Think of this book as ground zero for weight loss. To make substantial, lasting change that satisfies you mentally, emotionally, and physically, we have to detox your painful dieting experiences, confused ideologies, and the multitude of mixed messages floating around in your already- jam-packed brain, and start with some weight-loss basics: Real weight loss has to feel relatable and attainable, and the changes you make need to be (they have to be!) seamless enough to fit into your everyday lifestyle. If the necessary changes challenge you beyond your inner and outer expectations of yourself, you’ll fail. If they’re so “easy” that you’re not changing in the slightest? They won’t work, either. Think of it using a Pareto principle (you’ve likely heard of this used in other ways before, right?): an 80:20 rule. The changes you make through this book and beyond will be integrated into your lifestyle. They’ll be 80 percent shifts that meet your current schedule, adaptability and willingness to change, and current life- style. And they’ll be 20 percent aspirational—challenging but inspiring enough to make you want to push yourself to try slightly new things, one step at a time.
We need to detox from this diet-culture-induced wellness mind-set, starting with some honesty about what our personal goals actually are. We need to feel empowered, we need to get our information from the appropriate sources, and we need to inspire in ourselves the types of behavior with which we feel appropriately comfortable and mildly challenged.
