Is dieting difficult? Maybe you need to re-write your story.
No, not revise your history (there’s enough “truth massaging” in this field already). I just mean change the way you’d describe your relationship with food.
For example, I have a client that by his own admission loves to eat BIG.
But he’s also in the midst of a pretty hard diet and responds to drops in calories with half-joking statements like, “Oh man, this is gonna be hard.”
Now, he’s being honest and nobody on a diet likes the thought of eating even less food. But that kind of framing isn’t helpful.
It’s much easier to adapt to change if you change the way you think, about both food and your relationship with it.
So, instead of thinking,
“A 200 calorie reduction? This is gonna be hard. I love eating way too much. I hope I don’t break down.”
Try this:
“A 200 calorie reduction? I’m so focused on my goals I doubt I’ll even even notice. And If I do, it’s only because I’m paying extra close attention.”
Sounds like BS, but it does work. In the first example you’re training yourself to look for cues that you’ll break down. In the second, you’re reiterating your commitment and keeping the focus on that.
Audit your self talk. See how YOU think of your relationship with food.
Then change your story. And change your outcome.
OH…. Where Have I Been?
Well, just like you, adapting to very changing times. COVID definitely forced me to work a lot harder and be more creative, which is good.
But it also was a grind. The past few months have been hard on everyone. You see it in the news, on the streets, and especially in social media, which for the past three months has been nothing but dueling armchair epidemiologists and conspiracy theorists.
Fortunately, most of us are now on the other side of our personal COVID headache and re-assessing our lives AND our physiques.
Some clients have asked to be put back on their “real” programs. And I’ve had a few new clients join up specifically to dump their “Quarantine 15.”
But the vast majority want a NEW NORMAL.
They want to train HARD again — but just aren’t ready to hit the gym. At least not the way they used to.
It’s not that they’re “scared of the virus” (though I wouldn’t blame them if they were — I sure as hell don’t want it). Instead, they just want to manage the risk intelligently.
And frankly, many are kinda digging working out at home.
That’s similar to my own take. Now that I’ve adapted to training at home and loving it I just don’t feel the urge to go back to the gym, even if I do miss some specific machines, especially stuff like leg presses, leg curls, extensions, seated & standing calf raises, and so on.
My own program is designed so that I train 5-6 days a week, but I only pop into the local gym once or twice a week (ideally very early before it gets busy).
It just manages my needs versus my concerns in an effective yet responsible way.
I must be onto something as I’ve had literally DOZENS of folks ask for variations of the same thing.
I wouldn’t call it “hybrid training,” as it’s all just basic muscle-building work. Just it’s built around fewer machines and (in my opinion) harder and more skill-based work. (Though the weekly bout on the leg press is no piece of cake.)
Apart from that? I’m writing a LOT more — basically to make up for all the writing I DIDN’T do over quarantine, when life was upside down and my two-year-old was at my feet attacking the bulldogs with a rolling pin.
I’m re-paying that productivity “debt.” So far it feels great. So expect more newsletters and blogs and content, even sharing (a bit) more on social media.
I’m also enjoying Instagram of all places, specifically Instagram Stories. Something about the medium just works for me. You won’t see too many selfies — I’m a coach & writer, not an “influencer” — but I do drop a LOT of tips you might find helpful.
IG handle is @bryankrahn.
Onward & upward,
Bryan