On today’s episode, “How to Overcome Sugar Addiction & Cravings”, we’re talking about the truth behind sugar addiction, cravings & what you can do to overcome them! We even identify 5 ways to tell if you’re addicted to sugar! Changing your eating habits is very hard but it can feel nearly impossible when you’re legitimately addicted to sugar or constantly confronted with strong cravings for sweets.
Common Obstacle: Trying to make any healthy dietary changes can be incredibly difficult when you’re battling intense cravings or sugar addiction. Even when we WANT to eat healthy and make better choices, sometimes the cravings and draw to sugary treats can be so strong that it almost feels like we don’t even have the power to deny them. Our best intentions can be overcome by cravings and a physiological NEED for sugar.
Primal Potential Solution: First we need to understand that sugar truly IS biologically addictive. In this episode we talk about research that proves the addictive qualities of sugar. In fact, some studies suggest that sugar may be as addictive as cocaine. We discuss how the brain responds to sugar and how those responses manifest in our bodies as cravings. We talk about how cravings create both a desire for pleasure AND a strong sense of urgency, making them very hard to ignore. Then we go into pratical steps you can take to break free from your sugar cravings and addiction and avoid ever falling into the trap again. Want to know if you’re addicted to sugar? Dr. Mark Heyman suggests evaluating the following 5 signs that you might be addicted to sugar:
You consume certain foods even if you aren’t hungry because of strong cravings
You worry about cutting down on certain foods
You feel sluggish or fatigued from overeating
You have health or social problems (affecting your work or school) because of food issues but you keep eating the way you do despite negative consequences
You need more and more of the foods you crave to experience pleasure or reduce negative emotions.
Practical Implementation: This episode gives three different options for strategies that will allow you to overcome sugar addiction & cravings. We talk about specific strategies for reducing or removing sugar gradually as well as the pros and cons of jumpstart and detox programs.
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[ctt title=”All foods that spike blood sugar are biologically addictive” tweet=”All foods that spike blood sugar are biologically addictive” coverup=”00Cm2″]
Resources:
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I have been getting a lot of requests lately to do a #WIAW or “What I Ate Wednesday” post here on the blog! I have to admit that my meals aren’t usually all that fascinating but I’m more than happy to share them here in case they are helpful for you. I’m gonna take it a step further and not only tell you what I ate but why I made that particular choice.
5:15am – After meditation and some quiet time I made a huge glass of water with apple cider vinegar and lemon juice. I don’t do this every day but after drinking wine and having apple streudal on New Years Eve, I’m still feeling a little puffy. This helps me detox a little bit and I don’t mind the taste. It’s 20 oz of water with 2 tbsp of both lemon juice and apple cider vinegar.
7:20am – I’ve been reading and writing for a while and now I’m ready to eat! Bulletproof coffee is always on the breakfast menu. All I do to make it is blend high quality (low toxin) coffee with grass fed butter and MCT oil. I avoid carbohydrates in the morning because that helps me stay in fat burning mode (you can read more about that here) so the healthy fats in bulletproof coffee satisfy my hunger and send my energy levels through the roof. Plus, I happen to think it tastes amazing. I have been trying to eat a little protein in the morning as well so I also had a pork/maca “muffin” – recipe courtesy of Mary, The Paleo Chef. I am adding the protein in because I tend to workout pretty intensely and want me to make sure I’m eating enough to recover properly.
10:30am – Tea time! I enjoyed a mug of hot apple spice tea with a little unsweetened almond milk while taking a break from writing.
12:30pm – Time for lunch! To stay in fat burning mode and create the ideal hormonal environment for it, I still avoid carbohydrates at lunch. Today I made a quick scramble of eggs, bacon, salmon & avocado. Super nutrient dense, super energy dense and totally delicious. It will absolutely help me power through my workout later on!!
2pm – Pre-workout cup of coffee. Nothing special, just plain, black coffee. I have nothing against stevia or unsweetened almond milk, but I was in the mood for black today.
6:00pm – Oh my favorite meal of the day!! On the menu: coconut/cayenne crusted chicken thighs with steamed broccoli. This is super easy and really delicious. I take finely shredded coconut and add salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Dip my chicken thighs in eggs then into the coconut mixture. I add them to a skillet with a few tablespoons of coocnut oil and let them cook through on both sides.
I didn’t have any carbs with this dinner but don’t worry, I didn’t miss out! I made a super easy dessert (but it looks terrible in the pic so we’ll skip that). I took 1/2 cup of canned coconut milk and added 1 tsp of cacao powder and a few drops of stevia. I mixed it well, just with a spoon, and then added 1/2 cup of fresh raspberries for my little dose of carbs. Yum!!!! It was so good and really easy.
That’s my day in a nutshell! Let me know in the comments or on facebook if you like these types of posts and want to see more of them!
On today’s episode, “Getting Started with Weight Loss”, we’re talking about concrete steps to getting started, setting goals, staying accountable and maintaining focus & motivation! I think its great to talk about what you should eat and why, but the reality is that that’s not really where most people struggle. Most people struggle with the HOW. How do I make these healthier changes. How do I sustain them? How do I maintain my motivation? How do I get through the hard parts? And we want to help you with THOSE things.
Common Obstacle: Knowing how & where to start with your weight loss journey. What to tackle first? How? How do we stay focused? Should I follow someone else’s plan? If I want to create my own, how do I get started? What does that look like? How do I know if it’s working?
Primal Potential Solution: Identify your biggest pain point or most obvious obstacle to your success. Create a short term (4-week) goal to help you overcome that obstacle. Break that down further into four 1-week objectives and focus on ONE thing you can do each day to move towards your weekly goal.
Practical Implementation: This episode gives examples of what your pain point or obstacle might be and how you can craft a 4-week goal to improve that area of your life. We break it down into bite size pieces;
Identify your biggest pain point or the area of your lifestyle or diet that is holding you back the most
Set a 4 week goal to improve that area
Break your 4 week goal down into weekly goals
Each day, ask yourself what is the ONE THING you could do today that will help you move towards your weekly goal.
Do that right away
Stay accountable. Don’t set these goals and forget them. Ask for help. Read them daily. Keep them front and center
Finally, conserve your willpower by automating as much of your life as you can.
On today’s episode we’re talking about how trying to do too much might be setting you up for fat loss failure! This episode brings great news to anyone who has ever tried to lose weight. I am going to prove that you’re trying to do too much and that if you focus on doing less, you’ll get much more from your fat loss efforts!
Myth We’re Debunking: You have to do everything right to achieve lasting weight loss. We (wrongly) believe that we need to adhere to this big, long list of rules. We need to cut back on sugar, cut out carbs, reduce our fat intake, drinks tons of water, take the stairs, get to the gym, cook all our meals, etc, etc. As soon as we mess up, we count the day as a wash, we throw in the towel, revert to our old habits and vow to do better tomorrow.
Truth We Establish: Trying to do too much might actually set you up for long term failure, work against your body and slow your progress. If we identify one or two impactful actions, we can do far less and accelerate our weight loss progress. Ever heard of the Pareto Principle? This universal law tells us that 80% of our results come from a mere 20% of our actions. By identifying that powerful 20%, we can redirect our energy, stop wasting time on stuff that isn’t producing results, and send our success rate through the roof! We also talk about finding our minimum effective dose and how that will keep us from hitting weight loss plateaus!
Practical Implementation: The best way to identify your 20% is by looking for your major pain points. What usually draws you off track? Where do you often stumble? What small habit can you begin to establish that will remove this hurdle for you? On the flip side, what habits, behaviors or routines help you stay on track? Does eating a healthy breakfast set you up for success the rest of the day? Maybe it’s a solid morning workout? Maybe stocking your kitchen with healthy groceries or preparing a few fat-loss friendly meals ahead of time is one of your success keys. Look to your current and past behaviors to identify the things that either draw you off course or keep you on. Pick one or two of those things and develop a habit around them. Don’t take on the world – just focus on those one or two things and practice them CONSISTENTLY until they are habitual and effortless. Then, and only then, move on to add more healthy habits.
Quoteable:
[ctt title=”When you identify which activities are most important, you can focus on those things, de-emphasize the other stuff and see DRAMATIC improvements while doing LESS.” tweet=”When you identify which activities are most important, you can focus on those things, de-emphasize the other stuff and see DRAMATIC improvements while doing LESS.” coverup=”aIr30″]
I’m a huge fan of podcasts. I think they’re an incredible way to learn & be entertained – plus, they’re totally free! I love listening to podcasts while I drive, at the gym, or when I’m traveling and now I’ve created my own! I love to write and the blog & newsletter continue to be a great way for me to share my experiences and help you guys reach your goals but the podcast is a totally new forum. There’s no question that there are a TON of health & nutrition podcasts. And some of the are really good. But most…well….they leave a lot to be desired. They talk and talk about what we should eat and what we should avoid, but I really think most people need and want more than that. We want to know HOW. We want to understand what changes we should make but also HOW we do it. How we implement these changes into our daily life and how we handle tough situations, lack of motivation, stress, pressure, plateaus – just how we navigate life when trying to adopt healthy changes and lose weight. That’s what the Primal Potential podcast is all about.
The format of the podcast is part of what makes it really unique: instead of just debating popular nutrition and fitness topics, every episode is about HOW we can embrace healthy changes and master fat loss naturally. Each episode is about 20-30 minutes and follows a specific format.
First, we establish a mainstream myth or common weight loss challenge. There is a TON of misinformation out there. Old science that has been accepted as fact but is just not true. Our goal is to take those myths or challenges head on.
Next, we discuss the facts – debunking myths or explaining the solution to common problems. We do this with science-based facts and proven strategies.
Finally we go through practical implementation strategies so you know how you can get started and take action IMMEDIATELY.
I’ve launched the show with 3 episodes and I’ll be launching a new episode every day for the first 7 days. After that we’ll move to a weekly format where I’ll release a new episode each week. I would absolutely LOVE to get feedback from you on what topics you’d like to see me address on the show. I’ve also got some AWESOME interviews lined up with really inspirational, educational and motivational folks in the field.
I have no doubt that most of us know how we could clean up our diet or exercise more. We are familiar with all the crash diets, detoxes and fads out there. I’d bet that most of us have tried enough of them and put the weight back on to know that they aren’t the solution to permanent fat loss. Primal Potential wants to help you identify & create the fat loss lifestyle that works best for you. Primal Potential is about helping you understand the signals your body is sending you so you can make the appropriate adjustments, balance your hormones through the foods you eat and experience effortless fat loss. Primal Potential has never and will never deliver a one-size-fits-all diet plan. We understand that everyone is different – our metabolisms are different, our hormonal balance is different, our food preferences and lifestyle are different. But this podcast will help you identify the factors that will set YOU up for success. It will help you create the perfect strategy for YOU. It won’t just debate theory – the Primal Potential podcast gives you the information, motivation and implementation steps you need to create radical change in your life. Primal Potential is the anti-diet solution to effective, permanent weight loss.
To celebrate the launch of the podcast I’m going to be doing a few giveaways! You generous folks who subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review will be eligible to win one of several different prizes including: a Primal Potential gift pack including a t-shirt and my favorite books, an Amazon.com gift card, my Hormones & Fat Loss e-book or a canister of my favorite protein powder! To subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review, please click here. Select “View in iTunes”. Once in iTunes, please select “Subscribe” Ahhhh! You’re now my favorite person ever!
New to podcasts? Here’s a quick overview:
Podcasts are free audio downloads you can get via the iTunes store or other services like Stitcher – kinda like radio on demand but without commercials!
If you have an iPhone, iPod or iPad you’ll notice a native Podcasts app on your device (this is new with iOS 8)
You can listen to episodes on any of your devices or through iTunes on your computer – or go directly from the show notes pages on PrimalPotential.com
To check out the episodes of the Primal Potential podcast that are currently available, click here.
I am incredibly thankful for all your support and encouragement. Please take a few minutes to check out the podcast, subscribe, leave a rating & review and let me know what you think!
