Hello fabulous Reader,

All too often, when you have a weight loss goal, you think you need to restrict yourself and eliminate a whole bunch of different foods to be in a caloric deficit and see results.

You start Monday off fresh, feeling confident that this time you’ll be able to stay consistent. You’ve chosen to eliminate carbs, eat only low-fat, and not have any sweets or snacks. You’ve cleared out your fridge and tossed any treats from your pantry. You plan to eat clean all week and just have to make it to the weekend, where you’ll have your one cheat meal and glass of wine.

You start the day with a small breakfast - maybe some berries and low-fat yogurt. At lunch, you have a light salad and avoid the tray of cookies in the break room. You stay strong and drink only water for the rest of the day.

By dinner, you’re feeling stretched, tired from the day, and craving a pizza.

At this point, you might cave - your willpower is draining.

But you stay on track.

You make it to Wednesday feeling irritable and on edge. You’re having cravings, but you need to hold out a little longer; when the weekend comes, you can reward yourself for staying consistent all week.

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Unfortunately, this game of willpower and control is not helping you. When you deprive yourself and restrict yourself in such a way - you end up swinging wide in the other direction to the extreme of overdoing it.

You crash hard into the weekend and end up bingeing your way into Sunday night. You finish off a whole pizza for dinner feeling gross and guilty, upset that you couldn’t even make it one week. You tell yourself you’ll start clean on Monday.

And the cycle begins again.

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If this is you - you’re not alone.

I’ve also been there - stuck in this idea that restriction is the answer, that the more I deprived myself, the faster I’d achieve my weight loss goals.

I tried eliminating pasta. I cut out all sweet treats. I tried going low-fat. I even tried Whole30, where I took cheese out of my diet for a month! The first day back - I picked up that blueberry goat cheese from Trader Joe’s (you know the one) and ended up eating the whole thing.

I was so stuffed I passed out on the couch for several hours - waking up feeling gross and congested.

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I’m so grateful I don’t eat like that now. These days I’m focusing on eating more food - I eat a ton of quality carbs. They keep me feeling satiated and properly fueled. I prioritize protein and high-quality fats with every meal. Protein helps me build muscle, and fat helps me stay focused.

These changes to my diet have drastically improved my sleep and my energy. And you can bet your ass I have dessert with dinner every night! If I’m craving something - I tune into the signal and listen to what my body is trying to tell me.

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AND I teach my clients to do the same.

The truth is, if you want to lose weight and keep it off - restriction is not the solution.

We know that meals don’t happen in isolation and that what you eat today will affect you later in the week. What you ate on the weekend will affect how you feel today.

Restriction leaves you feeling deprived, leading to overindulging and staying stuck in the Deprivation Indulgence Scale.

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Once I learned to eat things in moderation, I could navigate the middle between feeling stuffed and deprived. I have learned to trust myself around food, so I can sample bites of anything I want without going to extremes.

I can keep ice cream in the house without eating the whole pint. I can have two Oreos after dinner as my sweet treat instead of the entire package. I can have carbs without overdoing it to the point of feeling sluggish and drowsy.

Sure I still have the occasional night, like Tuesday, where I let stress get the best of me, and I eat the whole double order of pasta from the restaurant down the street.

But mostly - I eat what I want in moderation.

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I focus on increasing the Satisfaction Factor of my meals - making them more satisfying. Having a healthy portion of carbs, enough quality fat and protein, and satisfying my sweet tooth is key.

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When my clients earn the opportunity to eat in a deficit, we only subtract one portion of carbs - about 100-200 less calories per day.

That’s it!

I want them to stay satisfied - their hunger low, their cravings managed, and their energy balanced. I want them to be able to remain mindful throughout their day - practicing awareness checks every few hours so they can develop the ability to tune into their body’s signals and stay out of autopilot.

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So if you’re feeling stuck in your weight loss journey, I want you to know that there is a better way - you don’t have to play this game of willpower and restriction - you can lose weight from a place of satisfaction.

Curious and want to know more?

Reply to this email, or DM me the word “Satisfaction,” and let’s chat!

Until next time,

Stay satisfied.

Coach Morgan