Tried Everything to Lose Weight? Try Doing Less Better
Last month, I made a decision in my business to retire The First Ten, an eight-week weight loss coaching offer I introduced about five months earlier.
It was an experiment, and it didn't work out quite the way I anticipated. But I learned a lot from it, which made the decision to let it go pretty easy.
So now I'm putting my attention into expanding ForeverWell, my private coaching offer, and creating an even more exceptional experience for the women I work with 1:1.
What a hotel founder has me thinking about
One of the books I'm reading right now is Four Seasons: The Story of a Business Philosophy by Isadore Sharp, founder of Four Seasons Hotels.
It's got me thinking about intentionality and what it means to anticipate a client's needs before she even realizes she has them. There's something about being more intentional when you're focusing on a few versus many.
That's really the thread woven through every offer in my company, from the intimate experience we're creating with our luxury retreat, Exhale, to the personalized coaching and care inside ForeverWell. Getting to know each woman individually, understanding her needs, helping her execute her plan, and celebrating the milestones she might otherwise overlook.
My team and I are thinking about the entire experience from her perspective. That kind of stuff is FUN for me. It genuinely delights me.
The Grown Woman Standard: Do Less Better
Lately, I've been practicing a mantra that's helping me simplify how I approach just about everything. It's this week's Grown Woman Standard:
Do Less Better.
For me, this means being more intentional about where I spend my time and energy. Just because I can do something doesn't mean I need to do it.
And the same applies to your health.
What does "do less better" mean for weight loss?
Doing less better means getting specific about the problem you're trying to solve and putting your effort there. Pay attention to what's working. Stay consistent and make changes based on what you learn.
Think about all the diets, workouts, and supplements you've tried to shrink your barrel belly. You've put in a lot of effort. But are you clear on what's actually keeping you from getting results?
What happened when my clients did less better
I've been having this same conversation with my private clients, and here's what happened in one week when we put it into practice. When the approach gets more focused, the wins start showing up.
Stress eating. One client stopped adding more food rules and focused on the thoughts driving her stress eating. When a stressful situation came up, she handled it without turning to food.
Strength training. Another committed to 30 minutes of strength training every other day. Three weeks later, she's lifting heavier, her clothes fit better, and she's down approximately 4 to 6 pounds.
Consistency. One client focused on protein, strength training, and Belief Journaling. Her weight is trending down, her reported muscle mass is increasing, and she rates her self-leadership an 8 out of 10, up from a 5 or 6.
Boundaries. Another client is learning to protect her energy by being more intentional about what she says yes to. She's practicing putting her own needs on the list instead of automatically taking on more.
Different women, different challenges, and a more focused approach for each.
Do less better applies to skincare, too
Losing weight doesn't mean you have to have a saggy face to go along with it.
Weight loss can mean losing volume in your face, too, and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons notes that rapid weight loss in particular can leave skin looser as that volume goes. So while I'm working on losing perimenopausal body fat, I'm also paying attention to my skin. I want to support its firmness, texture, and overall appearance along the way.
I've been using a compounded GHK-Cu face cream from my Altro Health partner site. GHK-Cu is a copper peptide that has been studied for skin firmness and texture. I love that this cream combines several of my favorite skincare ingredients in one product, including copper peptides, retinol, and niacinamide.
One cream. Four active ingredients. Fewer products on my bathroom counter. That's a win-win in my book.
How to stay consistent when you're too tired
You know those days when you're too tired to cook, work out, or do anything else you planned?
In Episode 264 of the Stop. Dieting. Forever.™ podcast, How to Stay Consistent When You're Just Too Tired, I explain how to tell the difference between physical, mental, and emotional fatigue so you can figure out what you actually need.
Because sometimes rest is the answer. Other times, a small change is enough to help you keep going.
What if you've tried everything and still can't lose weight?
Start by looking closely at what you've already done and what was happening in your body while you did it.
I hear this one a lot: "But Jennifer, I've already tried EVERYTHING. How is doing less going to help me lose weight when doing everything didn't even work??"
Girl, I know. LOL.
But I have some questions. What exactly have you tried? For how long? What were you tracking? What worked? What didn't? And what was happening with your hormones, stress, sleep, and metabolism while you were doing all of this?
Because those details matter.
I've been coaching women through weight loss challenges for years, and nobody has stumped me yet. I've never finished a consultation thinking, "Good Lord, she's tried everything, and I have absolutely no idea how to help her."
There's always been something we could look at more closely or an approach worth reconsidering. And that's what I want to help you do.
Know where your effort actually matters
Doing less better starts with knowing where your effort actually matters.
If you've tried everything and your weight still won't budge, let's look at what you've been doing and figure out what deserves your attention next.
I got you.
Jennifer Dent Brown is the founder of Luxe Life Coaching and the creator of Stop. Dieting. Forever.™ She helps women in midlife stop dieting and start losing weight. Her work connects the dots between hormones, metabolism, labs, and identity.
This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any medical condition. Always consult with your healthcare provider before starting any new supplement, health program, or lifestyle change.
Do less better.
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