Let me start off by saying that I am not at all a fitness expert and before you start any health journey, you should consult a medical professional. These are some things I have learned over the years, and I am passing on the wisdom I have gained from my own personal experiences.

“All you need is willpower” This is probably one of the most deflating sentences to someone with executive function problems. I have heard this so frequently in podcasts, on blogs, and in person. The truth is that organizational skills are more important than willpower when you’re trying to lose weight. Unfortunately, as someone diagnosed with ADHD, those are kind of a hit or miss for me as well. As I say regularly, consistency is key. We only have so much willpower in a single day. If that’s all you are relying on, you are setting yourself up to fail before you even start. Successful weight loss is less about willpower and more about preparing yourself with healthy habits. If you wake up in a bad mood or you don’t feel great or something in your life goes wrong, your willpower goes right out the window. But if you have built a routine – you have planned out your healthy day, you have shopped for and prepped your healthy meals, and scheduled your time at the gym, you are much more likely to stick to your plan. Willpower comes and goes. Start with a plan. Build a routine. You will be much more successful this way!

“Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels” may be one of the most annoying things I have ever heard. I understand what they are getting at. You have to be more careful about what you are putting into your body and when you are restricting your calories or types of food you are eating, it’s a nice reminder of why you are doing this. However, chocolate mousse (I don’t do cake) tastes AMAZING. The texture, the flavor, the way it makes my brain chemistry shoot off dopamine fireworks? It feels WAY better than being exhausted at 8am from a good workout. It tastes WAY better than the 4th stick of celery I’ve had today. Part of me would rather eat chocolate mousse 5x a day for the rest of my life even if it meant I’d never fit into a size 16 again. I fight myself regularly about food and calories and serving sizes and have I eaten enough vegetables or too many carbs? This is why we have cheat days, people. You cannot deprive yourself of delicious foods constantly and still expect to be happy. Being fit and healthy is a lifetime marathon, not a 6 month sprint. Give yourself those rewards, even if they come in the shape of food now and then.

“Just eat 1200 calories a day and the weight will fall off” To a point, this is true. Scientifically speaking, the only way to lose weight is calorie deficit. That is, you either ingest fewer calories by eating less food or you burn more calories by exercising more. However, everyone’s body is different and you will need to calculate your individual BMR (basal metabolic rate) to see how much fuel your body needs to maintain, lose, or gain the weight you want. If you eat 1200 calories a day but your body requires 1750 to function, you aren’t doing yourself any favors by starving your body. While it’s true that the heavier a person is, the more calories they need to maintain their weight, it is also true that they need more calories to be healthy as well. As you progress through your weight loss journey, make sure to recalculate your BMR regularly.

You can use this calorie calculator to estimate the number of calories you need to consume on average to maintain, lose, or gain weight. This takes into consideration your age, height, weight, and level of activity.

The image on the right shows my daily needs for 15lbs heavier than I am now. The one on the left is current. It hasn’t changed much, but it has changed. I will also need to recalculate if I decide to exercise more frequently or more vigorously. Or, if I become injured or ill and can’t workout, I will need to recalculate.

The image above shows my personal calorie intake calculator for moderate, light, and zero exercise per week. As you can see, they are different. The more I move, the more calories I need to fuel my body. But that doesn’t mean I can eat anything my cravings tell me to!

“If you work out every day you can eat whatever you want” I can’t tell you the number of people I have heard say this and it’s an outright lie. Again, yes… if you exercise more you burn more. So you would have to eat more to keep up with your metabolism. HOWEVER –healthy weight loss is 75% diet and 25% exercise. It is far more important to be mindful of what you put into your body when trying to lose weight. Remember, food is fuel! It’s important to make sure you are getting the best fuel into your body for your best performance possible. Eating a 500 calorie cheeseburger and a 200 calorie soda is obviously not going to make your body as healthy as getting those same calories from a handful of almonds, a piece of fruit, a cut of lean meat, and some vegetables.

“Cardio is THE key to weight loss” While cardio is important, it is not the be all end all of weight loss or fitness. Strength training to build muscle is necessary. Weight exercises build strong connective tissue and tendons which help you better perform daily activities, build lean muscle, and enhance bone density. It also has the added bonus of burning a few extra calories. 10lbs of muscle burns about 50 calories per day “at rest” while 10lbs of fat burns about 20 calories at rest.

The bottom line here is to do your research and make a plan that works for YOU! Every individual is different and your needs will change a lot throughout the year. Reevaluate your plan regularly and don’t be afraid to go against the advice from your friends or so-called “fitness experts” on social media. Don’t go looking for a quick fix if you want long-term results. Remember, a quick-fix diet is only going to last for so long. Being healthy is a life long journey and a mindset shift. It won’t happen overnight.