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.

Speaker 2: 1:10

Now your host, jonathan Ressler. Hey, welcome back to Shut Up and Choose my podcast, where I cut through all the noise and all the bullshit of the diet industry. I talk about how I lost 140 plus pounds without any fad diet shots, pills or any of the other garbage that people are peddling out there. I'm a guy that did it and I know how to do it and I'm going to share it with you. I share it with you every week and I'm going to share with you some stuff today that I think you might find interesting. So, as you know, I've been doing some coaching lately and I'm speaking to a lot of people who are interested, and one of the things that I hear all the time is people tell me you know, I'm eating 1,500 calories and I just can't lose weight. Well, that's bullshit. Okay, if you're only eating 1,500 calories and you're not losing weight, you are defying the law of physics, the laws of nature. If you're somebody who weighs like 200 pounds or over 200 pounds and you're diligently tracking all your meals and you're staying on track and sticking what you believe is a solid calorie deficit, but you're not seeing the scale make any effort, if it's not budging at all, it can really kind of piss you off, but here's the truth. If you're really in a consistent calorie deficit, weight loss will happen. That's just how biology works. So look, if the scale isn't moving, then there's something going on right. Is your metabolism slowing down? Well, we'll talk about that. It's unlikely, but we'll get there. Could you be forgetting or misjudging some of your calorie-dense habits? Well, that's probably a little bit closer to the truth, and understanding what might be causing those sneaky little calorie surpluses is essential to taking back control and really starting to see the real results. So before you throw the towel and scream or tell me I've tried everything and nothing works, let's take a look at some of the most common reasons people think they're in a calorie deficit when they're really not, and how you can avoid falling into those traps.

Speaker 2: 3:18

So first we got to get the basics straight. That's the first thing. Weight loss boils down to a simple principle Calories in versus calories straight. That's the first thing. Weight loss boils down to a simple principle Calories in versus calories out. That's it. To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume. That's called the calorie deficit. Like I said earlier, for someone that weighs over 200 pounds maintaining your current weight generally requires a lot of calories. Certainly, I think the calculator is take your body weight, multiply it by 10, and that's how many calories you need to maintain. So if you want to lose, you have to eat less calories. If you want to gain, you have to eat more calories. That's just a general rule of thumb.

Speaker 2: 3:54

So let's say you weigh 280 pounds, so to lose weight, you need to consume less than 2,800 calories and try to create a calorie deficit of 500 or even 1,000 calories a day. That deficit will help you lose a pound or two a week if you're being honest with yourself about what's actually going into your body. So why does it seem like some people can eat 1,500 calories a day and still not lose weight? There's a lot of people that do that. I've spoken to a lot of them personally. It's amazing how many people tell me I'm eating 1,500 calories and I can't lose weight.

Speaker 2: 4:23

Well, here's a few of the common reasons that could actually happen. One is you're not actually in a fucking calorie deficit, and that is the most likely explanation. Two is you might be underestimating your calories by forgetting to count the small but frequent additions. And three is you're relying on inaccurate food labels or restaurant calorie counts. The truth is, no matter what anyone tells you or what diet gimmick you try, there's no magic formula. The only way to lose weight is through a calorie deficit. Well, I take that back. You cut off your arm or your leg and you'll definitely lose weight, but if you want to lose weight and still keep all of your body parts, the only way to lose weight is through a calorie deficit. So the real challenge is being accountable and honest, and you know I talk a lot about accountability. So it's about being accountable and honest about how many calories you're really eating and taking a look at where you might be going wrong.

Speaker 2: 5:21

So let me tell you a few of the common places that people quote unquote forget to count calories, because calories are sneaky, even when you're doing your best to stick to some diet. You know I hate calorie counting, but even when you're doing your best, it's easy to overlook some of the insignificant things that, over the course of your day, really add up. You might think, ah, I'm eating cleaner, I've got my portions under control, but there's some calorie heavy shit that people consistently forget to account for. So the first one is BLTs and if you're thinking bacon, lettuce and tomato. That's exactly what I'm talking about. Blt stands for bites, licks and taste, and it's a big one.

Speaker 2: 6:00

Every time you take one of your friends french fries at lunch, or lick the spoon after you make yourself a smoothie, or sneak a few chips while making your dinner, you're consuming calories calories that rarely make it into your food diary or your app. And if you have an app or a food diary, you're a fucking idiot. But that's a story for another day. You don't need that. You already know what to eat, but those seemingly harmless, stupid little things can literally tack on hundreds of calories every single day. Think about it. If you take two or three small bites throughout the day, you know like, let's say, a spoonful of peanut butter here, a couple of french fries there, it can easily add up to an extra two to three hundred calories. The problem is, those calories feel invisible because they're not part of a proper meal, but they still count. A calorie is a calorie is a calorie. So over time, that mindless eating can be the difference between losing weight and stalling.

Speaker 2: 6:53

Another big one that people always look at or forget to look at, I should say is like cooking oils, butter, sauces, stuff like that. So if you're really, if we're getting real, you're probably not measuring your oil, butter or cooking spray. You're just using a lot, dumping it into the pan, eyeballing it, and if that's the case, you're probably using a hell of a lot more than you think. Just one tablespoon of olive oil packs 120 calories. Most people use a lot more than that. When they're sauteing veggies or cooking meat or whatever it is they're using oil for, and when they're sauteing veggies or cooking meat or whatever it is, they're using oil for and butter, one tablespoon adds 100 calories. But if you're being generous, which we certainly more often than not do, it's likely a lot more. And that isn't to say I'm not saying that you need to cut that stuff out, because they're great for flavor, essential for a balanced diet, but you do need to account for them. Most people think they're using a little, but those drizzles, splashes, dollop, whatever you use quickly turns into major calorie add-ons. If you cook all your meals at home and use oil liberally which a lot of people do and I did you could easily be adding three or 400 extra calories a day.

Speaker 2: 8:06

Another thing that I want to talk about is salad dressings and condiments. You've made that healthy choice to order a salad for lunch and you're feeling good about it, but when it arrives at the table it's drenched in dressing. There's a bunch of croutons on there, maybe some cheese, some bacon and maybe top with a few fried chicken strips. Congratulations, you just ordered a calorie bomb.

Speaker 2: 8:25

Most people forget that a salad can be healthy or it can be the equivalent of a fast food meal in terms of calorie. A Caesar salad from chain restaurant, for example, can pack over a thousand calories, depending on how it's prepared, and if you want to, I guess let's talk a little bit about that. If you want to talk like Applebee's, the Oriental chicken salad remember I said chicken salad with dressing comes in at a whopping 1,560 calories. That's more than an entire day's worth of food for some people trying to lose weight. 1,560 calories. At the Cheesecake Factory, the barbecue chicken ranch salad clocks in at 1,510 calories, and that's before you actually look at the cheesecake, and you know I like to feed my soul. So it's not just the restaurant's fault, though. Even at home we forget that our homemade salads can suffer from the same fate.

Speaker 2: 9:14

A tablespoon of ranch dressing 75 calories. Have you ever just put a tablespoon of dressing on your salad? I think not. Croutons. Add another 50 to 100 calories Cheese, avocado, bacon, all that other stuff. You get the idea. A salad is only healthy if you keep it simple. So if you're going to torture yourself and eat salads, stick to a low-calorie flavorful dressing like balsamic vinegar or lemon juice and use them really sparingly. Salads are a huge minefield for people. Another thing that people forget about is they forget to count calories in their drinks, assuming that drinks don't count the same way food does. But calories are calories, like I said before, whether they're coming from a sugary snack or your favorite drink. You might think well, I'm just having a glass of juice or iced tea, but that glass could be 150 to 200 calories and more. If it's like a sweet tea from North Carolina, that is truly a sugar bomb. Alcohol is another big one.

Speaker 2: 10:13

A glass of wine that's 120 to 150 calories and let's be honest, most people don't stop at one. Beer and cocktails. Even worse, even a single margarita comes anywhere between 300 and 500 calories, depending on how it's made. So have a couple of those over dinner and you're already well over the calorie limit for the day without even realizing it. Another big one for me is definitely portion sizes. If you're not weighing or measuring your food which I don't think you should you're probably eating more than you think. If you look at that portion and it looks too big it is. So people love the eyeball portion size and the truth is we're pretty freaking bad at it. For example, what you think is a serving of peanut butter might actually be closer to two or three servings. A tablespoon of peanut butter is not a tablespoon that's overflowing with a bunch of the bottom, it's a flat tablespoon of peanut butter. What you eat, what I eat, what most people eat, is two or three servings and that easily doubles or triples the calorie count. A single serving of peanut butter is two tablespoons or 190 calories, but most people like myself like slather it all over the bread like it's some zero calorie fairy dust. But it's not. It's low in calories. The same thing goes for all nuts, granola cheese, pasta. If you're eating foods that are calorie dense, portion control really becomes critical. And if you're not paying attention, it's easy to blow your calorie budget without even noticing.

Speaker 2: 11:37

So I want to go back to the salads for a second, because salads are often viewed as the epitome of health. And sure they can be if done right. But all too often salads turn into calorie bombs that rival even the unhealthiest fast food meals. What starts as a bowl of fresh veggies quickly becomes a calorie disaster when you pile on the toppings, the cheese, the dressings and anything and everything else that sounds good. I mean, a salad bar is like a freaking minefield. So let's say you're a chain restaurant and decide to quote be healthy by ordering a salad. Here's where things start to go wrong.

Speaker 2: 12:11

The Applebee's Oriental Chicken Salad I said this before, I think is 1,560 calories. The Cheesecake Factory Barbecue Ranch Chicken Salad 1,510 calories. California Peach and Kitchen Waldorf Chicken Salad 1,510 calories. California Peach and Kitchen Waldorf Chicken Salad 1,260 calories. Chili's Quesadilla Explosion that name should make you give you a little fear. The Quesadilla Explosion Salad 1,430 calories.

Speaker 2: 12:37

Those salads are loaded with things like crispy fried chicken, sugary dressings, shredded cheese, croutons and, in the case of Chiliies and maybe a couple others, even tortilla strips or candy nuts. Those add-ons might make the salad taste great. I'm not going to say they don't taste great, but they're turning what should be a low-calorie, nutrient-dense meal into something that could be pushing 1,500 or more calories. There's so many other things you can eat that are delicious, that are a lot less than 1,500 calories. Even your homemade salads can suffer from the health halo effect. If you're adding heavy dressings or a bunch of high-fat toppings and nuts and cheese and bacon, you might be looking at a calorie-laden meal that's anything, anything but light. So be careful of salads.

Speaker 2: 13:22

I kind of laugh at people. Well, I only eat salad. I don't understand it. I'm putting on weight. Well, you're not really eating salary, you're eating a freaking calorie bomb.

Speaker 2: 13:32

Now I want to get to the thing that really drives me up the fucking wall, which is coffee drinks. They're basically hidden milkshakes in disguise, right? People overlook their morning coffee or their afternoon coffee all the time. Your morning coffee might seem like it's an innocent part of your routine, but if you're grabbing a flavored latte or a frappuccino, you could be setting yourself back hundreds of calories before 9am even rolls around. If your drink has a double anything in it, if it says if there's double in the, if it says if there's double in the in your description, if there's double in your order, you're drinking a fuckload of calories. Coffee is, like, often perceived as a low calorie drink, but once you start adding the syrups and the whipped cream and the milk and the flavored shots and that harmless cup of coffee becomes basically a dessert disguised as a beverage. So let's look at I'm not really a Starbucks guy, but let's just take a quick look at some of the Starbucks stuff.

Speaker 2: 14:29

Starbucks is notorious for offering coffee drinks that are more milkshake than caffeine fix. You might think that grabbing that simple pick-me-up, but the truth is, depending on your order, you could be sipping something with a calorie count of an entire meal. So here's just a quick breakdown for some of the worst offenders. So a grande, these are all grandes. Caramel Frappuccino 380 calories. A white chocolate mocha 430 calories. Mocha cookie crumble Frappuccino 480 calories. And here's the big one, because we're in pumpkin spice latte season. People, it's pumpkin spices back. Fuck that shit. Pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks 390 calories. And that's if you don't get the whipped cream. If you get the whipped cream, you're looking at over 420 calories. So these drinks aren't just a few extra calories, they're again, they're calorie bombs and they can totally fuck up your progress If you're having them regularly. Oh, and also, don't forget, I'm at Starbucks, so I might as well get a pastry on the side and suddenly the little coffee break Turned into a 700 calorie indulgence that really, in the end, doesn't even keep you full.

Speaker 2: 15:41

Now, while I'm not a Starbucks guy, I am a Dunkin' Donuts guy and I think their slogan should be not America runs on Dunkin', america runs on sugar. And, by the way, sugar doesn't make you fat. Too much sugar makes you fat. But anyway, dunkin' isn't that much better. Their coffee drinks pack just as many calories and sometimes even more than Starbucks. So again, here's just a quick look. I've never had one of these drinks in my life, but I see people ordering them all the time.

Speaker 2: 16:07

A large frozen caramel coffee culotta 850 calories. A medium mocha swirl frozen coffee 840 calories. A medium iced coffee with cream and sugar okay, that's not so bad 240 calories. Those drinks are like milkshakes. They're more like milkshakes than coffee, and they're probably adding hundreds, if not thousands, of extra calories to your week without you realizing it Honestly when I go to Dunkin' I either get a black iced coffee with two Stevias or an unsweet iced tea with two Stevias that has almost no calories.

Speaker 2: 16:45

I learned to do that. Those are empty calories that I didn't want to eat. And again, I didn't count calories. I never counted calories. I just know, like you fucking know, what are shitty calories, what calories you don't need versus what calories you do need. So you know what to eat.

Speaker 2: 17:03

Like I said before, the biggest problem on these things is, unlike a meal of protein and fiber that can keep you full for hours, these sugar bombs, these sugary coffee drinks, spike your blood sugar. They give you quick energy boosts and then they leave you crashing right afterwards and that leaves you hungry and you're likely to snack more throughout the day, which only adds more calories to your daily intake. So those liquid calories are brutal because you're not chewing anything, you're not savoring a meal and you're not getting the satisfaction that comes with eating real food. You're essentially drinking a dessert without any of the enjoyment. I don't get it. It's an easy way to cut a shit ton of calories out of your diet every single week. Another thing about counting calories because you know, like I've said a hundred times, I don't think you should count calories. I think if you're using calorie counting app or you're using creating a food journal, you're a fucking idiot because you know what to eat. You don't need anybody to tell you. But here's, I'll give you the scientific reason why you're a fucking idiot. Well, this is not why you're an idiot, but it's why counting calories is just fucking stupid.

Speaker 2: 18:11

Even if you're religiously tracking your calories and logging every meal, there's another thing that you might not be aware of. Calorie counts on labels and menus can be significantly off. Research shows that food label can be off by up to 25%. And the situation is even worse when it comes to restaurant meals. In a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers tested restaurant meals and found a lot of them contained far more calories than what was listed on the menu. Some meals had an extra two or three hundred calories beyond what was stated. So even if you're following the numbers exactly, you could still be eating a lot more than you think. And the discrepancy is even more prevalent in processed foods and pre-packaged meals. Manufacturers are allowed to round calorie counts in the nearest 10 or 20, which means you're probably eating a lot more calories than the label says. So over time, here's 10 or 20, which means you're probably eating a lot more calories than the label says. So over time, that small margin of error adds up.

Speaker 2: 19:11

Remember, it's all about small gains. And let's talk about weight loss being like interest in a bank account. Well, it's the same thing. When you're adding 20, 30, 50 more calories in every meal, it basically contributes to your weight loss journey failing or stalling. Journey failing or stalling. In a worst case scenario, it's even going to make you gain weight because you're eating more calories than you're burning.

Speaker 2: 19:32

So now that you're armed with that knowledge, people always get pissed at me when I say look, you're fat because of your choices. You choose to be fat. And I always say, look, you could be conscious or unconscious, that's irrelevant, it doesn't matter. The choices that you made have brought you to this place of being fat. Period. End of sentence. The good news is, you can make better choices and you can choose to lose the weight.

Speaker 2: 19:56

So I want to end this by telling you five ways that I believe you can save up to 500 calories a day very easily. So, if you're really struggling to lose weight or you're eating 1,500 calories a day very easily. So if you're really struggling to lose weight, you're eating 1,500 calories a day bullshit. But if you're really struggling to lose weight, then there's a good chance you're really eating more than you realize. But again, you don't have to worry. You don't need to overhaul your entire life to start seeing progress. Don't overhaul your life. That's not what this is about. You won't last if you do that. It's about making small, smart choices that fit into your life. So I'm going to give you five things that I believe will really help you save a ton of calories.

Speaker 2: 20:32

One is we talked about it get rid of those sugary coffee drinks. Don't have that deli frappuccino, that flavored latte or the sugary iced coffee. Just have the simple black coffee or an iced coffee or an Americano. That one swap, that one swap alone, can save you three to 500 calories a day with no effort. Yeah, if you want to add a splash of milk or some kind of sweetener, do it, but don't get the syrup and the whipped cream. It's a simple one and it'll save you a ton of calories. Another one you know I'm against measuring my food and all that crap, but measure your cooking oils if you have to, or just use less. Instead of eyeballing your sugar and butter, use a measuring spoon if you need to. Swapping out two tablespoons of oil for one tablespoon per meal can save you 120 calories a meal. Over three meals, that's 360 calories gone from just being a little bit more mindful about what you're putting into your body. You know I say it's all about mindful eating. You have to be mindful. Number three we didn't talk about this, but this is. It sucks, but it's a good one.

Speaker 2: 21:38

Skip the booze right. Cutting out just one glass of wine or a couple of cocktails a night can save you anywhere between 150 and 300 calories If you drink regularly. If you drink a couple of cocktails a night can save you anywhere between 150 and 300 calories If you drink regularly. If you drink a couple nights a week, that can add up really, really fast. Not to mention that alcohol. Your body looks at alcohol as poison and it stops burning fat from anywhere from 24 to 72 hours, depending on how much alcohol you drink. So swap out that booze for I don't know sparkling water with a lemon or some kind of other low calorie beverage and you can save hundreds of calories a week that way.

Speaker 2: 22:10

Number four is watch your snacks. I was a big grazer, I would just eat shit just to eat it. So mindless snacking adds hundreds of extra calories to your day. So instead of reaching for those calorie dense snacks like chips or other shit, try some lower calorie options like fruit, vegetables or even air-popped popcorn is good, and I love popcorn. You can easily save 200 or 300 calories by making these small, smart snack choices.

Speaker 2: 22:42

And number five we kind of go back to the salad thing. Cut back on the dressing of the sauces. Instead of drowning your salad and your meals in heavy dressings and sauces, go for some lighter options. Use balsamic vinegar, lemon juice or even a light vinaigrette instead of creamy dressing. That simple switch can save you two to four hundred calories per meal, depending on how much you usually use.

Speaker 2: 23:05

This is easy stuff. I'm not asking you to go out and eat quinoa and kale and go to the gym for 12 hours a day and do all this crazy shit and take shots. No, don't do any of that. Just do these small little things and you'll save hundreds and hundreds of calories a day and thousands of calories a week and as you know, of calories a day and thousands of calories a week and, as you know, a typical person needs to be in a calorie deficit of 3,500 calories over a period of time to lose one pound. So if you're down 500 calories every single day, if you're in a calorie deficit of 500 every day, you're going to lose a pound a week. If you're 411 pounds, like I was, I could eat 4100 calories a day to maintain my 411 pound weight. I was probably eating somewhere in the realm and, again, I never counted calories, so I don't know for sure, but I was probably eating about 2000 calories a day, which is a shit ton of food. I mean, it was great, I was eating great food.

Speaker 2: 24:03

So make sure that you do these little things and other little things to really jumpstart and rev up your weight loss. So the bottom line is this weight loss comes down to being in a calorie deficit. There are no magic pills, there's no miracle diets and there's no shortcuts. If you're not losing weight, it's because you're not consistently in a deficit and, by the way deficit you could be in a calorie surplus one day and a deficit the next day and at the end of the week you're still in a deficit. So if you fuck up, if you make a mistake. It's not over. You just got to do better. You have to make small, smart choices. The truth is, if you're not losing weight, the most likely explanation is that you're eating more than you realize.

Speaker 2: 24:45

My whole philosophy is about mindful eating. Think before you put anything in your mouth and if you really think about it and there's a better choice, make that small choice. Just make it today. You don't have to make it tomorrow. Just make it today. Tomorrow you can go back to eating your shit. But once you find that you're losing weight and you see that you're making progress, I promise you those small, smart choices will change.

Speaker 2: 25:06

And again, I just want to end this by saying I'm not saying you need to count every single calorie down to the last bite. You don't, because that's bullshit, that's like a waste of time, it causes anxiety, it's just, it's horrible. But you do need to be honest with yourself. Stop bullshitting yourself and telling yourself you tried everything. That's a crock of shit. If you're still ordering that sugary coffee drink or overloading your salads with dressing or just mindlessly snacking, you haven't tried everything. There's a lot more out there. There's only one way to lose weight and that's in the calorie deficit, the only thing standing between you and your weight loss goals is your own ability to make smart choices, to stay accountable and keep things simple. Stop overcomplicating it. Cut out the shit that you know is bad for you. It's that fucking easy.

Speaker 2: 25:58

All right, I tired myself out. I'm wiped out, so I'll end it by telling you if you haven't bought my book, definitely buy it. It's on Amazon. We've reached bestseller status, getting great reviews. It's really exciting. I also launched an online video course. That is 23 videos. It takes you through my whole philosophy. It's just me talking. It's nothing fancy, no fancy editing, no bullshit. It's just the simplest way to lose weight and keep it off. So that's my commercial for the day and again you're fat because you make the choice to be fat, and you made the choice to be fat and you can make those choices that will make you thin, that will help you lose the weight, that will help you achieve your weight loss goal. It's that simple. So stop fucking complaining and shut up and choose.

Speaker 1: 26:54

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.