Like Physical Fitness, but for your brain Can we talk about mental fitness? We talk a lot about physics fitness, but what does it mean to be mentally or emotionally fit? When we become physically fit, we perform repetitions of physical exercises, where we build up the strength of our physical muscles. When we talk about mental fitness, we talk about the mental work where we build up the strength of our mental muscles. In other words, doing what we want MOST over what we want in the MOMENT. How would it feel to make a commitment to yourself & then follow through with it? The thing is that many of us start out with weights that are too heavy for us. Just like a personal trainer would never start their client out squatting 225 lbs, we don’t want to commit to setting and following through with goals that are Read More . . .
Done with Dieting Episode #71: Why We Moved to Mexico
A personal episode about our decision to expatriate from the US. One of the most common questions I get has nothing to do with health and fitness, but rather all the details about how my husband and I got to Mexico? And why? When I tell people that I live in Mexico, they’ll often ask me, “The state? Or the country?!?” And then all the curious questions that folks have – like, how is life different since you moved? How do you eat differently? What do you do for fun? Do you speak Spanish? How is that going? So in today’s podcast episode, I’m dishing all the details. Moving to Mexico was probably the hardest thing that I have ever done. But I would do it all over in a heartbeat.. What’s different since I moved to Mexico & how I’ve changed as a result. Want to get personal? Tune Read More . . .
Done with Dieting Episode #70: River of Misery
How to get through the hard part of changing your behaviors. There’s a point when we set out to make a change in our lives where things get really difficult. It happens to all of us. Sometimes it happens when we realize that this new way of doing things is our new normal, and we experience a grieving process for the way things used to be. This new way of doing things feels difficult, like we’re failing, and like it’s never going to get easier. But it will. Things will get easier. In this episode of the Done with Dieting Podcast, you’ll learn to expect the river of misery, and have a plan for how to deal with it when it arrives. What you’ll Learn from this Episode What the River of Misery is & why it’s a very common part of changing your behavior. How expecting that you’ll go Read More . . .
Done with Dieting Episode #64: Creating Adult Friendships with Xena Jones
How to ask other adults, “Do you want to be my friend?” without feeling creepy. Many folks in midlife start to notice that their life circumstances change rapidly. As their children leave the house, they also notice that their relationships in general are also changing at the same time. Some of us realize that we have more time on our hands, or that the friendships that we cultivated with other parents aren’t fully meeting our needs. We want more meaningful relationships in our lives – ones that support the same positive habits that we’re trying to cultivate ourselves. My guest on this episode of the Done with Dieting Podcast recently went on a “Friendsperiment” where she actively went out and made new friends as an adult. When I learned about it, I had to have her on the show so that she could share her insight with you and help Read More . . .
Done with Dieting Episode #63: Listener Questions
Elizabeth Answers Listener Questions We’re diving into a listener Q&A episode this week, and we’re going to be covering topics on eating, exercising, mindset and more. A lot of these questions are linked to one another, so we’re covering a lot of ground today. I’ve received questions on nutrition and what your diet should look like, what we should be doing for exercise, and how to start, as well as ways that we want to get through a plateau. We plan on doing more listener Q&A episodes, and I believe this one will be useful to all you ladies in midlife out there who want to cut through all of the clutter, feel better & live a healthier life. My own journey has involved all of these topics, so tune in today! What you’ll Learn from this Episode Does coffee count towards my water consumption? Does the taste for sweets Read More . . .
Done with Dieting Episode #62: Why we Eat What we Eat
When we buy food, we vote with our dollars. Which foods do you want to vote for? Why do we eat the foods that we eat? Have you ever asked yourself that question? Probably not – but you might think about it when you observe other people eating. In this episode, I’m talking about the very unconscious decisions that we make when we decide to eat one food over another. What’s super important in this episode is to become aware of WHY we DO make the decisions that we do and then decide if we want to keep making those decisions. This episode has the potential to be a game changer when it comes to your eating habits. What you’ll Learn from this Episode Why it’s important to decide what we value when we eat How when we purchase food, we vote for the type of food that we want Read More . . .
Done with Dieting Episode #60: Diet vs Just the Way I Eat
What is the difference between a Diet with a Big D vs a Diet with a Small D? What is the difference between a DIET – a way of eating that we follow from a book – and the idea that ‘this is just the way that I eat?’ If you pay attention to social media, you’ll learn pretty quickly that diet is a four-letter word. That we should not be dieting, and that weight loss is bad. But is it? Are all diets bad? The vegetarian way of eating can be considered just the way someone eats, while someone else may look at it as a diet. How can we tell the difference between a good diet and a bad diet? Or is there such a thing? Listen in to episode 60 to learn how to know if what you’re doing is subscribing to looking at food in an Read More . . .
Done with Dieting Episode #58: How to Become More Fit
What does it mean to become more fit? Does it mean that we look a certain way? That we have visible muscles? Does it mean that we can run a 10-minute mile? Or touch your toes? I think that when we set goals “to become more fit” we all have ideas of what that means TO US. But there’s actually a definition of fitness. When we improve our fitness, what exactly does that mean? And how do we go about doing that? Tune in to this podcast episode to learn not only what it means to improve your fitness level and how to measure that, but also how to increase your fitness level regardless of what you like to do to perform an exercise. What you’ll Learn from this Episode Do you need to ‘confuse the body’? And how to do it. How you can measure your fitness level. What Read More . . .
Done with Dieting Episode #54: Maintaining Success
When we sabotage ourselves & are unable to maintain our success. Why is it that so many folks are unable to maintain their weight loss? Is it that diets truly don’t work? Or could there be another culprit at play? For many of us, we’ve been thinking like a dieter for such a long period of time that it has become a way of being, thinking & living. So, when we finally get to our goal, we don’t know how to relish it. On this podcast, tune in to learn the biggest obstacle when it comes to being successful with weight loss – and why this is so much bigger than following a diet or exercise routine. What You’ll Learn from this Episode Listen to the Full Episode: Featured on the Show: Full Episode Transcript: All of those mistakes that we hate making when we are in the process of Read More . . .
Done with Dieting Episode #53: Measuring Progress
Do you use the scale to measure your progress? Using the scale to measure progress towards a weight loss goal seems to be the gold standard that we use. But there are so many factors that go into scale weight – our body’s gravitational pull towards the earth – that we don’t have control over and really mask what we’re using the scale for letting us know how we’re doing towards our goal. In this episode, you’ll learn other methods that you can use to determine the progress that doesn’t leave you feeling frustrated & that you’re not progressing. Because sometimes, scale is the last thing to move when we want it to. What You’ll Learn from this Episode Listen to the Full Episode: Featured on the Show: Full Episode Transcript: I tell my clients this all the time that I really don’t care how much I weigh. In fact, Read More . . .
Done with Dieting Episode #51: The Stages of Grief
How the stages of grief show up in creating better habits. Sometimes grief and resentment show up in relation to how we have to do things in order to accomplish our goals. And the stages of grief that we go through in the process of changing our habits are real. Tune in to learn how we experience the stages of grief when it comes to how we used to do things, and instead become more empowered in our decisions to change our health behaviors. What You’ll Learn from this Episode Listen to the Full Episode: Featured on the Show: Full Episode Transcript: As I looked down at the half steak sitting on the plate with my green beans, saying it out loud, doesn’t make any sense at all. But in my head, I was thinking that it was sad that I wouldn’t get to overeat anymore. And it didn’t make Read More . . .
Done with Dieting Episode #50: Evaluate What Worked
What went well? Often, when we think about setting New Year’s Resolutions, we’re more than happy to look toward the new & throw away the old. We don’t want to look at the past because all too often, we don’t want to look at our failures. It’s too painful. But it’s only too painful if we’re ONLY focused on what we did wrong and have unrealistic expectations for ourselves and how we should be. That’s why in this podcast episode, I’ll teach you the series of steps that you want to take to objectively evaluate how your year went so that you can learn from it, and set yourself up for success in the future. What You’ll Learn from this Episode Listen to the Full Episode: Featured on the Show: Full Episode Transcript: You are listening to the Done with Dieting Podcast Episode number 50. Hi, I’m Elizabeth Sherman, former Read More . . .
Done with Dieting Episode #49: The Long Game
What do you think you could learn about yourself if you were to take a year and focus on your health? We all want fast results. Especially when it comes to weight loss. And as much as we want the weight to be gone yesterday, I suspect what we want more is to never have to go through this lose-the-weight/regain-it cycle ever again. Yes, we want to lose weight quickly, but we also want permanent weight loss. We don’t want to have to deal with this problem over and over and over again. In a time where 30-day Jump Starts, 8-week Challenges, and 13-week detoxes are everywhere, the thought of spending a year focused on one’s weight seems unheard of. Yet, clearly fast weight loss doesn’t work because if it did, we wouldn’t have the statistic that 97% of folks who lose weight regain it in 3-5 years. Think about Read More . . .
Done with Dieting Episode #48: Starting a Side-Gig with Sindy Warren
What to do when you have a great idea, but that’s it? We hear all the time how Microsoft and Apple were started in a garage. All successful companies start with an idea, and then seemingly overnight the idea grows into a successful business. There’s no doubt that becoming your own boss takes a lot of work. And that the road to success is paved with stories of defeat, disappointment, and failure – which is why I loved talking to Sindy Warren about how she helps budding entrepreneurs start businesses – whether they’re just part-time hustles or ideas that allow women to retire their partners. Whether we’re talking about business or weight loss, there are SO MANY parallels when it comes to the mental game and achieving success in these two different areas. Sindy is such a great coach & person to learn from if you’re someone who has an Read More . . .
Done with Dieting Episode #47: What is Truthful vs Helpful?
How our beliefs color our experience of ourselves and the world around us. Often, when I talk to clients they’ll say things like, “I can’t control myself around sweets,” “I”m lazy,” “I hate to exercise,” “I”m too old,” or “I”m just not disciplined.” And when I ask the question back to them, Is that true? Is it really true? They can give me a whole host of examples & evidence of why that’s true. Sometimes we say things that feel like we’re just reporting the weather – as if we’re just stating the truth. And so in this podcast episode, you’ll learn the difference between thoughts and statements that are truthful, but then the second thing we want to ask ourselves is, but is it helpful? Because when I think the thoughts “I can’t control myself around sweets,” “I”m lazy,” “I hate to exercise,” “I”m too old,” or “I”m just Read More . . .
Done with Dieting Episode #46: Deep Health with Krista Scott-Dixon
The 5 skill sets that you need to become your own coach. Did you know that there’s actually a science to back up why we should treat ourselves with more compassion? Yes! It’s true! Having compassion for others and ourselves is the starting point for Precision Nutrition’s philosophy around coaching. In this podcast, you’ll learn the principles that Krista Scott Dixon uses as the director of curriculum development & how to apply that to your own health and health behaviors. You’ll also learn how what we’ve traditionally thought to be healthy, maybe change as we learn more, and how you can apply these principles to your habits in your quest for health. About Krista Scott Dixon: Dr. Krista Scott-Dixon (also known as KSD) is Director of Curriculum at Precision Nutrition, leading the development of the PN Academy and PN Certifications. She is the author of several books, including Why Me Read More . . .
Done with Dieting Episode #45: Bare Minimums
Why sometimes do we need to live in the “Good Enough?” I am a huge fan of doing the minimum effective dose. Who wants to spend more time in the gym & not get results? The minimum effective dose answers the question: What’s the least amount of work that I need to do & still feel like I’m moving forward? Yes, this approach might take longer than, let’s say if I did things “perfectly”, but more often than not, when we try to be ‘perfect’ we can’t sustain it for very long, and then we go off the plan because we feel like we’ve failed. What many folks feel like they need, is rules – just tell me what to do so that I can (fill in the blank): be healthy, lose weight, stop these cravings, get off my meds, sleep through the night, or make my joints stop hurting. Read More . . .
Done with Dieting Episode #44: Self-Doubt
Overthinking it? Get rid of the inner critic that’s telling you that you can’t. Self-doubt shows up in us in a few different ways. Second-guessing ourselves, over-thinking a problem, or imposter syndrome. Through the years, what I’ve learned is that self-doubt shows up when I’m on the edge of my comfort zone – and typically when I’m in a situation where I’m trying to improve or grow. In these situations, self-doubt is normal. We all experience it. What determines whether we grow or shrink is whether we listen to it, believe it, and allow it to influence our behavior. The more we do, the smaller our life gets. The less we listen – yes, of course, it’s scary, but – the more comfortable we get ignoring it, and the fuller our life becomes as a result. What You’ll Learn from this Episode Listen to the Full Episode: Featured on the Read More . . .
Conquer your 2022 Goals
Conquer Your 2022 Goals: Watch the 2 minute Video: What You’ll learn in this WebinarWith a whopping 80% failure rate of New Year’s Resolutions, I want to help you avoid some of the common pitfalls so that you can be part of the elite 20% that actually find success in permanently changing your health behaviors.Avoid the 3 mistakes that so many of us make when we embark on a new health plan.Creating consistent habits is a lot more complex than ‘do this for 21 days’ and you won’t have to think about it again. How to predict when things will get tough and how to plan for the inevitable time when you want to throw in the towel. Knowing this will allow you to pay attention to it and rely on the plan when you think, “I should just give up.” “I’ve been a coach for over 15 years. That means that Read More . . .
Done with Dieting Episode #43: Amanda Ryan – Fear
Ever wonder why women are so obsessed with weight loss when it isn’t something that men really struggle with? Why is that? Or feel resentful because you have to watch every single thing that goes into your mouth? Ever had hyper-critical thoughts about what other people are thinking about you and/or your appearance? In today’s podcast, we’re going to dig into some of the messages that we’ve received as women including: I am super excited to introduce you to Dr. Amanda Ryan-Fear – Women’s Leadership & Feminist Coach as we explore the reasons why so many women are dissatisfied with their bodies & pursue weight loss as the means that will help us feel better about them. Listen in as we approach weight loss from a different angle than we have before. About Dr. Amanda Ryan-Fear Dr. Amanda Ryan Fear is a life coach for high-achieving women who are ready Read More . . .