CONSISTENT by Primal Potential

I just returned from speaking on Jimmy Moore's Low Carb Cruise about overcoming emotional eating & self-limiting beliefs. I shared with his audience that all the strategies in the world won't help if you don't get out of your own way & do the work consistently. Though I think strategy matters, most people fail to implement because of their mindset & beliefs, not because of the nuts & bolts of "how" to lose weight. In today's podcast, I'm going to share with you the presentation I gave on the Low Carb Cruise about strategies to help you avoid self-sabotage & accelerate progress towards your goals. http://primalpotential.com/176-avoid-self-sabotage 3 Strategies To Avoid Self-Sabotage There are 3 primary barriers to progress that I talk about in today's episode: self-doubt stress & worry fear (fear of missing out, fear of failure, fear of success) To overcome these barriers and avoid self-sabotage, you need to make sure to: Avoid self-limiting beliefs Don't let your motivation escape by focusing on the past or the future Show up for practice I share specific mantras, perspectives and mindset shifts to help you implement these strategies and stay out of your own way! Don't miss the full episode!

In today's episode we're breaking down some recent research about rebound weight gain & the impact of rapid weight loss on hormones & metabolism, courtesy of the popular television show, The Biggest Loser. This article has spread like wildfire, summarizing a study that followed 14 former Biggest Loser contestants over 6 years, documenting their weight gain & metabolic/hormonal challenges. Many people read this article and panicked, which is why I'm doing this episode. They feel like the article suggests that weight loss is hopeless and your body will fight back to get to it's original weight. They feel like the article suggests you can't lose weight without wrecking your metabolism. That's just not true. Take a listen to the full episode to get the facts without the media hype! http://primalpotential.com/biggest-loser/

Let's talk hunger, shall we? It's one of those things that for some unknown reason, we kinda fear. Not anymore. Not after today. Today is all about hacking hunger and improving your response to hunger to increase your peace of mind and accelerate your results. Have you ever felt like you need to keep snacks around "just in case" you get hungry? Have you ever told yourself that you can't get too hungry or you'll go off the rails? I know I have! In today's episode we're talking about improving our response to hunger so we can understand it & embrace it without panicking or reactive decision making. http://primalpotential.com/174-hacking-hunger-5-ways-to-improve-your-response/

Today I've got another motivational minisode for you! It's time to take it to the next level. We need to get out of our way, we need to stop making excuses, stop looking for exceptions, stop focusing on all the mistakes and missed opportunities in the past. What would happen if you brought your level 10 effort to each day for the next 30 days? Where would be? What would you achieve? How much momentum would you create? It's a great thought, right? So do it. Start now. There's no need for more waiting or wishing. Need a kick in the pants? Listen to today's episode! http://primalpotential.com/173-take-it-to-the-next-level/

The vast majority of conversations about weight loss are about diet & exercise. I get it. Makes sense. But here's the problem: the real problem, for most people, isn't about food. It's not. I know, I didn't believe it either, for most of my life. Doesn't make it not true. In today's episode I'm explaining that most people overeat, binge or lack moderation & self-control because of some other issue not related to food. Overeating & weight gain are merely symptoms of a different problem. We keep eating because the food doesn't meet the true need we have. Please, don't miss today's episode. http://primalpotential.com/172-people-arent-saying-weight-loss

When trying to lose weight, most people focus on just that – weight. The number on the scale. Not only do I think tends to backfire for most people, it's also an accurate representation of what we're really after (fat loss) and it often prevents us from focusing on all the other wins – non scale victories we have every day and typically overlook. In today's episode I'll certainly share my thoughts on effective and ineffective ways to measure fat loss and overall progress, but I want to focus on non scale victories. We'll talk about which, if any, you should begin to measure (and how) as well as the tremendous benefit they have in your journey. Here's my 10,000 ft view of non-scale victories: they are one of the most powerful ways to overcome all-or-nothing thinking. You definitely want to listen to this episode if you struggle with the scale or with all-or-nothing thinking about weight loss. http://primalpotential.com/171-non-scale-victories-you-should-measure/ Non Scale Victories You Should Measure When we fall into the trap of all-or-nothing thinking, we fixate on something that we aren't proud of, a choice that was less than perfect, and, due to our imperfection, we count the day as wasted. Next thing we know, one average choice has triggered 10 awful choices. At the root of all-or-nothing thinking is a focus on what wasn't perfect or ideal. This is the absolute opposite of non scale victories. When we practice monitoring & celebrating non scale victories, we're focusing on what is going right. We're looking for progress beyond the scale and we're focusing on the improvements in mindset, moderation, health, energy, fitness and anything in between. Naturally, we focus less on what wasn't right and more on what was right. Plus, we begin to prove to ourselves that progress doesn't require perfect and we clearly see that all-or-nothing thinking is counter productive. There are all kinds of non-scale victories. In today's episode I'm talking about many different categories of non-scale victories and how you can measure them. Health (blood sugar, hemoglobin A1C, cholesterol, triglycerides, migraines, etc) Hormonal biofeedback (sleep, energy, cravings, hunger, mood, menstrual cycle regularity) Fitness (strength, endurance, consistency, speed) Mindset (attitude, negativity, perspective, motivation, consistency, grace, patience) Choices (frequency of binges, bouncing back more quickly) You don't want to miss this full episode to hear about how, why & how often you should evaluate these non-scale victories and what the focus will do for your results & your motivation.

Months ago I shared a quiz to help people identify whether or not they are "carbohydrate sensitive". The vast majority of people are. Fortunately, you can absolutely, positively improve your carbohydrate tolerance. You are probably carb sensitive if you're one of those people who feels like you gain weight at the mere sight of carbs. Or if you struggle with cravings & weight loss seems SO hard. Many people feel like being carb intolerant or highly carb sensitive is just their lot in life but it doesn't have to be. In today's episode I will introduce you to 3 specific strategies you can begin to implement today to improve your carbohydrate tolerance. When you improve your carbohydrate tolerance, fat loss becomes easier, energy increases, cravings decrease, health improves and so much more! http://primalpotential.com/170-improve-your-carbohydrate-tolerance/ 3 Ways To Improve Your Carbohydrate Tolerance In today's episode I'm taking a deep dive into food, exercise & lifestyle strategies that will improve your carbohydrate tolerance, improve your insulin sensitivity and make weight loss much easier. The three strategies include: Adjusting the quantity, quality and timing of your carbohydrate consumption Exercising more Reducing stress When it comes to achieving these goals of accelerating fat loss & increasing energy while decreasing cravings, we have to understand the role of muscle tissue in carb metabolism and insulin sensitivity. There are 2 primary issues at play. We have to make sure there is room within our muscle glycogen stores. If they are always full, that will reduce carb tolerance and increase carb spillover into the fat tissue. We can increase the number and sensitivity of glucose transporters in the muscle tissue. We need our muscle tissue to be more responsive to insulin. We can make this happen. This responsiveness is related, in part, to glucose transporters. They live in our muscle tissue and are the doorways through which glucose enters the muscle tissue. When we have more glucose transporters, our muscle tissue is more responsive and efficient to glucose. In some people, there just aren’t that many doorways. They also might not be very responsive. The factors we need to consider are: how many are there & how responsive are they? When the glucose transporters (doorways) aren’t responsive or there aren’t that many of them, it’s like a pile-up outside the door. That results in blood sugar & insulin staying elevated for longer which impairs fat loss. Imagine you have a people trying to get into a building. What are the factors in making sure that the people get in quickly? How many people are there? How many doorways are there? How easy are those doors to get through? Your glucose transporters are the same way. Do you want a huge traffic jam of sugar, hanging out in the blood, keeping insulin elevated while waiting to get into the muscle tissue? No! You want to clear it fast. Your ability to do so depends on: How much sugar there is (how much you ate and what type of carb) How many glucose transporters there are in your muscle tissue How sensitive they are Today's episode explains how you can control #1 while improving #s 2 and 3!

Today is a minisode to help you shift from a focus on all the things beyond your control to all the things squarely within your control. We're talking about the difference between having an internal locus of control & an external locus of control. Essentially, when we focus on things we don't control like the actions of our family or the things we've done in the past, we automatically feel less in control of our choices and more frustrated. When we acknowledge all those things beyond our control but redirect our focus to all that is within our control, we accelerate our progress while dramatically improving our attitude & confidence. There is ALWAYS something within your control. In today's minisode I'll show you how to redirect some of the most common frustrations to an effective & simple internal locus of control. http://primalpotential.com/169-internal-locus-of-control-and-weight-loss

I talk on almost every episode about how important it is to write down what you eat & how it makes you feel. It's not at all about calorie or macro counting but bringing mindfulness to your food choices & your body. There are no more excuses! I've created a free food journal food you & we are going to kick off a 31-day journaling challenge for the month of May! That's right. I'll give you a free food journal and you'll commit to writing down everything you eat and how it makes you feel for 31 days. Deal? Not sold yet? That's ok. In today's episode I'm talking about the objections to journaling and the primary benefits (which might change your mind!) To get your free food journal, click the link below or (if you're in the US) text the word tracking to the number 33-444 http://primalpotential.com/168-free-food-journal

After a recent episode on the stress response triggered by caffeine, I received a number of emails about cortisol, adrenal fatigue and if the stress in our lives contributes to weight gain or trouble losing weight. Today we're going to answer the questions. The short answer is this: Yes, the stress you create is keeping you fat and much of the stress we experience is stress we manufacture. We'll talk about adrenal fatigue, chronic stress & what you can do about it. http://primalpotential.com/167-stress-create-keeping-fat/ Your Stress Response We need to have a better understanding of what triggers a stress response. We tend to think about stress as emotional stress but it's far more than that. Much of the stress in our lives is stress we manufacture: Getting worked up over traffic or misplacing our keys Creating anxiety over future worries that may or may not ever pose an issue Fixating on past challenges or regrets Over-extending ourselves Not getting enough sleep Eating foods which trigger our stress responses Stress can be caused by thoughts, emotions, injury, illness, exercise, food, fatigue & much more. When your stress response is on overdrive it can lead to: Decreased metabolic rate Increased fat storage Increased hunger Cravings Muscle burning Depression Anxiety Fatigue Trouble falling asleep and/or staying asleep Illness Adrenal Fatigue Your adrenal glands, though small, are a significant part of your health, happiness & ability to burn fat. You've got two of them and each one sits on top of your kidney, like a cap. In response to stress of any kind, your brain instructs the adrenal glands to produce & secrete stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. Think about it like a fire alarm. The first time you pull the alarm, you react! The fire department reacts. The alarm stands out and an appropriate response ensues. But what happens if that alarm goes off every single day? Or worse, if it is constantly sounding? You don't react to it the same way, the fire department certainly doesn't either and eventually the batteries will die. When we have constant stressors triggering the alarms in our bodies, these adrenal glands wear out. They get tired. They're constantly pumping out stress hormones. They're both exhausted and less effective. This means that not only are you feeling constantly exhausted and on edge, your body is unable to respond to true issues like injury & illness. It creates systemic hormonal chaos and is a strong precursor to injury, disease and depression. How To Make A Change Adrenal fatigue is absolutely something you can improve. Even if you aren't struggling with full-blown adrenal fatigue, you can benefit from minimizing stress and improving your response to stressful things. Practice perspective. Losing your keys, getting stuck in traffic or your computer giving you an error message are not worth pulling the fire alarm of your stress response system. Prioritize sleep. If you can't increase the quantity of your sleep, you must improve the quality. Here's a podcast I did on how you can improve the quality of your sleep. Avoid or minimize foods which trigger your stress response. These include sugar, processed foods, toxins, caffeine, alcohol and any food to which you have a sensitivity. Practice meditation or breathing exercises. Laugh and smile more. Seek out people & things that make you feel happiness & levity. It doesn't matter if it's weird cat videos or quality time with people you enjoy. Decide to laugh & smile more often. Get a massage, have an orgasm or go for a nice walk. Or, go for the trifecta.