In the past year, I have really made significant improvements in my health and wellness, more specifically my diet. For those of you who don't know, last summer I joined WW after seeing years of success that my mom and grandparents had on the program. Not only did it help me lose some weight, but it taught me how to have a healthy relationship with food. I am glad to have not learned this "diet" mentality, and I am certain that this is a lifestyle plan that I can incorporate into my life forever without having to sacrifice missing out on so many different things. While WW has been successful for me, I know that there isn't one right or wrong way to lose weight. No matter what strategy or plan you follow, what I believe is most important is learning the strategies to maintain a sustainable, healthy and guilt-free lifestyle.

However, what most people fail to realize about losing weight is that the process is not short-term.

Once you lose the weight, you have to continue to keep it off. Those who follow these super insane diets where they cut out and deprive themselves of many different food groups or have a strict eating schedule must realize that this is something they probably can't do for the rest of their lives. And when they do realize this, they will likely go on a serious binge, causing them to ruin all their progress and gain back what they worked so hard to lose. A better strategy is being able to find this balance and eat in a way that is sustainable in the long run. And I owe a lot of this mentality not only to WW but also to my good friend —nutrition/fitness expert (and the wickedly smart and hilarious) Jordan Syatt.

I came across Syatt when I heard him first on the "Diet Starts Tomorrow" podcast (I wrote a whole article a few months ago about my new love for podcasts and DST is definitely in the top three favorites). I was instantly captivated by his charming personality but also how much dedication he has to educating people on this topic. And for a subject matter that can sometimes seem so complicated to digest, Syatt shows his audience just how simple it can be. On the linked episode, he discussed his beloved "Big Mac Challenge" where he incorporated the infamous 540-calorie Big Mac into his diet every day for an entire month and managed to lose seven pounds.

Sounds impossible, right? Well when you listen to the way Syatt explains himself, you kind of feel like an idiot for not realizing this all along. Basically, his whole goal in the process was not to share that Big Macs are healthy and should be eaten every day because clearly they're not and they shouldn't. Rather, he wanted to share with people that you can still eat your favorite foods in moderation without it ruining your progress.

I mean how many times have you eaten everything in sight and felt like shit afterward? And rather than just saying to yourself, "OK, that was yesterday. I am just going to get right back on track today," you just totally quit instead? We've ALLLL been there. Feeling guilty about food choices is not a foreign feeling to me, but Syatt has taught me that guilt is just about the worst thing you can feel after you've indulged.

As he likes to quote, "No one ever got fat from eating one donut, and no one ever got skinny from eating one salad."

After listening to his explanation on the podcast, I immediately fell down a rabbit hole and watched the hour-long YouTube documentary of the entire process. I couldn't get enough of it. Everything he was saying made so much sense and totally gave me a new perspective as to the way that I was thinking about dieting and weight loss.

I think it is important to mention that first of all he did not only eat a Big Mac every day — he ate on a normal schedule, incorporating nutritious foods such as Greek yogurt, fish, fruit, and what he calls "Big Ass Salads," in addition to the burger on a daily basis, and he exercised regularly. In addition, while he was eating these Big Macs he was also in a very strict calorie deficit, meaning that the Big Mac was accounted for amongst the rest of what he was eating in the number of calories that would enable the opportunity for fat loss.

Another point that Syatt touches on greatly throughout the documentary is the science behind fluctuations on the scale. He has a whole other video explaining this on top of what he shares in the documentary so I won't go too much into detail, but I do think it is worth mentioning. I, for one, have been very guilty of letting the scale define me, and I'm sure many of you out there have too. What Syatt makes it a point to note is that the scale is just a number and oftentimes is not an indication of your progress. Throughout the documentary, he documents his weight daily, differentiating between "spikes," which are high fluctuations, and "whooshes," which are low fluctuations. There are many factors that can contribute to why the number on the scale is what it is, but that doesn't mean that you have lost all your progress. He also shares the importance of utilizing other ways of calculating your progress, such as taking measurements, how your clothes are fitting, or using progress photos (these are always my go-to when I'm feeling discouraged).

Watching the Big Mac Challenge, as well as following Syatt's entire mentality/theory surrounding the idea of health and wellness, has really opened my eyes to an entirely new perspective on weight loss.

What he has helped me realize the most is that it doesn't matter how many times I think I have messed up or made a bad choice. The best thing that I can do is to stop beating myself up for it and just keep going because the only alternative to that is quitting, which is not an option for me. He also serves as a constant reminder that consistency always takes precedence over perfection.

For me personally, I feel like Syatt's simple breakdown of these topics can be really helpful to someone like me as well as many of my friends and family. Living in a sorority house with over 80 girls is bound to create a toxic environment surrounding food and body image, and I am determined to change that. It makes me upset when I still see people that I know saying that they can't have this or that because it's quote-unquote "unhealthy." Or when they look in the mirror and tell themselves how much they need to lose weight when what's more important is making nutritious, sustainable choices and loving your body for all that it is. I know that I am guilty of doing this, too. But when I do get in this mindset, I am going to remember the important lessons that I have learned from the Big Mac Challenge and Syatt's unique perspective on living a healthy lifestyle. He's really onto something.

For those of you who are interested in hearing more about Jordan Syatt, here are some places you can find him:

YouTube: Jordan Syatt

Instagram: @syattfitness

Podcast: Jordan Syatt Mini Podcast