Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking with Sean Fontaine, a weight loss coach who specializes in sustainable fat loss. Sean shared his personal experiences and insights on how to lose weight without giving up the foods you love on the back of his 'Ice Cream Challenge' where he ate ice cream every day for 30 days and still lost weight.
Here are my five key takeaways from our conversation.
1. It’s Not About Willpower – It’s About Environment
Sean emphasized the importance of “priming your environment” to make healthier choices easier. Rather than relying on willpower, remove tempting foods from plain sight. If they’re out of reach, you’re less likely to indulge in them mindlessly.
Sean’s absolutely right, the most successful dieters who lose weight and keep it off, very rarely have to use willpower – they build their environment to encourage long term change.
2. Pre-Portion Your Snacks for Better Control
Pre-portioned snacks can help prevent overeating. Whether it's buying individual packets or portioning out larger bags into smaller containers, having set amounts available makes it easier to enjoy treats without going overboard.
Sean’s bang on the money with this – with big sharing bags there’s no ‘end point’ until you’ve reached the bottom of the bag. Creating your own ‘end point’ makes eating a realistic portion much easier.
3. Pair Your Favourite Foods With Nutritious Options
Sean encourages pairing indulgent foods with healthier options. For example, instead of eating chips alone, pair them with a protein source like cottage cheese or veggies. This helps balance your snacks, making them more filling and satisfying.
I love this technique and use it all the time. Food pairing is a really powerful way to satisfy cravings whilst avoiding overeating on them.
4. Avoid Extreme Diets – Slow and Steady Wins the Race
Many people think aggressive dieting will help them lose weight faster, but Sean cautioned against this approach. A slower, more balanced plan not only helps you lose weight sustainably but also teaches you how to maintain your progress without bouncing back into old habits.
Sean and I are completely aligned on this – extreme diets lead to yo-yo behaviour – sustainable change comes from slowing things down.
5. Maintenance Is a Spectrum, Not a Number
One of the most powerful points Sean made was that maintaining weight loss isn’t about staying at one specific number on the scale. Weight can fluctuate within a healthy range, especially as you build muscle. Progress photos can be more telling than the number on the scale.
Both Sean and I have personally lost weight and kept it off – and recognising that maintenance is a spectrum is a big part of this.
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My conversation with Sean reaffirmed the idea that sustainable weight loss doesn’t require cutting out the foods you love. By creating healthy habits, learning to balance indulgence with nutrition, and focusing on long-term goals, you can lose weight and keep it off for good.
You can listen to the whole episode here:
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