Quit THIS In 2025 And You'll Stay Lean Forever

Got it! Here’s the full version with every single word from your original text:

I bet you’ve had some success with weight loss over the years. Maybe you’ve lost and gained the same 10 or 20 pounds over and over and over again, only to wind up back where you started—or worse.

If you’ve been chasing fat loss for a while and feel like you’re stuck in a cycle of restrictive diets and punishing workout programs, I’ve got a better option for you.

This year, you’re going to learn how to stop sabotaging your progress and feel in control of your weight.

Practically everyone starts off the year with enthusiasm and commitment. After The Hangover wears off, most of us are ready to hit the ground running—sometimes literally. But wait! Before you plunge yourself into an ice bath—not an effective weight loss strategy, by the way—go on a 30-day juice detox, or start doing a daily 2-hour boot camp, ask yourself this question:

Is this sustainable for you?

I put the emphasis on for you rather than sustainable because for some people, going carnivore and eating nothing but meat might be perfectly pleasant, while others would give up all animal products and be vegan with no trouble at all. But those are the extremes on either side.

Most of us fall somewhere in between in terms of preference. Lean proteins, vegetables, and fruit should be part of our balanced, sustainable diet. You know what else should be in there?

Your favourite treats.

Let’s be realistic. Are you really going to be able to give up chocolate or ice cream or fries or chips or chicken wings or donuts forever? This is completely personal. You have to take inventory and decide which foods are really worth it for you, then exclude the other high-calorie-density, ultra-processed foods that are just in that meh category.

In my online fat loss program, The Lean & Strong Academy, we do a task where we look at the foods that we eat and decide whether they’re worth it or not.

Most members love this exercise because it helps them think more carefully about what foods add value to their diet and which ones they only eat out of habit—not true enjoyment.

Which ones are worth it, basically.

I love chocolate and ice cream, but I don’t eat donuts or french fries because I don’t enjoy them, and they really don’t do my acid reflux any favours either.

Food is fuel, but food is also for enjoyment. You need to eat what you love and love what you eat—strategically—so that you can still achieve fat loss.

Forget the idea of good foods or bad foods. You don’t need to cut out entire food groups or starve yourself to lose fat.

Is it realistic if you just decide you’re going to eat clean or only whole, minimally processed foods all the time forever?

It’s probably not realistic.

What happens when your birthday rolls around? Are you skipping cake? Are you asking someone to make you a special cake out of chicken breast and broccoli? Is every business lunch or dinner going to be a chicken salad or hake and vegetables?

I’m not even saying that’s a bad thing, because most of your meals will need to be something like that. If you choose wisely with foods you really enjoy—particularly within that lean protein and vegetables group—you’re going to build an enjoyable, sustainable fat loss plan.

But you shouldn’t feel guilty about enjoying the occasional planned (or even unplanned but adjusted-for) treat.

Guilt usually leads to feeling bad about yourself, and for many of us, that leads to more food.

There are sometimes reasons where restrictive diets may be necessary—either short or long-term. Medical conditions or investigating digestive issues, for example. I’ve done tons of elimination diets to try to improve my IBS and GERD, with fairly mixed results.

But if you have celiac disease, you need to restrict gluten. If you’re lactose intolerant, you need to avoid dairy or take lactase to help you digest it.

For fat loss, overly restrictive diets are unnecessary and can be harmful.

In just a quick glance around the internet, you’ll see people fear-mongering about vegetables, fruit, meat, dairy, gluten, grains, any processed food, GMOs, toxins, chemicals. None of these are the problems for weight loss or health that sensationalist influencers are making them out to be.

Everything is made of chemicals, and most people worried about them don’t even understand chemistry. Even water can be toxic to humans at a high enough dose, and many things that are natural—like asbestos, arsenic, or mercury—can be toxic at relatively low doses.

So let’s focus on the things that really matter for a healthy, sustainable fat loss plan for you.

If you slash calories to a ridiculously low level for a month or two—maybe through a juice diet or just eating very little—you will lose weight. But you’ll only lose weight for as long as you can sustain that. And not eating in a normal way makes it hard to make the transition back to eating real food again.

You’ll only gain that weight back.

The poor relationship with food that you’ll develop through that process will only hurt your long-term weight loss success. You may also lose muscle, which is crucial for keeping your metabolism as high as you can for your body size.

Many people who do crash diets can end up in a skinny fat situation, where they lose weight, but their body fat is still relatively high because they haven’t gained any muscle.

Extreme calorie deficits for long periods of time will drop your energy levels, make you move less, and may cause vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

Mentally, it screws you up.

Many people don’t think enough about how their relationship with food can be impacted by multiple courses of dieting.

We spend an entire module in The Lean & Strong Academy working on our relationship with food.

Everyone I’ve worked with in the over 20 years I’ve been coaching people has had some negative experiences or associations with food. Sometimes that takes some time to work through.

Most people go wrong with their New Year diet plan by going too far from what they usually eat.

I say, start from where you are and go from there. 

Look at what you’re currently eating and ask yourself:

Are you eating mostly nutrient-dense, whole foods?

That means lean proteins—poultry, fish, meat, dairy, whole grains, eggs and egg whites, beans, legumes—vegetables, fruit, and healthy fats like nuts, seeds, avocado, and olive oil.

Protein deserves a special mention here because it helps support muscle growth and maintenance. Healthy muscle will keep you lean and strong as you get older.

Aim for at least 0.7g per pound of body weight per day, and that can be a combination of animal and plant sources.

If you’re really struggling with protein, a simple protein shake of whey protein isolate—which is basically nothing but a fast-digesting protein—can make it easier to meet your protein target.

Beyond that, I also like to emphasize vegetables and fruit in a fat loss plan. They’re high in nutrients and low in calorie density, so they’re a natural fit for healthy fat loss.

Try to have a minimum of five servings a day—it can be a mix of vegetables and fruit.

Have you ticked all the boxes for protein and vegetables and fruit?

Then you can also include some of your favourite treat foods.

The key to long-term fat loss is balancing the foods you love with the foods that will fuel your body best.

This year, instead of making extreme resolutions, focus on small, sustainable changes that will make fat loss easier and more enjoyable.

If you need a proven system to help you lose fat and build muscle without the frustration of restrictive diets and excessive cardio, check out The Lean & Strong Academy.

This is your year to break the cycle and finally get lean and strong for life.

Ivana Chapman