2866: [Part 1] Screw Fat Loss by Nia Shanks on Rejecting Diet Culture

[00:00:00] Überlass deine gesunde Ernährung und die Gains nicht nur deinem Bauchgefühl. Denn bei der Ernährung gaukelt uns unser innerer Schweinehund manchmal ganz schön was vor. Sag stattdessen Hallo zu deinem neuen Coach, Yasio. Yasio ist die meistgenutzte Ernährungs-App Europas, made in Germany. Egal ob Massephase oder ein bisschen Abnehmen, tracke Kalorien, Proteine, Carbs, Fette, Bewegung und Intervallfasten. Und mit den Tasty-Rezepten bist du ready für deine Ziele. Let's go! Lade die Yasio-App jetzt herunter.

[00:00:29] Have you ever noticed how a calm mind can really set the stage for a good night's sleep? That's the idea behind our new podcast, Good Sleep. Greg, our host from Optimal Relationships Daily, is here to help ease you into a peaceful night's rest with some positive affirmations. And these affirmations aren't just comforting, they can help ease anxiety and nurture positive thoughts, setting you up for true good sleep.

[00:00:54] So, press play on good sleep tonight, because a good tomorrow starts with a good night's sleep. Just search for Good Sleep in your podcast app, and be sure to pick the one from Optimal Living Daily. This is Optimal Health Daily, Screw Fat Loss, Part 1, by Nia Shanks of niashanks.com. And I'm your host and narrator, Dr. Neil.

[00:01:17] Happy middle of the week Wednesday, welcome back to Optimal Health Daily, where I read some of the best health and fitness blogs to you, usually with a little bit of my own commentary at the end. Because it's midweek, you may need a little bit of inspiration to get you through the next couple of days. So here's an inspirational quote. To fulfill a dream, to be allowed to sweat over lonely labor, to be given a chance to create, is the meat and potatoes of life. The money is the gravy. Betty Davis.

[00:01:45] I always like to say that doing this podcast and teaching at the university is really, these are the best gigs in the world. And it's because, yeah, I do get to be a little bit creative, but really, it's all about helping people. And so I really hope that this show helps you. Okay, before I start getting emotional, tear, let's get right to it and start optimizing your life. Screw Fat Loss, Part 1, by Nia Shanks of niashanks.com.

[00:02:16] The goal of fat loss isn't usually the problem. It's the mindset that often evolves from a seemingly never-ending fat loss pursuit. Fat loss isn't executed as a simple objective, structured process that lasts for a designated time. It gradually morphs into a definitive, emotionally-fueled, all-consuming, infinite lifestyle. This unrelenting, long-term focus on fat loss is brutally effective for one thing, making you chronically dissatisfied with your body.

[00:02:45] The deep-rooted fat loss mindset. If you've spent more than several months or years constantly thinking about shedding fat, it's time to terminate the fat loss mindset and take a new approach. Tons of folks vow to more closely, quote-unquote, watch what they eat or to work out more frequently, lamenting the pounds that have packed on gradually over the years. If the only goal someone can have is slimming down, then their actions in the gym and kitchen must be offered as a sacrifice to the fat loss gods.

[00:03:12] At least, that's how it seems for those who, for years, have been focusing on losing fat, whether it's those last few stubborn pounds or those that have always seemed to live on their frame. We are barraged with social media advertisements for products and programs that promise rapid fat loss with their revolutionary one-of-a-kind system. Or to sell products that make you look like you lost fat. Body wraps, anyone? And so it goes month after month, year after year.

[00:03:39] We try different diets and workouts and everything else possible to burn off stubborn body fat, embedding the fat loss matters most mindset even further. Screw fat loss. You can set health and fitness goals that don't have a thing to do with losing fat. The reason you eat a chicken salad doesn't have to be, I'm trying to lose weight. You can eat a slice of pizza without declaring you're cheating on your diet, or even worse, bemoaning, I'm going to get fat from this, while indulging in what's been labeled as a guilty pleasure food.

[00:04:07] The reason you perform a workout doesn't need to revolve around the desire to incinerate fat stores, or because you overindulged at last night's dinner and you think you have to go into damage control to minimize the effects of your food choices. Screw fat loss. Slimming down your waistline doesn't have to be the dominant thought prodding your return to the gym each week. You could choose to move your body and eat well because, oh, I don't know, you'd like to feel good about yourself,

[00:04:31] instead of hating your body and relentlessly berating yourself until you can get the button on that smaller pair of jeans to clasp. Because you want to discover what your body can do, and then do more, for no reason other than because you can. Screw fat loss. Exercise should not be punishment. You don't have to go on the latest diet that promises to be the one, or think about torching calories or to turn to quick fixes that use misleading marketing messages like,

[00:05:00] lose up to 10 pounds in one week, or revolve every waking moment around a nonsensical regimen that's too impractical to be sustained more than a couple of weeks. And while we're at it, screw you too, quick fix fads and cleanses that have been proven repeatedly to be utterly useless. You don't have to hate parts of your body, or loathe the so-called flaws, or proclaim to be happy once the fat loss fairy flutters by,

[00:05:26] sprinkling her butt-blasting, calorie-torching, cellulite-incinerating, age-defying magical dust upon you. Screw fat loss and the hate-your-way skinny mindset it often encourages. What if I don't care about getting crazy strong or improving my performance and just want to look great naked? What if I need to lose fat to alleviate achy joints, or for health reasons, you may be wondering? Wouldn't choosing to embrace the screw fat loss mindset while flipping the double bird salute to the rampant nonsense in the health and fitness world be stupid or irresponsible?

[00:05:56] Nope. In fact, if the only thought that has pulsed through your mind for countless months or years when you see yourself naked, or when you look at your reflection in a full-length mirror as you slide on your jeans, or when deciding what to eat or what not to eat, is fat loss, fat loss, fat loss, fat loss, fat loss, fat loss, then you should swat fat loss off the why I will work out and eat well pedestal. Examining the dark side of fat loss.

[00:06:24] Confused or have lingering questions about eradicating thoughts of losing fat from your mind? This will help. How many diets have you tried because of their tantalized promise of fast, almost effortless fat loss? Have you been sucked in by a confusing, rigid diet thinking it had to work because it was so complicated? Have you ever stated, this time will be different, this time I'm finally going to shed those lingering stubborn pounds as you examine the lengthy list of do-not-eat foods and other unbreakable rules of the new diet? And, and,

[00:06:53] how long did you practice the diet before quitting and reverting to previous eating habits? Your answers exposed the dark side, the ugly side, of relentless pursuit of fat loss. If indelible fat loss obsession worked, think working out and eating well and trying diets with the sole intention of losing fat for a span of many months or years, then that's what I'd tell you to do. Over the past decade, I've worked with too many folks who developed eating and binge eating disorders, obsessive eating habits,

[00:07:21] and a ballooning negative body image from the relentless pursuit of fat loss, spurred on by the belief that they would finally be happy and beautiful if they gutted it out and adhered to the miserable diet long enough. One glaring truth emerged from these synonymous stories. Obsessing over fat loss for an extended time, dictating your choices in the kitchen and actions in the gym based on their ability to maximize fat loss, is brutally effective for one thing, making you chronically dissatisfied with your body.

[00:07:51] Developing disordered eating habits and using exercise as punishment until eventually not even doing that because who wants to punish themselves non-stop comes in a close second and third. People tend to get carried away with a fat loss plan. I repeat, the goal of fat loss isn't usually the problem. It's the mindset that often evolves from a seemingly never-ending fat loss pursuit. Fat loss isn't executed as a simple objective or structured process that lasts for a designated time.

[00:08:18] It gradually morphs into a definitive, emotionally-fueled, all-consuming, infinite lifestyle. And that is why I encourage those who have been riding the fat loss rollercoaster with no end in sight to break away from that mindset, to choose other goals and actions to focus on. How to break away from the fat loss mindset. Hear that on tomorrow's episode. You just listened to part one of the post titled

[00:08:46] Screw Fat Loss by Nia Shanks of niashanks.com and I'll be right back with my commentary. Have you ever wondered if your calendar age truly reflects your body's health? I'm passionate about taking control of my well-being, which is why I joined 23andMe Plus Total Health, a revolutionary longevity platform that's transforming how we approach preventive care. What makes this different from traditional healthcare? It starts with advanced genetic screening,

[00:09:13] giving you insights into potential health predispositions. But it doesn't stop there. You'll get comprehensive blood testing throughout the year, helping you understand how your health changes over time. One of my favorite features is the biological age tool, which I found fascinating, and I think you will too. It measures how your major body systems and organs are aging. And the best part? With lifestyle changes, we could potentially reverse this number. You'll also work with clinicians who have specialized genetic training

[00:09:43] to create a tailored preventive health plan that fits your unique needs. It's like having a roadmap for your health journey. Advocate for your health today. Go to 23andme.com slash OHD for 10% off. That's 23andme.com slash OHD. Dr. Neil here for my commentary. What's fascinating about the human mind is this. The more often we're exposed to an image, let's say,

[00:10:12] the more often we tend to like it. So basically, the more we see images of really thin and or buff folks, the more we say, huh, I like that. I want to be like that. And this is not my opinion. This is actually backed by some data. And so it's not your fault, per se, if you want to look a certain way. If you look at folks and you go, I want to look like that. The only thing we're trying to say is, don't let it be the only thing you focus on.

[00:10:41] Think about the other wonderful things you're doing for yourself when you choose to eat right. And when you choose to exercise and be more mindful and stress less. You may not end up looking like some of those men and women that you see. But that's okay. Because you know what? You're doing something good for yourself. And that sometimes is what we need to remind ourselves of. I'm doing this for me because I want to have a higher quality of life. I want to live a longer, happier life. That's the goal, right?

[00:11:10] And you don't need to look like that to be happy. All right, that does it for today. Have a great rest of your day. I'll be back here on tomorrow's show where we'll finish up this post and where your optimal life awaits.