The Unsexiest Weight Loss Advice That Gives the Best Results

 

Hey hey beautiful human!

I have officially lost 40 pounds since having my baby.

And yes, that number is exciting, but what feels even better is that I feel stronger than I have in years. My endurance is better. I am lifting consistently. I am training for a marathon. And when I think about where I started postpartum, it honestly feels wild.

So if you have been wondering what changed, I get it.

Did I overhaul everything? Did I follow some intense plan? Did I cut out foods? Did I start working out every single day? Did I finally find some secret that made the weight come off?

Not exactly.

In this episode of Embrace Your Real, I am sharing the very unsexy advice that helped me lose 40 pounds, feel stronger, and build a routine I actually believe I can keep. It is probably not the flashy answer most people want, but it is the one I keep coming back to because it works in real life.

What’s Discussed:

  • Why big results do not always come from big overhauls

  • What changed when I stopped trying to make every day impressive

  • How smaller habits can still count, even when they do not look exciting

  • Why a realistic routine will always beat a perfect one you cannot keep

  • How giving yourself a range can make consistency feel less fragile

  • Why one missed workout does not need to become an entire missed week

  • What the last 40 pounds taught me about the boring basics

  • How to build a routine that can actually survive real life

If you need help building a routine you can repeat, that is exactly what Movement With Julie is for. I did not want to create another rigid program that only works on your best week. I wanted something that can flex with you, with 30-minute and 60-minute options you can do at home, in the gym, or while traveling. Open the app, follow the plan, and choose the version that fits the day you are actually having. Head to movementwithjulie.com to get started.

If you loved this episode, you will also love Episode 619: 7 Unconventional Ways to Stay Consistent (And Actually See Results). It is the perfect next listen if you want to build realistic systems that make consistency feel doable instead of relying on motivation to show up.

If you want more from me, be sure to check out…

Transcript

(0:00) Hey there, beautiful human. You're listening to Embrace Your Reel with me, Julie Ledbetter, (0:05) a podcast where I empower you to just be you. With each episode, I give you a dose of real (0:11) talk and actionable advice for building your confidence, honoring your body, and unconditionally (0:16) loving your authentic self.

Stay tuned if you're ready to Embrace Your Reel. Let's get it. Let's go.

(0:29) Hello, and welcome back to another episode on the Embrace Your Podcast. So if you've been following (0:35) me on my socials, I've been sharing this a lot within the last few months, but I've officially (0:40) lost over 42 pounds since having Blake. And I can genuinely say that I feel stronger than I (0:45) felt in years.

In fact, I actually feel the strongest I've ever felt even prior to having (0:50) Blake and prior to getting pregnant. I feel more capable in my body, my endurance is better, (0:55) and I'm lifting consistently. And because I've shared parts of this journey with you, (1:01) I know some of you guys are probably wondering, like, what did I exactly do to get here? This (1:05) is the number one question that I get, like, okay, we see your workouts, but what are you (1:09) doing? What else are you doing? Like, did I completely overhaul the way that I was eating? (1:14) Did I start following some super intense workout plan? Did I cut out certain foods? Did I start (1:18) exercising every single day? Did I find some secret that made the weight come off postpartum? (1:23) The answer is probably going to surprise you because what worked for me is much simpler (1:27) than women expect.

There is so much noise around weight loss. And I think that we've (1:32) been conditioned to believe that if we see some big result or want to have some big (1:37) result, then we need to make some big change. Like, we assume we need a stricter diet, (1:41) a harder workout plan, more cardio, fewer calories, and just some completely new strategy (1:46) that's finally going to be the thing that changes everything.

But when I look back (1:51) at the last 42 pounds and everything that has changed in my body, there was no huge (1:57) moment where I completely transformed my life overnight. So today, I just want to share (2:02) the unsexiest weight loss advice that has given me the best results and explain what (2:08) I actually did to lose the 40 plus pounds, feel stronger than I have, and built a (2:13) routine that I personally feel like I can maintain now having a toddler running (2:17) around. Before I get into that, though, I want to share this review.

She gave a (2:21) five-star review and said, best podcast ever. This is seriously the best podcast. (2:25) Every episode is like a pep talk in my ear.

I just discovered Embrace Your Real (2:29) about a month ago, and I wish I'd discovered it sooner. I get so much (2:33) information out of every episode, whether it's about workouts or macro (2:36) counting, mental health, positivity, body image, self-image, and so much more. (2:41) Julie's voice is also so soothing, in my opinion, and the podcast is well (2:46) edited and always organized and easy to listen to.

Keep it up forever, Julie. (2:50) Thank you. Thank you so much for saying all of those things.

Wow. Honestly, that's (2:55) exactly what I hope that you get out of this podcast is I want it to feel like a (3:00) pep talk in your ear. I want it to feel like it's, you know, sister-to-sister like, (3:04) hey, these are the things that have worked for me and many women that I've (3:07) coached, and also, like, please save the stress and save the time that I (3:12) wish I would have saved in the, like, prior years to hopefully save you some (3:17) stress in the future, and also just kind of share, like, what I've learned along (3:20) the way.

So thank you for taking time out of your day to send this in, and (3:24) also thank you for tuning in to the podcast every week. I am so grateful (3:28) for you. So grateful for all of you guys who take time out of your day to (3:32) send in this review, and just let us know if there's a specific podcast or (3:36) maybe just in general.

I would love to hear it, and I know our team would love (3:39) to hear it as well. So you can scooch over to Apple Podcasts and leave a (3:42) reading interview. Appreciate you so much.

Okay, so what is the unsexiest weight (3:47) loss advice that has given me the best results? It's consistency, and I know that (3:51) is probably not the groundbreaking answer that you were hoping for, but I (3:55) honestly think that is exactly why so many people overlook it. So please keep (3:59) listening and hear me out. We are always searching for something that feels (4:03) more powerful than consistency.

We want the workout that's going to burn the (4:08) most calories, the diet that's going to make the scale drop the fastest, or the (4:11) strategy that is going to make everything happen in half the time. I did not lose (4:17) 42 pounds because I found some magical program. I lost 42 pounds because I got (4:22) really consistent with a handful of very, very normal habits, and then I just kept (4:28) doing them long enough for those habits to actually work.

And I want to break (4:32) that down, like what that's actually looked like for me, because I think that (4:36) there are five really important lessons here that can completely change the way (4:40) that you approach your goals. Number one, I stopped trying to make everyday (4:46) impressive, and I think one of the biggest mistakes that we make when we (4:49) want to change our bodies is believing that every workout needs to feel hard (4:53) enough, every meal needs to be perfectly planned, every week needs to look like (4:57) our absolute best week. We might think that we, you know, need to train for a (5:02) marathon, or a high rocks competition, or do the whole 30, or go vegan.

(5:06) Essentially, it's so common to believe that you need to do these grand things (5:10) to get yourself to where you want to be. We think that if we're going to put (5:14) effort into something, we might as well go all in. The problem is that going all (5:19) in is usually pretty hard to maintain when you also have a job or kids, (5:23) relationship, travel, stress, and actual life happening around you.

Like there (5:28) have been plenty of days over the last several months when my movement was just (5:32) simply getting outside and walking. My goal wasn't to run run 10 miles a day, it (5:36) was to get outside for two miles. That started off as walking daily, but as I (5:41) got more consistent, I turned it into running a few days because I just felt (5:45) motivated to do it.

But on the days when I'm not feeling it, I allow myself to (5:49) just go for a walk. Whether it's a weighted walk or not, I just go for the (5:53) walk. I'm not strung out on the idea that I must run, the idea that I must get (5:58) outside for two miles a day.

Like it doesn't have to be that, right? Sometimes (6:02) I run, sometimes I jog, sometimes I walk. Either way, I'm consistent with getting (6:07) my walk in. And sometimes if it's raining all day or if it's super cold, I (6:12) will get that walk in on my walking pad or my treadmill, right? So really just (6:16) allowing myself to ebb and flow with what's going on.

But I will say that (6:21) having a toddler and having a routine is so important. And Blake knows in the (6:25) morning, he wakes up, he has a little bit of his bread, we take the rest of it (6:29) along with his milk on mama's run or walk, whatever, outside. He knows (6:34) stroller time.

Like I just call it stroller time. And he knows that he's (6:37) going to be in that stroller for 20 to 30 minutes. And that's the other thing (6:41) is when you have a toddler, like, yeah, it's going to be hard to keep him (6:44) entertained, especially for like 30, 40, 50, 60 minutes.

But for me, I'm out (6:50) there for 20, 30 minutes. I get my two miles in. I feel great.

I also (6:54) personally committed to string training three to five times a week. Some (6:57) weeks, that's three times. Other weeks, that's five times.

And I give (7:00) myself that lenience because not every week is going to look the same (7:04) and I need room to be flexible. Sometimes I hit three 60 minute (7:08) workouts. Other times I hit five 30 minute workouts.

The duration, the (7:11) intensity, the numbers of days might look different week to week. (7:15) But what was consistent is that I get three to five resistance training (7:19) sessions in no matter what. And the important part here is that I just (7:22) stopped judging the value of the habit based on how impressive it looked (7:26) that day.

And I think that's something that a lot of us need to hear (7:29) because we have the tendency to discount the smaller things. Like we (7:32) tell ourselves that a walk doesn't count because we could have run. We (7:36) tell ourselves that 30 minutes in our workout doesn't count because we (7:39) could have done an hour.

We tell ourselves that we can't follow. If we (7:42) can't follow our plan perfectly, then we might as well just wait (7:44) until tomorrow and try again. But when you do that over and over (7:48) and over again, you end up skipping a lot of perfectly good (7:51) opportunities to just be consistent.

And we do not need (7:54) every day to be impressive in order to move forward. You just (7:58) need enough days where you follow through on what you said you're (8:00) going to do. Number two, I built my routine around what I (8:05) could realistically repeat.

Like I said, I resistance train (8:08) somewhere between three and five times per week. And those (8:11) workouts usually last between 30 and 60 minutes. There are (8:14) weeks where I train five days because my schedule allows for (8:17) it and I feel great.

There's other weeks where I train three (8:19) days because that's what makes sense for my life. I'm not (8:22) constantly panicking because every week does not look the (8:25) same. I have a range that works for me.

And I know that as long (8:28) as I continue showing up within that range, I'm still moving (8:32) forward. And I think this is where so many women (8:34) accidentally make their goals harder than they need to be (8:37) because they create a plan based on the most motivated (8:40) version of themselves instead of the version who's also (8:43) having stressful weeks, busy schedules, sick kids, vacation, (8:45) work deadlines, or just days where they simply don't feel (8:48) like working out. If your plan only works when everything in (8:52) your life is going perfectly, it's going to be incredibly (8:54) difficult to stay consistent.

And this is the huge part of my (8:58) philosophy behind movement with Julie. I wanted to give women (9:02) stay at home moms working professionals a structured (9:05) dumbbell only plan without making them feel like they need (9:09) endless time or a perfect schedule to do it. These are (9:12) workouts that you can do at home.

You can do them in the (9:15) gym if you want. You can also do them while traveling. (9:17) There's shorter options for the days that you don't have (9:20) an hour to work out.

You literally open the app, follow (9:23) the plan and do what works for the amount of time and (9:26) the equipment that you have for that day. I think this (9:29) matters because your workout program should help you (9:31) become more consistent rather than making you feel like (9:34) you failed every time life gets busy. I've learned that (9:37) I would much rather have a routine that I can maintain (9:39) 80 to 90% of that routine than something that I can (9:44) only maintain for two weeks perfectly.

The routine that (9:47) gets repeated is always going to be more valuable than (9:51) the perfect routine that keeps getting abandoned. (9:54) Let me repeat that again. The routine that gets repeated (9:57) is always going to be more valuable than the perfect (10:00) routine that keeps getting abandoned.

So figure this (10:04) out what routine actually is sustainable and enjoyable (10:07) for you to be consistent with weekly. Even if that's (10:10) two days a week right now, start there. Start where (10:13) you are, get consistent and build from there.

Number (10:16) three, give yourself a range instead of one rigid (10:19) definition of success. So I've mentioned this a few (10:23) times in this episode already, but I committed to (10:26) three to five resistance training sessions a week. I (10:29) committed to these sessions being 30 to 60 minutes (10:31) and I committed to two miles a day, whether that's (10:34) running, jogging, walking, whether that's outside with (10:37) the stroller and the weighted vest or it's inside on (10:40) my walking pad or my treadmill.

This means I can (10:44) adjust based on my energy, my motivation, my schedule, (10:47) and whatever life happens to throughout me that (10:49) week without feeling like I failed my plan. And (10:52) honestly, I think this is one of the biggest (10:54) consistency hacks that nobody talks enough about (10:57) because when you give yourself one rigid definition (11:00) of success, you create a really easy way to feel (11:04) like you failed. Like if I told myself that I (11:06) had to resistance train five days a week every (11:09) single day for 60 minutes, what happens during the (11:11) week when I only have time for three workouts? What (11:14) happens when I get 35 minutes into a workout and (11:16) I need to stop because something comes up? What (11:18) happens when I wake up tired and know that walking (11:21) my two miles would be a much better choice than (11:24) running them? If my plan only gives me one (11:27) acceptable option, all of those situations suddenly (11:29) feel like I did something wrong.

This has (11:32) completely changed the way that I think about (11:34) consistency because it gives me room to work (11:36) with my life instead of constantly feeling like (11:39) my life is in the way of my plan. Your energy (11:41) is not going to be exact every single day. Your (11:44) schedule is not going to be the same every (11:46) single week.

Your motivation is definitely not (11:48) going to be exactly the same all the time. So (11:51) why would you create a fitness plan that only (11:54) works when all of those three things are in the (11:57) ideal? Giving yourself a range makes your (12:00) routine flexible enough to survive real life (12:02) and that's what's going to allow you to (12:04) keep repeating it. And I think that this is (12:06) the part that so many people miss.

Consistency (12:09) becomes much easier when your plan already (12:12) accounts for the fact that some days you're (12:14) going to have more to give and some days (12:16) you're going to have less. You do not have to (12:18) keep restarting every time life changes because (12:21) your plan has enough flexibility built into (12:23) it to change with you. And again, this is why (12:26) I love this approach so much and it's also (12:29) part of how I think about movement with Julie.

(12:31) I want you to have structure. I also want (12:34) that structure to be realistic enough for (12:36) you to actually keep showing up week in (12:39) and week out and that's why every single (12:41) workout has a 30 minute. It has a 60 minute (12:43) variation and that's also why I (12:45) recommend hitting two to five workouts in (12:47) the app a week.

It's about having a range (12:49) for yourself so that you can work (12:51) within that range each week to stay more (12:54) and more consistent. Number four, stop (12:57) letting one missed workout turn into an (12:59) entire miss week. Everyone is going to (13:02) miss workouts at some point.

I miss (13:03) workouts too. There are going to be days (13:05) where something comes up, your body needs (13:08) more recovery, your schedule gets thrown (13:09) off or training just simply does not (13:11) happen the way that you planned. The (13:13) problem usually starts when we decide (13:15) that missing one workout means we've (13:17) officially are off track and once we (13:20) start thinking that way one missed day (13:22) can easily turn into two and then two (13:25) missed days can easily turn into the (13:26) rest of the week because we just tell (13:28) ourselves we might as well wait until (13:29) Monday and start fresh.

I have gotten (13:31) so much better at not turning one missed (13:34) workout into a bigger deal than it (13:36) needs to be. Like if I miss a workout I (13:38) do not need to punish myself for it or (13:40) add an extra workout later in the week (13:42) to make up for it or completely (13:43) reorganize my schedule so everything (13:45) feels perfect again. (13:47) I just return to my normal routine the (13:49) next time I have the opportunity to (13:51) move and that has been such an (13:52) important part of consistency for me (13:54) because consistency does not require (13:56) everything to go according to plan.

(13:58) What matters is how quickly you return (14:00) when life interrupts the plan. Like if you (14:02) miss one workout out of the entire month (14:04) of training that one workout is going (14:07) to have very little impact on your (14:09) progress but if you let that one (14:10) missed workout convince you that you (14:12) failed then you spend the next week or (14:15) two doing nothing because you're waiting (14:16) for the perfect time to restart that's (14:18) when it's going to affect your (14:20) consistency. So if you are someone who (14:22) constantly feels like you're falling (14:23) off or getting back on I want you to (14:26) stop putting so much weight on one (14:28) perfect day.

Missing one workout does (14:30) not mean that you need a reset it does (14:32) not mean that you need to wait for a new (14:34) week to get back to your routine you (14:36) can simply take the next opportunity you (14:38) have to move and continue it from (14:40) there. And last but not least number five (14:42) I learned that the boring stuff is (14:44) usually the stuff that works and I (14:46) think this might be the biggest lesson (14:48) that I personally have learned from (14:49) this entire process. The things that (14:52) have helped me lose 42 pounds are (14:54) honestly pretty boring.

Like I (14:55) consistently nourish my body, I (14:57) consistently strain train at least three (15:00) to five times per week, I get outside to (15:02) move my body as much as I can which (15:03) during the summer it's a lot easier as (15:05) it gets colder of course there's going (15:07) to be more hurdles there but it's just (15:09) something that I do. Like I bundle up, (15:11) I bundle up myself, I bundle up Blake (15:14) and we just go out there and I just (15:15) continue repeating those habits week (15:17) after week. There was no 30-day (15:19) challenge that changed everything for me (15:21) there was no point where I suddenly (15:23) doubled my workouts and watched that (15:25) weight fall off.

There was no diet where (15:26) I removed half of the foods I was (15:28) enjoying and magically became a new (15:29) perfect new or different person. The (15:32) results came from just repeating basic (15:34) habits long enough that they had a (15:37) chance to compound and I think that we (15:38) seriously underestimate how powerful (15:41) that can be because we're so (15:43) attracted to these grand gestures. (15:45) Starting something new feels productive, (15:48) making a huge commitment feels (15:50) productive and completely (15:51) overhauling your routine that feels (15:54) productive but the real test comes (15:56) three weeks later when the excitement (15:57) is gone and you have to decide whether (15:59) you're still going to show up and that (16:01) is where my personal results have been (16:03) built.

They have been built on their (16:05) regular days when nothing exciting (16:07) happened. They have been built through (16:09) normal workouts, (16:10) normal walks, normal meals, normal weeks (16:13) where I simply continued doing what I (16:15) said I was going to do (16:16) and now when I step back and I look (16:18) at the bigger picture those ordinary (16:20) days have added up to something that (16:22) feels pretty incredible. (16:24) Okay, let me quickly recap what I talked (16:26) about, the unsexiest weight loss advice (16:29) that gives the best results.

(16:31) Number one, I stop trying to make (16:33) everyday impressive. Some days that means (16:35) a run, (16:36) some days that means a walk, both days (16:38) count. Number two, I built my routine (16:40) around what I could realistically (16:42) repeat.

Three to five workouts a week (16:44) around 30 to 60 minutes (16:46) is a routine that I can actually keep. (16:48) Number three, I gave myself a range (16:50) instead of one rigid definition of (16:52) success. A range is going to give you (16:54) room to work within your life (16:55) instead of constantly feeling like your (16:57) life is getting in the way.

(16:59) Number four, I stop letting one missed (17:01) workout (17:01) turn into an entire miss week. What (17:04) actually matters is how quickly you (17:05) return, not whether you missed it at (17:07) all. And last but not least, (17:09) number five, the boring stuff is (17:10) usually the stuff that works.

(17:12) Just repeating those basic habits long (17:14) enough for them to compound (17:16) is what actually built these results, (17:18) not some big overhaul. Now if you're (17:20) sitting here thinking okay, (17:21) but I actually need help building a (17:24) routine that I can repeat. (17:26) Again, that is exactly what my Movement (17:27) with Julie is for.

I did not want to (17:30) hand you another rigid program (17:31) that only works on your best week. I (17:33) wanted something that flexes with you. (17:36) 30 minutes, 60 minutes, (17:37) you can do these with a few pair of (17:39) dumbbells in a small space.

(17:40) All you need to do is literally just (17:42) open up the app, (17:43) commit, decide, and follow through. If you (17:46) want to learn more you can go to (17:49) salesal.mootwithjulie.com. (17:51) And if you love this episode, (17:52) I know you will also love (17:54) seven unconventional ways to stay (17:56) consistent and actually see results. (17:58) I will also link that in the show notes (18:00) below as well.

(18:01) If this episode helped you, (18:02) be sure to follow the show so that (18:04) you never miss one and also send it (18:06) to a friend (18:06) who might need to hear that the boring (18:08) unsexy stuff is what actually works (18:11) to see results. (18:12) That is all that I have for today's (18:14) episode. Thank you so much for (18:15) spending time with me.

(18:16) Let this be a reminder that you do (18:18) not need a perfect plan to get (18:20) incredible results. (18:21) You just need one that you can (18:23) actually repeat. (18:24) I love you so dang much.

(18:25) I mean it and I'll talk to you in (18:26) the next one. (18:33) All right, sister. (18:34) That's all I got for you today, (18:36) but I have two things that I need (18:38) you to do.

(18:39) First thing, if you are not already (18:41) following me on the gram, (18:42) be sure to do so Julie A. Ledbetter. (18:44) Yes, it's with an A in the middle (18:45) for that daily post-workout (18:48) real talk, (18:49) healthy tips and tricks, (18:50) and honest accountability (18:51) to keep your mind (18:52) and heart in check. (18:53) The second thing, be sure to (18:55) subscribe to Apple Podcasts (18:57) to never miss an episode.

(18:59) Thank you so much for joining me. (19:01) It means the absolute world (19:03) and I'm going to leave you (19:04) with one last thought. (19:05) The most beautiful women that (19:06) I have met in my life (19:07) are the ones who are completely (19:09) confident and secure (19:11) in being authentically themselves.

(19:14) Remember that beauty goes so (19:15) much deeper than the surface. (19:17) So go out there and embrace (19:19) your real because you're worth it.

 
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