This 1 Thing Helped Me Lose 65 Lbs…and Maintain It…

 

The #1 Thing to do to Preserve Progress

 

99.9% of people report that THIS is the most annoying question in the world...

 

The question: What's for dinner?

 

Whether you're deciding just for yourself or others too, the contemplation process can be anywhere from frustrating to infuriating.

 

Partially because even though you're focused on this immediate meal, you know in the back of your mind that this question will be asked again tomorrow and again the next day...and the day after that...for the rest of your life.

 

A first world problem, for sure, but...

 

After making thousands of decisions all day -- both big and small -- this is the last thing you want to be thinking about.

 

Because even after you decide...

• Do you have the ingredients or have to go to the store?

• How long will it take to prep?

• How long will it take to cook?

• Will everyone else like it?

   

Here's usually when thoughts of going out or grabbing takeout creep in...

 

We all know what happens after that.

 

Empty takeout containers and cereal boxes fill the trash can while the organic chicken and vegetables you had bought earlier in the week try to hold on for one more day.

 

Some time between your last bite and observing your reflection while brushing your teeth before bed is when the guilt sets in.

 

"Tomorrow I'm going to get up early, do a hard workout, and eat super clean!" you promise to yourself...again.

 

Except tomorrow will be exactly like today...

 

So how does it end?

 

How do you avoid this daily cycle that continues to inhibit you from reaching the health and fitness goals you've set?

 

It's actually incredibly easy.

Create Your Own Cookbook!

The past few Sundays we have sent some of our favorite recipes from Peak City Gym's Clean Cheats Cookbook.

 

The original Clean Cheats Cookbook is actually a 3-ring binder full of printed and ripped out recipes from websites and cookbooks when I lost ~65 lbs.

 

In 2009, after 4 years, I left Saint Anselm College having earned both a BA and roughly 75 lbs of body fat.

 

Having been a multi-sport athlete growing up and in high school I was used to eating what ever I wanted in massive quantities.

 

I continued to do that in college...just without the sports or working out.

 

 

Shane (me) - 2009 - Annapolis, MD. ~230 lbs

 

In 2010 I moved from Maryland into my parents' house in North Carolina with no intentions of regaining the weight I worked hard to lose the year before.

 

My family was definitely happy for me and my progress.

 

...and even happier that I was doing a ton of the cooking.

 

Because I was cooking the same meals I did during my weight loss, the scale was moving for them as well!

Hi, mom!

 

However, my grandmother, who also lived with us, often griped that the meals I was cooking were "not hearty enough."

 

For anyone who doesn't know my grandmother, this simply meant there wasn't enough butter, sugar, gravy, potatoes, etc. on her plate.

 

Of course on nights she cooked, I often politely refused to eat what she cooked as they were loaded with the ingredients I listed directly above.

 

I never expected her to cook for me and was always fine preparing something different for myself. But she found even my most polite refusal incredibly offensive.

 

It was annoying for everyone involved.

 

The Solution: a 3-ring binder full of printed and ripped out recipes from websites and cookbooks.

Initially the binder was filled with recipes of things that I knew I liked (Chicken Parmesan, Chicken Salad, Chimichangas, etc) but made healthier in various ways to preserve my progress.

 

The deal was that if someone wanted to make dinner and expected me to eat it on a non-special occasion then the recipe had to be from that binder.

 

Recipes could be submitted for approval to be entered in to the binder. However, if it did not fit my criteria at the time, it did not make it in.

Again, not that they could not make it for themselves and the others in the household. 

 

I would still eat at the table with them. I'd just be eating something I made separate for myself.

 

The original binder still exists at my parents' house. In fact, I had to call my mom this morning, while writing this, to take the pictures you're seeing of it.

 

Over the years they have added more recipes to it and refer to it often both when:

1. Trying to get back on track nutritionally without going super strict 

2. They don't want to think about dinner and need ideas for quick, easy favorites

  

 

For Peak City Gym members who like to, or plan on, cooking most nights, this self-created resource becomes invaluable.

 

It makes everything from planning meals of the week to grocery shopping to prepping much, much less stressful.

Peak City Gym members often report in Strategy Sessions that one of the biggest points of contention in their relationships with those they live with is food.

 

Living with someone who is not as committed to your goals as you are can make it feel like they are out to sabotage you. In reality, they likely just do not understand:

• Your goals

• The path you're taking to achieve them

• And the nutritional criteria required to sustain progress

 

 

 

 

All that being said...

 

Creating your own cookbook is EXTREMELY helpful if you and your spouse/roommate/whomever are having a tough time finding meals that you both agree on when trying to stay on track.

We've been posting recipes from The Clean Cheats Cookbook on our social media channels and in our e-mails on Sundays.

Print out the ones you like!

 

Or use THIS LINK to download the entire Clean Cheats Cookbook and print your favorites! 

 

 

Yes, I said PRINT.

 

You probably already have a million recipes you won't make saved on your phone.

 

This collection of recipes needs to be a physical!