The Eating Coach

Inspired by Todd Brison’s brilliant article Your Desk Will Not Attend Your Funeral, this episode gets you to stand back and ask yourself how far you are a passive consumer of any health regime, detox, fast or exercise programme. It is far better to see yourself as a partner working together with the tool for change.

 All this plus an hilarious Stupid Idea of The Week.

RESOURCES

Coaching

http://www.theshiftinside.com/coaching/

 

Freedom From Sugar Programme

http://www.theshiftinside.com/freedom/

 

Todd Brison’s article is here:

https://medium.com/personal-growth/your-desk-will-not-attend-your-funeral-779515a81dd3

 

Access the minisode on sales and compulsive eating here:

http://www.theshiftinside.com/holiday/

 

Episode 35 on Cavebrain and stress eating

http://www.theshiftinside.com/audio-why-cant-i-stop-stress-eating-ask-your-cavebrain/

How can we move through really challenging situations with food? Willpower never seems to work. Enter stage left 5 Minute Willpower, its much more approachable and user-friendly cousin. Let's talk about how to apply the principles of game playing to reclaiming your life from food. *Stupid Idea of The Week*...yes it is the return of SIOTW -  courtesy of my local hospital.  *Main section*

Two examples of people caught in really difficult situations who gamified them in order to survive. What are the commonalities of turning a challenge into a game - the things that make it easier?

One example is distraction. Here is a short extract from the accompanying 5 Minute Willpower Game PDF  which you can get at http://www.theshiftinside.com/willpower/

A Distraction Thought Experiment

Imagine you are standing in the supermarket aisle, transfixed by junk. There is an intense battle raging in your mind:

Have it.

No, walk away.

I said: Just take it.

No, stop. I appear at your side.

“If you turn to your left and look down to the tills you will see a very nice lady holding an envelope. In it are two tickets to the destination of your choice and as much spending money as you need. I have also arranged two weeks off work for you. This dream holiday can be yours if you walk away from the junk right now.” Could you walk away from the junk in that situation?

Of course you could. Because the distraction is so powerful. Now, you don’t need a two-week holiday to lure you away from the junk every time you get a craving. That was a thought experiment with one aim…to get you to answer the following question:

When you give in to your junk food cravings, is it (a) because you just cannot fight them i.e. inability to do what they know is the right thing - or is it (b) a choice?

If you chose the holiday over the junk, then your only answer is (b). (Compare this to asking someone with a broken leg why they have not entered a marathon. Their answer is going to be (a) - inability to run)

Now I know that the choice is not easy. But this distinction - choice over ability - gives you your power back. You can now make different choices. And I am going to help you overcome your very natural feelings of resistance.

 

RESOURCES

Play the The 5 Minute Willpower Game at http://www.theshiftinside.com/willpower/

Episode 29 on willpower: http://www.theshiftinside.com/audio-better-than-willpower-ec29/

Jane McGonigal's TED talk:

https://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_the_game_that_can_give_you_10_extra_years_of_life

Touching The Void trailer:

https://youtu.be/jtnqVZEktyg

Join the private Eating Coach Discussion Group at:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1594950873896541/

Find out more about coaching at http://www.theshiftinside.com/coaching/

Ask a question at:

http://www.theshiftinside.com/podcast/

Get your free audiobook at:

http://www.audibletrial.com/EatingCoach

Sound effects by https://www.zapsplat.com

 

Watch that your earbuds don’t burn off with the heat of this week’s show! Yes, it is the the (ever so slightly bonkers) chilli challenge – and this is the woman who – up until last summer – would no more eat spicy food than retrain as an astrophysicist . I also talk about body hacking and biohacking.   *Hilarious Idea of The Week*

Ever wondered what to do if you were unfortunate enough to lose half a finger in a motorbike accident? Why, turn your misfortune upside down by transforming said missing digit into a USB stick. Yes, ladies and gentlemen - it is a true story. Watch the video here:

https://youtu.be/acVc6H7wYbA

 

*Main section: The Chilli Challenge LIVE!!!*

A finger USB stick is bodyhacking - optimising (and I use term loosely) your body using technology. Biohacking is more about optimising your body using medical, nutritional and physical advances. The big, extreme biohacking invetions make big news - but I want to focus in this episode on much more basic, simple biohacking techniques you can implement today for virtually nothing.

The Chilli Challenge is one such technique. The point is that you eat more chilli than is comfortable for you in order to get an endorphin rush.

Listen as I take you through the discomfort and safe-for-compulsives high of the chilli challenge. Is it worth it? Only you can decide.

  RESOURCES

The Bulletproof Blog article on biohacking: https://blog.bulletproof.com/beginners-guide-to-biohacking-101/

Join the private Eating Coach Discussion Group at:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1594950873896541/

Find out more about coaching at http://www.theshiftinside.com/coaching/

Ask a question at:

http://www.theshiftinside.com/podcast/

Get your free audiobook at:

http://www.audibletrial.com/EatingCoach

Sound effects by https://www.zapsplat.com

Get your free Hidden Sugars Checklist to print off at

http://www.theshiftinside.com/hidden/

It's day 3 of your new healthy life. But wait! What is this? It's the towel, and you are sooooo ready to throw it in. When your motivation falls off a cliff, what can you do? Answer: Listen to this episode, where I reveal the superpower of change. *(Not so) Stupid Idea of The Week*

Imagine if the health industry - and us - were forced to tell the truth about every product and plan created. Today I translate some of the funnier lies the peddlers of agave nectar and others tell.

 

*Main section*

How not to give up when you feel dejected by your own self sabotage.

We all know that small actions done consistently over time will reap huge rewards in any area of life. However, being human, we often fail to be 100% consistent. This is where the problem starts - dipping below that 100% mark is seen as failure. We need to replace this harsh perfectionism with imperfect action. Can you allow the slip up to NOT mean the end of the world?

I give you some replacements for the 'I'm no good at this' talk...statements and questions that are more neutral and demand an active response.

 

RESOURCES

Join the private Eating Coach Discussion Group at:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1594950873896541/

Find out more about coaching at http://www.theshiftinside.com/coaching/

Ask a question at:

http://www.theshiftinside.com/podcast/

Get your free audiobook at:

http://www.audibletrial.com/EatingCoach

Sound effects by https://www.zapsplat.com

Get your free Hidden Sugars Checklist to print off at

http://www.theshiftinside.com/hidden/

 

Being holed up at home because of the weather can lead to more binge eating. In this special bonus episode, recorded on a day when the whole of the UK has ground to  a halt because of the cold, I give you 3 ideas for surviving days like these without resorting to comfort eating.

www.theshiftinside.com/coaching

It's movie time (again!). I use a film to look at how comparing ourselves to others can worsen not only our body image but binge eating.

 

*Quote of The Week*

...is from Anais Nin:

“And the time came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”   Main section: It's Kind of a Funny Story

16 year old Craig believes his life is so bad he is considering suicide. He ends up on a psychiatric ward, where he is released from the comparison trap he had found himself in in his highly pressured college life. In an invaluable lesson in reversing his unhelpful perspective, Craig sees just how lucky he is and what resources he has at his disposal. There are many lessons for us hidden in this movie. Not to mention unpronounceable names...!

In this episode, discover:

*How to swap upward comparison ("I am less fortunate than person X") for downward comparison ("I have so much more than person Y")

*How specifically to use downward comparison to deal with eating and body image issues

*How airbrushed perfectionism is a corrupting force

*The hidden benefit of the comparison trap that will allow you to escape it if you are crafty enough!

*How the idea of a continuum is far more helpful than the fixed position necessary to get yourself in the comparison trap

RESOURCES

How to review a podcast in iTunes: http://www.theshiftinside.com/how-to-review-a-podcast-in-itunes-explained-super-simply/

The Psychology Today article on racist voters: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/life-death-and-the-self/201711/the-psychological-roots-trumpism

Episode 18 on Owning Your Food Compulsion: http://www.theshiftinside.com/podcast-own-your-food-compulsion/

Join the private Eating Coach Discussion Group at:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1594950873896541/

Find out more about coaching at http://www.theshiftinside.com/coaching/

Ask a question at:

http://www.theshiftinside.com/podcast/

Get your free audiobook at:

http://www.audibletrial.com/EatingCoach

Sound effects by https://www.zapsplat.com

Get your free Hidden Sugars Checklist to print off at

http://www.theshiftinside.com/hidden/

This is the second part of how to stop stress eating. Today we bring the two topics of (1) preventing compulsion when you are under pressure, and then (2) managing those urges when they do occur. This is a much more realistic aim than completely wiping this problem out. I am joined by the cast of West Side Story (honest ;-)

 

*(Highly Ambivalent) Moment of The Week*

Replacing Stupid Idea of The Week, we now have Moment of The Week. This week courtesy of a department store window.

You can see the image if you go to: 

http://www.theshiftinside.com/how-to-stop-stress-eating-part-2/

*Main section: Stress Eating *

This talk is divided into 2 parts: Prevention and Management

PREVENTION

#1 Manage Cavebrain - go back and listen to the previous episode for more on this.

#2 The other category of preventative measures that I am not going to name here in the shownotes, because it is used wrongly, and underestimated because of its unhelpful label. Clue: it begins with the letter R

#3 Reframing stress with one powerful 5-word question - even if you cannot find an answer to it immediately

#4 The substance you absolutely must experiment with eliminating

 

MANAGEMENT OF URGES TO STRESS EAT

#1 Managing your environment

#2 Managing your hand when it wants to reach out for the junk

 

 

RESOURCES

Episode 33 on caffeine: http://www.theshiftinside.com/audio-does-caffeine-make-binge-eating-worse/

Episode 23 on Celebrating without Overeating: http://www.theshiftinside.com/audio-how-to-celebrate-without-overeating/

Episode 20 on cravings http://www.theshiftinside.com/podcast-how-to-stop-sugar-cravings/

Join the private Eating Coach Discussion Group at:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1594950873896541/

Find out more about coaching at http://www.theshiftinside.com/coaching/

Ask a question at:

http://www.theshiftinside.com/podcast/

Get your free audiobook at:

http://www.audibletrial.com/EatingCoach

Sound effects by https://www.zapsplat.com

Get your free Hidden Sugars Checklist to print off at

http://www.theshiftinside.com/hidden/

This show is the first of 2 episodes about how to stop stress eating. Today, we meet Cavebrain - the blind and stubborn bouncer that has been living in your head for years, and is responsible certainly for stress eating - as well as other eating issues you are probably not aware of. It also affects other areas of life, so it is useful for everyone (except maybe)  Zen Buddhist monks). Discover how to manage it - listen here:   *Quote of The Week*

...is from Recovery: Freedom From Our Addictions by Russell Brand. 'The object, in itself, is not bad'...and more.

Main section - Cavebrain -The Mystery of Stress Eating Solved

We like to think, with our moon landings and smartphones and scientific breakthroughs, that we are superior to our primitive cavedwelling ancestors. Stop being so arrogant! The human brain is still, in many ways, designed for life tens or hundreds of thousands of years ago.

Today I explore what I call Cavebrain - those instinctual tendencies we have that were life-saving for our cavedwelling ancestors, but can disrupt not just our efforts at eating better, but at living better in the 21st century. In a nutshell, Cavebrain comes down to two things: our fight or flight mechanism, and our deep craving for the comfort and protection of a strongly connected tribe.

Find out how these two things can get us into trouble today, and how to manage Cavebrain so it isn't managing your life and eating patterns.

RESOURCES

Russell Brand's Recovery reviews: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33932358-recovery

Episode 19 on caffeine: http://www.theshiftinside.com/audio-does-caffeine-make-binge-eating-worse/

Episode on The Sugar Rollercoaster: http://www.theshiftinside.com/audio-how-sugar-hijacks-your-brain/

Join the private Eating Coach Discussion Group at:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1594950873896541/

Find out more about coaching at http://www.theshiftinside.com/coaching/

Ask a question at:

http://www.theshiftinside.com/podcast/

Get your free audiobook at:

http://www.audibletrial.com/EatingCoach

Sound effects by https://www.zapsplat.com

Get your free Hidden Sugars Checklist to print off at

http://www.theshiftinside.com/hidden/

www.theshiftinside.com What cover stories do we tell ourselves to legitimise a binge? More importantly, how is that binge a cover story for a deeper problem in your life? These can be uncomfortable, yet incredibly liberating questions. Come with me and let’s find out the answer. Stupid Idea of The Week Is the concept of loss when applied to weight. Find out why it is a stupid verb to use in this context, and what to replace it with Food Lies Let’s look at some of the untruths we deceive ourselves in order to continue diminishing our lives with compulsion, and how we use food as a really understandable invisible cover story for deeper issues. Find out: - The difference between a lazy and safety cover story - The difference between the lies you tell yourself ABOUT food and how food ITSELF can be a cover story - a deeply self-critical one that masks a far more neutral, compassionate truth. Don’t you want to discover what that is? - What Cavebrain is - How you can start to uncover your own cover stories right now RESOURCES Episode 19: Me Too http://www.theshiftinside.com/podcast-me-too-release-your-trauma-and-put-food-out-of-a-job-it-was-never-meant-to-do/ Harry Potter Saved My Life podcast http://www.harrypottersavedmylife.com

www.theshiftinside.com/coaching

Sound Effects by www.zapsplat.com

Does caffeine make your eating problems worse? Here are 5 powerful questions that cut through all the conflicting data on the subject. As you will hear, your daily coffee(s) may aggravate your binge eating and so forth in ways you are not aware of. 

www.theshiftinside.com

Stupid Idea of The Week

...is beauty magazines. Nothing earth-shattering there...but I do give you a good way to broach this subject with teenagers. See the mock cover at http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/09/01/womens-magazines-spoof_n_5746758.html

 

Main Section

Does caffeine make you binge eat - or at least make it worse? A strange question, but a useful one. Less a rant about the evils of coffee, and more a challenge to investigate and question your dependence on this legal drug.

I give a quick overview of the health benefits and downsides of caffeine, one of which is less-well known but hugely important in the hit your morning coffee gives you. You need to know this information!

Includes 5 important questions that will help you to challenge your own caffeine consumption.

Question 1: What does caffeine symbolise to me?

Question 2: What is my tolerance level for caffeine?

Question 3: If caffeine were banned, what would be the upsides for me?

Question 4:...and the downsides?

Question 5: How do I feel after a caffeine elimination trial?

 

RESOURCES

Telegraph article http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/body/surprising-health-benefits-caffeine/

Livestrong article on dopamine: https://www.livestrong.com/article/454154-does-caffeine-affect-dopamine-levels/

Episode 4 - (more on dopamine)  http://www.theshiftinside.com/audio-how-sugar-hijacks-your-brain/

The Stuff You Should Know episode on caffeine: https://www.stuffyoushouldknow.com/podcasts/the-duality-of-caffeine.htm

Web MD article: https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/pros-and-cons-caffeine-craze#1

Jeff Finley article: https://jefffinley.org/quit-coffee/

Get your free Hidden Sugars Checklist to print off at

http://www.theshiftinside.com/hidden/

Ask a question at:

http://www.theshiftinside.com/podcast/

Get your free audiobook at:

http://www.audibletrial.com/EatingCoach

Sound effects by Zapsplat