Busy And Fit Or Busy And Unhealthy?

Every parent has two options - busy and fit, or busy and unhealthy.

That might sound direct, and I know it might feel uncomfortable to read, but the point is not to make anyone feel guilty. Most parents are already carrying enough of that.

The point is that busy is probably not going anywhere.

There will always be work, family responsibilities, housework, meals, life admin, tiredness, unexpected problems and people who need something from you. That is part of being an adult, and it becomes even more obvious when you become a parent.

So the question is not whether you are busy. You probably are.

The real question is whether your current habits are helping you cope with that busy life, or whether they are slowly making everything feel harder.

Because if the plan is, “I will start when life calms down,” you could end up waiting for months, years, or even longer.

Life Changes, But Busy Does Not Disappear

Before becoming a parent, your time is often a lot easier to control.

You might have been able to train early in the morning, go to the gym when you wanted, prepare food without thinking too much about anyone else, or structure your day around your own priorities.

Then children come along, and life changes.

Suddenly, the same amount of work, responsibility and personal needs have to fit into a smaller window of time. You still have things to do, but your day is no longer just built around you. There are routines to manage, other people to consider, and parts of the day that are simply not as flexible as they used to be.

That is not a complaint. It is just the reality of parenting.

The thing I have learned is that as children grow, the type of busy changes, but the need to adapt does not disappear. What feels difficult in one phase may be replaced by something different in the next phase. The demands change, the routine changes, and what worked before may not work in the same way anymore.

Life does not suddenly become empty and easy. It changes shape.

That is why waiting for the perfect time to get fitter, lose weight or look after yourself is such a dangerous trap. If you keep waiting for a phase of life where nothing is demanding your time, you might be waiting a very long time.

Waiting For More Time Is Not A Strategy

A lot of parents already know that something needs to change. They know they could probably eat better, move more, sleep better, reduce the quick snacks, rely less on takeaways or stop leaving their own health until last. The problem is not always that they do not care. More often, it is that they keep waiting for a better time to do it.

That might sound like waiting until work is less busy, waiting until they have more energy, waiting until the kids sleep better, waiting until the next school term, waiting until after a holiday, or waiting until life generally feels a bit calmer. The difficult part is that all of those reasons can feel completely valid at the time, especially when you are tired, stressed and trying to keep everything going.

But this is where parents can get stuck. While you are waiting for more time, your current habits are still creating an outcome. The quick snack here, the takeaway there, the late night, the missed walk, the lack of structure and the constant feeling of being reactive all start to build up. None of it feels huge in the moment, but over weeks and months it can leave you feeling heavier, more tired, more uncomfortable in your clothes and more frustrated with yourself.

That is why waiting for life to calm down is not really a strategy. It might feel like a sensible plan, but in reality it can become a way of putting your health off for months or even years. At some point, the better question is not, “When will I have more time?” It is, “What can I realistically change with the time, energy and responsibilities I have now?”

Because if nothing changes, nothing changes. And for most parents, the answer is not a complete life overhaul. It is finding one small, realistic change that helps you feel more in control and then building from there.

Looking After Yourself Helps You Cope Better

This is the part that I think often gets missed.

Looking after yourself is not just another task to add to an already busy list. It can actually help you cope better with the list.

When you eat better, you usually have more stable energy. When you sleep better, you usually make better decisions. When you move more, you often feel better physically and mentally. When you have some kind of structure, you are less likely to feel like you are constantly reacting to the day.

That does not mean you never get tired. It does not mean parenting suddenly becomes easy. It does not mean work, family life and responsibility disappear. It just means you are better equipped to deal with them.

This is an important distinction. A lot of people look at health and fitness as something they will do once everything else is sorted. But sometimes, improving your health is what helps you manage everything else more effectively.

If you feel sluggish, stressed, uncomfortable, low in energy and frustrated with yourself, everyday life can feel harder. The same responsibilities are still there, but you are trying to deal with them while running on empty.

If you feel fitter, healthier and more in control of your habits, you are often in a better position to deal with the demands placed on you.

That is why this is not about punishment. It is not about saying, “You are a parent, stop making excuses.” It is about saying, “You probably already know something needs to change, so let’s stop waiting for the perfect time and find a realistic place to start.”

Busy And Fit Does Not Mean Perfect

When I say busy and fit, I do not mean living like an athlete.

I do not mean spending hours in the gym, eating perfectly, weighing every meal, never having a takeaway, never feeling tired and never missing a workout. That is not real life for most parents.

Busy and fit means finding a way to look after your health inside the life you already have.

For some people, that might mean doing 20 to 30 minutes of focused exercise instead of waiting until they have 60 to 90 minutes spare. If time is limited, the question becomes, “How can I make this session effective?” rather than, “What is the perfect workout I would do if I had unlimited time?”

For others, it might mean batch cooking once or twice per week so that healthy meals are ready in the fridge or freezer. That can save time, save money, reduce stress and stop you relying on whatever is easiest when you are tired.

It might mean finding meals that work for the family without forcing everyone else to completely change. For example, something like a chilli con carne can work well because the main meal can be the same, but the portions or sides can change depending on the person. Someone following a lower carb approach might have it without rice, while the rest of the family can still have rice if they want it.

That is the kind of practical adjustment that matters.

It is not about making family life more stressful. It is about finding a structure that allows you to look after yourself without creating unnecessary conflict or making everything harder.

Busy and fit could look like:

• A shorter, more focused workout two or three times per week.
• Batch cooking simple meals so you are not deciding what to eat when you are already tired.
• Improving your evening routine so you are not eating too late.
• Getting more daylight and movement into your day.
• Prioritising protein and good quality fats so you feel fuller for longer.
• Reducing processed snacks that leave you hungry again shortly after.
• Creating a better sleep routine.
• Taking a small amount of time to de-stress instead of letting the whole day build up.

None of those things need to be perfect to be useful. They just need to be repeated often enough to create a better outcome.

Your Children Will Change, So Your Routine Has To Change Too

One of the biggest lessons of parenting is that just when you think you have found a routine, something changes.

Your child grows, their sleep changes, their food changes, their routine changes, their energy changes, and their needs change. So if parenting requires constant adaptation, why do we expect our health routine to stay exactly the same?

What worked for you before children might not work now. What worked when your child was a baby might not work when they are a toddler. What works during one phase of family life might need to change again in six months.

That does not mean you have failed. It means you need to adapt.

The same applies to your food, your exercise, your sleep, your stress management and your routine. If something no longer fits your life, the answer is not to give up completely. The answer is to adjust it so that it can work again.

That might mean shorter workouts, training at a different time, simplifying meals, preparing food in advance, or changing your expectations from doing everything perfectly to doing the basics consistently.

This is where a lot of people go wrong. They keep trying to force an old version of their routine into a new version of their life. Then when it does not work, they assume they are the problem.

Sometimes the routine is the problem. Sometimes the plan needs to change.

Try Something For Two Weeks

One of the best things you can do is stop waiting and start testing.

Pick one thing that would make your health easier and give it two weeks. Not forever. Not perfectly. Just two weeks.

That might be going to bed 30 minutes earlier, preparing lunches in advance, doing two short workouts each week, reducing evening snacks, batch cooking once per week, or getting outside for a short walk each day.

The aim is not to overhaul your entire life in one go. The aim is to try something, see what happens, and then adapt.

If it works, keep it. If it does not work, adjust it. That is not failure. That is feedback.

This is where people need to move away from the all-or-nothing approach. You do not need to change everything at once. In fact, trying to change everything at once is often why people stop.

Start with one useful change, then build from there.

Because the small habit you start now could make a big difference in three, six, nine or twelve months. It might not feel dramatic in the moment, but that is how progress often works. It is the repeated basics, done consistently, that change the direction of your health over time.

Do Not Wait Until You Are Forced To Change

A lot of people only make serious changes when they feel they have no choice.

That might come after a health scare, a diagnosis, seeing a photo of themselves and feeling shocked, not fitting into clothes anymore, realising they cannot keep up with their children, or feeling exhausted all the time and knowing they cannot carry on like that.

I am not here to diagnose or treat medical conditions. However, if weight, energy, fitness or lifestyle habits are starting to affect how you feel day to day, it is worth paying attention before you are forced to.

You do not need to wait until things feel urgent.

You can start earlier. You can make small changes now that reduce the chance of bigger problems later. You can build habits now that help you feel better in the future. You can take action now rather than waiting until life gives you a much harsher reason to change.

That is not fearmongering. That is responsibility.

If you are a parent, think about what you want life to look like in ten, fifteen or twenty years. Do you want to be able to keep up with your children? Do you want to feel confident in yourself? Do you want to have more energy? Do you want to feel like you are setting an example?

Those things do not happen by accident. They are built through the choices you make now.

The Right First Step Is Different For Everyone

This is why I do not believe everyone should start in the same place.

For one person, the first step might be nutrition. For another person, it might be sleep. For someone else, it might be physical activity, stress, recovery, mindset or simply creating more structure in the week.

The right starting point depends on the person, their lifestyle, their family, their routine, their current habits and what is causing the biggest problem.

That is why a personalised approach matters.

It is easy to tell someone to eat better, move more and sleep more. But that does not always help them understand where to start. If someone is sleeping terribly, under huge stress and constantly snacking because they are exhausted, simply giving them a strict diet plan might not solve the actual issue.

Equally, if someone already walks regularly and is active but their food choices are all over the place, adding more exercise may not be the best first step.

The aim is to find the change that gives the biggest return first.

That is where coaching can help, because sometimes you are too close to your own routine to see what needs to change. Sometimes you need someone to help you step back, look at what is actually happening, and work out the next right step.

Busy Is Not Going Anywhere

You can be busy and keep putting your health off, or you can be busy and start making small changes that help you feel better, move better, eat better and cope better.

The busyness may not disappear, but your approach can change.

That does not mean being perfect, sacrificing everything or suddenly finding hours of free time you do not have. It means taking responsibility for one thing at a time and building from there.

If you recognise yourself in this, do not wait for the perfect moment. Pick one change and give it two weeks. Learn from it. Adjust it. Make it work for your life.

And if you feel like you need help finding the right first step, you can book a free Connect Call here:

https://calendly.com/jbryantcoaching/connect-call

We can look at where you are now, what is making things harder, and what would make the biggest difference first. From there, we can start building a plan that fits your life, your family and your routine.

Because life is not getting any less busy.

So your health cannot keep waiting.

What I Actually Do As A Weight Loss Coach (And Why It Is Not About Giving You A Plan That Does Not Fit Your Life)

 

Over the last few months, I have written a lot about weight loss, nutrition, exercise, mindset, habits, parenting, time, motivation and the stories people tell themselves.

If you have read some of those articles or posts, you may have found yourself agreeing with parts of them. You might have thought, “That sounds like me,” or “I know I need to do something about this.” You might even have taken something useful from them and tried to apply it to your own life.

However, I also realised something recently. While I have shared plenty of advice, I may not have clearly explained what I actually do as a coach.

It is very easy for me to talk about mindset, explain why certain habits matter, give examples from my own life and discuss weight loss in a way that feels practical. But if you are someone who has followed my content for a while, you might still be thinking, “This all sounds useful, but what would actually happen if I worked with you?”

So I wanted to explain that properly.

What I do is not about handing someone a perfect meal plan, telling them to train five times per week and expecting them to sacrifice everything else in their life just to lose weight. That might work for a short period of time, but for most people, especially parents, it quickly becomes unrealistic.

What I do is help people lose weight, improve their health and build better habits in a way that actually fits around their real life.

It Usually Starts With The Story You Tell Yourself

One of the biggest things I focus on with clients is mindset.

That does not mean sitting around talking positively and pretending everything is easy. What I mean is that a lot of people have stories they tell themselves, and those stories directly affect the decisions they make.

They might say things like:

• “I do not have time.”
• “I have tried everything.”
• “I cannot get back to where I used to be.”
• “I am too busy with work and family.”
• “I will start when life calms down.”
• “I have lost my way and I do not know how to get back.”

The problem is that when you repeat those stories often enough, they start to feel like facts. Once that happens, you stop looking for solutions because the story has already decided the outcome for you.

That is one of the first things I try to help people reframe.

If someone tells me they do not have time, I want to understand what that actually means. Is it really that there is no time at all, or is it that their routine is chaotic, their energy is low, they are trying to do everything for everyone else, and they no longer know where they fit into their own life?

If someone tells me they cannot lose weight, I want to understand what they have already tried. Did the plan not work because they failed, or did it not work because it was never designed around their life in the first place?

This is where coaching becomes very different from simply giving advice. Advice can be helpful, but proper coaching helps someone understand themselves better. It helps them see the patterns, habits and beliefs that are keeping them stuck, and then build a way forward that feels realistic.

This Is Mainly For Parents Who Feel Like They Have Lost Their Way

The people I feel most drawn to helping are parents, particularly those in their 30s and 40s, who feel like they have lost their way a little bit when it comes to their health.

They might remember a time when they felt fitter, stronger, healthier or more confident. They may have clothes in the wardrobe they would love to get back into. They may look back and think, “I used to be in much better shape than this.”

Then life happened.

Children came along. Work became more demanding. Sleep changed. Routines changed. Time became harder to manage. What used to work no longer fitted the same way.

I understand that because I have had to adapt as well. Before having a child, I could train in a certain way and organise my day differently. Since becoming a parent, things have changed. My son grows, his routine changes, family life changes, and I have to adapt again. That is normal.

The mistake a lot of people make is thinking that because their old routine no longer works, they cannot look after themselves anymore.

I do not believe that is true. I think it simply means the approach needs to change.

You might not be able to train like you did before children. You might not have the same freedom with your evenings. You might not be able to spend hours preparing food or get to the gym whenever you feel like it. But that does not mean you cannot make progress.

It means you need structure around the basics. You need a plan that understands family life, work, time, energy and responsibility. You need accountability. You need simple nutrition. You need exercise that works around what you already do. You need to stop chasing perfection and start building something that fits.

I Do Not Hand You A Generic Plan And Tell You To Follow It

One thing I want to be clear on is that I do not decide everything for you and tell you what the next step has to be. Coaching works best when it is collaborative.

My job is to listen to what is going on in your life, understand the problems you are facing, and then help you work out the next right step. That is different from me simply saying, “Here is your diet plan, here is your exercise plan, now go and follow it.”

For example, if you tell me that evening snacking is your biggest issue, I do not just say, “Stop snacking.” That would not solve the problem because it does not look at why the snacking is happening in the first place.

We would look at what sits behind it. Are you stressed? Are you sleeping badly? Are you not eating enough earlier in the day? Are your meals lacking protein or good quality fats? Are you bored? Is it habit? Is it the only time in the day where you feel like you get something for yourself?

Once we understand that, we can ask a better question.

If we solved this problem first, how would that impact the rest of your journey?

That is how I like to work.

For one person, the next right step might be nutrition. For another, it might be sleep. For someone else, it might be exercise, mindset, stress, family routine or simply learning how to make better choices without feeling restricted.

The aim is not to overwhelm you with everything at once. The aim is to identify the change that will make the biggest difference first, agree on it together, and then build from there.

What You Actually Get

The practical support will depend on the person, because not everybody needs the same thing. However, there are some key areas I tend to help with.

Nutrition is a big part of it. I provide recipe ideas and resources designed to keep meals simple, enjoyable and filling. The aim is to help reduce snacking, improve energy and give you confidence that you can eat well without making life unnecessarily complicated.

These are not meals that require hours in the kitchen or completely separate food from the rest of your family. In many cases, it is about finding a way to make better meals work within the family setup you already have.

That matters because if you are trying to lose weight but you do not do most of the cooking at home, we need to consider that. It might not be realistic or fair to expect your partner to completely change every meal around your goal. Instead, we look at where you can meet in the middle, how you can make small adjustments, and how the household can make healthier choices without it becoming stressful or creating conflict.

Exercise is similar. I do not believe everyone needs to be thrown into a gym plan straight away. If someone already plays basketball, skates, goes to Boxercise, walks regularly or does some form of activity they enjoy, we look at how to make that work for them.

If they go to the gym and want more structure, I can help with exercise planning. If they are already active once or twice per week, adding more might not be the first priority, especially if it would create more stress.

Again, it comes back to the next right step.

There is also accountability and support. That might include weekly WhatsApp check-ins, where I ask how things are going and whether you need help with anything. If something needs more attention, we can arrange a quick 15 to 30-minute catch-up. There is also the option of longer conversations every other week, usually around 30 to 45 minutes, where we can review progress properly and talk through what needs to happen next.

I also have a success path and a range of resources that clients can work through in their own time. These cover different parts of the journey, including nutrition, sleep, habits, mindset and understanding why certain approaches, such as low carb, can work well for some people.

Education matters because I do not want people to blindly follow instructions. I want them to understand why they are doing what they are doing, because that is what helps them keep making better decisions long term.

The Problems I Help With

People often come to me because they feel stuck.

They may have a poor relationship with food. They may snack too much, eat on the go, rely on convenience food, sleep badly or feel constantly stressed by the balance of work and family life.

They may have gained weight and started to notice that their health is moving in the wrong direction. I am not here to diagnose or treat medical conditions, but if someone has been told that their weight is affecting their health, I can help them build the nutrition, exercise and lifestyle habits that support weight loss in a realistic way.

There is usually an emotional side as well.

They might have clothes they would love to fit back into. They may remember a time when they felt more confident in themselves. They may feel frustrated that they have let things slide, but at the same time feel unsure how to change it because life feels so full already.

That is the balance I try to help people find.

You are still a parent. You still have work. You still have responsibilities. You still have a family dynamic to consider. Your plan has to work inside that life, not outside it.

This Is Not About A Magic Plan

I am always cautious when weight loss is sold as if one plan will fix everything.

You have probably seen promises like:

• Lose three stone in three months.
• Follow this exact diet.
• Train this many days per week.
• Eat these exact meals.
• Do not deviate from the plan.

That might sound appealing because it feels clear, but real life rarely works that neatly. Especially when you have children, work, poor sleep, family commitments and other people to consider.

The people I work best with usually do not need another extreme plan. They need structure, accountability and a clearer understanding of their own patterns. They need support making better decisions consistently, and they need to learn how to make progress without feeling like they have to sacrifice everything else around them.

That is where I think coaching can be really valuable. It gives you space to talk through what is actually happening, work out what needs to change first, and then build from there.

How To Get Started

If this sounds like you, the simplest next step is to visit www.jbryantcoaching.com and find out more about how I can help.

If you are not ready for coaching yet, that is fine as well. I also have free resources that can help you get started, including simple meal ideas and guidance around some of the reasons you may not be losing weight despite feeling like you are trying.

You do not need to have everything figured out before you get help. That is the point of coaching.

Sometimes the first step is simply having a conversation, looking honestly at where you are now, and working out what the next right step should be.

Because you do not need a perfect plan that ignores your life. You need a realistic approach that helps you lose weight, improve your health and feel more like yourself again while still being a parent, still working and still living in the real world.

Why Looking After Your Health Helps You Show Up Better For The People Around You

 

One of the biggest misconceptions I see, especially with parents and busy professionals, is the idea that taking time for yourself is somehow selfish.

It might be going to the gym, going for a walk, preparing better food, getting to bed earlier, taking ten minutes to decompress or simply doing something that helps you feel more human again. Whatever it is, there can be this feeling that if you take time for yourself, you are taking time away from your family, your partner, your work or all the other responsibilities that need your attention.

I understand where that comes from, especially as a parent. Your child’s welfare is always important, and of course there are times when their needs come first. That is part of being a parent. The problem comes when putting your child first slowly turns into putting yourself last all of the time.

You can end up doing a hundred things for your child, your family or your work, but not doing the one, two or three basic things that would help you function better yourself. Things like sleep, exercise, nutrition, hydration, stress relief and getting outside start to disappear, and before long you are trying to look after everyone else while running on empty.

That is not sustainable.

The Story Parents Often Tell Themselves

A lot of people tell themselves they do not have time to look after their health.

They do not have time to exercise. They do not have time to cook properly. They do not have time to go for a walk. They do not have time to get to bed earlier. They do not have time to take ten minutes for themselves.

The difficulty is that when you say that often enough, it starts to become the story you live by.

You start seeing all the evidence that proves the story right. You notice the busy mornings, the nursery drop-offs, the school runs, the packed work diary, the evening routine, the washing, the cooking and everything else that needs doing. You see all the reasons why you cannot exercise again, why you cannot prepare a nutritious meal, why you cannot get outside or why you cannot take a little bit of time to clear your head.

The problem is not always that there is genuinely no time. Sometimes the problem is that you are not in a good enough place to see where the opportunities are.

That might sound harsh, but I think it is true for a lot of people. When you are tired, stressed and overwhelmed, even a 15-minute walk can feel like another task. Cooking a nutritious meal can feel like effort. Getting organised the night before can feel like a challenge. So the story continues.

“I do not have time.”

But what if the better question was, “How can I make this work?”

Looking After Yourself Is Not The Same As Being Selfish

There is a difference between being selfish and taking responsibility for your own health.

Being selfish would be deciding that you are going to the gym every day and expecting your partner to always do the nursery drop-offs, the pick-ups, the cooking, the cleaning and everything else, without any discussion or fairness. That is not what I am talking about.

Taking responsibility is different.

Taking responsibility is asking, “What time do I realistically have, and how can I use it well?” It might be a half-hour workout. It might be a 30-minute walk. It might be cooking a nutritious meal. It might be preparing food for the next day. It might be taking ten minutes to decompress so you are not carrying the stress of the day into the evening.

That is not selfish. That is sensible.

It is not about disappearing for hours and expecting everyone else to work around you. It is about making better decisions within the life you actually have. It is about communicating, planning and finding a way that works for everyone, including you.

Because you matter in that equation as well.

What Happens When You Keep Putting Yourself Last?

When someone keeps putting their own health last, it usually starts to show.

It might be weight gain. It might be low energy. It might be feeling sluggish, tired or constantly stressed. It might be poorer food choices because you are grabbing whatever is convenient. It might be losing confidence because you no longer feel like the person you used to be. It can affect your mood, patience, relationship, work and the way you show up at home.

This is where I think people underestimate the long-term cost.

If you keep waiting until life is easier, the child is older, work calms down or everything feels more manageable, years can pass very quickly. It is almost like saying, “When my child is 18, then I will start looking after myself again.” The trouble is that if you leave it that long, you may have spent nearly two decades building habits that are much harder to undo.

That is why small habits now matter so much.

You do not need to completely change your life overnight. You do not need to suddenly train five times a week, eat perfectly and create some unrealistic routine that only works if every day goes to plan. But you do need to start looking for small ways to support yourself.

A 15 to 30-minute walk can make a difference. A nutritious meal can make a difference. Getting outside can make a difference. Going to bed slightly earlier can make a difference. Drinking more water can make a difference.

Small things done consistently can stop you feeling like you are constantly sliding further away from the person you want to be.

Finding A Way That Works For Your Life

A few days into becoming a parent, I remember thinking that I still needed to look after myself.

I knew I needed to move. I knew I needed to train. I knew I needed to stay active because I am a much better person when I do those things. But I also knew my old routine was not going to work in exactly the same way.

Before becoming a parent, I loved training early. I have always been more of a morning gym person than an afternoon gym person. I used to enjoy training around six in the morning, but that does not work in the same way when you have a child and other responsibilities to consider.

So I had to adjust.

For me, that means taking my son to nursery and then going to the gym because I am already halfway there. I train there and then, and that works for me. It also means there is a compromise somewhere else. In my case, my business day starts later, usually around 11 o’clock, because I have built my routine around what helps me function better.

I appreciate that not everyone has that flexibility. If you are in a nine-to-five job, you may not be able to do that. But that does not mean there are no options.

If you get a lunch break, could you go for a 30-minute walk in the fresh air? Could you move away from your desk rather than eating lunch while still working? Could you use that time to break the stress of the day, get some movement in and return feeling better?

It does not always have to be the gym.

Sometimes it just needs to be movement.

Make The Regular Things Easier First

One of the best places to start is by getting more organised with the things that already have to happen.

If your child has to go to nursery or school, can you make that routine smoother? Can you prepare things the night before? Can you make the morning less chaotic? It might not sound exciting, but it can create a bit more breathing room.

Batch cooking is another really useful example.

If you can spend a couple of hours preparing meals for the week, that can save you from spending 30 to 45 minutes every evening deciding what to cook. It can also help the whole family eat better, save money and reduce the stress of constantly making decisions when everyone is tired.

That extra time can then be used differently. It might give one of you the chance to go to the gym. It might give the other person time to decompress. It might mean you both feel less rushed and less stressed. It might simply mean the evening feels a bit easier.

This is where communication matters.

If you are in a relationship, it is not about one person getting to do everything they want while the other person carries the load. It is about working for each other. If your partner wants to go out or do something for themselves and you can look after your child, then that can be part of how you make life work as a team. Equally, if you have a class to teach, a gym session to do or time you need for yourself, then there needs to be a way of making that work fairly as well.

It is not about putting someone else out so you can do what you want.

It is about creating a family routine where both people have the opportunity to feel like themselves.

Remember What You Used To Do Before Life Got On Top Of You

If you feel like you have completely lost yourself, it can help to think back to what you used to do before life became so busy.

Did you go to a yoga class? Did you enjoy the gym? Did you go to an exercise class? Did you play a sport? Did you go for walks? Did you have a social event or activity that made you feel better?

The aim is not necessarily to recreate your old life exactly as it was, because your life may be different now. The aim is to ask, “How can I bring some of that back in a way that works with my life now?”

For me, even when I cannot get to the gym, I will still go for a 15 to 30-minute walk. Sometimes that is to decompress. Sometimes it is to clear my head. Sometimes it is to get some stock of what I want to do for the day. Sometimes it is simply because I do not want to be stuck at a desk all day.

Once I have moved, I usually feel better.

I will even do it when it is tipping down with rain. Not because I particularly enjoy walking in horrible weather, but because I cannot control the weather. I can control whether I move.

That is the choice.

You may not always be able to control the demands of family life, work or the weather, but you can often control the next small decision. You can decide to move. You can decide to prepare a better meal. You can decide to get outside. You can decide to take ten minutes before the day runs away from you.

You Are Better For The People Around You When You Look After Yourself

The reason this matters is not just because exercise is good or healthy food is good.

It matters because when you look after yourself, you are usually in a better mental, physical and emotional state to help the people around you.

If I did not train, move and look after myself, I know I would be a mess. I would have less energy, less patience and less capacity to pick up the slack when it is needed. Because I do look after myself, I am better able to deal with the harder days. I am better able to support my family. I am better able to cope when life becomes more demanding.

That is the part I think more parents need to understand.

Taking time for your health is not time taken away from your family. Done properly, it can be something that helps your family because they get a better version of you.

Not a perfect version.

Just a better one.

Final Thoughts

Taking time for yourself is not selfish.

Expecting everyone else to carry the load while you do whatever you want might be selfish, but that is not what this is about. This is about recognising that your health matters too. It is about understanding that sleep, movement, nutrition, hydration, stress relief and a little bit of time to breathe are not luxuries. They are basic things that help you function better.

If you have been putting yourself last for a long time, do not try to change everything overnight. Start by asking what used to make you feel good and how you can bring a small version of that back into your life now.

• Maybe it is a walk.
• Maybe it is one gym session.
• Maybe it is batch cooking.
• Maybe it is getting to bed earlier.
• Maybe it is having a conversation with your partner about how you can both make time for yourselves without either person feeling like everything has been dumped on them.

Whatever it is, start small and make it work for the life you actually have.

Because you are not looking after yourself instead of your family.

You are looking after yourself so you can show up better for them, and for yourself.

If you want support building healthier habits around family life, work and real-world responsibilities, visit www.jbryantcoaching.com to find out more about my coaching programmes.

The Dangerous Story Keeping You Stuck With Weight Loss

⁣

⁣

Why “I Don’t Have Time” Might Be The Reason Nothing Changes⁣

One of the biggest things that keeps people stuck when it comes to weight loss is not always their diet, their exercise plan or even their motivation. Quite often, it is the story they keep telling themselves.⁣

You might say, “I don’t have time to exercise.” You might say, “I don’t have the energy to cook properly.” You might say, “It is too difficult with work, kids, family life and everything else going on.” On the surface, those things can sound completely reasonable, and in many cases, there will be some truth in them. 

Life can be busy. Parenting can be hard. Work can be stressful. Energy can be low.⁣

The problem is that by the time you say those words out loud, there is a good chance you have already said them to yourself internally 20, 30 or 40 times. Eventually, that internal language becomes more than a passing thought. It becomes your story. Once it becomes your story, it starts shaping your behaviour, and once it shapes your behaviour, it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.⁣

It is a bit like someone walking into an exam saying, “I don’t know why I am even doing this because I am going to fail.” If they repeat that story enough times, they are unlikely to prepare properly, unlikely to feel confident and unlikely to perform at their best. Then, if they do fail, it almost proves the story right in their mind.⁣

Weight loss can work in a very similar way.⁣

If you keep telling yourself that you do not have time, eventually you stop looking for time. If you keep telling yourself that it is too difficult, eventually you stop looking for ways to make it easier. If you keep telling yourself that you do not have the motivation, eventually you stop asking what would actually make the goal important enough to act on.⁣

The Story You Tell Yourself Changes The Actions You Take⁣

This is where I think a lot of people underestimate the power of their own language. The words you use with yourself matter because they influence what you believe is possible.⁣

If your story is, “I don’t have time because I have kids,” then your children become the reason you cannot exercise, eat better or look after your health. That does not mean you do not love them or that you are making excuses in a lazy way. It simply means the story you are telling yourself is pointing you in a direction where your health keeps being moved further down the list.⁣

However, if your story changes to, “I need to look after myself because I have kids,” everything feels different. The same responsibilities are still there. The school runs, childcare, work, meals, housework and lack of quiet time have not magically disappeared. What has changed is the meaning you have given those responsibilities.⁣

One story keeps you stuck. The other gives you a reason to act.⁣

This is something I realised very quickly myself after becoming a parent. Within a few days, I remember thinking that I needed to keep looking after myself properly because I wanted to be in the best possible place for my partner and my child. 

At first, that can almost feel selfish because you are taking time for yourself when there are so many other things that need doing. But actually, when you are healthier, fitter, stronger and in a better place mentally, you are usually able to give more to the people around you.⁣

That is a very different mindset from saying, “I don’t have time for this.”⁣

It becomes, “I make time for this because of them.”⁣

Stop Shoulding All Over Yourself⁣

One phrase I think is worth paying attention to is, “I should.”⁣

“I should exercise.”⁣

“I should eat better.”⁣

“I should lose some weight.”⁣

“I should get back into a routine.”⁣

The problem with “should” is that it often carries no real commitment. It sounds like something you know would be good for you, but it does not always create action. It leaves plenty of room for negotiation, delay and justification. 

You can say you should exercise, but then also tell yourself you are tired, too busy or that tomorrow would be a better day to start.⁣

That is why the language often needs to change.⁣

There is a big difference between saying, “I should exercise,” and saying, “I must look after my health because I want to be around, active and energetic for the people who matter to me.”⁣

There is a big difference between saying, “I really could do with losing weight,” and asking, “How can I lose weight, enjoy the process and make it fit into my lifestyle?”⁣

The second version forces you to look for a solution. It does not ignore the challenges of your life, but it does stop you using those challenges as the reason nothing changes.⁣

That is where smarter questions become so important. If you ask a basic question, you often get a basic answer. If the question is simply, “How do I lose weight?” the answer might be to eat less and move more. But that does not tell you whether the approach will fit your life, whether you will enjoy it, whether it will help you feel better or whether you can maintain it in the long term.⁣

A better question creates a better answer.⁣

Start With Something You Already Do Every Day⁣

When people feel stuck, they often assume the answer is to add more. More gym sessions, more cardio, more structure, more rules and more pressure. The problem is that if you already feel like you have no time, adding several new demands into your week can make everything feel even more overwhelming.⁣

That is why, for many people, I would start with nutrition.⁣

Not because exercise does not matter, because of course it does, but because eating is something you are already doing every day. You do not need to find an extra hour just to begin improving your food choices. You can start by changing the quality of what you are already eating.⁣

That might mean reducing the processed crap and focusing more on real food. It might mean swapping white pasta for brown pasta or white bread for brown bread if that is an appropriate step for you. It might mean preparing more nutritious meals, including more protein, adding more vegetables or doing some batch cooking so that better food is ready when life gets busy.⁣

Batch cooking is a really good example because it does not just help your nutrition. It can save time, energy and money as well. If you have food ready to go, you are less likely to rely on whatever is quickest when you are tired, hungry and already feeling stretched.⁣

This is important because once you start eating better, other things often start to improve. You may feel less hungry. You may snack less. You may sleep better. You may feel less stressed because you are not constantly making last-minute decisions around food. You may also start to feel like you have a little more control over your day.⁣

Then the story begins to change.⁣ Instead of saying, “I don’t have time,” you might start thinking, “Actually, I can do this.”⁣

Small Steps Beat All Or Nothing⁣

One of the reasons people struggle with weight loss is because they go from doing very little to trying to change everything at once. They decide that from Monday they are going to train four times a week, eat perfectly, drink more water, sleep better, stop snacking, cook every meal from scratch and completely overhaul their lifestyle.⁣

That might work for a few days, but for most people it becomes too much very quickly.⁣

The issue is not that those habits are bad. Many of them are very good habits. The issue is trying to introduce all of them at the same time, especially when life is already busy. When the plan becomes too difficult, it becomes unenjoyable. When it becomes unenjoyable, motivation drops. Once motivation drops, people often go back to the story they were telling themselves in the first place.⁣

“I knew I didn’t have time.”⁣

“I knew this would be too hard.”⁣

“I knew I wouldn’t stick to it.”⁣

That is why small steps matter. You do not need to change your whole life in a week. You need to build habits that can become part of your lifestyle. That might start with improving one meal, preparing food twice a week, going for a walk after work, training twice instead of four times, or getting to bed slightly earlier.⁣

Once one habit becomes easier, you can add another. That is how you create progress without making life feel impossible.⁣

Waiting For The Right Time Can Make Things Worse⁣

Another mistake people make is waiting for the perfect time to start. They tell themselves they will begin when work calms down, when the kids are older, when they have more energy, when January arrives or when life feels less stressful.⁣

The problem is that life rarely gives you a perfect starting point.⁣

While you are waiting, the habits that are keeping you stuck can become more ingrained. You might gain more weight, lose more fitness, feel more tired and become even more disconnected from the version of yourself you want to be. Then, when you finally decide to act, the whole thing feels much bigger and more overwhelming than it needed to be.⁣

This is why waiting can be dangerous. It feels like you are being sensible because you are waiting for the right time, but in reality, you may simply be delaying the first small step that would make everything easier later on.⁣

You do not need the perfect week to begin looking after your health. You do not need your diary to be empty. You do not need life to be calm. You just need to ask a better question.⁣

“How do I make this work with the life I have now?”⁣

That question is far more useful than waiting for a completely different life to appear.⁣

Change The Story And You Change The Standard⁣

The story you tell yourself eventually becomes the standard you live by. If your story is that you do not have time, your actions will reflect that. If your story is that looking after your health is something you must do because of the people who depend on you, your actions are far more likely to change.⁣

This does not mean pretending life is easy. It does not mean ignoring the fact that parenting, work and family responsibilities can be challenging. It simply means you stop allowing those things to become the reason you do nothing.⁣

You can still be busy and make better food choices.⁣

You can still have children and find small windows for movement.⁣

You can still have responsibilities and decide that your health matters.⁣

You can still start with one small change rather than waiting until you feel ready to change everything.⁣

That is the real shift.⁣

It is not just about time management. It is about identity. It is about becoming the type of person who looks after themselves because they understand the impact it has on their future and the people around them.⁣

Final Thoughts⁣

If you have been telling yourself that you do not have time to lose weight, exercise or look after your health, it might be time to challenge that story.⁣

Instead of saying, “I don’t have time,” ask yourself, “How do I make time?”⁣

Instead of saying, “It is too difficult,” ask yourself, “How do I make this work for me?”⁣

Instead of saying, “I need to lose weight,” ask yourself, “How can I lose weight, enjoy the process and make it fit into my lifestyle?”⁣

Those questions create a completely different starting point. They move you away from excuses and towards solutions. They help you focus on small steps rather than all-or-nothing change. They also remind you that this is not about trying to be perfect for a few weeks. It is about building habits that support the person you want to become.⁣

Your health does not improve because you wait for the perfect time.⁣

It improves because you start changing the story, one decision at a time.⁣

If you are ready to lose weight, improve your energy and build healthier habits in a way that fits around real life, visit www.jbryantcoaching.com to find out more about my coaching programmes.

Summer Is Over, But Your Health Doesn't Have to Wait Until January

The summer holidays are over. The kids are going back to school, normal routines are starting again, the mornings are getting darker and you may have already noticed the evenings drawing in. This is also the point in the year when you might find your motivation to exercise starting to disappear.

Perhaps you spent the spring and early summer training regularly because you had a holiday booked. You wanted to lose some weight, look better, feel more confident or simply feel healthier when you went away. You had something tangible to work towards and a reason to keep going when you didn't particularly feel like exercising.

Then you went on holiday, relaxed and enjoyed yourself. You ate differently, perhaps drank more than usual, exercised less and stepped away from your normal routine. There is nothing necessarily wrong with doing that for a week or two. The problem starts when that summer break quietly turns into your autumn and winter routine.

Why Is It Harder to Stay Motivated to Exercise After Summer?

You may find September surprisingly difficult, especially if you have children. The summer holidays can leave you feeling like you need a holiday yourself, and then suddenly you're back into school runs, work, childcare, after-school activities and everything else that comes with normal family life.

At the same time, the environment around you is changing. It's getting colder, it's darker when you wake up and the evenings are drawing in. Going back outside after you've got home from work can become far less appealing than it was a few months ago.

You might get home, sit down and think, "I really can't be bothered going to the gym tonight." Staying on the sofa feels easier, ordering something convenient feels easier than cooking and watching television gives you an easy way to switch off after a difficult day.

You tell yourself you'll exercise tomorrow instead, but tomorrow can easily become next week. Before long, you've created a completely different routine without ever really deciding to.

You Probably Haven't Decided to Give Up Until January

Most people don't finish their summer holiday and consciously decide they're going to stop looking after themselves for the next four months. It happens gradually, which is why you might not immediately recognise that you're doing it.

You miss a couple of workouts, your food choices become less structured and you start going to bed later. Your energy drops, which makes exercising feel harder, so you exercise even less. Those individual choices start becoming habits, and eventually those habits become your normal routine.

You might then notice your clothes becoming tighter again. You may feel less fit, your energy might not be where it was earlier in the year and you might not be sleeping as well. Eventually, something happens that makes you think, "I've had enough. I need to sort myself out."

For a lot of people, that moment arrives in January. The problem is that by then you've potentially spent three or four months moving in the opposite direction.

The Problem With Waiting Until January to Get Fit

I'm not a big believer in New Year's resolutions. If something is important to your health, why does it suddenly become important because the calendar changes from 31 December to 1 January?

Yet every year, people can find themselves falling into the same cycle. You spend January getting back into exercise and start eating better again. Perhaps you then book your summer holiday and suddenly have another deadline to work towards.

You now have five or six months to lose the weight you've regained and rebuild some of the fitness you've lost. You train hard through the spring, get yourself ready for summer, enjoy your holiday and then gradually stop again.

You can end up spending a large part of every year trying to undo what happened during another part of it. Instead of repeatedly starting and stopping, wouldn't it make more sense to find a way of looking after yourself that changes with your life throughout the year?

Your Autumn and Winter Exercise Routine Can Look Different

Looking after yourself throughout the year doesn't mean doing exactly the same thing throughout the year. Your circumstances change, so your exercise routine can change with them.

There are periods when I can get to the gym more frequently. At other times, my work and family schedule means three sessions a week might be more realistic. If I know three sessions are what I can consistently manage, I'll make those three sessions count rather than worrying about the sessions I can't do.

I might shorten my resistance training sessions slightly while maintaining the intensity. During the winter, I also tend to do more cardio because, with less sunlight and darker days, I know exercise helps me feel better. Training gives me a mental break and provides an escape from everything else happening during the day.

There's also a very practical reason I don't mind doing more cardio when it's cold. I'd rather generate some body heat through exercise than immediately turn the heating up. Your reasons might be completely different, but the principle is the same. Your summer routine might no longer fit your life, so find a version that does.

How Can You Stay Active During Autumn and Winter?

Instead of asking yourself whether you can maintain exactly what you were doing before summer, ask yourself what you can realistically do now. Perhaps you were going to the gym four times a week before your holiday, but three sessions now fit your schedule better. Three good sessions are still three good sessions.

You might also find that your gym gets much busier when students return in September. Rather than using that as a reason not to go, could you train earlier in the morning when it's quieter? Getting up a little earlier might not sound particularly appealing when it's dark outside, but you could have your training finished before you've properly started your working day.

That also means you don't have to rely on finding the motivation to go back out again after work when it's cold, dark and raining. You've already moved, you've done something positive for yourself and you can get on with the rest of your day.

You don't necessarily need four gym sessions either. You could do two or three and find other ways to stay physically active during the week. The important thing is that you don't allow "I can't do what I was doing before" to turn into "I'll do nothing instead."

Make Healthy Eating Easier When Your Energy Is Lower

Exercise is only one part of this because you may also notice your eating habits changing when the weather gets colder and your routine becomes busier. When you're tired and hungry, the easiest option often wins, which is why a little preparation can make such a difference.

I personally eat very little carbohydrate during the day. If I do have carbohydrates, I generally choose wholemeal options, and I tend to have more of them in the evening because that approach works well for me and my sleep. I'm not suggesting you need to eat exactly the same way because you need to find an approach that works for you.

Think instead about how you could make eating well easier. Could you prepare some meals in advance so you've got good food ready when you get home? Could you have some simple, filling meals available rather than relying on whatever is most convenient when you're tired? You could also look at simple things such as whether you're drinking enough water during the day.

You're trying to remove some of the effort involved in making better choices. If every healthy decision requires motivation and willpower, you're making it unnecessarily difficult to maintain those choices when work and family life become busy.

Don't Underestimate Your Sleep

Sleep can easily become part of the same downward cycle. You feel tired, so you don't exercise. You sit in front of the television for longer, perhaps eat later, go to bed later and then wake up tired again. The following day, exercising feels even less appealing and the cycle continues.

This is why I look at exercise, nutrition, sleep and energy as connected rather than treating them as completely separate things. One can influence the others, both positively and negatively.

As the nights draw in, think about how you can use that change to your advantage. Could you start winding down earlier, create a more consistent bedtime or organise your evening so tomorrow morning is easier? These aren't huge changes, but when they become regular habits they can make a considerable difference to how you feel.

Imagine How Different January Could Feel

Now I want you to think a few months ahead and imagine arriving in January having stayed reasonably active throughout autumn and winter. You haven't been perfect, you've enjoyed yourself, you've had meals out, you've had Christmas and there have probably been weeks when you've trained less than you wanted.

But you've kept going. You've maintained much of your fitness, kept some structure around your food, looked after your sleep and continued moving. If you decide in January that you want to push your training or nutrition a little harder, you're already halfway there because you're building on what you've been doing rather than starting again.

Compare that with reaching January after three or four months of doing very little, gradually gaining weight, losing fitness, sleeping badly and waiting until you're so unhappy with how you feel that you're desperate to change. Which version of January would you rather have?

Don't Wait for Another Summer Holiday to Look After Yourself

You don't need a beach holiday booked to justify exercising, and you don't need January to give you permission to start eating better. You also don't need to train perfectly throughout autumn and winter. What matters is that you find something you can continue doing.

If your routine has changed now that summer is over, reassess it. Find the days you can realistically exercise, look at whether a different training time would work better, make your sessions count and prepare food that makes eating well easier. Think about your water intake, your sleep and the other small habits that affect how you feel each day.

If you've already stopped exercising since your summer holiday, don't convince yourself that you've missed your opportunity and might as well wait until January. You can start again now and spend the next few months building habits that make January easier.

Because the best position to be in when January arrives isn't thinking, "I really need to sort myself out." It's being able to look back at the previous four months and realise that you've already been looking after yourself.

If you're struggling to find an exercise, nutrition and lifestyle routine that works around your work, family and everything else you have going on, I can help. My coaching is built around creating an approach that works for you and your life, rather than another short-term fix that you'll struggle to maintain. If you're ready to make a change now rather than waiting until January, visit www.jbryantcoaching.com to find out how I can help.

Why Your Weight Loss Plan Works Monday to Thursday, Then Falls Apart at the Weekend

You start Monday with good intentions. Your meals are planned, you’re making better food choices, you might be training or walking more, and you generally feel like you’re back on track with your weight loss. Tuesday goes well, Wednesday goes well, and by Thursday you’re probably feeling quite pleased with how the week has gone.

Then Friday arrives.

The working week is almost over, you’re tired, and you’ve spent several days keeping on top of work, family life and everything else that needs doing. Somewhere around Friday afternoon, your mindset starts to change. You’ve been good all week, you’re ready to switch off, and suddenly the same rules you’ve been following since Monday don’t seem quite as important.

Friday night becomes a few drinks and a takeaway. Saturday might involve going out, eating whatever you fancy and having more alcohol. Sunday then becomes the recovery day, which can mean convenience food, another takeaway and very little activity.

Monday arrives and you start again.

If this sounds familiar, it could explain why you feel like you’re doing everything right with your weight loss but seeing little to no progress. The problem might not be what you’re doing Monday to Thursday. It could be what happens during the other three days of your week.

The Monday to Thursday Weight Loss Trap

One of the biggest problems I see with weight loss is that people mentally divide their week into two completely different sections. Monday to Thursday becomes the part of the week when they’re “on it”, while Friday to Sunday becomes the weekend, when they give themselves permission to relax the rules.

During those first four days, you might be disciplined with your food, alcohol and exercise. You’re making decisions based on the result you want, but as Friday approaches, you start negotiating with yourself. You tell yourself that you’ve been good all week, that you deserve a few drinks, or that one takeaway isn’t going to hurt because you’ll get back on track on Monday.

The problem isn’t necessarily having a takeaway or enjoying a drink. The problem comes when one decision turns into an entire weekend of completely different behaviours.

If you spend four days creating progress and the following three days undoing it, you can easily end up going nowhere. Repeat that process for weeks or months and it becomes much easier to understand why your weight isn’t changing, despite feeling like you’re doing everything right most of the time.

Why Weight Loss Gets Harder at the Weekend

For many people, Friday represents relief. The working week is finished, or nearly finished, and you can finally switch off from the stresses and responsibilities that have been building throughout the week.

Food and alcohol can easily become part of that process. You’ve had a stressful week, so you have a few drinks to unwind. You don’t want to cook, so you order a takeaway. You’ve been disciplined since Monday, so you convince yourself that you’ve earned the right to let go for a couple of days.

Over time, this can create an association between the weekend and escaping from everything you’ve been trying to achieve during the week. It isn’t necessarily because you lack motivation or willpower. You’ve simply created two different sets of rules for two different parts of your week.

The Monday-to-Thursday version of you is trying to lose weight and improve your health. The Friday-to-Sunday version of you is trying to escape from work, stress and responsibility. When those two versions of you are constantly pulling in opposite directions, making consistent progress becomes much harder.

Can Three Days Really Stop You Losing Weight?

Your body doesn’t know that Saturday is the weekend. It also doesn’t reset everything you’ve eaten and drunk when Monday morning arrives. Your results come from what you consistently do across the entire week, not simply what happens on your best four days.

Imagine that from Monday to Thursday you create a reasonable calorie deficit through your food choices and activity levels. You then significantly increase your intake on Friday, Saturday and Sunday through alcohol, takeaways, meals out, snacks and larger portions.

Those additional calories can quickly reduce or completely remove the deficit you created earlier in the week. Instead of losing weight, you might simply maintain it.

This is where frustration can creep in. You step on the scales and wonder why nothing is happening because you remember all the good decisions you made during the week. You remember the healthy meals, the workouts and the things you turned down.

What you might forget is that your body experienced all seven days, not just the four you’re most proud of.

Do You Need to Give Up Your Social Life to Lose Weight?

This is where weight-loss advice can become unnecessarily restrictive. I don’t believe somebody who enjoys having a drink should automatically be told that they can never drink alcohol again. I also don’t believe you need to stop going to the pub, turn down every meal out or distance yourself from your friends and family.

Instead, you need to understand how your choices affect the result you’re trying to achieve. Once you understand that, you can make an informed decision about what you’re prepared to change.

If you regularly have several alcoholic drinks on Friday and Saturday, for example, you could experiment with replacing some or all of them with zero-alcohol alternatives. I’ve tried plenty of these myself. They’re obviously not identical to drinking alcohol, but some taste surprisingly similar and still allow you to have the experience of sitting down with a drink.

You can still go to the pub. You can still be part of the conversation. You can still enjoy the social occasion. You’ve simply changed what’s in your glass.

That’s very different from believing that losing weight means you have to sit at home while everybody else enjoys themselves.

You Don't Have to Give Up Takeaways Either

The same principle applies to food. A takeaway doesn’t necessarily have to mean ordering the biggest meal you can find and deciding that the entire evening no longer matters.

There are several ways you can approach it differently. You could choose something from the menu that better fits what you’re trying to achieve, change the sides you normally order, reduce the portion, or make your own takeaway-style meal at home.

I do this myself with low-carbohydrate versions of takeaway meals. I might remove the rice, change some of the ingredients and make a few simple adjustments. The meal still looks like a takeaway, tastes like something I genuinely want to eat and gives me the experience I was looking for without needing to completely abandon the way I normally eat.

This is important because if your weight-loss plan constantly makes you feel as though you’re missing out, there’s a good chance you’ll eventually rebel against it. Sustainable weight loss shouldn’t require you to spend the rest of your life wishing you could eat something else.

The goal is to find alternatives and make decisions that you genuinely enjoy while still moving towards the result you want.

Talk to Your Friends and Family About Your Weight Loss Goals

Sometimes the difficult part isn’t turning down the drink or changing what you eat. It’s having the confidence to explain why you’re doing it.

You might worry that your friends will think you’ve changed. You might feel as though you’re going to miss out, or you might be concerned that somebody will question why you’re not drinking, eating the same takeaway or joining in exactly as you used to.

This is where a little bravery can be required.

If you’re serious about changing your health, sometimes you need to be willing to tell the people around you what you’re trying to achieve. You can explain that you still want to go out, spend time with them and enjoy yourself, but you’re making some different decisions because you’re working towards something that matters to you.

The people who genuinely support you should be able to respect that decision. They don’t have to eat the way you eat or make the same choices you make. They simply need to accept that you’re choosing to do something differently.

Once you’ve done that a few times, it can stop feeling unusual. Your friends get used to it, your family gets used to it, and most importantly, you get used to it.

It simply becomes what you do.

What Happens When Your Weekends Start Working With You?

Changing your weekend habits isn’t only about seeing a lower number on the scales. There can be other benefits that start to influence different areas of your life.

If you reduce how much alcohol you drink, for example, you might notice improvements in your sleep. Better sleep can improve your energy and recovery, which might make you more willing to exercise. You could wake up on Saturday or Sunday wanting to train, go for a walk, spend time with your family or actually do something with your day rather than spending half of it recovering from the night before.

The same applies to your food choices. If you’re no longer spending an entire weekend eating foods that leave you feeling sluggish, you might notice that Monday morning feels different as well. Instead of feeling as though you need to recover from the weekend and start another diet, you simply continue with what you were already doing.

This is when something that initially required discipline can gradually become part of your normal way of living.

Sustainable Weight Loss Is About Who You're Becoming

For me, this is where the conversation becomes bigger than calories, takeaways and alcohol.

Think about the person you’re trying to become.

Monday arrives and you behave like that person. You train, make better food choices, look after yourself and make decisions based on where you want to go. You’re building habits that reflect the healthier version of yourself you’re trying to create.

Then Friday arrives and you revert to the person you’re trying to move away from.

You don’t necessarily do this consciously. It can simply be the result of years of associating the weekend with drinking, takeaways, switching off and doing whatever you feel like doing in the moment.

If you repeat that cycle every week, you’re constantly pulling yourself in two different directions.

Sustainable weight loss doesn’t mean being perfect seven days a week. You can have meals out, enjoy a drink, celebrate birthdays, go on holiday and have a social life. There needs to be flexibility because this has to work in the real world.

There is, though, a difference between consciously choosing to enjoy something and using the weekend as permission to abandon everything you’ve been working towards.

What Should You Do Differently This Weekend?

If your weight loss has stalled, don’t automatically assume you need another diet or that you need to eat even less. Instead, look honestly at your entire week.

Think about what happens when Friday arrives. Look at what you eat and drink on Saturday. Consider how Sunday compares with the choices you make earlier in the week. More importantly, ask yourself why those behaviours change.

You might realise that your biggest weight-loss problem isn’t what you’re eating Monday to Thursday. It’s the fact that you’ve convinced yourself that four good days give you permission to do whatever you want for the remaining three.

You don’t need to give up your weekends to lose weight. You don’t need to abandon your friends, stop going out or spend the rest of your life refusing anything you enjoy.

You might simply need the confidence to start making weekend decisions that reflect the person you’re trying to become.

So when Friday arrives and you’re about to make a decision simply because “it’s the weekend”, ask yourself one question:

Does the decision I’m about to make match the person I’m trying to become?

Final Thoughts

Your weekends don’t need to be perfect for you to lose weight. They simply need to stop undoing the progress you’re making during the rest of the week.

You can still enjoy your social life, eat food you enjoy and have a drink if you choose to. The important part is understanding the impact of those decisions and finding an approach you can maintain across all seven days, rather than constantly starting again every Monday.

If you’re struggling to make weight loss work around your career, family and social life, I help people build an approach that fits around real life rather than taking it over.

Find out more about my coaching at J Bryant Coaching

Why Doing More Is Not Always The Answer For Fat Loss⁣

The Mistake A Lot Of People Make At The Start⁣

When someone decides they want to lose weight, get fitter or feel healthier, one of the biggest mistakes they often make is assuming they need to do a lot more.⁣

⁣

More gym sessions. Longer workouts. More cardio. Stricter food rules. Bigger changes. A complete lifestyle overhaul.⁣

⁣

At first, that approach can feel positive because the person is motivated and ready to make a change. They might decide they are going to train four times a week, cut their calories right down, remove foods they think are bad, improve their sleep, drink more water and completely change the way they live. The intention is usually good, but the problem is that it can very quickly become too much.⁣

⁣

By the end of the first week or two, the reality often kicks in. They feel tired, hungry, stressed and frustrated. They feel like they do not have enough time, they cannot enjoy the things they normally enjoy, and the whole process starts to feel restrictive. At that point, it is not surprising that many people stop, because the plan was never built around their actual life in the first place.⁣

⁣

That is why I think people need to rethink the way they approach fat loss. The answer is not always to do more. In many cases, the answer is to do the right things, in the right order, with the right level of intensity.⁣

Cutting More Is Not Always Better⁣

A lot of people begin a fat loss journey by looking at calories and deciding they need to reduce them as much as possible. They might also fall into the idea that fat makes them fat, so if they want to lose fat, they need to remove as much dietary fat as they can.⁣

⁣

I understand where that thinking comes from because dietary fat is calorie dense. However, that does not mean cutting fat as low as possible is automatically the best answer. If the approach leaves you feeling miserable, hungry and unable to stick to it, then it probably is not going to be a very good long-term strategy.⁣

⁣

The same applies to extreme calorie deficits. Yes, if you create a calorie deficit, you are likely to lose weight, but the quality of that weight loss matters. Most people do not simply want to weigh less. They want to lose body fat, keep hold of muscle, feel better, look better and have more energy. 

If the plan is too aggressive, there is a greater chance that the process becomes harder to sustain, training quality drops and the person does not actually get the result they were hoping for.⁣

⁣

This is where a lot of people go wrong. They think fat loss has to feel horrible to be working. They think if they are not hungry, exhausted or forcing themselves through a routine they dislike, they are not doing enough. I do not believe that is the right way to look at it.⁣

⁣

A good plan should challenge you, but it should also be something you can actually repeat.⁣

⁣
Start With Where You Are Now⁣

One of the most important things I look at with clients is what they are already doing. Before we start changing everything, I want to know what is currently working, what is not working and what actually fits into their life.⁣

⁣

If someone is already exercising consistently, they may not need a completely new training plan. They may only need small tweaks to make their sessions more effective. That might mean improving technique, increasing intensity, adjusting rest periods or being more structured with the exercises they are already doing.⁣

⁣

On the other hand, if someone is training regularly but sleeping badly, feeling stressed and eating a lot of processed foods, the training might not be the first thing I would focus on. It might be more useful to look at nutrition, sleep or recovery first, because those areas could be affecting their energy, appetite, motivation and ability to make better decisions throughout the day.⁣

⁣

That is why the next right thing is different for different people.⁣

⁣

For one person, the next right thing might be eating more protein and reducing highly processed foods. For another person, it might be improving sleep. For someone else, it might be walking more, drinking more water or making their gym sessions more effective. The important thing is not choosing the change that sounds the most impressive. It is choosing the change that makes the most sense for where you are right now.⁣

⁣

Training Smarter Instead Of Just Training More⁣

⁣When it comes to exercise, people often confuse doing more with training better.⁣ There is a big difference.⁣

⁣

Adding more gym sessions or spending longer in the gym does not automatically mean you are training with the right intensity. If you are working well within yourself, then doing more of the same may not give you the result you are expecting. In some cases, you would be better off doing fewer sessions properly than adding extra sessions that are not challenging enough.⁣

⁣

One simple way to think about this is effort. I often say to clients that they should be aiming for around an eight out of ten intensity. That does not mean destroying yourself every session, but it does mean working hard enough that your body has a reason to adapt.⁣

⁣

With weights, you can also think about reps in reserve. If your target is 10 reps and you finish the set feeling like you could have done another four or five, the weight probably is not heavy enough. Ideally, you want to finish feeling like you may have only had one or two reps left in you. That usually tells you the weight is much closer to where it needs to be.⁣

⁣

There are other ways to increase intensity too, but they do not all need to happen straight away. Reducing rest periods, using supersets or making cardio shorter and sharper can all be useful tools, but they should be introduced at the right time. The priority is making sure the work you are already doing is effective before assuming you need to add more.⁣

⁣

Sometimes better intensity is a much better use of your time than simply spending longer in the gym.⁣

⁣

Why Changing Everything At Once Usually Fails⁣

⁣Another common mistake is trying to improve every habit at the same time.⁣

⁣

Someone might start a weight loss journey and decide that from Monday they are going to eat perfectly, train four times per week, sleep eight hours a night, drink two litres of water, do more steps, stop snacking and completely change their routine. It sounds good in theory, but in practice it often becomes overwhelming very quickly.⁣

⁣

The issue is not that those habits are wrong. Many of them are useful. The issue is trying to change too many things at once.⁣

⁣

When everything changes overnight, life can start to feel very restrictive. You feel like you have no flexibility, no time and no room to make mistakes. If one thing goes wrong, it can feel like the whole plan has fallen apart. That is why so many people end up giving up after a week or two. It is not because they are lazy. It is because the approach was too complicated to maintain.⁣

⁣

A much better option is to focus on one area first and build from there.⁣

⁣

If nutrition is the biggest issue, start there. That might mean reducing processed foods, eating more real food, increasing protein or lowering carbohydrate intake in a way that works for you. Once that starts to feel more natural, you can then look at sleep, recovery, training intensity or daily activity.⁣

⁣

This is where habit stacking becomes powerful. You build one habit, allow it to become part of your routine, then add the next habit on top. Over time, the process feels much easier because you are not relying on motivation to change everything at once.⁣

One Change Can Improve Another⁣⁣

One thing people often overlook is that improving one area of their health can naturally improve another.⁣

⁣

For example, if someone starts eating better and reduces highly processed foods, they may begin to feel better within themselves. If they feel better, they may sleep better. If they sleep better, they may have more energy. If they have more energy, their gym sessions may naturally become more intense without that being the first thing they focused on.⁣

⁣

That is why the order of change matters.⁣

⁣

You do not always need to attack everything at once. Sometimes you need to identify the first habit that will make the next habit easier. Once that starts to happen, progress feels more natural because each improvement supports the next one.⁣

⁣

This is also why a generic plan does not always work. A generic plan might tell everyone to train more, eat less and follow the same structure, but people do not all start from the same place. Someone who is already active but eating poorly needs a different starting point from someone who eats well but barely moves. Someone who is stressed, sleep deprived and exhausted may need a different approach again.⁣

⁣

The best plan is the one that meets you where you are and helps you move forward in the right order.⁣

Rethink The Way You Approach Fat Loss⁣

If you have tried to lose weight before and found it too difficult, it may not be because you were not trying hard enough. It may be because you were trying to change too much, too soon, or because the plan was never right for you in the first place.⁣

⁣

That is why I think the first step is to stop and look honestly at where you are now.⁣

⁣

Ask yourself what is already working. Ask yourself what is not working. Ask yourself whether you really need to do more, or whether you need to make what you are already doing more effective. Ask yourself whether your nutrition, sleep, stress, recovery, daily movement or training intensity is the best place to start.⁣

⁣

The right answer will not be the same for everyone.⁣

⁣

For some people, the best starting point will be improving nutrition. For others, it will be sleep. For someone else, it will be making their gym sessions harder without making them longer. The key is to make the right change at the right time, rather than trying to force everything at once.⁣

⁣

That is often where speaking to someone can really help. Sometimes you are too close to your own habits to see what needs to change first. A proper conversation can help you look at your lifestyle, goals, current routine and previous attempts so that you can build a plan that actually works for you.⁣⁣

Final Thoughts⁣

Fat loss does not need to be about doing more and more until you eventually burn out.⁣

⁣

It needs to be about doing the right things consistently.⁣

⁣

That means understanding where you are starting from, choosing the next right thing, building one habit at a time and making sure your training is effective rather than simply longer. It means looking at nutrition, sleep, stress, recovery and exercise as parts of the same picture, rather than treating fat loss as nothing more than calories and workouts.⁣

⁣

If you are currently thinking that the only way to get results is to cut harder, train more and change everything overnight, it might be time to rethink the process.⁣

⁣

You do not need to fix everything today.⁣ You need to work out what needs to change first.⁣

⁣

If you are ready to lose weight in a way that is realistic, sustainable and built around your lifestyle, visit www.jbryantcoaching.com to find out more about my coaching programmes.

Why Starting Again With Weight Loss Does Not Mean You Have Failed

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐈𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝗪𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮⁣

⁣

One of the biggest challenges I see with weight loss is that people often see starting again as proof that they have failed. They look back at the previous attempts, whether that is the fifth, sixth, seventh or eighth time, and almost use that as evidence that they cannot do it. ⁣

⁣

I do not see it that way. I see those previous attempts as information.⁣

⁣

When someone comes to me for coaching, one of the first things I want to understand is what they have tried before. I want to know whether it worked, whether it partially worked, whether it was too stressful, whether it fitted their lifestyle or whether it completely fell apart after a few weeks. ⁣

⁣

That is not because I want someone to relive every failed diet they have ever tried. It is because their previous attempts tell us something useful.⁣

⁣

If something did not work, we need to understand why. ⁣

⁣

Was it too restrictive? ⁣

⁣

Did it make social occasions difficult? ⁣

⁣

Did it expect too much training? ⁣

⁣

Did it ignore family life, work, sleep or stress? ⁣

⁣

Did it rely too heavily on willpower? ⁣

⁣

Once we understand that, the previous attempt stops being failure and becomes feedback.⁣

⁣

That is a much better way to look at weight loss, because it means the person is not the problem. More often than not, the problem is the strategy. Maybe you copied what a friend was doing, followed a fad diet, tried an influencer plan or believed the answer was simply to eat less and move more. ⁣

⁣

While there may be some truth in creating a calorie deficit, that does not automatically mean the approach is right for the person, or that the quality of the weight loss will be what they actually want.⁣

⁣

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐓𝐨 𝐁𝐞 𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫⁣

⁣

A lot of people start with the question, “How can I lose weight?” On the surface, that sounds like the right question, but I do not think it goes far enough.⁣

⁣

A better question would be, “How can I lose weight in a way that I enjoy, that fits my lifestyle and that I can actually maintain?”⁣

⁣

That question changes everything, because the smarter the question, the smarter the answer. If the only question is how to lose weight, then the answer might be to eat less, move more and force yourself into a calorie deficit. ⁣

⁣

The trouble is that this does not tell us whether the person is losing body fat, maintaining muscle, sleeping well, recovering properly, enjoying the process or building habits they can keep.⁣

⁣

Most people do not simply want to lose weight. What they really want is to lose body fat, feel better, look better, have more energy, improve their confidence and feel more in control of their health. That is why focusing only on the scales can become such a problem. ⁣

⁣

You could lose a pound of fat and gain a pound of muscle, and the number on the scales may not change, but your body shape, strength and confidence could be improving.⁣

⁣

If you only judge success by the scales, you may completely miss the progress that is actually happening.⁣

⁣

This is why I think people need to rethink what success really means. If your happiness is completely attached to a number on the scales, you are almost playing roulette with how you feel about yourself, because body weight naturally fluctuates. It can change because of hydration, food intake, stress, sleep, digestion, training and many other factors. ⁣

⁣

If that number becomes the only thing that determines whether you feel successful, you are giving it far too much power.⁣

⁣

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐁𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬⁣

⁣

Another reason people struggle is because there is not enough emotion behind the goal. Sometimes the goal is almost too casual. It becomes, “It would be nice to lose a bit of weight,” but there is no deeper reason attached to it. When things become difficult, and they usually do at some point, that vague desire often is not strong enough to keep someone going.⁣

⁣

That does not mean every goal needs to be dramatic, but it does need to matter.⁣

⁣

A wedding, holiday, birthday or special event can be a powerful motivator because there is emotion attached to it. Someone wants to feel good, look good, feel confident in photos or enjoy the event without feeling uncomfortable in themselves. That emotion can be useful because it gives the person a reason to keep showing up when motivation is not there.⁣

⁣

The problem comes when the event becomes the only goal.⁣

⁣

I have seen this many times. Someone works really hard for a wedding, holiday or event, gets the result they wanted, and then afterwards everything starts to slip. The goal has been achieved, so in their mind the job is done. Six months later, they are often close to where they started because the habits that helped them get there were never connected to a longer-term identity or lifestyle.⁣

⁣

That is why I always think there needs to be a goal after the goal.⁣

⁣

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐈𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐀𝐬 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬⁣

⁣

A lot of people associate a certain weight with a time in their life when they remember being happy. They might say, “I remember being happy when I was this weight,” and then decide they will not be happy again until they get back there. I understand why people think that way, but I also think it can be misleading.⁣

⁣

The weight itself is not usually what they want.⁣

⁣

What they want is what they believe that weight will give them. They want more confidence, more energy, a better body shape, better health, better sleep, better self-esteem or to feel more like themselves again. The number has become a symbol for those things, but it is not the full story.⁣

⁣

You could have two people who both weigh 75 kilos and look completely different. One person might feel overweight and uncomfortable, while another person at exactly the same weight might look leaner, stronger and healthier because they have more muscle and less body fat. That is why the scales can never tell the whole story.⁣

⁣

If someone has spent years chasing a number because they believe that number equals happiness, it may be time to redefine what they are actually aiming for. Instead of asking, “What weight do I need to be to feel happy?” a better question might be, “What would I like my health, energy, confidence and lifestyle to look like?”⁣

⁣

That question opens up a much healthier conversation.⁣

⁣

𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐍𝐮𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭, 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝗪𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐏𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞⁣

⁣

When people think about weight loss, they usually focus on exercise and nutrition first. That makes sense because both of those things are important. However, they are not the only things that matter.⁣

⁣

If someone tells me they are exercising regularly and their nutrition is generally good, but they are sleeping poorly, feeling stressed and struggling to recover, then I am not automatically going to tell them to train harder or eat less. In fact, that might be the wrong thing to do.⁣

⁣

Poor sleep and high stress can affect energy, appetite, motivation, recovery and decision-making. If those areas are not being managed, it becomes much harder to stay consistent with nutrition and exercise. That is why a proper weight loss strategy needs to look at the full picture, not just calories and workouts.⁣

⁣

Sometimes the answer is not more exercise. Sometimes the answer is better sleep. Sometimes the answer is not stricter nutrition. Sometimes the answer is making meals easier to prepare, batch cooking, planning ahead or reducing the number of decisions someone has to make when they are already tired.⁣

⁣

This is why I do not like generic plans. They might work for some people, but they often fail because they do not take the person’s real life into account. A plan is only useful if the person can actually follow it.⁣

⁣

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐀 𝐆𝐨𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐚𝐥⁣

⁣

Once someone reaches their initial weight loss goal, the next question should not be, “How do I stop now?” It should be, “What does this now allow me to do?”⁣

⁣

For some people, the next goal might be never wanting to go back to the person they were before. For someone else, it might be climbing a mountain, running an event, getting stronger in the gym, improving fitness, having more energy for their children or feeling confident on holiday. There is no single right answer because the next goal has to be personal. What motivates one person will not necessarily motivate someone else.⁣

⁣

That is why process goals are so important. A process goal gives you something to focus on daily or weekly, rather than only thinking about the final result. It might be training two or three times per week, preparing meals in advance, improving sleep, drinking more water, hitting a protein target or walking every day.⁣

⁣

These habits may not seem exciting by themselves, but over the course of a month, a year or even the next decade, they can completely change the direction of someone’s health. The goal after the goal is not just about having something else to chase. It is about keeping the habits alive long enough for them to become part of who you are.⁣

⁣

That is where long-term change happens.⁣

⁣

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐁𝐞 𝐀 𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭⁣

⁣

If you have tried to lose weight before and it did not work, it is easy to feel frustrated. I understand that. However, starting again does not mean you are back at square one.⁣

⁣

You now have information you did not have before.⁣

⁣

You may know that a very restrictive diet does not work for you. You may know that training five times per week is unrealistic. You may know that skipping meals leads to overeating later in the day. ⁣

⁣

You may know that your nutrition is fine during the week but falls apart at the weekend. You may know that stress and poor sleep make everything harder.⁣

⁣

That information is valuable.⁣

⁣

The mistake would be ignoring it and trying the same approach again, hoping for a different result. A better option is to use that information to build a strategy that actually fits your life. That might mean changing your training routine, simplifying your nutrition, focusing on sleep, reducing stress, batch cooking, tracking different metrics or setting a goal that has more emotional meaning behind it.⁣

⁣

It does not need to be perfect, but it does need to be realistic.⁣

⁣

𝐑𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝗪𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞⁣

⁣

If there is one thing I would want people to take from this, it is that success needs to be redefined.⁣

⁣

Success is not just the number on the scales.⁣

⁣

Success might be sleeping better, feeling less groggy in the morning, having more energy throughout the day, feeling stronger, making better nutritional choices, having clothes fit more comfortably, improving confidence or being able to enjoy exercise rather than feeling like it is punishment.⁣

⁣

Those things matter.⁣

⁣

In many cases, those are the things people actually want, even if they originally describe the goal as weight loss. The weight loss is often just the route they think will get them there.⁣

⁣

That is why it is so important to ask better questions. Instead of only asking how to lose weight, ask how to lose weight in a way that fits your lifestyle. Ask what success would look like beyond the scales. Ask what habits you would need to build to keep the result. Ask what your goal after the goal will be.⁣

⁣

The better the question, the better the answer.⁣

⁣

𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬⁣

⁣

Starting again does not mean you have failed. It may simply mean the previous approach was not right for you, or that it worked for a while but needed to be adapted. It may mean the goal was not emotional enough, the strategy did not fit your lifestyle, the metrics were wrong or the plan ignored important factors like sleep, stress and recovery.⁣

⁣

None of that means you cannot succeed.⁣

⁣

It means you need to look at the full picture and build an approach that is actually personal to you.⁣

⁣

If you have tried to lose weight before and struggled to maintain it, take some time to look back at what you have done previously. What worked? What did not work? What felt stressful? What fitted your life? What results did you notice beyond the scales? What would you need to do differently this time?⁣

⁣

Most importantly, ask yourself this:⁣

⁣

𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘺𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯?⁣

⁣

That is a much smarter place to start.⁣

⁣

If you are ready to lose weight in a way that is realistic, sustainable and built around your life, visit J Bryant Coaching to find out more about my coaching programmes.