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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 Shoes. 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 and 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 Restler.

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Welcome back to Shut Up and Choose, the podcast that cuts and the noise and the nonsense and all the garbage that the diet industry and these influencers, Instagram gurus, and internet influencers are throwing your way. Today we're going to talk about. Well, I'm going to start out by telling you some bad news. You've been lied to. Again. Someone told you that calories don't matter. Someone else said carbs are evil. Another guru promised you your metabolism is broken. And only their$79 detox tea can fix it. Here's the truth. Calories don't lie. People do. Let's be honest. The diet industry doesn't want you thin, it wants you dependent because if you actually lost weight and kept it off, they'd lose a customer. So instead, they keep you chasing magic. They sell secrets and hacks and miracle resets and superfoods with names that sound like lab experiments. They give you hope in a bottle, but the shame is actually in the fine print. So I'm not here to sell you another rule. I'm here to set you free from those rules because this isn't another lecture. It's actually liberation. It's about to give you common sense back. The part the industry stole from you by convincing you that you were the problem. You weren't. Their system was. Here's what they don't tell you. Losing weight is not mysterious. It's not spiritual. It's not a secret known only to trainers with perfect abs and ring lights. It's physics, man. It's energy in, energy out. If you eat more than your body burns, you gain weight. If you eat less, you lose. That's not an opinion. That's thermodynamics. And the only reason that sounds boring is because it doesn't sell subscriptions. So now before you roll your eyes and start to think, oh great, another calorie counting guy, just hear me out for a second. I'm not saying you need to track every bite. I tracked almost nothing. You don't need to wave or crumb or live your life in a food app. What I'm saying is that you deserve the truth. So you can make the choices that work for you, not the influences selling you some magic powder. I've lost 140 pounds without magic, starvation, or starvation disguised as cleansing. I didn't need a guru. I needed the truth. And I'm about to give it to you. I was the guy who believed every lie. I bought the supplements, the shakes, the metabolism boosters. I fell for detox. Actually, you know what? I never really did fall for the detoxes, but I thought about them. But the low-carb cults, the clean eating movements, all that shit, I fell for all of it. And every single time I did it, I failed. I thought I was the problem. That's what they count on. They sell failure and call it your fault. But once I stopped chasing programs and started understanding principles, everything changed. I stopped fighting food and started working with it. I stopped punishing myself and started choosing differently. And guess what? It worked because it was built on truth and not hype. So if you're tired of being confused, tired of being told you're doing it wrong, tired of trying to fix a body that isn't broken, you're in the right place today. This is Shut Up and Choose. Guide to Living Life, Loving Food, and Losing Weight without losing your mind. And today we're tearing down one of the biggest lies of all that calories don't matter. I don't know how anybody could believe that, but here's the spoiler they do. But not in the way you've been told. So let me get into it a little bit. You've probably heard it a hundred different ways. Calories don't matter, just eat clean. It's not about what you eat, it's about your hormones. And if you're wondering about that, calories don't matter, that's keto, that's paleo, that's all the high protein diets. Yeah, calories don't matter, eat as much as you want, just eat this. So all that shit sounds convincing, right? It sounds scientific, sophisticated, even maybe like kind of fun and compassionate, except it's all bullshit. This right here is the diet industry's biggest lie. That your weight loss struggle is too complicated for you to understand. Because if you believe that, they win every time. So the minute you start thinking maybe it's not the food, maybe it's my metabolism, my thyroid, my cortisol, my childhood trauma, my moon phase, my ex-girlfriend's energy, you're done. You're cooked. You've handed your power over to them, and I've done it a hundred times. And guess who swoops in to help when you get there? The same people who created the confusion in the first place. They're marketing geniuses. I'll give that. They don't sell solutions, they sell self-doubt. Every time you fail, they say, Oh, you didn't fail. That plan just wasn't right for your body type. Try our new version. This time you're gonna succeed. And I bought it again, and you buy it again because you want to believe, because you've been told for years that weight loss is an unsolvable mystery. And the only way to crack it is through someone else's formula. Well, let me tell you something. There is no mystery, there's just math. Now, don't like get into a shit panic here. I'm not turning this into a science class. I hate that shit as much as you do, but this is the part they don't want you to understand because if you did, you'd stop buying their bullshit overnight. Your body runs on energy. That energy comes from food. That energy is measured in calories. Eat more energy than your body uses, you gain weight. Eat less energy than your body uses, you lose weight. That's it. It's not emotional, it's not spiritual, it's not metaphysical, it's physics. The only reason people resist that truth is because it's too simple. You see, the industry thrives on the illusion of complexity. They make it sound like you need a PhD in biochemistry just to understand how to eat dinner. Because when something sounds complicated, you stop trusting yourself and you start trusting them. They tell you calories don't matter and then sell you a$60 protein powder that's literally just calories. They'll warn you about the danger of carbs while showing off their new low-carb snack bar that has you pretty much guessed it, carbs. They'll tell you that fat makes you fat, then market keto plans where you eat bacon dipped in butter and call it progress. And by the way, I fell for all that shit, so I don't judge you for falling up. I fell for it every time. And they'll tell you clean eating is the key, but they can't even agree on what clean even means. Every contradiction is intentional, it keeps you questioning yourself. And a confused customer is a loyal customer. Because here's the trick if you never figure it out, you'll never stop paying for answers. That's the business model. Confuse, sell, repeat. You've got influencers look great on camera telling you what to eat, but never what they actually do. You've got experts who push one product this month and the opposite one next month. You got companies rebranding the same tired shit every January and calling it revolutionary. Meanwhile, the only thing actually changing is your frustration level. I get it, I've been there. I spent years being the perfect customer, desperate, hopeful, willing to try anything. And it worked for a minute, for a week, for a month, until it didn't, because every single plan I followed was designed with an expiration date. That's another dirty little secret. They designed diets to fail. Think about it. If a diet truly worked long term, they couldn't sell you the next one. The goal is not your success, it's your return. They made you feel good for 30 days, then like shit for the next 60. They feed you control, then guilt, and then control again. It's like an abusive relationship. But let me tell you, you're not broken, you're not lazy, and you're not weak. You're just in a system that profits from keeping you confused and constantly chasing the next fix. And if that pisses you off, good. It should. That anger is fuel and let's use it because once you see the game, you can stop playing it. Here's what's really happening behind the curtain. They're not trying to get you healthy, they're trying to get you hooked on identity. When you say shit, and I used to say it all the time, I'm keto, I'm vegan, well, I never said that one, or I'm paleo. You just joined a team. You got rules, language, heroes, villains. You belong. And that's powerful shit. Humans crave belonging. And diet companies know that. They turn weight loss into a tribe, not a tool. And once you're in the tribe, you defend it, even when it's making you miserable. And that's why you'll see people fighting online about carbs like they're debating politics. Because diets aren't just about food, they've become belief systems. But beliefs don't burn calories, choices do. So let's break that pattern. Forget the slogan, forget the hashtag, forget the shakes and the metabolic resets. The truth is fucking boring. And that's why it works. It's not sexy to say eat real food and move your body and make small smart choices every day. But that's the formula. That's the freedom. The minute you accept there's no secret, there's no trick or no hack or no holy reel, you stop being a customer and start being in control. And when you're in control, everything changes. You eat without guilt, you stop binging because you're not fucking restricted all the time, and you start trusting yourself again because now you're making choices, not following their commands. And that that's the real rebellion. Not eating clean, but eating consciously. So the next time some fitness influence tells you that calories don't matter, remember this. If it sounds too easy, it's a scam. If it sounds too complicated, it's also a scam. The truth lives in the middle. It's simple, not easy, but simple. It's honest, but for them, it's not profitable. And that's why you won't hear that from anyone who's trying to sell you something. You've already got everything you need to change your body. Your brain, your fork, and your choices. The diet industry can't make money off those, but you can build a life on them. So no more gimmicks, no more special formulas, no more letting people who profit from your confusion decide how you live. Calories don't lie. People do. And it's time you stop listening to their lies and start trusting your own opinion. So I hope that at least tears the curtain of the diet industry smoke and mirrors for a little while, but let's talk about the part they really don't want you to understand the science. And don't get into a panic here. I'm not about to sound like your 10th-grade biology teacher. This is going to be plain English, no whiteboards, jargons, just the truth. Because here's the thing: your body isn't broken, it's fucking brilliant. It's doing exactly what it was designed to do. Adapt. The problem isn't your metabolism, the problem is the nonsense you've been told about it. So if we start with just the basics, a calorie is just a unit of energy. That's it. It's not evil, it's not moral. It's just math. It's the amount of energy your body gets from the food or burns through activities. You also have a metabolism. That's your engine. That runs all day, every day. Even when you're sleeping, you're burning calories to keep your heart pumping, your lungs breathing, your brain thinking. You don't turn off your metabolism any more than you turn off gravity. But here's where it gets kind of interesting. Your metabolism isn't static, it adapts. It's constantly adjusting based on what you do and what you don't do. When you eat more than you burn, your body stores that energy for later. And we call that fat. When you eat less than you burn, your body taps into those stores for fuel. We call that weight loss. That's not diet magic, that's thermodynamics, the physics of how energy moves. And guess what? It works on every single human being on the planet. But the diet world hates that truth because you can't trademark it. You can't slap a logo on it or sell it for$49.99 a month. So they muddy the waters. They say, oh, it's not about calories, it's about insulin, or it's about toxins, or it's about carbs. And I'm not saying those things don't matter because they do, but they matter in context, but they don't change the law of energy balance. Insulin doesn't create fat from thin air. Carbs don't magically override physics, and detox teas don't remove toxin. They remove water from your intestines and your wallet from your bank account. When people say stupid shit like calories don't matter, what they really mean is they don't understand calories. Because the truth is, most people don't actually have a calorie problem. They have a clarity problem. They underestimate what they eat, they overestimate what they burn, and they get frustrated when the math doesn't add up. But here's the reality check. You don't need to count every bite for life. You just need to become aware of what your body actually needs. Awareness is power. Once you understand how food fuels you, you don't need an app to make decisions. You just know that's what small, smart choices are all about. You learn to make adjustments naturally, like swapping soda for water, walking for 10 minutes, grabbing a protein source instead of a snack that's all sugar. You start choosing instead of reacting. And the craziest part of all that is it actually works. And it works quietly, consistently, and predictably without any drama and without any extremes. The problem is that simplicity doesn't sell. But that's still the truth. Here's what's beautiful about it. When you understand the real science, you stop fighting your body, you stop thinking you're the enemy, and you realize that your body isn't out to get you. It's just responding to your inputs. You can't outsmart it, you can't trick it with a cleanse or hack it with a detox, but you can work with it. And when you do that, it rewards you, not just with weight loss, but with energy and focus, confidence, freedom, and a whole bunch of other things. The diet industry wants to keep you chasing the mystery. I want you chasing mastery. Because once you understand the basics, how energy works, how your metabolism adapts, and how your habits influence both of those things, you're done being manipulated. You can scroll past every influencer with a discount code and just fucking laugh. You'll never again hear calories don't matter and fall for it. You know better. Calories do matter, but they're not the whole story. The real magic happens when you use them wisely. When you eat in a way that fuels your life instead of punishing your body. When you start making small, smart, consistent, intelligent choices that stack up into real results. That's not dieting, that's choosing. So here's your takeaway from you don't need another rule book, you need reality. And reality says your body is not broken, it's brilliant. You just have to stop fighting it long enough to listen because when you do, you'll realize something the diet answer never wants you to believe. You were never powerless, you were just misinformed, and now you're not. So now that we talked about the science, let's talk about the scam, the game the gurus play. Because make no mistake, this is a game, and you and me, we're the prize. The modern diet world doesn't sell you food plants, it sells faith. And the new religion, the Church of the Wellness Influencer. You know who I'm talking about, the perfect lighting, the rip dabs, the perfect smoothly. And a perfectly rehearsed line, like, if I can do it, you can too. Just click the link in my bio. That's not coaching, man. That's commerce. These people have turned weight loss into a cult of personality. They preach motivation, but they sell manipulation. They talk about balance, and they post like eight gym selfies a day. They promise you control and they take it away one rule at a time. And here's their secret weapon. It's fear. Fear that you're too old, fear that you ruin your metabolism, fear that if you don't buy now, you'll never fix yourself. I mean, that's how they win by making you believe your body is broken and they're the only one who can save you. But you want to know the real skin? They don't even follow the shit they sell. The detoxies, it's just caffeine and laxatives. The fat burner, it's the same thing you get from drinking black coffee and the miracle metabolism reset. It's just a calorie deficit dressed up with hashtags. These gurus are just marketers in yoga pants. And the reason they're so successful is simple. They promise certainty. They make it sound like they have the answer. But here's the thing: anyone who claims to have the answer is lying. There's no one size fits all solution. There never was. Because real health isn't about perfection, it's about ownership. It's not about following rules, it's about making choices. And that's exactly why I say stop dieting and start choosing. It's not just the slogan, it's the anti-guru philosophy. When you stop dieting, you stop outsourcing your decision. You stop handing your life to some idiot who profits off your confusion, and you stop letting other people tell you what's right for your body. And when you start choosing, everything changes. You get your power back. You stop being the student and become the author. You start building a way of life that actually fits your life instead of trying to force your life into someone else's plan. So stop dieting and start choosing. It means no more obedience, no more following blindly, no more waiting for permission to eat, to rest, to live. You get to decide what works for you, not based on fear, but based on truth. The gurus hate that message, by the way, because once you start thinking yourself, you stop buying their bullshit. You stop needing them. And we don't need them, they can't sell shit to you. And that's why they'll say, oh, that approach is too simple. Of course they'd say that. Simplicity doesn't make them rich, but it might just make you free. The diet world thrives on dependency, and I'm here to kill it. Because here's what no one tells you freedom feels kind of weird at first. When you stop dieting, you lose the rules that used to make you feel safe, to be honest. You start realizing that you, not some guru, not a macro calculator, not a detox plan, are in charge. And that's scary at first. Because once you own it, you'll never go back. You stop asking, can I eat this? And start asking, do I want this? You stop saying, I blew my diet, and start saying, I made a choice. You stop starting over every Monday because you're not following a plan anymore. You're actually living a lifestyle. And the best part is that it actually works because the choice builds consistency and consistency builds results. You don't need a guru, you don't need a secret, and you don't need permission. You just need the truth and the courage to actually choose for yourself. That's the anti-guru movement. That's what stop dieting, start choosing really means. It's rebellion disguised as self-respect. So the next time someone tells you they have the one plan that works, remember this. If it's theirs, it's not yours. Stop giving away control to people who profit off your confusion. Stop believing anyone who sells absolutes in a world that's made of nuance and stop pretending you need someone to save you. You don't. You just need to choose differently. One small, smart choice at a time. Because at the end of the day, freedom doesn't come from gurus, it comes from balls, it comes from guts. And if you've made it this far, sure looks like you've got plenty of it. So now that I called out the bullshit, let's talk about how to cut through all the noise once and for all, how to actually live in a world that's drowning in diet bullshit and walk through it untouched. Because here's the truth you're not just fighting hunger or habits, you're fighting marketing. Every scroll, every ad, every influence trying to sell you the secret. It's a battlefield for your attention. And the only armor that works is awareness. So let's start there. First thing is awareness beats willpower. Forget motivation, forget discipline. Awareness is what actually changes your life. When you know it's real, when you understand what your body needs and what's just noise, you stop getting tricked. You start seeing through the manipulation. The second you read detox, your brain should whisper, scam. The second someone says boost metabolism, you should think snake oil. The second a diet tells you that you have to cut out an entire food group to be good, you should just hear control tactic. Awareness isn't sexy, but it is freedom because once you understand what's true, nobody can tell you a lie again. The second thing is question everything, especially what feels comforting. The lies that trap people for the longest are the ones that sound kind. Like, don't worry, it's not your fault, it's your hormones. Or you can eat anything you want as long as it's labeled clean. No. The truth is simple. You don't need a scapegoater savor, you need self-honesty. So start asking questions. Who's profiting from this message? What are they selling me? A product or empowerment? Does this plan actually teach me to think or to obey? If it teaches you to obey, it's not helping you, it's controlling you. And then replace all those fucking crazy rules with some responsibility. This is the core of stop dieting, start choosing. Rules feel safe because they're easy. Eat this, not that. Do this, not that. But they also steal your power. Responsibility, on the other hand, gives it back to you. It says, I decide what's right for me. It says I take ownership, not orders. It says I can trust myself. When you replace those rules with responsibility, you stop waiting for the next plan and start living with purpose. You start making small, smart choices every day. Not because someone told you to, but because you decided to. That's what choosing really means. Freedom and accountability. This next one's gonna be tough for people, but fucking simplify everything. If it sounds complicated, it's wrong. Health doesn't require flow charts and macros and non-supplements before breakfast. I don't need an app to tell you that walking more and eating better is gonna help. You just need to keep it simple enough to do it every day. And and simple, I'm not saying be lazy, but simple means sustainable. Start wherever you are and drink more water, move your body a little more than yesterday. Add a vegetable, you eat one less processed snack. That's it. That's the whole fucking game. No drama, no detox, just direction. And then the last thing is play the long game. The reason the diet in through wins is because they play short. They give you that bullshit. Drop 10 pounds in 10 days or lose belly fat fast. All that quick hit shit, that's all it is, is shit. There's no staying power. But you, you're playing for keeps. I know I am, I was, I am. You're not trying to lose 10 pounds. You're trying to never have to start over again. I will never start over again. And that means focusing on progress, not perfection. It means understanding that success is built one small, smart choice at a time. There is no finish line, they're just moving forward. So I guess here's what it all comes down to. You don't need another plan, you need some perspective. You definitely don't need another challenge, you need clarity, and you don't need a fucking guru. You just need to trust yourself. And you got all that because you're still here. You're listening, you're thinking, hopefully, questioning a little bit. And that means you've already started choosing. The diet industry wants blind followers. I want free thinkers. They want you dependent. I want you done. So here's your challenge: not a diet, not a detox, not a reset. For the next week, choose every meal, every moment, every decision. Ask yourself one question Is this a small, smart choice that moves me closer to the life I want? If the answer is yes, do it. If it's no, skip it. That's it. So fucking simple. That's how you win. Because when you stop dieting and start choosing, you stop chasing control and you start creating it. Calories don't lie. Gurus do. And now that you see the game for what it is, you can walk right past the noise and into the life you actually want. All right, so here we are, full circle. We started with the lies, the detoxes, the gurus, the false promises. I showed you that's all bullshit. Calories don't lie, people do. But more importantly, than learning that you don't need to keep playing the game because once you understand how this really works, how simple it actually is, you can stop being customer and start being in troll. You don't need another plan, you don't need another fucking reset, some influencer telling you to trust the process. You are the process. You're the one who decides what goes in your plate, what goes in your body, and what kind of life you want to live. That's why I say it every chance I get stop dieting and start choosing. Because dieting is about rules and choosing is about responsibility. Dieting keeps you waiting for the next perfect plan, and choosing gives you the power to act right now. And that shift from following to choosing is where your freedom lives. That's where real results happen. So if I hit home here anywhere for you in this episode, you're done with all the noise. I want to give you something that actually helps for free. So go to jonathanwrestle.com, my website, and sign up for my free weekly tips. They literally take less than one minute to read. They're straight to the point, and there's no sales pitch, no marketing, shit, just solid advice you can actually use right now. These are the small, smart choices that help me lose 140 pounds and keep it off for good. And I promise you this no hype, no gimmicks, no nonsense, just truth that works. And if you want to go deeper, you can grab my Amazon best-selling book, Shut Up and Choose. It's basically the story of how I stopped waiting for willpower, stopped believing the lies, and finally took control of my life and my body. It's definitely not a diet book. It's more of a wake-up call. It's about power and choice and the simple truth that the life you want is built on the decision you make every single day. So whether you're just starting out or starting over, remember this: you don't need perfection. You need presence. You don't need a new plan. You need a new story, one where you are the hero, not the hostage. Because when you start dieting and start choosing, you stop chasing control and you start creating it. You stop living with the rules of someone else's plan, and you start living on your own. This is your life, your body, your choice, and it's time to own it. So stop with the bullshit excuses, the do-overs, and all the diet industry bullshit, because the only way to really lose weight is to shut up and choose.

SPEAKER_00: 28:17

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 JonathanWrestler Boca Ratan. Until next time, shut up and choose.