Insulin is the master fat loss hormone. Optimizing insulin production and release means fat loss, energy, satiety and the absence of cravings.
Not optimizing insulin means fat storage, difficulty burning fat, fatigue, mood swings, cravings and more.
In episode 394 we introduced the insulin index and explained how insulin can be impacted even when blood sugar is not.
Today we’re getting tactical & specific – reviewing which foods might have zero carbs but still produce a measurable insulin response and what you should do about it.
In October 2019, our relationship with Thrive Market changed. They decided to put their marketing dollars in avenues outside of podcasting but we still think they’re a good choice if you’re looking to save money on health & personal care products.
Here are some of my favorite Primal Kitchen Products:
Those of you who have followed me or the Primal Potential podcast for a long time know that “I can do hard things” is one of my mantras. Lately, it’s practically an unending chant.
If you’d rather listen to this blog than read it, please click here.
I spent too much of my life talking myself out of things – talking myself out of living fully. I spent more time focused on what I couldn’t do, wouldn’t do or didn’t think I was capable of than on what I could achieve.
I basically talked myself into weakness & fear.
Workouts were too hard. Self-discipline was too taxing. Consistency was out of reach. I was self-prescribed as too shy, too tired, too stressed, too fat…you get the picture.
Now, when I find myself wrestling with fear or inadequacy I remind myself: I can do hard things.
I ask myself, “what’s the worst that can happen?”
Usually, the worst that can happen is embarrassment or discomfort.
It’s never anything permanent or dangerous.
If a workout scares me, the worst that will happen is that I’ll be really tired & have to stop. So what? What’s bad about finding those limits? In fact, that might be something I should strive for rather than avoid!
Most recently, I’ve been reminding myself that I can do hard things as I prepare for my daily hormone injections. (If you missed it, I’m freezing my eggs.)
I mean, what’s the worst that can happen? It stings? It hurts? I cry?
Okay. None of those things are fatal, just temporarily uncomfortable. I can do hard things.
You can, too.
….
The last thing I wanted to do this morning was go to the gym. I thought through about 14 different valid reasons to skip before I asked myself, “fast forward 3 hours – what will make you feel better? Having completed the workout or having skipped it?”
No brainer. I’ll feel better with the workout done. Decision made. To the gym I went.
Because I need to avoid high impact stuff while administering these injections, I swapped out box jumps for step ups. The workout looked like this:
Around noon I had my cabbage salad bowl with raw cabbage, bacon, eggs, walnuts and Primal Kitchen Chipotle Lime Mayo.
I sipped on more coffee while driving down to Cape Cod (quick trip just for the night – I have to be back in the morning for a doctor appointment) and while out to dinner I had 1 shot of tequila & shrimp cocktail.
I’ve been doing a lot of reading & researching lately as I get prepared for ASCEND and I came across a quote from Cy Wakeman that totally resonated with me. She says,
Drama is emotional waste.
If you’d rather listen to this blog than read it, please click here.
Now, you might be thinking that you’re not dramatic. I think most people feel that way, at least most of the time.
But I think we’d benefit from expanding the way we define drama. Think about drama as any type of arguing with reality.
This can be complaining, worrying, thinking about how things should be different or how things used to be or fixating on the past.
Anytime we’re arguing with reality – anytime we’re focusing on anything other than what we have the power to do now – we are creating drama.
That emotional waste distracts us, exhausts us and keeps us from creating change in our lives.
I caught myself creating drama while driving home this morning. I had just left a doctor appointment and I was thinking about something someone did many months ago. In my head, I was talking through my frustration. Why did they do it? What does it mean? How could I have changed it?
And then I thought: this is the essence of emotional waste.
It was months ago. It’s over. I’m keeping it alive with my thoughts & attention.
I’m creating suffering by how I’m choosing to direct my thoughts & attention.
Once I noticed it I said to myself: I don’t want to suffer. I won’t create trouble in my life, especially about something that is behind me. I’m not looking there because I’m not going that way.
Next?!
When you catch yourself in any form of drama – wishing, complaining or negativity – ask yourself:
What do I have the power to change right now?
How can I improve my attitude?
What step can I take towards my goal?
What needs to be done and how will I start?
…
Because of my early morning doctor appointment and subsequent work schedule, I couldn’t get to the gym today. Fortunately, I was able to get in a good workout at home.
I started with a 10 minute EMOM of 10 cal airdyne sprints and followed it up with 100 kettlebell swings for time and a long walk.
Though I really prefer structured workouts at the gym, it’s nice to remember that I can always get a workout in at home!
On the food front:
I got up at 4am today to make sure I could get done what I needed to before my 7am doctor appointment.
Between 4am and 10am I had 2 bottles of Picnik Butter Coffee (cappucino flavor – the only one I drink because the others have more sugar). Gotta say that I’m pretty pumped to be getting this on the cheap…
It’s $35.94 on Picnik’s site but only $23.99 through Thrive Market! Dude. That’s nuts!
Around 10am I made my cabbage salad breakfast bowl for brunch. Tried and true today – cabbage, eggs, bacon, walnuts & Primal Kitchen Chipotle Lime Mayo. Yum!
**Edited** I ended up going to dinner with my aunt & grandmother last night to celebrate my grandma’s birthday. I stayed away from the alcohol & the cake but thoroughly enjoyed a petit filet & side of broccoli!
Easy does it!
In October 2019, our relationship with Thrive Market changed. They decided to put their marketing dollars in avenues outside of podcasting but we still think they’re a good choice if you’re looking to save money on health & personal care products.
Today we are talking about the insulin index. We talk a lot about the way carbohydrates drive insulin and how our control over insulin really determines our energy, hunger, cravings and ability to burn fat.
However, there are many more factors at play than just carbohydrate when we’re talking about insulin.
In fact, there are some foods that don’t have much of an impact on blood sugar but do drive an insulin response.
Today is part 1 of a 2 part series where we’ll look at all the factors that influence insulin, including some of the tricky ones you wouldn’t expect!
In October 2019, our relationship with Thrive Market changed. They decided to put their marketing dollars in avenues outside of podcasting but we still think they’re a good choice if you’re looking to save money on health & personal care products.
Here are some of my favorite Primal Kitchen Products:
We had a great conversation in the Primal Potential Masters Club the other night about change.
We often seek change when we’re unhappy. We usually think we’re unhappy because of our circumstances (job, finances, relationship, etc).
Really, our happiness or unhappiness comes from our choices, not our circumstances.
If you’d rather listen to this blog than read it, please click here.
It’s easy to convince yourself that you’re unhappy because you hate your job or because you’re single.
It’s easy to create a story about the fact that your financial burdens make you unhappy.
Here’s an empowering, simple truth: peace comes from your choices, not your circumstances.
It’s amazing how your perspective can change on your job when you prioritize taking impeccable care of yourself.
It’s amazing how much clarity you’ll have about a relationship when you’re taking impeccable care of yourself.
It’s amazing how much more calm & happy you’ll be when you’re taking impeccable care of yourself.
There are two things you can do to create immediate & dramatic change in your life:
Improve your attitude about your circumstances
Take impeccable care of yourself
Those are the magic bullets.
Taking impeccable care of yourself might have to do with what & how much you eat. It might have to do with sleep. It might have to do with how you care for your home or your finances. You get to decide what it means for you but this fundamental truth remains:
Peace comes from your choices, not your circumstances.
You have so much more power than you think you do. You have so much more power than you’re taking advantage of!
…
Today was a great day at the gym. I really didn’t want to workout when I got there, but I told myself to take it one minute at a time, and I got in a great workout!
I need to avoid impact activities while I’m going through this egg harvesting process so I incorporated wall balls instead of the barbell facing burpees the workout called for. It was still a heck of a burn!
“Weightlifting Wednesday”
Push Press
5-4-3-2-1
followed by…
“Pushed Around”
Every 3:00 x 4 Rounds
15/12 Calorie Row
10 wall balls
Max Push Press No rest between rounds
My shoulders will be feeling that one tomorrow! So many push presses!
On the food front:
I thought I’d be getting tired of my cabbage salad bowl but I am not. Not even close. It’s one of the highlights of my whole day!
This morning’s bowl included shredded cabbage, bacon, eggs, walnuts & Primal Kitchen Chipotle Lime Mayo. Keep in mind that because this is such a big meal with so much fat and a decent amount of protein, it’s usually brunch or brunch-like for me. That’s what works for me, my body, my activity level and my hunger. That doesn’t mean it’s what works for you. #youdoyou
A few hours later I had a few handfuls of macadamia nuts. Again, I’m not usually a big snacker but since I’m feeling a little crummy, snacking seems to help a bit.
I don’t know about you, but I feel like macadamia nuts are hit or miss. Some brands are super delish and others are either bland or off-tasting. Sometimes I think they taste like soap. I get nervous when I try a new brand but these ones I got from Thrive Market are legit! They definitely meet my standard!
Dinner. Chicken thighs and bacon. That’s what I want. It’s super random but nights are challenging for me with my hormone injections and if it’s fat loss friendly & easy, it wins.
