What if the problem isn't that weight loss is too easy – but that we've made it too complicated?

I sometimes get feedback on our weight loss programs that makes me think.

“I want a meal plan – but I don’t want to have to eat what’s on it.”

“I want a training program – but why are the same exercises repeated?”

“I want more options.”

“It feels too easy.”

“I could have gotten a more advanced approach from AI.”

“I need something that is more tailored to me.”

I actually understand the wishes. We humans like freedom of choice. We want variety. We want to feel like something is specially designed for us.

But after more than 45 years in the fitness and weight loss industry, I've begun to wonder if we sometimes confuse complexity with quality. Because the people I've seen succeed the most often do almost the opposite. They simplify.

Those who succeed are often quite boring.

It may sound provocative. But A person who is really determined to lose weight may eat the same breakfast almost every day. They have three or four lunches they alternate between.

They know roughly how much protein they should eat. They know the portion sizes. They prepare their lunch boxes.

And then they do it again. Day after day. Not because chicken and rice is magical. But because they have removed a hundred small decisions from their everyday lives. That is a huge advantage.

The more decisions you have to make when you're hungry, stressed, or tired, the more opportunities there are to make a decision that takes you away from your goal. I've competed in bodybuilding myself. There I learned something very simple: What works doesn't have to be reinvented every Tuesday.

The same goes for training.

A beginner rarely needs 25 advanced exercises. TV is useless. When we start with three workouts a week, the same basic exercises can recur for several weeks.

Why?

Because first you have to learn the movement . Then you need to get stronger at it. Then we can increase the load, the repetitions or improve the execution. That's progression. If We change exercises all the time, the training can feel more fun and advanced – but variety is not the same as results.

Exercise doesn't have to keep you entertained every minute. It needs to give your body a reason to change.

“AI can give me a better program”

Yes. In a matter of seconds, AI can create an impressive meal plan with 37 different meals, precise amounts of protein and fiber, alternative ingredients, recipes, and a training program that looks like it was written for an elite athlete.

I use AI myself and think the technology is amazing. But AI can't do the push-ups for you.

It can't go for a walk. It can't stand next to you at 9:30 p.m. when you open the fridge.

And above all, it cannot create results by constantly giving you a new program when you are tired of the old one .

We have more information than ever before. Yet we have not solved the problem of obesity. That should make us think.

We want a program – but at the same time do what we want

Here comes the slightly uncomfortable part. If you're seeking help because what you've done so far hasn't produced the results you want, the solution may not always be:

“Give me a program – but let me continue doing pretty much what I did before.”

• I want to eat less – but not be hungry.

• I want structure – but maximum freedom of choice.

• I want to exercise – but preferably only when it feels fun.

• I want to lose weight – but food should still give me exactly the same enjoyment and spontaneity as before.

• I want to change the outcome without changing much of the behavior that created the outcome.

  There is a conflict there. And it's not mean to say that. That's the very essence of change.

Has food become entertainment?

I think this is an even bigger question. Food is of course much more than energy. It is culture, community, enjoyment and tradition. A good dinner with people you like is one of life's great joys.

I certainly don't want to take that away. But does every meal need to be an experience? Does every lunch need to be a surprise? Do we need to have ten options every time we open the fridge? Some of the people I've seen who are most successful with their weight have a much more undramatic relationship with everyday food.

They eat to fill up, get their protein, their vegetables, and their energy – and then they get on with their day. The food has to be good. But it doesn't have to sustain them three times a day. That's a big difference.

Maybe we need less perfection and more repetition

I think the weight loss industry sometimes contributes to the problem itself.

• Everything has to sound new.

• Personally.

• Optimized.

• Advanced.

• Specially designed.

But the human body hasn't been particularly impressed by all the new words.

The basics are still pretty boring:

Eat a reasonable amount of energy. Get enough protein. Eat good food. Move. Strength train. Sleep. Repeat. And above all: Do it long enough.

This does not mean that everyone should eat chicken and rice from the same lunchbox for the rest of their lives. It also does not mean that everyone needs the same diet or exercise. Medical conditions, age, functional ability, preferences and life situation may require adaptations. But individualization must not become an excuse for making the simple so complicated that we never have time to do it.

The most important question is perhaps another one

We've never had more information about nutrition. Never more exercise programs. Never more recipes. Never more apps. Never more watches that count our steps, calories, and sleep.

And now AI can also create a new diet and exercise program for us in seconds. Yet a very large portion of the population struggles with obesity. So maybe we need to stop asking:

“Can I get an even better program?”

And start asking:

“Can I actually follow a good enough program for long enough?”

Because after 45 years in this industry, there's one thing I've seen over and over again: Those who succeed the most are rarely those who have the most advanced software. They are often the ones who do the easy thing. Over and over again. Even when it's boring. Results don't need more entertainment. Results need consistency.

All the best, Kenneth