Thank you for checking out The Community Conversation, brought to you by Prototype Training Systems, home of CrossFit Prototype!  This episode of The Community Conversation is a NUTRITION EDITION! Typically, The Community Conversation highlights a different member of the Prototype Community each week and allows them to tell their story, share their life experience, and communicate their perspective on all things fitness. For this episode, we have two of our Prototype Nutrition Coaches dropping some Nutrition knowledge bombs!

We’ve all listened to podcasts and watched YouTube videos that highlight some of the world’s greatest leaders and visionaries. We believe we have some AMAZING people at Prototype and we want you to get to know them! (Check out our last episode here!)

For this nutrition edition of the Community Conversation, Prototype Nutrition Coach Jon Collette and Prototype Nutrition’s Registered Dietitian, Sam Hally will be discussing why you should Stop Trying to Lose Weight. If you’re looking to learn more about nutrition for yourself or pick up some good eating habit tips, you will want to check this out!

So, click the link below to watch this Community Conversation on our YouTube page! You can also check out The Community Conversation on all major streaming platforms including Spotify! Don’t forget to subscribe!

Jon 0:00
Here we go. All right, thank you for tuning in to the community conversation brought to you by prototype train system home across your prototype seminary back with another nutrition episode to help provide you with some education and strategies to better your nutrition. While you’re still able to enjoy your social life, there’s a lot of misinformation on nutrition, we aim to provide you with some clarity. Today, what we want to talk about his weight loss and why you should stop trying to lose weight. Okay, so just want to start by saying that there’s nothing wrong with having the goal of wanting to lose weight. But constantly trying to lose weight is not mentally, or it’s not the best way to approach it. Because if you’re constantly trying to lose weight, then there’s no end in sight. It’s just this is when like, when am I ever going to be able to enjoy that cheesecake or whatever? So we’re talking about not that you shouldn’t necessarily have the goal of wanting to lose weight or never striving for it. We’re talking today about why you should stop trying to always be chronically dieting, Sam, what are like, what are your thoughts on dieting, and, you know, just some of the things that, you know, that go along with just this mindset of just less, less less?

Sam 1:45
Yeah, so I feel like I have pretty strong opinions. And I, I try not to like put my opinions into my advice, most buttons, but I’m pretty anti diet as it is right? Like, I strongly believe that you can eat what you want, and you can enjoy food. And it’s like, looking at food as fuel, as opposed to like a means to an end is like the best way to enjoy life. So like, in that sense, like I’m pretty anti diet, like, I would never tell someone that they need to lose weight because like, that’s something like I’m not projecting that on the fly. Right? So if someone comes to me and is like, I want to lose weight, like, Okay, I will help you get there. And so the conversation then, is not, here’s a diet, you’re strictly following XYZ diet. It’s instead like, Okay, what are you eating now? And then like, what changes can we make in what you’re eating currently to kind of get you to where you want to go. Because removing certain food groups, or just like never eating carbs, or restricting to an incredibly low calorie diet, or all just one not good for the body, like so, so awful for your body, and to just like awful for your mental health. It typically puts you in like a really bad state of like, you feel like you’re constantly trying to like chase this goal that you can never attain. And like, there’s a reason diets make a lot of money. Like the keto diet, the Atkins diet, like all these things are money grabs, because what they do is they make you feel like if you aren’t losing the weight, like you are the failure. And so like you keep buying into them, when really it’s not you That’s the problem. It’s the diet, that’s a problem. So like as a whole Yeah, I’m like super anti diet. That being said, if someone wants to lose weight, who am I to say don’t do that, unless it’s unhealthy, right? Like if it’s unhealthy for someone to lose more weight, I’m going to say absolutely not as your dietician, I will not condone that not losing any more weight, but there’s ways to lose weight without actively trying to lose weight that are going to be much much more beneficial one for physical health and also to for the mental health.

Jon 3:59
So when you say dieting, you’re talking about more of like the culture that then it I guess presented through the media and through just influencers and things along the lines of you know, I guess on every label, like everything’s like, less calories, like no fat, like low carb, no sugar, like the culture around reducing your calories versus better understanding how the context of certain foods can be implemented into your diet that can make it a well rounded diet. Um, is what I’m hearing is like, just the the fear of having having the carbs or having sugar or having Basically, anything that kind of makes your food tastes a little bit better. People get worried that they shouldn’t be Have in that in that kind of sounds miserable. If you’re, you know, constantly in fear of what you’re putting into your body and you’re constantly in a defense mode of, well, if I eat this, then I’m afraid that I’m going to lose weight. So avoiding those things. And then when you actually do have that thing is usually very skewed relationship with food in general is that I did something wrong. This is not this is not allowed if I want to be able to lose weight, right. And I think that’s like the big issue is the just the constant fear of food.

Sam 5:52
Yeah, I think you hit the nail on the head. And like, I like to use cauliflower rice as an example, whenever I talk about this, like, if you’re making stir fry, there’s like a very good reason you might use cauliflower rice, instead of regular old white rice, right? Like, you might just have that in your freezer that night, you might have been lower on vegetables during the day, and you’re trying to find a way to add more vegetables into your day. You’re just like craving a little bit something lighter, because you had a really big lunch and you need a dinner that’s smaller, because you’re pretty full, you know, like, there’s reason someone use a cauliflower rice, it’s when you switch from like having the option of using cauliflower rice, like only ever wanting to use cauliflower rice and being scared of regular rise that like diet culture mindset has set in. And that’s where it turns into like a bigger concern of like, you are no longer enjoying life, if you are telling yourself that you can’t have regular rice. And instead, you can only have the cauliflower rice. And it’s like diet culture to a tee. And that’s like what we’re talking about here of like, if cauliflower rice is the only kind of rice or eating stuff, eat some rice, it is really good for you. And if you think cauliflower rice is the only way that you can lose weight, I’m sorry to tell you, you have been misled. And that is why you should listen to us and listen to our podcast and come talk to us because like, that’s what we’re trying to work towards, like you’re trying to lose weight and you’re only insert eating certain food products because they’re like, quote unquote, healthy. And that’s where the problem arises. Like you said, like life is no longer fun. You can’t have rice.

Jon 7:24
And even like, I hear this all the time, too is like, you know, I know I shouldn’t be having, I shouldn’t be having this. But um, you know, I have that sometimes. And, you know, my reaction is like, like, immediately, like, Who’s to say that that? Like, if that’s something that you enjoy having and you’re not abusing it, like, then like what’s like, what’s the issue or even just like, oh, like, you know, I know I should be having brown rice, but I have white rice sometimes it’s like there’s nothing wrong with having white rice. And I don’t even know where like why brown rice has been put on a higher pedestal as white rice. I think a lot of like, a hard thing too, is that a lot of people don’t understand. Like, your body doesn’t see white rice or brown rice your body sees carbohydrates and some fiber. And the other one is mostly just carbohydrates without fiber, like that’s literally the difference between like brown white rice and white rice. And sometimes you put like these, like these labels on food have like, this is better for you. But it’s just like, Well, what do you actually need, like have everything you have is like high in fiber, you’re probably gonna be like super gassy, bloated, and you’re probably going to be going to the bathroom, like every two hours. Like, that’s not necessary. It’s all like context dependent. Like, you like to have like a lot of berries and stuff like that. Maybe brown rice is not even the best option for you to have because may upset your stomach. It’s like understanding like, the context of how all foods can fit. Or if you have, like, if you do like to have something sweet at the end of the day, versus being feeling bad about it, just allowing yourself to have it and then actually being like, this is just part of what I do with my nutrition is like I have a couple pieces of like chocolate at the end of the night. And it’s not. It’s not like you’re eating like an entire carton of ice cream because you feel like, you know, like you just committed a felony or something. And that’s what we’re talking about when we say stop trying to lose weight and start trying to implement, like healthier habits, lifestyle changes, like go for a walk, go to the gym sometimes. But don’t go to the gym because you Trying to burn calories, go to the gym because it makes you feel good. Right? Like go for a walk because it makes you feel good. And because you don’t, your muscles don’t get stiff, and it helps you reduce your stress don’t like, like, Don’t look at these things as like, this is going to, we think of everything as like this is going to result in weight loss. And that’s an issue. Because like we shouldn’t be working out to burn calories you should be working out because it’s like, going to preserve your body. Like, let’s be real, like you want to be able to function as a person, like you should exercise for that reason, not because you’re trying to get rid of body fat. It can cap rate. Yeah, we can contribute to that, certainly. But that shouldn’t be the goal of like doing certain things like you having a vegetable should not be because you’re trying to lose fat should be because trying to be healthier, and you’re trying to have that have that balance of you know, all foods in your diet. Um,

Sam 10:58
yeah, I like to think about like, if you the real way to tell if someone’s healthy or not, is to like, take bloodwork, like are your levels, certain markers like cholesterol, sodium levels, like there’s specific markers that someone looks for, like a doctor would look for to determine if you’re healthy. And you can go to the doctor and have high cholesterol if you’re underweight, average weight or overweight. So it doesn’t necessarily matter what your scale weight is. What matters is like what you’re doing to your body to like, live long, right. So if you have high cholesterol, that’s like a higher risk for early death, as like morbid as it is. So like no matter what way you are, if you have high cholesterol, you can work on that whether you’re underweight, overweight, or somewhere in the middle, and like you take different approaches based off your weight, probably, but like, weight loss wouldn’t be your goal. If the doctor tells you you have high cholesterol, changing your cholesterol would be the goal. And weight loss typically is a byproduct of that. So like using weight as like the only health marker of success is like a flawed concept. And I just be like that’s what it is all the time of like, oh, if I just lose five pounds, and I’ll be healthy, when in reality, it’s maybe not the weight loss. It’s really just like the actions that you’re taking. Like, like you said, Are you exercising? Are you eating vegetables? Like? Are you doing things that like feed your mind, your body and your soul? Or are you stressing over five pounds on the scale? And like bringing up your cortisol levels? Because scales and changing five pounds?

Jon 12:32
Right? Yeah, totally, like, probably not going to have an issue with your weight. If you’re, you know, doing, like, all like checking off the basics. Like, do you prioritize your sleep? If the answer is no, and you get less than six hours of sleep? Okay, stop focusing on your food for a minute. And work on that. Are you drinking of water? If the answer is I don’t know, like, start like thinking about other things other than losing weight. Because it’ll probably be a bife byproduct of you focusing on those other variables like, like doing things that are going to help reduce your stress are going to be sleeping more, drinking more water getting outside, and all those things don’t have anything to do with any caloric intake, but it’s probably going to help with caloric intake, you’re probably going to control your calories because you’re not going to be in a reactive state. And that’s typically like why we can sometimes struggle with overeating is because core relationship with food and just constantly feeling like constantly not recovering well, just being under recovered and just focusing on only one thing. And that’s like the scale, versus like focusing on all the other things. That’s why we like to take like, holistic approach to lifestyle and nutrition is that it’s not a black or white type of thing. There’s like so many different variables that go into your health. And like Sam said, like, you can go ahead and be underweight. And you can also not lift any weights and you know, not get outside and just be on a computer all day sitting non active. And you run off of two servings of McDonald’s every day, which is just high in sodium and you’re not getting any nutrient quality and yeah, you could not you could possibly be unhealthy and you may not even be over technically overweight. So like, that’s what we’re getting at is stop trying to lose weight and start focusing on, like, all the other aspects of your health in general. Yeah, I mean, you could add anything else?

Sam 14:58
No, that’s really what it boils. Down to I think, like, you have a lot of personal experience this, like both from hearing clients stories and like with yourself, like, you know how hard it is to like change that mindset of like, I’m just trying to lose weight to like, Okay, I’m just changing my lifestyle. So like if someone’s listening and has made it this far, do you have any tips for like the easiest things to go to to get started on this like shift in mindset, and then this change of like, let’s not try to lose weight, let’s instead try to be healthier? Like what would you suggest is like first step for someone who wants to try that.

Jon 15:33
I mean is what I personally did was I just change one thing at a time. And like, most of the people listening to this podcast right now, probably don’t have as many bad habits as I had when I was younger. You get like we’re in this like small bubble of people that are, you know, everyone goes to the gym. So they already kind of like focused a little bit on that aspect. me what I was doing was, I just started literally from having like six mountain views a day to having one Mountain Dew day. And then I started like switching Mountain Dew to having like flavored water, then I started having water. And now I don’t drink soda not because I can’t have soda, but because I would rather have something else like and it just didn’t make me feel good. And once you start changing something slowly, you started to realize like how you like, sometimes we don’t know what feeling good feels like until we’re able to get a decent night’s sleep because we’re not like wired on, you know, so much caffeine and sugar, like just changing like one thing at a time. So if you have a lot of things that you need to change, you know, maybe the best thing to do is not try to change everything all at once or go on a very restrictive diet, because it’s probably not going to teach you anything, it’s probably just going to be like, okay, these are the rules. And we don’t want to necessarily have rules, we want to be able to have boundaries, I guess would be like a better word.

Sam 17:12
Perfect word,

Jon 17:13
right? Like, we’re not encouraging you to eat all in everything you want. We’re saying, Just don’t beat yourself up when you have something you don’t normally have. Or, you know, something that you’ve maybe been taught is bad for you. Because if you have it, and you like and you can move on, then it’s much better than waiting until Monday to start over. And that’s like a very common thing that happens is like, you know, you go out your friends, you on Friday night you go out to dinner, and maybe your nutrition was in great. And then Saturday, you know, wasn’t the best either. So that is like, all right, like this whole weekend’s a wash and then just the it’s just like, okay, on Monday, I’m gonna start dieting. You know, it’s no, start working on your routine, like, start working on like, you know, even when you’re being social, like maybe you always have a vegetable with your meal, maybe always have some water, like a water bottle with you like little small things can go a really long way. with just your overall health and wellness, like mentally and physically.

Sam 18:33
Good point, I think it’s like all encompassing, right, like, weight loss is a physical goal. Weight Loss doesn’t necessarily attack like all the mental and emotional and social aspects that go along with eating. So like, stop trying to lose weight, start trying to make healthier choices is really what it boils down to. JOHN, do you have anything else to say on this before we wrap it up today?

Jon 18:57
I’m not that I can think of but I’m sure there’s more to talk about. But

Sam 19:03
we could probably talk about this on for hours rally to talk about all of these things for hours. But we’re trying to keep it to like 20 to 30 minutes. So we will wrap it up. But in any case, like if you are someone who has been trying to lose weight and trying to lose weight, and then something is just not working for you reach out to us. This is what we’re here for. We’re helping you guide or we’re helping to guide you through this process of like making these small changes. It’s a little bit easier when you have some accountability. So please do reach out to us if you have any questions about how to get out of this weight loss diet mindset into something that’s a little healthier for you. Or if you just have general questions about nutrition, we are here for you. If you’d like to schedule a free nutrition console, you can if you have future ideas for future podcasts, please do let us know. In the meantime, we hope you all have a very wonderful day.