The perception most of us have about being fit is to look in a certain way, which turns our journey’s starting point into not liking what we see in the mirror. Eating healthy food and exercising will feel like punishment, like something we must do to repair our “damaged” bodies.   This reasoning's main flaw is thinking that happiness will touch us when we get the "perfect" body, and it's not true. Happiness is found in the journey to be fit; knowing that eating healthy is not a punishment but a demonstration of love, exercising is taking care of ourselves. The transformational trip into fitness must be made from loving ourselves.   Joining me today is Drew Manning, a health and fitness expert, author of the NY Times Best Selling book, Fit2Fat2Fit, and the creator of the A&E Show Fit to Fat to Fit. He is also the host of The Fit2Fat2Fit Experience podcast. In 2011, Drew decided to do the risky experiment of gaining weight to experience first-hand overweight people's experience on their journey to being fit; he gained over 70 pounds. Ten years later, now in his forties, Drew is at it again; this time, he gained 62 pounds that he will try to lose in his new experience, Fit to Fat to Forty.  In this episode, we talked about Drew's unique perspective on fitness and being healthy. He explained how his experiments helped him approach fitness coaching from a more empathetic viewpoint, making him more comprehensive about people's struggles. We also talked about our emotions' central role in losing weight and the difference loving ourselves can make when being fit is our goal.   If you want to know more about the secrets of being happy and fit at the same time, tune in to Episode 270 of Becoming Your Best and let Drew change your approach to a healthy life.   Some Questions I Ask: Can you give our listeners a little bit of background, who you are, how this journey started, and where you're at right now today? (1:42) What was the most challenging part of this journey so far, especially this time in your forties? (7:49) You've talked about empathy and other things; what are some of the lessons learned that you've got along this line? (12:27) What are two or three specific starting points? Or things that people can do that would have a significant impact on their health? (16:45) What is Keto? What are its advantages, benefits, things that people need to be thinking about if they're serious about starting Keto? (23:07)  In This Episode, You Will Learn: The reasons behind the Fit2Fat2Fit experiment and its teachings (1:54) Drew's getting humbled during part II of his experiment (6:58) Where people get stuck when they are trying to lose weight (9:40) The pursue of happiness vs. the perfect body (13:02) Working on small habits to make a huge difference (17:16) Keto in a nutshell (23:18)  Resources: Fit2Fat2Fit website The Fit to Fat to Fit Experience Podcast Book: Drew Manning - Fit2Fat2Fit: The Unexpected Lessons From Gaining and Losing 75 lbs on Purpose Book: Drew Manning - Complete Keto: A Guide To Transform Your Body and Your Mind for Life Book: Claire Weekes - Hope and Help for Your Nerves  Connect with Drew: LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter  Becoming Your Best Resources: Becoming Your Best Website Becoming Your Best University Website Becoming Your Best Library Email: support@becomingyourbest.com  Book: Becoming Your Best: The 12 Principles of Highly Successful Leaders Book: Conquer Anxiety: How to Overcome Anxiety and Optimize Your Performance Facebook Group – Conquer Anxiety  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.