Trade Offs When Dieting: Are They Worth It?

Let me set the scene:

• We want to get up early and exercise first thing, but we also want to stay up watching a movie the night before.
• We want to eat more of that pasta tonight, but we want to take a portion for lunch tomorrow.
• We want to lose fat, but we don’t want to restrict ourselves.

What’s my point?

Every decision we make is saying yes to one thing and saying no to another.

You cannot have your cake and eat it too.

It’s one or the other.

When you say yes to one thing, you say no to another- even if it’s not blindingly apparent.

If someone asks you to do a favour for them today and you say yes to them, this might seem like a simple thing at face value- but this results in you having less time, less freedom, and less ability to do something for yourself. Whether that was a gym session, going to the beach or for a walk, winding down, or getting organised for tomorrow. The “you-time” was the process of self-care. You said no to this when you gave your time away.

Likewise, if you say yes to the dinner choice and extra drinks that don’t align with your meal plan, you’re saying no to the process of achieving your goals.

You cannot have it both ways.

This doesn’t mean you can’t go out to a pizza restaurant with your friends, but it means you can’t do it 100% their way, and also 100% your way.

There’s going to be a trade-off somewhere, and the tradeoff has to be worth it. Either the trade-off is not ordering the pizza, or the trade-off is not achieving your goal.

If you’re happy to go out for dinner and forego ordering the pizza option in favour of a healthy salad option that aligns with your meal plan, then you’ve traded off “going with the flow”, in favour of your goal.

And vice versa, if you go out with your friends and order what they’re getting when it doesn’t fit in with your meal plan, then you’ve traded off your physique process goal to prioritise going with the flow and feeling less socially awkward.

I’ve picked this example because 99% of dieters go through this choice.

Alternatively, sub in “8 hours sleep” and “clubbing”, or “alcohol” and “hangovers”. You get the point.

How to choose your trade-off:

Step 1: Figure out what your values are. After you do this, you can live a life that’s in alignment with your values.

Really, dig deep here and don’t try to skip this step because everything hinges on it.

Keep asking “why”? Why is this important to you?

Let me provide an example.

“I value working hard”

Why?

Because I can earn money to do what I want

Why?

So I have freedom over my choices, how I spend my spare time, and how I facilitate those choices (with money).

Freedom is the highest value in this example. Not work.

Here are another 100 values that you might consider…

Core Values List:

• Family • Freedom • Security • Loyalty • Intelligence • Connection • Creativity • Humanity • Success • Respect • Invention • Diversity • Generosity • Integrity • Finesse • Love • Openness • Religion • Order • Advancement • Respect • Joy/Play • Forgiveness • Work Smarter and Harder • Excitement • Change • Goodness • Involvement • Faith • Wisdom • Beauty • Caring • Personal Development • Honesty • Adventure • Kindness • Teamwork • Career • Communication • Learning • Excellence • Innovation • Quality • Commonality • Contributing • Spiritualism • Strength • Entertain • Wealth • Speed • Power • Affection • Cooperation • Love of Career • Friendship/Relationship • Encouragement • Pride in Your Work • Clarity • Fun-Loving • Charisma • Humor • Leadership • Renewal • Home • Be True • Contentment • Friendship • Courage • Balance • Compassion • Fitness • Professionalism • Relationship • Knowledge • Patience • Change • Prosperity • Wellness • Finances • Gratitude • Grace • Endurance • Facilitation • Effectiveness • Fun • Fame • Justice • Appreciation • Willingness • Trusting Your Gut • Giving People a Chance • Patience • Forgiveness • Self-Respect • Abundance • Reciprocity • Enjoyment • Entrepreneurial • Happiness • Harmony • Peace

Step 2: Be in tune with which of your values is the most important to you, right now. List your top three in order.

These values can be fluid, changing to suit your life stage, time of year, or fitness phase.

So sometimes, fitness, health, and confidence might be higher than ‘social’ values or fitting in. I suggest revisiting these often.

Step 3: Now, when it comes to making a decision and therefore- a trade-off- you can refer back to your values list. Which one wins?

Back to our salad and pizza example, if your fitness or physique goal is a higher value to you right now rather than “going with the flow”, then you should be picking the correct option to fit your meal plan instead of doing what everyone else is doing. If it’s more important to be present and do what your friends are doing, then you’ll pick the go-with-the-flow option.

Another great example- let’s say perhaps it’s Christmas and the top of your values list is family and enjoying food with them (and you’ve popped fitness way down the bottom for the day), then you’re going to pick eating all of the food in any portion you want, instead of sticking to a meal plan.

The takeaway message?

If your action aligns with your goals and higher values in the situation, then it’s worth it.

So next time you say “I want to do X BUT I also want to do Y”, you can stop struggling to reconcile two conflicting ideas because you now have a clear framework to refer back to.

This is completely individual and there’s no right or wrong; customised protocols when it comes to your nutrition and fitness are absolutely integral.

Yours in health,

Dom xx