Speaker 1: 0:02

If you're a whiny snowflake that can't handle the truth, is offended by the word fuck and about 37 uses of it in different forms gets ass hurt. When you hear someone speak the absolute, real and raw truth, you should leave Like right now. This is Shut Up and Choose, the podcast where we cut through the shit and get real about weight loss, life and everything in between. We get into the nitty gritty of making small, smart choices that add up to big results. From what's on your plate to how you approach life's challenges. We'll explore how the simple act of choosing differently can transform your health, your mindset and your entire freaking life. So if you're ready to cut through the bullshit and start making some real changes, then buckle up and shut up, because we're about to choose our way to a healthier, happier life. This is Shut Up and Choose. Let's do this Now. Your host, jonathan Ressler.

Speaker 2: 1:17

Welcome to Shut Up and Choose the podcast that cuts through the noise of the fad diets, the quick fixes and all those unrealistic weight promises. I'm your host, jonathan Ressler, and I'm here to share the brutally honest truth about achieving sustainable weight loss. After losing over 130 pounds without resorting to extreme diets or crazy exercise actually, any exercise at all I discovered the key to success lies in making small, smart choices and embracing a balanced lifestyle. So let's get together, dive in some real stories, some practical tips and a healthy dose of sarcasm to help you take control of your health and transform your life. Hey, let's get started. So today I want to dive into this hot topic. That's been like setting my online discussions on fire, and that is the difference between easy and simple when it comes to a weight loss journey. So, like I've told you, I've been talking with people online and, honestly, getting into a lot of arguments. I say weight loss is easy and people go nuts. They say I'm not respecting their journey or that it's wrong and misleading to say it's easy. You know, I mean it's just crazy talk, but I started thinking about it. And then I started saying, okay, it's easy. You know, I mean it's just crazy talk. But I started thinking about it and then I started saying, okay, it's not easy, but it's simple, you know? I mean because I guess you know it is simple. Honestly, I was saying it mostly in an effort to shuck people the fuck up, I mean, I'm just going to say it. For me it was both simple and easy. That didn't mean it didn't take work, and there weren't times that it was harder than others, but overall, honestly, it was pretty fucking easy. So here's like the definition of easy, and that is something that requires little to no effort. I mean, it really didn't take me a lot of effort. And here's the definition of simple, uncomplicated and straightforward. Well, I can tell you that the way I eat, my method of eating, is most definitely uncomplicated and straightforward. There's no measuring, there's no meal prep, there's none of that bullshit. I eat whatever the fuck I want and I just try to make small, smart choices. So the way I lost weight was both simple and easy. But you know, let me give you this example that kind of illustrates the point a little bit, because it's kind of funny.

Speaker 2: 3:30

Last weekend I noticed that one of the screws on the bracelet of my watch was loose right, so I tried screwing it with my fingernail, but I, you know, it kind of worked. It didn't really work at all. Then I got this brainstorm and I got out a steak knife and I figured, all right, I could tighten it with that, you know. So here I'm tightening this thing down as best as I can. And it worked. I mean, it did tighten, but clearly it wasn't tight enough because I went out for the day. When I came back the thing was loose again, you know, and I can only tell it's loose because it like sticks out a little bit. So it kind of unscrewed itself. So again, I used my fingernail and the knife and you know, I really clamped it down this time and I thought I had it done. A few hours later it was loose again.

Speaker 2: 4:12

So I made the decision, this big decision, that I needed to actually go out and get a jeweler's screwdriver, you know, one of those little tiny screwdrivers, and tighten this thing up once and for all. So I jumped in, I spent the big bucks five bucks I got the right screwdriver and, honestly, it was breeze. I tightened it up and I tightened up a few others too, because I noticed a few of them were loose and shockingly, I, you know, haven't had a problem since then because I used the right tool. So that little incident got me thinking about it. Right, fixing the watch was the most simple and easy, but without the right tool it was a lot harder. So once I got the right tool, it was easy. Did it take work? Yeah, I guess you know it wasn't hard work. I had to go out and find the right tool. I had to drive to the store and back, but once I had the right tool it took me a couple seconds, it was easy. I mean, it was really easy.

Speaker 2: 5:05

Not only that, but if or when it happens again, I now I have the right tool that I can fix the watch, you know, and that again it like, really made me think, like, hey, this is the perfect analogy for weight loss. First of all, it's simple. Right weight should be simple. We all know that you have to burn more calories than you consume. I mean, there's no other technique, there's no other way to put it. We all know that it lose a pound or maybe you don't know this, but you're going to know it now. You have to burn approximately 3,500 calories. That's pretty easy to understand how you burn.

Speaker 2: 5:41

More than you consume is kind of where it gets tricky for most people, right, it's like all right. Well, how am I? You know, some people want to exercise, some people want to go on a diet with a calorie deficit. For me, I was just making small, small choices, so let me break it down a little bit further. Right, there's tons of ways to create this calorie deficit that we need to create in order to lose weight, but not all of them are really created equal. Some methods are complicated and hard to maintain, while others are kind of straightforward and sustainable.

Speaker 2: 6:13

Like to me, if you have to start counting your calories and measuring food and you know, not eating this, don't combine this with that, or eat this at this time, and don't do that, that's fucking complicated, right. I mean, who the fuck wants to do that? I understand. I mean, I understand, I did those kind of diets and I always fell off them because you know it's just, it's complicated and you know it. That to me that's hard work. You know, if you look at some of these diets like, let's take a little couple fat diets, paleo, right, you know, I loved, loved, loved paleo, but I'm paleo. You can't eat dairy, you can't eat wheat, you can't eat potatoes, you can't eat rice and a whole bunch of other things. It's like playing food restriction bingo, for a lack of a better term.

Speaker 2: 6:57

You know I mean it's it's you know it's, it's hard, it's complicated. You have to know what you can and can't eat juicing I love, ju love juicing and I was super successful at it. But there it's pretty straightforward you can't eat solid food. You have to go out and buy a juice. You've got to buy fresh veggies all the time and fresh fruit. You're going to throw away a ton of this extra pulp. I mean tons and tons of pulp, unless you're a composter, which definitely I am not. I mean. So you're throwing away a lot of shit and you have to deal with you know. I mean, for the first week or two you do have hunger pains and the feeling like that you just want to fucking chew something you know. So that's complicated too. Keto you can't mix certain foods together and you're always like calculating your carbs and fearing that there's hidden sugars and shit that you're eating. You're always calculating your carbs and fearing that there's hidden sugars and shit that you're eating. And yes, it's kind of like paleo you can eat meat but you can't eat potatoes. It's a formula, it's fucking complicated.

Speaker 2: 7:53

Then you go to the Mediterranean diet. Okay, you can't have any red meat, you can't have grains, and no bacon, no butter. It's delicious, no question about it. I love the Mediterranean dash, but there's a lot of meal prep and there's a lot of special ingredients. And then you know my favorite. You know everybody shits on me for this, but I don't care.

Speaker 2: 8:12

The magic shots, man. They're expensive, they require doctor visits, they have some great side effects like nausea and diarrhea and shit like that, and a ton of honestly unknown health risks, man. Diarrhea and shit like that. And and a ton of honestly unknown health risks. Man, I'm having a hard time speaking. A lot of unknown health risks. There we go wow, I finally got it out.

Speaker 2: 8:31

So like, if you think about that for a second right, you have atkins and paleo that say eat as much meat and bacon and butter as you like and you're going to lose weight. Atkins says cheese is good. Paleo says it's not. Mediterranean, on the other hand, says no red meat, no butter, no bacon, no cheese and a lot more. And both diets have people that will fucking defend them to their death and both diets work. So how can that be possible? One diet eat all the meat, fish, fowl and cheese you want. Another diet eat all the meat, fish and fowl you want, but no cheese. On the other diet no, no red meat, but it just like it doesn't make sense, like it's you got to eat all those things. You have to have a variety of food, you know.

Speaker 2: 9:13

And they're all complicated. And if you've done them all, you know they all kind of meld into each other and at the end you're just like, oh, this is too fucking much. This is not simple, is complicated. For me, the answer definitely was simplicity. Those diets have complicated rules but at the core they obviously create a calorie deficit. That's why they work. So they're all hard in their own way.

Speaker 2: 9:37

You know that when, when you follow them and you're really into it, yes, you will have success, there's no question about. But at the end of the day they're all about one thing calories in and calories out. Right, burn more calories than you consume. I mean, that's what it comes down to. I don't give a shit what diet you're on, I don't care what you want to call it, I don't care what you eat. If you burn more calories than you consume, you're going to lose weight. We heard Dr Debbie tell us you can lose weight eating Twinkies and Doritos If you take in less calories than you consume.

Speaker 2: 10:14

So those diets are, you know, to me it's yes, okay, it's a framework for you to follow, but it's a fucking pain in the ass with my method of eating. I eat whatever I want and you know it. Just it, it kind of works. I know what to eat, you know what to eat. You know, we don't. We don't have to bullshit each other, we're friends here. You know that eating oatmeal for breakfast is better than eating donuts, pop pop tarts, or you know corn muffins or blueberry muffins. We don't have to bullshit each other, right? We know that. You know that eating a chicken sandwich is better than eating a hamburger. And I'm not saying you can't eat any of those things at certain times, but you can't eat them every day. I mean, I was at a point honestly, this is freaking gross.

Speaker 2: 10:55

But I'm going to tell you anyway where I was eating two bagels, two everything bagels with Taylor ham. If you're not from like Jersey, you probably don't know what that is, but you know, I guess other people call it pork roll with Taylor ham, egg and cheese. Two of those every morning for breakfast. I mean, that's, that's an animal's breakfast. Two big sandwiches for breakfast.

Speaker 2: 11:16

I knew it wasn't good for me, but I didn't give a shit. You know I was making stupid choices, so you know I knew it was bad for me, but I still didn't care. You know what's good for you and you know what's bad for you and you know if you stop and think about what you're eating and you go, is this really what I want? You know you can I'm not saying you will, but you can make the right decision. So I guess what I really want to kind of get into a little bit is let's talk about what are the right tools to eat the way I. You know to eat with my method and just like you know, getting that jeweler screwdriver for my watch, having the right tools makes all the difference in the world. I mean I could have, you know, getting that jeweler screwdriver for my watch. Having the right tools makes all the difference in the world. I mean I could have. You know, I could have been doing that, you know, screwing in my fingernail on the steak knife for months before I went out and got the screwdriver and it would just keep getting loose and getting tighter and looser and tighter. But I decided, hey, I'm going to actually get the tool that I need and tighten this thing down, and that's really what it comes down to.

Speaker 2: 12:16

When you have the right tools for your weight loss journey, it becomes simple and, honestly, you know fuck all you people out here, oh, you're not respecting my journey. No, it's not. No, fuck that. It is easy If you make the choice, the conscious choice, to lose the weight, to be healthier. It's fucking easy. So I'm no longer going to say, oh well, it's not easy, bullshit. It's easy If you have and, by the way, you don't need to have discipline or willpower, because those are bullshit. You need to have your head in the game, right. You need to be thinking.

Speaker 2: 12:55

Before you eat, you need to think about everything you eat and when you think about it, when you stop and think about what you're about to put into your mouth, I guarantee you you will make different choices. I'm not saying you're going to make different choices 100% of the time, but sometimes you're going to go. You know what? I'm not going to eat that piece of cake, or I'm not going to eat that piece of cake, or I'm not going to eat that fried chicken, or I'm not going to eat that 32 ounce steak, or I'm not whatever it is. I mean, even if your choice is I'm going to have a hamburger instead of a cheeseburger. I mean, that's still a better choice. It's not a great choice, but it's a better choice. And I eat plenty of hamburgers, don't get me wrong, you know. I mean I ate a lot of quote unquote bad things, things that a diet coach or you know one of these fucking muscle heads would tell you you're going to eat you know four ounces of chicken. And fuck that shit. You got to eat what makes you happy, otherwise you can't do it.

Speaker 2: 13:47

So let me give you a couple of what I consider the tools that will help you along the way. So one tool is the ability to look at it as a journey, and that it will most likely be a winding road that's made up of a series of small choices that are going to deliver big results. Right, this is not like holy shit, I have a hundred pounds to lose. I got to do this. Boom. You know this is a straight line and that's it. No, fuck that that it's a bunch of small choices that are going to add up to big results, but they won't all be the best choices. You don't need to like torture yourself, okay.

Speaker 2: 14:26

So why is that? Simple, because you can do it all by yourself without any complicated diet, no meal plan, no like app to check in, no counting your calories, none of that bullshit. You can do it because you know what to eat. Save that bullshit for someone else. You know what's good and you know what's not good.

Speaker 2: 14:48

And why is that easy? Because you have the freedom to eat whatever you want, whenever and wherever you choose. Right it total freedom. It's a journey and there'll be better choices than others, but when you keep your eye on the prize, you know that you'll get there. That's why I say don't pick a number as a goal, don't pick a time as a goal. Just know that this is a journey.

Speaker 2: 15:12

And if you keep making more small, smart choices than you make small, not so smart choices, the weight loss will come. And the more choices you make, the more it builds on itself. And, like that compound interest example that I've used before, when you start to see the results piling up, I guarantee you you will be able to really, really lose weight and lose it easily. Fuck you everybody who says it's not easy. It is easy.

Speaker 2: 15:44

So here's the next tool you have the freedom to eat whatever you choose. I kind of covered that. But the tool is the knowledge that you know what to do and how to do it. You don't need some plan that tells you eat this at this time, or combine this with that, or don't eat this. That's bullshit, you know. You know it's funny that before all these diets came around, we really didn't have a weight law, an obesity epidemic. You know, it's only since all these diets around that this obesity epidemic is also here, because people thought, oh shit, I gotta do this or I gotta do that. I mean, the bottom line is, you know what to do it, and human beings have known what to do it since the beginning of time. So you have the freedom to eat whatever you choose.

Speaker 2: 16:30

Why is that simple? Because it takes all the guesswork out of what to eat, right, it helps you stick to your. It helps you stick to your plan because there really is no plan. You know what to do. And why is it easy? Because the only thing that's required is thinking about what you put in your mouth, making small, smart choices every time you open your mouth. You're not bound by what others tell you is the best way or the right way or the easy way. No, you know what to do. I promise you you know what to do.

Speaker 2: 16:59

The next tool is makes this thing failure proof right. The tool is the mindset to accept this as a journey and all your choices aren't going to be perfect. I mean, that's just the fact. You're not going to make only small smart choices. You're going to make some small choices that aren't so smart. You know you're going to every now and then you got to feed your soul and, by the way, that is a smart choice if you know you're feeding your soul.

Speaker 2: 17:23

So why is that simple? Because it provides you the freedom to make mistakes without blowing it or feeling that you cheated and all the guilt that comes along with those like words or thoughts like I cheated or I blew the diet or I messed this. No, you can't mess this up right, you can make a bad choice, or two or three, but make your next choice a small smart choice and you're right back on the road. You know when you're not following a specific plan. It just makes it simple. And why is that easy? Because when you adopt that mindset that it is literally impossible to fail, it just empowers you. Right? If you make a bad choice, then just make the next one, a smart choice. I mean, it's so easy. You can't fail, you can.

Speaker 2: 18:14

Like I said before, you know the tool one. Remember that it's a journey. It is a journey. You're going to go up and down. My weight fluctuates, everybody's weight fluctuates. So, yeah, you can make a bad choice, but you can't fail because you know what to do and you know how to do it. And then the next tool is a tool that I didn't use, but you know I I know that it's important, and that tool is an exerciser team. I mean, figure out something that you like to do.

Speaker 2: 18:39

You know, I talked about this a little bit last week. You know, walking, swimming, dancing or whatever, or even going to the gym. If you're a fucking masochist, you know I mean, I hate the gym. Did I mention that I fucking hate the gym? I fucking hate the gym. But anyway, if you love going to the gym, fantastic, go there. And you know, get moving. Why is that? Simple? Because I mean, you know I'll never dispute this fact that regular, you know kind of physical activity, exercise helps you burn calories and it does increase your overall health. I mean, I'm doing it now, 14 months into it.

Speaker 2: 19:09

I'm walking, as I told you. But I mean, that's simple, right, if you don't have to go to the gym and have a trainer that you're paying all this money to and he's telling you come on, move you fat, fuck you know, or whatever. Your trainer's telling you, come on, work harder. No, do what you can do, right, that's it. Do what you like. You know, dr Rosen told us, hey, the best exercise is the one that you'll actually do. So if that means walking or even holding, like you know, jugs of water in your hand and doing like arm curls, whatever, whatever exercise you'll do, that's the best exercise. And doing something is better than doing nothing. And why is it easy? Again, it's easy because you're doing something that you like, you know. I mean, it doesn't feel like a chore, it doesn't feel like work, you know, I mean, honestly, for me, now, now, walking has become a fun part of my day.

Speaker 2: 19:59

You know, I actually look forward to my walk and I only walk. Maybe it's like seven tenths of a mile, and I'll. You know, I do that. I walk around my neighborhood and, like I said, it's quiet time for me. It's just something that I enjoy. I listen to other podcasts, I do all kinds of shit, you know, or I'll walk with somebody, we'll have a conversation and I'm present, you know, and I'm there and I'm awake and I'm aware and it, you know, I'm, I'm finding, I am honestly and this is, you know, like I said, I did no exercise in the first 13 months, first year to 13 months, this thing and I've only recently found a little bit of joint exercising and I want to make sure that you understand, I fucking hate the gym and I won't go there.

Speaker 2: 20:38

So, now that we got that straight, so those are some tools and you know, in order to use those tools, you kind of have to have the right mindset right, having the right mindset can make, you know, it really makes a difference between making like you feel overwhelmed by this and you know it's the difference between me feeling overwhelmed and basically not only finding it manageable but actually finding it enjoyable. So the first thing you have to do is you got to have a positive attitude, right. I mean, you gotta approach this journey in a positive way. That means celebrate your small victories, don't beat the shit out of yourself if you make a bad choice. You know, know in your head that you can do it. Because you can, because, like I said, right now I'm 60 years old. I started this thing when I was 59, I mean, you know, and I had a ton of ailments and a ton of reasons why it couldn't, wouldn't and shouldn't work. But it did and it does and you can do this and I believe you can do it and I know you can do it.

Speaker 2: 21:36

Number two in your mindset is you got to be patient, right? I mean, you know everybody wants a diet, everyone wants to do a quick fix, lose as much fucking weight as you can in the shortest period of time without any work. But the reality, this is a marathon man. I've been on it 14 months. It doesn't feel like 14 months, but I've been doing it 14 months and I'm still going right. So anything that's sustainable is going to take some time and you have to know it took you a while to put the weight on and it's going to take you a while to take it off. I mean, that's just the way it is. But that's okay If it's not work, if it's easy, it doesn't. You know, I don't know. It just doesn't feel like a diet, it doesn't feel like you're working hard because it's fucking easy, and I promise you it is.

Speaker 2: 22:16

Number three in your mindset is be consistent. Right, consistency is absolutely the key, you know. Stick to this making small, smart choices. Stick to being present, even when it gets tough. And, by the way, like I've said 150,000 fucking times, if the choice is if you're present, and the choice is to eat ice cream, that's okay because you thought about it and said you know what, that's what I need right now, and that's okay because you thought about it and said you know what, that's what I need right now, and that's okay.

Speaker 2: 22:44

Sometimes you have to feed your soul. So this whole thing is about progress, not perfection. You're not going to be perfect, so give yourself that room to not be perfect. So you know what I'm gonna make. I'm having that cream, but maybe later I'll eat something different. You know I'll be more cognizant, I'll be. You know I'll make a choice that makes sense, that maybe I could. You know I'll save some calories here and there, because, again, it's all about calories in and calories out.

Speaker 2: 23:13

And then the last thing is you gotta, you gotta be flexible, right? I mean, you know, like, be flexible in what you're eating, if you're eating, if the stuff that you're eating, the choices that you're making aren't giving you the results you want, then change them a little bit. You know, if you're eating hamburgers every day and that's not working for you, then don't be afraid to adjust your plan. You know inherently. You know what to eat you really do. You absolutely know what to eat.

Speaker 2: 23:40

You may have convinced yourself, or the diet industry might have programmed you, to believe that you don't know how to lose weight bullshit. You know how to lose weight. We all do. We all know how to lose weight. It's wired inside of us, it's in our dna. We fucking know how to lose weight. So stop jerking yourself off and fucking do what you need to do. Make the right small, smart choices and you'll lose weight. So that's kind of what I think about tools and all that.

Speaker 2: 24:11

But I want to try to bring it all together because, as you know, I've gotten a bunch of emails. You know, some people are telling me you know different things like I'm being irresponsible by telling people they can do this without a diet, without without a plan. You know, or I'm not. Like I told you, I'm not respecting their journey, but I want to show you. I got an email from a woman named Sarah. I have no idea who she is, but I want you to see how simple and easy weight loss can be when you have the right tools. So I'm going to read you the email she sent me. Okay, this is, you know, verbatim. So I want you guys to meet Sarah. Sarah's struggling with weight for years and trying every diet on the sun. She told me this. She'd lose weight, but it was always temporary and she had to gain it all back Plus more. So she decided to give my method a try After reading reading my book, and here's what she emailed me.

Speaker 2: 24:58

Jonathan, I bought your book on a recommendation from my friend. Your story really resonated with me. I've been a yo-yo dieter for my entire life and I constantly struggle with the latest diet. I'm strong for a while and then I cheat and go down the rabbit hole of saying I'm going to restart the diet soon. I tried everything else and thought your idea sounded good. I've been following your ideas for just over six weeks and I've lost 16 pounds and I'm eating whatever I want to.

Speaker 2: 25:29

The thing that really struck me is how, when you said, the things you wanted to eat changed when you started losing weight, and I thought that would never happen for me. I love sweets, but I do find them that I don't want them nearly as much when I know I can have them anytime I want to. That's really important to me. That was really, really big for me that I knew I could eat what I wanted to, but I just didn't want to eat right now. So, going back to her email, sorry, to be honest, I've eaten some sweets over the last six weeks and have still lost the weight by making quote my next choice a good choice, unquote. I've also learned to be okay when I make a bad choice, even when I try not to.

Speaker 2: 26:05

I know you're not a doctor, but for what it's worth, your book is a godsend for me. I still have more weight to lose, but I'm 100% sure that I'll be able to do it your way. I have a number of goals in mind, which I know you don't recommend, but my goal that really drives me is to be healthier for my kids and be a mom who can be more involved in their activities. I'm already making that goal a reality. Thank you and god bless you for this shit. I mean that email. I mean, you know, like I'm not a touchy, feely, warm, warm, wishy-washy guy, but honestly, that email warms my heart. I mean I'm so happy that people are using my method and having success because, again, my method is a method that you know. You know how to do it. I mean you really do. I mean her story shows you that this doesn't have to be complicated and it doesn't have to be hard. It's just making these simple. You know small, smart choices and using the right tools to make the process easier. I mean I don't, you know. I mean I'm so thrilled for Sarah. Like I said, I don't know where she lives, she didn't tell me any of that information, but I mean that is just phenomenal for Sarah. I, like I said, I don't know where she lives, she didn't tell me any of that information, but I mean that that is, that is just phenomenal for me.

Speaker 2: 27:25

And and I'll end with this, because I know I, I know I'm harsh, I know I say harsh shit. I know I tell you you're fat. I know you. You know I tell you take your excuses and stick them up your ass. But the reality is someone needs to tell you that because you know how to do this, you really do, and all your excuses are just that excuses. You know how to do it. You have the power to do it, because all you have to do is make a choice. I mean, really just make the choice to lose weight. And let me just say this one more time okay, because I want. I'm never gonna say it's not easy again. Doing eating the way I ate for the last 14 months is simple and losing the weight was easy. If you don't believe that, okay, then you're making just another fucking excuse. It's easy once you decide to lose the weight and be present every time you open your mouth. So that's it. I mean, I guess you know I can sum it all up. You know, in four words shut up and choose. That's it, that's what it takes. All right, so that's the end for today.

Speaker 2: 28:44

Buy my book on Amazon If you want to. You know, know, my whole story. It's in paperback, it's in an ebook. You know, tell your friends about my podcast. Tell them that it's harsh but it's real. You know I'm not. You know I'm not saying no, no, you look cute. You know you look good. You know you fat tub of shit. No, you know, I'm telling you like it is. You know everybody can lose weight if they make the simple choice to do it, and you can do it too. So for now, shut up and choose.

Speaker 1: 29:16

You've been listening to Shut Up and Choose. You've been listening to Shut Up and Choose. Jonathan's passion is to share his journey of shedding 130 pounds in less than a year without any of the usual gimmicks no diets, no pills. And we'll let you in on a little secret no fucking gym and guess what? 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 the meantime, find Jonathan on Instagram at JonathanWrestlerBocaRaton. Until next time, shut up and choose.