5 Healthy Habits That Kept Me Fat

I see it constantly. People eat clean, count calories, avoid sugar, buy supplements, and yet remain stuck.

I know this not just because I have experienced it myself, but because I have personally helped over 80 people transform their bodies and lives. Almost every one of them was unknowingly sabotaging their progress through habits they thought were helping.

Today, I want to share the five habits that kept me stuck for years and continue to keep many people from losing fat. The final habit on this list is especially important, because fixing it is what finally helped me not only lose fat but make sure I never gained it back.

1. Counting Calories

Calories in versus calories out is a principle that works in theory, but if you are counting calories and still struggling to lose fat, then you need to change your strategy.

When I was deep into calorie tracking, I remember spending more time figuring out how to fit cookies and ice cream into my “allowed” intake than actually improving my eating habits. I convinced myself it was fine because the numbers technically worked, but my body told a different story.

The problem with calorie counting is not the math, but the mindset it creates. It can turn into a justification to keep eating the very foods that prevent long-term progress. If you are serious about a real transformation, not just a before-and-after photo for six months, but a true physical and mental shift, you must develop the ability to say no to foods that do not serve you, no matter how much you like them.

The easiest way to break free from this cycle is to eat foods that do not require a calculator. Whole, natural, single-ingredient foods like eggs, meat, fruits, and vegetables naturally regulate your hunger. You can eat until you are satisfied, stop when your body signals you are full, and still burn fat because these foods are nearly impossible to binge on.

This simple shift is the foundation of the SIMS Diet, a system I created and explain in detail in my book. It eliminates the obsession with tracking while allowing your body to burn fat naturally.

2. Eating Protein Bars

Protein bars were one of my biggest downfalls. Because I have a sweet tooth, they felt like the perfect solution. They tasted like candy but came with a label that made me feel guilt-free. For a while, I believed they were helping me.

In reality, they caused more problems than they solved. First, most protein bars are highly processed and deliberately engineered to be addictive. At the end of the day, they are products designed to sell, not necessarily to help you improve your health.

Second, they wrecked my digestion. Proper digestion requires a calm, rested state, but protein bars became such a convenient option that I often ate them while driving or rushing between tasks. Many bars combine dense proteins and nuts, which are difficult to digest under stress. Over time, this weakened my stomach acid production, disrupted my gut health, and triggered intense cravings for processed foods. Those cravings would lead me back to fitting ice cream or cookies into my macros, which kept me in the same loop.

3. Avoiding Sugar the Wrong Way

Sugar has a bad reputation, and rightfully so when we talk about refined, man-made desserts. However, trying to eliminate all things sweet from your diet is not the answer.

I have a naturally strong sweet tooth. Instead of fighting it, I learned to work with it by replacing processed desserts with nature-made options like fruits and raw honey.

The difference is huge. Foods from nature have built-in satiety signals. You physically cannot overeat them because they come with fiber, nutrients, and natural sweetness that satisfy your body. Man-made desserts, on the other hand, are designed to bypass those signals so you eat more than you should. By leaning on fruits and raw honey, I satisfied my cravings while continuing to burn fat.

4. Relying on Supplements

For years, I believed the secret to fat loss was just finding the right supplement. I tried everything from fat burners to exotic vitamins, thinking I was one product away from a breakthrough.

The truth is that most supplements rely heavily on the placebo effect. They make you feel like you are making progress, but rarely produce significant, lasting results.

I am not against supplements entirely. They can have a place in certain situations. However, I am against using them as a replacement for real, nutrient-dense food. When your diet is built around whole foods, your body becomes a fat-burning machine naturally. Supplements should be additions, not foundations.

5. Eating Less

This was the most damaging habit of all and the one that kept me in a toxic cycle for years.

We are told repeatedly that eating less than you burn will lead to fat loss. Technically, that is true, but here is what actually happens when you live this way. You eat less, your body adapts by slowing down its metabolism, and then you need to eat even less to continue losing weight.

This cycle drains your energy, compromises your hormones, and leaves your body in a constant state of stress. You are no longer thriving, just surviving, and fat loss becomes increasingly difficult.

The solution is not to eat less, but to eat better. When you build your diet around whole, unprocessed foods, you can eat until you are full, maintain high energy levels, and still burn fat. It is not complicated, but our modern world and our personal cravings have made it feel that way.

Final Thoughts

Fat loss is not as complex as it appears. It only becomes confusing because of the processed foods, the obsession with quick fixes, and the constant noise from the fitness industry.

If you step away from the habits that hold you back and focus on fueling your body with real food, you will not only lose fat but you will keep it off for life.

If you want to dive deeper into this approach, including the SIMS Diet system I created and use with my clients, you can find it explained fully in my book. The link is in the description.