Balance Is Simple; Not Easy.

I wouldn't have this job if it were easy to lose weight.

Nor would there be a $20+ billion diet industry.

Let’s make it easier together:

1. The Big Picture 🖼

2. Explain It To Me It Like I’m 5 🧒

3. It’s Not ‘Just Eat Less.’ 📑

4. We Are Emotional Beings 😭

5. Parting Zen 🧘‍♂️

The Big Picture 🖼

More than half the time I spend speaking with clients, we talk about:

• How to change their behaviors;

• What’s happening in their lives at the moment;

• What worked well and what didn’t.

We spend comparatively little time talking about:

• Calories, micro, or macronutrients;

• The finer points of nutritional science;

• Specific foods.

That’s because you don’t need me to tell you which foods are healthy and which are not.

You already know that.

Explain It To Me Like I’m 5 👦

Today’s topic, as simply as possible:

“We eat food at meals with people.”

It’s Not ‘Just Eat Less.’ 📑

The British government once studied why people become obese.

This is the map of their findings:

It’s not ‘just because people overeat.’

We Are Emotional Beings 😭

… and that’s a good thing.

Learning how to regulate your emotions without food is a critical skill to keep your weight in balance.

They don’t teach this in school.

One of my favorite acronyms to help mitigate emotional eating is:

“H.A.L.T.” = Before you open the fridge, stop and ask yourself, am I Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired?

Another helpful framework is to bust a myth:

• You will never ‘eradicate,’ ‘control,’ or ‘make completely disappear’ food cravings or emotional connections to food and eating.

• You will always have them because your emotions, upbringing, and environment are part of your identity.

• You can, on the other hand, through practice, become highly empowered in your responses to them.

The practices are simple.

The work is hard, at first.

But it’s worth it.

Parting Zen 🧘‍♂️

A simple word, phrase, or thought to take with you:

Be well,

Coach Matt

PS: ATTENTION DADS:

PPS: Here are some other newsletters I recommend:

PPS: My common-sense disclaimer …

The advice I offer is not medical advice. If you have any medical issues, please consult your doctor first. The advice I offer should be personalized to your needs. I can help you make those personalizations or refer you out. Reply to this email if you need help.