You Do Not Need a "Last Supper" [Ep. 127]

0:00 This is the eat. Well, think. Well live well podcast. I'm Lisa Salsbury. And this is episode 127. No need for a last supper. Welcome to eat well. Well, the podcast for busy women who want to lose weight without constantly counting, tracking, or stressing over every bite. I'm Lisa Salsbury, a certified health weight loss and life coach, and most importantly, a recovered chronic dieter here. You'll learn to listen to your body and uncover the reasons you're reaching for food. When you're not truly hungry, freeing you to focus on a healthier, more fulfilling approach to eating. Hey, everyone Merry Christmas and happy new year.

0:43 I hope you had a lovely holiday with your family and that you are enjoying this sort of off week in between the two holidays, depending on what you celebrate, this is being published actually on Christmas day. So I'm going to make the assumption that you will listen to it later, sometime in this off week. And I feel like this may be an actual tradition for me now, because this is the third year that I've done this topic. On this week of the year, because this week is that weird week between Christmas and new years, we're normally, it's kind of, it kind of feels like the new year is looming. Last year, we were on a plane to Houston for my son's wedding. That was on December 30th. But this year, it's very quiet at home.

1:24 I'm down one kid because my daughter is on a mission for our church in Lisbon Portugal. She actually arrived just a week ago into Portugal. So at the time of this recording, because I'm doing this ahead of time. I actually don't even know what town she will be serving in. So. I'm literally recording this while she is on the plane to get there. She spent the last six weeks in training and is now. On her way there for her assigned area to serve for her assignment in Portugal. Hope that makes sense. Anyway, point being, we are down one child and the rest of the family. Um, the rest of my extended family had different plans. So it's quiet around here because I just have my older boys with Brayden's wife here with us.

2:05 So we have a gingerbread house decorating contest. Planned for next week. So hopefully you'll catch that on my Instagram. I always post family stuff there on my stories. Anyway, I'm getting sidetracked, but for most of us and for me on most years, I feel the new year coming. And I feel like here we go again. The pressure to make this year better than the last. And think about what resolutions might be set. Because there's no new year's resolution, like a weight loss, one. A quick Google search showed me a survey where 23% of respondents said they wanted to live healthier, which was the top answer. Second was personal improvement or happiness at 21%.

2:48 And third was lose weight at 20%. So if you combine the live healthier, since that's also what I basically coach on 43% of respondents could be helped by my type of coaching health and weight loss coaching. That's actually kind of a large, crazy number. Plus I've had clients tell me repeatedly that they also emotionally stronger with the tools I give them in multiple areas of life. I had a client who told me that her husband noticed how much calmer she was with her kids. And how much happier she seemed in general. So I guess I helped with the second response as well. So that's kind of interesting. Anyway, all this is to say that these goals are looming out there in a week or so the majority of people have improving their health in some way, whether that includes weight loss or mental health, or just a goal to eat more vegetables, you might be thinking along these lines as well.

3:39 Right? This is the year. That is all fine and good. And I have no issue with new year's resolutions like this. Although I am always saying that there is no better time than your very next bite to start eating the way you want to eat. I know for some, there is something about that new year. That just gives them just the push. They need to start. Specifically now, if your goal is weight loss, here is the problem. When we feel like losing weight is on the horizon. Our brain goes into some scarcity thinking and we start to have some thoughts, like, well, I better eat this now while I can. Or this will probably be the last time I get to have carbs for awhile.

4:22 Or I better enjoy food while I still can. We start to get all those diet mentality thoughts. Creeping back in. Even if we've been working hard to let them go and to rewire the brain. I'm always talking about strategies to reframe those and talk back to your lower brain. We need to do that here with these thoughts about the new year as well. Because listen. You do not need a last supper. You do not need to feel like everything is going to change. And you will no longer be able to enjoy food. That is your past. Diet trauma talking there. Of course, you think that you better eat this now while you can, because you've never been on a diet before where stuff wasn't off limits.

5:06 Of course you think this is the last time you're going to eat carbs because that's the thing that you always cut out to lose weight in the past. Of course, you think you better enjoy food while you can? Because everyone knows diet food. Doesn't taste good, right? You know, you're going to feel terrible and have some sort of sugar withdrawal symptoms. And all this, just again, that past diet mentality, past diet trauma, even talking. I talked about diet, mentality, thoughts last week. So you should be very familiar with what those sound like. So all of this should sound pretty. Pretty we know really similar to those thoughts that I gave you last week, but it makes sense, right? Because if misery is coming, we need to live it up.

5:48 Now that's what our brain is telling us. This is learned behavior and it comes up time and time again for chronic dieters. Or even just those who are constantly thinking that you should do something about this weight, because I've talked to some listeners who tell me they haven't so much as tried tons of different diets. Like I have. Or used all the crazy diet apps to calculate their food. But they just constantly are thinking I should lose this weight. My clothes don't fit. I should do something. And that kind of thing is also sounds to your brain. Like misery is coming. And so we tend to eat all the things this week. That's when I found it to be troublesome for me in the past was that week between Christmas and new years, because the fun of Christmas was over the gifts were open.

6:36 And I was just left with the drudgery of returning and exchanging all the clothes that didn't fit the kids. Putting away the decorations and then the diet was coming. And my former chronic diet herself would overeat and overeat that week. I don't want this to happen to you. So first thing to hear me say again. There is no need for a last supper. Okay. Even a last, several suppers over this week. Because the good news is that you do not need to completely give up your favorite foods. I still eat pizza. In fact, I have pizza dough rising tonight. That's so funny. I wrote this. These notes and I put pizza on there and actually I'm making pizza tonight.

7:17 Anyway, I still eat pizza and pasta and desserts. I incorporate all the fruit that I want. I eat sandwiches and oatmeal. What I don't do the majority of the time. And what I teach you to do is to not overeat all of that. I heard Peter Attia say when we are in the over nourished camp. We have to reduce the intake. And I thought that was such a good way to put it. I generally use the phrase overeating, but a lot of folks feel like they aren't over eating per se because they assume, I mean, bingeing like excessive binge eating or taking full platefuls and then having seconds. But just thinking about being over nourished. Could also mean you are getting too much of a good thing.

8:00 You can overeat a nutritious dinner because if you are feeling full, instead of just two enough, you are likely over nourished or overeating. And that's what we are tackling with my coaching program and my teachings here on the podcast. You don't have to have a last supper because you aren't going to stop eating the foods you love. You are just going to stop eating them in the amounts that your body doesn't love. If you think about how your body actually feels when you overeat, it's not great. You feel like your clothes are tight on the waist and maybe some cramping or just pain? You feel full and heaviness in your body and you don't feel like you can move around or go for a walk. Incidentally, that's a good measure of full versus enough.

8:43 I've talked about this before. If you eat just two enough or what I call a positive three on the hunger scale. You would be able to go for a short walk afterwards. If you are too full to walk the dog in the neighborhood for 15 or 20 minutes without feeling pretty uncomfortable. You are over nourished. I've got whole episodes on the hunger scale. I revisited this topic several times. For a full episode, I will link to the back-to-basics episode from October, 2023. So be sure. Um, to grab that if you haven't listened to it before. But briefly, this is the tool we use to make sure we are hungry before we eat. And that we're getting just to enough at our meals and then stopping. When you come from the over nourished camp and then go to eating this way, where we wait for hunger to tell us it's time to eat and then eat just a satisfied.

9:29 You will lose weight. It's honestly, as simple as that. We really can use our bodies to help us know how much food to eat. I'm not telling you, you need to learn about the hunger scale and implement it. Starting on Christmas day. But what I am telling you is that there is no need to entertain thoughts of scarcity about this being the last time you will be eating good food. I want you to eat good food, food that you like. Year round. So when your old diet brain is telling you to enjoy it while you can. You can just remind her, you'll enjoy it now and you'll enjoy it whenever you decide to plan it for yourself. New years is a great time to set some intentions for the year.

10:10 And if losing weight or achieving a healthier lifestyle is top of your list as well. I'm all for it. And I know I can help you with that, but please don't use that as an excuse for this week to overindulge. Eat the foods that you want to eat, but just pay attention to your body and what she wants as well. And tell your brain, there is no need for the panic. I'm currently filling my January calendar and I have space for a few more one-on-one clients at the beginning of this year. I hope one of them is you. I'm so glad you tuned in today. If today's insights resonated with you and you're ready to make lasting changes in your health journey, I'd love to help. Don't forget to grab my new freebie what to do when you overeat in the show notes.

10:51 That's a three-part video series. I know is going to really help you. You can also book a free coaching session with me to dive into personalized strategies for sustainable weight loss and a balanced relationship with food. You can schedule it at the link in the show notes. Remember, it's not just about the food. It's about empowering yourself with choices that truly serve you have a great time this off week, hopefully with your family and as always, thanks for listening to the eat. Well think, well live well podcast.