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, jonathan.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Ressler.
Hey, welcome back to Shut Upand Choose, the podcast that
cuts through the noise of thefat diets, the quick fixes and
all the unrealistic bullshitweight loss promises that the
internet is giving you and tonsof other people out there giving
you.
I'm your host, jonathanwrestler, and I'm here to share
the brutally honest truth aboutachieving sustainable weight
(01:31):
loss.
After losing over 140 poundswithout resorting to any extreme
diets or exhaustive actuallynot even exhaustive any exercise
regimen other than a little bitof walking, I discovered that
the key to success lies inmaking small, mindful choices
and mindful is going to be a bigpart of today's what we're
going to talk about, so andembracing a balanced lifestyle.
(01:52):
So let's get into this thing.
I'm going to give you thebrutally honest truth, some
practical tips and definitely ahealthy dose of sarcasm to help
you take control of your healthand ultimately transform your
life.
Sarcasm to help you takecontrol of your health and
ultimately transform your life.
So, before we jump into themain topic, I just want to say I
hope that those of you wholistened last week didn't piss
(02:13):
away your money and join the gym, do anything stupid like that,
because, until your mindset isin the right place.
You're just wasting your moneybecause it's not going to stick.
But anyway, if you've eversearched for how to lose weight
fast on Google or something,you're definitely not alone.
I know I've searched it.
I searched it for as long asGoogle's been around.
That was one of my top searches.
(02:34):
The appeal of quick fixes ishard to resist.
Who wouldn't want to shedpounds overnight without lifting
a finger?
I know I sure did.
I think most people do.
Unfortunately, that's notreality.
So, if you're being honest, ifwe're really talking like just
person to person, those too goodto be true promises they're
just that false.
They're too good to be true, sothey are not true.
(02:56):
The diet industry thrives onselling you short-term solutions
that don't last and that keepsyou stuck in a frustrating cycle
of weight loss and, as most ofus know, regained it.
Like every time I went on adiet and was successful, I
gained all the weight back andthen some more.
So the truth is sustainableweight loss is not a sprint.
You've heard me say that before.
(03:16):
It's a marathon.
It takes time and patiencewhich is something that I lack
and I think most people lack ona weight loss journey and a
serious mindset shift, and thatwas what I learned.
That's really what I want totalk about today is the mindset
shift.
When you get over that quickfix mentality and you embrace a
long-term approach, you're notonly going to reach your goals,
which you know well we'll talk alittle bit more about goals but
(03:38):
you'll maintain them for life.
And that's the key.
Everybody sure anybody can loseweight doing a quick fix diet.
The question is can you sustainit and maintain it for life?
So today I just want to talkabout the trap of the diet
industry's quick fixes, whysustainable weight loss does
actually require patience andconsistency, and how you can
give yourself or how you canshift your mindset into a weight
(04:00):
loss mindset, and I'm alsoactually going to give you some
actionable steps to help you getstarted.
So if you're ready to break thecycle of quick fixes and build
something that actually works,let's jump in.
So let's talk a little for asecond just about the diet
industry.
I don't have to tell you thediet industry is a multi-billion
dollar industry every year andthey're selling desperation
(04:22):
disguised as a solution.
They're not really selling youthe solution, they're selling
you a quick fix, but they're, Iguess, focused on your
desperation to lose weight.
Their promise, of course, israpid weight loss with minimal
effort, and weight loss is nothard.
I always say that pisses peopleoff.
I actually think it's easy.
It's just that keeping itsustainable to maintain that
(04:46):
weight loss over time is wherethe real problems come in,
because all you're doing isfollowing a meal plan and not
really getting your head in thegame.
And until your head's in thegame you can't even compete.
So the goal of the weight lossindustry clearly is to keep you
dependent on their products andplans.
And the way they get you.
You know all.
You know all those fad dietsare.
They eliminate entire foodgroups or severely restrict your
(05:08):
calories, or have you countingthis and doing these macro?
It's bullshit, because thetruth is a lot of it is really
just quick water weight loss.
It's not fat loss.
And the moment that you go backto eating regularly, the weight
comes back on and, like I saidin my case, and possibly your
case too, and then some.
It's not just you lose theweight that you lost, it's not
(05:29):
that.
You rather regain the weightyou lost.
You regain the weight and thena few more pounds and just kind
of keeping you in that cycle,that endless cycle of yo-yo
dieting.
Second thing they use, I don'thave to tell you, in the world,
zempik and Gove and all thesedrugs, detox teas, fat burners,
appetite suppressants, they'reall marketed as miracle cures
(05:50):
and again, I think they probablywork.
Most of the supplements, thesestupid pills, they don't work.
I'm not telling you that theweight loss shots don't work.
Of course they do, but again,they don't last.
As soon as you go off that drugor that supplement or whatever
it is that's working for you,you're going to put the weight
back on and I definitely believethat in time we're going to
learn that a lot of those thingsactually are going to harm your
(06:13):
health.
So I'm not a big fan of those.
I'm not against the weight lossshots.
I just don't think they'resustainable.
They don't give you asustainable lifestyle.
And, of course, the weight lossindustry is chock full of
bullshit advertising, all thesecrazy before and after pictures
of celebrity endorsements.
You know my feelings on Oprahand how Weight Watchers was the
(06:35):
greatest thing in the worlduntil she found those epic.
Then she threw Weight Watchersunder the bus and now she's a
separate person.
But it's the promise ofeffortless weight loss and the
reality is those transformationsthat you see that.
You see this before and afterpictures.
They're either definitelyunsustainable, but I also think
they're staged.
Quick fixes fail becausethey're built on extremes, not
sustainability.
(06:56):
They might deliver theshort-term results they always
did for me, but they neglect thebigger picture, which is your
habits, your mindset and youroverall health.
So the reality is you can'tlive on meal replacements or
extreme restrictions forever.
It's just not possible.
There was never a diet that Iwas on that I said.
This time it's a lifestylechange.
(07:16):
Yeah, until it's not so,they're unsustainable.
Do think that you can hurt yourbody.
Certainly, I don't think yo-yodieting is good for anybody.
Gaining weight, losing weight,gaining weight, losing weight.
But most importantly, you getburnt out from it.
Right, making drastic changesin your life all at once, like
yesterday I ate candy and todayI'm not eating any carbs, and
(07:37):
that's just mentally exhaustingto make that kind of change.
And then what comes from that?
What happens when you makethese drastic changes?
You slip up.
It's human nature.
You're going to make a mistake.
Then the guilt and frustrationcan lead to giving up altogether
, which happened for me everysingle time I was going.
(07:58):
I was going, I was going andthen all of a sudden I have a
slip up, I have a fuck up andI'm done because I can't do this
.
So I guess patience in all thisis really the superpower in the
world of weight loss.
Unlike the quick fixes whichfocus on immediate gratification
, sustainable weight loss takesa gradual approach.
It's not going to happenovernight.
(08:19):
You didn't get fat overnightand you're not going to get
healthy overnight.
It's just, it's not reality.
I'm not saying you can't havebig weight losses in the first
week or so, but the reality isto really lose any significant
amount of weight, it takes timeand it takes patience and it
allows your body and your mindto adapt to the changes.
(08:39):
That's really important.
Your mind is the most importantpart of this equation, of the
weight loss equation, and it'sthe one that, of course, the
diet industry never wants totalk about, because theirs is
all about what meals, what foodsyou should eat, what you should
combine with this and that.
But the reality is, until yourhead is in the game, like I said
before, you can't even compete,you can't play.
Weight loss is just as much andhonestly I think more a mental
(09:02):
journey as a physical one.
Without the right mindset, eventhe best diet or exercise plan
will fail, and you know how Ifeel about exercise anyway.
If you're going to the gym tolose weight, you're fucking
wasting your time because weightloss happens in the kitchen,
not in the gym.
You can't out exercise a baddiet, period Done.
There's nothing to even discussthere.
I'll do another episode on howlong it would take you to burn
(09:27):
the calories of Big Mac, but Ithink it's like half of a
marathon.
You'd have to run half amarathon just to burn those
calories off.
So you can't out-exercise a baddiet.
The truth is, your mentalapproach influences every choice
you make, from the food you eatto whether or not you stay
consistent when motivation wanesand it always wanes.
(09:48):
Mindset really is the mostimportant thing because it
shapes your beliefs.
If you believe you'll fail, youprobably will.
But on the flip side, believingyour ability to improve, to
make better choices, better,small, smart choices, your
success is much more likely andyour mindset absolutely fuels
your action.
So a strong mindset helps youstay disciplined and focused,
(10:09):
even when the results are slow,and there are going to be times
when they're fast and times whenthey're slow.
Your mindset also determinesyour longevity how long you're
going to do it Sustainable.
Weight loss is a marathon andyour mindset is what keeps you
in the race.
It's not going to happen fast.
It's not a sprint.
That's what the diet industrysells, but that's not
sustainable.
So here's some components of aweight loss mindset, because the
(10:31):
first thing you have to dowhich is why I said you're
wasting your money at the gymlast week is you have to adapt
this weight loss mindset.
So the first thing is you haveto get into this growth mindset.
A growth mindset is the beliefthat you can improve with effort
and learning.
It's about seeing challenges asopportunities to grow, not as
roadblocks to success.
(10:51):
So a fixed mindset which islike, oh, I'll never lose weight
leads to self-sabotage.
If you believe that you'reright, you will never lose
weight, it leads toself-sabotage If you believe
that you're right, you willnever lose weight.
But a growth mindset helps you,keep you motivated and open to
change.
And what can happen if you makesmall, smart choices and the way
you develop.
That is pretty easy.
You just have to reframe yourfailures as learning experiences
(11:13):
.
Like, hey, I did this diet, Icut out carbs for six months and
I lost a lot of weight, butthen I put it all back on.
Well, you know what I learned?
That that doesn't work for me.
So reframe your failures aslearning experience and
celebrate your effort Thingslike making small, smart choices
, even if the scale doesn'tbudge.
There are going to be timeswhen the scale doesn't move.
(11:34):
You might even put on a couplepounds, because everybody knows
your body weight fluctuatesdaily.
The second one is I believe youhave to focus on the process,
not the outcome.
If you're obsessing over yourend goal, that can be
overwhelming, especially if yourend goal is a stupid goal like
fitting into a certain sizedress or pair of pants or
picking a number.
(11:55):
It's overwhelming anddefinitely discouraging.
Instead, focus on the dailyactions that'll help you
actually get there to behealthier, and that's critical,
because loving the process, thishealthy eating, these small
smart choices, some regularmovement and again, I didn't do
a lot of movement, but even thewalking and the self-care
(12:15):
ensures that you stick with thislong-term.
So really learn to love theprocess, and one of the ways you
can do that is to break yourgoals down into actionable steps
, and I don't mean meal prepping, because I'm not a big believer
in that, but it could besomething as silly as hey, I
want to eat breakfast and I wantto have X amount of protein
this morning and if you do it,that's a win, right?
(12:36):
If you love to eat candy everyday, you don't eat candy today,
that's a win.
So break it down to theseactionable steps and then you
have to track the non-scalevictories, because there's going
to be more non-scale victoriesthan there are scale victories.
So it might be things like youhad a great night's sleep
because you ate well that day,or all of a sudden you feel like
(12:58):
you can move better, you mighthave increased energy.
But really look and be aware ofthose non-scale victories,
because they're really important.
The scale should not be theonly indicator of whether or not
you're making progress towardyour goal, toward getting
healthier.
And the third thing is you haveto really work on and cultivate
resilience.
(13:18):
So weight loss isn't linear.
I was just saying that beforethere's going to be setbacks,
there's going to be plateaus andthere's definitely going to be
days when you feel like givingup, like fuck, I just want to
eat this or whatever.
But be resilient.
It's critical because withoutit, without resilience, one bad
day or even one bad meal canspiral into a week, a month,
(13:40):
whatever, however long of reallyunhealthy choices.
So be resilient.
And the way you can remainresilient is to practice this
self-compassion.
If I made a mistake, if I made asmall bad choice, no problem, I
could just go back to makingbetter choices with the very
next choice.
So acknowledge the mistakewithout any judgment.
Oh man, I fucked up.
(14:00):
No, oh yeah, I made a badchoice.
I ate a donut.
I made a bad choice.
I ate three slices of pizza.
Whatever, that bad choice isfine.
You didn't blow the fuckingdiet, you didn't blow everything
you've done.
You made a bad choice.
And you really have to shiftthat inner dialogue to focus on
what you can do next, not onwhat you did wrong.
(14:21):
That's a big one for people.
They say oh, you know, I atethis.
I blew the whole thing.
No, you didn't.
I know, I just said that aminute ago.
But the truth is, focus on whatyou're going to do next.
Yes, I made that mistake.
I ate three hamburger, whateverit is, but the next thing I'm
going to do is a small smartchoice.
So that's really a criticalpiece is really cultivate that
resilience and forgive yourself.
(14:43):
The fourth one is you have todevelop patience and
self-compassion.
This is a tough one.
Sustainable weight loss takestime.
I don't care what quick fix, Idon't care what some online guru
or some jerk-off trainer tellsyou.
The reality is, sustainableweight loss takes time.
Being patient and kind toyourself during the process is
(15:03):
an absolute key to beingconsistent.
You have to be your own bestadvocate, and that's critical,
because that impatience leads tofrustration and, honestly,
leads to giving up.
It leads to frustration and,honestly, it leads to giving up.
So self-compassion preventsthat burnout and, most
importantly, prevents thatnegative self-talk oh I can't do
(15:25):
this anymore.
Oh this is so hard.
No, it's not, it's fucking easy.
It's easy when your head's inthe game.
So you can build that by settingrealistic expectations.
Aim for, like I don't know, apound or two pounds a week, but
don't I want to lose 10 poundsby the end of the week.
You're setting yourself up forfailure.
Hey, if you lose 10 pounds,fantastic.
(15:48):
And if you lose 10 pounds thisweek, your next week's goal
shouldn't be to lose another 10pounds, because it's not
realistic.
When you start eating properly,you are going to lose some
water weight.
So the first couple of weeksit's going to come off fast, but
the reality is set a realisticgoal for how much weight you
want to lose and how you'regoing to lose.
Don't just say, yeah, I want tolose 50 pounds in six months.
That's not real.
I mean, it could be real, youcould accomplish it, but you
(16:10):
don't know if you're succeedingor failing because you won't
know until six months later.
So set realistic small goals andyou have to talk to yourself
like you would talk to your kidor your friend.
If they made a mistake or theywere trying to do something.
You would constantly encouragethem and tell them no, you're
doing great.
You have to do the same toyourself.
That has to be your inner voice.
(16:32):
Your inner dialogue is yeah,okay, I didn't lose any weight
yesterday or I even put on apound today, but just keep going
, you'll get it done.
All right.
Number five is really important.
You have to reframe yourrelationship with food and
exercise, and I know I said eachone of these is really
important and I guess theyreally are.
So a lot of people, myselfincluded, view food as the enemy
(16:55):
and exercise as the punishment.
I still think exercise is thepunishment.
I still think exercise ispunishment.
Or, let me rephrase, I thinkthe gym is the punishment.
But that toxic mindset canderail even the best intentions.
You know, if I had to go to thegym as punishment for eating
the things I eat, I would.
I don't know if I could do it.
So just to be clear there is nopunishment for eating something
(17:18):
bad.
There's no punishment.
You do it.
You're a human being.
Make sure that exercise is notthe punishment for eating food.
You made a bad choice.
Move on.
And why that's so critical isbecause a healthy relationship
with food and even the movementmakes the habits enjoyable, not
burdensome.
When you think, oh, I can't eatthis, or I have to go to the
(17:38):
gym, or oh, you know what I atepoorly, I got to exercise twice
Bullshit.
No, you don't Just keep goingon the routine that you're doing
.
If you make a bad choice hereand there, who cares?
And you know you've heard mesay this before.
The way you shifted yourperspective or let me rephrase
that the or let me rephrase that.
The way that I shifted myperspective was I stopped
(17:59):
labeling foods as good or bad.
I tried in the beginning Idefinitely was more strict, but
basically I learned to enjoy allthe foods in moderation.
Now, sometimes I still eat moredonuts than I would like to eat
.
It just happens.
But I don't beat myself up overit, I just say the next choice
is going to be a better choice.
(18:20):
But I don't say, oh, I atedonuts.
They're bad.
No, donuts aren't.
But nothing is off limits.
And if you are going toexercise which it took me a long
time to get to I probablydidn't exercise for the first
year of this thing but if youfind an exercise that you
actually enjoy, whether it's, Idon't know, dancing or hiking
for me it was walking.
(18:40):
I actually enjoy walking, sothat makes it a lot easier for
me because I actually enjoy it.
So the six, number six thisone's really important too,
because I say that for everyone.
But number six is you have tobelieve in your ability to
succeed.
That's critical, that's part ofyour inner voice, but
self-doubt is probably one ofthe biggest barriers to weight
(19:03):
loss.
I can't do it.
Well, of course, if that's whatyou believe, then you're right.
And that's critical becauseconfidence in your ability to
change leads to consistentaction and consistency is the
name of the game and it leads toconsistent action even on the
tough days.
And how do you strengthen thatbelief?
(19:24):
Well, I guess it's not easy,but it's kind of easy.
You have to visualize yoursuccess and remind yourself of
your why.
I know visualization soundslike a lot of kumbaya bullshit,
but I always imagined myselfleading a better life, being
able to do the things that Icouldn't do.
I visualized that all the timeand that definitely kept my
motivation strong.
(19:45):
I also chose to reflect on mypast successes, even outside of
the weight loss world.
It was proof to me that I wascapable of doing this thing,
that I was really capable offinishing this.
And again, I don't know if Ifinished it, but I don't know
when I'll finish it or if I'llfinish it, but it again allowed
(20:07):
me to stay strong and know thatI could succeed on my weight
loss journey.
Number seven is you got tosurround yourself with
positivity, positive people.
Your environment plays a hugerole in your success.
Now, as you know, in thebeginning I didn't tell anybody,
I was just kind of doing it,but as I got further and further
into it, I wrote a book, Icreated this podcast.
(20:28):
So surrounding yourself withsupportive people and influences
can make all the difference,and that's critical, because
positive reinforcements reallyboost your confidence and your
motivation, and we all know thatnegativity can basically
undermine your efforts.
And negativity from outsidepeople no, you're probably not
going to get that, butnegativity from yourself, and if
(20:50):
you want to create a supportiveenvironment, find those people.
Negativity from yourself, andif you want to create a
supportive environment, findthose people.
Seek out those encouragingfriends and families, or even
join some online community wherethey're talking about weight
loss and you'll see people thatare doing it.
It will help you to staypositive and then on the flip
side of that is obviouslyminimize time with people or
influences that are discouragingyou or criticizing your efforts
(21:12):
.
Everybody knows, when you go onany I don't care what diet go on
any, I don't care what dietweight loss, I don't care what
it is there's always somebodytalking oh, you shouldn't be
doing this, you should be doingthat, it's just, it's silly.
You have to do what works foryou and that's why you'll never
hear me give you a meal plan.
You'll never tell me eat this,don't eat that, because
everybody's different.
(21:33):
So you have to surroundyourself with people who just
believe that you can do whatyou're setting out to do, and
that most important person thatyou can put in that environment
is yourself.
You have to believe.
So let me give you a fewactionable steps that will help
(21:53):
you with sustainable success.
So number one is focus on yourhabits, not the outcomes.
So, instead of obsessing overthe scale, focus on building
small daily habits that alignwith your goals.
So I'm not saying completelychange your life, I'm saying
just small habits.
So an example and you've heardme say this before too is
(22:15):
replace one sugary drink a daywith water.
That's something that's easy todo.
I always tell you weight lossdoesn't have to be hard, that's
easy.
Right?
Don't drink that Coca Cola.
Instead, have a glass of water.
Second thing is prioritizeconsistency.
Perfection is not necessary.
Persistence is You're nevergoing to be perfect.
(22:36):
I don't care how disciplinedyou are, you're never going to
be perfect.
So make sure you show up foryourself, even on the tough days
, and a tough day can mean youeat some things that, yeah, you
might not be the best choices,but you know what?
Allow yourself to feed yoursoul and then get right back to
it as soon as you can.
And as soon as you can doesn'tmean next week.
(22:57):
As soon as you can means thenext choice.
The third thing is and this isagain, it was critical for me
and I think it's really a bigpart of the equation is
celebrate your small wins.
Every step forward is aprogress.
I know like hey, I drank waterinstead of soda.
That doesn't seem like a bigwin, but it is a big win.
I don't know how many caloriesare in a Coke or a soda, but if
(23:20):
you choose to drink the waterinstead of soda, you won.
That's a small success.
Every step forward is progress.
Acknowledge and celebrate eventhose smallest, smallest
victories.
And, last but not least, iskeep moving forward.
Setbacks are absolutelyinevitable.
(23:41):
I was strict with myself, but Ihad setbacks along the way.
A setback is not the end of theroad.
Just think about what you did,why you ate what you ate, and
then move forward.
Don't beat yourself up over themistakes, because nobody and I
mean nobody is capable of doingthis without making a mistake
(24:05):
every now and then.
At the end of the day, weightloss isn't about quick fixes or
shortcuts.
It's about building habits thatlast for a lifetime.
By getting rid of that quickfix mentality and focusing on
the right mindset, you'll notonly achieve your goals but,
more importantly, you're goingto sustain them over the long
haul.
When you build these smallhabits, they build on each other
(24:27):
and, before you know it, you'releading a much different life,
a much healthier lifestyle.
For me, a much healthierlifestyle For me, a much happier
lifestyle.
So remember this this journeymarathon, not a sprint.
And the finish line where is it?
For me, I don't know where thefinish line is.
It'll be whenever I get there,or it'll be a lifelong journey.
(24:48):
But I can tell you what it'snot a number on the scale.
What it is is becoming thehealthiest, happiest version of
myself and, for you, thehealthiest and happiest version
of yourself.
That's where the journey endsand, like I said, it may never
end.
So that's my thoughts on aweight loss mindset.
That's how I did it.
(25:09):
Those are the things that Ithought, or I don't even know if
I thought them consciously, butthat's what helped me to get
the success that I've achieved.
So if you want to buy my bookand learn about my journey,
learn more about my journey.
As you know, it's available onAmazon, getting tons of great
reviews.
We're selling a lot of books.
People are writing me for melife-changing emails, telling me
(25:31):
how much I've changed theirlife.
That's the most gratifyingthing in the whole world.
You can also get my video courseLive Life, love Food, lose
Weight.
That's available atlearnshutupandchoosecom.
That's learnshutupandchoosecomand that consists of 23 videos,
all short, around five minutesor less for each of them.
(25:51):
It really dives deep into how Idid it all and it's a again.
We're selling a ton of videocourses.
People are saying it's changingtheir life, kind of like the
book.
But this really dives deeperinto the how-to.
My book is more about myjourney and there's definitely
how-to in there, but this reallykind of dives into the mindset
(26:12):
most of all and how you can getyour mindset in that same place.
So now you know how I feelabout mindset and why I believe
that you're wasting your moneyif you pay to go to the gym
without the right mindset, why Ibelieve that weight loss is a
mental game.
It's not only physical.
It's probably more mental thanit is physical.
So I've given you a lot ofsteps and a lot of ways to
(26:33):
reinforce the thoughts that arein your head.
Now the only thing left to dofor you is to shut up and choose
.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
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?
(27:01):
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 at Jonathan wrestler,boca Raton.
Until next time, shut up andchoose.