extremes are easy - what I'm asking you to do is much harder

Published: Mon, 12/29/14

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It's January 1st this week, and I am excited to share with you the things I am going to be differently with my nutrition in the new year!

Nothing.

I am not going to “tighten up” or jump on a cleanse or detox or 90-challenge. I’m going to continue doing what I do, which is eat moderately 365 days of the year.

Not perfect. But 100% of the time, making moderate choices.

Besides, what is “perfect” anyway? Most people think of “perfect” as close to a competition prep diet or a specific plan, like eating “perfectly Paleo” or IIFYM. For me, the perfect plan is the one that I can do every single day, regardless of the time of day, day of the week or time of year.

I call this #moderation365.

I want to tell you why the old way of deprive-then-binge or yo-yo dieting doesn’t work. And I want to convince you to join the #moderation365 movement, to be an example of someone who eats sustainably year round and creates an efficient way to exercise that you enjoy and doesn’t take up your entire day.

But isn’t moderation settling??

First, you might ask, “But Jill, why moderation? It seems like settling. I mean, if you can’t at least try in the New Year, when can you?”

And I get that. I actually had that same mentality for years – until it kept not working.

See, it's not that I'm anti-strive. It's just that I've seen this kind of fast-out-of-the-gate approach work for so few people in the long run that I actually feel obligated to help women find a forever-solution now.

Because constantly pushing only to be let down later is not a benign process. It's discouraging and defeatist mentally, not to mention the toll it takes on your metabolism, year after year yo-yo'ing, is not without effect.

So while in theory I understand and even appreciate the "go hard or go home" attitude, my personal experience is that is does a disservice to more women than it helps.

My view is the longer-term one, and it's not for everyone (at least not for where each person is in their journey) so I do think it's important that people follow their heart -- whether that's toward a more strict/"attain" approach (and have the experience, again!) or a sustainable/maintain low-stress forever solution.

Don't do anything that doesn't feel 100% exciting and right for you.

You'll know you're ready for #moderation365 when it doesn't feel like a hard sell. In fact, you're ready for it when it's your only option.

Extremes are easy

My girl Karen posted this on the JillFit Facebook page the other day, and I have to agree with her:
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Going to extremes is easy – just look around you. Probably 90% of the people you know are getting their food lists together, breaking out their Tupperwares, eating every sweet and treat in sight in anticipation of being “super tight” come January 1st.

This is the Meal Plan Culture and I can't get on board with it anymore.

And it's the easiest thing, isn't it? You just give your process over to some coach or expert or diet book or “challenge” and try to white-knuckle your way through the plan they give you. It’s easy because you get to shirk responsibility and when it inevitably isn’t sustainable, you get to blame that program or coach or expert: “They must be crazy! No one can do this!” I agree. But we are actually the crazy ones, thinking anyone can do this for us.

And yet, we have all done this a million times. I used to looooove meal plans. It felt so organized. I got excited anticipating the control it was going to give me. It would be so perfect!

Until it wasn’t, because it was impossible to keep up. Of course it was! *cue the defeatist thoughts and discouragement*

It took me literally dozens of back-and-forths, excuses, blames, complains and more to finally, finally start taking control of my own process. No one could help me. The only way I was going to find a sustainable approach was creating one myself, using tactics that were mentally difficult to accept, like “moderation” and preemptive cheating and navigating a middle ground.

Scary, because moderation is a lot harder. Just like Karen pointed out.

And I’m asking you to try it.

I’m asking you to harness the courage to try a new way, and find a potential forever-solution. 

What is #moderation365?

It’s the anti yo-yo. It’s making the same choices with your nutrition day after day, month after month with zero consideration of the day, week, month or time of year. It’s the anti-situational eating.

I am hosting a FREE 15-day DIY training series called ‘#moderation365 in 2015’ and I would love for you to participate (starts January 5th). It includes three live webinar trainings with me and ongoing participation from you on Instagram – for a chance to win prizes and also just be a kickass example of someone who makes moderate choices every single day and shirks the Meal Plan Culture.


I don’t want to see pics of dry chicken in Tupperwares and I don’t want to see poptarts and candy. If those act as preemptive cheats here and there in moderate doses, then fine. But #moderation365 is not IIFYM. It’s not about “saving up” certain macros for a “treat” later. In fact, it’s not about counting anything at all.

If you’re going to count anything, have it be your lucky stars that you are not obsessed with food anymore!

#Moderation365 is a final approach. It’s about reducing the amount of mental energy food takes up in your brain. It’s automating your eating so that you just wake up and eat “how you eat.” No considerations, no deprivation, no binging, no stressing, no white-knuckle willpower, no burning off treats with exercise.

How do you know if you are eating with a #Moderation365 approach? You’ll know you’re doing it when things get easy.

Depriving yourself = not easy
Eating everything you want = not easy
Eating to feel satisfied but not stuffed = easy

#Moderation365 is about satisfaction, not discomfort on either end of the spectrum.

Feeling satisfied is what makes this approach doable. And if it’s doable forever, then you are, in fact, going to be able to eat the same way 365 days of the year.

You’ll know you have it mastered when you eat the same on Saturdays that you do on Mondays. New year, same approach.

You in? ;)

See you in 2015!

Love,
Jill