301: Workshop – Eliminating Excuses

301: Workshop – Eliminating Excuses

Today we’re tackling “the gap” – the space between where you are and where you want to be or between what you intend to do and what you actually do.

In that gap are your excuses.

This is a bit of a workshop episode on eliminating excuses. Once you do that, you close the gap between your ideal and your reality.

It’s time to stop accepting and believing your excuses. It’s time to eliminate them.

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Resources:

Want to hop on the wait list for the spring Fat Loss Fast Track?

Check out the new Daily Motivations Podcast here.

Modified Fasting – EB Day 2

Yesterday I shared with you guys that I’m doing a modified “fat fast” this week. You can read about why I’m doing it over on that post.

Here’s a recap of day 2. It was a tough day because I gave blood.

Pro tip: Don’t do any kind of fasting when you’re scheduled to give blood. Blahhhhhh.

Anyways, let’s talk about the day.

I felt awesome all morning. Remarkably, I wasn’t hungry until about 10am. I got up at 4:45am so I was pretty pleased with that! In fairness though, I’m not usually hungry in the AM unless I drank the night before (the blood sugar impact is REAL).

10:20am: bulletproof coffee made with 1 tbsp butter & 1 tsbp MCT oil. I also chugged a few glasses of water to get prepared for the blood donation.

Sometime later….

Irrrrrrrrritable. Sorry to all my clients who had to interact with me! 😉

11:15am: two large handfuls of macadamia nuts prior to noon blood donation and allllll the water. I easily drank a couple gallons of water before donating. I really think that makes a huge difference in my post-donation recovery.

PSA: If you are able, please donate blood. There is a critical blood shortage in the United States. This is in large part due to the fact that only about 10% of people who are eligible to donate do so. Can you imagine being in the hospital, needing blood to save your life and being told that there isn’t any available? If you expect blood to be available to you when you need it, please donate! Learn more at RedCrossBlood.org.

3:30pm: two mugs of bone broth with salt added. I’m not feeling too hungry but I figured the salt/water would be a good thing after my blood donation. (For more on bone broth, check out this episode of the podcast).

5:12pm: Who said not feeling too hungry?! I’m feeling tired, unfocused and really hungry. It’s interesting though – between the nuts, BP coffee and bone broth, I know my body has sufficient fuel. I’m reminding myself that this is my normal tough time of day. Whether I’m fasting or not, the 3p-6p hours are toughest for me each day. It’s when my motivation, focus, energy and hunger challenge me most.

Because I’m a science geek, I like thinking about what is happening in my body at the cellular level as a result of this fast. Muscle & liver glycogen are being used up to keep my blood sugar steady. Insulin is low. Stress hormones are probably up a bit as a result of the blood donation. Because insulin is low, my body stands ready to burn fat when I use up my muscle & liver glycogen stores.

Call me crazy, but thinking about that helps me stay strong and focused.

6:45pm: I’ve never tried this before, but I blended bone broth with some butter. Probably less than a tablespoon of butter but I wanted some fuel in my system along with the bone broth (which doesn’t contain much energy).

Like I said yesterday – I have a choice in this fast. I can argue for all the reasons not to do it (they exist, for sure) or I can argue for all the reasons to do it. I could talk about how it’s “good enough” to just eat clean. I could argue that I should eat because I gave blood. I could argue that I’ll get results with easier approaches. All true.

Just because they’re true doesn’t mean they’re best. 

Or I can argue against those excuses. I can tell myself that it’s good to give my body a break. It’s awesome to prove that I’m stronger than my habitual thoughts. It’s important to keep the promises I  make to myself. That I’ll be proud when this is finished. My body deserves a break and I can learn so much along the way.

When I take on the true fast with Ella in March, I know I’ll need to maximize this strategy. I’m thinking I might keep a list of reasons I’m doing it & reasons I’ll be glad I did. When I’m feeling full of excuses, I’ll revisit the list of why.

For more on fasting and answers to the most common questions, be sure to check out episode 300 of the Primal Potential podcast!!

 

Modified Fasting – EB Day 1

I am in the middle of a modified several day fast. Though these blogs are lagging a couple days behind, I wanted to share with you what I’m doing, why I’m doing it and how it’s going.

The big goal is this: to give my insulin response a break as much as possible for 5 days.

Most of my energy will come from bulletproof coffee for the next 5 days, but I’ll have some straight coconut oil or macadamia nuts to take the edge off as needed.

What do those foods have in common? They are both low carb & low protein. This is by design as fat has the least impact on insulin on all the macronutrients.

I’m doing this modified fast for a few reasons:

  1. I love a challenge and I felt like challenging myself in a different way. I like to mix it up and see how different approaches make me feel
  2. I’m preparing for an extended fast with my good from Ella from On Air with Ella in March (details coming on episode 300 of the Primal Potential podcast)
  3. I’ve been drinking more alcohol than normal lately and it has made me feel kinda “blah”
  4. I am moving this week so I’m under a wee bit more stress than normal – that seems like a great time to really dial back on my insulin production

Whenever topics like fasting come up, there are some predicable questions:

  1. If you eat less, aren’t you going to slow your metabolism?
  2. If you don’t eat enough, won’t you lose muscle mass?
  3. Will you be able to workout?

The timing is great for these questions as I’m addressing them on episode 300 of the Primal Potential podcast so definitely check that out. I think the science discussed in that episode will help answer all those questions & much more.

But for this post and eat day of my modified fast, I want to share my experiences with you.

9am: I’ve been up since 4:30a and I’m not too hungry. I’d rate it at about a 2 on a 1-10 scale. Drinking black coffee & feeling pretty good.

1pm: Feeling a little hungry but totally unfocused – making a cup of bulletproof coffee. I made it with just 1 tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp of MCT oil. For those unsure of what bulletproof coffee is, check out my past posts or podcasts on it here, here or here.

2:43pm: Surprisingly hungry after my cup of BP coffee.  Hunger is a 6 or so on a 1-10 scale. Definitely thinking about food. I want to eat. Reminding myself to slow down my thoughts – that always makes everything easier. Slow down, focus on what I’m doing, not on what I’m thinking.

One of the primary reasons I enjoy playing around with fasting is because I want to experience the full spectrum of hunger. I used to be so reactive to hunger and I never knew when I actually NEEDED to eat versus just felt like it. I want to feel these feelings.

4:52pm: I’m starting to thinking thoughts about justifying food. Cauliflower rice or something small. Instead of spending my metal energy talking myself out of this fast, I’m going to spend my energy talking myself into it. It’s only hard if I focus on what feels hard.

6:15pm: 2 tbsp coconut oil. I was having a bit of reflux (surely bc of the amount of black coffee I drank today) but the coffee is worth the reflux.

8:00pm: This girl is TIRED. Like, “I don’t want to get up and brush my teeth” tired. I’m getting emotional, which is totally based on being hungry and tired. Don’t follow the thoughts. Life is so good. Slow down the thinking and get ready for bed (welcome to my internal dialogue – it goes faster than you can read or I can type, haha).

8:26pm: I just remembered I’m giving blood tomorrow. Dang. That’s gonna make me more tired and hungry. Not ideal to have scheduled when doing a modified fast. Must drink lots of water!

8:56pm: Saw a picture of a guy on Facebook eating cereal and all I can think about is how good Lucky Charms would be. WTF? It wasn’t even Lucky Charms on the commercial! Go to bed, Elizabeth. Go to bed, you’re tired.

Day 2 coming your way tomorrow.

———-

For past episodes I’ve done on fasting or bulletproof coffee, check out these podcasts:

Intermittent Fasting & Overfeeding

Bulletproof Coffee

301: Workshop – Eliminating Excuses

300: Extended Fasting – Myths & Facts

Get ready for some serious myth-busting today!

Is it true that you should eat every few hours to keep your metabolism from slowing down?

If you fast, are you setting yourself up to lose muscle?

On today’s episode we’re tackling those questions and announcing a special Primal Potential & On Air with Ella adventure!

We’ll be talking about fasting, extended fasting and the health & hormonal response created by extended fasting protocols.

AND, we’ll be inviting you on a special fasting adventure with us!

If you want to learn more about fasting, don’t miss this episode and also check out The Complete Guide to Fasting by Jimmy Moore & Dr. Jason Fung as well as all the resources below!

If you want to join us (or just cyber-stalk our week long fast), click the button below to get on our email list. We also have a private Facebook group!

Get on the email list!

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Extended Fasting

Tune in to hear Ella & Elizabeth discuss the following:

  • concerns about crash dieting
  • the physiological response to fasting
  • who should not fast
  • who might want to consider an extended fast
  • anti-aging benefits of fasting
  • body composition impact of fasting
  • our upcoming fasting adventure

Resources:

The Complete Guide to Fasting 

On Air With Ella Episode 090 – Fasting with Jimmy Moore

On Air With Ella Episode 093 – Fasting Prep & QA Part 1

On Air With Ella Episode 093 – Fasting Part 2

Is Fasting Right For Me – Quick Guide

Our Personal Fasting Plan

Primal Potential on Fasting – Episode 037

Understanding Insulin

301: Workshop – Eliminating Excuses

299: Enjoying Food Without Regret

Have you ever felt like you either enjoy the full spectrum of food or you’re missing out? That it’s either one or the other and there’s no middle ground?

I’ve been there! But enjoying food without regret is absolutely possible!

Today I’m sharing a conversation with one of my clients who is learning to do just that. She comes from an Italian family where food & drink was not just fuel but a way of life! Plus, she owns a bar so she’s around food & drinks pretty much all day!

Not only has she lost 30 pounds, she’s teaching herself how to enjoy food, life, alcohol and still feel great about herself and her goals. Don’t miss her story!

Listen Now

Download Episode

Resources:

Want to hop on the wait list for the spring Fat Loss Fast Track?

Check out the new Daily Motivations Podcast here.

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