Getting lean and strong is so fucking simple, you eat less, move more, lift heavy, and that’s it! Right!?
So why the fuck it took me over 15 years of yo-yo dieting, trial an error, ups and downs to finally get in a decent shape?
Because it’s not about what to do or how to do it, this part is super simple, it’s about a whole different thing, and in the next 15 minutes I will try to explain to you what took me 15 years to understand.
In this post I will share with you a psychological mindset shift that helped me lose over 30kg and stay fit for life, with what feels like zero effort, and give you the exact steps you can do to implement it as well.
This is part one of the fitness mindset series, in each part I will teach you about one concept that helped me and hundreds others become the fittest and healthiest version of ourselves, and in this chapter we will talk about the rubber band concept and I guarantee you, if you understand and implement only this one thing it will change your physique forever.
So let’s jump right into it.
The Downhill Ride and the Crash (Why We Self-Sabotage Progress)
You are in the zone, you are motivated, you sorted out your diet, you exercise, you lose weight, things start to look great and it even doesn’t feel that hard, the weight is just smoothly dropping, like riding a bicycle downhill with a nice summer breeze, effortlessly, while thinking to yourself, that’s it! I’ve finally figured it out!
And then—BAM!
Out of nowhere, you jam a metal rod right into your own wheel and go flying face-first into the ground.
You tell yourself it’s because of that vacation, or a birthday, or you got sick, or work got stressful—whatever excuse fits that week.
But deep down, you know you just found a reason to fall off track again.
And before you even realize it, all that progress you made starts slipping away…
sometimes right back to where you started, sometimes to an even worse place.
The Hidden Difference Between Fit and Unfit People (The Subconscious Identity Trap)
Now think about it —
You’ve probably seen people around you who stay lean almost effortlessly.
They eat normal food, skip workouts sometimes, go on vacations, drink on weekends — and somehow still rock a 6-pack, or at least a decent physique.
It’s like their default setting is being fit.
Meanwhile, you just look at a donut in the wrong way, and your progress vanishes.
You start thinking they have better genetics, faster metabolism, or some secret trick… but that’s not it.
The real difference is happening up here — in the subconscious.
Their brain believes, or knows, on a subconscious level that they’re a fit person, so every action they take naturally keeps them there — whether it’s the food choices, how much to move, or when is the last slice of that pizza.
Even the small, unconscious decisions — like grabbing water instead of soda, walking instead of driving, stopping when they’re full — all align with that identity.
They don’t need to force it, because it’s who they are.
And it really takes a very small change in calorie intake & energy output compounded over time to see major weight loss or weight gain.
My 15-Year Yo-Yo Cycle (The Pain That Created the Lesson)
So first of all — you’re not alone.
This shit happens to everyone on some level. And it can actually be a super power if you know how to utilize it correctly.
I’ve struggled with my weight for as long as I can remember.
And even though I was always pretty active, I spent over 15 years bouncing between 110 and 85 kilos like a damn yo-yo (side note: I’m now around 76kg).
Same story, every time.
I’d clean up my diet, train hard four six times a week, stay consistent — two, three, five months — and then it hits.
A birthday party.
A vacation.
A stressful week at work.
Doesn’t matter what triggers it — it always ends the same way.
One “f*ck it” moment turns into a binge.
Which leads to skipping a workout in the next day because I feel like crap, then eat more crap because I feel bad for skipping the workout.
Then I skip another one.
Fast forward three months — I’m 10 kilos heavier and wondering how the hell it happened again.
Then, of course, I get “motivated” and start the whole cycle from the beginning.
The Rubber Band Concept (Your Subconscious Set Point Explained)
This breaking point kept showing up again and again.
Different excuse every time — a vacation, stress, bad sleep, whatever — but the same result: crash and restart.
At first, I blamed motivation.
I thought, “I just ran out of willpower.”
But something about that didn’t sit right.
It felt… intentional.
Like there was a part of me quietly pulling me back— sabotaging my progress on purpose.
Almost as if my own brain didn’t want me to get and stay lean.
And it got me thinking… So I started digging.
And what I found completely changed the way I see fitness, discipline, and even myself.
It led me to the first fitness mindset concept that changed everything for me — the Rubber Band Concept.
How the Rubber Band Rules Your Life (Fitness, Money, Relationships, Success)
Here’s the simplest way I can explain it — we all have invisible “set points” living in our subconscious.
Think of them like internal thermostats. Not just for your weight or fitness — for everything.
Each set point is basically a belief about who you are and what’s “normal” for you, a default state, and everything outside this zone just doesn’t feel right.
Imagine a rubber band tied to your body weight.
Take me, for example — 110 kilos used to be my comfort zone.
When you’re sitting right at your comfort set point, it feels balanced. It’s familiar, safe — it’s who your subconscious believes you are.
But the moment you start losing weight, you move away from that comfort zone.
That’s when the rubber band starts to stretch.
Remember, the rubber band is connected to your current you, and to your set point,
so the further you stray away from the set point, the stronger it pulls you back to it.
So you’re not just fighting cravings or laziness — you’re literally fighting your own identity.
Oh and by the way, this isn’t just about fitness.
The rubber band shows up everywhere.
Take relationships, for example…
Some people believe that they can’t find a good partner, yet when they finally meet someone amazing — they mess up, almost on purpose…
Even though the relationship looks good, no games, no drama, just two people who actually get along.
And that’s exactly why they start to screw it up & create problems that don’t exist.
Or worse — they go out one night, have a few drinks, and cross a line they can’t take back.
Not because they’re evil or don’t care — but because, deep down, it feels wrong to have something that good, it feels like they don’t deserve it.
And this healthy relationship stretches the rubber band too far.
So their subconscious pulls them right back — sabotaging the relationship, pushing the other person away, proving that old belief true again:
“See? I knew I’d mess it up. I don’t deserve that kind of love.”
Or take money, for example.
If you took all the money and assets in the world and spread them evenly across everyone, give it a couple of years — the rich would end up rich again, and the poor would end up poor again.
Because people don’t operate from their bank balance — they operate from their financial, subconscious set point.
Their thermostat decides what’s “normal” for them, for some, it’s millions, for some it’s nothing — and it always pulls them back there.
Someone wins the lottery and five years later they’re broke again.
They didn’t lose the money because they’re stupid. I hope so.
They lost it because it just feels wrong and unfamiliar to them.
Now flip it.
Take everything away from someone who truly sees themselves as wealthy — strip them of their house, business, car, bank account — and see what happens.
They’ll find a way to build it all back.
Why?
Because all their actions — even the small, automatic ones — pull them back up to that level.
Now sure, you could say, “Yeah, cuz they have the knowledge, the skills, the experience.”
True — but let’s be honest, in 2025, knowledge is everywhere.
That’s how 20-year-old kids from regular families start online businesses and make millions — they don’t have more knowledge; they just don’t have the mental barrier that says “success isn’t for me.”
Their subconscious already decided that being successful is their baseline.
Being poor or “average” simply doesn’t fit their identity.
And because of that, the rubber band pulls them up, not down.
Once I understood this whole “rubber band” thing, I started thinking…
what if instead of fighting it — instead of using motivation, guilt, pain, or trying yet another some fitness guru’s approach hoping it would eventually snap —
I could just move it?
What if I could shift my set point — my internal thermostat — from 110 kilos, let’s say, to under 80?
So that 75 to 80kg will feel like home, and 110 feels like something is off, like some other person and not me.
That idea just hit me.
Because if the subconscious can pull you back to your old self,
it can also pull you forward — to where you want to be.
So I went deep. I took a shovel and I started digging into everything that could help reprogram the subconscious — hypnosis, visualization, breathwork, meditation, even some wild stuff like ayahuasca ceremonies in South America.
That’s a story for another day though.
And out of everything I tried — all the weird, expensive, “life-changing” stuff —
one simple, accessible tool really stood out.
Something you can literally do at home for 10–20 minutes a day.
No medications, no therapists, no shamans required.
And that one thing is the main thing that helped me lose over 30 kilos — and keep it off effortlessly ever since.
And the best part? You can do it too.
Just buy my course for 69.9 us dollars.
I’m kidding you can just pay me by hitting the like button.
Before we dive into the tool itself, let’s do a quick test to see if you do indeed have a “rubber band problem”.
Find a quiet spot.
Close your eyes for a few minutes.
And imagine standing in front of a mirror — shirtless — looking at the version of yourself you actually aim to be, with your perfect physique.
Not from the outside, like you’re watching a movie…
but through your own eyes.
See what it feels like to be that person.
To have the abs, the posture, the confidence.
I bet you won’t be able to hold that image for more than a few seconds before you brain starts fighting back, snapping to another unrelated thought.
Why?
Because it’s not who you believe you are,
So, if you can’t even imagine yourself being fit, how do you expect to actually achieve that?
My goal with video is simple.
First — to help you understand how powerful this concept really is.
And second — to show you exactly how to train your subconscious to shift how it sees yourself.
Because once you can truly visualize yourself as that version of you — with a lean, strong body— everything starts to shift automatically.
You won’t have to force discipline or chase motivation and it won’t feel like an internal continuous fight.
It’ll just feel natural.
The cravings will quiet down.
You will stop fighting your own mind.
You will actually want to train.
And the crazy part is — it feels like the weight just starts melting off on its own.
You start moving, eating, and thinking like a fit person — not because you’re trying to become one…
but because, deep down, you already believe you are.
You’re just a fit person who happens to still be carrying some extra weight — for now.
But why is it so damn hard to change and rewrite your internal set point?
Why does your brain fight you every time you try to do something good for yourself — like meditate, eat clean, or even just go for a walk?
Your brain doesn’t actually care about your six-pack, your dream life, or your personal growth.
Its main job is survival, not progress.
And survival means keeping things familiar.
Your brain loves comfort and predictability.
Even if your current comfort zone sucks — even if you’re overweight, stressed, or unhappy — your brain prefers that over the unknown.
Because unknown means danger.
From an evolutionary standpoint, the brain still thinks you’re a caveman.
Back then, doing something new — walking into a new territory, eating an unknown fruit — could get you killed.
So it learned this rule: “If it’s new, it might kill us. Let’s just stay here.”
Now fast-forward to 2025, and that same brain wiring still runs the show.
You try to start meditating, and your brain goes, “Nope, this feels weird. Let’s scroll Instagram instead.”
You plan to hit the gym, and your brain goes, “We’re tired. Maybe tomorrow.”
It’s not laziness — it’s just your brain trying to save energy and keep you “safe.”
Andrew Huberman says that your brain burns a massive amount of energy just existing, so it automates everything it can.
When you try to change a pattern, you force it to use the “manual override” — the prefrontal cortex — and it needs to burns fuel for that.
So it resists.
That’s why it feels uncomfortable, annoying, or pointless.
That’s literally your brain saying, “Man, this takes too much effort — let’s go back to autopilot.”
Rewiring your brain actually requires discomfort.
That resistance you feel? The restlessness, the boredom, the urge to quit?
That’s actually the moment the rewiring starts.
Huberman calls it the “price of plasticity.”
Your brain doesn’t change when things feel easy — it changes when things feel awkward as hell.
On top of that, your brain also fights you is because of your identity.
It’s protecting who you believe you are.
If your subconscious thinks you’re “the lazy overweight guy,” or “the one who hates working out” then every action that doesn’t match that identity feels wrong.
Your brain literally tries to pull you back to your “default self.”
So, when you meditate, eat better, or push through a workout — it’s not that you’re weak for finding it hard.
It’s that your brain is running an outdated survival program that says,
“Change = risk. Staying the same = safe.”
So if your brain fights change that hard… how the hell do you actually change it?
How do you convince your subconscious that this new version of you — the strong, fit, focused version — is the new normal, how do you move the rubber band to a new set point?
Reprogramming the Rubber Band (Meditation, Visualization & Identity Shift)
That’s where meditation comes in.
At this point you might be thinking ‘oh fuck off’
But I don’t mean sitting like a monk in silence for an hour while thinking about nothing.
I mean using meditation as a rewiring tool.
Here’s what actually happens:
When you meditate — especially with intention and focus — you’re teaching your caveman brain to observe, not react.
That space between thought and reaction is where neuroplasticity happens.
It’s where you can literally catch your brain running its old script and replace it with a new one.
Huberman talks about this a lot — when you’re calm, alert, and focused at the same time, your brain enters a state that’s perfect for rewiring.
You’re no longer acting out of stress or impulse.
You’re reprogramming.
And this is the crazy part — during deep focus visualization, the brain doesn’t distinguish between imagination and reality.
If you consistently imagine yourself as lean, strong, and fit — the neural pathways for that version of you get reinforced, just like practicing a skill.
And eventually your subconscious starts going, “Oh… this is who we are now, okay.”
That’s how you move the rubber band.
Not by fighting it, not by forcing motivation — but by slowly teaching your brain that your new baseline is safe.
That being fit and healthy isn’t something “new” — it IS you.
And once your brain accepts that identity, everything else starts aligning automatically.
Your cravings, your habits, your energy — they all follow.
That’s why I say meditation isn’t just “relaxing” — it’s the most powerful form of mental training you can do.
You’re literally reprogramming your hardware.
So when people say, “Meditation changed my life,” – and by people I mean me.
it’s not because they got spiritual —
it’s because they finally stopped letting their subconscious run the show.
Here’s how you do it
First of all, sit — don’t lie down.
You want to stay alert, not drift into a nap.
Find a comfortable position, put on a 10-minute timer, and play some background music — anything that helps you focus.
You can just type “meditation music” on YouTube, Spotify, or whatever works for you.
Start with 10 deep breaths.
Slow, full exhales — just to settle your nervous system.
Then, pick a visualization that actually feels real for you.
You might picture yourself looking in the mirror with visible abs.
Or walking shirtless on a sunny beach.
Or stepping on the scale and seeing your goal number.
Or just feeling your clothes fit perfectly.
The key, and it’s super important, is to imagine it in the present tense — as if it’s already you.
Not “someday,” not “in the future.”
Because if you keep seeing a future version of yourself, that’s exactly what you’ll become:
someone chasing it, not being it.
Once you start, you’ll notice it’s not as easy as it sounds.
You’ll think, “Okay, just picture it, how hard can that be?” — and then five seconds later your brain goes,
“What should I eat later?”
“Did I reply to that message?”
“Wait, did I pay my bill?”
Totally normal.
Your mind will drift a thousand times — that’s the point.
It’s like walking on a slackline: you’re going to fall off over and over again.
Your job isn’t to stay perfectly balanced; it’s to keep getting back on, training those balance muscles.
Each time you bring your focus back to that image, you’re strengthening the mental muscle that shapes who you are.
And one day — maybe after a week, maybe two — something interesting will happen.
It will start to feel weird being out of shape, because your brain has already started to believe you’re fit.
And once that belief locks in, your habits, your food choices, even your energy — they all start catching up and align to match who you are.
If you are still watching and didn’t click off to the next ’10-minute abs hack’ now’s gonna be a good time to hit the like and subscribe button, before it hits you
Now, here’s where a lot of people mess it up — without even realizing it.
They do the visualizations, they meditate, they say they want to change…
but then, in their day-to-day life, they keep reinforcing the old identity.
You’ll hear them say stuff like,
“I hate working out.”
“I’m just not a gym person.”
“Healthy food is boring.”
“I don’t have time to exercise.”
Every time you say something like that — even as a joke or to yourself — your subconscious listens.
It takes notes.
It goes, “Got it. That’s who we are.”
And then it makes sure your actions match that identity.
So instead, start talking like the person you actually want to be.
And if you have to lie a little, go for it.
Fake it till you make it, as they say.
When people ask how your workout was, you say “perfect, can’t wait to hit the gym again”
Instead of “I’m fucking sore, I hate it”
When poeple ask how was the pizza, you say “I would rather eat a steak” instead of “give me another slice” and son on.
At first, it’ll sound like bullshit.
But your subconscious doesn’t care — it just follows repetition.
You feed it a story long enough, and it starts believing it.
And once it believes, your actions automatically start matching it.
That’s how you trick your brain into becoming the person you want to be.
The crazy thing is — this, combined with meditation, is powerful enough to change everything.
You don’t need to combine it with 20 new habits or some complicated plan, your habits are the byproduct of who you are.
After about a week of doing this every day — or even a couple of times a day — you will feel that something starts to shift.
You realize you’re not as hungry.
You stop craving junk.
You don’t have to fight yourself to make good choices — they just start happening.
It feels effortless.
And here’s a crazy claim – you can eat and do whatever you want — and still get leaner.
I will say it again – you can eat and do whatever you want — and still get leaner.
Sounds like complete bullshit, right?
But that’s exactly the effortless I was talking about, hear me out —
it’s not making yourself do and eat the healthy stuff, it’s about teaching your brain to want the healthy stuff.
When your subconscious starts seeing you as a fit person,
you don’t force yourself to eat healthy — you just naturally crave better food.
Junk starts to taste like regret.
The fifth beer on Friday night stops being “fun” and starts feeling like a bad deal.
You’re still eating whatever you want —
it’s just that what you want changes.
I genualy enjoy eating healthy, taking walks, working out, it makes me feel good, I just love it.
No drug or food beats the feeling of being fit.
That’s the rubber band concept — and the first mindset shift that changed everything for me.
Once you understand this and start practicing it, fitness stops being a fight.
You stop forcing discipline.
You stop starting over every few months.
You just become the kind of person who stays fit — for life.
Have a question or just wanna say hi? Hit me up on IG: @vadim.kettlebell
