Good morning from a sun-filled gym on the second longest day of the year. Yup, yesterday was the summer solstice.
So, as I’m sitting here in the office watching trainers and clients put in the work, I can’t help but shake my head at the absurdity of the diet industry – an extremely lucrative industry ($250B), I might add.
What I’ve come to believe is that the plethora of BS promises, “miracles”, “revolutions”, etc. is simply a focused attack on our insecurities just to make a quick buck. The whole thing is really f’d up.
Here’s how we know:
1) Diets are a short-term fix to a long-term issue.
They’re like a leaky faucet fixed with duct tape. Sure, it stops the drips for a while, but soon enough, you’re mopping up a flood.
When we’re told to swap my Mom’s delicious lasagna (seriously, it’s amazing) for unsweetened oatmeal, our bodies say, “Whoa! I guess we’re starving now,” and our metabolism slows down.
And you know how this story ends…we gain more weight than we lost.
2) Diets are a big fat lie of “one size fits all”.
Everybody’s body is different. That’s what makes us unique. We’re not just another bar code in the grocery store. So, how could one single diet plan cater to millions of diverse bodies?
It’s impossible.
3) The diet industry has a severe case of “Before and After” amnesia.
They flash success stories in front of us like Malcolm McDowell in the theater scene of A Clockwork Orange.
But here’s the thing…they never mention the “After the After” part, do they?
Of course not.
They conveniently forget the part where those lost pounds boomerang right back where they started.
BECAUSE REMEMBER, A RETURN CUSTOMER IS BETTER FOR BUSINESS.
These people aren’t selling health. They’re peddling the fantasy of quick fixes and easy answers. And the more insecure we are, the wider open our wallets become.
Now, I don’t have all of the answers. But I know what has worked for our Crew to achieve long-term success (is there any other kind?).
And it begins by building one habit. Then another. And another.
For that reason, we put together the 18STRONG Diet Stack for our Crew to use as a guide.
Here’s the “trick”: instead of thinking about your diet as a restrictive plan for weight loss, flip the script and define diet as simply the kinds of food and drink you habitually consume.
Habitually consume the right things 80-90% of the time. And you’ll be golden, Ponyboy.
Your #1 Fan,
Jeff Pelizzaro
PS – If you want to lose 30 pounds in the next 60 days, I’m not your guy.
But, if you want to lose 30 lbs, by dropping 1-2 lbs per week for the next 4-6 months AND keep it off, then I’m in.
I would start by downloading the (free) 18STRONG Diet Stack.
You’ve got this!