LiftingLindsay's More Than Fitness

Many women come to me telling me they have been dieting for years but not seeing results. Want to know what's really going on?

Show Notes

Lindsay talks about the math (or not-math) of fitness and dieting. How we all have different bodies and different minds and handle our situations differently.
She talks about the diet mindset in a way that just about ANYONE in the history of dieting can relate with.

If you want to learn more about Lindsay visit https://www.liftinglindsay.com or head over to her page at https://instagram.com/liftinglindsay

Creators and Guests

Host
Lindsay
Wife and mother of three. I have a deep passion for learning and teaching. I also really love lifting weights and fitness.

What is LiftingLindsay's More Than Fitness?

Dive into the joy of fitness with Lindsay and other guests exploring how it goes well and beyond the gym floor, the number on the scale, the size of your waist or the calories you're counting.

Hey guys, welcome to the lifting Lindsey podcast. I'm really excited to do this episode. We are going to be talking about something that is near and dear to my heart. Um, well, so much of this is near and dear to my heart. I've been coaching for a long time. I love helping women. I love helping individuals understand.

The mind game of fitness, because it is. It is not just a math equation. If it was just a math equation, we'd all be hitting our goals. Without an issue. Without any problems whatsoever. But it's not just some math equation.

I have a lot of people who really, really obsess about I need the perfect plan. I have to have the perfect macro plan. As soon as, as I hire coach, as soon as they hand me a perfect macro plan. Then I will be able to execute it well, Then. The fat loss God's will bestow the gift of fat loss upon me. I don't know. I don't know.

What they think that was a pretty bad. I don't know what they think, but, but a lot of people think that where I just need the plan and then they're given a plan. And it's still hard to do it, right, because. We are so much more than calories in versus calories out. We are so much more than that. Okay.

We all have different bodies. We have different minds. The way one person. Handles a calorie deficit and hard. Because it is hard. And guess what? It's hard for everybody. Yes, there are some people who make it look easier. But they're still feeling hunger. It's still hard for them. But maybe they've learned some tricks with the mind, or maybe they've learned some other things like habits and approaches that have made things a little bit easier.

And I will cover things like that. Not in this episode today. I just want to talk about the diet mind. The diet mindset is what I call it. So I'll have girls all the time. Come to me saying I have been. In a calorie deficit. For a year. I haven't lost any weight. I'm so frustrated. And they all, they all come to well, most of them come to this conclusion.

My metabolism must be broken because I've been in a calorie deficit for so long. That's it? My metabolism is broken because somebody, somewhere on Instagram, Had a metabolism that was broken. And they shared a story. And so that must be my problem too. And, and I'm not laughing about it because there are some internal issues.

That can arise. 99.9% of the time these women are not dealing with broken metabolisms. What they're dealing with though. Is that their mind. Is in a diet, their mind is in a constant state of restriction. I need to restrict, restrict, restrict. I can't have that. Oh, that'll make me fat, like restrict, restrict, restrict.

But the fascinating thing about it is there body is actually not in a calorie deficit. How does that happen? How is the mind? In a constant state of restriction. And diet mindset, but the body's actually not in that. How does that work? I see all the time. So, what people will do is they'll go throughout the day they'll label foods good and bad. They'll say, oh, that's bad. That'll make me fat. That's that? Oh, I can't have that. They'll say a lot of stuff like that.

I can't have that. They've chosen these phrases. That are not empowering whatsoever. In fact, it's just kind of reactionary or the power's out of my hands. I don't have control. I can't have that instead of. You know, I can have that, but I choose not to because I have my goal, man.

That right there. Just a shift in mindset of how we talk about things. Can change how we think about things and how hard things are. Right. So words matter. The language we use to talk to ourselves. Matters. But, but here we have somebody who goes all day long. They're like, oh, I can't eat that. I can't have that.

But at the same time, they're like justifying, well, I'll, I'll take a bite of this. I can't have the whole thing, but I'll just take a bite of it, but I'll take like 10 bites of it might as well have had the whole thing. Cause you just did. Right. But, but I spread it throughout the day and somehow that. Equates to zero calories because I spread it throughout the day. Right. So there's all of this restriction of the mind. They're tired, they're exhausted. They feel like they've been in a diet forever because they're constantly restricting themselves mentally, but not physically. They go out to eat. They're tired from restricting themselves all day long. So. They end up overeating at dinner. Or they will go, they'll restrict themselves through breakfast, lunch, and then their kids come home from school. They start eating all of the snacks from their kids leftover this, that like there's so many ways that we actually. Are in a diet in the mind and not in the body.

Mainly it comes down to we're restricting ourselves mentally, but physically we're still making constant exceptions we're bingeing. And so we feel. As though we've been in a diet. But we actually haven't been, so I call that the diet mindset. I think the most important thing to understand. One is, is that we recognize it for what it is.

So a lot of times girls will say, well, I was dieting for years, and then I reversed. And then I, sat at maintenance for a while and then I dyed it again. And when I sat at maintenance, I fixed my, my, um, metabolism. And then I cut down again. Now, I'm not saying that that's not true. I'm saying that 99.9% of the time.

What they actually did wasn't necessarily fix their metabolism because if you haven't been in a calorie deficit, if you've been maintaining and you haven't been in a calorie deficit, Obviously, I'm not saying that there aren't exceptions to this. But everybody wants to be the exception and the truth is 99.9% of us are the rule, not the exception.

So everybody wants to be the exception because they want something outside of themselves to blame. But the truth is. When we finally realized no, I'm the rule. And there's nothing outside of me to blame. I need to take ownership of this, then we can start seeing progress and we understand where it's coming from. So what these girls have done is they've stepped away from the constant restricting of the mind. They are now in maintenance. Where they're eating more. They're flourishing. They're not focusing on fat loss. They're not focusing on, I have to lose as much weight as possible yesterday, right there. Just accepting. I am where I am. My body is what it is, and I'm going to make it beautiful by lifting as heavy as I can enjoying my lifts, enjoying the energy that I have.

Because now room in the brain is actually freed up. Thoughts actually cost energy. A lot of times. When our bodies are not in a calorie deficit, but we feel like we are in our mind. The diet is taking up so much room in our brain. That we can't even enjoy life. So now all of a sudden these women step away from it and they feel like they have more energy because they actually do. You're not obsessing over this diet anymore, this calorie deficit. So now they have found freedom in a place of flourishing. They focus on feeling strong in the gym.

They push for new PRS, they have more energy. They have more time and life balance because they're focusing on just maintaining and creating a better relationship with food. They're not in a lifestyle of restriction. A lot of them for the first time feel freedom and they actually develop a better relationship with food and a better relationship with their body because they're not in a constant state of, I have to change my body. They're just accepting.

Their body for how it is. It is a beautiful thing. It is a beautiful place to be for these women. So, this is wonderful. This is exciting. So they've stepped away from the diet. They've embraced all of this. And then after like eight months a year, some of them even longer because they just love where they're at are finally. Like, do you know what I think I can do a calorie deficit now.

This is what I love. When women come to me and I help them through this process because I do. Let's just, let's just get you flourishing. Okay. Let's have you focus on. All the things you can eat and all the things you can do, and let's learn to accept your body, just how it is today. Not try to change it. Only try to get stronger. And it is a beautiful thing. So after like a year,

Then, , well, I mean, it depends on the client, but. Some of them six months. I mean, I don't like doing anything lower than four months in this type of situation. I try to push it six months to, to 12. I really try to push it because I want them to find joy at maintenance. That is a beautiful place.

So if I can get them to sit there for as long as they can, if they come and say, well, I think it's time forgot. Oh, and , I'll question them. And when we'll work through things and then maybe push it more if we can. Cause, cause I know that that's where they're flourishing. And, Then.

I'll be like, okay, now let's do a calorie deficit. Hands down every single time. I walk somebody through this process. They're like. Wow. That we give them a timeframe. Frame to work with, right. So it'd be like, okay, we're going to do this for 12 weeks. You can do this for 12 weeks. You can do anything for 12 weeks. Right? Remember we don't live in a calorie deficit. One they already believe me. Because they've been with me and haven't been living in a calorie deficit. They've been flourishing. And we've just been focusing on strength and all the good stuff. So they believe me when I say. We don't live in a diet. And that belief is huge.

Next. So we have them go into a 15, 20% calorie deficit. Feel things out. Without fail. Every single one of them have been like, wow. I have never had a cut so easy. This seems so easy. It's all of a sudden easy because they haven't been living in a world of restriction. And so now they face it saying I can do 12 weeks. This is awesome. And it is wonderful to watch them throughout this process.

And then they're seeing the results that they want to, and everything really comes together for them. Because they stopped chasing the fat loss 24 7. They stepped out of the restrictive mindset. They focused on flourishing. They focused on what they could eat, not what they couldn't. And it opens up this beautiful place for them to be able to say, okay, Now I can do this hard restriction for 12 weeks, and then they know that they're going to be out of it. And they know this is another thing too, with reverses.

So they're flourishing. There they know that I don't take forever and reverses reverses actually don't need to be twice as long as the cut. So we can kind of all realize that it doesn't need to be that long. I had a girl messaged me the other day saying I'm so excited. I finally reversed up after 12 months of reversing. I'm like, what in tarnation were you doing for 12 months? That is ridiculous. You did not need to reverse for 12 months after doing like a four to six month cut. You don't need to do that. So depending on the client. We can have them back up four to six weeks. You know, so back up to maintenance. So they know that this restricted period is very short and they're so excited. They know it's short, it's only a short while we don't live there. And then they're back up to maintenance.

I want to encourage you. To really look at yourself and ask yourself, Has my body actually been in a calorie deficit. Or have I only been in this diet mindset?

They've done research, showing that people. Generally. Under estimate how much they eat.

Guess, guess how much, guess how much they underestimate. 20 to 50%. Well, If you're in a 20% diet and you're underestimating 20%. Well then you're right back of a maintenance. You see how easy it is. To be in a diet mindset, but your body's actually not in a diet obsessing over restriction restriction restriction, but actually not restricting.

And when we're not tracking everything that goes in her mouth, and I'm not saying that you have to track in order to see fat loss, but I am saying that just like any other scientific experiment, the more accurate we can be. Great. Because as shown in this research, When we try to guess.

Humans are generally off 20 to 50%. Okay. And it was interesting how it said it doesn't matter, men or women. Both underestimate how much they eat by 20 to 50%. So that's why I say it is so easy to be in the diet mindset, but our body isn't physically in a diet. So with that being said, I really want you to pause and think.

Okay. We're going to tune into our wiser self, not our emotional self. That's like, no, dang it, Lindsay. You're this is wrong. This is, this message is for everybody else. But me. I know what I'm doing. I'm in a calorie deficit. Well, I'm going to, I'm going to invite you to put emotional you aside.

To tap into your higher wiser self. And ask yourself. How accurate have I been.

Have I been focused so much on restriction. And I haven't actually been.

In a calorie deficit. If you are truly in a calorie deficit, You're going to be seen some signs of fat loss. And if you've been in a calorie deficit, For years. Or months, and you're not seeing any movement. I really want you to put the emotional self aside. Put that ego aside. And I want you to tap into your higher wiser self.

And say, okay. Okay.

Have I really been in a calorie deficit. Or is my mind just been there? Have I really been sacrificing on the day-to-day to see the end results that I want to, or have I just been wishing that it would happen without any of the sacrifice that's required. Okay. Another thing I want you to think about is.

Maybe, maybe you have been seeing results. But maybe you're just tired. You've been dieting for seven, eight months. Your mind is just, you're tired of all the restriction. Then this message is for you. I get out. Get out of that diet. Don't live in a diet. Okay. Calorie deficits are used. For a purpose. And it's so much wiser to get in and get out.

So I have clients from all different spectrums. So I have some clients who come to me and they're like, Oh, I'm I'm overweight. I want to get into a healthy range. They can usually stay in diets for a long period, keeping good, healthy relationship with food, over long periods, seeing continuous results. And it's wonderful.

But there are some that come to me that are healthy and want to get like fit or shredded 30 lean, and they want to get more shredded. And they just want to live. In this constant state of seeking more and more and more fat loss. And I just want to be a voice of reason and wisdom in this industry.

I mean to ask you. To really tap into your higher and wiser self. I'm going to ask you to put your emotions aside. Your emotions that are lying to you. They're telling you things like. When you lose five more pounds, then you'll be happy. Oh, as soon as you see your abs, then you'll like yourself. Then you'll be happier, then you'll feel sexier. Then you'll be more attractive then you're all of those are voices in your head that you have fed for too long. I want you to kick them out. They have been staying in your head rent free for too long. And the time has come that they've, they've got to get out. And I want to invite you to get out of this constant state of restriction that you're in. This constant constant fight for dropping more and more and more and more body fat. Look. I have goals. If you followed me on Instagram, you know, I have goals. I love feeling lean. I love being shredded, but I also love builds. I find joy in all stages of the body. The body is going to fluctuate. A woman's body was meant to fluctuate. I mean. We're reminded that every time our period hits. It's meant to fluctuate, right? Our hormones fluctuate or waterway. And it fluctuates. Embrace it being a woman is beautiful. Embrace the fluctuation that comes stop constantly being in a state of seeking more and more and more and more fat loss.

You're tired. You're exhausted. You've lived in a state of restriction too long. And it's time for you to get out. And find joy. Joy. I want you to think about that word. Because my choice in words is very precise right now. I want you to find joy. At maintenance, joy in strength. Eating more finding freedom from this constant state of more and more and more and more fat loss.

I really want you to tap into your higher wiser self. And get curious and become more intentional with your day to day work. That you're giving. Be aware this process will work best for those who seek self awareness.

Hey guys. So hopefully this episode has been helpful. As I've helped you navigate, whether you're feeling too much restriction, are you actually in a calorie deficit or for those who have just spent excessive amounts of time in a calorie deficit with restriction?

I love goals. I think. There's so much fun to strive for. But never at the cost. Of our relationship with our body, our mind or foods.