Month: May 2021

If you are reading this article right now on how to get a toned stomach, congratulations.

Why am I saying congratulations?

I am saying congratulations because you have finally come across a real, reliable source of information that is going to get you the results you are looking for.

In a world of “DO THIS 9 MINUTE AB ROUTINE TO SEE A 6 PACK IN 4 HOURS!” And “BUY THIS PILL TO GET RID OF BELLY FAT YESTERDAY!”.

You have finally stumbled upon someone who is going to shoot it to you straight and give you the real answer to how to achieve your goals. (That someone is me, Eric, hey).

I am going to give you the no BS way for how to get a toned stomach.

I just please urge you, almost beg you, read the entire article.

Top to bottom, left to right.

There is so much quack information out there that I don’t want you leaving here confused or wondering what does and doesn’t work anymore.

I need you to leave this article confident you are going to reach your goals.

So as long as you promise to read, I promise to give you the answer.

Now let’s do this.

How To Get A Toned Stomach

Three Main Components

When it comes to how to get a toned stomach, there are 3 main components that need to be covered.

Your mindset, nutrition, and workouts.

Luckily for you in this article I am going to completely breakdown all three of these in depth so you can leave here ready to crush sh*t.

Let’s first start with mindset, because let’s be honest, unless your mind isn’t in the game, all of the other stuff doesn’t matter.

You “know what to do”, but why aren’t you doing or or why can’t you stick with it you ask yourself? That is where the mindset comes into play.

How To Get A Toned Stomach : Your Mindset

Step Away From The Scale

Alright so this section is certainly going to blow your mind, so stay tuned here.

One of the biggest things I need you to take away from this article more so than anything else is that the scale, needs to become less and less important to you.

Here is the deal.

The scale is not evil. You don’t have to throw it out of your window or smash it with a hammer (as much as you may want to).

It is a piece of plastic with numbers on it. It doesn’t control you. You are letting it control you.

You are the one giving it all the power in the world.

It is simply just one form of data to track progress. It is in by no means the most accurate or reliable way to track progress.

And let’s be honest here.

You don’t really care what the number on the scale says. You might think you do or say you do.

What you really care about is looking good naked. Let’s call it how it is.

You want to look in the mirror and get that “look”. You want that toned stomach!

The number on the scale, and your toned stomach, are two different things entirely.

Let me show you what I mean.

Take A Look At My Online Coaching Client Christina Here Below

This is my online coaching client Christina.

She is literally one of the hardest working human beings I have ever met. She is kind, she puts her all into what she does no matter what it is, and she, much like you, was searching for hours on end to figure out how to get a toned stomach.

As you can see here from her insane progress pictures, I think it is safe to say she has done just that.

Want to know the best part about this?

In between these two pictures, she is actually up two lbs.

Yep.

She gained 2 lbs in between these 2 pics.

But Eric, how could that be?! She looks amazing!! Shouldn’t the scale go down?!

Let’s talk about it.

Losing Fat & Building Muscle

There is something called body recomposition. This is essentially when you lose fat and build muscle at the same time.

And before you ask, no, muscle does not weigh more than fat. Muscle weighs the same as fat.

1lb of muscle weighs the same as 1lb of fat. Just like 1lb of feathers weighs the same as 1lb of bricks.

The composition is different though.

Muscle is more dense than fat, so it takes up less space on your body.

Therefore if you lose say 3lbs of fat while simultaneously gaining 3lbs of muscle, the scale ain’t gonna move honey.

Yet your body will look different, your measurements will go down, your clothes will fit different, etc.

This is exactly what Christina did above, as well as what my other online coaching client Bremer did here below.

As you can see, Bremer completely did a 180 with his physique.

Now, this dude literally followed the program to a T the entire time he was with me. Like legit, barely even wavered once. He’s an animal.

But none the less you can look at his stomach and physique to see how much of a change he has made.

What am I getting at?

Stop Focusing On The Scale

If you truly want to know how to get a toned stomach, stop focusing on the scale is the first and most important part.

You don’t care about the number on the scale, you care about how you look.

The scale is not going to tell the whole story of how you look. Measurements and progress pictures will do that for you.

I would still encourage you to take your weight. In fact, all of my clients weigh in every single day.

Why? Because like I mentioned above, it is just data.

But as you have seen it is by far not the most accurate form of data when it comes to changing the way your body looks.

It does not tell the whole story.

So before you even dive into the workouts or nutrition of things, you need to understand first and foremost the scale is the last thing you should be looking at.

It might not change that much or it might even go up! Yet remember, this is about you looking good naked, not just weighing a # on the scale.

That number is now irrelevant, got it?

Seriously, don’t f*ck around here. I need you to get this because if you don’t you will never win.

Stop letting that scale control your life. Start taking measurements every two weeks and progress pictures every 4 weeks.

Monitor the progress and I promise if you then follow what we are going to talk about here, you are going to see tremendous progress.

How To Get A Toned Stomach : Nutrition

More Muscle Building , Less Fat Loss

When it comes to how to get a toned stomach, you just saw above that the scale is not the end all be all.

You also saw learned that building muscle and losing fat is what you want to accomplish, like my clients did above.

I am going to break down two different scenarios for you in regards to what you should do with your nutrition.

The first scenario is going to be if you are that “skinny fat”, or if you think you have “the last 5-10lbs to lose” (major eye roll there.. That is my biggest pet peeve).

Skinny Fat, Have 5-10 lbs to lose

So if you were like one of my clients above in those pictures where you don’t really have a TON of weight to lose, but you want to get rid of that stomach, this section is for you.

Here is what you should do.

Eat right around your maintenance calories, eat around your bodyweight (in lbs) in protein, and lift heavy weights to build muscle (we will cover this more in the workout section).

Do that with 85-90% consistency week after week, month after month.

First, if you don’t know what your maintenance calories are, you can head HERE to my 100% free calculator to figure out how many calories to eat.

Second, if you weigh 150lbs, try to get around 150g of protein.

Third, why should you do this?

You have probably heard if you want to lose fat you have to eat in a calorie deficit!

Yes, this is true. 100%.

Yet two things here.

Number one, if you eat around maintenance calories, while eating the protein suggested, and following a structured workout program like the one we will talk about below, here is what will happen.

You are going to be able to build lean muscle mass. This is going to do two things.

Number one it is going to improve your body fat percentage and help you “look” the way you want to lose.

Remember, body fat % is not just the body fat you have. It is in comparison to your lean muscle mass that you have.

If you don’t have any or low lean lean muscle mass, then you aren’t going to look the way you want to look or have a good body fat % no matter what.

Number two is by building this lean muscle mass, you will actually increase your metabolism as well.

Therefore if you are eating around maintenance calories, it will probably push you into a slight calorie deficit.

Now you are going to think “well then why don’t I just start in a deficit form the beginning?!”.

Because, if you go too low in calories, you won’t be able to build muscle. Then you will not get the positive benefits of what we listed above.

Eating right around maintenance calories is going to help optimize muscle definition, which can help you look the way you want to look.

Both pics you saw of my clients above ate right around their maintenance calories and saw the tremendous progress they did.

I am not lying to you here, trust me. Do it.

If You Have 10+ Lbs To Lose

Now the second scenario is going to be if you have 10+lbs to lose.

In this scenario what I want you to do is eat in a calorie deficit to lose body fat.

Yet not too low because again, if you go too low, you won’t be able to build lean muscle mass, which you need to look the way you want to look.

If you need to know how many calories to eat so that it isn’t too low, head HERE to my 100% totally free weight loss calorie calculator.

Second, still hit the same amount of protein as suggested above.

Third, still do the same with workouts as suggested above (and more so below).

Finally, I want to show you this.

This is one of my online coaching clients below Maricela.

Maricela, like my other clients, works hard as HELL.

She has literally been 90% + consistent since we started together, and it clearly shows.

She came to me wanting to “lose weight”, but then we soon found out she really just wanted to get strong and changed the way she looks. The scale was irrelevant if she was seeing progress in other areas.

Guess how many lbs she lost in those pics above.

Guess!

6.

Yep, 6lbs.

But look how freaking insanely different she looks.

Her measurements went down, she lost fat and built muscle, and she looks freaking amazing.

This is continuing to show, the scale, is not the end all be all. I don’t care how much weight you do or don’t have to lose, you need to track other forms of data than just the scale.

How To Get A Toned Stomach : Workouts

Move Away From The Cardio

In a world where HIIT cardio and ab workouts galore run the internet it seems, I am here to tell you that is not the most optimal way to go about your workouts if you are looking to get a toned stomach.

Tons of cardio and super low calories isn’t going to get you where you want to be, I can promise you that.

As you have learned thus far one of your main focuses should be building muscle.

That is what your workouts should be based around.

Getting stronger, building lean muscle mass, applying progressive overload , etc.

Remember, if you do not have the adequate lean muscle mass built, you will not change the way your body looks.

I don’t care what YouTube video you follow, or ab workout routine you do.

You need to spend time following a real, properly and intelligently designed strength training program in order to get the results you are looking for.

Now, to be quite frank, I could write a whole separate article on how to create and design your workouts so you can see progress.

Actually, I did.

I can link here below two resources for you.

Another article I wrote on how to design your own workout program HERE.

As well as a video I did on how to create and design your own workout program HERE if you are more of a visual learner.

Yet either way the fact remains, much like we talked about stop focusing on the scale, stop focusing on cardio.

It doesn’t mean don’t do cardio. Cardio is great for your heart health, mental health, etc.

But I would not put the priority on cardio if you are really looking to change your body.

My two cents would be to simply set a step goal of walking 5-8k steps per day.

Every single one of my clients you have seen thus far did exactly that.

They worked out 3-4x per week and walked 5-8k steps per day when it comes to their workout routine.

Obviously on top of following the nutrition protocols provided.

No crazy intense hiit workouts, no 2 hour long cardio sessions.

Get strong. Build muscle. Hit your nutrition. Walk.

It really is, just that simple.

How To Get A Toned Stomach : Final Word

Well, I said congratulations at the beginning and I meant it.

If you have read this far, first off congratulate yourself. Most people have the attention span of a squirrel and can’t finish a whole article, so kudos.

Yet now I want to apologize to you.

Why?

Because I know this isn’t what you want to hear. You want to hear you can take some pill and get a flat stomach.

Or just do endless YouTube ab workouts and they will magically appear!

Unfortunately, that is not the case.

I am not telling you what you want to hear to sell you something, I am telling you what you need to hear to get results.

I hope you take that to heart.

If you need extra help with workouts or nutrition, you can think about joining My Clubhouse which lies all of my workout programs, diet protocols, etc.

Any other questions feel free to drop below.

Chat soon,

-E

In this short article I am going to cover what to eat on a calorie deficit.

I am also going to cover what not to eat on a calorie deficit.

You may have heard that to lose weight you need to be in a calorie deficit (and if you don’t know that, don’t worry we will cover it here!).

Yet just knowing this is often times not quite enough.

We need more context on what your days worth of eating should actually look like in order to make progress.

Yet the only way you are going to leave this article fully understanding what to eat on a calorie deficit is if you read it in it’s entirety.

Top to bottom. Side to side.

Slow scrolling my friend. Take in every word.

This way you can be sure you know exactly what to do from here on out.

Got it?! Yea yea Eric we get it, let’s get on with it!

Alright alright, before I have cabbage thrown at me, let’s get started.

What To Eat On A Calorie Deficit

Wait, What Is A Calorie Deficit?

Before we dive into exactly what to eat on a calorie deficit, let’s briefly refresh ourselves on what a calorie deficit is.

A calorie deficit is not a “diet”.

It is not like keto, or fasting, or some diet where you only eat 800 calories a day (not going to name which one but wow that is dumb).

A calorie deficit is simply just an energy balance equation.

Our bodies use and burn energy to stay alive.

Energy for us humans comes in the form of calories.

The old adage “food is fuel!” is kind of right. Food is much more just than fuel, but yes scientifically speaking, food is your bodies energy source.

Your overall calorie intake plays a role in your body composition changes, whether losing fat, building muscle, or maintaining weight.

Therefore when it comes to a calorie deficit, a calorie deficit is simply just eating less calories than your body burns.

You are in a negative energy balance equation. Your body does not have enough energy coming in (calories) to maintain its current weight, so therefore it is going to use its stored energy (body fat).

This is how you lose body fat.

This is the only way to lose body fat.

I don’t care what “diet” you do, I don’t care what Instagram influencer tries to sell you on their diet product.

I don’t care what time of day you eat or how many carbs a day you eat.

The only way to lose weight is through this calorie deficit. Period. End of story.

If you need some extra help on calculating your calorie deficit, you can head HERE to my 100% totally free calorie calculator.

What To Eat On A Calorie Deficit : Can I Eat Whatever I Want Then?!

Now that we know as long you are in a calorie deficit you will lose weight I know this question is going to pop up so let’s cover it.

The question is “Well, since calories are all that matter, can I just eat whatever I want and lose weight?!”.

The answer is going to be technically, yes, you could.

You could 1500 calories of big macs and twizzlers (man those things are good) and lose weight.

Now, this can be used in a good or a bad way.

Let’s first talk about the good!

Knowing this can be a very empowering thing because this automatically eliminates the fear most people have when starting a “diet” to lose weight.

Having to only eat “clean” foods or cutting out all of your favorite foods to lose weight.

Now that you know you can literally eat any food you want and as long as you are in a calorie deficit you will lose weight, that can be a weight lifted off your shoulders.

You now know there are “good” and “bad” foods. This creates a much healthier relationship with food, reduces a lot of binging tendencies , and makes it so you don’t have to fear or cut out any one food.

Because no one food or food group makes you fat (keto people do you hear me?). The only way you would gain body fat is by eating too many calories over an extended period of time.

So great! This is a huge positive that comes from knowing this!

Yet, be aware.

This Doesn’t Mean You SHOULD Eat Whatever You Want

Just because you technically could eat 1500 calories of big macs and twizzlers, doesn’t mean you should.

Let’s be honest, you know that. You have enough common sense to know that.

Yet I have to say it and I have to explain why.

Let’s say you ate 1500 calories of said food above.

First off, that is not going to be that much actual food volume. If a big mac is damn near 600 calories, and a king size pack of twizzlers is 525 calories.

Well hell, with those two foods just in one setting is going to be 1125 calories.

What are you going to eat the rest of the day? Air?

You are getting a ton of calories for not a ton of food. This makes it harder to fill up, be satisfied, and keep your hunger at bay .

This then makes it harder to stick to your calorie deficit, which if you can’t stick to your deficit, you won’t lose weight.

Second, you are going to have massive health complications.

Food boils down to total calories yes, but within that food there are other things like vitamins, minerals, micronutrients, etc.

If you are eating nothing but processed, sugar, junk foods 24/7 365, even if you do lose weight, man is your health going to take a toll.

Which if your physical health isn’t there, you can lose weight but another issue is going to come up!

When it comes to what to eat on a calorie deficit, let me put it to you like this.

A Calorie Is Always A Calorie.. But

When it boils down to it, a calorie is just a unit of measurement of energy.

1 calorie is always going to be 1 calorie.

Therefore 100 calories from a big mac is the same as 100 calories from spinach.

They both have 100 units of measurement of energy.

There is no denying that. This is once again why there are no “good” and “bad” foods or foods that inherently make you fat.

It all comes down to total calories.

Yet think of it like this.

The calories can be equal, but the composition can be different.

Let me explain with two scenarios.

Think about 1lb of bricks versus 1 lb of feathers.

Both of those two things are 1lb, correct?

Yet the composition is massively different. You are going to have literally millions of feathers piled up to get to a lb of feathers.

While maybe less than 1 brick is going to weigh 1lb.

They are both a lb though, the composition is just different.

Here is another one.

Let’s say you ran a mile on the pavement, swam a mile in the ocean, and biked a mile in the forest.

At the end of the day, you still went a mile.

The composition was different. The pavement, the ocean, and the forest.

Yet a mile is always a mile. Just like a lb is always a lb. Just like a calorie is always a calorie.

The Composition Is Different

A calorie is always a calorie, the composition can be different.

For example 100 calories from a big mac and 100 calories from spinach are the same calories, but massively different composition.

You might get one or two bites of a big mac to reach 100 calories, while you could have literally 6 bowls full of spinach to get 100 calories.

The spinach will give you so much more food volume for the same amount of calories.

The big mac is not going to provide as much nutrition like vitamins, minerals, etc as the spinach would either.

Therefore as you see, while all calories are created equal, the composition of those calories can be massively different.

When it comes to what to eat on a calorie deficit, you have to take this concept into consideration.

This is why I use something with my online coaching clients called the 80/20 rule.

What To Eat On A Calorie Deficit : 80/20 Rule

The 80/20 rule has been a massive game changer in my clients sustainable * success over the years.

Notice how I said sustainable.

Remember, this is all about losing weight in a manner that is going to allow you to actually keep the weight off.

If you are reading this right now you probably have lost weight before. You probably have lost it doing very unsustainable things.

Cutting out all sugar, cutting out carbs (why? Just why.), only eating 1000 calories a day, only eating “clean” foods.

You may have lost weight but I can almost assure you you gained it all back.

How do I know?

Because whatever you do to lose the weight is the same thing you will have to do to keep the weight off.

Therefore is what you are doing to lose the weight is unsustainable, ie what I said above, then your results will be unsustainable as well.

Therefore this is why I am not going to sit here and tell you to only eat clean foods, never eat foods you enjoy, never have a big mac or twizzlers.

I am simply going to tell you to follow the 80-20 rule.

What is the 80-20 rule exactly? Let’s go over it.

80 / 20 Rule

The 80/20 rule goes as such.

80% of your calories from the day should be coming from nutrient dense whole foods.

These are foods like

• Oatmeal
• Eggs
• Fruit
• Chicken
• Rice
• Potatoes
• All vegetables
• Greek yogurt

These foods are basically one ingredient foods.

Think of oatmeal, that is ONE ingredient. A banana, that is ONE ingredient. Chicken breasts, that is ONE ingredient.

Now you could mix these foods, you could put a banana in your oatmeal. You could have chicken breast with potatoes.

But the point being they are minimally processed, nutrient dense, whole foods.

I tell my clients to think of it like this as well.

If it

• swam in the ocean
• Roamed the earth
• Flew in the sky
• Grew from the ground

That falls under the 80% category.

If it was made up in a lab, that does not fall under this category.

Now, 20% of foods can come from foods you enjoy!

Whether it is

• Chips
• Cookies
• Big Macs
• Twizzlers
• Ice cream

Whatever it is that you enjoy.

Remember the goal of any sustainable dietary plan is to include foods you enjoy in moderation while still losing weight.

Not to completely restrict yourself and cut them out all together.

That is going to backfire every single time and normally lead to a restricting – binging cycle that is all around not fun.

Let’s say your calorie goal that you got from my calculator was 1800 calories a day.

Following this 80/20 rule, 1450 calories would be coming from nutrient dense whole foods.

360 calories would be coming from treats and things you enjoy.

If you are skeptical about if you can still eat foods you enjoy or treats in general, take it from one of my online coaching clients Mary.

Mary ate a dessert every single night on her journey to lose 80+lbs. She saw these results because guess what, she did it while being in a calorie deficit!

That would be one prime example of still incorporating foods you enjoy in moderation while still losing body fat, improving your health, and reaching your goals.

Protein Is Kind Of Important

When talking about what to eat on a calorie deficit I would be doing you a disservice if I did not talk about protein.

Listen protein is massively important when it comes to being in a calorie deficit.

I did a whole video on why protein actually helps you burn fat, you can check that out HERE if you want .

But in short it helps you

• stay full
• Increase metabolism
• Build / retain lean muscle mass which is going to increase metabolism even more

Therefore making sure you hit your protein goal each day, on top of this 80/20 rule, is going to have you optimize your calorie deficit that much more.

If you want to know how much protein to eat in a day, there are a few calculations you can use, but one of my favorites is simply

Take your goal body weight (in lbs) x .8-1.2

Anywhere in between that range. I would try to get closer to the goal body weight in lbs x 1, but anywhere in that range above is going to massively help you with your calorie deficit and weight loss.

Now I know protein can be a struggle to get, that is why I can help!

I am going to link two resources here for you. The first is going to be a video on how to eat more protein, the second is going to be another article I wrote here on my website to help get more protein.

Foods To Avoid

I hope I made this clear enough but if not let me touch on it now.

There are no inherently “bad” foods. No one food automatically stores fat. There are no foods you should inherently “avoid” when looking to be in a calorie deficit.

Because remember, total calories in the driver. As long as you hit your calories, you are golden.

Here is what I will say.

Whenever someone asks me this question this is my response.

The foods you should avoid are the foods that

• make you feel like sh*t
• Are foods you know you cannot control yourself with

Those are the two biggest things and those will be different for everyone.

For example, there used to be this oatmeal squares cereal I got from the grocery store.

Man, was that puppy some kind of good. Tasted amazing. Loved it.

Yet I stated to notice about 2 hours after eating it every time I was going to the bathroom, and not going #1.

I took it out for a few days and noticed that the bathroom visits stopped.

Interesting.

I added it back in, the bathroom visits came right back.

So for me? That is a food I am going to avoid.

I threw it out and am not going to have it ever again because I know it makes me feel like shit!

If you have a food that you know you just cannot control yourself with for the time being, like peanut butter for example.

Okay well it may be in your best interest to avoid that food for right now as you work to get your health and fitness in check.

Not to say you can’t ever have it again, but maybe keep it out of the house for right now.

Those are the foods you should be avoiding in your calorie deficit, not carbs or specific foods that random blogs or fitness influencers tell you is “bad” for right like white rice or whole eggs.

Just, no.

Optimize Your Calorie Deficit

I mentioned this in the paragraph above but wanted to touch a bit more in depth on it.

We know that to lose weight you have to be in a calorie deficit. When it comes to what to eat on a calorie deficit, you want to think about what is going to optimize that calorie deficit as efficiently as possible.

Not saying you can’t ever have foods you enjoy or you can’t ever eat a bit more calories under your “treats” section because listen, we are all humans.

Yet your goal with your foods should be to optimize what you are doing.

Eating high protein foods to keep you full.

You should be eating high volume, low calorie foods like spinach, watermelon, or strawberries.

Your calorie deficit can be optimized by maintaining good health through eating nutrient dense whole foods.

Losing weight is hard enough as it is, I think we can both agree on that.

So why put yourself behind the 8 ball anymore?

Use these strategies above to help yourself win as much as humanly possible.

What To Eat On A Calorie Deficit : Final Word

Well there you have it. You got the entire low down on what to eat on a calorie deficit.

Remember that it all comes back to total calories. As long as you are in a calorie deficit you will lose weight, you just want to be sure you are doing what you can to optimize that calorie deficit.

Because why make things harder than they have to be?

Hope you enjoyed the article.

If you are interested in having me help you through your journey, feel free to head HERE to see if we may be a good fit for coaching.

Talk soon 🙂

-E

If you were wondering how to get motivated to lose weight, wonder no more.

In this short article I am going to give you the no BS, proven ways to get motivated to lose weight.

Why can some people seemingly get and stay motivated, while others seem like they are rubbing two sticks together yet no fire is coming about.

Sit back and let me explain to you how this whole thing works.

Just because you are sitting back though doesn’t mean you can skim through.

Don’t skim through. Read every word top to bottom.

I need you leaving this article ready to go kick some a** in your weight loss journey.

Okay? Pinky promise me?

Good. Let’s kick it.

How To Get Motivated To Lose Weight

Here’s Where You Are Going Wrong…

This is probably the most important section of this whole article, which is why I put it at the beginning to make sure you clearly understand this.

The thing is you are going about your weight loss all wrong.

This is how you think motivation and weight loss goes.

Right now you think it goes motivation > action > results.

You get motivated, you take action, then you see results!

Magically, if you wish upon enough stars, you are going to get motivated!

The motivation fairy is going to come sprinkle her pixie dust on you, you will be motivated 24/7, and all will be well!

Well, I am here to tell you that is a load of sh*t.

It’s not real.

You are not going to find motivation off of a whim. It isn’t going to magically appear as you wish upon a star.

You have to go out and make your own motivation.

What?! How Eric?! That is my problem I have none!

Yes, I know. But this is why I am here to teach you, no?

How To Get Motivated To Lose Weight : How It Actually Works

Look at the image above.

Study it. Now let me explain it.

This is how motivation actually works.

We said above right now you think it goes motivation > action > results.

We know that is a false reality. That is not how it works for so many reasons.

Number one no one is going to be motivated every single day.

Not you, not me, not your favorite fitness influencer. No one.

Anyone who tells you they are is straight up lying to you because no one is.

But here is the thing, that’s normal.

That doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with you or that you are a bad person, so stop beating yourself up for it first and foremost.

Second, you have probably heard that phrase “discipline over motivation!” Or something to that effect before.

Meh, I guess yes. It is kind of a short sided way of going about it but I get the idea behind it.

The theory is you have to have “discipline” when motivation is not there (which may be more often than not!).

Yet what does “discipline” actually look like? How can someone magically have discipline and seemingly have all the answers to how to get motivated to lose weight?!

That is where action comes in.

Action > Results > Motivation

Action > Results > Motivation.

The motivation loop actually looks like this.

You take an action. You see some results. That then motivates you to keep taking more action because you are seeing results.

Let’s face it, you aren’t going to be motivated if you aren’t seeing any results right?

This “result” could be feeling better, losing weight, having more energy, feeling accomplished, etc.

Literally anything positive.

This then motivates you to keep taking action so you keep seeing these results.

Yet all of this starts with an action.

Here is the beautiful part I want to tell you.

This action? It doesn’t have to be a ground breaking action.

You don’t have to go do 1.5 hours of cardio, or go meal prep your food for the entire week.


Go take a 5 minute walk.

Go eat vegetables at your next meal.

Spend 5 minutes stretching.

Open up your my fitness pal app and start inputting your calories into it so you can make sure you stick to your diet for the day.

Oftentimes as humans we get very overwhelmed with the thought process of doing these tasks we have to do in order to see results.

Working out for an hour.

Meal prepping all of our food or “only eating healthy”.

This is very daunting and it can be incredibly hard to take that action.

But taking a 5 minute walk?

That seems much less daunting and much more attainable.

Here is the even more beautiful part.

From taking this 5 minute walk let’s say you walk down to the end of your street. Guess what.

You are going to feel better, more accomplished, and you are going to “see results”.

What happens next is you normally get motivated to walk to the end of the next street or go another 10-15 minutes.

Now what started off as a 5 minute walk turned into a 20 minute walk.

Here’s The Thing

Us as humans, we loathe the idea of starting something.

Getting up to go workout, cooking a healthy dinner, whatever the case may be.

That is the biggest mental barrier we face is thinking about it and the first 5 minutes of something.

But, after we get through that first 5 minutes, we normally realize not only is it not that bad, but we actually feel better.

Think about your workouts. Have you ever finished a workout and told yourself “man, I wish I didn’t do that!”.

I don’t think that has been spoken in real world, Narnia, anywhere, ever.

You always feel better, proud, accomplished, etc.

Yet it is just that first 5 minutes we need to push through in order to get us going.

Therefore instead of thinking of a 45 or 60 minute workout, just go in and do the first 5 minutes.

One strategy I use with my online coaching clients that has worked incredibly well over the years is telling them to just go in and do the warm up and the first exercise.

This usually takes anywhere from 5-10 minutes.

Here’s The Most Beautiful Part

This strategy I have used with my online coaching clients work to a T.

Yet you know why? I make it very clear.

If “all” they do is go in and do the warm up and the first exercise, that is still a huge win.

I go nuts. That is f*cking awesome.

Why? Because something is always better than nothing.

Let me say it again.

Something is better than nothing for so many reasons.

Number one is that consistency is what breeds results not perfection.

I would much rather you take seven 5 minute walks per day as opposed to taking one 35 minute walk one day.

The consistency of action and effort is what breeds results.

Second, If “all” you do is the first 5 minutes of a workout, or a 5 minute walk, that is better than doing 0 minutes of a workout.

Or walking for 0 minutes.

So either way, you are winning. You will feel better. You won’t be overwhelmed to start and you can take steps in the right direction.

Yet 9.9/10 times, what happens is the action > results > motivation loop.

You will take this action, start to feel better, and this will motivate you to keep going.

So how to get motivated is actually quite simple. It all comes back to action. Action is king.

Action Is King

The only answer for how to get motivated to lose weight is to take action.

That is it. No matter how big or small, you must take steps in the right direction.

If you do not do that, there is no other chance for you. You must take action.

Also, newsflash, this isn’t going to be easy. Like, at all.

This is going to test every fiber in your body sometimes.

There are going to be plenty of days you would rather lay in bed and eat bon bone than go workout.

There are going to be days where you just don’t want to count calories or say screw it with your diet.

Yet, these are the days that action matters most.

This is where that “discipline” theory comes into play.

It is not to say you can’t or shouldn’t have those days. We all have those days, including me.

But this is to say that on those days when you get tested and challenged, those are the days where action becomes most important.

Those are the days your true character shows.

Everyone can do good when things are going good.

When you are losing weight, you are super motivated, things are all sunshine and rainbows!

But the days where you get tested, those days actually create change.

This is why you should always welcome those hard times.

Welcome Those Challenging Times

I spoke earlier about how no one is motivated everyday and that is true.

No one is going to be motivated everyday so don’t beat yourself up when you aren’t. There is nothing wrong with you.

You are completely normal.

Yet I want you to think about these challenging times.

You probably have already proven to yourself that you can stick to your diet or get your workouts in when you are super motivated.

Yet have you seen the change you want in your body or your life?

Have you reached your goals yet?

If you are reading this article, probably not.

Because real change happens when you get challenged. Real habit changes happen on the days where you don’t feel like doing a damn thing.

If you can take action even and especially when you don’t feel like it, well guess what.

Now whether you feel great, feel bad, or indifferent, you are going to take action.

Guess what? If you keep taking action you are going to keep seeing results.

If you are going to keep seeing results that will keep you motivated to keep taking more action.

The cycle will repeat itself in perpetuity no matter what.

That is how “discipline” is created.

By taking action even and especially on days where you are not motivated what so ever.

Therefore you should relish those days when they come! That is your opportunity to create real change!

Those days are days where you can truly change your body, habits, and life forever.

Now you are turning what was a negative (not being motivated) into a positive by framing it as something you actually NEED to change your life.

How To Get Motivated To Lose Weight : Practical Application

Now that you know you need to take an action, in order to see a results, in order to keep yourself motivated, what that may look like?

Well, honestly, it could look like anything!

I can leave some things here below that I have used with my online coaching clients before that has helped them overcome their lack of motivation.

• taking a 5 minute walk
• Stretching for 5 minutes
• Including vegetables at one meal
• Meal prepping one meal
• Doing the warm up and first exercise instead of the whole workout
• Drinking one protein shake
• Having one piece of fruit

Those are just some of the literal millions of things you could potentially do. You are only limited by your imagination.

Yet the point being to all of these above and whatever you choose is that they are short, not overwhelming, and very attainable.

You just need to take a small action to get yourself moving in the right direction no matter what that action is.

Keep it short, simple, and effective.

Also just as a side note, I don’t know anyone who got done any or all of these things above and felt worse.

Never knew someone to have a fresh piece of fruit and say “ah man, I just RUINED all of my progress!”

Unless they are possible a Keto Karen, in which case, that is a different topic for a different discussion.

Cost Vs Benefits

I would be doing this article a disservice if I did not talk about this section as well.

When it comes to making a change in your life there are going to be inherent costs and benefits that come along with that change.

Let’s take weight loss for example.

Some costs may be

• taking time to count calories
• Not being able to eat whatever you want whenever you want in whatever quantity you want
• Taking time to workout
• Taking time to meal prep

To name a few.

Now, some benefits to those costs may be.

• feeling confident in your own skin
• Getting off blood pressure medication
• Improving the quality of your life now and for years to come
• Fitting into a bathing suit with confidence
• Having your spouse or friends notice your weight loss

To name a few.

It works both ways yet one of the most researched parts of behavior and life change is that people who successfully make a change in their life, the benefits always out weigh the costs.

They truly believe that no matter what the costs, the benefits are more important.

You can tell me, but I think taking 5 minutes a day to count your calories is worth you feeling confident in a bathing suit.

I think workout out for 45 minutes 3x per week is worth getting off your blood pressure meds and living an extra 15 years for your family and kids.

I don’t know for sure only you can answer that, but it is just a hunch.

The reason I am saying this is because sometimes during your journey you may need or remind yourself of this.

It can get tough at times and there will be days you don’t feel like doing it, but if you can remind yourself that it is going to be worth it in the end and you can truly envision yourself standing 6, 9, 12 months down the road.

Down 50 lbs, in great shape, created a whole new lifestyle for yourself.

I think you will remember that the benefits outweigh the costs, and that right there will kick your butt in gear to keep things moving.

How To Get Motivated To Lose Weight : Final Point

If there is one thing I want you to take from this article on how to get motivated to lose weight it is that motivation does not magically happen.

I know it is not what you want to hear or what is going to be the most “sexy” to sell you on.

Yet this is the truth so you actually win. I need you to be fully prepared for this journey ahead of you so when these times do come, and trust me they will, you are ready.

You know how to tackle them, expect them and can conquer them to change your life forever.

I hope this article helped. If it did, feel free to let me know or share it with someone who you think may need to hear it.

Thank you for reading and chat soon.

-E