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Welcome to the website for Matt Van Der Laar (@mattlaarfit) and Fit Fat Training, LLC!

To learn more about who we are, what we do, and how we help clients, please use the navigation menu above. Thanks for stopping by!

mattlaarfit

Lose fat without guilt, food rules, or restriction.
Mindful eating. Strength over shame.
Run. Lift. Hike. Live.
Coaching + tools for real life 👇

Frustrated with scale fluctuations? You need to u Frustrated with scale fluctuations?

You need to understand that fluctuations with your body weight are completely normal.

Some days your weight may go up, some days it may go down or even stay the same.

Approach it with a level head and use this for what it is: data.

Besides, there are soo many ways you can be making progress that have nothing to do with the scale!

If you're only looking at the scale for progress you're going to be in for a bad time.

Want to know my top 7 ways you can look for progress other than the scale? Comment below and let me know.

Matt
One of my favorite ways to make oatmeal! The text One of my favorite ways to make oatmeal!

The texture of steel cut oats just hits different 💪💪

High protein

High fiber

Loaded in micronutrients, what's not to love?

I used fairlife milk for a nice protein boost. You can add protein powder, I typically would but I ran out.. That's why I added chocolate chips 🤣

Let me know if you try this, it's perfect for a sweet tooth.

Matt
You're an all-or-nothing person. You're perfect d You're an all-or-nothing person.

You're perfect during the week. You stay on plan, crush your workouts.

Then the weekend comes and it's game on.

Friday night you go out for drinks and dinner, you ate more than you planned.

You miss Saturdays workout because you were out late or maybe you're feeling guilty.

"why even bother" you say to yourself.

You do this every time so why even try, right?

That's a pivotal moment and THAT'S where you're f*king up, not by going out the night before.

How you respond to going off plan or having a set back is what matters.

All or nothing thinking like this is the most common cognitive distortion and it's holding you back.

Get back to it. Go for a walk. Eat a nutritious meal. Do SOMETHING rather NOTHING.

The only way you through it is to STOP. QUITTING.

Hope this helps.

Save this for when you need that reminder that it's OK to not be perfect. 

Matt
This is disgusting. We're putting 11 year olds on This is disgusting.

We're putting 11 year olds on weight loss drugs now.

These are children that haven't even been given the chance to grow up. She's not even old enough to make this decision for herself.

This is a girl who was happy and didn't know she had a "problem" until other people started telling her she had a problem.

Further in this interview she said she stopped taking the weight loss drugs and gained some weight back. Well no shit! That's because they don't fix anything long tern and are meant to be LIFELONG drugs!

So what will she do next? Take the shots again? Go on a crash diet to lose weight so she makes other people happy?

This is f*cked. It's all f*cked.

I have nothing against these drugs but this is taking it too far. 11 year olds arent even APPROVED to be taking these drugs!!

I'm f*cking fed up, man. I work with women everyday who were put on extreme diets to lose weight as children. Sent to fat camp. Guilted and shamed for their body.

This type of bullshit does not help and further reinforces the idea that skinny = beautiful and sets unrealistic standards for women to achieve.

I hate it here

That's all I have to say about this right now.

Matt
You’ve probably been told that mindful eating mean You’ve probably been told that mindful eating means “just slow down” or “chew 30 times.”

That’s not it. That’s diet culture repackaged as mindfulness. Run away from influencers promoting this shit - they are deceiving you. 

Mindful eating isn’t about eating perfectly.

It’s about learning to pause, notice, and respond.. instead of spiraling out of control, feeling guilt, or cruising on autopilot.

It’s the skill of checking in without judgment.

The courage to ask, “Am I even hungry?”

The power to say, “This is what I need and I trust myself to make that choice.”

Here’s how to start practicing mindful eating this week:

Pause before your first bite. I call this the power of the pause.

Check in halfway through: “Am I satisfied?”

Ask: “What am I feeling right now - and what do I actually need?”

Remind yourself: I don’t have to get this perfect to be making progress.

You’re not failing if this feels hard. Change is hard, learning new skills is hard.

You’ve just been trained to tune your body out. You've been telling your body and hunger to f*ck off for years.

I'm here to change that - one meal, one moment, one thought at a time.

If you’re done with food fear and diet thinking, I’ve got you.

Comment 'mindful' below to join my 30 day mindful eating challenge and learn to trust yourself again and crush your fitness goals your way.
You're allowed to emotional eat. There's your per You're allowed to emotional eat.

There's your permission. 

The messaging i often see online is "how to stop emotional eating"... and thats wrong. 

You aren't wrong for emotionally eating. 

You aren't bad.  You didn't f*ck up. 

So stop trying to stop it.  What you need to do is understand emotional eating.  Why you do it. Get curious!

Trying to stop emotional eating is only going to keep you stuck in this guilt and shame cycle. 

When you begin to understand why you emotionally eat, you take back the power and control. Food no longer controls you because you control your emotions. 

You respond instead of reacting. 

Hope this helps. 

If you are ready to understand your relationship with food and break the cycle for good, my mindful eating challenge is starting this Monday. 

In my challenge we'll help you build healthy mindful eating habits, learn how to soothe with food without spiraling, and break the weight loss and gain cycle for good. 

I've got 5 spots remaining. Want in? Comment 'mindful' for details or head to the link in my profile. 

Matt
How to lose weight quickly AND sustainably. Time How to lose weight quickly AND sustainably. 

Time for a hard truth...

You cant have it both ways. 

Quick weight loss is not sustainable and sustainable weight loss is not quick. 

Quick weight loss requires you to drastically cut calories, your favorite foods, and most likely do a bunch of cardio or high intensity workouts.

You cannot sustain that! The ironic thing here is that you've been trying to quickly lose weight for years...had you taken a better approach, a slower approach, you would have saved yourself time and frustration. 

So by focusing on quick weight loss its actually taking you longer lol

Slow down. Focus on getting stronger and building muscle. The goal is fat loss and body composition changes. Give your body what it needs, go on a daily walk, strength train regularly,  and give it time. 

There is no rush and there is no time limit for weight loss - it takes as long as it takes!

Hope this helps.

And hey if you are ready for a different approach to your weight loss goals, I'm hosting a 30 day mindful eating challenge starting July 21st. 

Comment 'mindful' for more details and to break the cycle for good!

Matt
Choose one: quick weight loss or sustainable weigh Choose one: quick weight loss or sustainable weight loss?

You cant have both. 

Yall have been trying to have both your entire life...and its gotten you no where except feeling frustrated, burnt out, and like a failure. 

Reminder that you aren't broken - the diet rules you've been taught are.

Matt
Have you ever felt like you’re good all day… until Have you ever felt like you’re good all day… until nighttime hits and everything unravels?

Or maybe you:

Eat “perfectly” all week, then spiral on the weekend.

Keep restarting your diet on Monday.

Feel like food is always on your mind.

Try to be “in control” but end up feeling out of control.

Struggle with losing weight and keeping it off..

If you nodded yes to any of that, you're not broken.

But the diet rules you’ve been taught might be.

And I get it. I've lost and maintained more than 50 lbs for a decade now but I struggled for years following unsustainable diets.

Our next 30 day mindful eating challenge starts soon.

It’s called Break the Cycle: The Find Food Freedom Challenge — and it starts July 21st.

➡️ No obsessing over calories or macros.
➡️ No food rules or crash dieting
➡️ No beating yourself up with cardio
➡️ Just 30 days of healthy habits, mindful eating and movement, coaching, and support that actually sticks.

Today is the last day to get on the waitlist and you'll receive an exclusive bonus goal setting call with me to get crystal clear on your goals headed into the challenge.

Drop a “I’m in” in the comments if you want first dibs 👇

I’ll make sure you get early access to sign up + the bonus call with me. Sign up opens tomorrow, July 14th.

Come learn the skills you need to lose weight - and keep it off for good.

Coach Matt
These things are completely normal when you're los These things are completely normal when you're losing weight!

Part of successful weight loss is changing your expectations and relationship with weight loss.

I see so many people crash and burn with their weight loss goals because they are stuck in a dieting mindset and they are too rigid with their plan.

Instead of trying to be perfect all the time, wouldn't it be easier to change your expectations to be more realistic?

That's what I did to lose 50+ lbs and I've maintained it for more than 10 years now.

Its what I do with my clients - break up with the diet concepts and find peace with food and their body. 

If you are ready for a change, I'd like to invite you to mindful eating challenge starting July 21st.

My mindful eating challenge is for anyone who’s tired of obsessively tracking, spiraling out of control with food, or feeling like they’re constantly “starting over” with their weight loss journey, and wants to build a strong, resilient body and mind. 

It’s called Break the Cycle: The Find Food Freedom Challenge - 30 days to stop obsessing over food, rebuild trust with your body, and actually feel in control again (without controlling everything).

Here’s how it works:

- You’ll choose 3 mindful habits to work on
- Daily workouts and walks — built into my private coaching app as part of our mindful eating foundation
- Earn points for completing habits, movement, and check-ins (yes, there are prizes 👀)
- Learn how to fuel your body for your goals
- Weekly coaching calls on mindful eating, mindset, cravings, strength training, and more
- Daily accountability and support from me + Coach Mel in a safe, zero-judgment space

Sign up starts July 14th. 

Interested in joining? Comment 'mindful' below and I'll send you details and add you to the waitlist,  where you'll receive exclusive access and a bonus goal setting call with me.

Matt

#mindfuleating #mindfulweightloss #weightlosstips #weightlosshelp
If you're tracking calories, make sure you aren't If you're tracking calories, make sure you aren't making this common mistake!

Stop using measuring cups, tablespoons, etc to weigh your food - these measure volume, NOT weight! 

A cup of food can vary by weight everytime - leading to inconsistent tracking and data. 

Grams are a unit of weight that doesn't depend on the size or shape of the measuring tool. If something calls for 500 grams of flour, you'll get the exact amount no matter what measuring cup or spoon you use. 

Mass measurements, like grams, ignore factors that can affect volume measurements, like how tightly an ingredient is packed into a cup or its shape. 

It might not seem like much and for many foods such as fruit or veg it doesn't really make a difference. 

But when you're using more calorically dense foods these minor differences can be hundreds of calories a day - completely wiping out your calorie deficit. 

Find this helpful? Let me know below if you've made this mistake before (I sure did when I started my fat loss journey more than a decade ago)! 

Matt 

#caloriedeficittips #calorietracking #fatlosstips #mindfuleating #weightlosssupport #nutritiontips
Food I've eaten recently as a mindful eater that d Food I've eaten recently as a mindful eater that doesn't track calories or macros (anymore)

Fueling your body never tasted so good 🤣

Listen, I've done the work. I lost more than 50 lbs and have maintained it for many years now. 

I do not have weight loss goals even though I've used mindful eating to lose weight and I teach my clients how to lose weight with mindful eating. 

Mindful eating isn't about shrinking your body. It's about nourishing and honoring your body. 

So many people get mindful eating wrong because they don't understand it or are stuck in a dieting mindset.

Mindful eating helps you move away from diet concepts like restriction, obsessing over calories, and how small you can make your body. 

Mindful eating is food freedom. Its not about control, its about learning to trust yourself with food again.

Are you stuck in a cycle of weight loss and weight gain? 

Stuck in a loop of self sabotage and all or nothing thinking?

Want to learn how to make peace with food and reach your health and fitness goals in a sustainable way?

My next challenge starts July 21st and is all about mindful eating. 

Mindful eating will change your life if you let it.

Comment 'mindful' to be added to the waitlist. Sign up starts July 14th.

Matt
Low calorie, high volume snacks are what you need Low calorie, high volume snacks are what you need for fat loss.

1 lb of watermelon has 138 calories!! Talk about getting the most bang for your buck.

Eating fruit is great for fat loss and your health in general.  Fruit like watermelon also hydrates you since it is mostly water.

Fruit gets demonized by soo many people and its complete BS. 

One of the ways I like to eat watermelon is with a little bit of mustard. It's a good mix of sweet, salty and tangy

Before you say "WTF MATT, mustard and watermelon?!"...try it! 🤣

Watermelon is the perfect summertime snack, I've been eating it after my workouts, especially my long runs.

Do you eat watermelon? Have you ever tried it with mustard?! Let me know below.

Matt
If you're only using the scale to measure progress If you're only using the scale to measure progress on your fat loss journey, you're going to be in for a bad time.

The scale is a great tool but some of you have a f*cked up relationship with it and it completely derails you anytime it goes up. 

Which is kinda crazy because body weight fluctuations are COMPLETELY NORMAL!

You let the scale influence your mood and your behaviors. It has the power to validate what you've been doing or throw you into a self sabotage cycle. 

That's because you have have too much emotion involved with the scale and you need to start looking at the scale as DATA. Approach it logically. 

Making decisions based off of your emotions is a recipe for disaster. 

Weigh yourself at least 3-4x a week, if not daily. Track the trends and averages over time and don't get too worked up over any one day.

You should also be using other methods to track progress such as body measurements, your workouts, how your clothes are fitting,  progress pictures, energy levels, etc.

The scale is one form of tracking progress and it's not a great one when you are focusing on fat loss and body composition changes.

The more data you have, the better!

Hope this helps. Save this video and comment below if you found it helpful!

Matt

#mindfulweightloss #weightlosstipsforwomen #fatlossvsweightloss #mindfuleating
Gained 5 lbs after your 4th of July celebrations? Gained 5 lbs after your 4th of July celebrations?

No you didn't. Heres what's happening.

You ate more food, maybe even had some drinks. More food means more carbs, more sodium. 

You've got more food in your body right now that needs to be digsted. You are retaining more water weight due to eating more food and sodium.

Yes your body is likely even inflamed.. but that doesn't mean you gained all kinds of fat in one day. Thats not possible. 

Today get back to doing what you are doing everyday (if you follow my advice, that is).

Go for a walk. Hydrate. Eat protein and fiber. Nourish your body. 

Don't get upset and keep the party going. Do not visit f*ckitville this weekend. 

That's really where fat gain comes from...when you keep the party going all week and get frustrated by what you see on the scale even though you know you overdid it.

Fat gain, just like fat loss, doesn't happen overnight or over the course of a weekend for that matter. 

Hope this helps. Get back to it!

Matt

#weightlossmotivation #weightlosshelp #4thofjuly #mindfuleatingtips #mindfuleating #mindfulweightloss
Dear active parents.. I see you crushing it. You' Dear active parents..

I see you crushing it. You're out there taking your kids on your walks. Your runs. To the gym with you. 

That's an investment in your health and your kids future that you will never regret!

I know it isnt easy. I started my own fitness journey when my son was 6 months old, and started getting serious when he was a few years old.

My son is 15 years old now and hes always been in and out of the gym with me and that is something he does on his own now.

We lead by example.

Now this isnt to shame parents who dont so these things. I get it. Its f*cking hard.

But your kids need you to be healthy. They need you at your best.  And part of being hot best and supporting others is showing up for yourself. 

This is something I'm very passionate about and I routinely help clients with. Find a routine that works for them and allows them to show up for their children because they want to set a good example for them. 

Many of my clients didn't have these behaviors modeled for them when they were children themselves, and they don't want that for their kids.

Exposure to fitness at an early age is how you help your children live a healthy lifestyle on their own.

Model these behaviors. Show them what its like to show up for yourself when its really hard to do.

Show them what its like to do hard things.  Let them see you sweating. Let them see you pushing yourself. 

They're always watching - what do you want to show them?

Matt

#busyparents #fitnessmindset #fitnessforbusypeople #fitnessforparents
Sneaky way to get more fiber into your diet Pop c Sneaky way to get more fiber into your diet

Pop corn baby!

There are so many pop corn options out there for you to choose from.

One serving of air popped popcorn contains about 15 percent of the amount of fiber most people need every day.

And let's be real here, pop corn is tasty as fuck and is low calorie so you can eat lots of it. It provides satiety, making it a good food to help with weight loss.

Just maybe don't pump butter onto it like you're Paula Dean or at the movies on a Friday night lol

Anyway. Eat popcorn. Be happy.

Matt "Getcha Popcorn Ready" Van Der Laar

#lowcaloriesnacks #highfibersnack #lowcaloriehighvolume #nutritiontips #highfiber #popcorn
All or nothing thinking is keeping you down. The All or nothing thinking is keeping you down.

The problem with all or nothing thinking is it only gives you two choices. To do the thing, or not.

But there's actually three choices, and the third choice isnt sexy, but it's how you get results.

Working out is a choice. Not working out is a choice. Finding something to do is instead of doing nothing is also a choice.

Only you know which choice is right for you but let me tell you this: very rarely is the best choice 'do nothing'

Yeah sometimes its going to suck and be unpleasant to do the damn thing.

So what? You want to be comfortable?

Continue doing what you've been doing then - that's worked really well for you, right?

You don't always have to do uncomfortable things but if you aren't putting yourself in uncomfortable situations, how do you expect to grow?

There is always SOMETHING you can.

For the most part.

Matt

#fitnessmindset #mindsetmatters #runnersofinstagram #crosstraining  #runningcommunity
Is cortisol the reason you aren't losing fat? No. Is cortisol the reason you aren't losing fat?

No.

Should you not exercise because it raises your cortisol?

Also no. 

Cortisol and inflammation are once again the trendy thing to talk about and blame for your problems.

Ironic that the wellness influences telling you these things are selling an anti inflammatory diet plan or cortisol cocktail, isnt it? They can get f*cked.

Yeah, cortisol is a stress hormone. So what? It rises during exercise..calorie deficits...emotional times.

That doesn't mean cortisol is bad, it's just misunderstood and wellness grifters are relying on you not understanding it. 

Your body is SUPPOSED TO PRODUCE CORTISOL.  It wakes you up in the morning. Help you train hard. Helps you run away from a bear in the woods. 

Inflammation? Sure, eating a diet thay consists of taco bell and alcohol will inflame your butthole. But exercise also inflames your body.

Inflammation is necessary to improve your strength and endurance after exercising.

There is a big difference between acute cortisol and inflammation "spikes", like what happens when you exercise, and chronically elevated levels.

If you're not losing fat,  consider these things:

- You are chronically under eating 
- Poor sleep habits and quality 
- Low protein and fiber intake
- Not meeting cardio and strength train requirements
- You regularly drink alcohol
- You say yes to things you don't want to do
- You have a stressful job and you eat your stress away
- You don't practice mindfulness 
- You have all or nothing tendencies 

I could go on and on. 

It isnt cortisol and inflammation that's f*cking  you up. 

Its your shitty habits and poor health promoting behaviors.

So please shut up about cortisol and inflammation. Go to the gym. Go to a therapist. Go for a walk. Fuel your body. 

Focus on the things that matter. Stressing about this shit is only pouring gas on the flames. 

By the way if you aren't losing fat you simply aren't in a calorie deficit..and everything i mentioned up above is likely why you cant stay in a deficit.

Find this post helpful? Comment below, let me know. 

Matt

#cortisolcocktail #inflammation #cortisolweightgain #weightlosstipsforwomen
Dihydrogen monoxide supplements: are they worth it Dihydrogen monoxide supplements: are they worth it?

I woke up with a headache today.  My cortisol woke me up (which is its job) and my body is inflamed because I ran 3.5 miles and lifted weights yesterday. 

I need a supplement to help me feel better and Dihydrogen monoxide is just what I need. 

Ok enough bullshit lol 

Its not my cortisol and inflammation that gave me a headache. I'm dehydrated. It's hot AF outside and I didn't stay on top of my hydration yesterday.

I stayed up later than usual last night watching a movie with my son, and I woke up earlier than usual because I had to take my son to work this morning. 

So my sleep quality wasnt great and I'm dehydrated.  Of course I don't feel great.  But those are lifestyle factors, it wasn't my cortisol or inflammation making me feel bad. 

So this morning I had my Dihydrogen monoxide supplement (aka water). I had some carbs in the form of a sausage egg and cheese bagel. Had some fruit.  Now I'm about to go on a gentle walk to get my body feeling right. 

You don't need supplements... you need to change your lifestyle factors and be proactive with your health instead of reactive. 

And you should probably stop following health and wellness grifters that are making you afraid of cortisol and inflammation. They're selling you a load of crap.

Hope this helps. Get out there and move your body.  Drink your water. Eat some fruit. 

And if you're sweating a lot right now, you could potentially benefit from more electrolytes but you can get that from the food you eat.. you don't need a discount code lol

Matt "Cortisol Cocktail" Van Der Laar 

#cortisolcocktail #wellnesssupplements #nutritiontips #fitnesstips
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