Let me back up a bit.

I’ve been thinking about and working on my nutrition habits since Grade 3, when all I wanted, along with the latest Judy Blume novel, was to tuck my shirt into my jeans like the other girls at Southlands Elementary. I joined Weight Watchers at 12 (made it to maybe two meetings), and went to a weight loss camp at 14.

The most “extreme” I’ve ever gone? A 30-day paleo challenge at my first CrossFit gym. And guess what? It worked like a charm.

Why? Because I ate less. That’s it. No magic. Just a reduction in calories from cutting certain foods from my diet.

That’s the bottom line for weight loss: burn more than you take in, through nutrition, movement, or both.

But keeping it off? That’s another matter.

The Stats Are Sobering

Research shows that 80–95% of people who lose weight regain it within 1 to 5 years. Even more sobering: many regain more than they initially lost.

A significant review of long-term weight loss found that more than half of the weight lost was regained within two years, and by five years, 80% of it was back. Only about 1 in 5 people manage to maintain long-term weight loss.

These numbers don’t mean we’re doomed, they just highlight how important it is to make changes we can actually sustain.

I’ve heard it time and again:

“The minute I feel like I’m on a diet, I feel starving.”

That’s not a failure on your part. That’s a system that doesn’t work for real life. The key is to accept that there are no back doors or quick fixes only solid habits that will get us and keep us fit for life.

These are the five truths I come back to again and again. They’re not rules. They’re reminders.

1. Think Fat Loss ≠ Weight Loss
What we usually want isn’t “weight loss.” It’s fat loss. It’s more confidence, better-fitting clothes, higher energy. The scale won’t always reflect that. It doesn’t measure muscle gains, water shifts, or how consistent we've been. It’s one data point, not the whole picture.

Reflection Prompt: If the scale didn’t exist, how would you measure success?

Practical Action: Track progress this month using non-scale methods: take photos, notice how clothes fit, or log strength improvements.

2. If It Comes Off Fast, It Comes Back Faster
Fast weight loss is often just water, muscle, and stress. Your body doesn’t like being shocked, it prefers support and stability. If your method feels like survival mode, it won’t last. And if it doesn’t last… what was the point?

Reflection Prompt:
Have you ever lost weight quickly and regained it? What made it unsustainable?

Practical Action: If fat loss is your mission, aim for 0.5 a week. Pick one daily behavior to support that pace, like prepping a veggie filled lunches or going for an evening walk.

3. There Are No Magic Foods or Diets
Intermittent fasting, Whole30, Keto “work” because they reduce calories. It’s not the butter in your coffee or the 16-hour window. It’s the deficit. But the minute a diet teaches you to avoid foods you love, you risk backlash when it becomes unsustainable.

Reflection Prompt: What food rules have shaped your relationship with food, was it for better or worse?

Practical Action: List 3 foods you’ve labeled “bad.” Pick one and ask: Do I actually enjoy it and could I it fit into a balanced meal without issue? No need to eat it, if you do not wish, just challenge your story around it.

4. Sustainability Beats Intensity

Why it matters:
Big changes might look impressive, but consistency wins the race. You need habits that hold up when life gets messy. Forget perfect. Choose repeatable.

Reflection Prompt: What’s one habit you could keep doing even during a chaotic week?

Practical Action: Pick one anchor habit. Commit to it for 30 days. (Ideas: a cup of fruit at breakfast, 20-minute walk, going to bed 20 minutes earlier.)

5. Your Mindset Is Your Foundation

Why it matters:
Have you seen the Empower Pyramid at the gym? It’s posted above the rowers. At the bottom? Mindset. Then nutrition. When those layers are solid we can build even greater strength, skill, and performance. If your self-talk is harsh or doubtful, your results will always feel fragile. Compassion builds consistency.

Reflection Prompt Is there a belief about your body or your eating habits that needs rewriting? Identify it.

Practical Action: Create a new thought to practice. Example: “I fuel my body in ways that support my life and goals.” Say it out loud each morning.

Final Thought

Lasting change isn’t about being perfect, it’s about being persistent.
It’s not about never going off track, it’s about always coming back on.
Master these five truths.
Build your foundation. Brick by brick.
And give yourself grace when life gets tough. It happens. It's life.
And we roll on.

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Wednesday Whip It🥣

I'm all about the simplest, tastiest of fare. Try these Pinto Bean and Cabbage Street Tacos!

Wednesday at Empower: Cindy in the House

Dynamic warm-up | 6:00

1 set:

:30 jumping jacks

5 inchworms + down dog

10 Samson stretch lunges

10 ring rows

1 set:

:30 jumping squats

5 inchworms + push ups

10 alternating Cossack squats

5 scap pull-ups

TECH | 2:00

Demonstrate: Pull-ups, push-ups, and air squats

Specific Warm-up | 5:00

5 beat swings

2 beat swings + 1 kip

1 beat swing + 1 pull-up

3-5 kipping pull-ups

Break | 2:00

WOD | 20:00 | H:30

Cindy

Stimulus: 10-20 rounds

RX/Intermediate:

Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 20 minutes of:

5 pull-ups

10 push-ups

15 air squats

Beginner option:

Every 2 minutes for 10 rounds:

3 ring rows

6 hand-elevated push-ups

9 air squats

Stretching | 5:00

1 set:

1:00 couch stretch/leg

1:00 banded lat stretch/arm