I used to obsess about fitness.
I slaved away in the gym, 7 days a week. I’ve tried all sorts of workout programs.
I used to ditch every single food outside of the 6 that were on the list of “clean foods”. Counted calories. Ate every 2-3 hours. Ate 6 meals a day. Ate only the meals I prepared in tupperware. Ate only things that were organic. Took all sorts of supplements. Weighed my foods with a food scale. Balanced my macros perfectly.
I stopped eating past 7PM. Stopped eating at restaurants. Stopped going to family gatherings.
Gave up carbs. Gave up sugar. Gave up alcohol. Heck, I even gave up my social life so I couldn’t sabotage myself.
To put it simply, I’ve tried almost every nutrition and training protocol that exists. All because there always seemed to be something new every week.
I would read up on Protocol X, do it for a few days, only to learn later from a doctor on TV that Protocol Y was infinitely better.
Then there was Protocol Z that I learned about from fitness magazine. So I’d try that next.
Oh, and let’s not forget about Protocol Lose-weight-by-putting- butter-in-your-coffee. I did this for a good 6 months until I started to put on weight out of nowhere.
Apparently, buttered coffee is no magic fat loss recipe.
This pattern of obsessively trying one thing to another went on for years. I suffered from Shiny Object Syndrome, always searching for “the next best thing” even when I was already headed in the right direction.
It caused me to regress as I was constantly feeling lost, stressed out, and hopeless.
That’s not to say though that it was all a bad thing.
Eventually, the obsession resulted in a positive physical change. It also taught me (the hard way) the process of what it really takes to build a healthy body inside and out. That it’s truly possible to achieve your fitness goals without stressing over every detail, big or small. 7
Most importantly, my experiences taught me that you can live a meaningful life enhanced by fitness — not consumed by it.
Which brings us to this guide.
I can’t say that I’ve figured everything out. I also can’t promise that this will solve all your problems.
What I can tell you is this: if you read this with an open mind, it might just help you to regain your sanity, reduce your stress, and get your life back.
*Credit goes out to my friend Nate Green for coining the term “Recovering Fitness Junkie”.