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What do the majority of women’s fitness before and after photos have in common?

They’re all about weight loss—someone was “bigger” in the before photo, and they’re smaller (or at least leaner) in the after.

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When I was a kid and my Dad asked how much peanut butter I wanted on my sandwich, the answer was always, “A lot!” The first bite would cling to the roof of my mouth thanks to the thick smear of roasted, peanutty goodness. I’d take a quick sip of cold milk to wash it down, then go in for the next tasty mouthful.

This article is like that delicious sandwich—only instead of peanut butter, there’s a hefty filling of sarcasm so thick that globs drip off the back as you sink your teeth into the first bite. (Enjoy, and perhaps keep a glass of milk nearby to help it go down.)

The One Simple Hack part of the title either piqued your interest, or triggered your potential-bullshit alarm. Simply writing it induced a bit of nausea for me since most “hacks” are overused, regurgitated phrases filled with empty promises. Or they’re just stupid. This simple hack, I’m relieved to say, is neither.

When it comes to fat loss, or practically anything pertaining to body transforming, most proposed “hacks” are complete rubbish. They make promises like “fix trouble spots fast” or “build your dream body in only 30 days.” You’re tempted with tales of secret methods and shortcuts used by the pros. While these hacks sound incredible, they typically fall short in delivery.

But there is one simple hack that does work. One simple hack to stop screwing yourself over and, thereby, allowing you to achieve your goals: “If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging,” declares the wisdom of what’s known as The Law of Holes.

Advice is overrated. And often unwelcome.

Wisdom gained from personal experience, in my opinion, is much more valuable. That’s why I love the following excerpt — it reveals a pragmatic approach to how a woman puts out the raging dumpster fires that life hurls in her path:

“Change doesn’t happen in my life by listening to the shit in my head. Change in my life is led by my ass. If my ass goes to the gym and gets it done, my life gets just a teeny bit better. Maybe I won’t even notice. But if my ass keeps going, one day I turn around, and my body is strong, and I’m just a little happier. This is also how I got out of the dumpster fire phase if my life. I put my ass in new places, and avoided the people, places and things that were terrible for me.” (This insight comes courtesy of Dr. Mary — a strong, wise, witty woman who has crushed both Beautiful Badass Courses.)

During your workout you saw a fellow gym-goer for the first time in several weeks. You hear her telling another member about her recent weight loss. “I swear, the ketogenic diet is the best thing ever. I dropped 10 pounds in four weeks,” she raved.

The next day in the break room, one of your co-workers is incessantly chatting about the meal plan she’s been following for a few weeks, because she’s already lost five pounds.

Intrigued and curious, you try these diets too. But, when you try them, they just don’t seem to produce the same holy crap I’ve found “the one” experiences as the women who sing their praises.