Change is easier said than done. We can talk for years about what to eat, what not eat and why but at the end of the day it comes down to behavior change. THAT is the key to lasting body change and fat loss and it is also where most people fall short. They get stuck in the rut of their old, unhealthy habits. But in today’s episode we are going to change that. We are going establish how you can identify unhealthy habits, study them and them overcome them. Click play below to learn how to hack your habits for lasting fat loss.
The Problem: Most of us know how we should change and what it will take to reach our goals but we’re held back in the grip of our old habits. We want to change, we know what needs to change but creating that change and overriding old habits trips us up despite our great intentions.
The Solution: Identify your unhealthy habits, choose one you want to change, study how your habits work and finally, hack your habits to get the results you’re really after.
Practical Implementation: (detailed in the episode – click the play button above!)
Create a list of habits you’d like to change or replace
Pick ONE habit you want to focus on changing first. You can pick the easiest or the hardest – I recommend picking the one that will have the greatest impact on your life or your ability to reach your goals.
TRACK the habit for 2 weeks without trying to change it. Monitor the following everytime you act on the habit:
The time at which your act on this habit
The place it happens
Your emotional state
What happened immediately before you acted on it
What you were seeking (pleasure, distraction, attention, relief, energy, etc)
Who was with/around you or if you were alone
Look for trends
Once you know what you are usually seeking, develop a list of alternatives that can give you what you’re seeking
Let’s talk about sleep & fat loss, shall we? I can hear you already – you can’t possibly get more sleep because of your work schedule, your young kids, your evening committments, etc. Don’t worry. I’m not going to ask you to get more sleep. I want to talk to you about ways you can improve the quality of your sleep, not the quantity. So even if you’re reading this thinking, “Sleep isn’t my problem. I’m out like a light every night” I want you to consider that even you can improve the quality of your sleep by increasing the amout of deep, restorative sleep you’re getting. That’s right, there are specific changes we can make in our diet & lifestyle habits to allow our bodies to enter, and spend more time in, those deeper, restorative stages of sleep that will make a massive difference in our ability to lose fat and our overall health. Let’s dive in. I want to talk about why we need this deep, restorative sleep, how we’re keeping ourselves from it, what happens when we don’t get enough and then get into how to hack your sleep so you get more of this restorative-type sleep.
When we do not get the benefit of this deep, restorative sleep, bad things happen. Bad things that dramatically impair fat loss! Seriously. Just increasing the amount of time you spend in deep, restorative sleep can without a doubt improve your fat loss results. Why? Because just a couple of nights of sleep deprivation (lack of quantity, quality, or both) can lead to insulin resistance. Seriously. The studies are astonishing. Short term sleep deprivation increases insulin resistance dramatically – in some cases making you as insulin resistant as a type 2 diabetic with just a few nights of poor sleep. No joke! Beyond that, missing out on this deep, quality sleep impairs our judgement, our willpower, our focus and our decision making skills.
During Stage 1 sleep we are drifting in and out of sleep. We can be roused easily and this is when we sometimes have that sense that we’re falling and are startled awake. In Stage 2 our eye movement stops and our brain waves slow down. It is harder to be roused during Stage 2. Stages 3 and 4 are the deeper stages of sleep. These stages are anti-aging. They allow for the release of hormones such as human growth hormone that help us heal & recover, these hormones stimulate fat burning, muscle growth and skin rejuvenation. Unfortunately, many of our lifestyle habits keep us from getting into these deep stages of sleep. How? Why?
It always comes back to hormones, doesn’t it? Hormones run the show. If you want to hack your sleep and get more of this deeper, higher quality sleep for faster fat loss, a healthier body and anti-aging benefits, we need to talk about the hormonal interplay and stop screwing with it. In order to get into those deeper stages of sleep (3 & 4) we need to take advantage of the sleep hormone, melatonin. Consider melatonin and cortisol (a stress hormone) like a see-saw. When one goes up, it pushes the other down and vice versa. So – we need adequate melatonin production and release in order to get into the deeper stages of sleep but when we elevate cortisol, we suppress melatonin and though we might fall asleep and stay asleep, we are inhibiting our ability to get quality sleep. Let’s look at some of the ways we’re elevating cortisol and thereby suppressing melatonin:
Chronic stress – This elevates cortisol, thereby suppressing melatonin
Eating before bed – The mere act of eating elevates cortisol. This is more dramatic in overweight or obese individuals. Do your best to avoid eating within a couple hours of bedtime.
Chronic carbohydrate consumption – This is a stressor on the body. Follow the dietary principles outlined here to keep your hormones in balance.
Exercising too close to bedtime – Exercise elevates cortisol. This effect is magnified in long-duration endurance activities like jogging and distance running. Do your best to not exercise within a couple hours of bedtime.
There are also ways in which we suppress melatonin beyond elevating cortisol. One of the most common ways we do this is via light exposure. It makes sense, from a common sense perspective when you stop to think about it. The presence of light tells your body that it is daytime. In day time, you don’t want to be falling asleep so the presence of light suppresses melatonin. It’s important to realize that our eyes are not the only way our body senses light. Our skin has photoreceptors. Again, this makes sense when you think about it – our skin can burn in the presence of light. Our body can convert cholesterol to vitamin D in the presence of light. Our skin senses the light and that will suppress melatonin production. So if you are someone who sleeps with an eye mask and thinks that means your body knows its dark, you’re wrong. You need to black out your room and block any and all sources of light, even from an alarm clock. I also want to make sure to address the fact that certain types of light suppress melatonin more than others. The biggest offender? Blue light. What emits blue light? Electronics. Your TV, computer, tablet, smartphone, etc. Blue light suppresses melatonin more than any other light. Fortunately, if getting off your device a few hours before bed isn’t an option, there are some alternatives you can employ to block the light they are emitting, to some degree. Here are a few places to start.
Blackout your room. Cover any and all sources of light. I bought this alarm clock that doesn’t emit light unless you press a button.
Limit blue light exposure
Limit screen time before bed
Use a blue light blocker from software such as f.lux (Here’s how it works: you put in your time zone and it will automatically dim your screen and change the hue of the light at sunset while automatically changing it back around sunrise)
Consider getting light blocking eye glasses like these (I wear them if I watch TV at night)
Get a rock salt light for your bedroom for nighttime reading. This way you can still have light in your bedroom without supressing melatonin.
Get the TV out of your bedroom.
Get exposure to natural light in the morning. Work with your body’s natural rhythm by exposing yourself to the sun for a few minutes early in the day.
One of the triggers that messages our body to upregulate melatonin release is a drop in temperature. If we think about nature, the outside temperature usually drops at night. Our body is designed to work with nature so a drop in temperature increases melatonin release. Our body temperature naturally drops as we sleep and this triggers melatonin release. Unfortunately, many of us want to feel like a hibernating bear at night and we artificially elevate our body temp via a warm room or a ton of covers. The ideal sleeping temperature for deep, restorative sleep is between 60-68 degrees Farenheit. If the idea of such a cool temp gives you the chills, don’t worry about it. Adjusting your thermostat (down) by even a degree or two will make a difference.
Melatonin suppression has been linked to a whole host of diseases including heart disease, cancer, immune diseases, diabetes and obesity. This is nothing to play around with and it’s pretty easy to address. Besides, if improving your fat loss progress was as simple as improving the quality of your sleep, it’s worth a try, don’t you think??
In this episode we’re look at the good, bad, healthy, and dangerous of dairy. We’re diving deep into the pros and cons of dairy consumption. It is important to understand that certain forms of dairy carry significant risks while others can potentially deliver health benefits. Ultimately, everyone responds differently and we talk about how you can assess your own tolerance of various types of dairy products.
The Problem: People are always asking about the pros and cons of dairy consumption looking for a definitive answer. The only definitive answer comes from assessing your own tolerance of dairy products. With that said, we need to establish that all dairy is not created equal. Some dairy products are downright dangerous when it comes to our fat loss and health goals while others can deliver nutrients and potential health benefits.
The Solution: Understand the difference between optimal dairy production/consumption (Bessie roams in a green pasture, Pa milks her, Ma churns the milk) and how is actually happens: Bessie is fed corn & grains. Bessie is treated with hormones & antibiotics which make their way into the milk. Bessie’s feed is very high carb and contaminated with pesticides & herbicides which make their way into her milk. Bessie’s milk is highly processed, stripping it of essential nutrients and making the essential fats less stable. The resulting product is often flavored or sugar and other stabilizers are added. We want to avoid those “conventional” dairy products. We want to actively limit our exposure to hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, herbides, oxidized fats, sugars and stabilizers. In this episode we talk in detail about which of these things actually pass through the milk and how they can make their way into our system (and how certain individuals are more susceptible). Exposure to these components can trigger an auto-immune response.
Beyond that, lactose (milk sugar) and casein (protein found in milk) are common dietary irritants and allergens.
Make the best dairy choices you can by shopping at a local farmers’ market or health food store where you can get higher quality, less processed products (see below).
Practical Implementation:
Consider a 7-14 dairy elimination to assess how you feel without dairy.
Pay attention to how different types of dairy impact your digestion, skin health, energy levels, hunger, cravings, water retention, focus, immunity and more.
Minimize your exposure to hormones, antibiotics and other chemicals in dairy products by choosing products that are:
Hormone free (rbgh/rbst free)
Antibiotic free
Pesticide free
Grass fed/pasture-raised
Organic
Raw
Avoid other dietary irritants (gluten, phytates, etc) that increase your vulnerability to dietary toxins by increasing the permeability of your GI tract
Avoid highly processed dairy products especially those that are low fat or fat free
Limit your exposure to sweetened and flavored dairy products
Excuses. We all have them. But are they real? There is a difference between the reality of your circumstances and an excuse. Often times, people allow excuses to make them feel like they don’t have control over their choices. The reality is that no matter your outside circumstances, you always have a choice. In this episode we talk about choices and excuses and how you can take control of your choices regardless of your circumstances.
The Problem: We are allowing our circumstances to dictate our success. We aren’t taking control of challenging situations and finding practical workarounds. We are falling victim to our circumstances without realizing there is another CHOICE.
The Solution: Stop making excuses and stop letting your lifestyle and your committments hold you back. Choose to be prepared for the difficult moments and choose a different response.
Practical Implementation:
Identify the times or situations where/when you struggle most
Create alternative solutions
Plan your meals & snacks
Own your choices & stop making excuses. There are no excuses. Only choices.
I get a ton of questions about artificial sweeteners. I can sum up all my thoughts, feelings and opinions in a few simple bullet points, so I will. However, in this episode we talk about saccharine, aspartame, sucralose, sugar alcohols and stevia. We talk about what they are, what they’re found in, the “science” behind them and my personal philosophy. But, my summarized conclusion:
Artificial sweeteners are not a “big rock” for fat loss. If you haven’t yet mastered the basics of eating to balance your hormones, I wouldn’t waste your energy fretting over them
The more sweet things you introduce to your body – artificial or natural – the more your body will crave them
For health, longevity and fat loss, it is always best to more towards the more natural, less processed end of the spectrum
Pay attention to how you respond to these sweeteners. If you are concerned, omit them completely or do an elimination test. Monitor changes especially in satiety and cravings
The Problem: People want to give up or limit sugar without giving up or limiting sugary things. Here’s the truth: artificial sweeteners and non-nutritive sweeteners are still relatively new on the scene and we don’t really know their long-term impact on health. With that said, most of the science done on these sweeteners is inconclusive or suggests short term safety. Much of the alarming research has been discredited due to very, very poor design. We talk more about this in the episode.
The Solution: Do not be an alarmist. If you are concerned about artificial and/or non-nutritive sweeteners: avoid them. If you aren’t sure how to proceed, use them sparingly. Do an elimination test and see how you feel without them. Choose options on the less artificial end of the spectrum like stevia. Understand how they impact your cravings & satiety.
Practical Implementation:
Most stevia extracts are processed. If you’re looking for a “natural” non-nutritive (calorie free) sweetener, choose green, powdered stevia. White stevia has been bleached.
If sugar addiction or sugar cravings are a problem for you or if you struggle with portion control with sweet things, you will likely benefit from removing these things from your diet
Treats are treats, whether they have nutritive or non-nutritive sweeteners and for best results should be consumed in moderation – NOT DAILY.
Remember that these sweeteners are relatively new to the food scene and we don’t yet know their long term impact
