What "I've Tried Everything" Really Means.

It means you haven't.

Because if nothing has worked, there's something that either wasn't done, wasn't done correctly, or you genuinely didn't know about doing it to begin with.

In addition to this, trying isn't doing.
"I've tried everything" often means that many things were attempted, approximated, started...
And were not completed.

There are so many reasons that so many people don't progress on nutrition and/or exercise programs.

Sometimes it can be the programming, sure.
A quick scroll through Instagram fitspo, and you're faced with countless accounts showing movements of  Cirque du Soleil complexity.
Banded cable suspension shit. Burpees on a weight bench. Deadlifts on a bosu ball.
I've seen all of these...in person. It's entertaining, and it's also why ER's were invented.

More often than not, though, it's a perfectly reasonable training program, and some seriously easy to follow nutritional guidelines.
The issue isn't difficulty. Weight loss and strength gain isn't rocket science - at least not for the majority of the population.

So, if it's so easy, why do so many people have such a hard time with losing weight and getting fit?

Unpopular opinion o'clock:
People want things to be more difficult than they have to be because it allows them an 'out'. If someone starts a program that is highly restrictive nutritionally, and requires most of their free time in a gym, it's likely not going to last long.  Of course, I'm excluding people who are training for competition or elite athletes; but to be fair, most of us aren't doing that.

Think about it. If you start a crazy hard program (because if it's insane, it has to be effective right?), and it ends up being too difficult to sustain, you will inevitably stop working at it.

You tried. It didn't work.

But if you start a program that's simple to follow (tracking calories and protein, working out an hour at a time, 3 times a week), and you stop working at it, then it's much harde to point the finger at "I couldn't do it". The accountability falls more squarely on you.

You tried. It didn't work...but quite likely, it could have.

The keys to seeing progress in any goal you work towards are:

Commitment
Consistency
Patience

That's it.

The truth of the matter, is that there is no "try". If you "try", you don't "do".  That's why things "don't work".

The shitty thing about this weight loss body game is that by the time most of us are driven to take action to change, we're so desperately sick of ourselves. We've been at war with ourselves for so long...we want results, and we want them yesterday. We want to peel off the body we have, and uncover the body that we dream of.

All aboard the struggle bus, baby.
It doesn't work that way.

In my own weight loss adventures - and there have been many - several things have worked; for a finite period of time, including, but not limited to:

- Anorexia
- Bulimia
- Over exercising
- Fat burners
- Atkins
- Dukan
- Paleo
- 1000 calories a day
- Keto (although I willingly transitioned from keto to flexible dieting, as described in my last post)

Others that I can't remember...

And all these things work.  For a short time. They're not particularly sustainable over the long term,.and that's why they're "fads".

IMPORTANT: Eating disorders are NOT fads; these are legitimate mental illnesses, and more often than not, they are themselves a symptom of a larger mental health issue.  Let me know in the comments if you want to hear more about this - I can cover it later on.

Efficacy does not equate quality, and certainly not positive health impact.

The process for long term, sustainable weight loss looks something like this:

1.  Commit. To yourself, to your goal. Commit to get shit done.  Make others aware of what you're doing, so that you're not isolated and feeling alone. Others may not be following your path, but support is priceless. Eat your food, get to the gym. Shut up, nut up, and get it done.

2. Be consistent as fuck. That doesn't mean that you are 100%, all the time. It means that, typically you stay on track. You are flexible, but you stick to it. If you have a day where you fall off, you get over it, and start fresh tomorrow. You haven't failed anything until you give up completely.

3. Be patient. This shit takes time. A long time. A long, unsexy time. This is why lifestyle changes are more effective than jumping into a crash diet. Small constructive changes become a part of your routine, and these habits are what build success. The cliché holds true here: you didn't gain it overnight, you're not gonna lose it overnight, either.

When you make a commitment, stay consistent, and practice patience, you're no longer "trying".

You're doing.

You don't say, "I want to try to eat right". 
You say, "I am eating in a way that sustainably keeps me moving towards my goals"

You don't say, "I want to try to go to the gym".
You say, "It's leg day, and I am crushing it at the gym". 

Simply put, if you want it enough, you will find a way to get it.

If you know what you should be doing, then get to it.

If you don't know? 
Ask.

Go to a gym and ask to speak to a trainer.
Seek out a Facebook group.
Watch Jordan Syatt's YouTube videos, and follow him on Instagram and Facebook: @syattfitness.

Hell, if you're reading this, it's likely because you know me, personally. Ask me, and I'll help you find the answer. I know a handful of geniuses; you'll find help. Asking costs nothing.

"Do or do not, there is no try."
-Yoda

Thanks for reading!
Sarah