Lose weight without Ozempic: avoid these 10 weight loss mistakes

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Good morning, 66.1ers.
Welcome to issue #127 of 66.1.

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The boring stuff

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Setting the scene

I caught some heat for a LinkedIn post I published earlier this week.
Some told me the language I used was harsh (sorry, mom).

Others told me weight loss is simply a matter of “calories in, calories out”.

It was a fun conversation.
Before we dive in this week, a few questions for you…

Have you recently thought, “I look great, I feel great, and I’m happy with my weight”?

Or,

“My habits and routines have me on track to be fit and lean so I can dance at my granddaughter’s wedding decades from now?”

If you answered yes to these questions, then this week’s piece isn’t for you.

You’re better off continuing to do what it is you’re doing to maintain your healthy weight.
And, hey–if this is you, mind sending a reply here as to how you’re maintaining this healthy weight?

I’m always looking to learn more.

If you answered “no” to either of the questions above, this week’s piece is an effort to help you get back on track so you can lose weight (without Ozempic) and be there for your family.

Here are the 10 most common weight loss mistakes I’ve seen among the hundreds of coaching clients I’ve worked with:

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Top 10 most common weight loss mistakes:

1. Eating as little as possible
   I talked to a prospective coaching client earlier this week who is eating just 1,000 calories per day.
   She is also training 2+ hours per day.

   That’s a serious calorie deficit.
   While her approach is logical, it hasn’t been effective.
   When you are in severe calorie restriction as this client is, your body goes into survival mode.
   It catabolizes muscle (because muscle burns more calories than fat) and turns it into fat (a source of energy when your body is in a calorie-scarce environment).
   You’ll need to eat in a calorie deficit, but don’t exceed a 500 calorie/day deficit.

2. Treating all calories as equal
   Remember that LinkedIn post I mentioned?
   Someone suggested that losing weight was all about “calories in, calories out”.

   While the math makes sense, weight loss is more than a simple math problem.
   It’s part math problem, part art project.
   Sure, you’ve got to eat in a calorie deficit.
   Imagine this side-by-side comparison, though:
   Person A eats only Cheetos for 3 months.
   They’re eating at a 500 calorie/day deficit, but all they eat is Cheetos.
   Person B eats only rice, steak, and broccoli for 3 months.
   They also eat at a 500 calorie/day deficit.
   Who’s going to have a healthier body after the end of 3 months?

3. Trying to outtrain a bad diet
   People are catching on to this one, but it’s still worth mentioning.
   Have you ever seen the gym bro who lifts weights in the morning, runs on his lunch break, then trains jiu jitsu in the evening?
   That’s cool, if that’s your jam.
   But I’ve seen more overweight guys who do this than I’ve seen healthy guys who do it.
   Why?

   Because they’re eating everything in sight.
   Sometimes that means a clean meal of steak and vegetables.
   Other times, though, it’s a milkshake and a Big Mac.
   When you aren’t fueling with clean food, you’re still likely to end up overweight and uncomfortable, no matter how hard you train.
   I advise clients to eat 1-ingredient foods 80% of the time.

   The vast majority of your calories burned on a daily basis come from your baseline metabolism, or basal metabolic rate.
   Not from your workouts.
   It’s like going into credit card debt and trying to make your money back trading crypto.

   Could be done, but it’s not all that likely.

   Better to just avoid the debt in the first place.