weight loss | Donna Reish

Think-Feel-Eat Episode #45: Qualities Needed for Weight Loss (Part II of III)

Hi! I’m Donna Reish, IF teacher, weight loss coach, blogger, and half of “The Minus 220 Pound Pair” as my husband and I have lost over 220 pounds together (160 of that in the past couple of years through the Weight Loss Lifestyle habits and strategies I teach!). In this episode, I present more qualities/skills needed for weight loss.

In Episode #44, I presented two important qualities for weights loss: Thoughtfulness (thinking!) and Honesty (my personal goal right now). These were even eye-opening for me as I outlined and presented them!

In today’s episode, I begin with a study “Maintenance of Lost Weight and Long-Term Management of Obesity”. In this study, it reveals that people are more likely to keep weight off when they lose one pound per week (as opposed to faster weight loss). This is a meta-study, so it brought together 29 long-term weight loss studies. (Of course, there are other individual studies saying that fast weight loss is better because of the immediate rewards, but this episode is focusing on Patience, Perseverance, and Self-Control—all of which are more likely with slower weight loss.)

For this week’s qualities/skills, I begin with the combination of Patience and Perseverance. These two qualities are closely related in that when we are dealing with long-term goals requiring Patience, we must also have the Perseverance to keep going even when we are awaiting a long-term goal.

We persevere (don’t give up) when we see success. But we also persevere when what we are asking of ourselves isn’t too difficult to do. As soon as we take on a protocol or eating plan that is too hard to sustain, perseverance goes out the window.

The last quality I discuss today is Self-Control. I present some recent self-discoveries around the concept of immediate gratification. That is, that maybe always seeking for delayed gratification isn’t the answer. When we only have two choices—eating cupcakes now or eating them in three months at Disney World, the latter seems too far out there (time wise and craving-wise). So I offered my new thoughts on three types of gratification:

1) Immediate gratification
2) Intermediary gratification
3) Delayed/long-term gratification

I posit that this could be the reason that Intermittent Fasting is so popular (we don’t have to wait too long to eat); that Flexible Dieting (macro counting, Weight Watchers, If It Fits Your Macros, etc.) is so popular, and more.

(Of course, in the Self-Control section, I also discuss dopamine/brain circuitry’s effect and hormone’s effect as discussed in previous episodes.)

There is hope for developing qualities and skills that are needed for weight loss—or for expanding current skills in other life areas to weight management!

Find all of my episodes, outlines, and articles for my two weekly broadcasts:

(1) Weight Loss Lifestyle broadcast (formerly Donna’s Intermittent Fasting Broadcast)

(2) Think-Feel-Eat broadcast

Sign up for my free webinar!

Think Feel Eat Outline 45 Qualities Needed for Weight Loss Part II of III

A. Review

1. We can develop qualities and skills AND we can increase the ones we already have AND we can apply the ones we have in other areas of life to weight loss/weight management

2. We can overcome the brain chemicals and circuitry and hormones so that the qualities we want can come forth

B. Study of Long Term Weight Maintenance: Maintenance of lost weight and long-term management of obesity

1. In a meta-analysis of 29 long-term weight loss studies, more than half of the lost weight was regained within two years, and by five years more than 80% of lost weight was regained.

2. Research shows that people are more likely to keep weight off if they lose one pound a week (confirming that incrementality helps us build long term skills)

3. Fast weight loss can definitely work if a person can stay with such extreme, rigid approach for the time it takes to lose the weight—if the person has a maintenance plan in place.

C. First Two Qualities—Episode #44

1. Thoughtfulness

1. Thinking about our thoughts

2. Thinking about our weight loss/weight management

2. Honesty

1. Honesty with ourselves about counting

2. Honesty with ourselves about what we eat, how much we move, our start/stop time, our planning, our execution of our plan, etc.

3. Incrementality—TFE 19 and TFE 20 Self-Integrity

D. Patience and Perseverance

1. Intertwined

2. As we are patient without expectations of super fast loss, we will be able to persevere more

3. As we are patient without expectations of super fast loss, we will be choosing things we can actually do—and this affects our perseverance

4. We persevere when we have success, have a protocol we don’t have to run away from for relief all the time, can see non-scale victories, and like the food we are eating.

5. We persevere when we have already proven to ourselves that we can do things that are somewhat challenging—then we can move to the harder things: First Four Journal Sheets and TFE 42 Benefits of First Four

E. Self-Control–

1. Three kinds of gratification

a. Immediate gratification

b. Delayed/long term gratification

c. New thought—intermediary gratification

2. Create your own protocol working around your level of self control at that time—What Will I Really Do? TFE 43

3. Willpower WLL 60 and 61

F. Get More Help!

1. Join my FREE FB group where I record videocast/podcast episodes!

2. Emails with teaching around weight management—articles, videos, free charts and booklets, and more: donnareish.com

3. Take my month-long Intermittent Fasting course

4. Schedule a free 30 minute coaching consult!

Think-Feel-Eat Episode #41: Benefits of Being Sugar-Free Part of the Time (or Always)

by Donna Reish

Hi! I’m Donna Reish, IF teacher, weight loss coach, blogger, and half of “The Minus 220 Pound Pair” as my husband and I have lost over 220 pounds together (160 of that in the past couple of years through the Weight Loss Lifestyle habits and strategies I teach!).

In this episode, I present benefits of being sugar-free or part-time sugar-free!

Many people equate sugar with weight gain. They automatically assume that you can’t lose weight eating sugar or that you will gain weight if you do eat sugar. Truth it, we lose or gain weight by undereating or overeating.

And this leads us to the first benefit of being sugar-free all or part of the time: when we have less sugar, we crave less and often eat less. And then guess what? Yep! We lose weight!

Several things happen to us regarding weight when we reduce sugar:

We possibly eat more filling foods
We reduce our over-hunger and our over-desire (TFE #29 and TFE #30)
We eat more of the 3 F’s (foods that are fiber, fluffy, and fluidy)
We eat fewer foods that cause intense cravings (Weight Loss Lifestyle #49)

Additionally, we prove to ourselves that we can do something extremely hard, lose belly fat, increase our heart health, have healthier brain function, experience less depression, and much more.

Find all of my episodes, outlines, and articles for my two weekly broadcasts:

(1) Weight Loss Lifestyle broadcast (formerly Donna’s Intermittent Fasting Broadcast)

(2) Think-Feel-Eat broadcast

Sign up for my free webinar

Think Feel Eat 41 Benefits of Being Sugar-Free at Least Part of the Time

1. Losing weight because of eating less/fewer cravings (Over-Hunger vs. Over-Desire TFE 29 and 30)

a. Over hunger will be reduced as we will eat more filling foods

i. 3 F’s =–fiber, fluffy, fluidy

ii. Sugar takes up very little space—or if we are strict with our calories, doesn’t give us a sense of fullness

b. Over desire will be reduced as we are eating fewer foods that cause extreme cravings (i.e. fewer foods with three or more of the 6 Seductive Craving Combinations) WLL 49

i. Fewer cravings/eating less sugary foods

ii. Eat less sugary foods/crave less (circle)

2. Proving to yourself that you can do something extremely hard

a. Feeling happier and less anxious

b. Waking up with a feeling of accomplishment and pride

3. Losing belly fat

a. Sugar usually means more calories

b. Eating less sugar causes the body to burn belly fat instead of the circulating sugar

4. Heart health

a. Too much sugar can cause an increase in LDL cholesterol

b. AHA recommends reducing added sugars

c. Study in JAMA: Internal Medicine, “Those who got 17-21 percent of calories from added sugar had a 38 percent higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared to those who consumed 8 percent of their calories from added sugar.

5. Brain function/focus

a. Refined sugars can impair brain function

b. Can exacerbate symptoms of depression

c. “Brainberries”!

6. Others?

a. Cance

b. Obesity

c. Better sleep

d. Skin improvement

7. Saving money —

a. Debate on whether eating healthy is less expensive or more expensive

i. Overall research is mixed

ii. Does show that eating things from scratch is healthier/less expensive if you don’t buy special ingredients (i.e. flour, sugar, rice, potatoes, apples, etc.)

iii. Losing weight is the best way to save money on food

1.) We have lost 220 pounds together

2.) 220 pounds is 2200 calories per day

8. Get More Help!

1. Join our holiday weight loss challenge

2. oin my FREE FB group where I record videocast/podcast episodes!

3. Emails with teaching around weight management—articles, videos, free charts and booklets, and more

4. Take my month-long Intermittent Fasting course

5. Schedule a free 30 minute coaching consult!

Think-Feel-Eat Episode #26: “Self-Sabotage”—Practical Tips (Part II of III)

by Donna Reish

Hi! I’m Donna Reish, IF teacher, weight loss coach, blogger, and half of “The Minus 220 Pound Pair” as my husband and I have lost over 220 pounds together (160 of that in the past couple of years through the Weight Loss Lifestyle habits and strategies I teach!).

In this episode, I bring you more information about “self-sabotage.” In the previous episode (TFE 25), I gave the “thinking and feeling” aspects of “self-sabotgage.” Now in this episode, I dig into practical tips for “self-sabotage.”

How can we avoid “shooting ourselves in the foot”? What can we do practically to help ourselves not go off and on our plan and then start again and again?

Of course, the teacher in me (language arts lady) had to do a quick review of episode 25—Pick-a-Protocol so you have a food protocol firmly in place (TFE 21—One BIG Decision to Make Ahead of Time); work on/prepare thoughts ahead of time so that you are ready with more helpful thoughts when the “quitting” or “giving in” thoughts come; plan your food each day (TFE 22—The Daily Decision to Make Ahead); and more “thought-related” topics.

Then we dug right into half of the practical tips (other half coming next week!). These include working on stress management AND with tools that are unrelated to food or alcohol. Use stress management, pre-planned self-care, and sleep to help cortisol levels stay low so that you won’t “stress quit.”

Next came some practical, “do these” tips for sitting with urges. We have to get away from relying on willpower and white knuckling our way through urges to quit or eat off plan and instead use in-the-moment techniques that work even when willpower is waning as the evening draws near. Some of these include counting backwards from ninety, setting a timer for ten minutes, journaling, writing what you want to eat in your plan for tomorrow rather than eating it today, and more.

Finally, I did it again—talked about Dr. Stephan Guyenet’s The Hungry Brain and how we have to create barriers to hyper-palatable foods. I gave several practical tips here while also cautioning against using the barrier method exclusively. (See Motivating Monday’s e-article August 10, 2020.)

Think Feel Eat Outline 26 Self-Sabotage Part II (of III)

A. Review from Episode 25: Ways to End Self-Sabotage (or Ways to End Giving Up!)

1. Have firm protocol in place so you know when you are going off and what that will look like (Use my Pick-a-Protocol Packet to determine what protocol you will most likely be successful on!) TFE Episodes: 16, 17, and 18

a. People who are successful at weight loss/maintenance aren’t perfect; they’re just on way more than they are off!

b. 80/20 works—it’s 70/30 or 60/40 that doesn’t work

c. When protocol is firmly in place, it is obvious “I’m going off for this wedding”—or “I’m staying on protocol completely even when we got out for dinner this week”

d. You don’t “fall off a wagon”—there will be no wagon to fall off of…this is your way of life 80% of the time…more often than not…how you live.

e. Call it what it is: little quits, giving up, giving in, choosing, deciding, going off plan….use the pronoun I…

2. Work on Thoughts ahead of time

a. What is that Thought right before you obstruct your progress?

i. This won’t matter

ii. A bite won’t hurt

iii. I’ll start tomorrow

iv. I’ll start Monday

v. I’m not losing now anyway

vi. Doesn’t matter what I eat—you can lose weight eating anything (true….but can you STOP eating just anything?)

Get a Thought or two ready!

b. New Thought

i. Every bite DOES matter

ii. I can choose to do something different tomorrow; today is already planned

iii. “This is my new/future size six life!” (or X weight life…or whatever your most motivating final goal is)

2. Make decisions ahead of time with your “adult brain”—pre-frontal cortex

a. This keeps you from having to use willpower to so much (WLL 60 and WLL 61)

b. This allows you to plan the day ahead of time (Get your freebie journal sheet here!)

i. TFE 21: The One BIG Decision to Make Ahead of Time

ii. TFE 22: The Daily Decision to Make for Weight Loss

c. This allows you to decide something different on another day. “There’s always tomorrow!” is a helpful thought when you have already decided ahead of time.

d. Plan foods for their satiation, caloric intake, etc.

e. Plan down to the time and number of times you will eat (3 minute exercise!)

B. Practical Tips to Avoid “Self-Sabotage” (or obstructing your own progress)

1. Work on stress management ahead of time and with tools unrelated to food

a. Self-care is something you decide ahead of time—not in the moment

b. Plan Delights of the Day for yourself to give yourself practical, fun, purposeful things to look forward to without involving food or alcohol

c. Use breathing techniques, walks, novels, talking books, podcasts, favorite shows (without food), yoga, journaling, prayer, self-coaching, talking with a friend, games, etc. ALL PLANNED

d. Create your day to purposely reduce stress as stress raises cortisol, which causes cravings and potential weight loss disruption/increase fat storage

e. SLEEP! WLL 31

2. Use a tip from Sitting With Urges (TFE #9)

a. Counting backwards from 90

b. Setting a timer for ten minutes, telling yourself you can have it if you still want it in ten minutes

c. Journaling instead of eating

d. Writing it on tomorrow’s plan right at that moment

3. Create barriers to hyper-palatable foods

a. See Motivating Monday from August 10^t^h for why JUST creating barriers doesn’t work on its own

b. Try not to have hyper-palatable foods

c. If kids need snacks, choose either things you don’t like or less enticing foods in general like graham crackers, saltines, etc. over pastries, cakes, cookies, etc.

d. When you do decide to have something seductive, you will have to drive to get it

e. Buy individual servings of snack type foods

f. More practical tips next week!

C. Next Steps

1. Intermittent Fasting Course—first Monday of each month; use code SAVE20 to get $20 off!

2. Private online coaching

3. Perfect Storm of Weight Loss

Think-Feel-Eat Episode #25: Self-Sabotage in Weight Loss Part I (of II)

by Donna Reish

Hi! I’m Donna Reish, IF teacher, weight loss coach, blogger, and half of “The Minus 220 Pound Pair” as my husband and I have lost over 220 pounds together (160 of that in the past couple of years through the Weight Loss Lifestyle habits and strategies I teach!).

In this episode, I shed some light on that common term, self-sabotage. In weight loss terms, this is used to say that we thwart our own efforts at losing weight.

But what does it mean? Is it helpful to use that term? (Language Arts Lady says that words and thoughts DO matter!)

I start out defining self-sabotage then explaining what the term really is—a euphemism for little quits, giving up, giving in, choosing something besides our goals in that moment, etc.

Euphemisms are words that help soften the reality of that moment. They are helpful for us in dealing with crises, loss, and more—and should be used in those instances. However, when it comes to what we call deviations from our plan, euphemisms are not very helpful.

We would do a lot less self-sabotaging if we called our deviations what they really are—going off plan or choosing a food in the moment rather than our long term goals during that moment. AND extending grace to ourselves as we do it (as opposed to “beating ourselves up” for our deviations).

Next I move into what “self-sabotages” start with—a Thought. They start with a Thought such as “this won’t matter” or “a bite won’t hurt” or “I’ll start Monday.” I teach the importance of capturing that Thought in the moment and how we can replace it with a Pocket Thought (a thought we have prepared ahead of time and store in our “pocket” for a “rainy day”!).

Another anti-self-sabotage tip I teach is that of learning how to “sit with urges” rather than trying to use will-power or white knuckling through them. If we know they are coming, and we are ready for them, we can sit with them more easily. (Find more about this in “10 Ways to Sit With Urges” in Think-Feel-Eat Episode #9.)

Finally, the last two tips have to do with two of my favorite weight loss strategies: Deciding Ahead of Time and Creating a Protocol. (More on both of these can be found at donnareish.com/perfectstorm)

Join me next week in Episode #26 for Part II of the Self-Sabotage two parter—specific food and daily tips to stay on—and stop “obstructing your own weight loss efforts.”

Find all of my episodes, outlines, and articles for my two weekly broadcasts:

(1) Weight Loss Lifestyle broadcast (formerly Donna’s Intermittent Fasting Broadcast)

(2) Think-Feel-Eat broadcast

Sign up for my free webinar: intermittentfastingwebinar.com

Think Feel Eat 25 Self-Sabotage Part I (of II)

A. Definition

1. According to Psychology Today: Behavior is said to be self–sabotagingwhen it creates problems in daily life and interferes with long-standing goals. The most common self–sabotaging behaviors include procrastination, self-medication with drugs or alcohol, comfort eating, and forms of self-injury such as cutting.

2. Language Arts Lady—take it apart

a. Self—me; myself; done by me

b. Sabotage—deliberately destroying, damaging, or obstructing

3. For our purposes, we will call it “when I deliberately (or unknowingly—more on that later) obstruct my weight loss/maintenance or health progress.”

B. Euphemisms in Weight Loss

1. Euphemisms are words we use to soften the blow or lighten the real thing that is happening.

2. We use euphemisms to make something seem or feel less severe than it is

a. Left me or doesn’t want to see me—instead of dumped me

b. Passed on, we lost him—instead of died

3. The problem of doing this with weight loss

a. Makes it seem like it is typical behavior

b. Makes it seem like it isn’t very serious or important

c. Makes it seem commonplace

d. Makes it seem inevitable

e. Makes it seem like it is outside of our control

4. Euphemisms in weight loss that are not serving us

a. Fell off the wagon

b. Got off track

c. X overtook me (cravings, etc.)

d. Lost my willpower

e. I always self-sabotage

f. The cupcakes were calling my name

5. Say exactly what is happening—without beating ourselves up or tearing ourselves down

a. Not I always self-sabotage but instead I always CHOOSE

b. Not I fell off the wagon, but instead I DECIDED

c. Not I lost my willpower, but instead I gave up my goals and did X

d. Not something overtook me, but instead I wanted X more than X

e. State it as a fact—not as a personal defect!

C. Self-Sabotage Starts With a Thought

1. The Thought right before we engage in the behavior that sabotages or obstructs us from our goals

2. This “right before the behavior” thought is the one we need to take hold of and change

3. Ways to end self-sabotage

a. Call it what it is: little quits, giving up, giving in, choosing, deciding, going off plan….use the pronoun I…

b. Work on Thoughts ahead of time

c. Make decisions ahead of time with your pre-frontal cortext

d. Have firm protocol in place so you know when you are going off and what that will look like

e. Have a mechanism in place to end self-sabotaging behaviors before they get out of hand

f. Don’t ever have “screw it” times again—instead plan exactly what you will do in unusual circumstances

g. Use “tricks” to keep you on the protocol you have chosen

D. Ways to End Self-Sabotage (or Ways to End Giving Up!)

1. Call it what it is

a. Little quits, giving up, giving in, choosing, deciding, going off plan

b. Use the pronoun I

c. Don’t use euphemisms

d. Don’t adopt typical diet slang

2. Work on Thoughts ahead of time

a. Obstructing your progress starts with a Thought

b. What is that Thought right before you obstruct your progress?

i. This won’t matter

ii. A bite won’t hurt

iii. I’ll start tomorrow

iv. I’ll start Monday

v. I’m not losing now anyway

vi. Doesn’t matter what I eat—you can lose weight eating anything (true….but can you STOP eating just anything?)

c. Get a Thought or two ready!

i. Every bite DOES matter

ii. I can choose to do something different tomorrow; today is already planned

iii. Starting later has never worked for me

d. Use one of the 10 Tips to Sit With Urges (TFE #9)

3. Make decisions ahead of time with your “adult brain”—pre-frontal cortex

a. This keeps you from having to use willpower to so much (WLL 60 and WLL 61)

b. This allows you to plan the day ahead of time (Get your freebie journal sheet here!)

i. TFE: The One BIG Decision to Make Ahead of Time

ii. TFE: The Daily Decision to Make for Weight Loss

c. This allows you to decide something different on another day. “There’s always tomorrow!” is a helpful thought when you have already decided ahead of time.

4. Have firm protocol in place so you know when you are going off and what that will look like

a. People who are successful at weight loss/maintenance aren’t perfect; they’re just on way more than they are off!

b. 80/20 works—it’s 70/30 or 60/40 that doesn’t work

c. When protocol is firmly in place, it is obvious “I’m going off for this wedding”—or “I’m staying on protocol completely even when we got out for dinner this week”

d. You don’t “fall off a wagon”—there will be no wagon to fall off of…this is your way of life 80% of the time…more often than not…how you live.

E. Next Steps

1. Tools for Self-Sabotaging Behaviors next week! TFE 26!

2. Intermittent Fasting Course—first Monday of each month; use code SAVE20 to get $20 off: intermittentfastingcourse.com

3. Private online coaching

4. Perfect Storm of Weight Loss

Think-Feel-Eat #20: Tools for Self-Integrity (Part II of II)

by Donna Reish

Hi! I’m Donna Reish, IF teacher, weight loss coach, blogger, and half of “The Minus 220 Pound Pair” as my husband and I have lost over 220 pounds together (160 of that in the past couple of years through the Weight Loss Lifestyle habits and strategies I teach!).

Self-Integrity is at the basis of every change we want in our lives—physically, mentally, emotionally, relationally, spiritually, productively….it is the core to why we don’t do what we say we will do—and why we do, do what we say we will do!

Most of us call self-integrity by another name: willpower. We think we just don’t have the willpower to do what we tell ourselves we will do.

And there’s some truth to the fact that we often don’t have the willpower to carry out what we say we will do….but willpower isn’t the only cause of our self-integrity lack.

Last week, in Episode #19 of Think-Feel-Eat, I described a few enemies of self-integrity (what we make past failures mean; perfectionism; not breaking things down {habit formation skills lacking}; relying on willpower; and not deciding ahead of time).

(For more understanding of willpower, see my Weight Loss Lifestyle broadcasts #60 and #61.)

In this week’s episode, I bring good news! Tools!

Tools we can use in our lives and skills we can develop to become the kind of person is filled with self-integrity—the kind of person who does what we say we will do. Yay us!
These tools counteract the enemies of self-integrity and put us on the path to food control, business growth, daily disciplines, relationship nurturing, and much more.
I present a few general tools like Thought Work, sleep, automaticity, and craving reducers.

Then I have created a derivative of BJ Fogg’s (Tiny Habits) ABC’s of Habit Formation by combining his ABC, my experience with attachments and minimum baselines through homeschooling for thirty-two years, and an early teacher (Gregg Harris) in the homeschooling world’s Attachment Approach (Fogg calls this Anchor). This tool works—and I am so excited to present it to you!

20 Self Integrity Part II of II (Tools for Self Integrity—Including the ABC Approach!)

A. Review Why We Don’t Do What We Tell Ourselves We Will Do

1. Past failures—what we make them mean
2. Perfectionism
3. Not breaking things down (habit formation)
4. Relying on willpower (Weight Loss Lifestyle 60 and 61)
5. Not deciding ahead of time (today’s tools will help this!)

B. Misc. Tools That Will Make a Difference!

1. Thoughts (Perfect Storm #7)
2. Sleep can refill willpower stores (Weight Loss Lifestyle 42)
3. Automaticity

a. Schedules
b. Repeating same foods

4. Reducing cravings

a. TFE 7, 8, and 9
b. Extend the time between super seductive foods

C. The ABC’s of Self-Integrity

1. Three little steps that the above enemies of self-integrity often diminish
2. Questions/ABC aspect from BJ Fogg Tiny Habits book
3. My introduction to the first two steps from Gregg Harris in The Advanced Homeschooling Workshop
4. The C—Celebration

a. Many used to say that this was actually “Consequences”—the outcome of doing A and B.
b. Researchers now believe that it isn’t the outcome that drives us to create habits and to stay in self integrity
c. We are driven to change behaviors through Feelings

i. Celebration (step three) intensifies and emphasizes positive feelings related to our self integrity
ii. Celebration gives us a built in opportunity to feel the feeling that will help us to continue to build that habit/be in self integrity