The “By no means Two in a Row” Rule

I used to be speaking with a good friend not too long ago who mentioned he had hit a little bit of a plateau.

We’ve all been there – that uncomfortable place the place the dimensions stops shifting, or the energy gainz decelerate.

Heck, I’ve even written a complete article about ​busting via a plateau​.

As I’ve been revisiting the final 15 years of Nerd Health, I stumbled throughout an absolute doozy of an outdated video of me.

It’s child Steve, from 11 years in the past, sitting on a poop-brown sofa (Why did I feel this was the appropriate shade sofa to purchase?), with helmet hair.

I laughed as I watched this video, however I’m additionally pleased with Previous Me for placing this out on the earth!

The “By no means Two in a Row” Rule

The “By no means 2 in a Row” Rule is easy:

• Comply with up any “unhealthy” meal with a wholesome one.
• If you happen to miss a exercise, do it THE NEXT DAY.

In different phrases, who cares when you “mess up” as soon as? Simply don’t “mess up” twice in a row. As a result of lacking two in a row shortly turns into 3 or 5 or 10 or a misplaced yr. However lacking as soon as? Tremendous! Simply get proper again on monitor.

Consider it this fashion: when you adopted up each unhealthy meal with a wholesome one, then a minimum of 50% of your meals could be wholesome! That’s a fairly dang good p.c.

It may additionally assist us keep away from an “all-or-nothing” mindset.

Now, I wished to replace my philosophy round plateaus and this rule, so let’s get bizarre.

A plateau doesn’t should be a foul factor.

A plateau is commonly irritating, as a result of we people love progress.

Right here’s the factor: when the choice is “shifting within the incorrect course,” a plateau IS progress, particularly when you’re used to losing a few pounds after which backsliding.

If we’re not losing a few pounds, and we’re not gaining weight, then we’re consuming roughly the identical variety of energy that our physique burns day by day. That’s it. That is neither good nor dangerous, it’s simply math.

In different phrases, a plateau is usually a actually actually good factor. It may imply you’ve chosen to simply tread water for a bit, otherwise you’re taking a strategic pause.

If you happen to’re not getting stronger within the fitness center, there’s nonetheless a profit to holding your muscular tissues warmed-up with a primary exercise, even when it’s not an enchancment over the previous exercise.

When life is a dumpster fireplace, a “plateau” is usually a HUGE win.

Subsequent, let’s speak about “By no means two in a row,” and the way I might replace my language as of late.

Wholesome vs Unhealthy

In my video above, I say, “comply with up an unhealthy meal with a wholesome one.”

15 years later, I don’t love utilizing the phrase “wholesome” vs. “unhealthy,” as a result of it assigns some morality to the meals we eat.

(I understand most of us know roughly what we imply by wholesome, so I don’t get rid of the phrase utterly from my vocab!)

As an alternative, let’s speak about a reframing of “wholesome vs unhealthy”:

Generally, we eat quick meals as a result of our youngsters wish to eat it (or as a result of we’re touring and it’s the one choice on the airport). We don’t should at all times optimize for weight reduction or energy. Generally we optimize for comfort, or household, or sustenance.

That is neither morally good nor dangerous. It’s merely a meal we selected to eat.

If we have now a purpose that requires a calorie deficit, nice! We are able to comply with up a high-calorie meal with a lower-calorie meal. No morality or disgrace or judgment required. Simply math and progress.

As a result of a “calorie” is only a unit of measure, not a sign of its high quality!

That is how a professor famously misplaced weight on ​the “Twinkie Weight loss program,”​ particularly to point out the mathematics of weight reduction does come all the way down to energy:

On his “comfort retailer food plan,” he shed 27 kilos in two months.

For a category challenge, Haub restricted himself to lower than 1,800 energy a day. A person of Haub’s pre-dieting dimension normally consumes about 2,600 energy day by day. So he adopted a primary precept of weight reduction: He consumed considerably fewer energy than he burned.

His physique mass index went from 28.8, thought of obese, to 24.9, which is regular.

Two-thirds of his complete consumption got here from junk meals. He additionally took a multivitamin tablet and drank a protein shake day by day. And he ate greens, sometimes a can of inexperienced beans or three to 4 celery stalks.

As I talked about in my ​5 Beliefs I’ve Modified My Thoughts On​, I’ve lower method again on my concern mongering round sure meals – we beat ourselves up sufficient, and our weight is unbelievably sophisticated and nuanced.

So the place does that depart us?

We’re adults and we are able to make our personal decisions. We are able to select to comply with up a excessive calorie meal with a extra nutrient dense, low calorie meal. We are able to combine and match.

It’s NOT all or nothing, and it’s not immoral to eat chips or ice cream. It’s what it’s!

In our ​“Information to wholesome consuming,”​ we level out which meals are nutritionally-light and higher-calorie (processed meals, snack meals, sweet, soda, and so forth.), and which meals are nutritionally-dense and lower-calorie (vegetables and fruit, lean protein, entire grains).

You’ll be able to determine what “wholesome” means to you, and what “unhealthy” means. You can even determine to modify your language to “larger calorie vs. decrease calorie.”

After which apply the By no means 2 in a Row Rule!

Lacking a exercise

Generally, we miss a exercise.

This additionally doesn’t should be a supply of disgrace or guilt.

Nor does it imply “I suck and I’ll attempt once more subsequent yr.”

It’s only a factor that occurred.

As an alternative of claiming “I didn’t have time to work out as we speak,” which brings up emotions of guilt and disgrace and disappointment….

As an alternative we are able to say, “Figuring out as we speak was not a precedence.” Strategic! Certain, we’d must do some compassionate internal work on why it wasn’t a precedence, however typically it’s simply because life was an absolute dumpster fireplace that day!

This previous week, my exercise schedule was thrown off, and I didn’t work out on my common exercise days.

It wasn’t as a result of I didn’t have time to work out…however as a result of understanding wasn’t a precedence for me…I had different issues occurring that had been extra essential to me.

On the identical time, I knew my psychological well being would profit from me doing one thing, so I did my two half-assed exercises, went for a fast stroll on the opposite days, and that’s it.

By no means Two in a Row

To recap: If you happen to miss a exercise, who cares! Simply do no matter you may to not miss two exercises in a row. This may also help us from dropping an excessive amount of momentum.

If you happen to eat a high-calorie meal, nice! I hope it was scrumptious. Comply with it up with a lower-calorie meal, hopefully one which’s satiating and nutritionally full.

All-or-nothing doesn’t work. And we don’t should be excellent.

And if we overeat at one meal, alter the subsequent one.

If we miss a exercise, get the subsequent one.

Simply, don’t miss two in a row, and also you’ll be stunned how a lot progress you may make!

Even when that progress is a plateau…it’s higher than going within the incorrect course.

-Steve