Shut Up And Choose
Welcome to the Shut Up and Choose podcast, where we cut through the noise of fad diets, quick fixes, shots, pills, and even the gym. Hosted by Jonathan Ressler, who shares his personal journey of losing 140+ pounds, this podcast dives into the hard truth: being fat is a choice, and just like that, you can choose to lose the weight. If you’re tired of gimmicks, quick-fix scams, and endless excuses, it’s time to make smart, sustainable choices and take control of your health. Tune in for no-nonsense advice, real talk, and the motivation you need to Shut Up and Choose!
Shut Up And Choose
Live First, Lose Later: The Weight Loss Secret No One Talks About
Ever wondered how you can lose weight without grueling workouts or fad diets? Imagine shedding over 140 pounds by simply embracing a balanced lifestyle. On this episode of "Shut Up and Choose," I, Jonathan Ressler, share my personal journey of transformation and show you how living fully, loving food without guilt, and making mindful choices can revolutionize your relationship with food and your body. Hear from inspiring listeners like Stacy and Mark, whose lives have been transformed by this approach, proving that small, smart choices can lead to significant, lasting changes.
Join us as we explore the mantra "live life, love food, lose weight," and understand how pursuing passions and fostering relationships pave the way to natural weight loss. We'll dive into the importance of identifying your "why" and connecting it to meaningful aspects of your life, like health, family, or personal growth. With tips on finding joy, practicing gratitude, and eliminating energy-draining habits, this episode is your guide to achieving long-term success by focusing on happiness and mindfulness. Get ready to choose your way to a healthier, happier life!
Get my video course Live Life- Love Food - Lose Weight Get it Here
If you're a whiny snowflake that can't handle the truth, is offended by the word fuck and about 37 uses of it in different forms gets ass hurt. When you hear someone speak the absolute, real and raw truth, you should leave Like right now. This is Shut Up and Choose, the podcast where we cut through the shit and get real about weight loss, life and everything in between. We get into the nitty gritty of making small, smart choices that add up to big results. From what's on your plate to how you approach life's challenges. We'll explore how the simple act of choosing differently can transform your health, your mindset and your entire freaking life. So if you're ready to cut through the bullshit and start making some real changes, then buckle up and shut up, because we're about to choose our way to a healthier, happier life. This is Shut Up and Choose.
Speaker 2:Let's do this Now. Your host, jonathan Ressler. Hey, welcome back to Shut Up and Choose the podcast that cuts through the noise of all those fat diets, quick fixes and all those other unrealistic weight loss promises out there all the bullshit that you hear about how you're going to lose all this weight. I'm your host, jonathan Reston. I'm here to share the brutally honest truth about achieving sustainable weight loss. As you know, I lost over 140 pounds with no diet, no exercise, none of the fads, gimmicks or any of that crap. I just figured out a way to embrace a balanced and healthy lifestyle, and here I am. So last week, I said that I was going to read a couple emails because I'm just touched by them. To be honest, I'm thrilled that I'm changing lives, so let me read you one email before we get into the main topic today. So here's the first one. Hi, jonathan, I just had to reach out and share how much your book has impacted me.
Speaker 2:Since I started practicing mindful eating, my relationship with food has completely changed. I'm no longer stressing about diets or feeling like I'm constantly battling with my weight. Instead, I'm listening to my body, enjoying my meals and living life without guilt. The changes have been incredible, not just in how I look, but in how I feel every day. I can't thank you enough for helping me find this freedom. By the way, I'm down 22 pounds so far and still going strong, stacy Wow, that's intense. Here's the second one I want to read to you. Sorry, jonathan, I've been on every diet imaginable low-carb juice, cleanses, you name it. So I was skeptical when I started reading Shut Up and Choose. I didn't believe that making small, smart choices could really make a difference after all my failed attempts. But your approach changed everything for me. As I started implementing your advice, I noticed that my choices began to shift naturally. The pressure and stress I used to feel are gone and for the first time, I'm seeing real, sustainable progress. I'm so grateful for the new path your book has shown me. Mark G God man that is. I love eating donuts and I love eating stuff that diet coaches say is bad for you, but I got to tell you, reading emails like that feeds my soul. I love the fact that I'm helping people. I love my journey and I love that I'm able to help people on their own journey. I mean that, wow, it's all I can say. I'm really thank you guys for writing in. I really appreciate it. There's a bunch more, but you get the idea I'm really changing lives here and that's really kind of exciting and fun for me. As much as I love the weight that I lost, I love the fact that I'm helping people. So thank you for letting me help you.
Speaker 2:Okay, so moving on to the main topic of the podcast, today I'm going to talk about why living life is. Probably my slogan is live life, love food, lose weight but why living life is probably the most important piece to that puzzle. Because I believe if you don't live life, you can't do the next two In this world, in today's society, like weight loss is often seen as a simple equation of diet and exercise. But that narrow focus ignores the fundamental truth, which is to achieve lasting success, you have to first embrace living life fully. So in my philosophy, it's not just a step in the process. Living is at the very foundation. Without truly living life, you'll struggle to build a positive relationship with food and to ever reach that weight loss goal. So today let's look at why the first part is so critical on your weight loss journey.
Speaker 2:In case you didn't listen last week, my new philosophy is live life, love food and lose weight. So let me tell you real quickly what those three things mean. So, live life. It's about embracing every aspect of your life, so pursuing your passions, building relationships, just basically finding joy and happiness in everything you do every day. It's about living in the moment, not waiting to achieve a certain weight before you start to live your life. So the second part is love food. You know what that means. Obviously, love the food. It's about building a healthy relationship with food. It's about savoring the meals that you're eating, enjoying everything that you're eating and eliminating that guilt that comes with the diet industry telling you you have to be careful what you eat and lose weight. Of course, that's really what we're all here for, but I think when you fully love your food and you fully live your life, weight loss is just a natural byproduct, and it's not shouldn't be about strict diets and fucking hours in the gym. It's about making small, smart choices that align with your desire for a healthier life. And we're going to talk about desire in a little bit, but right now let's talk about why living life is really the foundation of weight loss and why it's so critical.
Speaker 2:So, when you're engaged in activities and things that bring you joy and bring you fulfillment. You're living a fulfilled life, weight loss really becomes a secondary outcome. It did for me. I focused on living my life. Of course I wanted to lose weight. But when you focus on really living a full life, enjoying your hobbies, hanging out with friends, just basically finding happiness every day, you naturally adopt these behaviors that support your overall health. You stop turning to food for comfort, which I certainly did, or out of boredom, which I definitely did, because you're already fulfilled in a bunch of other areas of your life. So the food kind of becomes secondary.
Speaker 2:I also think that when you find happiness, that's really a key factor in weight loss, and I'm not going to get into the medical bullshit. But when you're happy, your body produces less cortisol. You know that's a stress hormone that leads to weight gain, belly fat, shit like that. So I don't know. I'm not saying that if you're really stressed out you're going to balloon up You're not. But cortisol is definitely not good for you on a weight loss journey. I'm not saying your body's going to release so much cortisol you're going to go from 200 to 400 pounds. No, that's not the case. But on the other hand, so stress and unhappiness definitely leads to emotional eating and poor food choices. So for that reason, being happy is really important.
Speaker 2:So by prioritizing living your life and really trying to be happy, you create this environment that basically supports your weight loss. And when you're living that way and you're happy and you're living a full life, you just naturally prioritize your health. You begin to see exercise and this took me a while but you begin to see exercise and this took me a while but you begin to see exercise not really as a punishment but as a way to feel good and have more energy. And you start to approach your body and appreciate your body for what it can do rather than just how it looks. So I think that little shift it did for me and, like I said, I've only been exercising for a few months now. I lost a lot of the weight without exercising, but that shift where exercise became something I enjoyed definitely makes it easier for me to adopt and maintain the healthy habits that I built up over the last year and a half.
Speaker 2:Now a really big one for me is that most people will say motivation is really the key to weight loss or willpower is the key to weight loss, but the truth is it's actually desire that drives long-term success. Motivation can fluctuate, but a deep desire, like rooted in something that's so important to you that you commit to living it that fuels constant action and resilience. So when you desire a healthier life and again that was my why my initial why was to live, but now my why is to lead a healthier life, because I want to enjoy my time on the planet, because everybody only gets limited time. I know that's no revelation to anybody, but you get to live your life and pursue your passions and feel your best every day. You're more likely to make the lasting changes and stick with them. So that's a really powerful one. Desire is really powerful, and that's why I believe that living life fully, really living life, is the cornerstone to successful weight loss. It was for me and I believe it can be for everybody else.
Speaker 2:But when I started thinking about it, like, how do you live that life more fully? Well, here's some stuff that I reflected on that I really, you know, had to figure out what these things were. How was I going to live my life a little better? So number one is definitely you have to identify and figure out what brings you joy right. So find those activities, the people, the experiences, whatever it is that bring you joy. It could be painting or hiking, reading, spending time with your family. That's an easy one. Make those things a priority in your life, because when you're engaged in activities that make you happy, you're less likely to seek comfort in food. Those happy and joyful activities also reduce stress, which is definitely a common trigger for emotional eating. So really try to surround yourself with stuff that makes you happy. Some of the things that you can do is I do practice gratitude every day, but write down one or two things that bring you joy and make sure that you make time for those things every day, whatever they may be. I also think it's really important to reduce or eliminate shit that drains your energy right, like those people that fucking bring you down or things that bring you down. Focus on the stuff that really matters to you.
Speaker 2:Another thing that I did which I guess if you read my book I hide it, I avoided, I hide it. Wow, I can't even speak English anymore. I hid, I hide it, I avoid it, I hide it. Wow, I can't even speak English anymore. I hid, I didn't. I avoided certain social situations because of the way I looked and felt, but I think it's really important to have to build some strong relationships. While you're on this journey or while you're doing this thing, spend time with people that really uplift and support you and who bring positivity into your life.
Speaker 2:We all have those one or two fucking naysayers and no matter what you tell them, they always tell you why you're wrong or why it's not going to work, or why there's a problem or how they did it. Fuck them. Get those motherfuckers out of your life and be around people, because loneliness definitely leads to emotional eating and a lack of motivation, which I don't care about, but a lack of desire. Those positive relationships provide you with encouragement and they help you keep on track. I know when I was sitting home alone on a friday or saturday night because I was feeling sorry for myself, I would fucking find something to eat. I always think, oh yeah, I'm hungry, I'm hungry, so I would eat something. So definitely make some. Build your relationships or hang out with people that you like and talk to people that you like, because that I really believe that gives you a leg up.
Speaker 2:I definitely now again, never did, but now exercise is definitely something important. You should find shit that you enjoy. Like I said, it could be swimming or dancing or yoga or anything that you enjoy, whatever it is that you're going to do. That's important to do because when you enjoy, whatever it is that you're going to do, that's important to do because when you enjoy your physical activity, whatever it is like for me, I look forward to my morning walk every morning. So when you enjoy that physical activity, it just becomes natural that consistency really supports your weight loss goals. It helps you to stay on track. So I say try different shit until you find out one that really excites you and then do it. Like I don't remember what was the movie Stars, keep in Touch, do it. Do it Jack and Coke. Do it. No, jack and Coke should not be the activity that excites you, although it can be fun.
Speaker 2:Definitely, practice mindfulness and gratitude. Okay, mindfulness helps you to be present. I say you always have to be present every time you open your mouth, but gratitude shifts your focus to the positive aspects of your life. You may feel like a big lump of shit, like I did at 411 pounds and laying around saying my life fucking sucks. And the truth, as you know, if you read my book. There was a time when I was laying in that hospital bed and I was just ready to die. I was ready to pack it in and just basically be done. So when you have gratitude and you're present, those two things foster a positive mindset, and that again supports weight loss.
Speaker 2:Again, on the mindful eating side, slow down and think about what you're eating. Every time you open your mouth, you have to pay attention to what you're eating and pay attention to your fullness cues. And I, like I said, I do practice gratitude. Every morning I sit down and I try to do it for longer, but it usually is two or three minutes. I think about all the things that I'm grateful for in my life. There's a lot of things that I'd like to have and there's a lot of things that I don't have, but you know what? I also have a lot of things that I'm grateful for, those for my family, for my friends, for you. Believe me, when you sit down and think about all the things you're grateful for your life, your day will start out better and you will be able to stay more focused on your weight loss journey.
Speaker 2:This one's a big one. I touched on it last week. Definitely you have to stop waiting to live, right? One of the biggest obstacles in living life fully is the mindset is that you have to lose the weight and then you can start enjoying life. And don't fall into that trap, because that's a bunch of shit. Waiting to live until you reach that certain that goal. Weight leads to all the feelings of a diet right, like deprivation, frustration, and that shit's gonna sabotage your weight loss effort. So definitely do not wait. Start living your life now. Start enjoying your life right now, not waiting for a number on the scale. And you can do that by focusing on goals that really enhance your life beyond weight loss. All right, if you.
Speaker 2:For me, I should have walked, but I I think it's an excuse. I said I couldn't walk, but you know, find things that focus on those little small victories that happen every day. Hey, I didn't eat that extra fork full, or no, I didn't have cake for dessert. So find those things that you know that you're doing well with and really focus on those things. So acknowledge your strengths and unique qualities, regardless of your weight. Yeah, I talked about motivation for a second, but I really want to dive a little bit deeper into that, because motivation often gets a spotlight when it comes to a weight loss journey, but the truth is it's desire that really drives that long-term success.
Speaker 2:So motivation comes and goes, it can be fleeting, it can be influenced by external factors, other people, whatever, but desire is a deep-rooted feeling that comes from deep inside your body, and desire is is so much more powerful than motivation on your weight loss journey. So desire is tied to your core value. Your core values, your beliefs and your long-term goals. Right, I always talk about finding your why. Figure out why you want to lose this weight, and that's the personal drive that keeps you focused on what's really important. It's that deep, intrinsic desire for weight loss, but it's rooted in your love for life and your commitment to living it fully. Yes, I wanted to lose weight, but I wanted to be healthier and I wanted to be able to do all those things, and losing weight was just a byproduct. So having that why and that desire really pushes you forward when your motivation goes out the window.
Speaker 2:I talked about identifying your why, and that's a really important piece. You have to figure out why you want to lose weight. Connect it to something meaningful Again, for me it was health, or your family or personal growth, whatever it is. You have to figure out what that why is it's not a number on the scale and then imagine your life after you achieve those weight loss goals. After you achieve that goal. That vision really strengthens your desire. It helps you to get to that place. So create a really powerful why.
Speaker 2:And another thing desire does is it fuels consistency right, and consistency is absolutely the key to long-term weight loss. And desire fuels that consistency right and consistency is absolutely the key to long-term weight loss. And desire fuels that consistency right. Unlike motivation, which comes and goes, desire keeps you on track every single day. Desire drives you to make consistent, small choices that support your goals, even on days when your motivation is low or not even there. So I like to develop those small daily rituals. For me they're crazy ritual, right, but I knew that if I ate overnight oats that I made the night before, if I started out eating that in the morning, I was going to be on track. If I went out and had a bagel or something like that, I was going way off track. So find those little things and then celebrate those small wins and focus on the consistent progress rather than the perfection.
Speaker 2:Desire also helps you navigate challenges when they come up, because they're going to come up. Obstacles come up, twists and turns all over the journey, but desire pushes you to find the solution and keep moving forward. I always tell you, a weight loss journey is ugly. It's not smooth, it's not pretty, it's bumpy and lumpy and all just ugly. But desire helps you stay resilient, right. It helps you stay focused even in the face of those setbacks. And when you have a fuck up which you're going to have, because everybody does use it as an opportunity to strengthen your commitment to your goal right, those obstacles are just temporary. There's just one small bad choice you ate ice cream, you ate candy, you ate whatever it is. It was just one small bad choice. Another thing that desire did for me was it really empowered me to take control of my weight loss journey, right. So instead of relying on some external motivation, I was driven by this deep desire to lose the weight because I wanted to be healthier, I wanted to live. That was why. That was how I lost the weight, that empowered me, that put me in the driver's seat and led to this sustainable, long-term success.
Speaker 2:I know this is going to be a shocker to many of you, but you know the way that you do, that. The way you become empowered is be accountable, right, recognize that your weight loss journey is yours and yours alone. You're responsible for the choices. You're responsible for all your past choices and all the choices you're going to make in the future. So, every day, try to make those choices, those small, smart choices that align with your desire for a healthier life, and think about, think back on the day. How did I do today? Because you have to celebrate the successes. So, in the end, I think that living life fully and having that desire is the critical foundation of your weight loss journey. It's not just a step in the progress, it's the key that unlocks all the other steps. So when you embrace life and you really are committed to living the life and doing the things that you love to do, and you're practicing mindfulness and you're grateful and you're living in the present, you just naturally cultivate a deep desire to achieve your weight loss goals. And that desire is what fuels consistency and empowerment, making it the most powerful force in your journey.
Speaker 2:So stop, I'm telling you right now. Stop waiting to live. Stop saying, oh, I'm going to, I'm really going to start. I'm going to have a great life when I lose all this weight. No, that's a crock of shit. No, start having a great life right now. Yes, you may have some physical limitations because you're so fat you can't walk, which is where I was, so I'm comfortable saying that. But start living your life right now and you'll be shocked at how the weight starts to come off, not because you're forcing it, but because you're finally living in a way that supports your health and happiness.
Speaker 2:You can't lose weight when you're not happy. Period, you got to be happy. So when you live life fully, you don't just lose the weight that's a byproduct but you actually gain a life that you love. And right now I can tell you I'm living my best life. I love where I am in this time and space.
Speaker 2:Do I want more things and other? Of course we all do. We always want more. I think I would like to have more of this and more of that, and I'd like to be. I would like to be fitter and I would like to be thinner and I'd like to be all those things. But you know what? I'm really, really happy with? Where I am right now, and I know that I'm going. I'm moving day by day, and I know that I'm going. I'm moving day by day. I'm moving closer to my goal of being healthier and more fit and all those things. And if you ask me, what weight do you want to get to? I have no fucking idea, nor do I give a shit. Okay, I don't care, I'm just going to keep going until I feel like I'm as healthy and as happy as I can possibly be.
Speaker 2:And the weight loss I promise you is just a side effect. It's just a byproduct of living a happy life. So that wraps up my part one of live life, love food, lose weight and why living life is so important. I promise you, if you're fucking miserable on your diet, on your keto diet or your paleo diet or your Atkins or South Beach or I don't know there's so many fucking diets out there, it's ridiculous If you're unhappy on that diet, you're not going to lose the weight, you're not living your life. If you're not going out, if you're not doing the shit that you need to do to live your life, you're not going to lose the weight. And if you do, it's not going to lose the weight. And if you do, it's not going to be sustainable. So live your life. Don't wait to live your life. Live it right now. Nothing is promised, right? So live your life right now and I promise you that you will start to see the weight come off naturally. So that's it for today.
Speaker 2:Next week, I'm going to talk a little bit about why it's important to love the food you're eating. That should be pretty obvious, right? If your food tastes like dog shit, you don't want to eat it. And then the last thing is I'll talk about how the weight comes off. That'll be probably part three, but that's it for today. So again, for those of you that bought my book or sent me a review or an email or whatever, thank you so much. For those of you that haven't bought it yet, what the hell are you waiting for? It's great. I love it. I had fun writing it. It's changing lives, which is probably the most exciting part of this whole thing.
Speaker 2:If you know people that need a kick in the ass, you know what this is two podcasts in a row where I haven't been nasty. I got to change that. I haven't been sarcastic, I haven't been, you know, I haven't. Well, I've used some foul language, right, yeah, all right, so that's okay, but I just I haven't really told you that you're fat, so listen, you're fucking fat. Just because I needed to say that once in the podcast. I think it's important, but really, if you know people that need a kick in the ass, tell them to listen to my podcast. I know, like I said, I know I'm harsh, but the shit that I'm telling you is the real truth. It's unfiltered. It's what worked for me.
Speaker 2:I'm living, walking, breathing proof that you can do this without any fad diets, without the gym, without any crazy shots or pills or surgeries or any of that shit. You can do this. Anybody can do this. It's about making small, smart choices. It's about making up your mind and understanding why you want to lose the weight. This is doable for anybody. I don't care about your special disease or any of that. You can do this. I don't care about your genes that your parents were fat you can do this. I don't care about that. It's hard to lose weight? No, it's not. It's fucking easy. So you can do this. It's all about one thing it's about making small, smart choices every day. So, with that being said, I guess all I really have left to say is shut up and choose, you've been listening to shut up and choose.
Speaker 1:Jonathan's passion is to share. Shut Up and Choose no fucking Jim, and guess what? You can do it too. We hope you enjoyed the show. We had a fucking blast. If you did, make sure to like, rate and review, we'll be back soon, but in the meantime, find Jonathan on Instagram at JonathanWrestlerBocaRaton. Until next time, shut up and choose.
