2488: [Part 2] The 5 Phases of Successful Dieting by Jill Coleman on Habit Formation & Long-Term Success

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[00:01:44] Daily Episode 2488, the five phases of successful dieting Part 2 by Jill Coleman of JillFit.com

[00:01:52] and I'm Dr. Neal. Hey there welcome back to Optimal Health Daily or welcome for the first time

[00:01:58] if you're new here. This is the podcast where I act as your very own personal narrator and read to

[00:02:03] you from some of the most popular health and fitness blogs online. Now for a lot more blogs being

[00:02:08] narrated for you just search for Optimal Living Daily wherever you're hearing this. Now today

[00:02:14] is Part 2 of a longer post. If you missed Part 1 then I'd recommend going back and listening

[00:02:21] to that episode first. That was Episode 2487 but if you're all caught up let's jump right in

[00:02:27] and hear Part 2 and continue optimizing your life. The five phases of successful dieting Part 2 by

[00:02:38] Jill Coleman of JillFit.com. Look at what you're doing and ask what is working for me? What is not?

[00:02:47] What can I do long term? What is unsustainable? How can I make my new habits work with my old habits?

[00:02:55] An example would be morning workouts. You might be motivated to work out first thing in the morning

[00:03:00] for the first few weeks as the diet outlines but you're not a morning person so after a while your old

[00:03:07] habits of staying up too late, hitting snooze a thousand times and then sleeping past your workouts

[00:03:13] start to occur. This is not a judgment this is simply the reality and the power of habits they own

[00:03:20] us our conscious intentions do not in the long run which is why at this point we need to address

[00:03:27] habits. How can we take old habits and replace them with new ones? Getting up early might not be

[00:03:33] the answer for you but instead give yourself permission to work out after work instead

[00:03:39] but then do whatever you need to do to make sure you don't skip it. Plan your day, balance your

[00:03:45] energy, make an appointment you won't miss. This phase is all about action and finding shortcuts

[00:03:52] implement what can work for you long term and for the things that won't find an alternative.

[00:03:58] Be methodical and systematic. Avoid the temptation to say screw it without doing your homework.

[00:04:04] It's also at this point that you have to give up the idea of needing to be perfect with your actions.

[00:04:10] Give up the all or nothing dieting mindset and give yourself permission to struggle through

[00:04:15] the tough parts and just do your best. The toughest moments are also the most transformative.

[00:04:22] Take the reins at this point and own your journey, own your results and own your future.

[00:04:28] Phase 4. Accountability. This phase occurs 8 to 12 weeks in and there's usually a shift here.

[00:04:34] We've taken ownership of the process, taken what seems to work for us, ditched some pieces and

[00:04:40] are moving forward even if it's at a slower pace. We are struggling through our new habits.

[00:04:46] Not getting it right every time but giving ourselves permission to do our best

[00:04:50] and staying aware of the struggles that arise. What to do?

[00:04:54] This is also a very important time for you in terms of long term success because we are still at

[00:05:00] risk of resorting to our old way. At this point, we need some outside motivation to keep us going

[00:05:07] and this is best found in the company of others doing the same thing. Finding people who also

[00:05:12] want to live a lean lifestyle forever and are trying to figure it out. They say that you're the

[00:05:18] average of the five people you spend the most time with so surrounding yourself with people who

[00:05:23] are doing what you are and who support you is important. This can be in person or online.

[00:05:30] And Phase 5. Ownership. You've gotten past the most acutely difficult parts

[00:05:36] and you've come to understand that your results depend on you and on your ability to make the best

[00:05:42] choices day in and day out. Consistency is what matters and though you might not get it right

[00:05:49] every time, you are doing it at least 90% of the time and are starting to live the lifestyle.

[00:05:56] You have owned your identity as a fit person. Things that used to be difficult are starting to get

[00:06:01] easier. Old habits have fallen away and you are working your process. This part can last forever.

[00:06:08] If you continue to create your success one meal at a time, one workout at a time, one day at a time.

[00:06:15] You realize that your results are your business and you do what you need to do on a daily basis

[00:06:20] to assure long-term success. What to do? The goal in this phase is to never feel super deprived,

[00:06:28] but never eat everything you want either. The goal is moderation. In order to accomplish this

[00:06:35] and make this a lifestyle, you'll need to set up rituals and habits that you can do long-term.

[00:06:41] Examples include a single weekly cheat meal, sticking to a lifting schedule with a workout

[00:06:46] buddy, allowing yourself two to three preemptive cheats each week and never completely depriving

[00:06:53] yourself because you know it will only lead to binging and worse indulgences later.

[00:06:59] Final thoughts. This is obviously not the end of the journey since there will always be people

[00:07:04] who live a fit lifestyle for a long time and end up falling off the wagon years later,

[00:07:09] but this process works. So wherever you are in your journey, remember to stay aware and take

[00:07:15] responsibility. Tight nutrition and consistent training are part of a feed-forward cycle.

[00:07:22] The more you do them, the easier it becomes to keep doing them. When you make choices that take

[00:07:27] you out of that cycle, just jump back in wherever you are. No choices are irreversible.

[00:07:33] There is always an opportunity for you to jump back into a lean lifestyle.

[00:07:37] Don't get overwhelmed and call yourself a failure. Don't buy into your own negative self-talk.

[00:07:43] Just do something. Action is the fastest way back to results.

[00:07:52] You just listened to part two of the post titled The Five Faces of Successful Diating by Joel

[00:07:58] Coleman of JillFit.com, and I'll be right back with my commentary. Dr. Neil here for my commentary.

[00:08:05] Okay, so over the past two days, the author of today's and yesterday's article, Jill Coleman,

[00:08:10] provided us some really great tips for developing new habits for life.

[00:08:15] Does this now mean we have to incorporate all of these suggestions right away?

[00:08:20] Definitely not. Whenever we see or hear a list of suggestions, start by incorporating just one

[00:08:27] or two at a time. If we try and change everything all at once, it will start to feel very stressful

[00:08:32] really fast, and more stress is not what we're after. So pick the one or two suggestions that made

[00:08:38] you stop and say, ooh I like that one. I can do that. Try those one or two suggestions for some time.

[00:08:45] At least two to three weeks. If they don't suit your lifestyle, move on to one or two of the other

[00:08:51] suggestions, but again, be honest with yourself. Did you really try them? Okay, if they seem to be

[00:08:57] working for you, that's awesome. Keep at it and do it until it feels automatic. Then go back to

[00:09:04] the list of suggestions and try and add in one or two more. Then repeat this process. And before

[00:09:10] you know it, you'll have a whole new lifestyle. All right, that'll do it for today. Thank you so

[00:09:15] much for being here. Thank you for listening through all the way to the end, and I'll see you back

[00:09:20] here again with another episode tomorrow where you're optimal life awaits.