What I've Changed My Mind About [Ep. 100]

0:00 This is the Eat Well, Think Well, Live Well podcast. I'm Lisa Salisbury. And this is episode 100. What I've changed my mind about. Welcome to Eat Well, Think Well, Live Well; the podcast for women who want to lose weight, but are tired of counting and calculating all the food. I'm your host, Lisa Salsbury. I'm a certified health and weight loss coach and life coach, and most importantly a recovered chronic dieter. I'll teach you to figure out why you are eating when you aren't hungry, instead of worrying so much about what you are eating. Here we are episode. 100. I am actually genuinely shocked and proud.

0:42 That I have published an episode. Every single week. For 100 weeks straight. I have charted in the top 100 for apple podcasts in the health and nutrition category. And I have thousands of downloads. There is a website called listen notes that ranks podcast globally. And it's a resource I utilize for looking for guesting opportunities and finding other relevant podcast hosts to invite onto my show. According to Listen notes. My podcast is one of the top 5%, most popular shows out of 3 million, 367,862 podcasts globally, which is wild. You don't get ranked until you're in the top 10%.

1:24 And I've slowly been moving up over this past year, especially. One reason is that the vast majority of podcasts don't get past 21 episodes. So getting to 100 is actually pretty unusual. Especially for solo entrepreneurs like me, that aren't published by a big media corporation. Although, if someone wanted to sponsor me, I sure wouldn't say no. I built up this 100th episode in my head though, so much wanting to do something really special last year when I made it to my one year mark, I invited Jody Moore to guests on the show to celebrate one year. And that was a blast. She used to coach me back in the day, like when she was very first to coach. So if you haven't listened to that episode, it's.

2:05 Episode 54, which I know doesn't make sense because of the one year thing, but it's because I released several episodes on my first week of publishing. Anyway, I thought episode 100 deserves something special like that, but in all my efforts to think of something, I just ended up spinning in overwhelm and overthinking and not inviting anyone fancy to come on the show. So I decided to give you guys some insight into my brain and how I've changed over the course of coaching and over the course of actually doing this podcast and learning from things I've researched for the show, as well as from different guests I've had on. The show. So I have three things I've really changed my mind about number one, probably my biggest about face.

2:51 And that is, I used to say, never count calories anymore. I came to this because of my history with calorie and macro county. Many of you have heard my story that I got so obsessed and anxious about counting. That it started to really interfere with my life. And when I couldn't count, I would essentially give up. And that's when I would really overeat. If I couldn't be perfect then why try at all was essentially my mentality. But for the most part, I counted myself into orthorexia, a lot of anxiety about the counting itself. So I decided when I was creating my coaching program, I would create it around not counting at all.

3:35 I still think this is valuable to be able to learn the skill. Of listening to your body and actually lose the weight without having to wait and measure your food and log it all meticulously in an app. I have clients that have lost weight doing this. I know at works. Here's where I have changed on this. I created this coaching program from the mindset that all my clients were coming to me as chronic dieters, as women who had Obsessively counting calories in the past, just like me. But that's not the case for everyone. I assume that everyone could look at a plate and roughly figure how much protein was there. I just figured that sense.

4:16 I could do that as a chronic dieters slash counter that everyone could. And I'm coming to realize. That not everyone has chronically counted. Like I have. So here's where I am now on this. I still do not encourage my clients to count their calories or macros on a regular basis. But if you have never counted calories, It can be a useful exercise, short term. And again, I think this is where I really went wrong in my past dieting days and where I think coaches go wrong now is still saying you need to count calories basically forever. It should always be a short term learning tool to gauge what are your currently doing and what kinds of things are really energy dense.

5:03 Those are really the things I want you to look at and to learn from your calorie, counting. How long is short term. When I say you could do this short term, anywhere from two to four weeks would be plenty of time. Really? I think two weeks would be enough, but if you feel like you are still in the learning curve of tracking and those first two weeks, then you could take it to four. Again, this is just for somebody who literally has never done it before. It's just a good exercise. It's totally educational for you. The other thing you can do with counting, which I do have my clients do sometimes is just track. A singular item. So for example, just track your protein grams.

5:45 Protein is so essential to maintain muscle mass during a fat loss phase. As well as just for women to maintain muscle mass and strength in our perimenopause and menopause years. If you've never tracked macros and aren't sure how much protein you're getting. This could be useful. What I do here is just track the foods, you know, are a good source of protein, such as your animal proteins, your dairy tofu, things of that nature. So my personal protein goal is somewhere between a hundred and 130 grams. Really? I like to hit 130. Um, and that's per day. So if my main sources put me at a hundred grams, Then I figure the smaller sources such as some vegetables and a few grams here and there with grains will put me right in that range.

6:31 So I'm not tracking every single thing I'm eating. Even though there is like, you know, five grams of protein in my oatmeal in the morning, and I'm only tracking the egg and the protein powder in that recipe because those are the main sources. So there's a few grams in like broccoli and Brussels sprouts and most vegetables. So I just let those add up to make up the difference above a hundred grams that I'm getting from my main animal and supplement sources, supplement like protein powders and drinks. So if you decided. Good to track and figure out am I getting enough protein? That's how I would recommend you do it. Not track every single thing that goes in your mouth, but just a particular item.

7:15 So this is especially useful for people that have counted calories in that past have maybe counted macros, but they're like, I feel like I just have forgotten. I feel like I just want to double check that I'm like still where I want to be. We can still have protein goals without having to count them. At this point, like I said, I can look at a plate and I know how much protein is on there because of my history. But if you're not at that place. Then you might consider tracking just that protein. You can also do this with like fiber, where you're just tracking the grains and vegetables and fruit and you leave out tracking the chicken and the fish because you know that those don't have any fiber.

7:59 So, if you have one thing you're curious about like, am I getting enough fiber or protein that then it can be a really valuable exercise to track for a couple of weeks. This way too, you aren't tracking all your calories. You don't have to look at that. So I'm like very cautious, because like I said, this can. Like be a slippery slope for some of us who have chronically dieted in the past. Uh, but if you're just checking on one particular nutrient, you want to focus on, it can really just be educational and helpful tool. You can also do this for something you might want to limit. Although I prefer that we're doing this for things we want to add in like adding in more protein, but if you're thinking.

8:40 You know, how's it going with my added sugar grams. That would be something that you maybe want to limit. So it'd be the same kind of thing. You're only track the items with added sugar and total those up. So you'd be leaving out all of your whole fruits and vegetables and proteins and just logging things that either, you know, have added sugar like baked goods or packaged foods. So I've really gone from do not weigh and measure anything ever to, if you've never done it, you might want to do it for a short time. And secondarily track just the items you want to learn about or make sure you're getting enough of, but either way.

9:20 It's a useful tool for learning and not a lifestyle or a way you want to live forever. And like I said, that's where I really went wrong. I will tell you that what I haven't changed here is that the hunger scale reigns Supreme, getting in touch with your own physical hunger, and really learning to say I'm done. Regardless of how much food is left on the plate is such a valuable skill for all the meals you cannot or just don't want to track. Using your own hunger cues is how you stay on track with your goals when you're unable to count calories, which is why. I started teaching this in the first place. It's really what saved me from getting into all that all or nothing mentality.

10:04 Since the hunger scale is always available to you. You can for sure ignore it, but you can't say that it was a tool you couldn't use because you didn't know the nutritional content of the takeout food. Hope that makes sense. Okay. Second thing I've changed my mind about is monitoring my clients scale weight. So when I first started coaching, I would get their scale weight at the beginning of every appointment, no matter what. Now though I ask only if the client brings it up or specifically wants to track that with me. If they have a hard time keeping track, then I don't mind doing that for them. Often I'll have a client that will weigh the morning of an appointment.

10:45 They'll tell me what it is, but they don't write it down. And so they don't remember it week to week. So I'm happy to keep track, but others don't want to actively track their weight with me. They are doing it on their own, or it's just not the reason that we are coaching together. So before I always kept it top of focus, but what I've changed is making sure the clients goals are the top focus. Sometimes they are more focused on reducing their sugar intake. And if that affects their weight, then great. Or I had a client that was interested in reducing bloating. And so we used waster conference as a data point as one way to measure progress because she felt like she had pretty consistent belly bloating. in addition to checking on that, I would also check in with how she felt about her symptoms.

11:29 But I never asked her, wait, it wasn't until the last appointment that she told me. Oh, and by the way, I've lost 10 pounds. So it just used to be that I would say hi, good morning. How's it going? You know, what are your wins for the week? What's your scale? Weight? And now I'm just way more focused on what the client wants out of the coaching. Rather than just being strictly a weight loss coach. What I haven't changed here. Is that I never asked for their before and after photos. If they chose to take those, I don't use any photos like that. And my social media content and I never, well, I will stand for him on that. I think scale weight can be a great metric to know if your plan is working, but photos are sketchy in my opinion, and they can be altered.

12:10 But also just standing in a different light can alter how you look on the very same day. It's a 2d rendering of a 3d object and it just isn't always that accurate. Number three. This is the last thing I've changed my mind on. And this might sound like it's going to contradict number two. But I have changed my mind on health at any size. I used to believe when I first started coaching that body size was totally irrelevant and that I wanted to just support my clients no matter what. I know that sounds like, wait, that's still good. You still support your clients, right? Yes, totally. And like I said, in my last one, I support. What their goals are.

12:51 Here's what I did change though. I am not interested in beating around the Bush about obesity anymore. It is not a healthy way to live. It is a risk factor in 13 specific types of cancer specifically. Those are meningioma. I'm not going to get all the pronunciations. Right. I don't know if I want to list these, but I wrote them down. So I'm going to try and read them to you. Meningioma. Out of carcinoma of the esophagus, multiple myeloma cancer of the blood cells, kidney endometrium, ovarian thyroid breast in post-menopausal women, liver gallbladder, upper stomach, pancreas, and colon and rectum. Obesity puts you at risk to develop heart disease, specifically high blood pressure and unhealthy cholesterol levels.

13:35 Which are both risk factors for heart disease, as well as strokes. You are at risk for type two diabetes, as well as developing sleep apnea. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, osteoarthritis, and more. I recently read Peter book outlive, and he talks about the four horsemen of aging or chronic disease. And those are heart disease. Cancer. Type two diabetes or just general metabolic disease that encompasses everything from hyperinsulinemia to insulin resistance, to fatty liver disease to type two diabetes. So he does kind of lump those into metabolic disease, but he just put really specifically talks about type two diabetes. And then the fourth one is. neurodegenerative disease, Alzheimer's disease being the most common there.

14:20 So those are the four horsemen. These four diseases account for 80% of deaths in people over 50, who do not smoke. Obesity is a risk factor in every one of these conditions. There is just no way to ignore the statistics here. If you truly want to make your health span, that is the time of your life that we live free from chronic disease or other health problems. Match your lifespan. We must address all the risk factors that are within our control. We can't do anything about our genetics, our gender, our race, all the other factors that can actually be risks of certain illnesses. But we can do something about our lifestyles and for most people.

15:04 Your weight is a direct result of your lifestyle. Which is not to say you're a bad person or living a bad life. If you are overweight, it just means. That it's far more in your control. Then your genetics. In addition to not smoking, limiting, or avoiding all together, alcohol. There are major lifestyle interventions we can participate in that will have a huge impact on your lifespan and health span. VO two max muscle mass and strength are actually greater predictors of lifespan than not smoking. Meaning it matters more that we exercise than if we smoke purely looking at lifespan. Now can you be overweight or obese and have a high VO, two max?

15:47 Sure you can. Can you be fit and have good muscle mass and also be overweight again? Yes. It's not that someone living in a bigger body can't have these great predictors of health and lifespan. It's just that when combined. You're more likely to avoid these four horsemen of aging. If you also have a weight or a body fat percentage that is within normal range. And by the way, body fat percentage and visceral fat numbers are a much better tool to determine overweight and obesity. Then the BMI. You can also use waist to hip ratios. If you don't have access to proper measuring devices for body fat and visceral fat.

16:28 Obviously the DEXA scan is the gold standard here, but it's not available to everyone. I feel that, especially when I first started the podcast, I wanted to be very gentle about this topic. And wary that I not offend someone. But the statistics are clear. You cannot live a long life with your health span, matching that longevity. If you do not exercise and keep your body weight in a normal range. And I use that word, normal meaning according to relevant charts, that plot underweight, normal, overweight, and obese. Okay. That last one was a little hard for me to say, because I don't want to turn people off or offend. I know women who have great metabolic numbers and are overweight, but statistically speaking, it just can't stay there for long.

17:12 If this is you get ahead of it by getting your weight into healthy ranges before menopause. The reasons for that are really a whole other episode, but I would really aim for that goal. I know I started with saying there was three things that I feel like I've changed my mind on, but. I have this kind of like addendum to this last one. I feel like it kind of relates, but. I wasn't sure what to think about the newer obesity drugs that are on the market. Namely, the GLP ones. And at first I was like, well, it sounds like the next fat diet type of thing. But the more I studied them and talk with people that have used them and really dig into the stats. I have to say I would support any of my clients that are candidates for taking them to go ahead and do that.

17:54 It does not mean that you won't need coaching through that. You can out eat these drugs. They don't necessarily help. You want to exercise what you'll need coaching on while you're on these drugs is keeping up your protein intake, figuring out how to incorporate strength, training into your chain. Specifically, those two factors will help you maintain your muscle mass through that fat loss period. Then, if you are a candidate for weaning off the drug, you'll likely be utilizing all the lifestyle coaching I do for my clients that are not on these drugs in order to maintain that loss. So I fully support the use of these and folks that are candidates. And what I mean by candidate is these drugs aren't really indicated for the last 15 to 20 pounds.

18:35 You might want to lose. At that point, it's often called quote, vanity weight loss, because you can be in normal ranges in weight and body fat, and still think you might like to be 15 pounds lighter. You can totally do that, but it's unlikely. You'll be a medical candidate for these drugs. Even, so I still don't think you want to go out alone. You need more than a prescribing doctor who just gives you the shots. You'll likely need more support to make the lifestyle changes that will be necessary to keep it off. And like I said, to maintain your muscle mass. Throughout that fat loss period. I just want you to know. I genuinely love my listeners. Thanks for being here. Thanks for sticking with me. If you want to contribute to the podcast, I'm always looking to answer your questions.

19:16 There's a link in the show notes to a Google form that has like two questions. Like what is your burning weight loss question? And what do you hope is covered on the podcast? It helps me seek out guests that are relevant to what you want to hear. And I just love to answer listener questions directly on the podcast. This week only. So that'll be June 19th through June 25th. If you fill out that form and include your email, I'll send you over a Starbucks gift card. As always, thanks for listening and sharing the eat. Well think. Well live well podcast.