2487: [Part 1] The 5 Phases of Successful Dieting by Jill Coleman on Mental Preparation & Sustainable Health

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[00:00:57] This is Optimal Health daily episode 2487,, the Five Phases of Successful Dieting, part

[00:01:07] one by Jill Coleman of gilfit.com, and I'm Dr. Neal.

[00:01:12] Welcome back to Optimal Health Daily, where I simply read to you from the best health

[00:01:16] and fitness blogs for free.

[00:01:18] This is kind of like an audiobook, but with articles instead, and articles from a bunch

[00:01:23] of different authors, and always

[00:01:25] with permission from the sites, of course.

[00:01:28] Now on Fridays, I answer your questions.

[00:01:31] Remember you can send me a question by going to oldpodcast.com slash ask, or email your

[00:01:37] question directly to health at oldpodcast.com.

[00:01:43] Now today's episode is a little longer

[00:01:45] than what I normally read,

[00:01:47] so whenever that happens,

[00:01:48] I'll read the first half today

[00:01:50] and then finish up the rest for you tomorrow.

[00:01:52] So with that, let's hear part one

[00:01:55] as we optimize your life.

[00:02:01] The Five Phases of Successful Dieting,

[00:02:03] part one by Jill Coleman of jillfit.com

[00:02:07] Quote,

[00:02:09] If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always got.

[00:02:14] Tony Robbins

[00:02:16] Going on a diet is a predictable process.

[00:02:19] After 15 years in the fitness industry and having worked with hundreds of nutrition clients,

[00:02:24] I've started to pick up on distinct phases that clients go through. Having yo-yo'd myself

[00:02:29] for years and watched it happen with competitors and people who go too strict for too long,

[00:02:36] the dieting process is fairly predictable. Not easy, but easy to anticipate. Some parts

[00:02:42] are tougher than others and it's important to understand

[00:02:45] each piece so that we can create a plan of attack when things start to get difficult.

[00:02:50] When we know what to expect, we can prepare ourselves mentally and emotionally for those

[00:02:55] times that we want to give up and revert to the old way.

[00:02:59] Many people are jaded by diets and the process. That's completely understandable. I get dozens of emails every week from those who have tried every diet out there and, after

[00:03:09] years of trying, are no better off and in many ways, are worse off.

[00:03:15] They have more body fat, more metabolic damage, and not to mention, mentally exhausted.

[00:03:21] I totally get it.

[00:03:22] So how do you get past the tough parts once and for all

[00:03:26] to establish a foothold at the more effortless sustainability phase by first understanding

[00:03:32] the process, then understanding when the difficulties are most likely to rise, and then knowing

[00:03:38] how to move through those obstacles rather than backing off, giving up, and marking another

[00:03:42] diet off the list as a failure.

[00:03:45] Here are the phases, including what to expect, when to anticipate difficulties, and how to

[00:03:50] navigate them.

[00:03:52] Phase 1.

[00:03:54] Excitement.

[00:03:55] Humans are funny.

[00:03:56] We get more excited about looking and planning for a diet than actually doing one.

[00:04:00] We get excited in the anticipation of starting a new plan and the potential for this

[00:04:05] to be the one that finally works for us. We tell everyone what we are going to do, print

[00:04:11] out the meal plan, buy the food, prep it, get all set to get results that this plan will

[00:04:17] deliver. What to do? This is great, and excitement is better than having no excitement at all.

[00:04:25] But the insight in this phase is that we often are already putting our success in someone

[00:04:30] or something else's hands.

[00:04:32] By relying on the plan, rather than our ability to actually do the plan, we are forced to

[00:04:38] make something completely foreign to us work.

[00:04:41] Can it happen?

[00:04:42] Sure, for short periods of time anyway, like a prepping for a contest.

[00:04:47] But if you want to be successful long term, start now by taking ownership of your expectations

[00:04:54] and your willingness to do the work necessary. There's no miracle plan, and understanding this

[00:05:00] upfront allows us to ready ourselves mentally for the fact that we cannot rely on the plan, but instead need to work it.

[00:05:09] Phase 2 Overhaul

[00:05:11] The first two to four weeks of a new diet are when we are now doing something that is

[00:05:15] fairly foreign to us.

[00:05:17] New foods, new prep techniques, new schedule, new workouts, new amount of mental energy

[00:05:23] needed to comply.

[00:05:25] I call this the overhaul because we have taken what we used to do and have ditched it for

[00:05:30] something completely new.

[00:05:32] The excitement is usually fairly strong here because most dieters will lose 5 to 10 pounds

[00:05:37] in the first 1 to 2 weeks via shedding water and those kinds of fast results motivate us

[00:05:42] to keep going.

[00:05:44] What to do?

[00:05:45] In this phase, it's important to realize that doing someone else's plan for you might

[00:05:50] be fine for the first two to four weeks because you're motivated, but eventually, your old

[00:05:54] habits have a way of creeping back in if you don't stay aware and take responsibility.

[00:06:01] Prepare yourself mentally for that and examine all the new actions you are taking and decide

[00:06:05] which ones you might be able to continue to do long term and which ones will need adjustment.

[00:06:12] The more realistic and honest you can be with yourself at this point, the better you will

[00:06:16] do.

[00:06:17] Make a list and mark all aspects that will be tough to do long term and provide yourself

[00:06:23] an alternative way of doing it that works for you. Phase 3. Struggle. This is actually very predictable

[00:06:31] and happens around four to six weeks into a new plan. Things start to get tough.

[00:06:36] We stop seeing results as quickly or at all and we want to give up. We say, well

[00:06:43] this one isn't for me. Back to the drawing board.

[00:06:45] This point is the most critical for your long-term success. What you do here determines your ability

[00:06:53] to move forward or fail again. It's the people who move through this phase that ultimately

[00:06:58] figure it out and find an easier, more sustainable approach. What to do?

[00:07:05] Awareness that this will happen is the first step.

[00:07:08] Knowing that, once again, there is no magic plan that will work for you.

[00:07:12] If you want it to work, you have to work it.

[00:07:15] And at this point, you need to buckle down and work your butt off.

[00:07:19] Meaning, lean into the struggle to figure it out.

[00:07:23] Don't give up.

[00:07:24] Put your adult pants on and take responsibility for figuring out this phase.

[00:07:29] Metabolic effect calls this being a dieting detective because you honestly need to figure

[00:07:33] out how you can continue on at this point, figuring out what works for you, asking questions,

[00:07:40] and getting introspective.

[00:07:42] Look at what you're doing and ask.

[00:07:44] What is working for me?

[00:07:46] What is not?

[00:07:47] What can I do long term?

[00:07:49] What is unsustainable?

[00:07:51] How do I make my new habits work with my old habits?

[00:07:56] To be continued.

[00:08:01] You just listened to part one of the post titled,

[00:08:04] The Five Phases of Successful Dieting

[00:08:06] by Jill Coleman of jillfit.com and I'll be right back with my commentary.

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[00:09:10] Dr. Neal here for my commentary.

[00:09:12] Researchers have found that this initial excitement we have in the beginning of a new habit is very real

[00:09:18] and can be a great motivator, at least temporarily, just as Jill said. Remember, at the beginning of today's article, Jill said the feeling of excitement tends

[00:09:29] to pass.

[00:09:30] Think about our New Year's resolutions.

[00:09:32] On January 1st or 2nd, you know, after the fatigue from the holiday wears off, we have

[00:09:38] all of this excitement to get started on our resolutions.

[00:09:41] But as we've all experienced, this excitement wears off. And for some, it

[00:09:46] wears off pretty quickly. In fact, researchers have found that the average resolution lasts

[00:09:51] only about three to four months, and only 8% of people tend to stick with their goals

[00:09:56] within the first month. That means we need to find a better way, which is Jill's entire

[00:10:03] point. Now, we're just halfway through the article, so I'll stop there for today before I steal

[00:10:09] Jill's thunder and start getting into tomorrow's episode.

[00:10:12] So with that, I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day.

[00:10:16] Thank you so much for listening.

[00:10:17] Thank you for sharing the show with someone.

[00:10:20] And I'll be back tomorrow to finish up this post, so I'll see you there where Optimal

[00:10:24] Life awaits.