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: 1:14

Hey, welcome back to Shut Up and Choose the podcast that cuts through all the noise and bullshit of the quick fixes and unrealistic weight loss promises. So, look, let's not bullshit each other, okay? If you've been around the weight loss block as much as I have, you know the landscape is littered with gimmicks, quick fixes, fat diets and a whole lot of bullshit. Out there, right? Everyone's got the magic pill, the shot, the revolutionary diet or the newest weight loss workout guaranteed to make you drop like 15 pounds in 15 minutes. But the truth is, we both know, we all know it's bullshit and that's why, like I said that, I'm here as the voice of reason, to cut through all that bullshit and tell you the truth. I'll tell you what other people won't tell you and I'll cut through all that fluff and tell you the real deal. So, with that being said, let me dive into my no-nonsense approach, and which is exactly what you fucking need at this point. So today I want to talk about this weight loss being a journey. People ask me all the time why do you call it a journey? Well, because it is a fucking journey. Right, it's not a race, it's a journey, so you can try to sprint, you know, to the finish line. But the reality is, weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint. It's an epic journey and a super rewarding journey that requires patience. It doesn't happen overnight. It requires consistency and, truthfully, a whole lot of self-love. So in my book, shut Up and Choose, I hammer home the idea that this is not that. My journey and, in my estimation, any weight loss, fat loss journey isn't about quick fixes or crash diets or shedding pounds faster than you can say, fucking detox tea or cabbage soup or whatever. It's about making small, smart choices that are sustainable, that you can live with and that stick with you for the rest of your life. So let's talk about why it's a journey and not a race and how traditional diets, the shit that you followed and I followed and everybody tries to use that quick fix kind of led you astray the whole time.

Speaker 2: 3:16

So first off, let's talk a little bit about diet industry. Yes, it's a multi-billion dollar beast that thrives on our insecurities and promises you these instant results, right? So like lose 10 pounds in 10 days, drop a dress size in a week Does any of that shit sound familiar? It sure does to me. Not to drop a dress size and stuff. But whatever, hey, you never know. Those are the kind of promises that make weight loss feel like a race, right, they feel like you can sprint, you can. Hey, I got to lose 10 pounds, I can do this. I got to lose 100 pounds. If I can lose 10 pounds a week, well, let's see. That's 10 weeks, shit. Two and a half months. I'm going to be down 100 pounds. That's bullshit, right? Traditional diets are to get you quick results, sure, and they work. But they're also designed that's how they keep feeding the beast, right? It's a cycle of success and failure. So those traditional diets in the weight loss industry, it's the equivalent of sprinting a whole marathon. It's unsustainable, it's unhealthy and, to be perfectly honest, it's really fucking stupid. So, like I said, I've tried every diet on the sun. You ever try to juice cleanse? Or how about the cabbage diet? Atkins did them all. Every diet on the sun, you ever try to juice cleanse? Or how about the cabbage diet? Atkins did them all.

Speaker 2: 4:26

Those fad diets are the poster children for weight loss as a race for that mentality. They're all about dramatic, rapid weight loss. That's impossible to maintain. Yeah, you'll lose weight. I always say that Every diet, you will lose weight. But guess what?

Speaker 2: 4:45

The second you go back to eating normally, to eating the things that you like, to eating the way a regular person eat, the weight comes right back and, honestly, often with a vengeance for me. Every time I got to that goal I want to lose 50 pounds on the Atkins diet and I lost it. But as soon as I started to eat the way a normal person eats it, but as soon as I started to eat the way a normal person eats, you know, the weight came flying back. So it's just silly, it's really. It's a vicious cycle of losing and gaining that weight. It really leaves you frustrated. For me, it definitely left me disheartened when I would start eating and I'd see the weight come back on. And I would say pretty much every single time after I finished one of those traditional or fad diets, I ended up heavier than when I started it.

Speaker 2: 5:34

Because you just you go off the rails. You've deprived yourself for so long and you've done all this crazy stuff that now I want to go back to eating like a fucking human being, not like. I don't want to cut out carbs from my diet, I don't want to only eat hamburgers. I don't want to eat the cabbage soup diet. Well, I can tell you, if you've ever done the cabbage soup diet, you don't want to be anywhere near a person who's doing that diet. The odors are more like oh dear whoa is all I can say. Definitely, definitely. Do not do the cabbage soup diet if you want to have friends or a social life.

Speaker 2: 6:07

But anyway, another thing that those diets try to sell you is the myth of willpower. Right, if you just had some self-control, you'd be thin by now. Well, that's a load of bullshit. The problem really is not your willpower, because I don't think you need willpower, nor should you need willpower to lose weight and lose fat. That's not the problem. The problem is the unrealistic expectations and, honestly, unsustainable methods that traditional diets push on you. These. They set you up for failure and then blame you when things go south. If they don't blame you, certainly you blame yourself. It's like giving someone a bicycle without wheels and then criticizing for not being able to ride the bike. The problem isn't you in that case, it's the fucking bike. Right, get over that, that is. The traditional diets are bullshit. They're a sprint, not a journey.

Speaker 2: 7:02

So so what do I mean? What does it mean when I say, to treat weight loss as a journey. Well, for me, and hopefully for you, it means adopting a mindset and a lifestyle that focuses on long-term health and well-being rather than short-term gains. I've said this a hundred times, but I'll say it again you didn't gain the weight overnight and you're not going to lose it overnight. It's about making small, smart choices that are sustainable. And here's a word you don't really hear in the diet industry it's enjoyable, right. Diets are associated with suffering and deprivation and hard work and struggle. Fuck that. That's not a way to live. And the other thing is it's realistic and shut up and choose. I outline how to get on that journey and it starts with one simple idea Shut up and choose.

Speaker 2: 7:58

People tell me I've been getting a lot of reviews lately. People say my language is harsh and they say the title of my book is harsh, but honestly, it's a wake-up call. It's about taking responsibility for your choices and understanding that you have the power to make better choices. It's not about beating the shit out of yourself or striving for perfection. It's about making these small, smart, consistent changes and choices that add up over time. It's about choosing to eat mindfully, to moving a little bit and taking care of yourself because, honestly, you deserve to feel good. I deserved to feel good.

Speaker 2: 8:35

So, yes, it's a journey, it's not going to happen overnight. But the biggest shift that you're going to have to make on this journey and this is why it is a journey, because it takes time but the biggest shift you're going to have to make on this journey and this is why it is a journey, because it takes time but the biggest shift you're going to have to make is going from mindless dieting where you know all I have to do is follow the plan. I don't have to think about it, I don't have to do anything. I just know if I don't eat carbs, I'm going to lose weight unsustainable. But traditional diets have you eating according to their rules, whether it's like, like I said, no carbs, no fat and really, at the end of the day, no fucking fun and no enjoyment. That kind of restrictive eating isn't sustainable. It just isn't. Like I always say, you will lose weight on a diet, but you will not sustain it and in the end, it leads to binging which I always did afterwards and guilt.

Speaker 2: 9:22

So mindful eating, on the other hand, is all about really listening to your body, making smart choices and eating in a way that feels good. Right, you know what to eat. I always say you know what to eat, you know when to eat, you know how to eat, you know all that stuff. You choose not to do it. So it's about really enjoying your food and eating when you're hungry and stopping when you're full. I know that's of course, well, everybody knows that, but we don't do it. Us fat guys and fat girls, we don't do it. We eat more than we should. We eat when we're not hungry. We snack mindlessly. We eat without thinking about anything other than, yeah, well, eating. That's something I like to do. So it's about enjoying the journey. You really have to enjoy it.

Speaker 2: 10:03

It's not about the destination. I always tell you that your destination, that your goal, should not be a weight, because a weight is a bullshit goal. It should be a place that you want to be. For me, as you know, it's to be healthier every day. Originally, initially, for me, it was about being alive. I was literally ready to die, so for me it was about being alive. But now for me, it's about being a little bit healthier every day. That's really important to me. That's my why. I don't know what the number will be on the scale when I'm the healthiest I could possibly be. Nor do I give a shit what that number on the scale is. I'm on a journey. I'm on this journey, likely for the rest of my life. I'm eating things that I like, I'm enjoying my life and I'm enjoying the journey.

Speaker 2: 10:47

So you don't need to overhaul your entire life right. You don't need. You just don't. You just need to make these small smart choices to see results. And, like I've said before, if you try to change too much, too quickly, it's a recipe for disaster. So focus on making those small, manageable changes, those small smart choices. Like I've said before, drink water instead of sugary drinks, eat more vegetables, walk after dinner or before work, whatever it is, but they might seem, you know, small and insignificant, but they definitely add up.

Speaker 2: 11:22

So, when you remember that this is a journey, not a race, you know the old saying is slow and steady wins the race. Or, in this particular case, slow and steady makes for a happier, healthier you, a happier and healthier life, and the way to do that is consistency. And the way to do that is consistency. It's better to make small, sustainable changes that you can live with rather than go all in on an extreme that you abandon after a week or a month or whatever that time period is. Make those smart changes and build those sustainable habits.

Speaker 2: 11:54

That's what this journey is about. It's about building sustainable habits that can last a lifetime. It's really about finding a balance that works for you. Right, it has to be livable, so you got to find a balance that works for you. It's not about depriving yourself or punishing your body. It's about being kind to yourself and understanding that progress is progress, no matter how small. If you're making progress, you're going to get there sooner or later. Someone might drive 100 miles an hour down the road and someone might drive 50 miles an hour down the road, but after a certain amount of time, both people will reach the destination. So it may take you longer to reach the destination than you'd like, but that's what you have to do. So progress is progress, no matter how small.

Speaker 2: 12:46

And, of course, let's not forget the mental aspect of the journey. Traditional diets definitely ignore the mental and emotional side of weight loss. They focus only on the physical right. So, physically, eat this. Physically, do that. Physically, cut this out of your diet. But mindset is more important than anything else. Mindset is honestly more important than what you actually eat. In fact, it's probably the most important thing on your journey. A healthy mindset leads to healthy choices.

Speaker 2: 13:21

It's about creating and cultivating self-love and self-acceptance. It doesn't mean you have to be complacent. It doesn't mean you say, oh, I'm happy with my big, fat, fucking body. No, that's not what I'm talking about in self-love. When I'm talking about self-love, I'm saying things like it means you have to love and accept who you want to be and know that you can do it even if you're not there yet. Right? That's what a goal is. That's what your real goal should be to get to that place that you want to be. Yes, you can accept yourself right now for where you are, because you know you're moving toward that goal. And it really means that understanding your self-worth and your progress and your desire to reach that goal is not determined by the number on the scale. It really isn't. Yes, of course we all want to lose weight and yes, of course we use the scale to measure ourselves. But if you're feeling better and you're not losing as much weight as you like, but if you're feeling better and you're not losing as much weight as you like, who fucking cares.

Speaker 2: 14:23

The goal here is to feel better and be healthy. Right To be not criticizing yourself, saying, okay, I'm doing this now and I'm not getting all the results I want, but you know what? I'm feeling better, my clothes are fitting me better and, yeah, I'm not losing weight as fast as I thought I would, because you're eating like a normal person. So setting that realistic goal was absolutely important. When you set that bar so high, like I want to lose 20 pounds in a month you're setting yourself up for failure If you have some small achievable goal.

Speaker 2: 14:53

But look, my achievable goal was to eat, make small, smart choices every time I eat, and that the byproduct was the weight loss. But I tried to make small, smart choices every time I opened my mouth and, believe me, I had plenty of setbacks and I had plenty of fuck-ups. It doesn't matter, I didn't beat myself up over those fuck-ups. I was excited that I knew that the next meal, the next time I ate, I had a chance to make a better choice. And I remembered the entire time that this is a journey. There's going to be ups and downs, there's going to be twists and turns, but as long as I'm moving forward, as long as I keep moving forward, I'm making progress, and that's really important to remember that, as long as you're moving forward, you're making progress. It's not a race, it's a journey. Progress it's not a race, it's a journey.

Speaker 2: 15:46

So this is something that I just figured out, probably in the last two, three months is exercise. It's hard for me to say this, but exercise shouldn't be a punishment for what I ate, or it shouldn't be a punishment at all. It should be. I guess you should be amazed at what your body can do. I went from literally not being able to walk a hundred feet without being winded to being able to walk a couple of miles. That didn't happen overnight, it wasn't a race. I didn't go out one day and all of a sudden walk two miles. That that no, that did not happen. But over time, making these small, smart choices to push myself a little bit further, each time I went out or each week or whatever it was, I made that progress and I found something that I enjoyed.

Speaker 2: 16:26

I told you I fucking hate the gym. I don't like going it. Just to me, the gym feels like punishment. It feels like if you do something wrong, you should have to go to the gym. So for me it was walking, but for you it could be dancing, it could be hiking, yoga, whatever it is. For you that's fine, but the key is to move in a way that feels good to you and something that you enjoy doing. If you force yourself into workouts that you absolutely hate because you think they're going to burn more calories, that's ridiculous, that's unsustainable, that's the same as a diet. Right, push yourself so hard with this workout and and then when you get up tomorrow you're like fuck that, I'm not going back to the gym.

Speaker 2: 17:04

So the journey is about finding joy in everything you do. Find joy in your eating, find joy in the movement, whatever it is, whether it be walking or dancing or swimming or hiking or yoga or bowl, whatever it is. Find the joy in that and don't feel like you're suffering through it. Really find the joy in it. I also think it's really important that you have to look at it. These small, smart choices is fueling your body, not depriving it. Diets are about depriving it. You're fueling your body on this journey.

Speaker 2: 17:39

So if you focus on eating like a balanced diet that includes a bunch of different foods, I think you'll find it enjoyable. You'll actually, even if you're not eating the donut or the cake or the candy, but you'll find joy in the foods that you're actually eating because they're fueling you. They're not like when you eat junk food it you peak and you crash. And I'm not saying I don't eat junk food because I definitely do, but when I eat those foods that are good for me, I really find joy in it. But I'm telling you, definitely don't demonize a food group or restrict yourself, because that's also unsustainable.

Speaker 2: 18:17

Aim for balance and moderation. Look, this is easy to say and you know this, but you should eat a ton of fruit and vegetables. I love watermelon. I eat a ton of watermelon. I can't. I do snack on carrots sometimes. I never thought I would say that, but I do, obviously eat a lot of lean protein, because protein builds muscle and muscle burns fat much more effectively than fat in your body. Eat some whole grains and eat some healthy fats. I mean, I put olive and again, eating all that stuff is great, but it's also okay to indulge in your favorite treat. If you deprive yourself, that's going to lead to, sooner or later, it's going to lead you to binging. So give yourself permission to enjoy the shit that you like, but just do it in moderation. Instead of having a huge ice cream, they have a scoop instead of. For me, I love Carvel, so instead of having a large, I'll have a small. I do get the same enjoyment out of a small, and I eat it slower just because I want to enjoy it more.

Speaker 2: 19:15

You also have to drink on your journey. Like you got to put gas in your car, you got to put water in your body. You have to drink as much water as you possibly can. So drinking enough water is crucial to your health and it definitely aids in weight loss. One is it makes you feel full for longer, and two is that it really gives your body what you need. It helps with digestion, it keeps your skin looking good and it even controls your appetite. So try to drink. I try to drink a gallon of water every day, but try to at least drink eight glasses a day. That's a half a gallon, and if you're really active or it's hot out, obviously drink more. I drink one coffee every day just because I like to drink an iced coffee in the morning. I don't drink any soda. I don't drink anything else. I drink water and coffee. No, that's not true. Sometimes I drink iced tea and make sure you get some sleep.

Speaker 2: 20:07

I found that at 412 pounds, it was very hard for me to sleep. I couldn't find a comfortable place in the bed and whatever. But as I lost more weight I found that I could sleep more comfortably. And lack of sleep definitely increases your appetite. It makes it harder to stick to healthy habits. So if you can get seven, eight, nine hours of sleep a night, that's great, and I learned how to do that by. I wouldn't say I created a routine, but I say at a certain time I want to be in bed, I want it to be cool, I want it to be dark. You shouldn't watch TV in bed, but I do. But my body and mind definitely thank me for sleeping more.

Speaker 2: 20:43

We talk about tracking progress on the journey. Look, when you're on a journey in the car, when you're driving from New York to California, you're measuring landmarks. So, yes, of course your scale is a landmark, but there's so many other more interesting landmarks along the way, like hey, how do your clothes fit? Hey, how do you feel when you're walking a longer distance from the parking lot to the store? For me, as I told you many times, I would go to the grocery store and ride in the handicap cart because I couldn't walk to the fucking store. Now I look at the handicap cart and I think to myself what the fuck were you thinking? I mean, you were really killing yourself by doing that. So there's a lot of things that are more important than the scale, and I say real. Those are the real victories that you should celebrate, right? Whether it be you're stronger, you have better endurance, you're thinking more clearly, and I definitely think more clearly now that I'm down 140 pounds.

Speaker 2: 21:39

This, yes, we're talking weight loss, but this overall journey is about health and well-being, not just some number on the scale, right? So this journey, like I've said before, is a long and winding road. It's full of challenges. There's going to be setbacks, there's going to be triumphs, there's going to be failures. It's not a straight line and it's definitely not a race. There's going to be times when you feel like giving up. You're going to say, fuck it, I'm going to turn around and go home. But no, don't that. Those times when progress seems slow or non-existent, that's the time to remind yourself. You know what. I'm just gonna make another small smart choice and see what happens. But every single step forward. Every mile you drive on that journey, no matter how small, it's a step in the right direction. So keep going, keep choosing and keep believing that you can do that and when you make a mistake, learn from that mistake. Right, it's okay, and I honestly don't believe you can make a mistake.

Speaker 2: 22:34

If you think about what you're eating and it's what you want to eat, even if it's what a traditional diet coach would say is bad, go ahead and eat it. You need to feed your soul. That's going to make you become the best version of yourself, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. That's what we're trying to do is get your mental and your emotional shit in line. That helps with your weight loss journey. So, at the end of the day, as you know, it all comes down to choice. Every day, you have the power to make choices that bring you closer to that goal, whatever that goal is. You have the power to choose health and happiness and well-being. I know I did. I chose it every single day. Every time I opened my mouth, I knew where I wanted to get to. I knew I wanted to be healthier.

Speaker 2: 23:20

So my message to you is shut up and choose right. Choose to embark on the journey, choose to accept that it's a journey, choose to make better choices and choose to believe that you can do it, because I know you can do it. You can absolutely do this, you got it. So wrapping it all up kind of into a pretty little package is weight loss is a fucking journey, not a race. It's about making those small, smart choices that lead to a lasting change, to building better habits. It's about treating yourself and accepting the choices that you make when you think about them and finding joy in that process, on that journey. Traditional diets are always going to promise you those quick results but, truthfully, they're a fucking race to nowhere. So embrace the concept of being a journey, trust the process, trust your progress, trust that you're doing everything right and remember that every single step forward is progress. That's what this is about Progress along your journey.

Speaker 2: 24:29

So if you want to learn about my journey, read my story, learn everything that I did. You can get my book Shut Up and Choose. It's available on Amazon. For the last few weeks it's been selling like wildfire. I don't know, maybe people are just noticing it. I'm thankful I've gotten a ton of five-star reviews and people say it's life-changing, which tickles me pink.

Speaker 2: 24:53

I love that idea. I love the idea that I'm helping people. I love the idea that people are losing weight, not throwing all their money at some dumb ass weight loss coach who's never been fat in his life. You know who was blessed with. You know the ability to make good choices. His whole life ripped abs. That's not who I'm talking to. You know.

Speaker 2: 25:13

I'm talking to people that are at least 30 pounds overweight and really need to make their life better, who need to get healthier. So if you know somebody in that category, if you know someone who's 30 pounds or more and I'm not saying people that need to lose 10 pounds can't benefit. But I'm really trying to help people who are, who really need to lose a significant amount of weight, tell them to listen to my podcast. It's free, it doesn't cost a fucking dime. It's free and I'll give them the kick in the ass. They need to get started. When they hear how easy it is and it is fucking easy when they hear how easy it is, maybe it'll spark something inside of them and they'll want to listen and they'll want to try my method of eating. It's simple, it's easy, it's not difficult, it's not torture. All I ask people to do is shut up and choose.

Speaker 1: 26:04

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.