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November 13, 2024 33 mins

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What if you could transform your life and shed over 140 pounds without the agony of strict diets or relentless exercise? I'm Jonathan Ressler, and I've done just that. In "Shut Up and Choose," I reveal how shifting your mindset can lead to sustainable weight loss and a healthier relationship with food. This episode kicks off by challenging conventional weight loss wisdom, focusing instead on the power of making small, smart choices that lead to real, lasting change. 

We tackle the mental game head-on, discussing how to transform your outlook on food from a source of comfort to genuine nourishment. Discover the art of mindful eating, learning to recognize hunger and fullness cues, and letting go of the all-or-nothing mentality. I share personal stories of overcoming setbacks, underscoring the importance of resilience and a growth mindset. With every stumble, there's a lesson to be learned and a new strategy to be forged, keeping your deeper "why" in the spotlight.

This episode dives into lifestyle choices that support a balanced approach to health and wellness. From putting down utensils between bites to celebrating non-scale victories like increased energy and endurance, it's all about creating habits that support your overall well-being. The journey is about enjoying the process, setting goals beyond the scale, and making each day an opportunity for positive change. Join me as I share insights and strategies that could inspire you to embark on your own transformative journey.

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Episode Transcript

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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.

(01:10):
Your host.

Speaker 2 (01:10):
Jonathan Ressler, welcome back to Shut Up and
Choose, the podcast that cutsthrough the noise of the fat
diets, the quick fixes and allthose unrealistic weight loss
promises.
I'm your host, jonathan Ressler, and I'm here to share the
brutally honest truth with youabout achieving sustainable
weight loss.
After losing over 140 poundswithout resorting to any crazy

(01:32):
diet, fad diet shots, pills orany of that and no exercise, I
discovered that the key tosuccess on a weight loss journey
is making small, smart choicesand embracing a balanced
lifestyle.
So, like I said, I'm going togive you some brutally honest
truth here, some practical tipsand definitely a lot of sarcasm
to help you take control of yourhealth and transform your life.
So let's get started.

(01:53):
So people are constantly askingme how is it that you say you
can eat anything you want, youdidn't do a diet, you didn't
count calories, you didn't haveany strict set of rules, and I
guess that does seem kind ofunbelievable when you think
about it.
But when I really sat back andtried to figure out why this
time was different for me I'vedone seriously over 100 diets

(02:16):
and succeeded on them all, buteventually and ultimately failed
on them all I think whatchanged for me was the mental
game.
There's a mental game of weightloss and it's all about how
sustainable change really startsin your mind.
So, when it comes to weightloss, most people focus on what
they're eating.
They're counting calories orcutting out carbs or tracking

(02:39):
their fats or doing their macrosor all that other bullshit that
comes with a fad diet, and thetruth of the matter is it's all
bullshit.
Here's the truth what you eatis only a part of the picture.
Lasting weight loss doesn'tbegin with food.
It starts in your mind, and Ireally thought about it after

(03:01):
the fact, honestly, but Ithought about the mental state
and the mindset shifts that Imade, and those are the real
drivers behind sustainableweight loss.
Retraining your mind to makepositive choices, to make small,
smart choices and really lookat and approach your food
differently is what trulycreates lasting change.
I think that mental strengthand getting your mind in the

(03:24):
right place is 80% of thejourney.
Yeah, you can say food is 80%,but the reality is, if your
mind's not in the right place,you're not going to make the
best choices and you're notgoing to do what's necessary and
you're not going to be able tomake it a lifestyle change.
So if you're tired of the cycleof diets and you want real,
lasting change, I've been onthis thing for 18 months and I'm

(03:44):
still losing.
Am I losing slower than I was?
Of course, I was 411 pounds,now I'm 270 pounds, but the
reality is I'm still losing.
I'm not maintaining, I'm losing.
So if you want to really getthat sustainable weight loss and
make it last, make it stick,it's time to stop obsessing over
the what and start focusing onthe how.

(04:06):
And here's why weight loss isall about mindset and how.
Making a mental shift not onlytransforms your weight, but it
really transforms your entirelife and it certainly transforms
your relationship with food.
The common misconception aboutweight loss is that if you can
find the perfect diet, theweight will melt away.
Well, if that was true, wecould just give people eat this,

(04:30):
this, this and that and therewill be no more overweight and
fat people.
So we know that's not true.
Everybody's body is different,everybody's tastes are different
, the things, the likes anddislikes, are different.
The truth is, every diet worksfor a while, until you get to
that place where the mentalstrain of the restriction and
the rules send you right offtrack.

(04:50):
People have different tastes.
If you tell me I have to eatboneless, skinless chicken, yeah
, I'll eat it for a little while, but then I'm going to want
something else.
The reality is, weight lossrequires more than willpower or
following a strict set of rulesTo make sustainable progress.
You need to create a newmindset and an approach to food
and approach your food in a waythat aligns with your long-term

(05:12):
goals.
So your mindset is whatdetermines whether you see the
challenges as obstacles oropportunities.
It's what keeps you consistentwhen your motivation fades or
fails and your discipline goesout the window.
But the mindset helps you viewsetbacks as learning moments
rather than failures, and that'sreally important.
So building a weight lossmindset means creating a

(05:32):
foundation of really good habitsthat support health, resilience
and balance, no matter what thescale says and we all know the
scale is a big one.
We'll talk about that in aminute.
So you have to change the wayyou see food For a lot of people
.
For me, food was an emotionalcomfort, a reward.
It was never really apunishment for me, but I liked

(05:55):
to eat when I was bored.
If I was bored, I would eat.
So I spent years approachingfood as a way to feel better
when I was stressed out, orcertainly to celebrate some
great event when I was happy hey, let's go out for dinner.
We'll eat like fucking animals,we'll worry about it tomorrow.
But this weight loss taught methat food can't be the only
source of comfort orsatisfaction in my life.

(06:15):
You have to focus on theimportance of retraining your
mind to see food as fuel ratherthan as an emotional fix.
The mental shift doesn't meanthat you have to give up the
enjoyment around food.
I always say food is one of thegreatest pleasures in life, but
what it means is that you haveto reframe your relationship
with food.

(06:35):
So when you shift thatperspective on your food, it
becomes less about indulgence orrestriction and more about the
balance.
Food becomes something thatnourishes you rather than
controls you.
By approaching food this way,you and I built a healthy
relationship that allows me theflexibility People always say.
Oh, you feed yourself.
Yeah, I have flexibility.

(06:56):
I'm not on a diet, I'm justtrying to eat smarter.
I'm trying to make small, smartchoices.
So you no longer feel a guiltor regret about a meal that you
ate or a snack that you ate.
Instead, you make choices basedon what you think will support
your goals and your well-being.
Going back to that feeding yoursoul thing if I feel like I
need to eat an ice cream sundaeright now, I'm going to eat it

(07:18):
because that's going to supportmy mental well-being.
Tomorrow or the next meal, I'llcertainly make a smarter choice
, a small smart choice, butright now, remember it's what
supports your goals, your whyand your well-being.
Well-being is so important.
I would say practice mindfuleating by slowing down and
savoring everybody.
I know that sounds crazy, but Iactually did.

(07:39):
I slowed down and I didn'tthink of all the kumbaya
bullshit like hey, think aboutwhere your food comes from.
Fuck that.
I just savored the taste and Islowed down and that helped me
to listen to my body's hungerand fullness cues and it created
a habit of eating withintention rather than impulse.
I was a big impulse eater.
I would love to eat at the dropof a hat and I always ate too

(08:01):
much.
I used to eat to the pointwhere I was like I was so full I
was going to be sick.
That was because I ate reallyfast.
I just shoveled it in.
So slow down and practicemindful eating.
The next thing, I think for me,which was probably, if not the
most powerful in the top few wasI ditched that all or nothing

(08:22):
mentality Every diet I was everon.
I was strict, I was strict, Iwas strict, I was strict, and
then I cheated.
So with paleo, I ate meat, meat, meat, meat, meat all the
things you do in paleo.
And then I had a piece of breadand it all went downhill from
there.
So most people start out theirweight loss journey full of
motivation.
Right, I was determined tostick to this new routine

(08:43):
perfectly.
But here's where that all ornothing mentality becomes a huge
pitfall.
Life is unpredictable, right.
We have social events, stress,busy schedules.
All that stuff throws a wrenchinto your best laid plans.
Every time I started to dietfor the first few weeks I was

(09:03):
all in.
You'd have to hit me with acrowbar to get me a baseball bat
to get me off the diet.
But that all or nothingmentality kind of goes away.
That motivation kind of goesaway.
That motivation kind of goesaway.
So when you approach this weightloss, when you approach your
journey with an all or nothingmindset, one small slip up makes
you feel like you failedcompletely and that leads to

(09:23):
giving up altogether.
Like I said, I had that youknow.
First I tasted a piece of bread.
Then I said, well, I can havesome French fries.
And before you know it, I waseating in just a way that could
not.
You couldn't even putmaintenance in the way I was
eating.
But when you adopt this weightloss mindset, it helps you
accept that life isn't going tobe perfect and, more importantly

(09:46):
, progress is not linear.
You don't always lose.
You don't need to be all inevery day.
By adopting that mindset thatprioritizes consistency over
perfection, you're able to stickto your healthy choices even
when the things get tough.
Sustainable weight loss is notabout being perfect.
Restriction, yes, that's aboutbeing perfect.

(10:07):
But sustainable weight loss isnot about being perfect.
It's about making the bestchoice in every moment and
bouncing back when things don'tgo the way you planned.
So I say replace your thoughtslike I messed up today, so it's
all over, and I've said that athousand times.
I messed up today, so I'llstart this again tomorrow, after
the weekend.

(10:27):
But replace that thinking withI can make my next choice a good
choice.
Replace that thinking with Ican make my next choice a good
choice.
And remember it sounds crazy,but every meal is an opportunity
to make a positive change.
The next thing is, I think youhave to have some emotional
resilience.
Emotional resilience isoverlooked in weight loss, but
it's one of I think, one of themost important factors for

(10:49):
long-term success.
Life comes with stress anddisappointment and frustration.
Without a resilient mindset,it's easy to turn to food as a
coping mechanism when things gowrong.
I know I sure did.
When things weren't going myway, I could eat myself into
happiness.
But was it really happiness?
Sure, it was short-termhappiness, but it wasn't
long-term happiness.
So emotional resilience isabout learning to handle life's

(11:13):
ups and downs in a way thatdoesn't rely on food for comfort
.
So don't turn to food.
I stopped, I consciouslystopped turning to food to give
me comfort.
I emphasize that buildingresilience starts with
self-awareness andself-compassion.
Self-awareness everybody hateswhen I say it, but it's.
You're fat because you chooseto be fat, your choices got you

(11:34):
to be fat.
Sorry, boo-hoo, that's a fact.
And the self-compassion insteadof judging yourself every time
you have a setback, beunderstanding why that happened
and maybe you can even grow fromit.
By managing your emotionswithout turning to food, you
build this powerful foundationfor weight loss that isn't
easily shaken by all the shitthat flows your way, even in a

(11:58):
major shit storm.
So I would say I did this.
I created a list of non-foodways that I can handle stress or
difficult emotions, and thatmeans it could be going for a
walk, which I didn't do in thebeginning, it could be calling a
friend, writing shit down in ajournal if you do that thing, or
engaging in a hobby.
For me, truthfully, I worked assoon as I was having one of

(12:18):
those emotional moments where Ithought I was going to eat.
I would just jump into work anddistract my mind.
It was the only thing, or itwas a thing that could keep me.
That would get my mind off thatemotional eating.
So having alternatives toeating helps you break that
emotional eating habit, and Ijust talked about this a second
ago.

(12:39):
You need to look at yoursetbacks as stepping stones, not
failures.
Setbacks are going to happen onany weight loss journey.
I don't care who you are, Idon't care how you do it.
It's just, it's not possible.
The lives that we live today.
There's no way that you can beperfect, but how you respond to
all them makes all thedifference in the world.
A strong weight loss mindsetsees setbacks.

(13:00):
I never looked at a setback asa failure.
If I eat ice cream or I eat adonut, it was never a failure,
but it was a learningopportunity.
Okay, why did I eat that?
And, by the way, no food wasever off limits, so sometimes I
just needed to feed my soul.
And that's okay, as long as Imake my next choice a small,
smart choice.
So when you approach yourjourney with a growth mindset,

(13:20):
you realize that every misstepis a chance to learn something,
learn something new aboutyourself.
Why did I eat that?
Why did I drive 10 miles to goto my favorite donut place?
I was bored or I was upset orwhatever it was, but so I
learned something about myselfand my habits and, honestly, my
triggers.
So, instead of looking at yourslip up or your setback as proof

(13:40):
that you can't do it, see it asa reminder of what doesn't work
for you, and this is a chanceto course correct right by
focusing on the long game ratherthan the immediate results, and
that's important.
We're focusing on the long game.
Weight loss is a journey, it'snot a race.
But by focusing on that longgame, you're able to view every
challenge as a step forward,even if it doesn't feel that way

(14:02):
in that particular moment.
If you have a setback, take aminute and think about well, hey
, why did I eat that?
Why did I do that?
A lot of times you'll find outyou're just plain old, bored.
But whatever your trigger is,you know, were you tired, were
you stressed or distracted?
Understanding that why helpsyou to build strategies to
handle similar situations betternext time.

(14:23):
I'm not telling you I never eatout of boredom, I never eat out
of emotion.
I do.
I'm not perfect, nowhere close,but at least I recognize it.
And that's the important part.
When you start to recognizeyour triggers and your habits,
it gives you a lot of power.
I also think when we talk aboutmotivation whatever motivation
is definitely an incredible tool, but it's also very fickle and

(14:46):
it's fleeting.
It comes and goes, and usuallythe time that it comes, or
usually the time that it goes,rather rather is when you need
it the most.
And that, to me, is why myjourney wasn't about relying on
motivation alone.
I think motivation andwillpower are completely
overrated.
It's about building andunderstanding your why.

(15:06):
Why do you want to lose theweight?
Understanding your why helpsyou to make choices based on
your goals and your values, evenwhen your motivation and your
discipline is nowhere to befound.
If you think, why am I eatingthis?
Or does this help me get to mywhy, which, again for me, was to
live?
But now it's to be healthierevery day.
It's going to help you to stayon track.

(15:30):
My commitment to myself wasthat I was going to live because
I was 411 pounds and honestlyready to die, but even now, as
my why changes of beinghealthier every day, my
commitment to me is aboutshowing up every single day,
making small, smart choicesevery single day, even when it's
tough.

(15:50):
So, developing a mindset basedon your why or your motivation
for getting it done, rather thanjust motivation because I want
to lose weight, that's abullshit why.
Okay, if you have a number goalfor the scale, that's a
bullshit why.
But understanding why youreally want to lose the weight
and, by the way, if you don'tknow how to set your why, I do

(16:11):
have a podcast episode on that.
I don't know what it is, butyou can go back and look at it.
And anyway, developing thatmindset, you know, helps you
keep going on the days when,honestly, you'd rather sit on
the couch than go out for a walk.
And again, I didn't walk untileight or 10 months into it.
But now I go out and walk andthere are days when I would just
rather sit my fat ass on thecouch and watch TV.

(16:32):
But then I tell myself that'snot in line with my why.
I want to be healthier.
So if I go out, even if I onlywalk, you know, a half a mile or
a mile, it's better than doingnothing.
So when that pint of ice creamis calling you, think about why
it's calling you and, believe me, the ice cream calls me.
But I think about it and say,do I really want that right now?
So your why is what gets youthrough the daily challenges.

(16:56):
And the more you practice it,the more you recognize and
understand your why, thestronger you become when you
want to do something, when youwant to make that bad choice.
So I would say to you I do thisnow.
I set a schedule for my healthyhabits.
Every morning I go out and walk.
It's just what I do, even whenI don't want to.

(17:16):
And again, I'm not perfectthere, but I try to be as
perfect as I can.
I try to make themnon-negotiable appointments with
myself.
You know, like something that Iwould have like if I had a work
meeting or some importantsocial event.
It's not something that I'mwilling to miss.
I would only miss it in anemergency or sometimes if I'm
just feeling like a lazy fat tubof shit.
But I try not to miss them.

(17:38):
I can say that I probably misstwo or three a month.
That's it so, but by creatingthat structure, I make my
walking, I make my you know mywhy which is be healthy every
day.
I make that a habit rather thana daily choice.
Another thing that you canthink of is you have to and this

(17:58):
is important.
This kind of goes back to whatI talked about in the very
beginning, which is how can youeat whatever you want and you
know and not count count.
Well, the reality is you haveto create a flexible
relationship with food and apositive relationship with food.
People start out their weightloss journey on the fad diets
and the gyms and all that crazyshit with a list literally a

(18:20):
list of good and bad foods,believing that avoiding the bad
foods will keep them on track.
That's one of the things Italked about the paleo diet that
came out a few weeks ago andthat has a list of good and bad
Name a diet.
Every diet has a list of goodand bad Name a diet.
Every diet has a list of goodand bad foods, but the reality
is labeling those foods asoff-limit backfires.
It backfires for me and Iguarantee it backfires for you.

(18:41):
It leads to cravings binging,and when you do that, when you
eat those quote-unquote badfoods because they're labeled
bad foods, you feel guilty.
So a good, solid weight lossmindset lets you let go of the
rigid labels and it embracesflexibility and balance.
And you know what?
When you want to eat something,eat it.
Just don't eat a lot of it anddon't eat it all the time.

(19:04):
So a positive relationship withfood allows you to indulge
occasionally without feelingguilty.
I know I said this five minutesago, but I'll say it again.
I feed my soul once a week, orsometimes more.
I eat what I want to eat,because that's what normal
people do.
I have friends who are theperfect height and weight and
they eat shit.
They eat the quote unquote badfoods, but they're eating the

(19:26):
good foods, the right foods.
They're making small, smartchoices more often than they're
not.
So it's about making choicesthat support your goals but also
allow for enjoyment.
My video course is called LiveLife, love Food, lose Weight.
I don't believe that you canlose weight if you're not living
your life and loving your food.
When you can eat mindfully butwith flexibility, you create a

(19:48):
sustainable approach thatdoesn't feel restrictive at all.
I do not feel like I have beenon a diet for one minute over
the last 18 months.
So if you're craving somethingthat isn't typically part of
your plan, whatever your planmay be enjoy it without guilt
and then just move on.
Move on to the next choice andmake the next choice a better

(20:09):
choice.
Practicing that kind of mindsethelps the honestly, for me, it
helps to reduce my urge toovereat and to eat, overindulge
and eat all this bad shit,because I know I can have it
anytime and if I decide I wantto have it, I'll have it, and
that helps you create thisbalanced mindset.
I talked a little bit aboutmindful eating, but this is

(20:31):
really really critical.
Mindful eating is about beingpresent when you're eating, when
you're eating your meals andeven if you're snacking.
It helps you to tune into yourhunger and your fullness cues,
something that I never well.
I always knew where my hungercue was, but I never recognized
my fullness cue.
It helps you to tune into yourbody's cues and when we eat

(20:52):
mindlessly which I did for 59years with short intermittent
bursts of diet and restrictionbut when we eat mindlessly I
don't know if you're scrollingthrough your phone or you're
watching TV when you eat it's alot easier to overeat because
you're not paying attentionright.
You're paying attention towhat's going on your phone or
what's happening on the TV andyou're still shoveling the food.
In developing that habit ofmindful eating shifts the focus

(21:17):
from what you're eating to howyou're eating, which is a key to
the sustainable weight lossmindset.
So by eating mindfully, youlearn to appreciate your food
and recognize when you're fullNot something I was good at but
when you can recognize yourfullness cue, obviously, it
naturally reduces overeating andoverindulgence.

(21:37):
You also get a greater awarenessof how certain foods make you
feel, making it easier to makechoices that support your health
goals.
There are certain foods that Ieat that I get nauseous, or I
used to get nauseous afterwardsbecause I ate so much, it was so
rich or whatever.
Now that I recognize that, Iavoid eating too much of that
food.
So take a few breaths beforeyou start to eat and put your

(22:02):
utensils down between bites.
I know that sounds crazy.
I ate so fast all the time.
I was just eating in like acircular motion.
When I put my fork down or myspoon down between bites, it
really makes a difference.
It helps slow down my eating,for sure, and it makes it a lot
easier to actually enjoy yourmeal and notice when you're full
.
The next thing I think we needto discuss is making your health

(22:26):
a priority, not an obsession.
There's a big differencebetween making weight loss a
priority and becoming obsessedwith it.
I can tell you, on each one ofthe 100 diets that I did, I was
obsessed with in the beginning,but this time I wasn't.
I had a healthy mindset and Iknow that while weight loss was
important, it wasn't the onlything for me that mattered,

(22:46):
because I wanted to live.
Obsessing over every meal orevery calorie creates stress.
You know I'm against caloriecounting and figuring out
fucking macros on keto.
I mean that just becomes.
That's just work and it makesthe whole process feel like a
burden rather than a positivechange, like oh, I got to.
I told you I had an app on myiPhone to see if things were

(23:07):
paleo or not.
So instead, making your health apriority means creating a
lifestyle that you enjoy andthat supports your why and your
goals, without consuming yourentire life.
I was not consumed with myweight loss.
It was important to me, don'tget me wrong, because I wanted
to live, and even now it'simportant to me because I want
to be healthier every day, butit's not my entire life.

(23:29):
If I want to go out and have adonut or drink a few drinks, I'm
going to do it.
It's about being committed, butalso being flexible, and you
have to find the balance thatworks for you.
I found the balance that worksfor me and if you do this for a
while, you'll find the balancethat works for you.
I would say that even schedulesome self-care days one or two a

(23:54):
week where you focus onsomething other than weight loss
, right.
Two a week where you focus onsomething other than weight loss
right.
Use the time to relax, rechargeand remind yourself that your
well-being is about more than afucking number on a scale.
The number on the scale is theworst goal you can have because,
honestly, you could fluctuatetwo or three pounds a day and
still be eating, making greatchoices, but your body just

(24:15):
retains water more times.
If you're going to eat saltierfoods, you're going to put on
weight that next day.
Now I also told you that Iweighed myself obsessively, so I
knew how that worked.
But weigh yourself asfrequently as you want, as far
as I'm concerned, but really atthe end of the week.
That's when you're going tounderstand whether you put on or
lost weight and if you'reeating mindfully, you're going

(24:38):
to lose the weight.
And that brings me to set goalsthat are beyond just weight
loss.
Probably the biggest mind shiftI made was to set goals that had
nothing to do with the scale.
I told you that my main goalwas to live, because I was
literally dying of being so fat,but now it's to be healthier
every day.
Weight loss is still my maingoal, but there's so much more

(25:01):
to health than the number on ascale by setting your goals
around strength, endurance,energy.
For me, endurance was importantbecause I couldn't walk 100
feet, so endurance was reallyimportant to me.
Or even sleep quality.
I do focus on my sleep.
I try to get at least sevenhours of sleep every night, and
probably eight if I can, or nine.
Sometimes on the weekend I'llsleep nine hours.
But by creating goals aroundthings other than the number on

(25:25):
the scale, you're creating awell-rounded approach to
wellness that keeps youmotivated, that helps you get to
your why, and it does that evenwhen the scale isn't moving.
I hit a number of plateausduring my journey, but I just
kept going because I knew I wasgetting healthier.
I knew I was.
Instead of being able to walk,you know, a hundred yards, I
could walk a thousand yards.

(25:46):
Instead of being able to walk aquarter mile, I could walk a
half a mile, and those werereally motivating for me.
So when you have multiple areasof focus, it's a hell of a lot
easier to stay consistentbecause you're not tying all of
your success to that one metric,which is the number on the
scale.
You might have a goal ofcompleting a 5k.
For me, it was being able towalk more than 100 yards.

(26:08):
Now I'm walking five miles aday, but it might be completing
that 5k, doing something,lifting a certain amount of
weight or just feeling moreenergetic every day.
Those are the things thatprovide tangible wins, that
build confidence and keep youexcited about the journey that
you're on.
I'm excited every day to seewhat good choices and sometimes

(26:29):
what bad choices I'll make.
I always set one non-scale goalevery couple weeks or every
month, and that, to me, wasbeing able to walk further.
I had a lot of events where Ihad to.
You know a lot of things withmy kids and friends where I
couldn't walk, and that was Iwas tired after a hundred yards.
So for me, the non-scale goalwas being able to walk further

(26:52):
and being able to walk better.
So it might be.
I think my next goal is goingto be I want to improve my
flexibility.
I'm about as flexible as a twoby four.
Or if you're a gym person,which you know, I'm not, maybe
it's trying a new workout,something that you couldn't do.
Those goals, those non-scalegoals, those other goals, give
you something to celebratebeyond the weight and it keeps

(27:13):
your motivation and your whyfresh and that's really
important.
And the last one I know I'vesaid a lot of these are the most
important one, but the truth isthe last one might be the most
important one, and that's allabout embracing patience and the
long game.
I always tell you it's ajourney, not a race.

(27:34):
Lasting weight loss takes timeand being patient is a crucial
part of the process.
When I started out, I was like,oh my God, I need to lose over
100 pounds.
I can never.
How the fuck could I do that?
And then I just startedthinking okay, well, I'll lose a
few pounds at a time.
So, yes, could you go on aquick fix diet?
Sure, I thought about it andthen I said, no, I can't do that

(27:55):
again.
Quick fixed diets promise thosecrazy results, immediate
results but they don't work longterm.
As a failure on over 100 diets,I can tell you that from
firsthand experience.
Sustainable weight loss is aboutmaking small, consistent, smart
changes over time.
It's about building a mindsetthat values the long game and

(28:17):
that helps you stay focused evenwhen your progress feels slow,
because it will happen, it willcome.
So when you're focused on thelong term, you're less likely to
fall into the trap of going ona crash diet.
I'm going to go paleo.
I'm going to do a juice cleanse.
I'm going to go Weight Watchers.
I'm going to do whatever it is,whatever it is.
Instead, you can make choicesthat you can keep up for years,

(28:41):
knowing that real transformationis a marathon, not a sprint.
I always talk about oh, there'sa lifestyle change.
I did that on every diet I wason, but I honestly believe this
time it's a lifestyle change forme because I'm not dieting.
You know what I think aboutthis.
Write down your why forstarting the weight loss journey
, but really, really get yourwhy.

(29:01):
It's not to lose 50 pounds.
It's not to lose 20 pounds bysome wedding or event.
That's not a why.
A why is deeper.
It's deep inside you.
When you think you know yourwhy, think a little more.
So write down your why andrevisit it whenever you're
starting to feel impatient oryou're feeling weak.
Just revisit your why.

(29:22):
Focus on that deep reason thatyou want to change and that will
keep you grounded and committed.
Even when your progress feelslike it's slow, you're making
progress every single day, withevery small smart choice.
So those are the big thingsthat I wanted to talk about.
If there's one thing that I hopeyou take away, it's weight loss
isn't about following a perfectdiet or some crazy exercise

(29:45):
plan.
It's about building a mindsetthat supports consistency,
resilience and balance.
You have to have balance inyour life.
You have to live life, lovefood to lose weight.
So when you focus on the mentalstrength and you train yourself
to approach food and evenexercise which is hard for me to
say but food, exercise andself-care.

(30:07):
With patience and positivity,you set yourself up for success,
and that's not just in weightloss, that's in every aspect of
your life.
So building a healthy mindsetis a journey.
It's an ongoing journey, butit's also the most rewarding
part.
When you retrain your mind, youempower yourself to make

(30:27):
choices that align with yourvalues and goals and your why,
and you're creating asustainable approach to health
and wellness that will last alifetime that sustainable weight
loss.
Anybody could lose 20 poundshere and there and put it all
back on Guilty as charged, butbeing on a weight loss journey

(30:50):
and sustaining it, you need tohave your mind fully engaged.
So think about the things thatI said earlier in this podcast
and if you have to go back andlisten, because I promise you,
those are the foundations yourmind is the foundation of a
sustainable weight loss journey.
That's it for today.

(31:10):
I will say thank you to everyonewho's been buying my book.
As I've told you, we're anAmazon bestseller.
The reviews are great.
People are always writing inand telling me how much I've
helped them, and that's the mostgratifying thing I can hear.
I also have.
If you want to really dive deepin this thing and really change
your life, check out my onlinevideo course, which is 23 videos

(31:35):
, and it'll probably take youtwo hours to watch the whole
thing, rather, but it reallydives deep into how to do this
thing and make it work.
You can find that atlearnshutupandchoosecom.
That's learnshutupandchoosecom.
So again, thanks for tuning in.
If you know somebody that needsa good kick in the ass, I'm
here to be that kick in the assfor them.

(31:56):
I hope you're getting valuefrom spending your time with me.
I can tell you I'm not anutritionist, I'm not a doctor,
but I'm a guy that did it inreal life, and you know what
Authenticity is everything to me.
I can go get a certification asa nutritionist or some other
kind of letters after my name,but the reality is I did it.

(32:16):
I didn't have somebody tell mehow to do it.
I just went out and did it, andyou can do it too, if you shut
up and choose.

Speaker 1 (32:26):
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?

(32:46):
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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