Feeling Full

My conversation with Charles Eisenstein really lit me up. Motivated by his own struggles with his body, including feelings of not being good enough and unworthiness, he took a deep dive into where these feelings came from. Then he wrote a book about it… The Yoga of Eating,

Charles’ book discusses one of the biggest gaps with food: trusting ourselves. If we use willpower and diets to override our bodies’ intelligence, it’s a recipe for struggle.  If you're curious about what life could be like if you trusted your own cravings and body, I think you’re really going to love this conversation.
 
“The more honest with yourself you are, the more trustworthy you become”  Charles Eisenstein   

Highlights

• We are programmed to not accept ourselves.
• Almost everything that we judge ourselves for is the result of an unmet need.
• When Charles was a kid, he was bullied because he reached puberty later than others.
• It’s important to distinguish between cravings and authentic appetite.
• Eating food that is bad for you temporarily and falsely satisfies an unmet need without actually meeting the need.
• When you authentically satisfy needs then cravings will go away.
• You need to learn to understand how food makes your body feel after you’ve eaten it. 
• The first step is finding that moment where you can see that you love yourself; that self-love is already there.
• Once you recognize that it’s there then you can return to that when you choose.
• The more honest with yourself you are, the more trustworthy you become.

Relevant Links

Website: https://charleseisenstein.org

Books: https://charleseisenstein.org/books

Dietary course: https://bit.ly/2VepgsE

Charles on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ceisenstein

Charles on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/charles_eisenstein/?hl=en

Charles on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/charleseisenstein

In this episode, I speak with Liz about her experience working for Weight Watchers and eventually writing her book, called Target 100.  Liz has helped thousands of people lose weight sustainably with her six weight loss targets. 

Highlights

• For Liz, the power of Weight Watchers was sharing the experience with others and recognizing that she was not the only one that felt the way she did.
• Liz decided to work for Weight Watcher as an accountability measure since you had to weigh monthly and maintain your goal weight or risk losing your job.
• Liz eventually helped the CEO of Weight Watcher lose 40 pounds and was doing personal visits to his office. 
• He realized that shoe would be a great fit for helping high-profile clients and she began to work 1 on 1 with celebrities.
• Liz believes that you must find what works for you and not focusing on what works for others.
• To Liz, the scale is a wonderful tool to help manage and learn about the science project that is the body.
• You should use a scale regularly enough to become inherently aware of what your body weight is.
• Staying in a 5-to-7-pound range is weight maintenance.
• 6 pillars of weight loss: food, exercise, hydration, movement patterns, sleep, and stress.
• Feeling guilt and shame activates the reward center in the brain. So you do more of what it was that gave you the guilt and shame.
• Gratitude shuts down the reward system. 
• Start with hydration and the water pillar to get a simple start.

Relevant Links

https://www.lizjosefsberg.com/

https://www.lizjosefsberg.com/target-100

Shapa Scale  - www.myshapa.com

The Power Of Habit - Book

Bridge Across Forever - Book

Today I am joined by Mick Cornett, who was the Mayor of Oklahoma City for 4 terms. One of the things about Mick that inspires me the most is how he takes big risks and embraces failure. 

Thanks to his mindset and leadership, Oklahoma City turned from one of the “fattest cities in the country” to one of the healthiest, and so much more.

This conversation will inspire you to think bigger, take more chances, and cultivate a belief that anything is possible. 

Highlights

• Mick saw that the city was always near the bottom of the health rankings.
• He wanted to do something to address it and also put a positive light on the city as well as the process of losing weight and becoming fit.
• Mick was a huge sports fan and wanted to be a sportscaster.
• He was assigned to cover a city council story and fell in love with what he saw while reporting.
• He was inspired and eventually ran for city council.
• Mick realized that the entire infrastructure of Oklahoma City was built for driving. 
• There was almost no place to be active. No walkways, no bike paths, etc.
• They were also one of the largest drive-thru restaurant cities in the world per capita.
• Oklahoma City ranked high on the list of most obese cities in the United States.
• Mick had gained weight while being the mayor and realized that he was an example of that obesity ranking. 
• As he started to take control of his weight and fitness some of the problematic issues with the city’s infrastructure became clear to him.
• Mick believes that at some point if you want to get to the next level, you have to make a conscious decision to “step up” and make changes.

Relevant Links

Micks Book - The Next American City 

Ted Talk -  How an obese town lost one million pounds 

Book recommendation - Dynasty by Jeff Benedict

In this episode, Eliza and Mordechai discuss ways to help kids that are struggling with their weight. They discuss strategies to help them learn healthy internal dialogues and how to manage their belief systems so that they can have a solid foundation for managing their weight and self-image. 

Highlights

• When someone is struggling with their weight it means that they probably are not living the happiest, healthiest, and biggest life that they were meant to live.
• Eliza was told that she could not embrace the body positive movement if she was also talking about how to lose weight.
• She believed that it was not only possible but necessary to be happy with your current body while working to change habits on the path to transform and lose weight.
• When Eliza was younger, she had a poor relationship with her body image and after a long struggle with it, she finally decided that she would no longer have that relationship with her body and she began to investigate why and how to fix it.
• It wasn’t until after seeing kids go home from camp after having success only to see them slip backward, did Eliza realize that the critical component was the approach to image and mindset around their current state.
• Believing that you can do something is the most important part of any endeavor.
• Kids need to be taught early to become aware of their language and how to observe their language and thoughts.
• It is important to help our kids understand the modern food environment. You have to help them regulate processed food intake.  Processed food is muting the body’s ability to send correct hunger and fullness cues.
• You must help kids understand that foods affect how the body feels throughout the day.

“A belief system is your operating system” Eliza Kingsford

Relevant Links

https://www.elizakingsford.com/

https://www.elizakingsford.com/brain-powered-weight-loss-the-11-step-behavior-based-plan-that-ends-overeating/

Jeff and Mordechai discuss Jeff’s journey with managing his weight. They touch on how they met, what Jeff’s childhood was like as a heavy kid, and Jeff talks about his initial resistance and how his mindset has changed to help him be successful. 

Highlights

• When Jeff first met Mordechai, he was not ready to make changes.
• After Jeff’s mother’s passing, he began to eat more and gained weight.
• His brother had a baby and he wanted to be involved in his niece’s life and then a good friend who was living a similar lifestyle had a heart attack and nearly died.
• Around that same time, Mordechai called Jeff and wanted to get him involved with a new session.
• Jeff committed to calling Mordechai the next Monday but did not make the call. Then when he did call, Mordechai said that he did not think Jeff was ready since he skipped the call.
• Jeff did not want to restrict himself fully from the foods that he loved and wanted to try. So, he planned to be able to have one bit of anything at the table.
• He has lost over 80lbs.
• He realized that you could eat plenty of food that is good for you and never feel like you are hungry. He also realized that sometimes the simplest and healthiest cooking tastes the best.
• You can look at any menu and find the thing that works for you. 
• When you are eating healthy vegetables and protein, your digestive system functions properly and you feel better.
• Jeff grew up in a typical 90’s home where everything was low-fat or light versions of food.
• His parents had him go to Weight Watchers at 13 and it was uncomfortable to be there.
• Jeff rebelled by eating food that he was not supposed to eat.
• The goal is not perfection. The goal is consistency.
• Preparing food to take with you is critical.

Relevant Links

Jeffslosingit - Instagram
 
blackcrystalwolfkids.com

Jon Gabriel's nighttime visualization 

Episode Summary

In this episode, Dr. Sadrian and Mordechai discuss cosmetic surgery, how to make a good decision, and how to prepare for the process. 

Highlights

• The ideal patient is one that takes their time and does their homework so that they are well armed with questions and basic knowledge. 
• Some patients have misaligned or unreasonable expectations of what surgery can accomplish.
• There is nothing textbook about trauma surgery. 
•  Cosmetic surgery is a combination of science and art together.
• First thing is to find out what the patient wants. What are the things that are bothering them and what are their goals?
• The results are a partnership. If a patient works hard before and after the surgery, then there could be better results.
• There needs to be some time between the weight loss and the cosmetic surgery. Dr. Sadrian thinks that 6 months is the minimum wait time.
• Sometimes the surgery is done in stages. 
• It generally takes 6 weeks for the majority of healing to happen after surgery. That is still not 100% recovery.
• Since people are using Zoom more frequently and seeing themselves, facial surgeries have increased.
• When you cut something there is going to be a scar.
• The tricky part is placing the scar in a place where it is less visible.
• Always ask “why?”.  What do you want and what is your goal?

Relevant Links
www.sadrianplasticsurgery.com

Episode Summary

In this episode, Eli talks about his life battling with self-worth, loneliness, and weight. He discusses some key moments along his journey and offers some experiences that may be helpful to others. He talks about the importance of music to him and what it is like to let go of control when on stage performing.

Highlights

• Eli remembers when he became addicted to sugar at 7 years old.
• He started getting picked on and bullied in elementary school.
• Eli maintains a weight loss between 100 to 120 lbs.
• When you are on stage you let go of control and you just are.
• In the Orthodox community, nobody talks about feeling hurt or lonely.
• Admitting that you have insecurities is powerful.
• Part of Eli’s comfort is the music that he has released that reveals his struggles.
• Eli talks to himself in positive ways and believes that it’s healthy and helps remove negative thoughts.
• Manage your home environment. Create a space that is safe and supports your goals.
• Come up with staple foods that you can create as a ritual. 
• Focus on what you are doing and do not obsess about what you are not doing.

Relevant Links

www.elischwebel.com
Whole with you song 

Episode Summary

In this episode, Mordechai talks about the decision to have plastic surgery and the journey from his initial consideration to his post-surgery life.

Highlights

• About 5 years ago was the first time Mordechai decided that he wanted to have surgery.
•  He visited 10 surgeons and decided something did not feel right. It felt like he was hiding something.
• He decided not to have the surgery.
• A year and a half ago he considered it for a second time and had the surgery.
• At a retreat in Costa Rica, he was hot but didn’t want to remove his shirt in front of people at the event.
• As a kid, Mordechai was bullied and picked on because of his weight.
• Mordechai shared with the group at the retreat that he had wanted to lose weight most of his life and now that he had, he still felt bad about himself.
• He wanted to build something and be financially successful. He achieved both of those things but realized that it was more about the acceptance of others. 
• He learned that he needed to accept himself.
• He removed his shirt in front of the entire group while telling his story and sharing how he felt. It was a pivotal moment.
• He finally realized how great it felt to be unapologetically himself.
• He made it a point to remove his shirt after that and it was still hard, but it began to feel more comfortable.
• Have you ever had a moment where you stopped worrying about measuring up to society and you were your authentic self?
• He came across other men who were reluctant to remove their shirts.
• A few years later he decided it was time to have the surgery. He didn't feel he was running away from the skin but towards his true self. 
• After interviewing a number of doctors, he realized that many of the doctors were not aligned with his needs.
• Mordechai struggled with scheduling the surgery.  He worried about what it meant about him as a man and how he would be perceived.
• Letting his friends in and telling them about his surgery was a big part of the healing process.
• Now that he has shared about the surgeries, he has more people speaking with him about it.
• If you do it for the right reasons then you will probably have a great result.

Episode Summary

In this episode, Ron talks about why gardening is an essential piece of creating a greater community and environment. He discusses some of the struggles with his efforts to create gardens in Los Angeles and some of the underlying systemic issues that create underserved communities. 

Highlights

• Ron turned his pool into a garden.
• Plants do communicate and produce sound.
• A lot of today's technology has atrophied our minds and body.
• People need to get back to doing things, touching things, building and communicating.
• Life comes out of the soil and then goes back into it and we need to appreciate that.
• Ron worked in fashion manufacturing and studied tailoring from the time he was 15 years old. He wanted to be a master tailor.
• When people hear the word fashion they think of clothes. That is not the definition of fashion. 
• Ron sees gardening and tailoring as the same thing. It is a creative process in the same way an artist renders something.
• If you are a passionate person then everything that you do has passion.
• Gardening is a source of freedom.
• Air is the single most important thing in your life and most people don’t recognize that. Even water has oxygen in it.
•  Ron was instrumental in having the law changed to allow food to be planted on the parkways in Los Angeles. 
• Ron wanted to walk out of his home and see and experience something beautiful and fulfilling instead of grass and trash.
• His garden was reported to the city for planting in the parkway. He received a warrant for his arrest.
• He removed the first garden but several years later he planted another one and was reported again. This time he didn’t submit to the request to remove the garden.
• Ron believes that the food problem is easy to solve but there are too many industries that would be negatively impacted by the change so those that could fix it choose not to.
• It’s June but there is still time to plant many vegetables and fruits. Find out what zone you are in and start now.
• You can grow squash, grapes, and cucumbers on a balcony if you are in the city.
• No herbs are easy to grow.

Relevant Links

Website - Click here
Ted Talk – Click here
Master Class -Ron Finley Teaches Gardening - Click here 

In this episode, Dean talks about changing behaviors to make improvements in your life. He talks about the power connection has to heal. He discusses the four pillars of health and how managing each one can have tremendous impact on overall health and happiness.  

"Joy of living is sustainable; fear of dying is not" - Dr. Dean Ornish 

Highlights

• Lifestyle changes can reverse heart disease, blood pressure, obesity, etc.
• Changing your lifestyle can change genes.
• Many conditions share the same underlying mechanisms. Making lifestyle changes can help improve many conditions.
• Fear is a powerful motivator, but it is usually short-term. Fear is not sustainable. 
• Reframing the change from fear of dying or pain to joy and feeling good helps sustainability.
• People want to feel free and in control more than they want to feel healthy.
• Sometimes it’s easier to make big changes instead of small ones because the gain or improvement is more obvious.
• People who are lonely and depressed are 3 to 10 times more likely to die a premature death.
• Ask the question, “Why do I want to live longer?”. Having an answer and a sense of meaning for those reasons then they are more likely to make good lifestyle changes.
• Facebook is fake intimacy. It is not the same as spending time with friends and family.
• The goal shouldn’t be to eliminate or numb the pain quickly. The goal should be to understand what is causing the pain.
• Trading processed carbs and sugar for animal protein can cause problems. Instead, trade for whole foods like natural fruits and vegetables that have fiber and eat beans and rice as protein sources.
•  You need to consume complete proteins or combinations of protein that cover all needs.

Relevant Links
Book – Undo It! by Dean Ornish
Book – The Spectrum by Dean Ornish
Website - https://www.ornish.com/
Movie – Game Changers
James Camron – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Cameron
Swami Satchidanand – https://swamisatchidananda.org