Pizza and ice cream may be the fat loss solution that you’ve been missing out on.
How’s that for uplifting news on a Monday?
Sound too good to be true?
Then buckle up.
Pizza and ice cream used to be off limits.
Many years ago, I decided to do a New Year, new you fitness challenge that was insanely restrictive.
I received a list of foods that I was allowed to eat and a list of food that I wasn’t allowed to eat.
This resulted in a bunch of weight loss, total obsession with food and my body, a horrible relationship with exercise, and ultimately, gaining all the weight back.
After the challenge, I was struggling with orthorexia (obsession with clean eating) and body dysmorphia (no matter how small I got, I always thought I looked fat).
Then, I discovered a program that was macro-based. They talked about food freedom.
You can eat whatever you want! *cough* as long as it fits your macros.
I was all-in!
To me, it was like a game. And, being a competitive person, I would track and log my food to make everything perfect each day.
I was so excited to get rid of the “good vs. bad” food list and not have to fast anymore, which was a big part of the previous program.
Then, I noticed something happening …
I would only eat foods that were easy to track.
Restaurant meals were out of the question because I couldn’t be sure what they were cooking with or adding to their dishes.
In the event that I did go out to eat, I would get a plain AF salad with grilled chicken and I’d tell them not to use oil or butter to cook it.
Yup, I was that guy.
This whole promise of food freedom was gradually moving towards food prison.
There was no “list” but I sure as hell wasn’t about to eat pizza and ice cream or a burger. How could I possibly track those things accurately enough to feel perfect?
I even had to pivot with one of my favorite meals in the world … sushi. No more rolls … only sashimi. Much easier to track.
So yeah … I wasn’t exactly killing it from the perspective of, ya know, having a life.
Although there were some exciting moments.
Like the time I left dinner and ordered Domino’s from the car on the way home.
Situations like this were common. Once I would slip up just a tiny bit … I’d eat all the food that I avoided.
Mainly because I knew that once the sun came up … all of that food would be off limits again.
I lived in this trap for years.
I read all of the advice about making any food fit your macros. Oh, and my favorite, when some guru would say “if you were driving and got a flat tire, would you slash your other 3 tires?”
Well apparently, yes. Because that’s what I did when I would slip up on my nutrition plan.
Never once did Grant Guru Gains ever warn me about being too strict or my mindset around food.
I would get applauded for being perfect. Encouraged to keep going. And the disordered behaviors became even more ingrained in me.
Apparently Grant Guru never took the time to read psychology research that shows us that dichotomous thinking around food (good vs. bad), is directly correlated with weight gain.
Maybe slashing my other 3 tires was because I felt like I had to drive perfectly for every hour and every minute of my life with zero margin for error.
So yeah … when I made a wrong turn … I wanted to crash and burn my car.
When it comes to “bad” foods, I’ve heard it all.
Look, I get messages from people all the time telling me about all the things they cut out of their diet …
Sugar, carbs, dairy, restaurant meals, alcohol, bread, fat … you name it, I’ve probably heard it.
You know what all of those people have in common?
They are still struggling to make progress.
I’m not saying that there’s never a time or place to dial back or completely cut out certain foods (being totally dependent on individual needs and food sensitivities).
What I’m saying is that eliminating foods because you think they’re evil or the reason you’re stuck is likely the very thing that’s keeping you stuck.
“But Mike, there’s not much nutrient value in highly processed foods!”
True. I’m not telling you that your entire diet should be made up of pizza and ice cream (although … yum).
I’m telling you that avoiding pizza and ice cream is giving food control over you and causing some damaging patterns, which are ultimately making things more difficult.
Let me provide a real life example …
Last Monday, I started a fat loss phase. This was after 7 months at maintenance or what I like to call, metabolic priming.
Saturday night we got food from a pizza place. I ordered a big ass salad (as is) and had part of a calzone plus a medium ice cream with Reese’s peanut butter cups. 🙂
This was the perfect amount to keep me happy and consistent. I had no binge urges because I don’t feel restricted.
Yes, during this period of time I’ll be drinking less alcohol. Yes, during this period of time I’ll be ordering out less.
But, both of those things will still be a part of my plan because it leads to more consistency overall, sustainability, and FUN.
I’m not willing to give up date nights with Mel. I’m not willing to completely cut out all foods that I enjoy.
And if I did … I can assure you that my results would be temporary, at best.
It’s easy to know how much flexibility and freedom you can enjoy through the process.
It’s something we do for every single one of our clients in the very beginning of our time working together.
We look at what weekly averages they should be hitting in terms of calories and macros, and then we build in the fun stuff as part of the process.
The beauty is … there’s no such thing as perfection with this approach so it removes the obsession. There’s also truly no food that is off limits so there’s no anxiety about certain choices.
Often times, the biggest struggle is the shift in mindset. The same one I went through personally when I had to ditch the idea of “good vs. bad” food.
Once they get there, our clients thrive.
We combine that with giving them macro targets that suit their individuals needs. In other words, their macro ratios will be based on their body, goals, training, and lifestyle.
And, if they don’t do well with tracking, we work through an intuitive-based approach.
This helps with body composition improvements and zero frustration.
The key here is that we make sure their metabolism will respond. That’s what the metabolic priming is for.
Essentially, we ensure that they’re eating enough so that they will effectively lose fat in a way that’s sustainable. Just like I will never eat 1600 calories again to lose fat … our clients don’t have to eat 1200 calories.
They are often quite surprised at how much they can eat while still making progress.
Then, we give food recommendations based on their brain chemistry, which we know from their personality type. This will make up the bulk of their food choices because it helps them feel their best, have less stress overall, and keep a more stable mood.
We account for personal preferences and make sure they’re still eating what they love.
All of that leads to more consistency and more results.
We tie this all together by monitoring their daily stressors and other habits that contribute to fat loss like movement, hydration, sleep, etc.
By monitoring and prioritizing internal health + quality habits … they don’t have to feel miserable in order to achieve their goals.
In fact, they get to feel pretty damn amazing while reaching their physical goals that once felt impossible.
Usually, that’s between 20-30 lbs. over the 6 month period that we work with them.
Not bad, considering most of our clients come to us after YEARS of failed dieting and feeling stuck.
If you’re interested in that result for yourself, then our signature 6-month, 1:1 coaching program may be the right option for you.
If that’s you and you want to see if our program is the right fit, simply click the button below to PM me on Facebook and we’ll discuss your goals to see if we can help! We’ll have a quick chat back and forth so I can determine if you’re the right fit for the program and you can ask me any questions that you have.
If we decide to move forward, we can get started within a day or two.
Much love,
Coach Mike
