What if I woke up tomorrow and had to start completely over?
Like all the physical results that I’ve achieved over the years just disappeared overnight.
This thought was brought on by a friend who essentially said … what would you do if you were me and starting from square 1?
Knowing what you know now … how would you even begin?
I love that question.
Because I sure AF wouldn’t start how I did when I first began this journey.
Being able to erase years of chronic dieting, metabolic damage, mental struggle, and disordered eating … yes please.
It’s actually funny because I often have those irrational thoughts all the time …
That one day I’m going to wake up and it’ll all be gone.
I think that about my body. And about my business.
I suppose it keeps me working hard so there’s that.
But it’s made me think about this exact question pretty frequently.
How would I begin?
What would the rebuilding process look like?
I think back to how I got here and in my mind it looks like this ridiculous maze.
I went around in circles, I took steps back, I stopped dead in my tracks, I made random pivots when they weren’t necessary.
My path would look like a two year old scribbling on a piece of notebook paper.
But hey … we’re here now lol.
So you’re probably waiting for me to reveal my blueprint.
Let’s dive in.
If I could do it all over again, I would …
Number 1 … I wouldn’t waste maintenance.
When I first began, I jumped right into a steep deficit without having any understanding of what I was doing to my body.
It was a starvation meal plan plus hours of cardio per day.
So if I had to do it all over again … I’d find my true maintenance, ditch the cardio, and start lifting some weights.
Especially if you’re truly brand new … that window of opportunity for newbie gainz is a beautiful thing.
Number 2 … I would start implementing healthy habits one at a time.
I didn’t discover how important a solid foundation of habits were until I went through my divorce.
That was when I leaned on the things I could control, when everything else felt out of control.
Daily walks, drinking water, still eating protein and veggies (whenever I had an appetite).
The foundation of habits that you can do no matter what life throws at you is everything.
Number 3 … I would take fat loss in chunks and not try to do it all at once.
Going from 250 lbs. to the 160s in a straight line was damaging and unsustainable.
Which is why I gained most of it back.
Then tried again. Then failed again. And repeated that cycle for way too long.
Fat loss should be quick and efficient.
Get in and get out.
It’s often due to the maintenance phase or the pre-diet work that contributes to the success of your fat loss phase.
The bottom line is … you can’t live in a deficit year round.
Number 4 … I’d start with Neurotyping to keep my head on straight.
Once I learned that I wasn’t the problem with all of my failed dieting attempts, it was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders.
Understanding my personality helped me understand my strengths and weaknesses and kept me more consistent and engaged in the process.
The first 12 weeks that I implemented a Neurotype-based approach I saw more progress than I had in the previous 5 years combined.
It also has the added benefits of less stress on the system and improving your mood.
Number 5 … I’d lean into freedom and flexibility.
Early on in my journey I thought there was a distinct choice to make …
You’re either fit or social. You can’t be both.
Granted, drinking frequently and dining out a bunch will make it increasingly more difficult to reach your goals.
However, there is a happy medium.
You can and should incorporate all the things you love into the process like date nights, alcohol, vacations, social events, foods you love, etc.
Don’t ever try to take away my ice cream again ;).
Rather than have to do it all over again, why not do it right the first time?
Effectively, this blueprint is our 1 on 1 coaching process in a nutshell.
We usually explain it in 3 phases …
1. Neurotyping
2. Metabolic Priming
3. Lifestyle Integration
Understand the best plan that will work for you so you enjoy the process and stay more consistent, fuel your metabolism appropriately while building sustainable habits, and integrate everything into the life you can live forever.
