How Many Special Unhealthy Food Occasions Do You REALLY Have Between Halloween and New Year’s Day? (Broadcast #57)

How Many Special Unhealthy Food Occasions Do You REALLY Have Between Halloween and New Year’s Day? (Broadcast #57)

The thing about me is I get a little crazy—just a little–when I learn something new or find something that works for me. (You didn’t know that already, did you? 🙂 )

And today’s Broadcast is no exception….

I have learned so much since I began weight loss coaching–and I want to shout it all from the mountaintops!

In this video (or podcast), I am sharing some of these new revelations, including:

1) How Deciding Ahead of Time is the key to weight loss and maintenance

2) Why Cheat Days cost us way more than we want to pay (and keep us from losing weight)

3) How to have a Fun Food exception episode each week to enjoy your very favorites–but not have cheat days that turn into cheat weeks!

4) How to figure up which meals or parties you will have Fun Foods (and which ones you really don’t need to)

5) How to THINK! The most important part of all!

I can’t wait for you to see the video! (Of course, I have a detailed outline for you–with all that math today, you might need it!)

Broadcast #57: How Many Special “Unhealthy” Food Occasions Do You REALLY Have Between Halloween and New Year’s Day?

 

Make a weight management resolution that you will keep (unlike 92% of people who give up by January 25th!)….

You CAN practice Intermittent Fasting for the rest of your life! Use coupon code SAVE20 to get 20% off the January course session: https://intermittentfastingcourse.com

A. Throwing Healthy Eating Out the Window From Halloween to New Year’s Day

1. Average weight gain 7-12 pounds
2. People don’t start new eating protocols or they discontinue ones they are trying to implement
3. They wait until New Year’s resolutions—even though they have a 92% failure rate by January 20th!

 

B. Why and How to Combat This

1. They think it is because there are too many special occasions to even try
2. But are there really?
3. My mantra to my kids: “Every day is special, but every day isn’t a “special day”!
4. We want our kids to adopt this—you still have to go to school; you still have practice; you still have homework; you still have bedtimes, etc., but we don’t want to adopt it ourselves when it comes to food! #adulting
5. We create special days that do not really need to be exceptions and call every day an exception
6. “Cheat days”—exception days, off days, no count days, free days—whatever you want to call them keep us from our goal weight more than any other “mistake.”
7. They take us over the amount of food (calories for most people) that they need in a given week by adding an extra 2000 to 4000 calories on that day—so we never have a net loss
8. Exceptions should be one meal or one food one day a week or less off of the protocol you have chosen for yourself in order to sustain the loss you have already or have more weight loss (“Fun Food” meal!)
9. The concept of “I’m going off tonight anyway” and the overdrawn checking account—seriously! Why didn’t I see this for so many years????

 

C. It’s Simple Math

1. Simple to figure but harder to keep
2. Look at calendar from Halloween to New Year’s Day

a. Halloween–children’s holiday; we don’t need it “off” (save 4 to 6 pieces of your favorites and plan them ahead of time)
b. Church Thanksgiving dinner—how important is this to you? Can you make protocol food and eat that and save your “meal off” for family meal? Do you need three Thanksgiving dinners? Most of us do not.
c. Extended family Thanksgiving—Okay, I’ll give you this one because you only get Aunt Mary’s pie once a year (1 Fun Food Meal—1 total so far)
d. Immediate Family Thanksgiving—I’ll even give you this one—one MEAL, not the whole day (aghhh….who wants to feel that way for 12 hours??? Not me!) (1 Fun Food Meal—2 total so far)
e. School Christmas Program—Store bought cookies are NEVER worth it
f. Cookie Exchange Night—Unless someone baked your favorite cookie ON THE WAY to the exchange, nothing is fresh out of the oven, so just skip then (If you thought it was worth it while you were baking for it, that’s another matter—you might want to add that to your total depending on how many “specials” you have that week—remember there will be a lot of other baking coming up! Do not, I repeat, do not eat treats while baking AND at the event…you’re an adult…you can have more control than that!) Let’s have cookies today—but only warm, homemade, amazing ones, okay? (1 Fun Food Meal—3 total so far!)
g. Office Christmas Party—Decisions, decisions….I actually have a “worth it” list—maybe you need one too! Every eating out or party is really worth it. I have my top 20 or so that will always be worth it if my week doesn’t already have my “Fun Food Meal” in it. If the bread is amazing, maybe. If the desserts are truly homemade and are cake with cream cheese frosting…possibly. So let’s assume this is an amazing dinner at one of your favorite non-chain restaurants! Lol (1 Fun Food Meal—4 total so far!)
h. Church Christmas Program—Okay…you know those cookie exchange people are all bringing the leftover cookies to this, right? And you know that these programs happen all the time—VBS, summer, harvest, Christmas, spring….yeah….eat your intentional food before you go and help some young mommas with their littles!!
i. Extended Family Christmas—Alright…I’ll give you Aunt Mary’s Christmas Dessert…so go enjoy! (1 Fun Food Meal—5 total so far!)
j. Christmas Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve—Seriously?
k. Christmas Eve—Alright…one more meal (1 Fun Food Meal—6 total so far!)
l. Christmas Morning—You decide….two “Free Food Meals” in one day is a lot of unhealthy food, but you know if your traditions are worth it that day or not (1 Fun Food Meal—7 total so far!)
m. Christmas Dinner—Merry Christmas—but stop around 6 or so….and call it a day. You’ve had plenty. (1 Fun Food Meal—8 total so far!)
n. Day After Christmas—Stop the madness….send all leftovers home with someone and pour dish soap over the leftover pie and pitch it. (If you think it’s safe in the freezer, freeze some goodies for something in the future….if. it’s. safe.
o. New Year’s Eve—Celebrate! (1 Fun Food Meal—9 total so far!)
p. New Year’s Day—One meal..one meal only. Not a New Year’s Day brunch and dinner later…not a “last meal” before the diet tomorrow….one. fun. Food. Meal! (1 Fun Food Meal—10 total so far!)

 

D. Advanced Math

1. 60 days between Halloween and New Year’s Day
2. Perfectly on protocol 50 of those
3. Ten “special days”—one “fun food meal” per day
4. Potentially over by 1,000 calories on each of those days
5. Balanced out by some lower days and a little exercise and some great fasts…..
6. No weight gain!

 

E. Free Content and Paid Services

1. Free video teaching weekly at Donna’s Intermittent Fasting Group
2. Free hour long fasting webinar: https://intermittentfastingwebinar.com
3. Month-long Intermittent Fasting Course: https://intermittentfastingcourse.com
4. Weight loss coaching—email characterinklady@gmail.com

Love and hope,

Donna

P.S. Make a weight management resolution that you will keep (unlike 92% of people who give up by January 25th!)….join my January course!
You CAN practice Intermittent Fasting for the rest of your life! Use coupon code SAVE20 to get 20% off the January course session: https://intermittentfastingcourse.com  

P.S.S. If you need one-on-one help, email me about my coaching services–I’m hanging out my shingle mid-January!

Logical Fallacies (Broadcast #54)

Logical Fallacies (Broadcast #54)

In this broadcast, curriculum author, IF teacher, and former debat coach, helps listeners cut through the noise when it comes to claims, beliefs, and research about weight loss, macronutrients, and more. She begins by drawing on her experience as a high school debate teacher and coach to point out that the terms people are using must be defined in order for us to put them in context and see if they apply or not. Then she explains what logical fallacies and biases are–and how they apply to all people at all intellectual levels. Then she delves into the six common logical fallacies and biases with their definitions, explanations, applications, and what to look for with each one. These include anchoring bias, choice supportive bias, confirmation bias, ostrich bias, bandwagon effect, and false consensus effect. Her hope is that we will use three lenses to evaluate whether something works for us or not in applying what we hear and read:

(1) Personal Experience

(2) Outside Observations

(3) Robust, reliable research

A. Why I Want to Teach About Research and Thinking

 

1. Reading specialist masters work, language arts curriculum author, former high school debate coach, parent of seven adult kids whom we wanted to teach to THINK!

a. Teach levels of reading—literal, inferential, critical
b. Teach our kids not to believe everything they hear or read—to consider the source, experience, repeatability, logic, etc.
c. Teach our kids to be wary of people using the words never, ever, always, not, none, all, etc. (in our case, you will NEVER lose weight if you eat carbs or you will ALWAYS gain weight if you eat fat!)

2. Debate

a. Define terms—so many people do not do this when citing weight loss info

i. Calories in/Calories out doesn’t work (what doesn’t work about it?)
ii. We know insulin is all that matters ? (Matters for what?)
iii. We can see calorie restriction doesn’t work from the Biggest Loser study? (How doesn’t it work—-they lost weight, so it worked; if you mean they couldn’t sustain the protocol afterwards, then that part didn’t work)

b. Evidence from a credible source

i. Trained our debaters to point out right or left wing extreme publications
ii. Trained our debaters to point out sources that funded their own research for their stance
iii. Trained our debaters to point out sources that were “magazine-like” rather than true journal publications

3. Nutrition and politics!

a. Everybody has an opinion
b. Throw research around like it’s gospel regardless of source, date, repeatability, robustness, etc.
c. Confusing!

B. Why We Believe One Over the Other—Logical Fallacies and Biases

 

1. Who and what they appeal to

a. They appeal to the group and tell you that you are smarter (or make you feel that you are smarter—you and this whole group believes this, so it can’t be wrong!)
b. Appeal to the part of the brain that deals with emotion—the amegdela
c. They appeal to a primitive reaction (toddler brain)—making us feel smart
2. People who fall for logical fallacies and biases can be any intelligence level
a. Studies have shown that highly intelligent and less intelligent people fall for them equally (because of the part of the brain they appeal to—we all have that part of the brain working for emotional appeal, regardless of IQ)
b. Two race cars example

i. Can have two race cars—a beautiful, shiny. Fast,, new one and a clunker that hardly moves
ii. If both of them are turned off, the faster one still won’t “win”
iii. True with intelligence and logical fallacies—even someone who is extremely smart who is not thinking with their pre-frontal cortext but instead is being driven by emotion (amegdela), they still wouldn’t “win the race.”

 

C. Six Common Logical Fallacies and Biases

 

1.Anchoring Bias—Believing the first piece of evidence you receive

a. This is super compelling in weight loss/nutrition—-we learn something from one source then any source that disagrees with that first source is automatically wrong
b. Since you have that first piece of “evidence,” you feel smarter even when other opinions are presented
c. Example:

i. I used to attempt very low carb and some keto. When I branched out, I was biased against carbohydrates, saying things like “If you’re going to eat an apple, you might as well eat a Snickers bar. At least it has some protein too.”
ii. My bias was anchored on the first belief that all carbs are bad—even healthy ones.

d. Things to look for: Do you never change your mind with new data?

2.Choice Supportive Bias—can’t see drawback in your own position

e. Once we make a choice, we can’t be wrong
f. We feel smart with our original choice and do not want to admit we are wrong
g. We won’t believe any downsides in our original choice because it makes us look like we were wrong; another choice or future info can’t be right
h. Research and critical thinking
i. Even good research can’t convince us when we have that first “must be right” choice
j. Tip: Be just as critical about what you don’t believe as you are about what you do believe.
k. Example:

i. I believed and taught that you should open your eating window with low carbs to keep insulin low for the first part of your eating window.
ii. I didn’t want to see any downsides to this (satisfaction, too many calories, etc.) since I felt that my original choice was right and I had been teaching it.
iii. Hard for me to go back now and say just open with real food—-not overeating (i.e. too many calories) and not concerned with macros, even though I know this is a more satisfying and potentially less caloric way to open your window.
iv. (Note: Many people NEED to open their window with low carb foods to keep cravings lower, but I no longer teach it as universal as it doesn’t help everyone.)

k. Things to look out for: Can you list the problems with your position?

3.Confirmation Bias—looking for evidence that agrees with something we already believe

a. We look for articles, studies, blog posts, FB posts, etc. that agree with something that we already agree with

i. This forces us to exclude good research or conflicting information
ii. It also forces us to stay in our own shell and only listen to people whom we agree with
iii. Makes us feel smart to find things that agree with us

b. For instance

i. The only reason we read through a thread on social media is for your own pleasure
ii. No research—just the fact that it confirms your bias towards something
iii. Confirming our biases makes us feel smart

c. Example:

i. We believe insulin is all that matters in weight loss, so when we see a study about how thousands of people lost weight with calorie restriction, we won’t open it—-can’t be true anyway.
ii. We purposely only seek out what we agree with.

d. Things to look out for: Do you seek out information because it makes you feel good?

4. Ostrich Bias—ignoring negative research or contradictory info

a. Similar to confirmation bias
b. Decision to ignore negative info or research to the contrary
c. We ignore it entirely, sticking our heads in the sand
d. Example: I did this with Diet Coke—-wouldn’t read the info or research. Would delete articles people sent me.
e. Things to look out for:

i. Have you ever purposely looked for opposite research?
ii. Have you ever said, “There is no evidence for _____”

5. Bandwagon Effect—cultural…something is popular everywhere, so people believe it

a. Huge in social media
b. This is probably the biggest bias we face today because of social media—so easy to join a bandwagon and be confirmed in what we believe every hour on the hour!
c. Fads/popular/cultural
d. We must be smart because so many people believe this!
e. Example: Breakfast is the most important meal (adults only—children and teens have different nutrition needs)….so many joined this bandwagon!
f. Things to look out for:

i. Have there been longitudinal studies on your position?
ii. Is there a consensus in the scientific community or is it primarily pushed by influencers?

6. False Consensus Effect—your group has special knowledge and knows more than other groups

a. Within a bubble

i. One of the biggest ones for people in live groups and social media groups
ii.When we are immersed in a certain belief with people who have that same belief all the time, we think that’s how everyone thinks or that is how everyone should think.
iii. Similar dynamics to bandwagon except not as universal—more in a bubble of a group

b. Bandwagon vs. consensus—this is often counter popular (going against the culture)
c. This effect also feeds into our self esteem—because people agree with us.
d. Example:

i. I was in an exercise group that said that weights were bad for you. I agreed with them, said I could never do weights, said they were boring and ineffective, made jokes about the metal and the clunkiness of weight machines at the Y, etc. because I was under the false consensus effect.
ii. And the group continued to feed into that belief.

e. Things to look out for: Mocking, sarcasm, name calling, ad hominum attacks (impacting the person)

Do You Like Full Meals or Nibbles?

I recently created a video called “My Three Favorite Things About Intermittent Fasting.” (You can watch it here!)

As I was considering what my very favorite things about IF really are, I was surprised to hear the “full meal instead of nibbles” thought over and over. I hadn’t realized how important it was for me to not have what I call “nibbles.”

My definition of “nibbles” is those little 200-400 calorie bites or drinks that a person who wants to lose weight but eats or drinks 6+ times a day has to have

In other words, if you are trying to lose weight and, theoretically, you need 1800 calories per day to get down to said goal weight (I don’t normally count calories…but bear with me…), you have to divide that 1800 calories among six eating or drinking episodes.

Those are “nibbles.”

Research shows that we WAY under-report eating times when self-reporting (another reason why I like studies done in metabolic wards not self-reported food intake ones!)…..yeah, like WAY under-estimate.

Research also shows that we consume calories 7-10 times in every twenty-four hour period of time (not Intermittent Fasters, obviously).

Research additionally shows…..I’m almost done with these…lol….and this one was hard for me to swallow….but research shows that calorie counters, trackers, lists, etc., are off by 25% either direction OFTEN. (In other words, we think we are eating a 240 calorie taco, and it is really a 305 calorie taco). Wowsie!

Anyway….back to our “nibbles”!

You drink a 300 calorie latte (is there such a thing..not sure how many calories they have!) first thing. You grab half a muffin mid morning. You know you need to eat light at lunch, so you eat a 600 calorie salad. In the afternoon, after being so good at lunch, you eat a 250 calorie candy bar to give you a sugar rush. On the way home, you eat some of your little guy’s goldfish crackers and grab the apple and granola bar in your purse for another 400 calories. Then you don’t have much left for dinner, so you eat 300 calories of cottage cheese and turkey. And suffer all evening….

AND THAT IS FOR SOMEONE WHO TRULY STAYS ON THEIR 1800 calorie weight loss plan.

Usually, because we’ve spiked our insulin all day—and never gave our body a chance to be without food or drink–we are hungry non stop, and we don’t stick with the 1800 calorie plan.

Our “nibbles” become more like mini meals in terms of caloric load, taking us up to 2500 calories or more–because let’s face it, it is hard to eat or drink 300 calories or under each of those six times. (Of course, most of us can’t lose weight on 2500 calories….)

So in considering my VERY favorite things about Intermittent Fasting (there are soooo many things I love!), I kept coming back to “not having to eat ‘nibbles.'”

Ray Baby and I have settled in to 18:6 most of the time (with a 20 or 21 hour fast thrown in here and there to offset a 16 hour one on a family day). We have settled into 2MAD (two meals a day—one smaller one and one “regular” one).

NO NIBBLES!

I don’t want a cheese stick and six Wheat Thins. I don’t want a latte. I don’t want an apple with peanut butter. I don’t want a granola bar and yogurt.

I want a real meal…..

So that is one of my favorite things about IF.

Whether we count calories, carbs, points, fat grams, macros, or nothing, we still have to create a calorie deficit to lose weight and stay at that caloric load to maintain it (though we can strength train to help us be able to eat more in the future—stay tuned!).

(We “don’t count calories or macros; we count habits and real foods”! But for example’s sake…)

So the question is, do you want to create that deficit through “nibbles” and continual hunger and lack of satisfaction?

Or do you want to create it through taming grehlin, controlling insulin, hearing leptin…..and eating REAL, more satiating foods?

 No nibbles for me….

 

Fasting for life,

Donna

 

P.S. I can teach you everything I know that has led to this empty-nesting, 56/60 year old couple becoming “The Minus 215 Pound Pair”! Join my October course!

Create a “Tomorrow Real-for-Me Food Plan” (Broadcast #53)

Create a “Tomorrow Real-for-Me Food Plan” (Broadcast #53)

Hello, Fasting Friends! I have had so many requests for food and eating help. Some want to see my daily food intake for a few days (coming
soon!). Some want to know why they aren’t losing weight in spite of an 18 or 19 hour daily fast. Others want to know what food protocol they should do.

In today’s broadcast, I am giving you hope! I am giving you a simple approach (takes me two minutes the day before to write my plan and two minutes at the end of the day to see how I’ve done that day in sticking with my plan!). I am showing you how to create food habits that will really work–because you start where ever you are and “Jump Up” (in one percent jumps) from there.

Oh how I want habits, health, and goal weights for all of you! I love being so close to my final goal–and tweaking and experimenting and being curious about how I can keep going and get there.

(Did you hear that Ray Baby and I have recently become “The Minus 205 Pound Pair”? Yep, we have just reached the milestone of losing over 200 pounds together (155 of those pounds have been in the past couple of years!).)

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this broadcast—and i hope you start your “Tomorrow Real-for-Me Food Plan” right away!

Love and hope,

Donna

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Can You Eat Whatever You Want on Intermittent Fasting?

Hello Fasting Friends! Time to talk about food….eating window, feasting, choices, habits, cravings, “addictions”….okay, maybe not all of those things in one short article, but at least food (and cravings).

I have come to realize through the process of Intermittent Fasting (and my lengthy daily research) that one big reason I never lost weight (or kept weight off) before (aside from controlling grehlin, the hunger hormone, which IF does soooo well!) is that I always wanted to “have my cake and eat it too.”

Bear with me….I know that sounds simplistic. After all, that is what we have all wanted. To be able to eat what we want and still lose weight.

That is why I began IF in the first place.
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