Meal Mentor

6 Ways to Beat the Bottomless Pit

Yesterday you learned that while you can’t physically shrink (or stretch) your stomach, you CAN shrink your appetite.

AND that we tend to eat the same VOLUME of food each day based on an appetite thermostat.

Paying attention to caloric density is the first step.

(Choose foods that are bulky and filling, but low in calories.)

Next, you have to recalibrate your appetite thermostat.

Focusing on fiber-rich foods will help you reset your appestat.

The more whole foods you eat, the more your body can send out satiation signals, naturally moderating your appetite and consumption habits.

And because whole foods fill the volume quota faster, recalibration is forced.

In other words, the composition/quality (increased fiber and water) causes dramatic shifts in your appetite setpoint -- totally adjusting your appetite thermometer.

Slaying the Dragon

Avoiding addictive and alluring foods (like sugar) while focusing on eating mainly whole, fiber-rich foods, will help wrangle the dragon.

But when the pit seems truly bottomless, try brushing your teeth or using mouth wash. Drinking a glass of water, thinking of something gross (like cleaning the toilet) and distracting yourself for 15-20 minutes can also work.

If you still feel hungry, eat a very plain food like a baked potato or rice cake without toppings or salt.

Research shows that different flavors (i.e. sweet, salty, and sour) activate their own appetite centers in the brain. This suggests that once you turn on an appetite center, you must eat that kind of food until it registers fullness.

Switching to different tastes, or eating a lot of variety at one meal could potentially turn many centers on at once, which could explain the bottomless pit effect AND make you overeat without ever feeling full.

(Ever felt full after a meal but then had room for dessert? Hmm…)

Above all: start making good choices consistently.

The more consistent you are with your meals and food choices, the sooner you’ll reset your appestat and find yourself satisfied with less food.

Recalibrating back to my sense of true hunger and satiety was just as important as recalibrating my taste buds from a life-long addiction to sugar.

I used to eat two giant bagels with cream cheese for breakfast or bowl after bowl (after bowl!) of cereal. I would also eat two foot-long subs for lunch, and a large pizza for dinner all by myself with room for dessert, and still feel hungry sometimes!!!

Modern foods are DESIGNED to make us overeat, which then throws off your appetite thermostat.

It’s a nasty cycle of more, more, more - always wanting more.

Stop stretching the volume quota :)

Think about how great you’ll feel when you rediscover true hunger and satiety!

Worth it right?!

If you’re ready to recalibrate, focus on eating low cal, fiber-y foods.

Fiber and calorie density are the CORE focus with the meal plans, and it’s not unusual for members to see massive appetite reductions in less than four weeks.

Will you make this commitment to yourself and your health?

Reset your appetite thermostat with this week’s meal plan.

Does Eating Smaller Portions “Shrink Your Stomach?"

Does eating smaller portion sizes “shrink your stomach?”

And does your stomach S-T-R-E-T-C-H if you stuff yourself?

In a word: no.

BUT !!

You CAN reset your "appetite thermostat"

Research shows that day-to-day, we eat the same amount of food.

That is, we want (and eat) the same size lunch that we had yesterday.

Not necessarily the same amount of calories, but the same amount of VOLUME.

This is why traditional “dieting” creates feelings of deprivation.

If your appestat is set to an extra large cheese pizza for dinner…

A little bowl of soup will surely send you looking for more!

This is one reason why we focus on CALORIC DENSITY with the meal plans.

More food, less calories.

It’s all about volume, volume, volume!

BIG portions so you feel SATISFIED and not deprived.

For example, what would leave you feeling more satisfied?

2 tablespoons of nuts or 2 CUPS of cantaloupe?

They’re both approximately 106 calories!!!

Filling your daily volume quota with bulky, low cal foods is the first step!

Satisfy the volume demands with lower calorie choices...

…then recalibrate your appetite thermometer.

Tired of the “bottomless pit” stomach?

The agonizing need to overeat and eat more?

Are you ready to SHRINK your appetite FOR GOOD?

Tomorrow you’ll find out EXACTLY what you need to do to recalibrate your appestat (your appetite thermometer).

How to get back in touch with your satiation signals so you can naturally moderate your appetite and consumption.

(Plus 6+ easy ways to suppress the insatiable hunger dragon.)

For now, I want you to download and bookmark this FREE caloric density chart.

Food | calories per 1 cup

spinach 7

lettuce 8

broccoli 31

carrots 45

strawberries 49

apple 57

pineapple 78

tofu 176

black beans 210

chicken 214

brown rice 218

lentils 226

beef 263

garbanzo beans 269

oats 310

raisins 434

flour 455

almonds 546

sugar 774

cashews 786

oil 1728

If you focus on selecting foods with a low caloric density, you can worry less about how much of them you’re eating AND you’ll lose weight without ever feeling hungry or deprived (even if you’re restricting your calories) because you’re getting VOLUME.

Intuitively, you know 100 calories of carrot cake isn’t going to fill you up the same as 100 calories of baby carrots.

Seeing all the foods compared by their density is hugely insightful.

How Damaging are Small Slip-Ups?

Yesterday you learned setting extremely low quotas, like flossing only one tooth, or promising to exercise for just five minutes, can get you over the hump of starting.

(Because the challenge isn’t doing, it’s STARTING.)

You also know the only way to success is to do what is required over and over again…

…to build a HABIT and put a PLAN in place for reaching your goal (i.e. your daily quotas!)

BUT !!

You also need a STRATEGY dealing with OBSTACLES or temptations.

Ever notice how when we slip up just a little during the formation of a new habit, we suddenly decide to “abandon ship” and give up on all the progress we’ve made??

Have you ever said, “Screw this! It’s not worth the effort!” ??

That’s an “ahscrewit” moment and the negative effect goes far beyond your “quitting”

Take for example a recent study on cookies and dieters, which found that when dieters THOUGHT they’d blown their calorie limit, they ate 50% more! And when they thought they were safely within their limit, they ate the same amount as subjects not on a diet.

Minor setbacks and frustrations are habit destroyers.

They give us the excuse to skip our habit and throw the baby out with the bath water.

Small little slips trick us into thinking it’s okay to blow the whole thing off because we messed up.

Having a plan in place and creating a self-SUPPORTING environment is the first step.

The meal plans are your offense.

The meal plans are your action plan strategy for weight-loss, time saving, money saving, and “eat healthy” goals! (Cook one meal this week - low quota!)

“If this happens… Then I will…”

IF I start craving sweets, THEN I will brush my teeth.

IF I feel too tired to cook, THEN I will open a can of beans and eat them.

The If-Then technique is the BEST countermeasure when you lack motivation.

(It’s also incredibly effective when you don’t want to do your new habit!)

“Progress comes with consistency, and part of reaching your goals is working towards them even when you don’t want to.” - Gregory Ciotti

What If...Then will you create?

Share it below in the comments.

P.S. Today is my 9th wedding anniversary. When I look back at my wedding pics, I can’t believe they’re us. What a transformation!

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Do You Lack Motivation?

Does this sound like you?

You don’t lack motivation.

(You wouldn’t have opened this email if you weren’t already motivated.)

You just lack a good habit.

More than 40% of the actions we take each day aren’t actual decisions, but habits.

Turning off the lights when you leave a room, locking the car after you’ve parked…

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” - Aristotle

The only way to success is to do what is required over and over again.

Whether it’s losing 20 pounds or saving $20,000, repeat performance (i.e. losing 1 lb per week or saving $100 a month) is mandatory.

Problem is, most of us become INTIMIDATED by our lofty expectations and then don’t perform at all… hoping to find more “motivation” or “inspiration” next week.

The truth is, once we get going, we usually KEEP going.

The challenge isn’t doing, it’s STARTING.

Quick, dramatic change isn’t going to happen.

You’re not going to lose 20 lbs today, or save $20,000 by tomorrow… so don’t keep all of your focus on big picture goals.

BALANCE the big picture with what you can do now… with quotas.

Quotas are the minimum amount of work that you must do EVERY day to make your goal a reality.

For example, there’s a Meal Mentor walking challenge going on right now: 100,000 steps by the end of March. The quota is 3,572 steps per day.

A stepper must step at least 3,572 steps PER day to reach the goal.

Setting extremely LOW quotas is a great way to begin.

Consider this excerpt from Stanford psychologist B.J. Fogg,

“For me, cracking the code on flossing was to put the floss right by the toothbrush, and commit to myself that I would floss one tooth -- only one tooth -- every time I brushed. I could floss them all if I wanted to, but the commitment was just one tooth.”

Fogg admitted once in a while he really does just floss only one tooth, but the majority of the time he flosses them all.

Ample research shows we are far more likely to finish things if we can get over the hump of starting.

Setting a low bar makes the task more accessible AND less intimidating so you get over the hump.

If cooking all your meals for the week in one shot is too daunting, commit to cooking one meal this week.

Perhaps like Fogg, once you start cooking, you’ll get in the groove and cook more than one!

Or maybe you won’t.

But you kept your commitment, which helped build a new habit :)

Aaand if nothing else, you cooked one meal, which is one more than before.

(I trick myself with this technique all the time. “I only have to clean the kitchen for 5 minutes.” Sometimes I do stop and don’t finish all the dishes, but most of the time, once I’ve made an effort to start washing, I finish. This “only 5 minutes” works great with exercise, too.)

Tomorrow I’m going to talk about “ah screw it” moments (and how to overcome them).

You know, how when we slip up just a little during the formation of a new habit, we then abandon ship and give up on all the progress we’ve made.

If you’ve ever done that… be sure to check this space tomorrow :)

But for now, I want you to set a quota, the minimum amount of work that you must do everyday to reach your goal.

Share it in the comments below.

Whether it’s walking 2,000 steps (mine), writing 1,000 words (also mine), reading 5 pages of a book (still mine!), eating 3 florets of broccoli before anything else (not mine, lol)… break your goal down into a daily quota… and set it ridiculously low. “Floss just one tooth.”

P.S. One point I tried to stress in the Batch Cooking video (and the video showing how I cook 7 meals for the week in one hour using the meal plans) is that I formed a habit. Batch cooking all my rice, beans, or soups became part of my ROUTINE. It was never about finding time, but saving myself time later and making it happen passively, on a schedule.

The Support You Need NOW

Yesterday I shared my biggest confession: I need help and support to stay on track…

AND that research solidly backs up that you’re 10x more likely to stick with a health routine over time if you’re part of a formal group.

Most of us need a little extra motivation and ALL OF US can use added incentive once in a while.

Accountability is KEY.

While we’re willing to let ourselves down, we’re not willing to bail on our friends.

They need us (and we need them too).

What if you had someone who wouldn’t let you get down on yourself?

What if you had someone who could be your cheerleader… or drill instructor… whatever you needed that day?

What if you were feeling weak or tempted but had 100 of your new best friends holding your hand saying, “You’ve got this!”

Most importantly, what if there was a big, super cool community club where everyone understood you. They understand what you are going through because they’re doing it too.

Because they’re your peers and mentors -- your accountabilibuddies and motivators!

That’s EXACTLY what you’ll get with membership.

2,436 new besties!

(My favorite part is seeing pictures of all the meals everyone is making each week. It’s hugely inspiring for me since I’m a visual person. I also love reading all the recipe ratings and reviews before I cook!)

ANNND because YOU GETTING BIG RESULTS is what I care most about...

If you commit, I’ll commit.

You + me + LIVE video chat every week for the next month!

You can ask me anything AND hangout with other groovy members at the same time.

(I’ve never done this before--and I won’t again. This is super VIP!)

If you’re READY for the ULTIMATE accountabilibuddy, we’re ready for you too.

Become a member of our new community now.

I can’t wait to “meet” you in a chat!

P.S. Check out the awesome foods we’re eating together this week...Crispy Tofu Strips, Peanut Butter & Pumpkin Roll-Up, Sweet & Sour Stuffed Bell Peppers, and Falafel Burgers.

The Struggle is Real, Isn’t It? My Confession

Yesterday I shared how I was a yo-yo dieter, and that I kept gaining and losing the same 10 pounds for years.

I finally lost the weight, and kept it off (for 2 years now!) by following the meal plans strictly.

But here’s what I didn’t say:

I am a food addict and overeater,

and I could really use some support.

One of the biggest challenges for me wasn’t changing my diet, but doing it by myself.

I had the education.

I knew EXACTLY what I needed to do and WHY.

I’d even figured out what foods were triggers for me! (Brownies, ugh, hem)

But it wasn’t happening. I was failing with my follow-through.

I WANTED to stay on track…

...but it’s hard to run laps around a track alone!

I needed an… accountabilibuddy!

Or at least someone who could share my frustrations and cheer me on when I needed it.

To be fair, my husband supported me, and even my friends were pretty supportive…

BUT they didn’t have the same GOALS.

They weren’t setting the same standards of nutritional excellence for themselves, which was their right, but I felt like a drag saying “Hey guys, can we not order the deep-fried tofu? How ‘bout some steamed veggies?”

And while I didn’t want to admit it, seeing my husband eat our favorite vegan junk foods was hard, too.

Part of my saving grace was always having a plan in place. Knowing what I was going to eat and when. Cooking my meals ahead so I couldn’t stumble into temptation was KEY.

The meal plans made a HUGE difference… but there was still a missing component.

I needed a community, a group of like-minded peers to talk to.

People who just… understood.

And were doing it too! Alongside me!!!

I used to LOVE Facebook, but it’s become a cyclone of elitism and negativity.

It stopped being the place I could go where I felt like I belonged.

With one exception: The private Facebook group for annual meal plan members <3

I soon discovered I wasn’t alone in my “need a buddy” feelings -- many of the annuals felt the same way.

HALLELUJAH I‘VE FOUND MY PEEPS!

This is why I created Meal Mentor Member Forums.

A private, community-driven forum (with chats!) for our members.

SO YOU’RE NOT DOING IT ALONE.

Even if you’re not a newbie anymore, old pros still need a community.

Research solidly backs up that two IS better than one and that you’re more likely to stick with a health routine over time if you’re part of a formal group.

Success is about creating a self-supporting environment…

and having a plan.

(And maybe a mentor and coach on demand when you need one.)

All that now comes together with the new Meal Mentor!

Become a member of our new community now.

Let’s do this together!

P.S. BIG hugs and thanks to all the people who shared their real (not-a-number) goals yesterday!