Another January, another Monday, another day one. After a dozen rounds of eating less and moving more, the question worth asking isn't which diet to try next. It's what all those diets cost you.

What dieting takes from you

You've spent years being sold plans that took something from you every time. Muscle. Energy. Your relationship with food. The belief that your body would even respond to another diet attempt.

A dozen or more rounds of that leaves a crumbling foundation. Most women are still trying to build on top of it without ever repairing it, and that's a big part of why the weight keeps coming back.

Dieting vs. fat loss: the difference

The diet world says eat less, move more, shrink yourself, and start over in January. The anti diet world pushed back hard on that, and rightly so, but it can leave women feeling like wanting to change their body is something to apologize for.

There's a third option, and that is where I stand, this is how I coach my clients and I truly believed every mid life woman can benefit from this process and understanding...

Dieting is something you're always doing, on and off with very little long term success.

Fat loss is something you do on purpose, for a season, and then stop. It has a beginning and an end. You're properly fueled, and your muscle is protected. Fat loss is a process that can be applied after time of building a foundation.

Step one is undoing, not cutting

Before fat loss, the work is repair:

• Eating enough again after years of eating less, enough protein but also just enough overall calories.
• Building back the muscle that years of eat less, move more cost you
• Learning what your body actually needs so food stops being something you white knuckle through

Then fat loss, as a season

From that foundation, you can absolutely pursue fat loss. You're allowed to want it. But it happens as an intentional phase, not the permanent condition you've been living in since you were 22.

What the real numbers look like

One client's scale moved 2 pounds in 11 weeks while her body completely changed. She also finally felt energized, slept better. and got really strong. A basic scale can't tell muscle gained from fat lost, so it can never tell the whole story.

Where to start

I recorded a free 45 minute training on why the weight keeps coming back, and what to prioritize instead of cardio and cutting. [Watch the free training here.]