Body Composition
Change: Achieving Meaningful & Sustainable Results for a Lifetime
By Dr. Rick Kattouf
II
All too often, individuals think that ‘going on a diet’ is
the key to body composition change and improved overall health. Are diets good?
Do diets work? If your definition of good/working is losing 10, 20, 40+ pounds
and then being guaranteed to re-gain all or more of that weight back, then yes,
they are great. I will go out on a limb and say that you would not find success
in this whatsoever. Therefore, I am here to tell you that it is time to ditch
the diet. A DIET (Disaster Imminent Every Time®) is disastrous, period. Here
are a few steps you can take in order to avoid another diet disaster.
Think Before You
Drink
Before you, drink the Kool-Aid (or completely immerse yourself
in it), of the latest diet and food fad, I want you to ask yourself one simple
question, “can I eat this way every meal, every snack, every day, for the rest
of my life?” I will bet, that any diet/food fad that you have ever tried, your
answer to this question has been ‘No.’ When the answer is no, then all you are
doing is going on another diet that may bring about x-amount pounds of weight
loss… Followed by an even faster weight re-gain.
“Can I eat this way every meal, every
snack, every day, for the rest of my life?”
Use Your Head
You do not need to have a medical background to understand
the potential pitfalls of dieting. For example, if you are going to embark on a
diet that calls for only 800 cal
a day, you have to use your head and realize that this is nothing short of a
disaster-a true train wreck in the making. If you are going to start a diet
that asks you to significantly reduce, if not totally eliminate an entire group of
macronutrients (ie: carbohydrates)… C’mon, seriously! Reduce/eliminate THE fuel
source for the body? Not good. Again, you have to use your head and ask
yourself the above question as well as “is this diet really good for me over
the long haul?”
Change the Mindset
Meaningful and sustainable weight loss and body fat loss is
neither a struggle nor a prison sentence. And it is not about severe calorie
and/or carbohydrate restriction that ends in frustration and binge eating.
Unfortunately, this is still the mindset today. If this is the case, we have to
first change our thoughts and beliefs in order to realize and understand that meaningful
and sustainable body composition change can only be done by creating a
lifestyle change. This does not mean you change your nutrition for a week or a
month… This means you change your nutrition for a lifetime. This all relates
back to the original question you need to ask yourself, “can I eat this way
every meal, every snack, every day, for the rest of my life?”
Focus on the
Process
For unknown reasons, individuals, no matter how overweight
they are and no matter how long they have been overweight, they want and expect
results yesterday. Individuals have this goal body weight in mind, and this is very
results-focused. When the results become our main focus, we tend to lose sight
of the process and what it takes to make our goals and dreams become a reality.
Think of the goals that you have set as if they are the peaks of a mountaintop,
and you are standing at the base of the mountain. Once your goal is set, do not
stare up at the mountaintop and say to yourself, “I have to reach my goal body
weight in 1 month; how am I ever going to get there?” Instead, I only want you
to look straight down and focus on your next step. It is your next successful
step that will get you one step closer to the mountaintop. By shifting your
focus to the process (each meal/snack, each workout, each good night’s sleep,
etc.), you will then put all of your attention towards the process and not the results.
Results are simply the positive byproduct of a great process.
There Is No Finish
Line
All too often in the world of weight loss, individuals will
ask, “What do I do once I reach my goal weight?” The answer is quite simple. As
long as somebody has truly adopted a sustainable lifestyle change with their
nutrition, the answer is simple… “You
will continue to do the exact same things you did to get here.” When it
comes to getting lean, healthy and having an amazing physique, there is no finish line and there is no
final destination. It is simply a wonderful and ongoing journey that lasts a
lifetime.
If you are ready to make some incredible lifestyle changes,
then it is time to ditch the diet. When we start to embrace true lifestyle
changes in terms of nutrition, patience becomes one of the main keys to success
(remember, focus on the process not the results). If you have been on a diet,
you would probably agree that it takes a lot of effort and can be very
challenging. So, I encourage you to bring to the table all of the time, effort
and energy that would be wasted on a diet and bring it to a nutrition change
that is a true lifestyle and will bring about meaningful and sustainable
results for a lifetime. TeamKattouf®
Coaching & Training is here to help assist you on your journey!
WORKOUT SMART, EAT RIGHT,
GET RESULTS®!
Download the TeamKattouf®
Nutrition LLC app: Apple Android
Rick Kattouf II, O.D. is a 2x
Best-Selling Author and Fitness & Nutrition expert and has been named one
of America’s PremierExperts® and one of the World Fitness Elite® Trainers of
the Year. Rick is a Sports Nutrition Specialist, Heart Rate Performance
Specialist, Master Personal Trainer & Triathlon Coach. He has been seen on
ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox affiliates around the country as well as in the USA Today,
Chicago Tribune, Ironman.com, Livestrong.com, Runner’s World, Bicycling
Magazine, Men’s Health UK, FIGHT! Magazine, Florida Cycling Magazine and The
Independent in the UK. Rick is the CEO/Founder of TeamKattouf® Inc,
CEO/Founder of TeamKattouf® Nutrition LLC, CEO/Founder of Virtual Gym
LLC, Creator of TeamKattouf® Nutrition Supplements, Host of Rx
Nutrition, author of Forever Fit, Creator of 5-Round Fury® Nutrition
Supplement, 5-Round Fury Fitness® workout app, Creator of Coach2CEO,
Creator of Fuel Keeper®, Entrepreneur and Inspirational Speaker. Dr.
Rick has personally coached individuals in 30+ states and 10+ countries.
