If you want to drop body fat and look/feel your absolute best... you may want to eat low carb.

Or you may want to eat higher carb and low fat.

Actually, you may want to eat most of your carbs early in the day.

But it could work better to eat most of your carbs in the evening.

Ugh... I guess it depends.

It doesn't take long to get confused or frustrated in the wild world of nutrition and fitness, right?

The reality is.. it usually depends.

The right macronutrient ratio will depend on you. The best foods to eat for your goals will depend on you. 

How much flexibility do you want? Yup, it depends. 

How much movement should you be doing? 

Also depends.

You get the point. 

Any halfway decent coach will tell you this and if they're better than decent they'll explain all of the context to help you understand why it depends.

But that's not the topic today.

What I want to discuss is when it does NOT depend.

That's right...

There are certain things that just always are. 

Let's call them universal truths that apply no matter what.

It doesn't depend. It just is.

Let's go over the list of things that do NOT depend...

1. Your metabolism will ALWAYS determine whether you gain, lose, or maintain weight.

Your metabolism is a stress barometer, not a calorie calculator. This means you should treat it nicely. 

Stop over-stressing it with very little fuel, restrictive diets, and dieting too long.

Hormone health, gut health, etc impact your metabolism. It's the command center for your results and too many people treat it like garbage.

2. Losing and gaining weight will make each subsequent attempt at weight loss more difficult. 

Every time you lose weight and gain it back, you're making the climb a little steeper for the next time.

Which is why the methods need to be sustainable. If you can't see yourself doing it for the long haul.. don't do it at all.

3. The process is always more important than the product.

How you get there is always going to matter more than the exact result. 

Why? 

Because results are fickle. A process can and should last forever.

A process that focuses on healthy habits, lifestyle changes, sustainable methods, and mindset / behavior change will win every time.

Being purely results focused is a great way to never achieve or sustain your results.

4. Muscle will make everything easier.

Losing fat, maintaining, improving metabolic health... all made easier with more muscle.

Now, of course there's a point of diminishing returns but most people never even come close to their genetic potential so it's kind of irrelevant to discuss the point of diminishing returns.

5. Walk for your health.

We are built to move. Walking is still one of the best "bang for your buck activities" you can do. It lowers cortisol, improves insulin sensitivity, helps with mental health, emotional health, decision making, fat loss, and just about any other health related marker you can find.

If everyone collectively decided to walk more and pay a little more attention to food quality, we'd see a dramatic increase in health and longevity across the board.

These are all situations where it does not depend.

It always applies.

Take care of your metabolism and stop stressing it out with unnecessary fads, don't put yourself in a position to always gain the weight back by using unsustainable methods, prioritize habits / lifestyle changes over quick results, build and maintain muscle, and walk it out.

It's easy to nod your head and say.. "yes, that makes perfect sense! And it's actually super simple."

Correct. It is SUPER simple.

Then why won't you do it?

Because your brain will pull you towards the next fad, the promise of fast results, and the desire for "immediacy".

Those who understand that fact will invest in a coach to make their life easier and more rewarding.

Those who are stubborn will keep struggling on their own.

Which one are you?

Have a great week,
Coach Mike

PS - To go a little deeper on this, I created this short video for you.