There is a frightening amount of misinformation about fiber, constipation and general health. Much of what we’ve been told about fiber has come from processed food marketing efforts and irresponsible (misleading) science. In today’s episode I am going to bust many of these myths and share 7 facts about fiber, most of which will probably surprise you. Here’s a little hint: increasing fiber is likely to make constipation even worse!
I am completely determined to bust these myths that hold us back from our goals even when we have the best intentions! If you want more of this kind of info (including my free carb strategies for fat loss cheat sheet), let’s connect ASAP! Click here to hear more of my tips & suggestions! I want to help you accelerate your results NOW.
Research does NOT support a link between fiber consumption and reduction in risk of heart disease and cancer. The relationship seen is likely due to high fruit & vegetable consumption. When fruits & vegetables are controlled for, there is not a statistically significant link between fiber and reduced risk of cancer or heart disease
The primary reason we think fiber is important is the excellent marketing job of processed food manufacturers
Excessive fiber consumption can block the absorption & utilization of critical nutrients including calcium & magnesium
Adding fiber may actually compound problems of constipation. Research suggests that reducing fiber is far more effective for relieving chronic constipation. Definitely check out this episode to hear the details about fiber and constipation and how you can make significant improvements.
Reducing fiber intake may be the best thing for digestive discomfort and conditions like IBS
Excessive fiber consumption (especially from bran products) is directly associated with the increased incidence of osteoporosis and osteopenia
The right kinds of fiber in the right amounts can support bacterial balance
In today’s Q&A podcast we’re talking about how to get out of a mental funk & what to do on days where you wake up feeling unmotivated, frustrated or just down. Plus, we answer questions about tracking, what it really means (and doesn’t mean) for foods to love you back, which sweeteners are most fat loss friendly & a good bit more!
Check your focus
Negative emotion is a trigger for me. When I start to feel frustrated, sad, hopeless or mentally exhausted, I train myself to pause. You see, I used to just dive head first into the emotion. It was like a vicious cycle that sucked me in. I’d feel bad, think about all the reasons I feel bad, get upset that I feel so bad and then feel worse. Whoa. No wonder life was so tough. Now I take a different approach. When I notice those negative emotions & I start to feel lousy, I ask myself one powerful question: What am I focused on?
Pretty much 100% of the time I am feeling lousy because I am focused on things that make me feel lousy. Here’s the great thing: I can change my focus. See, if I focus on how long I’ve been on this journey or what I’ve had to sacrifice to get here, it’s easy to feel frustrated or exhausted. If I focus on how slow progress feels, I’m likely to feel hopeless. But I don’t have to think about those things.
I can choose to shift my focus. I can choose to focus on the many, many things in my life I have to be grateful for. I can choose to focus on how proud I am that I’ve made the progress I have. I can choose to focus on what a blessing it is to be healthy & well enough to improve my condition. I can choose to focus on my excitement about what is ahead, the things I have yet to create.
Practice gratitude
This is one you’ll hear all over the place and that’s for one simple reason: it’s true. It works. When you get into a funk, pause for a moment and write down 3 things for which you are grateful. But here’s the catch: don’t just go through the motions. Think about these things. Visualize them. Feel the joy them bring into your life. Don’t just think, “Yes, I am grateful for this”. Feel it deeply. What it brings to your life, how it makes you feel, how fortunate you are to have this thing, person, relationship or ability.
Accomplish something
I want to emphasize a very important distinction. When I was at my heaviest, I’d often wake up feeling really down. I was disgusted by my body. I was frustrated by my lack of progress and lack of self-discipline. I would get sucked into that vortex of feeling and mope around all day. I was “too sad” to do anything or to be productive. That essentially kept me trapped right there in that feeling.
Now, I know that I will feel better with each small thing I accomplish. For example, if I wake up feeling not-so-great about my body, I want to achieve a small win. I know I need those wins to start to make me feel proud of myself, encouraged and confident. It might be as small as a glass of water or 2 minutes of meditation. It might simply be making my bed or folding the basket of laundry that has been sitting in the hall for a week. You don’t need to eliminate all your bad feelings, but choose to accomplish something small. Then do it again.
Sleep
One of the wonderful things tracking my food & habits has shown me is that 90% (or more) of my mental funks hit me when I’m tired. These days, I stay really mindful of how rested I am. If I get that late-in-the-day snacky urge or I start to go down negative mental rabbit holes, I’m quick to ask, “Am I tired?” And, like being aware that the whiny toddler just needs a nap, I put myself to bed. Nothing good comes from being sleep deprived. So many times the answer, for me, is to get a good night of sleep.
Other Questions in This Episode
Do you share your tracking template? (Hint: Yes, I do!)
Your eating seems do be really clean. Do you ever have a bad day?
What does it really mean to eat foods you love that love you back? What does it mean for a food to love you back?
My question is about creating a calorie deficit. Is it true that if I go lower than recommended, won’t that just accelerate my fat loss?
Can you give me some advice about sweeteners? What will impact my fat loss the least?
This is probably the single most tactical episode of the Primal Potential podcast to date. If you encounter a recurring problem at work or at home, you know the steps to fix it, right? Typically, you document them. When the problem arises, you follow the steps. If your hot water stops working, you don’t freak out about never having hot water again and not knowing what to do. You know the steps. Check the pilot light, etc. But we tend to lack that strategic thinking when it comes to food and fat loss. In today’s episode, I will help you create your own Standard Operating Procedure for how to bounce back after a rough day, weekend or month.
The other night I was doing a live webinar on fat loss strategies and someone asked a great question. She said, “I know when you were really overweight you struggled with depression. Do you ever feel down now? Do you ever feel like you’re still fighting that? If so, how do you handle it?”
It’s true. I was in a deep, deep depression for a long time. I was obese. I felt isolated. I was exhausted by the cycle of try, fail, surrender, repeat.
Life was pretty dark. I will not deny that for one minute. Did my attitude & perspective improve as I lost weight? Yes, of course. There wasn’t as much isolation or self-loathing. Did it go away completely? No.
I absolutely still have down days. There are days where I feel like the journey has been so long and I’m just tired. Here’s the difference though: I used to surrender to those feelings. I was a slave to whatever emotion popped up. It took me down. Now, I control my thoughts and emotions. Are there negative emotions? Yes. Here are the 4 ways to be the bad days. These are strategies I use to respond to negative emotions to ensure that they don’t take me down.
4 Ways to Beat the Bad Days
Check your focus
Negative emotion is a trigger for me. When I start to feel frustrated, sad, hopeless or mentally exhausted, I train myself to pause. You see, I used to just dive head first into the emotion. It was like a vicious cycle that sucked me in. I’d feel bad, think about all the reasons I feel bad, get upset that I feel so bad and then feel worse. Whoa. No wonder life was so tough. Now I take a different approach. When I notice those negative emotions & I start to feel lousy, I ask myself one powerful question: What am I focused on?
Pretty much 100% of the time I am feeling lousy because I am focused on things that make me feel lousy. Here’s the great thing: I can change my focus. See, if I focus on how long I’ve been on this journey or what I’ve had to sacrifice to get here, it’s easy to feel frustrated or exhausted. If I focus on how slow progress feels, I’m likely to feel hopeless. But I don’t have to think about those things.
I can choose to shift my focus. I can choose to focus on the many, many things in my life I have to be grateful for. I can choose to focus on how proud I am that I’ve made the progress I have. I can choose to focus on what a blessing it is to be healthy & well enough to improve my condition. I can choose to focus on my excitement about what is ahead, the things I have yet to create.
Practice gratitude
This is one you’ll hear all over the place and that’s for one simple reason: it’s true. It works. When you get into a funk, pause for a moment and write down 3 things for which you are grateful. But here’s the catch: don’t just go through the motions. Think about these things. Visualize them. Feel the joy them bring into your life. Don’t just think, “Yes, I am grateful for this”. Feel it deeply. What it brings to your life, how it makes you feel, how fortunate you are to have this thing, person, relationship or ability.
Accomplish something
I want to emphasize a very important distinction. When I was at my heaviest, I’d often wake up feeling really down. I was disgusted by my body. I was frustrated by my lack of progress and lack of self-discipline. I would get sucked into that vortex of feeling and mope around all day. I was “too sad” to do anything or to be productive. That essentially kept me trapped right there in that feeling.
Now, I know that I will feel better with each small thing I accomplish. For example, if I wake up feeling not-so-great about my body, I want to achieve a small win. I know I need those wins to start to make me feel proud of myself, encouraged and confident. It might be as small as a glass of water or 2 minutes of meditation. It might simply be making my bed or folding the basket of laundry that has been sitting in the hall for a week. You don’t need to eliminate all your bad feelings, but choose to accomplish something small. Then do it again.
Sleep
One of the wonderful things tracking my food & habits has shown me is that 90% (or more) of my mental funks hit me when I’m tired. These days, I stay really mindful of how rested I am. If I get that late-in-the-day snacky urge or I start to go down negative mental rabbit holes, I’m quick to ask, “Am I tired?” And, like being aware that the whiny toddler just needs a nap, I put myself to bed. Nothing good comes from being sleep deprived. So many times the answer, for me, is to get a good night of sleep.
It’s such a fair question asked on the webinar. Yes, I still have bad days. I have mental funks. But my response is strategic. My emotions do not control me. As I’ve shared often on the podcast, one of my affirmations is just that: I am in control of my thoughts and emotions. Is it instinctive? Not yet. It takes energy. But, easy is earned. Habit comes from practice. I am grateful for these funks and moods because the serve up the exact opportunity I need to practice so that it does become instinctive and effortless.
The other day I posted a quiz to determine whether or not you are carb sensitive. Get this: more than 85% of you indicated that you’re struggling with carb cravings! Whoa. It does not have to be that way. Seriously. Cravings are not a required part of normal life. There are specific strategies you can implement to reduce, if not completely eliminate, cravings for sweets. In today’s episode, I’m going to explain why you experience them to begin with and 8 ways to eliminate cravings for good. Not only that, I’m going to give you access to a worksheet you can use to understand your own cravings to accelerate your progress in banishing them. Let’s dive in.
