Long-term weight loss success is not as complicated as influencers want you to believe. Unlock the cheat code and learn the real “secret” here.

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One of my promises in the Lean4Life Academy is that you’ll learn the tools to make your health sustainable and turn this into a lifestyle.

As a result, you’ll never need to hire another coach again.

You’ll learn how to keep the weight off for good without sacrificing. And, if you ever need to drop a few extra pounds down the road, you’ll know how to make it happen. 

That’s the dream. 

To learn how to make this work for you and understand the pillars behind this stuff so you can do this on your own.

The problem is that too many people do not want to take the slow and steady approach that we coach in L4L.

Instead, they hop around on quick fixes and dieting fads because the cute marketing was shiny and enticing.

Fad diets promote empty promises of little to no work and tons of rapid success.

Of course, this is all a lie. Because most quick fixes and fad diets have tons of rules and restrictions that make dieting limited, restricted and miserable.

As a result, you’ve likely paid a ton in the past for a program. Thought it was too tough. Gave up and quit and then gained more weight.

Now you’re here, though. 

And I’m here to share with you the secrets to long-term weight loss success.

Fair warning: none of this is sexy. But it is all effective. So ditch the rapid fat loss mindset and embrace these rules instead.

Let’s get into it.

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The Dos and Don’ts to achieving long-term weight loss success:

Do: Slow down

This is not some 12 week rapid fat loss protocol. There is a time and a place for those types of approaches.

But those rapid sprints are reserved for people that have experience doing this and already have a healthy relationship with food and movement.

If this is your first time really taking a serious and measured approach to fat loss, you have not earned the right to go fast. 

Slow and steady is your friend.

Don’t: Look for shiny new objects

It’s easy to get fitness ADHD and get distracted by the new shiny and heavily marketed object out there.

This usually comes in the form of some popular, celebrity-endorsed fad diet that seems to be all the rage for like two weeks.

There will be a point when you’re a bit bored of the slow and go process and you’ll want to jump ship to something quicker. Resist that urge. Stay the course.

Do: Be objective as possible

I have a rule when it comes to the scale and taking your weight.

Either you weigh yourself every single day and compare the week over week averages.

Or, you toss the scale out the window and never look at it again.

Weighing yourself weekly or (even worse) haphazardly is masking quite a bit of the day-to-day fluctuations of the weight.

The scale will go up, even when you are in a deficit. It will go down. Then it’s going to stagnate sometimes. 

But remember that weight is different from fat.

If you are being as consistent as possible and checking all of the boxes in the process, fat loss is happening despite what the scale says.

Don’t: Relate your personal value to that number on the scale

The ridiculous dieting culture has you thinking that a smaller number on the scale means you are a better person.

Like I mentioned before, weight is not the same as fat. 

Avoid this mentality. And if you think it might be a problem, then follow my rule on the scale weight and just skip it altogether.

Instead, rely on measurements and progress pictures and how your clothes fit and feel.

That number on the scale does not define you, your journey or your worth.

Do: Understand that scale weight is just part of your data

When you track your fat loss progress, you need to rely on all of the data points available. Scale weight is part of that. 

However, if you are prone to riding the emotional rollercoaster that is often attached to the scale weight fluctuations, then you’ll need to adopt my rule to weight tracking.

You either track your weight daily and compare the weekly averages.

Or you do not track your weight at all.

Scale weight is just data. How that daily fluctuation of the earth’s gravitational pull on your body reads on the scale is just one part of the progress tracking.

Ditch the mindset that the dieting industry has you following that makes you think fat loss is the same as weight loss.

Do: Get stronger

One of the most common reasons why elderly adults end up in assisted living homes is because they can’t pick themselves up off of the toilet seat.

That’s right.

They lack the strength required to perform the half rep of a squat to get up and down from the potty without some help.

You are never too old to begin a resistance training program. 

And you should embrace getting stronger for life.

Remember what I said at the outset of this article: This is not a 12-week approach to drop weight and never train again. 

It’s why I’m always preaching about strength training.

Getting stronger improves metabolism and is the best friend of a calorie deficit to help you retain that lean and toned look as you drop fat.

Don’t: Rely on chronic cardio

There’s nothing wrong with cardiovascular activity. 

It burns calories, improves blood flow and can assist in nutrient partitioning. But, cardio should never be the main driver of your daily activity.

Remember, a calorie deficit powers weight loss. Strength training and adequate protein will deliver the power packed punch for fat loss. 

Cardio is the supplemental tool we add after the first three boxes are checked to help bolster overall health and provide a slight help on that calorie burn side.

If cardio is the only type of exercise you are getting right now and the results are not happening, then it’s probably time to adopt a better strength training program.

Do: Enjoy foods like pizza, cookies, chips, etc.

Stop labeling foods as “good” or “bad.” 

There’s this toxic culture of “gurus” claiming that certain foods will cause unnecessary fat gain. Or that particular foods will lead to better fat loss.

This is flawed. 

And it is predatory.

Ignore any influencer who is peddling some bullshit that sets restrictions to your diet. 

Simply put: if you are following a diet that prevents you from enjoying your favorite foods in moderation, you are following the wrong diet.

This is not an invitation to eat like a total asshole. Remember, the law of the calorie deficit still applies for weight loss. And powering most of your diet with lean proteins, fruits and vegetables will ensure an easier path to victory and better overall health.

But, there can and should always be room for moderation.

Make 80-percent of your diet the lean protein, fruit and veggie stuff. The remaining 20-percent can go to the pizzas, chocolates and whatever else you enjoy.

Don’t: Be so restrictive

Food is amazing. It’s put on this planet to sustain us and entertain us and make us happy.

When you create a bunch of rigid rules and restrictions to your diet because some internet blog site said carbs are evil, you are making things harder on yourself.

Avoid the rules. Skip the restrictions. 

Learn how I create lifelong habits in my Lean4Life Coaching Academy. We create a lifestyle that allows us to enjoy food in moderation and repair our broken relationship with exercise and movement.

This is how you win. 

Let me help you figure out the real secrets to long-term weight loss success … 

Finding the right time and right workout plan can be incredibly overwhelming. But, I’m here to help you out.

If you have any questions, reach out. I answer all of my emails at pete [at] petecataldo [.] com … Hit me up with the subject line “Long-Term Weight Loss Success” and I’ll answer any questions you have about losing weight for good.

Or you can hit me up anytime on the socialz on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

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