I Used to Dread Mondays. And It Had Nothing to Do With Work.
I used to dread Mondays.
Not because I had to go back to work.
But because every Monday, I'd wake up feeling bloated, uncomfortable in my body and frustrated with myself for how I'd eaten over the weekend.
And the worst part?
I was one of the most disciplined people I knew.
I'd get up at 5:30am to be at the gym by 6.
I'd work out for 90 minutes before heading to work, get my 10,000 steps in and stick to 1,200 calories a day.
By Wednesday, I'd look in the mirror, notice my stomach looking flatter and think:
"It's working. I just need to keep this up."
But by Friday?
I'd be exhausted.
All I could think about was ordering a big pizza, having a burger and fries, or finally eating the pasta I'd been craving all week.
I'd tell myself I deserved a cheat meal.
And one meal would often turn into an entire weekend of eating foods I'd spent Monday to Thursday telling myself I couldn't have.
By Sunday night, I'd be lying in bed with a painfully full stomach, thinking:
"Why can't I just be this disciplined on weekends?"
"If I could just stop ruining my progress every Friday, I'd finally have the body I want."
So I'd make another promise to myself.
Monday, I'll start again.
Back to 1,200 calories.
Back to early gym sessions.
Back to being as strict as possible to make up for the weekend.
And every single week, the same thing would happen.
The Problem Wasn't My Lack of Discipline
For almost 10 years, I thought the answer was to become even stricter.
Eat less. Train harder. Have more willpower around food.
Until I realized something that completely changed the way I approached food and exercise.
My problem wasn't that I lacked discipline. It was how I was using it.
I was using all my discipline to eat as little as possible and exercise as much as possible during the week.
Then wondering why, by Friday, I couldn't stop thinking about food.
I thought my weekends were ruining my progress.
But what I didn't realize was that the extreme approach I was taking Monday to Thursday was a big part of what kept the cycle going.
And that's when things started to change.
What I Started Doing Differently
Instead of fearing calories and trying to eat as little as possible, I started focusing on the nutrient density of my food.
For the first time in my life, I actually felt satisfied after a meal, instead of spending the next few hours thinking about what I could eat next.
Instead of dragging myself out of bed at 5:30am for a 90-minute workout, I discovered I could get better results from 45 minutes of focused training AND get an extra hour of sleep.
And instead of spending Monday trying to burn off everything I'd eaten over the weekend, I simply carried on with my normal routine.
No extra cardio.
No skipping meals.
No starting over.
I stopped treating my workouts like punishment for what I'd eaten and started training in a way that supported my goals without leaving me exhausted.
And for the first time, I was doing something I could actually stick to, not just Monday to Thursday, but through the weekend too.
And the Best Part? I Finally Lost 10 Kilos.
Today, I can go out for dinner with a friend on Sunday, enjoy a steak with fries and a glass of wine, and wake up on Monday without feeling like I need to make up for anything.
I don't have to start another strict diet.
I don't have to squeeze in an extra hour of cardio.
And I don't have to spend the next five days trying to undo what I ate over the weekend.
I'm now 10 kilos lighter than I was back when I was working twice as hard to lose weight.
Back then, I'd spend Monday to Thursday doing everything I could to get leaner, only to feel like I'd undone all that effort by Sunday night.
Now, the work I put in during the week actually adds up.
Because I'm no longer spending every weekend swinging between restriction and overeating, I can stay consistent long enough to see the results of what I'm doing.
And that's how I finally lost those 10 kilos.
Not by becoming more disciplined.
But by learning how to use the discipline I already had in a way that actually worked.
You Don't Need Another Monday of Trying Harder
If you're already working out, eating healthy and putting in the effort to get leaner, but still feel like you're taking three steps forward and two steps back...
Maybe it's time to stop asking how you can do MORE and start asking whether what you're doing is actually working FOR you.
Because getting leaner doesn't have to mean spending hours at the gym, constantly pushing yourself harder or waking up every Monday feeling like you're back at square one.
And that's exactly why I created the 14-Day Leaner Stronger Reset.
Over 14 days, you'll follow guided workouts and learn why doing more exercise isn't always better, so you can start training in a way that supports your goals and fits into your life.
The Leaner Stronger Reset is included when you join my Fit Body Fresh Mind membership.
For€49, you can join the membership, start with the 14-day Reset and have a place to keep showing up, keep training and build on what you've started.
JOIN FIT BODY FRESH MIND + START YOUR 14-DAY RESET
Because you don't need another Monday of trying harder.
You need an approach you can actually stick to long enough to see your hard work pay off.
