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: 1:15

Welcome back to Shut Up and Choose the podcast that cuts the noise and nonsense and all the misinformation that the diet industry is spitting out at you every day. You read it on social media, you see it everywhere else. The truth is it's all a misinformation of the diet industry is spitting out at you every day. You read it on social media, you see it everywhere else. The truth is it's all a bunch of crap. You know how to lose weight and here we are, just a week away from Thanksgiving. We're entering into that dreaded holiday season for people that are trying to lose weight because the food choices are incredible. Sometimes you just really need to go back to basics to figure things out and understand how you're going to fall back on the fundamentals to make it through a tough time. I know that sounds crazy, but the holiday season is a tough time and if you're trying to lose weight, you know damn well that it is. So I really started thinking about it and I came up, I guess, the 10 lessons that I learned about weight loss and how it went from restriction to balance. So when I started all this? Well, I started out a long time ago and I went on every diet under the sun. As you know, I've been on over 100 diets. I thought that success would come from pushing harder, cutting out more stuff from my diet and really sticking to those extreme rules and those crazy regimens. And cut this out, don't eat that. Do this. But after years of trial and error and frustration and, honestly, fear for my life, in April of 2023, when I was laying in the hospital ready to die, I learned that the secret to long-lasting health requires a mindset shift and a balanced approach. In my book, shut Up and Choose, I dive into the lessons in detail, but here I'm going to just share the top 10 that I believe turn weight loss from a series of grueling sprints into a marathon that I'm able to enjoy. I actually enjoy my weight loss journey. So the lessons that I'm going to share with you changed everything for me. They're just a mix of small steps and mindset tweaks and adjustments that allowed me to actually lose the weight and keep it off and enjoy life without the baggage of all that restrictive dieting, without being worried all the time can I eat this? It's just, it's craziness out there. So each one of these lessons includes a little tip to help you start applying the ideas right now in your own life, and I know, if you've listened to my podcast, you've heard me say a lot of these things before. But I think this is like the back to fundamentals episode of the podcast to really give you the nuts and bolts and tell you what worked for me and I know will work for you. So, number one you've heard me say this a thousand times but it's small, consistent choices outperform big temporary changes. So the reality of small choices are the key In the world of weight loss.

Speaker 2: 3:56

Those big, flashy changes that seem exciting. That I've done over a hundred times. But the truth is you burn out fast doing those things. That I've done over a hundred times, but the truth is you burn out fast doing those things Every time I started a new diet, a fad diet, even the moderate exercise that I tried. I dive in into these with intense effort. Okay, intense dieting, cutting out food groups and exercise to exhaustion. Well, I never really exercised to exhaustion, but exercise to the point where you hated it all in the hope that you would see some quick results. And you do. I mean, I'll admit it, I lost weight quickly.

Speaker 2: 4:30

But every time I went off those strict routines, those crazy diets, the weight would come right back. Not only would it come back, but it would come back with even more. That constant cycle of extreme dieting followed by regaining the weight back back. It left me feeling worse than when I started and, honestly, it was really frustrating. You know, I said when I was laying in that hospital bed ready to die. I said there's just no way that I can do that again. I just don't have it in me. I can't do another diet, I have too much weight to lose and I don't know. I just started doing this thing that I call live, life, love food, lose weight. And the truth that I learned is this Small, consistent choices outperform drastic changes every time.

Speaker 2: 5:12

The key to real lasting health isn't in some grand gesture, in some crazy diet, but it's in the small daily things that you do, those small smart choices every day that honestly feel effortless. I mean, it could be as simple as maybe you're drinking more water, you're eating more balanced meal. I eat the most unbalanced food in the world. When I started thinking about what I was putting in my mouth, it made a difference. You know, I did not exercise I don't know for the first 10 months, but now I do every day, or I walk, I should say so. Things like taking a walk and getting enough sleep, that was a really big one for me. I was sleeping three or four hours a night. When I started getting more sleep. That really jump-started or it really put it into high gear. So these little things like drinking water, getting sleep, moving a little more, they might not seem like much when you look at them individually as an action, but over time they add up to huge results. It makes making these small, sustainable, little changes, these small smart choices every day. That builds habits that are easier to maintain for the long term.

Speaker 2: 6:19

So here's my, I guess, tip for you. Here's a lack of a better term a way to jumpstart it. So choose one or two small habits to start. For example, maybe get rid of your soda or whatever sugar drink you're drinking, or add just an extra serving of veggies to your lunch. Start out really small and, once these habits feel natural, stack on new ones. This way you can build sustainable changes that don't overwhelm you.

Speaker 2: 6:46

I started out just by thinking about what I was going to eat and making sure that it was in line with my why, which was, at that time, I wanted to live, but the reality is there's small, smart choices that actually results that you're trying to achieve. So number two is a balanced diet beats restriction. Every time I don't have to tell you that restriction sucks. I mean, obviously you know that. But early on in my first hundred diets, I thought the only way to lose weight was through restriction. I tried everything cut out carbs, don't eat dairy, cut out sugar entirely, and they all, like I said, they all worked. They all worked at first, but they were impossible to stick with long-term.

Speaker 2: 7:26

I found myself I would binge on the quote-unquote forbidden foods because my body and mind felt deprived. When you restrict entire food groups or even certain things, it doesn't take long for the cravings to feel unbearable and it leads to that cycle of binging and guilt. I'm a tremendous binger. I would binge on things and I would feel guilty, and then I would go back and then I'd get to the oh fuck it. Point where I'd be like, well, I did that. Now this is over. This diet is over.

Speaker 2: 7:54

So what I learned is that a balanced diet, one that includes everything, all the food groups, everything that you wanna eat donuts, I don't care what it is in moderation, of course, but a diet, a routine that includes every food group actually works better than rigid restrictions. A balanced approach allows you to eat a variety of foods and it gives you the essential nutrients, which I didn't really give a shit about but now I do. But it gives you the essential nutrients for physical health and mental well-being Carbs provide energy, fats support hormone health. Proteins help build muscle and keep you full. I mean you need all of that food. So when all food groups are included, there's less deprivation and more satisfaction, which naturally curbs your cravings and keeps you satiated.

Speaker 2: 8:40

I always tell people you know what to do. I mean this is not rocking science. You don't need anybody else to tell you what to do this I would say. The tip here is use a plate for balanced meals. So fill half your plate and again, this is something you know but fill half your plate with veggies, a quarter with some kind of lean protein and the other quarter with whole grains of starches. I mean you can eat steak, potatoes and a salad. That's not restricted, unless, of course, you don't like meat and whatever. You can figure out what to put on there. But keeping your meals balanced gets rid of the stress of calculating every macro or every calorie. You know how to do this thing. It's simple, all right.

Speaker 2: 9:21

So number three is mindset is everything. The one of the biggest takeaways of this thing that I'm doing is my weight loss journey taught me that health isn't just about what you eat or how much you exercise because I didn't exercise at all it's about your mindset. When I approach weight loss from a place of self-criticism, I'd punish myself for every time I made a mistake, every slip up, I'd stress over a pound gained and then, ultimately, that would lead me to burn out and quit Whatever you want to call it. It would lead me to burn out and quit Whatever you want to call it. It would lead me to stop doing this routine, this restrictive diet that I was doing. A negative mindset is what leads to yo-yo dieting, emotional eating and even a sense of failure. Anytime things didn't go perfectly and nobody's perfect. It's never going to go perfectly. So mindset is the foundation for everything Building a positive relationship with food, letting go of the guilt and seeing setbacks, seeing those little slip-ups as part of the journey rather than as failures.

Speaker 2: 10:20

It's just again so obvious. I always shock myself how obvious this was. But when you look at all that stuff and you look at the mistakes that you make as failures. It creates that place in your head that supports long-term success. All right, I blew it today, but I can make a better next meal. So, with the right mindset, challenges become learning experiences and those small victories become sources of motivation. They're what help you remain consistent. So shifting to a growth focused mindset changed my relationship with food completely. It turned it into a positive and empowering aspect of my life. I used to stress about food all the time because I had the wrong mindset. Food was the enemy. So I didn't do this. But I think a lot of people do benefit from this. And if you just write down your progress every week write down what you did well, any challenges that you faced and what you learned that reflection helps to reinforce a positive mindset and gives you a way to track growth beyond the scale.

Speaker 2: 11:21

For me, honestly, I took a lot of pictures of just my face, because my face was so humongous and every week or two I would take a picture of my face and look at it, and that helped me. That was the tracking mechanism that I use. I looked at what I looked like, what my face looked like, because when I started I couldn't believe what it looked like. It looked like a pie crust. It was so round and humongous. It looked like a pizza pie crust, to be honest. And that was my tracking mechanism. Of course, I weighed myself every day. I weighed myself multiple times a day, as I've said. You can read that in my book. But for me it was the non-scale victory that got my mindset into the right place. It got my head thinking right. So that brings me actually to number four, and that's listen to your body, not just the scale. The scale, of course, is a way to track progress. We're all going to do it, but it's only one part of the story. The scale, of course, is a way to track progress. We're all going to do it, but it's only one part of the story.

Speaker 2: 12:19

Early on, I was fixated on the number and I'd get discouraged if the scale didn't show what I wanted, even if I was feeling stronger and more energetic. Every diet I did in the traditional diet world, the fad diet world yes, I would lose weight quickly, but then it would, sooner or later, would slow down, like it will even on this. But I figured out this time around on my 101st diet, although I take that back. It's not a diet, it's just a way of eating. But anyway, listening to my body became a game changer. Our bodies give us feedback through our energy levels, mood, sleep quality and, honestly, how our clothes fit. Once my clothes started to get a little bit looser, I was wearing a 5X t-shirt and they were still a little tight. So once they started to fit me, wow, that was just incredible for me. So those indicators are just as important, if maybe even not more important, than the number on the scale even not more important than the number on the scale.

Speaker 2: 13:14

I also found out that weight can fluctuate based on so many factors, not the least of which is how much water you're drinking and if you're gaining muscle and even stress. So, by paying attention to my body's signals and what my face looked like, not so much a scale and again, I told you I obsess over the scale, but I was looking for those non-scale victories so I started making choices that supported my overall well-being, not just my weight. When I prioritize how I felt over what I weighed, my choices naturally aligned with my why. Because I was making choices and doing things based not just on the number on the scale, but on the way that I was feeling. So, again, I didn't. I'm not a journaler, but I do things on my phone.

Speaker 2: 13:52

So I bought a scale and I have no association with this company from Withings and I kept track of my weight every day. Every time I weighed myself, I kept track and I could see it on a chart. But that wasn't like I said. That wasn't the big one for me. The big one was for me was looking at the size of my face, taking pictures of my face and tracking it over time. And even when the scale after I was doing this, maybe for three, four or five months, the scale definitely slowed down, but I started to see my face kept going down. It kept looking better. So over time you start to see those patterns and learn to trust those things more than you actually trust the scale, things more than you actually trust the scale.

Speaker 2: 14:32

So the next one for me is also really important and this was not something that I believe you can do in a restrictive or a fad diet or some crazy exercise regimen is you have to enjoy the process. That should be a non-negotiable. Probably one of the biggest lessons I learned is that health isn't supposed to be a punishment. I definitely viewed restrictive eating and exercise as punishment. When I first started losing the weight. I thought that in order to succeed I had to give up the foods I love, push myself to the limit and avoid social situations that involve food. You heard me say when I was so fat A it was hard for me to get to the social situation because I couldn't walk, but B I would avoid them. So that approach is really fucking draining. And eventually you start to resent the process. I know I did. I resented dieting. I said I was laying there dying. I was literally dying from being too fat and my brain was telling me I can't do this again. I hate dieting, I can't. There's just no way I can do it.

Speaker 2: 15:30

And when you dread every aspect of your health journey, consistency becomes a monumental task, if it's even possible at all. So enjoying the journey is the key to making it sustainable. If you can't enjoy your food, your movement which I now enjoy immensely or your daily routine, it's going to be impossible to stick with it. That's the bottom line. You can't stick with something you hate doing.

Speaker 2: 15:54

I found a lot of joy in discovering new foods that I could eat, choosing activities that I actually like. Like, I found that I really like walking and giving myself permission to indulge occasionally, and in the beginning, in the first probably three months, I didn't really indulge me. That's because I was truly, truly focused on my why. But when I never felt like any food is off limits, I felt like I could eat it. I'm not going to eat it today, but I can eat it anytime I want, and I think that's a really important piece of mindset is that you can eat the food you want anytime. Just choose not to eat it today, or don't eat it tomorrow, or do and then don't eat it again tomorrow. But the more I did that, the more I gave myself permission to enjoy myself, the more enjoyable my routine became. It's crazy, and it was a lot easier to maintain it.

Speaker 2: 16:41

So when health habits are fulfilling, you're naturally more inclined to stick with them for the long haul. Obviously, that makes a lot of sense. So here's my tip for this Find things that you actually enjoy, right. If you love dancing, dance. If you love walking, walk. If you love watermelon, eat a ton of water. Whatever it is, it doesn't matter. But when you love what you're doing, you're more likely to stick with it for the long term. That consistency becomes much easier. Now, I kind of touched on this before.

Speaker 2: 17:12

This next one is that progress is not a straight line. It just isn't. You go up, you go down, so progress is not linear. So you have to stay the course, and I guess it's one of the toughest lessons to accept is that progress isn't linear. Right, I expect the scale of consistency to drop and my strength to continually increase, which it is when I'm walking, but I would like to be stronger. I have a lot of health goals that I'm working on, but when I would hit a plateau or I experienced some minor setback in my old, my first 100 diets, I'd get discouraged and I'd feel like I was doing something wrong or that I just completely failed. Plateaus or setbacks would make me question whether, hey, is this even working? And remember, it's the small, smart things, the choices that you make, that you might not see working, but those are what really add up to the big results.

Speaker 2: 17:57

So what I learned is that progress in health and weight loss is rarely a straight line. There's good weeks, there's bad weeks, there's tough weeks and there's even some weeks when you might put on a couple pounds or you might feel like shit. Those ups and downs are normal. Staying the course, even when the progress feels slow, is what brings you the actual results over time. Progress isn't not always visible on the outside, but as long as you stay committed to your healthy choices and you know what your why is and you're moving forward, then you're moving forward.

Speaker 2: 18:28

Here's my tip If you hit a plateau, if you fuck up, change your focus to the non-scale stuff that's happening. Like you're sleeping better, and I can tell you. When I lost weight, wow, did my sleeping become better? I completely stopped snoring. I snored like a bear for my whole life. I completely stopped snoring. But you might feel stronger in your workouts every day. Even to this day, I can walk a little bit further. I couldn't walk a hundred feet when I started this thing. So remind yourself of those non-scale victories and because remind yourself of the benefits beyond the weight loss can help you stay motivated during the slow times.

Speaker 2: 19:04

The next one is that healthy habits impact a lot more than just weight. When I first started focusing on my health on this journey, weight loss was my primary goal. There was nothing. I didn't care about, anything else. I didn't exercise. It was my primary goal but as I built healthier habits, I noticed improvements that had nothing to do with the scale Like. My energy obviously was much higher. My sleep quality got better. I just talked about the fact that I don't snore anymore and I was in a better mood. Those changes that I honestly didn't expect ended up being just as rewarding as any weight loss.

Speaker 2: 19:38

The fact that I don't snore, to me is incredible. The fact that I can walk wherever I want to go and not have to rest and not be tired and not have to be nervous oh my God, is there a place to stop along the way? That's huge. That might be more important to me than the weight loss. I actually got my life back. So health is about so much more than just weight Improved immunity. I know I'm feeling better. I'm off all eight medications. I was on Better focus, a stronger sense of confidence, even though I was always confident. I can say that, but the reality is you feel better when you look good, right, so those are all just side benefits of living. Well, by focusing on that stuff, I found new motivation to stay on track, making my journey feel even more rewarding. It's incredible.

Speaker 2: 20:21

Like I said, my primary goal was weight loss, but these things became equally, if not more, important when you see health and your overall well-being as a comprehensive lifestyle choice. It becomes easier to stay consistent and actually enjoy the process. Again, I didn't write this down, but I think it's a good tip for people who are just trying to figure it all out Track those actual improvements, like in sleep quality, in your energy and in your mood, along with your weight loss goals. I'm not saying only track those, but track your non-scale victories, whatever they may be. Maybe that your clothing fits you better, that you can walk further, whatever it is. But if you just do it in the morning and say, hey, how do I feel this morning, how did I sleep last night, you're going to notice patterns that reinforce the idea that health is more than just the number and that will give you the strength to get through the tough times.

Speaker 2: 21:17

So the next one also a big one for me is you got to stay flexible, because shit happens right. In every diet that I was on before this, I tried to stick to a rigid plan, but life inevitably throws curveballs your way. You have some unexpected social event, you have busy work days getting together with your family, whatever. It would all disrupt my schedule and it would leave me frustrated and I realized. On this turnaround, I realized that flexibility is a critical part of any sustainable lifestyle.

Speaker 2: 21:49

Real life rarely fits into those bullshit perfect routines that you see on Instagram. That's the reality, unless you're a gym rat that lives in a gym and you live only for your health and you don't have a family. You don't have a job yeah, I guess you could do that but the reality is life gets in the way of those fantasy land routines and programs. So life always has these unexpected turns and the only way to succeed long-term is to learn how to adapt right. It's not like you're going to live a life where it's not going to happen. Shit's going to happen. You have to learn to adapt.

Speaker 2: 22:20

So, instead of feeling guilty or defeated when things don't go according to your plan, I learned to adjust and find ways to stay on track. I built resilience in the face of the unpredictable shit that would happen in my life, and it allowed me to keep making those healthy choices without stress. Okay, yeah, big fucking deal, I ate a donut or I had some ice cream. You know what it happened, for whatever reason. I was at an event who knows what reason but I did it. Now I have to adapt and move on. So I think a great way to do that for me it definitely was I built a set of what I would call go-to meals or snacks that I can rely on when I'm on the go and I know my meals make people shit, but I swear to God, one of my meals was a Costco hot dog. I could eat a Costco hot dog and I know I'm sure people will tell me how bad it is, but the reality is that got me back on track. So that way I could go back to one of my go-to meals and it would help me get right back on track. You can't tell me there's anything you can do that a Costco hot dog can't cure.

Speaker 2: 23:41

So the next one is self-compassion. Self-compassion is essential for lasting change. I used to be my own worst critic, especially when it came to the setbacks. If I ate too much or ate something I wasn't supposed to eat, I beat myself up, which led me to more bad choices. Right, the old fuck it mentality. Yeah well, I ate that, so fuck it. I'm going to eat this. I'll start tomorrow. It's a vicious cycle that kept me from making any kind of long-term and lasting progress.

Speaker 2: 24:10

So for me, self-compassion became a vital part of this journey and it let me forgive myself and keep moving forward without having any of that guilt. So I guess learning that self-compassion knowing that I can eat what I want to eat and do what I want to do, and then just go right back to what I was doing before, go right back to my healthy habits is probably one of the most transformative parts of my journey. I don't care what journey you're on. Mistakes and slips ups, mistakes and slip ups are just part of any long-term goal, and treating myself with that kindness and forgiveness allowed me to bounce back faster. Instead of feeling guilty, I learned to see setbacks as part of the process. Recognizing that progress doesn't require perfection really has allowed me to build resilience and confidence along the way.

Speaker 2: 25:01

It's helped me stay on this for over 19 months and I keep losing weight. My weight loss has slowed down tremendously from week one, but I'm still losing weight and I'm not going to tell you there haven't been weeks when I put on a pound or two. There have been, but I keep hitting new lows in terms of the scale. I don't really. I can't remember a week when I didn't feel better than I did the week before, and I certainly feel better than I felt in April of 2023 at 411 pounds.

Speaker 2: 25:32

So the tip is here when you have a setback, talk to yourself like you would talk to a friend or your kid. Remind yourself that everybody makes mistakes and focus on maybe even what you can learn from the experience. Like, hey, I'm in this situation. You know what I could have. Maybe if I ate something healthy before I went, I wouldn't have eaten as much. Who knows, you know yourself I. Maybe if I ate something healthy before I went, I wouldn't have eaten as much. Who knows, you know yourself. I can't tell you how to do that, I can't tell you what your trigger is, but practicing that self-compassion helps you build that resilience and it really helps you to stay committed.

Speaker 2: 26:05

So number 10, the last one, is consistency beats intensity. Every time, I always use the joke with people I'm built for comfort, not speed. I'm never going to be a sprinter. I'll get there, but I'm not and I am. I'm built for comfort, not speed. So in the beginning of my so in the beginning, let's say, my first hundred diets, I thought I had to go all in to see the results. I tried strict diets, cutting out food groups, calorie cutting, calorie counting. I tried strict diets, cutting out food groups, calorie cutting, calorie counting, but each of those approaches led me to burnout. I learned that consistency, and not intensity, drives the lasting health. I eat whatever I want, whenever I want, however I want, with whoever I want, and I still lose weight because I'm consistent.

Speaker 2: 26:49

So consistency means showing up, even if it's not perfect. It's about finding a pace that you can maintain for the long haul. I'm the pace I'm on. I can do this for the rest of my life. I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything. So, rather than pushing yourself to unsustainable limits, find the pace that works for you If you exercise and again, for those of you that have listened to me, you know this is crazy, because I did most of this without exercising, but now I exercise seven days a week, six days a week, but exercising, even moderately, three times a week is better than going all out for a month and quitting. So creating that steady, manageable routine has helped me to avoid burnout and really keep my momentum going. So here's the tip Commit to a realistic routine that you can actually maintain for months, not just days, that you can realistically work out three times a week.

Speaker 2: 27:36

Then do that instead of aiming for seven days a week and burning out. Consistency is the real secret to lasting results. So find a pace that you can keep up with for the long haul. So that's it on the 10 lessons. They transform my approach to health. They turn weight loss from a struggle into a balanced, fulfilling lifestyle. They're simple and they're very powerful, and they bring real and lasting results. So every lesson brings a unique tip. Whether you're just beginning on your journey, you're looking to refine your current approach, you can start to implement these small changes today.

Speaker 2: 28:09

Sustainable health isn't about a destination. You always hear me say I don't have an end goal here. It's about finding a journey that you can be on, that you're excited to live every day. That's what this is all about is finding a way that you can live every day and be happy. You have to be happy. Remember my thing is live life, love food, lose weight. If you don't live your life, you can't lose weight. Right? If you don't love food, you can't lose weight. You have to live your life and love the food you're eating and then you'll lose the weight. This is simple, easy stuff. Again, I didn't give you anything here today that is going to be like whoa, that was mind-blowing, but it's just stuff that we tend to forget when we're doing this on our own. So that's it on the 10 things, the 10 lessons, the 10 things that I pulled out of my own weight loss journey. For those of you that bought my book, thank you. The reviews still selling like wildfire. The reviews have been great. I have nothing but gratitude for everybody that supported me and and learning as I learned on my weight loss journey. Thank you, I appreciate it.

Speaker 2: 29:17

I also have a 23 video video course online called live life, love food, lose weight. It's very simple to follow. It's the. Each video is about five minutes. You can find that at learnshutupandchoosecom. That's learnshutupandchoosecom. It's simple. I'll give you 100% money back guarantee. You will lose weight and you will love your life. You will love the food you're eating. You'll be amazed at how easy it is to do. You're not going to do it until you're ready, but when you're ready, I would tell you to check that out. So that's it for today. Everybody, if I don't speak to you, if I don't hear from you before Thanksgiving, have a fantastic Thanksgiving. Great, happy holidays to everybody, and I'll leave you this one tip on how you can succeed during this crazy holiday season of food and drink and festivities. You know what that way is. You need to just shut up and choose.

Speaker 1: 30:13

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? 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.