Speaker 1: 0:00

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: 1:13

Hey everybody, welcome back to Shut Up and Choose. We cut through all the bullshit and noise from the diet industry and we talk about real solutions and how you can lose weight and keep it off long term. As you know, I lost over 140 pounds and I'm still going, and that's the. There's only one way to lose weight and that's in a calorie deficit. But we don't get hung up on that. So, anyway, today I did say I'd read a couple emails and I'm not going through today because I want to get into this important topic, because I think it's something that a lot of people need to hear and it's an excuse that a lot of people use. I know I used it, and so today we're going to talk about why busy executives need to ditch the excuses and really start their weight loss journey today.

Speaker 2: 1:54

So if you're a busy guy, if you're a busy girl, if you're a busy executive, chances are you've been through this thought process more than once. I went through it a hundred times. But the bottom line is you always say to yourself I just don't have the time to focus on losing weight right now. I mean, work is crazy and the last thing I could think about is hitting the gym or meal prepping. I guess I'll get started when things calm down. And that statement alone. I don't have time to think about hitting the gym and meal prepping. Well, with the way I did it, I didn't think about meal prepping or hitting the gym either. I really focused on small, smart choices. But if that kind of excuse of that hey, I'll do it when work slows down sounds familiar, well, I'm going to break it to you. I guess the only way I know to Things aren't going to calm down.

Speaker 2: 2:38

As a busy executive, you live in a world where deadlines are always looming, meetings are always stacked up back to back and stress levels hit new heights every single day. There's never going to be the quote-unquote perfect time to start focusing on your weight. But here's the catch Waiting until you have more time isn't going to help. It's about making time and not finding it. It's about making this fit into your life, not taking it over and not finding it. It's about making this fit into your life, not taking it over. So today we're going to talk about some of the most common excuses that executives use to avoid starting their weight loss journey, why the excuses are costing you more than your health, and practical tips on how to integrate weight loss into your already busy life without letting it take your life over.

Speaker 2: 3:20

So let's talk about the common excuses. Number one the biggest one lack of time. I don't have the time. If you're busy, you often feel like there aren't enough hours in the day to juggle your work, your personal life, your health and all the other stuff that you want to do. But here's the thing and I know this is going to be no revelation, but everyone has the same 24 hours. The real issue here isn't time, it's priorities. You always seem to be able to make time for the things that you value the most. If there's something you want to do, no matter how busy you are, you find a way to fit that in, and your health should be the most important thing, because without your health, you're not going to be able to do all of those things in the future that you really want to do.

Speaker 2: 4:03

Number two is I'm too stressed out. That's just such a bullshit excuse. I get it. Demands of running a business or working your job or managing a team or hitting your sales targets can definitely distress and inconsistent habits for sure. I know that. I've been there, I've done that I'm a poster child for that, but a lot of us use stress as a reason not to start your weight loss journey, believing that you don't have the mental space to add something else to your plate, and that's again just a bullshit excuse. If it's something you really want to do, you'll find the mental space, and I'm not talking about a weight loss journey. If you really wanted to go to the beach this weekend, you'd find a way to fit that in journey. If you really wanted to go to the beach this weekend, you'd find a way to fit that in. Or if it was something that was really important to you, you always find the way to fit that in. So again, you're too stressed out is a bullshit excuse.

Speaker 2: 4:55

Another one I used a lot was I travel too much. Well, we all travel for work. Where a lot of us travel for work, we are hopping on planes, going to conferences and, honestly, living out of a suitcase in hotels. So the unpredictability of life on the road makes it feel impossible to stick to a routine, especially to a fad diet, one of those things where you have a strict range of it and you have to eat this and do that, and so people always say you know what, I'll start once I'm back home for good. And you know what, if you're a busy executive, being back home for good might not be a reality. You need to find a way to lose weight Again, I know I've said this before, but a way that fits into your life, the life that you're living right now, not that takes it over and you have to go do a whole new routine and make massive changes to your life.

Speaker 2: 5:40

That's never going to work and that time is never going to come. Another thing that I don't know that. I really thought this, but it's definitely an excuse. There's a group of people out there who believe they've reached the top in business and think well, I've already achieved success in my career, so who cares if I put on a few pounds? I guess I've thought that, but the mindset overlooks the connection really between your health and your professional success. Staying healthy isn't just about looking good. It's about longevity, mental clarity, energy. It's about all those things that wane when you're overweight and it's harder to move and it's harder to think, and it's just. It's a bullshit excuse. Yes, you're successful, but you should really be focused on being successful on your health journey, your weight loss journey. That's where the rest of your life comes in.

Speaker 2: 6:28

And the last one. I could give you 15 more, but the last one I'm going to do is I've tried it all before and it didn't work. That's like the total quitter mentality, right? So that excuse comes from the frustration with past failed attempts. And I tell you all the time I would say I had been on 100 different diets in my life, and I'm not saying that figuratively, I'm saying that literally. I guarantee I've been on a hundred different diets and we've all tried diets and signed up for the gym and maybe even hired a personal trainer, guilty. I did all of those things but the weight. When the weight didn't come off as fast as I wanted it to, I gave up. It was just okay. It was easier to quit than to actually stay the course. So a lot of people feel like they've already failed at weight loss and assume that they're doomed to keep failing and that nothing could be further from the truth.

Speaker 2: 7:13

I will tell you I was there this last time. I was laying in the hospital and I was. I need to lose over a hundred pounds and that thought was just overwhelming. How the fuck could I possibly lose that much weight. It just seemed so difficult that I was ready to give up.

Speaker 2: 7:28

And then I came to the realization and you need to come to the realization that forget about all the distractions you think are more important right now. Obviously, I didn't have distractions when I was laying in a hospital bed other than I wanted to live, but I realized that my health was the single most important thing in my life and it's the single most important thing in your life. I don't care who you are, what you do, where you live. It's the single most important thing in your life. It's more important than your job and it's more important than getting a promotion. It's more important than making partner at the law firm. It's more important than buying a nice car and it's more important than upgrading to a bigger house. You know what all those things have in common. You need to be alive and healthy to enjoy them.

Speaker 2: 8:09

That was a realization that I came to laying in the hospital bed. Right, it didn't matter what else was going on in my life. If I wasn't alive, nothing really mattered. So really, success means nothing without help and as busy business owners and executives, we get caught up in chasing success. I know I was completely caught up in it. We're climbing the corporate ladder Not for me. I was an, I was an, I am an entrepreneur, building my business, nailing that big deal or sometimes just getting bragging rights at the next office event or with your friends.

Speaker 2: 8:40

But what's the point of accumulating that wealth or achieving those great milestones if your body is literally falling apart? So imagine you work yourself into a corner, ignoring your health and then one day, boom, heart attack. We all know people who have worked themselves into a heart attack. That's, unfortunately, pretty common. So it's not about being dramatic, it's about being real. Cardiovascular disease, heart issues, diabetes, blood pressure they aren't future maybes, they're guarantees. If you neglect your health long enough, I'm living proof. I neglected myself for my health for I don't know how many years and even when I got the signs when I was getting uncontrollable gout and I had atrial fibrillation, I had all these things I still felt like, hey, I could beat this, but I so I felt them. But you may not even see them yet or feel those ailments that are building inside you, but trust me, they're there and if you don't have your health, you won't be around long enough to enjoy all the things you're working so goddamn hard to achieve. And no matter how successful you are, when your health goes it's game over.

Speaker 2: 9:53

I was a believer that I was earlier not when I ended up in the hospital, but earlier. I believed that I was fat, but I was still healthy. So I want to address that once and for all. There's no such thing as fat and healthy. Aside from being medically impossible to be significantly overweight and maintain long-term health, it's just a crazy thought. Sure, maybe you feel okay right now, maybe your blood pressure seems all right or you don't feel like you have any obvious symptoms. But trust me, that won't last. I lived that life. I was like, yeah, man, I'm fat and healthy, it's all good. Yeah, I'm fat and I called my company Big Fat. I embraced it and I felt fine until one day I didn't.

Speaker 2: 10:36

So carrying that excess weight puts an enormous strain on your heart, your lungs and your joints. I had uncontrollable gut. I still have joint pain because of all the abuse I put my joints through. Over time, you're going to develop chronic conditions, whether it's a high blood pressure, diabetes which I don't know how I didn't get, but I didn't get it or severe joint pain. Yeah, I had that, I got that. So those are the invisible lurking enemies, and by the time you actually feel the problem, it's usually too late to reverse it. So prevention in the form of weight loss is the only solution.

Speaker 2: 11:11

I always say it comes down to choices, and I guess I got to be blunt here. Not that I'm not blunt all the time, but your excuses are a choice. Every time you say you don't have the time, every time you claim it's too hard, every time you blame your busy schedule, you're choosing to stay overweight, and you know what I say. You're choosing to be fat. More important, you're choosing to stay unhealthy, and here's the kicker in all that. You could also choose the opposite. You can choose to make your health a priority. You can choose to make small, smart choices over time that will transform your body, your energy levels and your overall quality of life. I'm living my best life right now just because I lost the weight. I can do things that I couldn't do. It's a simple choice Keep making excuses and stay the same, or stop making excuses and start seeing real progress. So the real question isn't whether or not you should start your weight loss journey, but it's critical. It's crucial to choose to do it right now.

Speaker 2: 12:13

And just from a business standpoint, weight loss definitely improves your work performance, and let's talk about just energy levels. Carrying excess weight doesn't just affect your physical appearance which it does and that definitely affects your mental feelings about yourself, but it does affect your mental performance. Studies have shown that people who lose weight experience increased energy, better focused and improved productivity. I can tell you firsthand the guy that did it I did. I got all three of those things increased energy, better focused and improved productivity because I could do more. You're at your sharpest when you feel healthy and confident. I'm still on my journey, but every day I feel I'm just doing better at everything. I'm still on my journey, but every day I feel I'm just doing better at everything. So imagine how much better you could perform if you weren't dragging through your 3 pm meeting with some low-energy brain fog because your body is like whoa hey, take it easy, pal. And by taking control of your health, you're also taking control of your professional performance. So if that's what you need to think, if that's what you need to understand, then do it.

Speaker 2: 13:16

I never really lacked the next thing, which is confidence. Executives are expected businessmen, busy people are expected to exude confidence, whether it's in the boardroom or even at a social event. But when you don't feel good about how you look, that confidence can start to fade. I told you this in my book and I told you this on previous episodes of the podcast fade. I told you this in my book and I told you this on previous episodes of the podcast. I avoided certain social situations because I felt like I looked well. Once I realized how fucking disgusting I looked, I started to avoid that stuff. So confidence isn't about vanity. That's not what it's about. It's about how you present yourself. Feeling good about your body allows you to stand taller, to speak more clearly and to honestly to handle challenges with greater self-assurance and confidence. We're talking about confidence.

Speaker 2: 14:05

The bottom line health is wealth. You didn't get to where you are by being careless in the business world. In your executive career. You likely have strategies for building your business, for your finances and for career growth, but what's your strategy for health? As the saying goes, health is wealth. I know that's corny, but I learned that it's the truth. Man, health is wealth. If you don't take care of your body, all the success that you've achieved won't matter in the long run and as a businessman or a businesswoman, you know the importance of long-term planning. Treat your health the same way you would in your business. I'm investing it now, so you can reap the rewards later.

Speaker 2: 14:46

Excess weight leads to increased risk of heart disease, diabetes we talked about this and a ton of other chronic conditions, many of which I had that can drastically affect the quality of your life and your ability to keep working. I talked a little bit about social life, but work is only part of the picture here, right? How is your social life when you're carrying extra weight and I was carrying an extra over 100 pounds? It impacts how you feel about yourself in social settings, whether it's at a networking event, with your family or even in romantic relationships. So by prioritizing your health, you not only feel more comfortable in your skin, but you can also be more present in your social and personal life. When you look and feel good, it enhances every aspect of your life. All right, all right.

Speaker 2: 15:34

So now that we've established that you need to start, how do you actually fit weight loss into a busy executive or a busy business life without feeling like it's another full-time job? If that becomes the case, you're not going to do it. I know I didn't do it, because following those plans and going it just didn't work for me. Here's the good news it's possible to lose weight and stay healthy without sacrificing your career or your social life. It's all about making simple, sustainable changes. If you're waiting for the perfect minute to start, it's never coming. It's not going to come.

Speaker 2: 16:08

So, instead of trying to overhaul your entire routine, start small. Can you fit 20 minutes of exercise in the morning? And when I say exercise, I'm not talking about going to the gym, I'm saying get up and walk around the corner, walk around your house. If you have to Walk up and down the steps a few times, that's better than not walking up and down the steps a few times. Can you make one healthier food choice per meal? That shouldn't be hard right. One simple, good choice.

Speaker 2: 16:37

Every one of those small choices adds up and, contrary to what the diet industry would want you to believe, weight loss isn't about quick fixes. It's about consistency over time. Even the busiest businessman can spare 20 to 30 minutes a day to walk or do some kind of workout, even if it's walking, parking further away from your office, whatever you can find those 20 to 30 minutes, and it doesn't all have to be in one shot. The important part is to start. Don't wait for everything to line up perfectly, because it's never going to happen. So start small and obviously, if you can make your work environment actually work for you, just because you sit at a desk or sit behind a computer or you're an online guy, that doesn't mean you have to have a sedentary lifestyle.

Speaker 2: 17:26

You can find ways to incorporate more movement into your day. One of the things that I do is I like to talk on the phone in the morning when I'm taking my walk. So take a walking meeting Instead of sitting in a conference room or on the phone in the morning when I'm taking my walk. So take a walking meeting Instead of sitting in a conference room or on the phone. Walk with somebody and talk to them Again. That could be on the phone or in person. You can actually this is crazy. I started doing this and I love it.

Speaker 2: 17:49

You can do kind of stretches and exercises at your desk. Like I'm not telling you to keep a resistance band at your desk. You know, for strength training that's crazy. But move your body, roll your ankles, move your arms, lift your arms up over your head, get up. I mean get up. You could use a standing desk. I don't use it, but standing for part of your day definitely burns more calorie and it improves your posture. It improves a lot of stuff. So if you're one of those standing desk people, that's great. Believe it or not, exercise Now. The most important part for me is mindful eating. Right Eat fine, even when you're stressed out. Stress eating is a huge obstacle for people who are busy. Long hours, tight deadlines and this constant pressure that you feel can lead you to grab quick, unhealthy snacks. But being mindful, thinking about every single thing you put in your mouth, is an absolute must Key. Some of the ways that you can stay mindful is you can avoid working lunches.

Speaker 2: 18:50

It's tempting to scarf down food I know it was for me while responding to emails but that definitely leads to overeating because you're not thinking about what you're eating. You're really focused on obviously responding to those emails and doing what's best for your business, so you're not really thinking about what you're eating. So you're not mindful. That's mindless eating. So take a 15, 20 minute break to eat, even if it's just to be present with your food, but take a break, get away from work for 15 minutes and really think about what you're putting in your body. Now the thing you can do is you can. If you go out to a client lunch or a client dinner, yeah, you may got to make smart choices. You don't have to sacrifice your social or your work life, but you can make those small smart choices when you're dining outside Just stupid stuff Opt for grilled meat, veggies, salads, over like heavier options, and I don't. I'm not telling you that anything is bad, but if you can make one or two small smart choices at every meal, you're ahead of the game. That's the truth and, as you know, I didn't really exercise for the first year I was on this thing. Working out to me did and does feel like another item on my crazy, overwhelming schedule and my to-do list. So the trick for me was to make it part of my routine, not some added burden.

Speaker 2: 20:11

I go on a morning walk every day, rain or shine Rain, I will tell you. It's a shorter walk because I don't like to get wet, because, as you know, sugar melts and I am pure sugar. But seriously, do things first thing in the morning. Go for that morning walk. You feel like you accomplished something when you're done and it's going to boost your energy for the whole day. I know if and when I've skipped those walks. It definitely affects my day. And if you can't, if you don't have 20 or 30 minutes, I say two things. One is you're full of shit because get up 20 or 30 minutes early. But if you don't have 20 or 30 minutes, it's okay. You can break it up into two 10 minute walks in the morning and the night, or whatever you want.

Speaker 2: 20:50

All the exercise doesn't have to happen at one time. Every time you choose the steps over the elevator, it's a win. Every time you stand up and walk around your office, it's a win. It's easy stuff and you have to make it enjoyable too, right. If you hate running, don't run. I hate the gym with a passion. I hate it there. I just hate the fucking gym. So find something you enjoy. It could be riding your bike, it could be hiking, it could be dancing, who knows but the key is to find something that doesn't feel like a chore.

Speaker 2: 21:20

Another thing that gets overlooked a lot is sleep. I used to sleep. I felt like I was so busy. You know I'll sleep three or four hours a night. I used to sleep. I felt like I was so busy. You know I'll sleep three or four hours a night and that's good enough. But the reality is sleep is really important for your body. You might think you can get by on four or five hours of sleep, but sleep deprivation absolutely 100% will slow your weight loss down and for sure hurt your work performance. So I try to prioritize this and you should prioritize it too. You should get seven to eight hours of quality sleep every single night. Granted, there are some nights when you're getting less, but you should really focus on getting seven to eight hours of sleep every night. You'll find that you have more energy for both work and just your social life and just life in general. You'll have better mental clarity and you'll have much less of a tendency to overeat due to fatigue.

Speaker 2: 22:12

The last one I'm going to talk about is accountability. Accountability is absolutely crucial. Just like you have metrics and goals in your professional life, you need to have them for your health journey, for your weight loss journey. You could hire a personal trainer. I did that, but I took over the conversation. It was about what I wanted to do, what the trainer wanted to do. You could join a fitness group or you could use some kind of tracking app, which I think is total bullshit, but if that works for you, find ways to hold yourself accountable. What really should hold you accountable is yourself. You should be accountable to you and nobody else. Be accountable to you. Be accountable to your family, to your husband, your wife, your kids, whoever. Those are the ones that you're doing it for. But at the end of the day, you're doing it for yourself and if you want, share the goal with a colleague or a friend or somebody like that.

Speaker 2: 23:02

Having somebody check in on your progress makes it a lot harder to fuck it up. I used to share it with my kids all the time. The first I don't know eight or nine months I was doing this thing. I didn't tell anybody because I was like, oh, I'm going to fail again. I don't even know why I'm telling them because I'm going to fuck this up. But then I learned you can't fuck it up if you're making small, smart choices. And I told my kids after about I don't know, like I said, seven or eight months. And now that I told them, and now that I'm 18 months into this thing, I still feel accountable. Of course, I feel accountable to myself, but I feel accountable to them. I don't want to do it. They don't ask me about it, but I tell them all the time hey, this is what I weigh, this is where I am, this is what I did, because that accountability is absolutely crucial.

Speaker 2: 23:47

So look, at the end of the day, losing weight as a business owner, a busy executive, whatever, comes down to one thing choices. It's all about the choices you make. Every single day. You have the choice to make a small step forward toward better health or let excuses keep you stuck in the same old cycle. It's a choice. People hate when I say that, but losing weight is a choice. So stop waiting for the right time and stop overcomplicating it. It doesn't have to be hard, it's easy, and stop making excuses. It's time to take control of your health and choose the path that will lead you to a longer, healthier and more successful life, both in and out of the office, the boardroom, wherever it is.

Speaker 2: 24:38

These choices are simple and you don't have to make them all at once. Just start with some small, smart choices. The truth is, your health and your weight loss do not have to take over your life. They shouldn't. With the right mindset and I believe it's all about mindset, it's the power and ability and desire to make those choices and a few simple changes, a few smart, small choices, you can make weight loss fit seamlessly into your busy life and, trust me, your future self and probably your career in business will thank you for it. So that's all I have really on how business, weight loss and your health journey really are intertwined. And you can't be successful in your business long term without being healthy. You can't be successful in your personal life without being healthy. And if you do achieve that, if you can figure out a way to get it done, you won't be there for long Without your health. You have nothing. The choice is yours, I can't force you to do it. No one else can force you to do it. You just have to make that simple choice.

Speaker 2: 25:55

So, with that being said, I want to thank everybody who's been buying my book. Thank everybody for reviewing my book. For those of you that don't know, it's called the same thing as my podcast Shut Up and Choose Chronicles my 140 plus pound weight loss journey, how I did it, everything about it. I also have created a 23 video online course that is just basically me explaining everything in detail, how I did it and still ate ice cream and cake and donuts and all those great things. That's called live life, love food, lose weight. You can find out more about that at learnshutupandchoosecom. I've been selling a lot of subscription. It's not a subscription, that's the wrong word, because it's a one-time payment and you have it for life. But I promise you, if you get on this journey, if you get on this, if you choose to live a healthier and better life, your body, your brain and your family will thank you for it. So now I leave it up to you to do that. One thing that you have to do Stop making excuses and shut up and choose.

Speaker 1: 27:04

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.