I can't even tell you.
Exercise has tons of benefits.
I'm not saying you don't getbenefit from going to the gym
there.
Exercise has tons of benefits.
I'm not saying you don't getbenefit from going to the gym.
There's a ton of benefitsmental clarity, stress relief,
energy, better sleep.
But in terms of pure fat loss,it's not the heavy hitter that
you think.
It is your nutrition decisions,what you eat.
That's 80 to 90% of the game.
I've said this a hundred times.
(25:25):
You can't outrun or outbike oroutsweat a shitty food routine.
Let's break it down, okay.
Just think about this for asecond.
So if you're on the treadmillfor about 30 minutes, you'll
burn yeah, around 300 calories.
One bagel with cream cheese isover 400 calories.
One I had a long day VentiStarbucks Frappuccino.
(25:45):
That's more than 500 calories.
You see the problem People goto the gym, they sweat their
asses off and then they rewardthemselves with food that wipes
out the calorie burn.
And then some Then they say I'vebeen working out but I'm not
losing weight.
Yeah, because you're treatingthe gym like a confessional
right, not a tool like okay, I'mgoing to go in and I went to
(26:06):
the gym, I am absolved of allsin.
That's not the case and let mebe clear, because I don't want
you to take this the wrong way.
I'm not saying movement is bad.
Movement is incredible for yourbody.
But if you're trying to loseweight and you're stuck in the I
must go to the gym or I'll failmindset, you're making this
harder than it needs to be.
(26:26):
You don't need a gym.
You need to move more than youdo now in a way that you can
actually stick to.
You know what's more effectivethan going to the gym three
times a week for a month andthen quitting?
Simple, it's walking every day.
That's it Walking the mostunderrated, underused and
overlooked fat loss tool on theplanet.
There's no equipment, there'sno $200 outfits, there's no
(26:51):
complicated programming, no sorejoints.
No, I need to shower after thisexcuse.
You can walk while you'relistening to this podcast.
You can walk while you're on acall.
You can walk instead ofscrolling TikTok on the couch.
And here's the kick of it allit actually works.
Walking improves your bloodsugar regulation, your insulin
(27:12):
sensitivity, cortisol levelswhich means fewer cravings,
digestion, mood, sleep.
All of that stuff affects yourweight and the barrier to entry
is zero.
That's why it works.
Let's take it one level deeper.
Let's stack your movement habit, just like we talked about
before.
Don't schedule a walk like it'ssome new chore.
Attach it to something youalready do.
(27:33):
So here's a few easy examplesthat you can try After your
coffee, walk for five or 10minutes.
After lunch, walk around theblock.
Or walk around your office.
After dinner, walk with apodcast or a playlist Simple,
sustainable and stackable.
No gym and no excuses.
And, by the way, if you do wantexercise, cool you do.
(27:54):
You Do your thing.
Man.
It's not for me, going to thegym is not for me.
But if that's what you like, byall means you should go to the
gym.
But don't start with somesix-day-a-week gym plan that
requires a trainer, aspreadsheet and a total
personality shift.
Start with what fits in yourlife If you're going to do the
gym.
I'm probably the wrong guy togive you a recommendation on
what to do in the gym, but Iwould say go two to three days a
(28:17):
week with some simpleresistance training.
Do some daily movement likewalking, stretching, dancing
your kid, whatever doesn't makeyou hate life.
And keep it short 15 to 30minutes max.
Done is better than perfect.
You're not training for thefucking Olympics.
You're trying to lose weightand not lose your mind in the
process.
So what I'm saying here is thegym isn't bad.
(28:39):
It's definitely not bad.
It's just not required.
Look, if you love the gym, goCrush it, be you, do your thing,
but don't lie to yourself andpretend that you have to go in
order to start changing.
You don't.
You can start right now, today,in your living room, by walking
, by stacking one small movementhabit, by not waiting until you
(29:00):
have more time, because youknow what's better than a
perfect workout program, aconsistent movement habit that
you'll actually stick to?
So all right, here's the bigone, right?
All right?
So what should you actually beeating if you're not dieting.
All right, let me break it downwithout giving you a single
calorie count or a macro target,and this is the part that
(29:21):
breaks most people's brains.
Hey, jonathan, I'm not countingcalories, I'm not on a diet,
I'm not cutting out bread, whatthe fuck should?
Speaker 1 (29:29):
I be eating.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
Well, first off, take a deep breath.
I know it feels like we'retaking the training wheels off
your diet bicycle, but guesswhat?
Most of you are crashing thatbike into a wall anyway, with
all the tracking, restrictingand obsessing.
So let me simplify it for you.
You don't need a new diet.
You don't need a new diet.
(29:54):
You don't need a spreadsheet.
You need a few principles toguide your eating without
sucking the joy out of food.
And here's how you do it.
First, build your meal aroundprotein and plants.
And don't be in a panic here.
I'm not sending you the chickenand broccoli prison.
I'm just saying, if your mealshave a solid source of protein
and some kind of fruits orvegetables, you're 80% of the
way there.
I know you know this, but I'mgoing to tell you why you want
to have a lot of protein.
Well, number one it keeps youfull, it helps you retain the
muscles as you lose weight andit actually satisfies you,
(30:15):
unlike that light salad thatmakes you want to eat your
fucking arm two hours later.
And why vegetables and plants?
Well, fiber equals fullness,nutrients give you energy and
volume, and you're eating morefood, fewer calories and, of
course, less guilt.
That's your foundation.
It's not a rule book, it's nota trend.
(30:35):
It's just a common sensestructure.
And by all means don't cut outthe foods you love.
Learn to contain them.
You know what's worse thaneating pizza?
Obsessing about pizza 24-7because you're not allowed to
have it.
That's how binges start.
Here's the rule.
If you love it, keep it in yourlife.
Just give it a container.
(30:56):
So have two slices of pizzawith a salad.
Order a burger, skip the friesand add some vegetables.
Or eat the dessert, just notthe whole fucking cake, right?
Freedom with structure breedsrestriction.
Every time and always, try toeat like someone who cares about
their energy, not just theirweight.
Weight loss is nice, butsustainable energy, less brain
(31:17):
fog, better sleep For me,completely losing my snoring and
a mood that doesn't depend oncarbs, that's even better.
So ask yourself will this mealhelp me feel good in two hours,
not just now, not just while I'mshoveling down my throat, not
just while it's in your mouthTwo hours later, start there and
you'll eat like someone who'sin charge and not someone who's
(31:38):
chasing a fix.
You don't need perfection, youneed awareness and you need to
choose meals that make you feelgood now and later.
So the next thing people alwaysask me when I'm talking about
stackable habits is how tohandle social eating and travel
and off plan days without, likeyou know, shit in the bed, for
lack of a better term.
So this is the part of weightloss that no diet plan actually
(32:03):
prepares you for, ready for thisReal life.
I'm talking about dinners out,weekend trips, weddings,
airports, taco Tuesday.
I didn't plan a fucking thingtoday and now I'm starving.
Those are the moments thatbreak most people's progress,
and it's not because they're bad, but because you don't know how
to handle them without swingingbetween shame and self-sabotage
(32:24):
.
So here's your strategy and, bythe way, you don't need a
fucking food scale for this.
So rule number one, the mostimportant rule, is plan to be
imperfect and be okay with it.
Stop trying to be perfect.
That's what ruins people.
You go to a party, eat a burgerand a cupcake and suddenly act
like you murdered someone.
You need to start over Monday,but the truth is one meal didn't
(32:48):
ruin anything.
Your all or nothing mindsetthat ruins everything.
So expect imperfection, planfor it and choose better anyway.
Rule number two is control whatyou can and release what you
can't.
Can you control what's on therestaurant menu?
No.
Can you eat something beforeyou go out so you're not so
(33:10):
starving?
Yeah, you can do that.
Can you pick a protein-basedoption and skip the bread basket
?
You can do that.
Can you drink water betweenyour drinks?
I'm not saying don't have adrink, but between the drinks.
Can you eat slowly and enjoythe food and stop when you're
satisfied?
Yeah.
So focus on what you can do andjust let go of the shit you
can't control.
(33:31):
Rule number three is traveldoesn't mean abandon ship.
If you're flying, you'redriving, you're living at a
hotel.
Stop acting like you've beensentenced to some kind of
dietless wasteland.
Every gas station, airport andhotel has some option that isn't
a chili cheese dog or Pop-Tarts.
You can grab some jerky or somefruit or some protein bars.
(33:54):
You can order a fucking saladevery now and then you can say
no to the third cocktail thatyou don't even want.
You can do all things.
Travel is not the issue here.
Your choices are.
Rule number four and this is abig one, a lot of people do this
Don't make up for it the nextday If you go a little bit
overboard, big fucking deal.
(34:15):
You're human.
Don't starve yourself the nextday trying to undo it.
That's what keeps you stuck inthe binge restrict cycle forever
.
Instead, go back to normal Eatbreakfast, walk, stack your
habits, move on.
No drama, no punishment anddefinitely no cleanse.
Life is never predictable.
(34:36):
You're always going to haveweekends and birthdays, and
tacos and drinks.
They're always going to bethere.
So you can either keep crashingevery time life gets fun or you
can learn how to ride the wavewithout wiping out, and you do
that by choosing better, notperfect.
So I know that we've alreadycovered a lot and it's probably
(35:02):
more than some people were readyfor, but that's kind of the
point.
If you made it this far.
Here's what I want you to walkaway with.
One, you don't need a diet.
Two, you don't need a gym.
Three, you don't need to throweverything out in your fridge
and swear off fun for the next90 days.
What you need is stackablehabits, real, repeatable actions
that you can do in the middleof your messy, fucked up,
demanding, real-ass life.
And the good news you alreadyhave the schedule, you already
(35:24):
have the routines, you alreadyhave the time.
You're just filling with crapthat's keeping you stuck.
So now it's a choice Keeptrying to overhaul everything
and burning out like always, orstart stacking tiny habits that
move you forward without blowingup and fucking up your life.
I get it, man.
It's not sexy, it's not extreme, it's just smart and it works.
(35:46):
So here's your challenge.
Here's what I want.
Here's your homework.
I always wanted to give peoplehomework.
Here's your homework.
Pick one habit from today'sepisodes and start it today, not
next week, not when you feelmotivated Today, because, if you
think about it, this podcastisn't called shut up and wait
for motivation.
It's called shut up and choose,and now it's your move.
(36:10):
So that's stackable habits.
People want to hear about themand hopefully I gave you a
framework on how to use them.
You'll create your ownstackable habits, but don't rush
.
Make them so simple that theyjust feel stupid and those are
the habits that stick.
If you want to learn more aboutmy 140 plus pound weight loss
(36:30):
journey, I have a book calledShut Up and Choose.
It's available on Amazon,amazon bestseller.
You can read it in a couplehours.
It really goes deep into thekind of everything I went
through, and people write meemails all the time how it
changed their life.
I also have a video course forpeople who are more visual
learners.
It's called the EffortlessWeight Loss Academy.
It's a video course.
(36:51):
Well, I just said that.
It's 23 short videos, eachabout five to seven minutes.
You can watch the thing in acouple hours.
It really goes deep into themindset of how you can get
yourself in the right placementally to lose the weight.
You can get that atlearnshutupandchoosecom.
That's learnshutupandchoosecom.
So now you know all aboutstackable habits.
(37:12):
You know that it's all aboutchoice.
You know it's not aboutperfection.
You know that when you makesmall, smart choices and do
things that are so small, theyfeel stupid.
That's where the real weightloss comes.
That's where the realmotivation comes.
That's where the real progresscomes.
That's where the real progresscomes.
So make progress.
(37:32):
Don't strive to be perfect.
The only thing left now to dois to shut up and choose.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
You've been listening to Shut Up and Choose.
Jonathan's passion is to sharehis journey of shedding 130
pounds in less than a yearwithout any of the usual
gimmicks no diets, no pills.
And we'll let you in on alittle secret no fucking gym.
And guess what?
(38:00):
You can do it too.
We hope you enjoyed the show.
We had a fucking blast.
If you did, make sure to like,rate and review.
We'll be back soon, but in themeantime, find Jonathan on
Instagram atJonathanWrestlerBocaRaton.
Until next time, shut up andchoose.
If you're a whiny snowflake that can't handle the
truth, is offended by the wordfuck and about 37 uses of it in
different forms gets ass hurt.
When you hear someone speak theabsolute, real and raw truth,
you should leave Like right now.
This is Shut Up and Choose, thepodcast where we cut through
(00:25):
the shit and get real aboutweight loss, life and everything
in between.
We get into the nitty gritty ofmaking small, smart choices
that add up to big results.
From what's on your plate tohow you approach life's
challenges.
We'll explore how the simpleact of choosing differently can
transform your health, yourmindset and your entire freaking
(00:48):
life.
So if you're ready to cutthrough the bullshit and start
making some real changes, thenbuckle up and shut up, because
we're about to choose our way toa healthier, happier life.
This is Shut Up and Choose.
Let's do this Now.
Your host, jonathan Ressler.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Hey, welcome back to Shut Up and Choose the podcast
that cuts through the noise ofall the times and all that
bullshit about the internet,instagram influencers and all
those idiots out there spewingand throwing your way, telling
you eat this, don't eat that.
It's all a bunch of bullshit.
You know what to do Today.
I want to talk about something.
Well, last week, if youlistened to the podcast, you
(01:35):
know that I talked aboutsomething called stackable
habits, and this week I got abunch of emails, people asking
me what did you mean bystackable habits?
So let me tell you aboutstackable habits, because I
think they're probably one ofthe most important things you
can do on your weight lossjourney, and it's so painfully
simple that most of you outthere are probably going to try
(01:56):
to overcomplicate this anyway.
So, again, we're talking aboutstackable habits.
They're tiny things that, whendone consistently, actually move
the needle.
Now, if you're someone wholoves to overthink and over plan
or wait until next Monday tochange your life, this episode
probably going to hurt you alittle bit.
So let's talk about why are youfailing.
(02:16):
If we call it like it is, ifwe're being honest and that's
what we do here, we kind of cutthrough the bullshit.
Most people don't fail a weightloss because they don't know
what to do.
You already know.
So don't play dumb, don't make.
I don't know.
It's bullshit.
You know what to do.
You know that vegetables arebetter than donuts.
You know water is better thansoda.
(02:36):
You know going for a walk, besinking into the couch and
sitting on your fat ass forthree hours.
So enough.
What gives here right?
Here's what happens everysingle time.
You decide this is it, I'm allin.
I know.
I've done it a hundred times.
I'm doing it this time.
You start intermittent fasting.
(02:57):
I went keto.
I signed up for the 6 am bootcamps, toss out all the
quote-unquote bad foods anddownload like five new fitness
apps.
I'm in, I'm in, and for a fewdays you feel like a machine.
I was always the best.
In that first week I was mealprepping.
You're weighing chicken, you'rehydrating like a camel and even
, maybe every now and then, alittle flex in the mirror.
(03:19):
And then shit happens.
Life happens.
Your kids get sick, workexplodes, you forget your fancy
meal that you prepped at home.
You have one ah, fuck it.
You know those moments.
You have one ah, fuck it momentand then another, and by Friday
night, you're whispering sweetnothings into a pint of ice
cream.
I am so guilty of that, and ifthat sounds familiar to you,
(03:42):
you're in the right place.
So let me say this, and let mesay this loudly the problem
isn't you, it's the idea thatyou need to become a completely
different human being to lose 20pounds, that you need the full
personality transplant, that youneed to wake up with David
Goggins discipline.
The truth is you don't.
(04:03):
You don't need to turn into afood-weighing, gym-obsessed monk
.
You don't need to startmeditating on a mountain or
giving up bread for the rest ofyour life.
I've done those things Well,maybe not meditate on the
mountain, but certainly givingup bread.
You just need a system thatworks around your real messy,
unpredictable and honestlystress-packed and pizza-filled,
(04:23):
deadline-driven life.
That's what you need, and I getthat nobody talks about that
part.
When people are talking aboutthat, they're well, you do this,
prep, this, do, and that's abunch of shit.
That's not taking life intoaccount.
Nobody's telling you that it'sokay to want to lose weight
without hating your lifestyle.
Nobody is giving you permissionto change without turning your
(04:43):
life upside down, but I am.
I'm giving that permission tochange without turning your life
upside down.
But I am.
I'm giving that permission.
I'm doing it right now, becausethat's what this episode is
about.
Stackable habits they're small,realistic things you can do, not
tomorrow, not next month, buttoday that make the next right
choice easier.
They don't require discipline,they don't require a gym.
(05:04):
They just require that you stoptrying to win the weight loss
lottery with a crash plan andstart building consistency with
things that actually fit intoyour life.
So if you're sick of burningout, quitting, restarting and
repeating that process over andover again, if you're ready to
do the smarter, not harder, thenlet's go on.
So let's get into it.
So, what are stackable habitsand why they might be the only
(05:27):
thing that actually works.
Look, I get it.
We've all tried the shit thatdoesn't work.
Let's talk about what actuallydoes work, because if you're
listening to this, chances areyou've tried all the extremes.
You've done the macros, thepoints, the shakes, the weird
lemon water cleanse that madeyou hate lemons and your life at
the same time.
And where has that gotten you?
(05:48):
Tired, frustrated, honestly,and still stuck.
And I'm not saying thisjudgingly, because I did the
same thing.
So let's break it down.
Let's talk about the one thingthat no one's telling you
because it's not flashy and it'snot Instagrammable or it's not
selling supplements, and that isstackable habits.
They're small, repeatablebehaviors that you attach to
(06:09):
something you already do, sothey become a part of your day
without feeling like some newgiant task you have to find the
time for.
Think of it like a Trojan horse, but for good behavior, you
sneak it into your life withoutsetting up your brains.
This is hard abort mission,abort mission, alarm.
It's the ultimate sneak attackon your life without setting up
your brains.
This is hard Abort mission,abort mission, alarm.
It's the ultimate sneak attackon your old excuses.
So stackable habits work likethis After I do something you
(06:33):
already do, I will do some smallintentional behavior.
That's it.
So after I do this, I'll dothat.
It sounds too simple, which iswhy most people ignore it.
It sounds too simple, which iswhy most people ignore it, but
I'm telling you the mosteffective, sustainable,
sanity-saving method to buildmomentum when you're trying to
lose weight without lightingyour whole life on fire is
stackable habits.
(06:54):
It's not some bullshit mindtrick either.
This is behavioral science.
You're hacking the pattern ofyour day.
So let me hit you with thisuncomfortable truth your brain
is fucking lazy, right?
Mine too.
We all are.
It's not an insult, it's design.
(07:17):
Your brain wants to save energy.
It likes patterns, routines andfamiliarity, which is why
massive change freaks your brainout.
So when you try to flip yourlife upside down, what happens?
Your brain resists and itresists hard.
And that's when you fall.
To flip your life upside down,what happens?
Your brain resists and itresists hard.
And that's when you fall off.
Not because you're weak,because you try to change
everything.
But stackable habits they feelsmall, almost stupid small
actually.
So your brain doesn't reallyfight them, it doesn't even know
(07:39):
.
They slip into the flow of yourday without needing willpower,
motivation or some kind of moodboard.
Right, and when something iseasy to repeat, you do it more
often.
And when you repeat somethingmore often, boom, you get the
results.
And I know you're thinking Idon't have time to put all this
stuff in my life, but the goodnews is you already have the
time.
The beauty of a stackable habitis they don't take time, they
(08:03):
use time that already exists.
So here's the reality youalready have routines, whether
you realize it or not.
You drink coffee in the morning, you check your email, you eat
dinner.
You collapse on the couch likea lazy sack of shit.
You brush your teeth, stackinga habit onto.
One of those things is how youcreate real change without
changing your entire identity.
And I get it.
(08:25):
I know everybody wants results.
They want it fast, you want thescale to drop, you want to feel
in control, you want your jeansto fit without having to lay on
the bed to put them on.
But that doesn't mean that youneed to suffer or sacrifice your
life.
It means you need to startsmarter.
Stackable habits work becausethey don't just ask you to
become someone else.
They ask you to be moreintentional with the life that
(08:47):
you already have and the lifethat you're already living.
They build momentum, they buildconfidence and they make the
next right choice a lot easier.
And isn't that what this isabout?
It's not about changingeverything.
It's about just choosing better, one stack at a time.
So let me show you how you canbuild your own stackable habit
system and give you the secretto actually sticking with it.
(09:08):
When life gets messy and I gotto tell you it's not discipline.
So look, let's do the math right.
One small habit, cool, five ofthem stacked into your actual
day.
That's a full-on system thatdoesn't suck, that doesn't feel
like a diet.
And get this that actuallyworks.
This is how real people lose 20to 40 pounds without changing
(09:31):
everything all at once.
It's not sexy, it's not viraland it's not going to trend on
TikTok, but it works.
And if you're tired of failingbecause everything feels too big
, make it smaller and then do itdaily.
So here's the thing.
Right, we already kicked thatmyth to the curb that you need a
whole new personality to loseweight.
(09:52):
I talk about it all the time,and we've talked about what
stackable habits are and whythey work better than 99% of the
shit out there.
So the next question is obviousOkay, how do I actually build my
own stackable habit system?
So let me break it down for you, because if you don't put this
into action, it's just anepisode that you're going to
listen to, nod along with andthen forget while you're chowing
(10:14):
down on cookies at midnight.
So let's fix it.
So the first step in buildingstackable habits this is the
absolute first step is audityour day, not your diet.
So audit your day, not yourdiet.
So audit your day, not yourdiet.
Stop thinking like a dieter.
You're not here to countlettuce leaves.
You're here to change yourbehavior.
So, before you stack anything,just take one day, just one, and
(10:38):
observe your current routine.
No judgment, no over analysis,just notice, like when do you
wake up?
When do you drink coffee?
When do you check your phone?
You eat your meals, sit downfor, finish work, watch Netflix,
go to bed.
Your day is already full ofanchors, routines and patterns.
You just don't realize thembecause they're all on autopilot
.
But that's exactly what makesthem powerful.
(11:00):
We're not adding time to yourday, we're adding intention to
things that already exist.
So write that stuff down, yourhabits, or give yourself a voice
note or just remember them.
But once you see that naturalrhythm, you'll know where to
stack the new stuff.
So here's the trap and it's kindof step two, but here's the
(11:22):
trap that a lot of people fallinto.
They hear habit and they thinkit needs to be big or impressive
.
Here's a trap and it's kind ofstep two, but here's a trap that
a lot of people fall into theyhear habit and they think it
needs to be big or impressive.
Here's a spoiler alert thesmaller the habit, the more
likely it sticks.
So here's what you want Usethis as kind of your framework,
something you can do in under 60seconds, something you can do
anywhere.
So no special gear, no setup,just something you can do
(11:43):
anywhere and something that youdon't hate, or at least
something that you don't dread,because, at the end of the day,
this is not about self-torture.
If your habit requires ablender, a journal and 45
minutes of alone time you'vealready lost.
You're not going to do it.
So let me give you this littlereality check If it feels hard
on day one, it's going to feelimpossible on day five.
(12:04):
So pick habits that are sosmall your brain can't come up
with an excuse to skip them.
So here's a couple examples,and I'm going to go deeper into
this further in the episode, buthere's an example Drink a glass
of water before your morningcoffee.
Take five deep breaths before ameal, stand and stretch for a
(12:24):
minute after every singlemeeting and maybe plan
tomorrow's meals during yournighttime scroll.
This really is the magic move.
You don't need to find time forthis new habit, you need to
attach it to a time that alreadyexists.
And this is where most peoplefuck this up.
They pick a habit, then theytry to shove it into a random
part of the day and then theyforget or it gets crowded out by
(12:45):
something urgent.
So here's your formula againAfter I do something current
habit I will do this newbehavior.
Let's run through a coupleexamples.
Like I just said, after I pourmy coffee, I'll drink a glass of
water.
After I close my laptop, I'llgo for a 10-minute walk.
After I brush my teeth, I'llmake a protein snack for
(13:06):
tomorrow or later.
After I put the kids to bed,I'll write down what I'm eating
for lunch tomorrow.
You're creating a cue thatcreates a cue.
It's like an automatic trigger.
So the more consistent theanchor, the easier the stack.
That's why it's called thestack.
You're building onto whatalready exists.
The next step is you got totrack that habit, not the
(13:27):
outcome.
This is a hard truth.
If you're only focused on thescale, you will quit.
Why?
Because weight loss isn'tlinear.
Your body doesn't give a shitabout your spreadsheet, but you
know what is linear, whether ornot you did the habit.
So track the action, not theresult.
I'm not telling you don't weighyourself, but I'm saying don't
get obsessed and hung up on thescale Every day.
(13:49):
Ask yourself did I do my habit,can I do it tomorrow and the
day after, and that's it.
You're building consistency,and consistency, not perfection,
is what gets results.
So I don't care if you have toput a check on the calendar or
use some app on your phone whichI don't think you need, or get
a calendar on Amazon and markX's on the days.
But whatever you do, track yourhabit, because what you track
(14:13):
you definitely repeat.
The next thing to remember isyou got to prepare for the shit
happens days, because they'recoming, and here's where most
systems crash and burn.
They don't account for chaos.
Life isn't all about beingperfect.
You're going to have stressfuldays, sick days, bad moods, long
meetings, travel and probably atotal loss of interest and
(14:35):
self-improvement.
That shit just happens andthat's why your habit needs a
low-friction backup version.
I call it the minimum version.
So let's just say your stack isafter dinner I go for a 10
minute walk.
Your minimum version might beafter dinner, I'll walk for two
minutes.
Just stand up and stretch, walkaround the house.
Why?
Because when you lower the barand you've heard me say that
before but when you lower thebar, instead of skipping the
(14:57):
habit entirely, you keep themomentum.
It's the difference betweenbuilding a track record and
hitting the reset button for the105th time.
This is adult life.
You don't need to be perfect,you need to be repeatable.
The next step is something thatyou've heard me say before is,
absolutely positively celebratethe win.
(15:18):
Look, I get it.
It feels small.
You drank a glass of water Bigfucking deal.
You stood up after your meeting.
Woo, you took a breath beforeeating big fucking deal.
Right, yes, it actually is,because doing something small
every day beats the shit out ofdoing something extreme for two
weeks and then bailing for thenext six months.
So celebrate the win.
(15:39):
Tell yourself, hey, I followedthrough today.
I don't think that's soft.
That's like building a strategy, and your confidence will come
from keeping the promises toyourself, even the tiny little
ones.
So this isn't complicated, butit's powerful.
If you stack one habit this week, just one, and you do it every
day, you're already ahead of 90%of the people who are just
(16:02):
sitting out there waiting forthe right time.
There is no right time, there'sonly now, and whether you
choose better than yesterday.
So choose your habit, stack itonto something real, keep it
simple, track it, repeat it.
That's your system and that'show you lose weight in the real
world without blowing up yourlife.
All right, if you've made itthis far, that's good, and it
(16:25):
means you're either reallycommitted to changing your life
or you hate listening.
Honestly, either way, I'm coolas long as you're listening and
I respect it.
Now that you know whatstackable habits are, why they
actually work and how to build ahabit system that doesn't
implode, the second life getsmessy.
Let's get into five real plugand play stackable habits I give
my clients all the time.
They're not Instagram hacks orMonday motivation bullshit time.
(16:50):
They're not Instagram hacks orMonday motivation bullshit.
These are habits that actualhumans use in the real world to
lose weight without trackingevery bite, living in the gym or
swearing off pizza for eternity.
That shit doesn't work.
So here's one.
I talked about these, but Iwant to go a little bit deeper
into them.
So your morning coffee when youhave your morning coffee, before
you drink your morning coffee,drink a 12 to 16-ounce glass of
water first.
So the stack is before you sipyour coffee, drink a full glass
(17:12):
of water.
Why it works?
Because you wake up dehydratedand your body is great at
confusing dehydration withhunger.
So what do most people do.
They skip the water, they poundthe caffeine and then wonder
why they're ravenous by 10 am.
And then, of course, it's bageltime or leftover kid snacks or
whatever has got a shitload ofcarbs ready for you to eat.
(17:35):
So how do you make that stick?
Well, make your coffee machineyour habit anchor.
Stick your water bottle rightnext to it.
So no coffee until you drinkthe water, no excuses.
Oh, and by the way, iced coffeeor iced tea doesn't count as
hydration, so don't try to getcute, drink a glass of water.
Second one that I tell peopleall the time and I do this
myself is when you sit down toeat, take a breath, or two, or
(17:58):
five, so the stack is as soon asyou sit down for a meal, pause
and take one full breath beforeyou take a bite.
Why does that work?
A bite?
Why does that work?
Because most people eat and Iam guilty, guilty, guilty,
guilty of this but most peopleeat like they're in a
competitive hot dog eatingcontest.
They're stressed, they'redistracted or they're just
(18:18):
rushing.
And when you eat in that fightor flight mode, your digestion
sucks, your appetite cuesabsolutely short circuit and you
end up overeating without evenrealizing it and I get one
breath sounds like nothing,until you realize it's the one
second of your day where you'reactually in control.
(18:39):
So how do you make it stick?
Your habit anchor is simple.
It's sitting down to eat.
The breath is.
The stack you sit equals youbreathe.
It's simple, it takes less thanthree seconds.
If you don't have time, theproblem isn't time, it's mindset
.
And that's why we're here.
Let me give you another one.
(18:59):
After dinner, take a 10-minutewalk.
The stack is after your lastmeal of the day.
Go for a 10-minute walk.
It doesn't need to be fast, itdoesn't need to be sweaty, it
doesn't need to be scenic, justmove.
And why does that stack work?
Well, there's three big reasons.
Number one is it helps withdigestion.
Number two is it improves yourinsulin sensitivity, especially
(19:20):
at night.
And number three, it keeps youaway from the fridge when
boredom, stress or the Netflixmunchies kick in that evening
snack.
We all know that's rarely abouthunger, it's about habit.
And the walk replaces thathabit, or helps to replace that
habit with a better one.
How do you want to make itstick?
Anchor it to the end of dinnerIf walking outside isn't an
(19:43):
option.
Walk around the house or juststand and do something besides
flopping on the couch house.
Or just stand and do somethingbesides flopping on the couch.
10 minutes of walking is betterthan zero minutes of guilt
eating.
The next one, the fourth one isafter your last meeting or task,
stand up and move.
So here's the stack.
(20:03):
If, after your final call, youremail, your work task, just get
up, move your body for one tothree minutes, stretch, walk,
breathe.
Just move your body afteryou're done for the day or after
your last meeting.
Why does that work?
Because a lot of people go fromtheir laptop to the couch or
hop in their car without evennoticing.
You close your laptop and yourbrain hits the shutdown mode
(20:24):
right along with it.
And this micro movement.
It shakes off the stress, itsignals the end of your workday
and it creates a mental reset soyou don't roll into the evening
already drained and hungry forcomfort food.
So how do you make this onestick?
Anchor it to your last Zoomcall, your last work email,
whatever.
When that's done, you're up,even if it's just walking into
(20:47):
the kitchen and back.
This is about breaking patterns, not're up, even if it's just
walking into the kitchen andback.
This is about breaking patterns, not burning calories.
The fifth one that I tell peopleand this is more for planners,
but the fifth one is Sundaynight.
Pick just two go-to lunches forthe week.
The stack is every Sunday nightbefore bed or while you're
watching your TV or whateveryou're doing.
Choose two go-to lunches you'llstick to during the work week.
(21:09):
Why does that work?
Because most people don't makebad food decisions because they
want to.
They make them because they'restressed or distracted or,
honestly, just busy as fuck.
You know, deciding your lunchesahead of time removes decision
fatigue.
You don't need to meal prep,you don't need to be a
Tupperware fucking queen or king.
(21:30):
Just decide in advance so youdon't get to 1 pm and then eat
like a panic burrito.
So how can you make that stick?
It's easy Anchor it to yourSunday wind down, whatever you
do.
Last thing on Sunday nightMaybe it's while you're setting
up your calendar, you'rewatching TV or half paying
attention, scrolling your phoneStack it right there.
No meal planning spreadsheet isrequired.
Just pick two things, writethem down or think about them,
(21:53):
and then you're done.
So why do habits like that willwork, even when life sucks.
Well, here's what all five ofthose habits that I just gave
you have in common Number onethey're easy to do.
Number two, they're easy torepeat.
And number three, they don'trequire you to change who you
are.
They work with your life, notagainst it.
(22:15):
They build momentum, andmomentum leads to consistency,
and consistency is what leads toweight loss, not willpower, not
punishment, and definitely nota fucking detox tea.
You don't need a meal planwritten by a nutritionist who
says the same shit to everyperson, regardless of their life
, their body, whatever.
You don't need to work outseven days a week.
(22:36):
You just need to repeat smallsmart actions, make small smart
choices daily and let them stackup.
So I told you those things, butdon't try to do all five of
them tomorrow.
That's just another version ofthe all or nothing trap that you
keep falling for.
Instead, just pick one, justone.
(22:57):
Start tomorrow, stack it ontosomething you already do and I
always found most of my clientsfind that to drink a glass of
water before you drink yourcoffee is the easiest one but
repeat that thing until itbecomes automatic and then stack
another.
That's how real people loseweight without turning their
weight loss into a full-time job.
(23:18):
So no more waiting formotivation, no more waiting for
the right time.
Pick your first habit, stack it, stick with it and then watch
what happens.
So now I know everybody'sthinking this and I have my
opinions on the gym, buteverybody always goes.
Well, what about the gym?
Don't I need to work out tolose weight?
And the short answer is no.
(23:39):
Let's talk about the gym,because one of the first things
people say when they want to getback on track is I've got to
start hitting the gym again,like it's some kind of magical
place where you swipe that keyfob or your card and suddenly
your cravings disappear, yourmetabolism like goes into
overdrive and your belly justgoes away.
That's a bunch of shit, solet's shut it down right now.
(24:02):
The truth is, you don't need thegym to lose weight.
Let me be crystal clear you donot need to set foot in a gym to
lose weight.
Can you use the gym as a tool?
Absolutely, is it required?
Not even close.
Most people use I need to jointhe gym as a stall tactic.
(24:22):
Right, it's the ultimate excusedressed up as a solution.
But here's what they're reallysaying when they say that I'm
going to start when I have moretime or I need to get in shape
before I go to the gym.
I can't imagine that.
But whatever, wrap your headaround that I can't afford a gym
membership right now.
I hear that one.
I'm too embarrassed to go.
The translation is I'm notready to change, but I want to
(24:44):
feel like I'm doing something.
So if you're being honest, youdon't have a workout problem.
You have a consistency problem.
And guess what?
The gym doesn't solve that.
So here's where a lot of peoplekind of go sideways, right,
they assume that more exerciseequals more weight loss, and
that's so fucking wrong.
(25:04):
I can't even tell you.
Exercise has tons of benefits.
I'm not saying you don't getbenefit from going to the gym
there.
Exercise has tons of benefits.
I'm not saying you don't getbenefit from going to the gym.
There's a ton of benefitsmental clarity, stress relief,
energy, better sleep.
But in terms of pure fat loss,it's not the heavy hitter that
you think.
It is your nutrition decisions,what you eat.
That's 80 to 90% of the game.
I've said this a hundred times.
(25:25):
You can't outrun or outbike oroutsweat a shitty food routine.
Let's break it down, okay.
Just think about this for asecond.
So if you're on the treadmillfor about 30 minutes, you'll
burn yeah, around 300 calories.
One bagel with cream cheese isover 400 calories.
One I had a long day VentiStarbucks Frappuccino.
(25:45):
That's more than 500 calories.
You see the problem People goto the gym, they sweat their
asses off and then they rewardthemselves with food that wipes
out the calorie burn.
And then some Then they say I'vebeen working out but I'm not
losing weight.
Yeah, because you're treatingthe gym like a confessional
right, not a tool like okay, I'mgoing to go in and I went to
(26:06):
the gym, I am absolved of allsin.
That's not the case and let mebe clear, because I don't want
you to take this the wrong way.
I'm not saying movement is bad.
Movement is incredible for yourbody.
But if you're trying to loseweight and you're stuck in the I
must go to the gym or I'll failmindset, you're making this
harder than it needs to be.
(26:26):
You don't need a gym.
You need to move more than youdo now in a way that you can
actually stick to.
You know what's more effectivethan going to the gym three
times a week for a month andthen quitting?
Simple, it's walking every day.
That's it Walking the mostunderrated, underused and
overlooked fat loss tool on theplanet.
There's no equipment, there'sno $200 outfits, there's no
(26:51):
complicated programming, no sorejoints.
No, I need to shower after thisexcuse.
You can walk while you'relistening to this podcast.
You can walk while you're on acall.
You can walk instead ofscrolling TikTok on the couch.
And here's the kick of it allit actually works.
Walking improves your bloodsugar regulation, your insulin
(27:12):
sensitivity, cortisol levelswhich means fewer cravings,
digestion, mood, sleep.
All of that stuff affects yourweight and the barrier to entry
is zero.
That's why it works.
Let's take it one level deeper.
Let's stack your movement habit, just like we talked about
before.
Don't schedule a walk like it'ssome new chore.
Attach it to something youalready do.
(27:33):
So here's a few easy examplesthat you can try After your
coffee, walk for five or 10minutes.
After lunch, walk around theblock.
Or walk around your office.
After dinner, walk with apodcast or a playlist Simple,
sustainable and stackable.
No gym and no excuses.
And, by the way, if you do wantexercise, cool you do.
(27:54):
You Do your thing.
Man.
It's not for me, going to thegym is not for me.
But if that's what you like, byall means you should go to the
gym.
But don't start with somesix-day-a-week gym plan that
requires a trainer, aspreadsheet and a total
personality shift.
Start with what fits in yourlife If you're going to do the
gym.
I'm probably the wrong guy togive you a recommendation on
what to do in the gym, but Iwould say go two to three days a
(28:17):
week with some simpleresistance training.
Do some daily movement likewalking, stretching, dancing
your kid, whatever doesn't makeyou hate life.
And keep it short 15 to 30minutes max.
Done is better than perfect.
You're not training for thefucking Olympics.
You're trying to lose weightand not lose your mind in the
process.
So what I'm saying here is thegym isn't bad.
(28:39):
It's definitely not bad.
It's just not required.
Look, if you love the gym, goCrush it, be you, do your thing,
but don't lie to yourself andpretend that you have to go in
order to start changing.
You don't.
You can start right now, today,in your living room, by walking
, by stacking one small movementhabit, by not waiting until you
(29:00):
have more time, because youknow what's better than a
perfect workout program, aconsistent movement habit that
you'll actually stick to?
So all right, here's the bigone, right?
All right?
So what should you actually beeating if you're not dieting.
All right, let me break it downwithout giving you a single
calorie count or a macro target,and this is the part that
(29:21):
breaks most people's brains.
Hey, jonathan, I'm not countingcalories, I'm not on a diet,
I'm not cutting out bread, whatthe fuck should?
Speaker 1 (29:29):
I be eating.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
Well, first off, take a deep breath.
I know it feels like we'retaking the training wheels off
your diet bicycle, but guesswhat?
Most of you are crashing thatbike into a wall anyway, with
all the tracking, restrictingand obsessing.
So let me simplify it for you.
You don't need a new diet.
You don't need a new diet.
(29:54):
You don't need a spreadsheet.
You need a few principles toguide your eating without
sucking the joy out of food.
And here's how you do it.
First, build your meal aroundprotein and plants.
And don't be in a panic here.
I'm not sending you the chickenand broccoli prison.
I'm just saying, if your mealshave a solid source of protein
and some kind of fruits orvegetables, you're 80% of the
way there.
I know you know this, but I'mgoing to tell you why you want
to have a lot of protein.
Well, number one it keeps youfull, it helps you retain the
muscles as you lose weight andit actually satisfies you,
(30:15):
unlike that light salad thatmakes you want to eat your
fucking arm two hours later.
And why vegetables and plants?
Well, fiber equals fullness,nutrients give you energy and
volume, and you're eating morefood, fewer calories and, of
course, less guilt.
That's your foundation.
It's not a rule book, it's nota trend.
(30:35):
It's just a common sensestructure.
And by all means don't cut outthe foods you love.
Learn to contain them.
You know what's worse thaneating pizza?
Obsessing about pizza 24-7because you're not allowed to
have it.
That's how binges start.
Here's the rule.
If you love it, keep it in yourlife.
Just give it a container.
(30:56):
So have two slices of pizzawith a salad.
Order a burger, skip the friesand add some vegetables.
Or eat the dessert, just notthe whole fucking cake, right?
Freedom with structure breedsrestriction.
Every time and always, try toeat like someone who cares about
their energy, not just theirweight.
Weight loss is nice, butsustainable energy, less brain
(31:17):
fog, better sleep For me,completely losing my snoring and
a mood that doesn't depend oncarbs, that's even better.
So ask yourself will this mealhelp me feel good in two hours,
not just now, not just while I'mshoveling down my throat, not
just while it's in your mouthTwo hours later, start there and
you'll eat like someone who'sin charge and not someone who's
(31:38):
chasing a fix.
You don't need perfection, youneed awareness and you need to
choose meals that make you feelgood now and later.
So the next thing people alwaysask me when I'm talking about
stackable habits is how tohandle social eating and travel
and off plan days without, likeyou know, shit in the bed, for
lack of a better term.
So this is the part of weightloss that no diet plan actually
(32:03):
prepares you for, ready for thisReal life.
I'm talking about dinners out,weekend trips, weddings,
airports, taco Tuesday.
I didn't plan a fucking thingtoday and now I'm starving.
Those are the moments thatbreak most people's progress,
and it's not because they're bad, but because you don't know how
to handle them without swingingbetween shame and self-sabotage
(32:24):
.
So here's your strategy and, bythe way, you don't need a
fucking food scale for this.
So rule number one, the mostimportant rule, is plan to be
imperfect and be okay with it.
Stop trying to be perfect.
That's what ruins people.
You go to a party, eat a burgerand a cupcake and suddenly act
like you murdered someone.
You need to start over Monday,but the truth is one meal didn't
(32:48):
ruin anything.
Your all or nothing mindsetthat ruins everything.
So expect imperfection, planfor it and choose better anyway.
Rule number two is control whatyou can and release what you
can't.
Can you control what's on therestaurant menu?
No.
Can you eat something beforeyou go out so you're not so
(33:10):
starving?
Yeah, you can do that.
Can you pick a protein-basedoption and skip the bread basket
?
You can do that.
Can you drink water betweenyour drinks?
I'm not saying don't have adrink, but between the drinks.
Can you eat slowly and enjoythe food and stop when you're
satisfied?
Yeah.
So focus on what you can do andjust let go of the shit you
can't control.
(33:31):
Rule number three is traveldoesn't mean abandon ship.
If you're flying, you'redriving, you're living at a
hotel.
Stop acting like you've beensentenced to some kind of
dietless wasteland.
Every gas station, airport andhotel has some option that isn't
a chili cheese dog or Pop-Tarts.
You can grab some jerky or somefruit or some protein bars.
(33:54):
You can order a fucking saladevery now and then you can say
no to the third cocktail thatyou don't even want.
You can do all things.
Travel is not the issue here.
Your choices are.
Rule number four and this is abig one, a lot of people do this
Don't make up for it the nextday If you go a little bit
overboard, big fucking deal.
(34:15):
You're human.
Don't starve yourself the nextday trying to undo it.
That's what keeps you stuck inthe binge restrict cycle forever
.
Instead, go back to normal Eatbreakfast, walk, stack your
habits, move on.
No drama, no punishment anddefinitely no cleanse.
Life is never predictable.
(34:36):
You're always going to haveweekends and birthdays, and
tacos and drinks.
They're always going to bethere.
So you can either keep crashingevery time life gets fun or you
can learn how to ride the wavewithout wiping out, and you do
that by choosing better, notperfect.
So I know that we've alreadycovered a lot and it's probably
(35:02):
more than some people were readyfor, but that's kind of the
point.
If you made it this far.
Here's what I want you to walkaway with.
One, you don't need a diet.
Two, you don't need a gym.
Three, you don't need to throweverything out in your fridge
and swear off fun for the next90 days.
What you need is stackablehabits, real, repeatable actions
that you can do in the middleof your messy, fucked up,
demanding, real-ass life.
And the good news you alreadyhave the schedule, you already
(35:24):
have the routines, you alreadyhave the time.
You're just filling with crapthat's keeping you stuck.
So now it's a choice Keeptrying to overhaul everything
and burning out like always, orstart stacking tiny habits that
move you forward without blowingup and fucking up your life.
I get it, man.
It's not sexy, it's not extreme, it's just smart and it works.
(35:46):
So here's your challenge.
Here's what I want.
Here's your homework.
I always wanted to give peoplehomework.
Here's your homework.
Pick one habit from today'sepisodes and start it today, not
next week, not when you feelmotivated Today, because, if you
think about it, this podcastisn't called shut up and wait
for motivation.
It's called shut up and choose,and now it's your move.
(36:10):
So that's stackable habits.
People want to hear about themand hopefully I gave you a
framework on how to use them.
You'll create your ownstackable habits, but don't rush
.
Make them so simple that theyjust feel stupid and those are
the habits that stick.
If you want to learn more aboutmy 140 plus pound weight loss
(36:30):
journey, I have a book calledShut Up and Choose.
It's available on Amazon,amazon bestseller.
You can read it in a couplehours.
It really goes deep into thekind of everything I went
through, and people write meemails all the time how it
changed their life.
I also have a video course forpeople who are more visual
learners.
It's called the EffortlessWeight Loss Academy.
It's a video course.
(36:51):
Well, I just said that.
It's 23 short videos, eachabout five to seven minutes.
You can watch the thing in acouple hours.
It really goes deep into themindset of how you can get
yourself in the right placementally to lose the weight.
You can get that atlearnshutupandchoosecom.
That's learnshutupandchoosecom.
So now you know all aboutstackable habits.
(37:12):
You know that it's all aboutchoice.
You know it's not aboutperfection.
You know that when you makesmall, smart choices and do
things that are so small, theyfeel stupid.
That's where the real weightloss comes.
That's where the realmotivation comes.
That's where the real progresscomes.
That's where the real progresscomes.
So make progress.
(37:32):
Don't strive to be perfect.
The only thing left now to dois to shut up and choose.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
You've been listening to Shut Up and Choose.
Jonathan's passion is to sharehis journey of shedding 130
pounds in less than a yearwithout any of the usual
gimmicks no diets, no pills.
And we'll let you in on alittle secret no fucking gym.
And guess what?
(38:00):
You can do it too.
We hope you enjoyed the show.
We had a fucking blast.
If you did, make sure to like,rate and review.
We'll be back soon, but in themeantime, find Jonathan on
Instagram atJonathanWrestlerBocaRaton.
Until next time, shut up andchoose.
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