He’s a fitness industry legend and the author of the highly acclaimed “Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle”. Tom Venuto joins me this week for his debut on the show. In this week’s episode, we talk about nailing the basics and the big priorities in simplifying fat loss. You’ll hear plenty about calories, protein, thoughts and strategies on tracking and how to meal plan for success. Tom brings thirty years of experience helping thousands of others and you’ll hear some of that insight in this episode. Download, subscribe, share with your friends and please take a moment to leave us an iTunes review.
Terry and I have been meeting most every week to catch up on his weight loss progress. Due to schedule constraints and some physical things he’s looking to work through, he’s doing his own training at home and circling back to me for accountability on food intake and keeping his mindset in the right place for his goals.
This is also not Terry’s first rodeo.
I’ve been working with him on and off for several years now. Before he met me, he lost a lot of weight (twice) and regained each time. Every time we’ve worked together in the past, there has always been some issue that creeps up that invariably has to halt the training.
So, when we decided to give it another go most recently my questions came back to:
What makes this time different from before?
What will you do differently than before?
Why is any of this important now?
And one aspect of this which was curiously missing from our previous times working together was really getting Terry to wrap his head around caloric intake.
For him, he always looked at food from the lens of “good food/bad food”. This also became “good day/bad day”. I think most people who’ve ventured down the road of weight loss can relate.
However, I kept pushing this issue: this big, overarching calorie “issue” with him because I needed him to really embrace it. Fortunately for me, Terry is in a financial industry. While the parallels of caloric intake and bank accounts don’t completely mirror each other, they sure are really damn similar.
With calories, you’re either eating within the range of what your body requires (relative to your goals) or you’re not. With money, you either make more than you spend or you don’t.
With weight loss, one big problem is that your body won’t just shut off or sound the alarms if you eat more calories than necessary. With your bank account, if you overdraft, you’re going to hit a wall fast (and pay a nasty fee as well).
As Terry and I have continued these conversations, he’s learning more about how he can manipulate and play with certain variables in his diet to keep weight loss going the right direction.
One area where we were in slight disagreement was over the notion of healthy habits. For Terry, there’s something about the word “habit” that has a negative connotation to it. It became a barrier to success.
For him, he likes the word “ritual”.
For some context, when you’re trying to lose weight you generally want some strategies in place that minimize the choices you have to make, reduce decision fatigue, foster more “willpower” when needed and make the general slog of weight loss easier.
I call them habits. Terry likes rituals. We even agreed that “systems” is a good middle ground.
Regardless of your terminology, think about the words that motivate you. Think about the words that confuse or fluster you. Most importantly, think about the words that consistently drive positive change for you.
When Terry and I met up most recently, we also discussed another set of words that could make or break a weight loss plan: Can’t vs Don’t.
I like using those who follow a vegan lifestyle for this example. Not because I’m vegan (I’m not) but because it makes sense to basically everyone.
A vegan will not say: I “can’t” eat animal products. They’ll say I “don’t” eat animal products. That distinction is important to make.
When you say you “can’t” have something, it sounds like punishment. As if you’ve been grounded and Mom and Dad won’t let you have what you want. I don’t know about you but that treatment only made me want something more.
Saying “don’t” is a line in the sand. It’s you in the driver’s seat. There’s no shame, there’s no guilt. It’s simply, I “don’t” do that.
As a recovering addict this makes a world of sense to me. I don’t tell people I can’t have cocaine anymore. I tell them I don’t do cocaine anymore.
In the world of dieting where it can feel as if we are powerless to the food decisions we make, an element of control and the feeling of being in the driver’s seat is crucial for success.
So, I challenge you this week to find the words that make sense to you. Find the words that drive you to success where you have failed before. If someone you seek inspiration from uses a choice of words that doesn’t resonate with you, find the verbiage that does. It matters. The words you use to inspire this journey all matter. They won’t be the same for every person.
Below is our Adam S. He’s lost 25 pounds with us so far and this is his most recent personal record of 465 pounds in the trapbar. Like Terry and like you, Adam has had to find the words that inspire him to succeed as well.
I’m joined this week by fellow coach, Sivan Fagan who is making her debut on the show with me. Sivan and I discuss her background into fitness which stemmed from an eating disorder and transformed into a body and mind motivated by strength. We discuss how the influence of her father and grandfather helped her stay motivated along the way and how she now inspires others to find the same desire to get stronger in life and in the gym.
It’s the first full week of the new year and depending on what type of person you are, maybe you got motivated to pursue your health goals on January 2 this year. However, this year January 2 fell on a Thursday. So, you might be a particular type of person who decided they would start on January 6, a Monday.
Neither approach is wrong, neither is right. You just have to determine which is better for you.
Within that conversation, you also have to look at where things may have gone awry for you over the holidays.
Eat too many cookies?
Drink too much alcohol?
Skip too many workouts?
I get it. I do.
The last two months of the year (especially in America) is tough for people to stick with their plan. Between social events, travel and just the emotional pull of the holidays, it can get messy.
Now that we are (collectively) through it, how are you managing?
For me, I have to look at my trigger foods. Chances are, you might have to as well.
I always talk about my love of cookies. I do love them, all kinds. I kid you not, over the last two weeks of December, we literally had hundreds of cookies in our house. My wife made many. I had clients and friends gift us with more. I felt like an alcoholic walking into a liquor store.
While I have rarely associated with emotional eating, I do have an issue with boredom eating and simply eating things that I have easy access to.
In my case, I do exponentially better with my own eating when my trigger foods are not in the house. It isn’t often that I will go out of my way to buy them if they’re not under my roof.
It isn’t just cookies though. I have to watch sweets in general and things like french fries, chips, pizza and crackers. I simply have little to no self control when they’re around.
Where it gets potentially sticky, is with regard to my marriage. My wife doesn’t have the same triggers that I do. As the holidays were winding down I was heading out of town for a few days to visit family.
I asked my wife, “Can you please throw the cookies away?”
To which she replied, “Why? I don’t really even eat them.”
“Yes,” I said, “But you are not me and I can’t stop eating them.”
Sure enough, she pitched the majority of them. You may have to have a similar conversation with your own spouse/significant other.
And this is less a conversation about low carb, low fat, no sugar, etc. etc.
It’s about managing the foods you realize you cannot control.
Not every coach will agree with me on this. I’m okay with that.
When I talk about respecting your triggers, it’s with the assumption that you see some degree of powerlessness in your food choices. If you’re like me, I can just “know” that a trigger food is in the house and I’ll want it. If it’s not here, I will NOT go out of my way to get it.
It may prove helpful for you if you determine the same for yourself.
There is also the conversation about what we, as individuals, can moderate versus what we can abstain from.
It can be a slippery slope. Many clients of mine feel that they can moderate certain foods when, in fact, their eating behaviors show otherwise. Be mindful of that for yourself.
In my case, I carry my background in drug addiction and I see how it has some overlap in food. If the trigger food is close, if it’s easy to consume/over-consume, I will go overboard. My only safeguard is to completely remove the trigger. For more on this, I would recommend you to listen to my most recent conversation with Dr. Lisa Lewis on addiction HERE.
There’s another tactic you may have to utilize as well: online grocery shopping. For many people, the temptation of walking through aisles of hyper-palatable “junk” is too much for them to resist. Then, you have to consider the impulse items of candies and sweets lined up at the register. Things that you did not even have a taste for when you walked in to grab your groceries are now in your cart and will soon be in your mouth.
Online grocery shopping can help you circumvent this issue. Make a list of what you need, purchase online and then have a staff member escort your groceries out to your car. This saves time, money and your waistline.
I would love to tell that with practice around your trigger foods they will no longer be an issue. That would be a lie. They may always be an issue. Your best strategy is to manage your exposure to them rather than assume that a certain amount of time away will magically “cure” your desire for them. At best, you could experience a reduction in desire but if you’re confronted with those trigger foods again, it could snowball into an all-out binge affair. I don’t say that lightly.
In a similar way as a recovering alcoholic has to determine the distance they keep between themselves and the sight and smell of alcohol, you may have to decide how certain foods can be around you. I don’t correlate this with the notion of “food addiction” rather, learn what you can control. Respect what you cannot.
As your weight gets to a better place for you, decide what foods can be introduced back into your lifestyle. This is determined on an individual basis but you will need the support of loved ones and friends to help you navigate the dietary battlefield.
As a final thought, in respecting your trigger foods, have other coping mechanisms on hand aside from food and drink. Life will continue to be stressful, things will not go according to plan. Start formulating paths you can travel to handle stress and boredom that don’t require a trip to the pantry or fridge. Then again, if you’re like me, you’ll throw those foods out after reading this and reduce your temptation immediately.
Better the devil you know…
Below is our very own Faith (pulling a stunner of 365 pounds in the trapbar) who successfully lost 8 pounds in her first month with us and through the December holiday season. I believe that since she could succeed at that time of year, she’ll continue to do so now that the dust has settled from the holidays.
I’m kicking off 2020 with a fellow trainer/podcast host, Mark Zarate. Mark hosts the show, Cool, Calm & Chaotic, which I would love for you to subscribe to, he runs Zarate Fitness and he also teaches 6th grade social studies. Mark’s charisma is something I’ve very much been drawn to. In this episode, Mark talks about his journey into fitness, what he had to do to overcome his weight loss struggles and remain in maintenance. One of the interesting topics we cover is how you have to shape your conversations and environments with others to realize your own goals. As the saying goes: you are the sum total of the five people you spend the most time with. I think you’ll like what Mark has to say about this.
Here we are again, the end of one year as we look towards the beginning of the next. I don’t know about you, but in many ways, 2019 was a great year for me.
In other ways, it included some of my greatest personal and professional struggles. I took on a lot, I accomplished a lot and I stumbled a lot. Such is life, as they say…
We are also at that inevitable time of year where, partially due to the way the American holiday seasons end, we have likely overindulged: in food, in drink, in expenses…we, the country which is rarely defined by the term “moderation”, found a way to go overboard in some way, shape and form.
Which explains why this whole “resolution” thing makes so much sense come this time of year.
We’re in that hangover period, that “Oh shit” period where we re-shift our focus, pull up our big kid pants and determine to change in the coming year.
However, if we’re not careful, we’ll finish 2020 much like we finished 2019: with a whole lot accomplished but little of what we set out at the beginning of the year to do.
Since weight loss is the conversation I get involved in most, due to the work we do at RevFit, I’d like you to take a moment and look back on 2019. Hell, you might even want to look back on 2018 and 2017 while you’re at it.
Ask yourself these questions:
-What went right for my weight loss goals in this year?
-What could have gone better for my weight loss goals?
-How did I contribute to my own success by removing obstacles that stood in my way?
-What were my barriers keeping me from better results?
I’d encourage you to write those answers down.
Someone I’m very fond of referencing, Coach Dan John, is credited with the statement: “Success leaves clues.”
No doubt, you likely saw some success with your weight loss endeavors. Everyone sees “some” success.
Ask yourself why that thing or collection of things worked. Dig deeper and find out if, since it worked, why did it stop working?
When we consider the root of a New Year’s Resolution, it’s a resolve to change something. We really do have the best of intentions. We also have stress, emotions, relationships, work, family, challenges with sleep, extreme diets, extreme training, and options galore of how to marry all those things together and try to come up with a plan for success.
After you’ve taken the time to answer those questions for yourself, dig even deeper and ask yourself why any of it matters. Do you need to lose weight or just “want” to lose weight? Why?
Because, at the heart of all this, is change. What I see people come to me for is what appears to be highly motivated change.
I ask you to start that fire and let it burn.
In two, three, or four weeks that fire is going to fade. You’ll be back to your life, pre-resolution, and wondering why the change you want is so hard to come by.
I want you to keep some “gasoline” in reserve so you can push that fire higher. This would be those candid answers you came up with for why it matters. It would also be the map you designed for yourself to ensure you get to your destination. You’ll need both: a purpose and a plan.
You’ll need to use that gasoline..again…and again…and again.
Make no mistake, 2020 will be no different than 2019, 2018, or 2017 unless you make it so. Only YOU can make it so.
You will have stress, you will have traumatic life events, you will gain weight and then you will lose weight. Keep that “gasoline” on hand and toss it on the fire. You’ll need it.
For those who have succeeded at weight loss, they already know this. It’s steady work, methodical work, hard work and you just keep putting the time in.
As I write this, a mere days before the beginning of 2020, I don’t ask for your resolutions. Make them, don’t make them. Determine what you resolve to change. Fill your toolbox with the tools you need to succeed and keep your gas tank close by.
Let that fire burn and make it burn higher when life gets in the way.
Below is a shot of some our resident studs (L to R: Pete, Brandon and Shon).
Dr. Lisa Lewis returns for her third time on the show (see Episodes #157 and #189) and this time we dive into the topic of addiction. As a recovering addict, I have a certain perspective on substance abuse but as a coach, I frequently hear clients talk about addiction to food. Dr. Lisa gives her take on how addiction plays out in the real world and some tips for how to recognize if there is actually a problem that needs to be recognized. To learn more about Dr. Lisa’s work, please visit www.drlewisconsulting.com and follow her on Instagram at www.instagram.com/drlewisconsulting. To learn more about your host, check out www.jasonleenaarts.com and www.revfittherapy.com You can also like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/revolutionaryou Download, subscribe, share with your friends and please take a moment to leave us an iTunes review.
I say it each year and professionally speaking, I can say it again: it was our best year ever at RevFit in 2019.
There was so much happening with the business, not just in client success, member retention, etc. but what we’re doing in little ol’ Stow, Ohio continues to get recognition across the globe. That’s not just the power of social media, it’s the power of a great community that we have here. I’m proud to be a part of that and to have a staff that has helped us achieve it. Make no mistake, it happens because we have kick ass clients who are willing and able to put in the work.
We celebrated a decade in business in May of this year and that still blows my mind to this day. Thank you to everyone who made that possible.
As I have done for the last few years, here are some of the things that have happened as I look back on 2019.
One of the biggest things for me was, of course, the release of my second book “A Revolution A Day”. It was a year in the making in terms of the actual work I had to commit to it. However, it compiled the work I’ve done on my podcast, Revolutionary You, since 2016. The reception and the feedback has been better than anything I imagined and it was released to the masses on December 4.
So, let me start with the other component to my writing, this blog. Nearly every Tuesday I release a new article and this year was a banner year for my content that originated here. I have to give special thanks to organizations like The Personal Trainer Development Center for picking several of this year’s articles as their favorites for different weeks throughout this year.
I’m not sure I will ever be able to top how many people read that Weight Watchers article. A dear friend told me, when she heard I was writing it, that it would probably go viral. She wasn’t kidding. The autism article I actually featured on Medium.com as well and it out-performed what it did on this site so I used those stats in this list.
On the podcast this year, I continued to have many excellent conversations as I hope to continue to have heading into 2020.
In addition, I was honored to be a guest on a handful of podcasts as well. I’m usually asked a lot about things that apply to the personal training industry since this business has accomplished what it has. However, I also get asked about my backstory and history coming into this industry which is colorful to say the least. Every host has their own unique flavor in terms of questions and ability to engage. It never ceases to amaze me how kind all of these individuals are and I do hope that if you listen to any/all of these that you would consider subscribing to these podcasts as well.
The Podcasts I Was Featured On In 2019 (In No Particular Order):
And of course, I consumed a ton of books. I read and listen to books at an insane pace. I would love to tell you that I have phenomenal retention but I don’t. I read for pleasure, I read so I can write better, I read to learn how to be better for my clients. There was a lot of fiction this year and a lot of music biographies. I also read a good deal of books I wouldn’t have normally been made aware of if it wasn’t for helping to promote those books on my podcast. My own self-education never ceases. As the adage goes: evolve or die.
And I can’t cap off the year without a highlight of my boys, taken earlier this year. It’s damn near impossible to get them both looking at the camera simultaneously while smiling but a good candid is still priceless.
Lastly, thank you to all of you who read, listened, supported and shared my work over 2019. It means the world to me and I’ll keep putting out the best content that I can.
It’s been entirely too long since she’s been on the show but Galina Denzel returns this week to chat about her new book and new course “Peace With Self, Peace With Food.” You can listen back to our prior episodes which also included her husband, Roland by going back to episodes #27 and #41. Galina is a movement and trauma therapist whose work with nervous system regulation and whole body movement helps people of all ages live with freedom and balance in their bodies. She combines multiple healing movement modalities together with trauma informed approaches to support integration and expression of ones potential-physical, emotional and spiritual. You can find her latest book “Eat Well Move Well Live Well” everywhere fine books are sold. “Peace With Self, Peace With Food” will be available in spring 2020. Make sure you stay tuned to the very end of the show to hear about a coupon code to take Galina’s newest course. Find out more about Galina at www.purebelonging.com and www.eatmovelive52.com You can connect with her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/galina.denzel To learn more about your host, check out www.jasonleenaarts.com and www.revfittherapy.com You can also like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/revolutionaryou To purchase my new book “A Revolution A Day” please check Amazon for physical and Kindle copies. Download, subscribe, share with your friends and please take a moment to leave us an iTunes review.
A couple of weeks ago, one of my clients made a rather candid post in one of my closed communities on Facebook. I opted to not jump in with my thoughts on his current set of obstacles, rather to let others in the community comment instead.
I wanted a bit of time to think about what Todd was going through. Having the benefit of more insight into what he’s currently struggling with, I thought I’d turn this into something more thoughtful in efforts to help not only him, but anyone else who feels like they might also be challenged by their current set of circumstances.
I’m reprinting his original post here so you can see what I’m drawing from:
“Firstly, I would like to commend Jason for creating an interesting and safeplace for all of us to work out our bodies and minds…. It’s fascinating.
After Jason’s recent comments / post about diet and exercise I thought I might share….
I am a former long distance runner. Ate anything. Ran like the wind. Not nomore. Now, when the TV announcers on football games say “He’s massive!!! 6’ 2” 260 lbs” I think OMG, I’m bigger than THAT guy!!!! And not in a good way. So Jason has been patiently bringing me along. I’m in better shape and stronger than I was when I started. I’ve been to MOST of my appointments, and I’ve mostly stopped eating things that emerge from a fryolator. However, I haven’t lost any weight. And that’s because I eat till I’m full. I’m also a bit depressed (and for good reason, but that’s a longer story). And I kind of can’t count calories or follow a complicated diet. In fact, what I feel that I need are really simple directives. And there can only be a few of those before my Oppositional Defiance Disorder kicks in. (It’s a real thing, you can look it up). Drink a big glass of water before every meal. Never eat after 6 pm. Like that.
Maybe I could buy pre-made meals and ONLY eat the portions and contents for that day…..
Maybe I need to stop being a baby. I ate my way in and I’m going to have to NOT EAT my way out. And I’m going to, on occasion, feel like 30% of the world feels like all the time…. Hungry. Tough beans, right?
So, I offer this up for discussion and observations and tips even. Here come the holidays and travel and so on. And while I like to think I’m unique and special….. I’m probably not.
I’m open to suggestions.
Cheers fellow Revfitters…”
Todd, I wanted to thank you for your openness and candor with what you wrote. A lot of people like to lurk in the shadows and won’t reach out when they need help. I’m glad that you felt comfortable with the environment we’ve built not just online but within the four walls of RevFit as well.
I know that you’re going through a lot personally right now too. Sometimes, these game-changing life circumstances can drive us to eat more than we need and sometimes they can make us not want to eat at all. I’ve seen both extremes and it’s never the way you want someone’s health to go.
Throughout all the years I’ve been fortunate to coach clients with their weight loss goals, one constant I’ve seen, regardless of gender or age, is that somewhat nostalgic view of what we used to be able to do.
In other words, a 50-something will reminisce on their 20’s and say, “Back then, I could eat anything under the sun and not gain a pound. Nowadays, if I even smell food, I gain 3 pounds that sticks to me for a week!”
It’s a bit dramatic but it’s not remotely uncommon to hear. The fact of the matter is that the body has indeed changed.
And it’s not just the body, it’s the mind, it’s the motivation, it’s the stress, it’s all the things that come with having a body that has lived more than the 20-something counterpart.
So, yes, that game has definitely changed.
Now what you’re likely to find is a body that may be more resistant to change and that body doesn’t want to be run into the ground the way that long distance runner once could.
And it doesn’t mean you won’t try. I see a lot of people in your shoes who say “Well, back then I could run that stubborn weight off so I’ll just do that again!”
Not so fast.
Because not only is the body at a higher weight now but it’s a greater stress on those joints: the hips, the knees, the ankles, etc.
You are simply at a higher risk of injury.
That’s frustrating because conventional wisdom would tell you to just “move more.” That’s kind of true but it’s not the way you want it.
What you’re basically left with is a body and mind that want to be leaner, fitter, healthier (whatever that arbitrary number ends up being) on one side of the fence and the mentality of a petulant child on the other side saying “But I’m a grown ass adult and I can do what I want!”
And you can…but you can’t.
I don’t think you’re alone in wanting some simple solutions either. Most people don’t want to count calories or meal prep because it’s time-consuming, cumbersome, etc. etc.
So, we could certainly take you down a route of saying things like:
-No eating past 7pm (even though there is no magical time to eat).
-Eat whole, minimally processed foods (even though you can still overeat the “good” stuff).
-Drink 100+ oz of water a day (even though this does not guarantee weight loss).
I could go on too but I want to tackle something else.
You mention this Oppositional Defiant Disorder and I did look it up. Looks like it has something to do with problems with authority, difficulty following rules, etc.
I know that’s got to be genuine struggle for you because weight loss does have rules and those rules are dictated by your total caloric intake.
And that’s really about it.
That’s the one solitary rule, just eat what it takes for you to lose weight.
How you do that is 100% up to you.
But I want to play into this Oppositional Defiant Disorder some more and challenge you to lose weight in spite of it.
Not just the diagnosis but, Todd, you and I share some similarities and if some doctor told me I had a mental diagnosis that would make it challenging for me to lose weight, I wouldn’t be able to get my middle fingers up fast enough.
I’m stubborn. So are you.
Use that to your advantage.
If losing weight is your main priority, do it because the deck is stacked against you. Do it because people made you feel like you couldn’t. Do it because it’s your way of sticking your middle finger up at anyone who thinks you can’t succeed at it. I don’t know about you but I like that kind of adversity and I’m not even a very competitive person.
I just don’t like having a door closed in my face so if the control is in my hands, then I take it.
You should too.
After you made this post, you and I had a conversation about it here at the studio and you said: “I get it. I know it’s all basically about calories. But I’m hungry. And I get that that I’m supposed to be hungry. That’s all part of it. Just be hungry and fuck you.”
And yes, that, in a nutshell is exactly the game you’re playing. It’s be hungry and fuck you.
Because I can tell you where I want your calories and where I want your protein and where you should probably set your fiber and your water to make the hunger less miserable.
However, based on your initial post, I don’t know that you need/want that much detail. We’ve discussed your calories and you have quite a decent amount to consume that will get you to your goal.
Do that.
I don’t care how you reach the goal. I just want you to care enough about yourself to hit it.
Because I believe in you and I care enough about you to want that for you.
The hard work is on you.
I just have to shine a light, applaud the efforts and tell you to keep doing the right things.
A lot of things are going to stand in the way of your success, Todd. Don’t let any of those things be you.
We’re here for you, which is what you hired us for.
Jason Leenaarts 