Get out of the ‘try box’ and commit to getting fit

Odds are, there’s someone in your world who has been trying to lose weight their whole life. They’ve tried everything. The latest fad diet. Supplements. An Ozempic prescription. Even a cleanse or two. They even skipped bread for a couple weeks. And yet, they seem to be struggling with the same goal for a lifetime. What gives?

It’s easy to dismiss this as laziness and a lack of willpower. But I don’t think that’s the whole story. What’s actually holding many back is something far more common — and much more dangerous. They’re stuck inside what I call “try mode,” a mental container built around all the “solutions” they’re willing to test out. It’s easy to feel like you’re doing everything and getting nowhere in this scenario.

The truth? Most of these solutions are low-risk, low-effort endeavours that create the illusion of action, but almost never produce real change.

Inside the ‘try box’ is a graveyard: supplements, detox teas, trending diets found on TikTok and maybe a gently used gym membership. What’s outside this box where actual results reside? Harder stuff. Tracking and weighing food. Lifting weights consistently for a year and beyond. Learning to manage hunger. Getting honest about emotional eating and what triggers it. Developing consistency, even on weekends and when life gets messy. The truth is transformation lies on the other side of “too hard,” “too uncomfortable,” “too uncertain.”

But the try box isn’t to solely to blame. There’s a second trap I see far more often — and it shuts down success in its tracks. It’s the “identity box.” Where the try box limits your options, the identity box limits your beliefs. It doesn’t just control what you’re willing to try. It defines who you think you are and by extension, what you believe you’re capable of.

It sounds like: “I’m just not a gym person.” “I’ve always had a slow metabolism.” “I have ADHD, so I can’t track anything.” “I’m an emotional eater and always will be.”

These sound like harmless self-observations, but over time they calcify into identity. And identity is powerful, because once you believe something about who you are, you’ll subconsciously work to validate it through your actions and effort.

You’ll self-sabotage anything that threatens it — even if it’s good for you. Your brain would rather be “right” than evolve.

So let me be clear: most people aren’t failing because they don’t want change. They’re failing because they’ve mentally shut themselves out of the things that work. Their try box is full of false starts, and their identity box makes them feel like real change isn’t even possible.

To make things worse, we live in a world that promotes distraction over direction. We’re bombarded with fear over seed oils, Red Dye 40 and microplastics, yet the boring realities that have solid evidence to prove their consequences are overlooked. Obesity. Alcohol. Inactivity. We know the true costs of those behaviours, but that’s not what goes viral. Biohacks do. Whatever diet or supplement is trending this week does.

Why? Because those things feel exciting, along with the illusion of a shortcut. And our brain loves novelty.

The truth? The stuff that works isn’t trendy. It’s not sexy. It doesn’t promise overnight change. It’s not a magic pill. It’s just basic behaviours done consistently.

I call them the Big 5 and I’ll keep reminding you of them in this space, because most of us need to be reminded more than we need to be taught new information.

1. CAP Control — Calories and protein aligned with your goals

2. Water — 3L/day to feel human again

3. Sleep — 7+ hours to actually recover and regulate hunger

4. Strength training — Not just for vanity; for function and longevity

5. Steps — 8-10 km a day; nothing fancy, just movement

It’s not new. It’s not radical. It’s not headline-worthy.

Yes, supplements, peptides and even medications can be tools to help us better adhere to the basics. But nothing works better than the Big 5. Every time — if you stick with them long enough.

Now here’s the part that matters — and the part most fitness professionals overlook.

This isn’t about blaming people. This isn’t a “try harder” lecture. Too many fitness pros and influencers are out of touch with real, struggling humans — people juggling kids, careers, hormones, trauma, sleep deprivation and shame. Most of these people aren’t lazy or naive. They understand the risks of their unhealthy behaviours. They’re just overwhelmed and they’ve been sold the idea there’s something wrong with them when the quick fixes don’t work.

What they actually need is a new framework. They need someone to help them smash the try box. To challenge their beliefs contained within the identity box. To say, “Hey, you’ve built a life inside these limits, but there’s something better outside of them if you’re willing to commit.”

Because boxes only serve one purpose: to contain and limit. And when you put yourself in one — whether it’s built from false effort or misguided beliefs — you cut yourself off from the real change that’s possible.

You don’t need more motivation. You need to stop searching for a shortcut. You need to question the story you’ve been repeating about who you are.

You’re not “big boned.”

You’re not “lacking willpower.”

You’re not someone who “can’t lose weight.”

You’re someone who’s tried. And now it’s time to ditch “try” and commit to what actually works. Break the box. Let’s make this final stretch of 2025 the time you stop trying — and start committing to better.

Mitch Calvert is a Winnipeg-based fitness coach who’s helped more than 1,500 Manitobans reach their fitness goals (mitchcalvert.com).