Ep. 282: What to Eat for Weight Loss

Ready to change your mind about weight loss? Grab The 5-0 Method to lose all the weight you want and keep it off forever.

The main driver of weight loss is the AMOUNT you eat (calories), but is that the only thing you should change? On this week’s episode of the Get Your GOAL podcast, I’m spilling the tea on how, when and WHAT to eat for weight loss.

Losing weight with The 5-0 Method means you’re focused on eating the right number of calories every day – because staying in a slight caloric deficit over time is theonlyscientifically proven way to shed pounds. But WHAT should you eat? Do you need to go low carb, or eat in an 8-hour window, or find low calorie substitutes for your favorite foods?

No, no, and no. In fact, your best bet is to eat the foods you already love, in portion sizes to fit your weight loss calorie target.

But how can that be? Don’t you have to eat healthy for your health? And hasn’t that whole “calories in, calories out” myth been debunked?

Yes and yes. 🙂

And also… eating for weight loss is more nuanced than a catchy sound bite can capture. In this week’s episode of the Get Your GOAL podcast, we’re taking a deep dive into the topic of what to eat for weight loss, while taking the long view of the lasting changes you can make in your life to maintain your weight forever.

What You’ll Learn:

  • The easiest MINDSET HACK to change old habits
  • Why healthy eating DOESN’T work for weight loss
  • How restricting yourself ALWAYS backfires

 

Join me for this week’s episode of the Get Your GOAL podcast and empower yourself to make simple, sustainable changes that will help you reach your goal weight.

Transcript

Hello, GOALfriend and welcome to episode number 282. “What to Eat for Weight Loss”. My friend. Okay, I have a couple of things to tell you. Before we even get started on this episode. Number one, I want to tell you, this is your last chance. Wow, I really should have looked at my calendar before hitting the record button. But I think this is the last time I'm going to be able to tell you about Weight Loss University before we start Weight Loss University in the Get Your GOAL group. That would all just sounded like a big question here. Let me announce this as a thing that I am stating in a declarative sentence. You guys, I'm hosting Weight Loss University in my Get Your GOAL mastermind group, the week of April 17 through the 21st. And here's the thing, just in case I have gotten my dates wrong somehow, even if you are listening to this months or even years later, this series of events is going to be available in the Get Your GOAL group as far as I know, now in perpetuity, I can't see any reason why it wouldn't be an incredibly valuable resource to everybody who ever joins ever. So yes, it's very, very nice. If you can join us live, it's five days of I'm gonna call it intensive, but I want that to be I want that to be enticing to you as opposed to like scary, I'm really going to be sharing all of the skills that are really going to help you, specifically the mindset skills that are really going to help you be absolutely successful on your weight loss journey. And in fact, your other goal getting journeys beyond weight loss truly that for me is the reason why you would join the Get Your GOAL group. Yes, of course, I want to help you lose weight, I want to help you get to your first goal. But I want you to understand yourself and the goal-getting journey so well, that you can do anything in addition to afterwards during all of the all of the prepositions about weight loss. When you know how to get one goal, you'll know how to get every goal and truly, the mindset skills that I'm going to be offering during Weight Loss University can help you with everything, really. Specifically, weight loss, and any other goal you could possibly have in your life. So come and join us in the Get Your GOAL Mastermind for the week of April 17 through the 21st. Come join us for Weight Loss University. And the way that you would be able to do such a thing is to go to getyourgoal.com/work-with-me. And the other thing that I was telling you, apropos of nothing about Weight Loss University is that you are very likely going to hear a lot of background noise during the podcast today. I am recording so much later than normal. It's the middle of the day, which is very bizarre for me. Normally, I get off the treadmill. And then I put on my microphone and I have a nice like cozy little talk with you about whatever our topic is. And today, I had a meeting with my business manager, not immediately after I got off the treadmill, but soon enough that I didn't get a chance to record the podcast in between. And, I kept kind of putting it off and putting it off and then had a little pocket of time in my day, right here in the middle of my day where I was like, oh, I can record the podcast. This is so awesome. But it is so loud around my house like first of all Blossom is walking around with her clickety clackety nails on the hardwood floor. And it is rainy and windy, things are blowing in my yard, there's a good chance that, I mean, it's the middle of the day I could get a phone call or you know, my mom could text me which she literally just did right before I turned on the microphone. So, my apologies if external noise is bothersome to you. And, here's your warning, there might be some external noise today. So, you guys. Oh my gosh, let's talk about what to eat for weight loss. If there is a question that I get asked more than any other. It's not this one, but this is definitely one of them. I get asked a lot of questions. You know what I should probably come up with some, like top five or top 10 most frequently asked questions. Oh my gosh, I should totally do that. This is this is me making a mental note to myself while podcasting with you that I'm gonna have some FAQ's sort of a podcast for you so that you have a resource for all of the things that I get asked the most often but this is one of them. In fact, this one is very frequently not asked as a question but much more as a, I'm gonna call it a demand, but I mean that nicely. People tell me all the time, Pahla, I wish you would just tell me what to eat. And I totally understand the sentiment of that like, I vividly remember when like a long time ago when I was losing weight when I when I really really didn't know anything about it. This most recent time that I've lost weight, which was several years ago now, but the most recent time that I lost weight, you know, I do this for a living, I've been thinking about this, I have a lot of knowledge, like I think about weight loss more than the average person I know that's really saying something, because you are probably thinking to yourself, no, I think about weight loss a lot. But I think about weight loss differently. I think about weight loss as being an achievable goal that any woman can do, which is probably very different from how you think about it. And I really like to think about the science of, you know, like, just our biology in general, like how weight loss works for all humans, but really specifically how it works for menopausal women. And then because I'm also a life coach, I love like, love, love, love to think about the mindset work. That really is the crux of it all. Truly, it is THE thing that gets you where you want to go is understanding how your body will not go anywhere, your brain doesn't go first. And therefore, thinking about where your brain can go is THE thing that gets your body there. And because of that, I mean, that's one of the reasons why I don't tell you what to eat. But also I mean, okay, no, the legal reason why I don't tell you what to eat is because I'm not a registered dietician, I don't know if you know this, I feel like I mentioned it, every now and again, in California, specifically, and it might even be in the United States. I don't know that for sure. I remember when I was getting my personal training certification that one of the things that they really went through with us was, here's how nutrition works. But also, you can't tell people what to eat, because it's not your job. And that is regulated, that must be national, that is regulated through the federal government. The only person who can give you a meal plan is a registered dietitian. And I find this very interesting, because I know, and again, this was years ago, but I know that when I went to my first personal trainer, okay, now I'm going to admit how long ago, so maybe the law was different than, but I know for a fact that she had to be a diet on my very first day. And I looked at it, and I was just like, well, I won't eat any of these foods. Because I'm so picky. And it was, oh my gosh, if it was 1200 calories, I'd be surprised. And I was a nursing mother. So that doesn't tell you how long ago it was, it means it was well over 20 years ago, because my children are both in their 20s. So in any event, in any event, I don't tell you what to eat, partly because I'm a picky eater. And partly because it's illegal. And partly, and this is the thing that we're really going to talk about today is because you learning how to make these decisions for yourself, is THE thing that's going to make them the best decisions. And really further to that. Further to that is the biggest argument that I'm going to make against trying to follow some kind of diet that somebody else offers you is that generally speaking, somebody else's diet is going to have way too many changes. But let's get into before I really dive into that part of it, let me tell you, first of all, what my actual advice is. Like here is what I tell you to do. When I help you with the 5-0 Method, which go ahead and download that that's on GetYourGOAL.com It's right there. On the very first page, it's the top thing, you don't have to scroll anywhere or look for it anywhere. There's a box right there where you can put in your email address, and there's a button that says “Download Now”, it's completely free. It has everything you need to know about how and why weight loss is different from menopausal women. And it offers you a calculation to figure out your daily calorie target. It's relatively simple. I'll give you the basics of it right now. It is your current weight with a zero on the end of it. So if you weigh 165 pounds, your calorie target is 1650 calories a day. There are some caveats for your age and your height and your activity level in general, but that is like the bare bones of approximately what your calorie target will be. And then to answer the question of okay, but how do I meet that calorie target? I offer you this advice. Eat the foods you already know and love in portion sizes that fit your daily calorie target. Now, here's the thing about this. I get a lot of pushback on this advice. I've been giving this advice for years. And the two main arguments that I hear against it, they're similar, but they're different. And there are lots of variations on this theme. But this is the general vibe of the arguments against my advice is that you can't just eat anything you want. You have to eat healthy to be healthy. And if I I'm saying A calorie is a calorie that that's incorrect and outdated advice. And I want you to know that I actually agree with both of these arguments. It's really funny to me, when people say these things to me as an argument against what I've just said. And I'm like, “Yeah, I actually agree with both of those.” because neither one of those things is what I'm telling you to do. So let's really dive in today, without me offering you an actual diet plan about what exact foods you can eat. But helping you make fantastic decisions for yourself with foods you already know and love in portion sizes that fit your calorie target. And then here's the part that I think is going to make all of my advice make more sense, is this: while paying attention to what feels good to you. The reason I don't offer that part of the advice upfront, first of all, is it's a little bit wordy. And second of all, I truly believe that, I'm going to call it making mistakes. I don't actually believe that there's any such thing as a mistake, I don't think there's any way you can fail. I don't think that if you are getting started and feeling confused, and not sure what to do, I don't think anything about that part of your journey is bad for you. I honest to goodness, believe that a little bit of struggle in the right amount, kind of like my advice about food, but in the right amount, really, truly is the impetus to get you where you're going. Because it puts you in a position where you're paying attention for yourself. I think sometimes, and this is getting a little bit off to the left here, but I'm going to just offer you this. I think sometimes when I tell you to pay attention, as I have done quite a few times in recent podcasts. First of all, you might not hear it the way I mean it, I know what I hear it when somebody tells me to pay attention. I'm like: “I am!” I know that, that maybe it sounds kind of I'm gonna say condescending, it might sound like I think you're not paying attention. And I don't think that at all, I think that being in a position of a little bit of struggle, helps you pay attention in a different way. And simply using the phrase “pay attention” doesn't always convey that. When you are paying attention from a from a feeling of like desperation or struggle. It is very different than paying attention from a place of, “I'm definitely going to figure this out. And I just don't know what the answer is right now.” And I want to offer you that the paying attention from that place of self love and curiosity is the one that I always mean, it's the one that I'm always offering you. When you ever hear any advice that I am giving sound like I'm telling you to white knuckle your way through, or just buckle down or push harder. Or just do what I say until it becomes a habit or you're wrong. And I'm right. Like any time you hear anything like that, I promise you. It's not actually what I'm saying. And there's another way to interpret my words. I am always, always offering you the chance to love yourself. It's in every single bit of advice that I give you. It's imbued in everything I do, because I have found in my own life in my own gold getting that the only way I can get anywhere is to love myself exactly as I am while making mistakes and muddling through. I know that sounds really funny. Like I don't want you to muddle, but also, I really do. And while you feel like you are just struggling and thrashing around, I want you to know that I'm always here holding your hand. I'm always here on your side, believing that this struggle and this muddle is the thing that's going to make it worthwhile. It is the thing that's going to have that one piece of information that you couldn't possibly have heard untilave you struggled with it yourself? Simply being told what to do? Might it get you there? It might. But you know what will get you there? You really making it your own. This is why the big reason why I don't just tell you what to eat, I will tell you that whatever foods you already know and love, even if it is the most unhealthy food on the planet, is exactly where you should start. And big picture. It's not where you're going to finish. It's not where you're going to end up. And I think that is maybe the big argument that people are making when they say to me that you have to eat healthy to be healthy. I totally agree. Like I 100% agree. And the nuance of this. Well, there are a couple of nuances of this. Number one, honestly, it's just, it's the big picture that there's honestly no such thing as healthy eating as a standard. I think about this all the time when I'm walking down the cereal aisle. And like every granola bar on the shelves, has the word healthy on the box in like one place or another, even the ones that are covered in chocolate and full of oh my gosh, I can't think of the word. The corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, like, like even the ones that really, let's be honest, are not great for your health, because at the very least, they're a highly processed food, not to mention that some of the ingredients in them are, you know, chemicals instead of food. But they can use the word healthy, because that word is unregulated. And it's kind of unregulated, even with foods that we associate with health. I feel like I've told this story before, but I love telling this. You know how I mean like an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Fruits and vegetables plant based diet, like everybody, at least has some general agreement that fruits and vegetables, things that grow on the earth are probably good for you. There are people and my husband is one of them. Who can't eat apples, he can eat all kinds of fruits, it's not a fruit thing. It's not a fructose thing. It's really specifically something about apples, specifically, he, it's not necessarily that he asked to do a low FODMAP diet, there are just certain foods that are high in FODMAPs. And please don't ask me what that is because I cannot remember what the acronym stands for. But it's a it's a particular kind of like dietary issue that some people have. And there's a list of foods that don't do well for this particular kind of person. And my husband happens to be that particular kind of person, he can't eat apples, even though apples are for lots of people really, really good for you really, really healthy. So when you think about this, this idea that you have to eat healthy, it already kind of puts you in a position where that's not even really an answer that that trying to eat healthy isn't a destination. However, it is a standard that you can, by paying attention and loving yourself and listening to your body. Totally set for yourself. And it is a standard that I would love for you to be aiming towards. And we're gonna get to that in just a little bit. When I offer you a little bit more explanation about why my advice is a little bit more short-term than long-term and what my advice is for the long term. But let's continue on with this whole like healthy foods thing and why the advice to you know, eat healthy, or you have to eat healthy to be healthy, isn't really specific to weight loss. Here's the thing about healthy foods, they still have calories I have met in my line of work of doing this weight loss thing for over a dozen years now. I have met online and in person 1000s I don't think that's an exaggeration. 1000s of women who tell me that they eat a really healthy diet and they still struggle with their weight now have I verified that every single one of them is you know eating mostly plant-based or all-natural foods with no processing or whatever you want to consider healthy. No, I have not I'm taking their word for it. I am listening to what they are saying and people almost always offer me that they really eat healthy and they can't figure out why it's not working for weight loss. And here's why. Because you still have to eat within your calorie target. Meaning not too far over not too far on Under you have a window. And it's pretty tight here in our 50s of calories that are going to help you lose weight, anything over that. And you won't lose weight, anything under that. And you also won't lose weight under eating sparks a stress response in your body that can actually lead to fat storage, instead of fat loss. That is a conversation for another day. If you'd like to hear all about that, it's probably one of the things I'm going to be covering during weight loss University, if I, truth be told, I don't remember for sure, because I don't have my agenda in front of me. But it comes up a lot. So I wouldn't be surprised if we talk about that. And if not there, then I'm sure I'll talk about it some other time, because it does come up a lot. The thing about losing weight really specifically, is that it requires a very specific number of calories, that puts your body in a weight loss mode over time, your body needs a certain amount of energy. And going over that energy or under that energy isn't efficient for weight loss. So what I think, this is a total theory on my part, I don't have independent corroboration that this is what's always going on. But what I think is going on is that a lot of the women who are eating healthy, are under eating their calories. It's a guess I don't know that for sure. But I will tell you that of the 1000s of women that I have helped to lose weight, most of them are under eating, we have heard our entire lives, that we should be eating 1200 calories, or that we need to just eat less and move more or that we need to slash our calories or that we need to restrict our calories, or that we need to really be careful with our calories. And that is almost never the case. Most of us have gotten to this point in our lives, and been cutting and cutting and cutting and cutting and cutting to the point where we are under eating. It is amazing to me on the daily, that that is a thing that can cause you to gain weight. But it is and it does. And it could be your problem. So if you are eating healthy right now, and you are thinking but I have to eat healthy in order to lose weight, you can absolutely eat healthy, but you need to be eating the right amount of healthy food to lose weight. And here's the other thing. That I think is the argument that people are making when they tell me that eating healthy is better for losing weight, like you have to eat healthy to be healthy and eating whatever foods you're eating isn't good for losing weight, I think I think that part of that argument is, is simply that the volume of food that you might be eating, if for example, you're eating a lot of junk food, you're eating a lot of let's call it calorie dense foods. It calorie dense food by the way just means that you get a lot of calories in a small portion, which of course is always going to be relative big portion small portion. Like that's all going to be relative to who you are and what you're used to eating. But let's say for example, the difference between like a salad where you can eat you know, four cups of salad, which is really big salad bowl with some dressing and you know, some other vegetables, that's going to be very few calories compared to the same size of the only thing that's coming to me right now. And I don't know why this is the example that I'm giving you. But here we go. an enchilada. The size of enchilada that you would be eating that was be the same size like volume wise of a salad would have easily. Oh gosh 567 times the amount of calories possibly more depending on what kind of enchilada it is. And you know how much cheese and all those kinds of things. So, so thinking about volume of food, I think sometimes the reason people want to argue in favor of healthy foods is that you get to eat more volume. But here's what I really want to clarify about that. When you are eating a calorie target, you're aiming for a number, like a number of calories. It's right there in the word calorie target, not a volume of food. And yes, there is definitely an area in which you could easily have automatic thoughts that eating a smaller portion of a calorie dense food feels restrictive or not enough, or like you're cutting back or like you're holding back, or like you're holding yourself back, or you're really being careful, like, there's lots of, there's lots of opportunity with a small portion of a calorie dense food to to really hear those automatic thoughts that feel very restrictive. But what I'm going to offer you just really quickly is that when your body has an amount of energy, meaning a number of calories that you have ingested, the amount of energy that you can extract from that is the same. Now, here's where we get into the argument that a calorie is not a calorie and I totally agree with this one too. What I'm going to offer you is that a calorie is a calorie in the sense of your body can operate on coming back to our example of the what was it 1650 calories, your body can operate, meaning fulfill all of its functions, keep your heart and lungs going, you know, keep your pancreas doing what your pancreas does get you to work, get you to bed, all those kinds of things on 1650 calories of Twinkies. It can. But here is the argument of a calorie isn't a calorie and you're absolutely right. A calorie of Twinkies feels different in your body. It still runs your body's processes. But it doesn't feel as good as for example, hey, an apple calorie for everybody but my husband or somebody else that doesn't or does either doesn't like apples or can't eat apples for whatever reason. Here's the thing. Calorie is definitely not a calorie and I would never try to tell you otherwise. Like truly, even with healthy foods. A calorie is not a calorie I mean like a salad calorie is different from a chicken breast calorie is different from an egg calorie is different from a Greek calorie like a calorie is never just a calorie, your own personal body is really going to operate its own personal way on a variety of different foods, there are certain foods that feel absolutely amazing in my body, and certain foods that feel absolutely terrible in my body. And it's not even necessarily about the healthiness of that particular kind of food. It's how my body is interacting. And it's also let's be honest, related to other factors, such as how much water you're drinking, how much sleep you've had, and how much mental stress you may or may not have in your life as well. There is an argument to be made, of course, that healthy calories are going to run your body better, give you more energy and give you better health overall, I could never disagree with that. And this is part of the paying attention process that I offer you as I'm gonna call it, the long game, the long term goal that I have for you is that you lose weight successfully, you lose weight, at a rate that feels I'm gonna say more or less successful to you. I never ever want to offer you fast weight loss. I don't think that's helpful. I don't think it puts your brain in the right space. If all you're aiming for is speed, I love to offer you the chance to take this whole journey at a pace that makes sense for you. And so that you get to see all the sights along the way that you never have to lose weight again, that you have a chance to do all of the mindset work so that this is the last time you will ever lose weight. I would much rather offer you permanent weight loss than fast weight loss and honestly mindset work is the way to go. But that's a that's a little bit of a tangent. Here's what I'm offering you. While you are losing weight and paying attention to your body with love, and curiosity, you will literally cannot help but notice which foods feel good and which foods don't. It's part of the FIFO method to To start paying attention to your body and how it feels, I mean, like, emotionally, it's what we do literally every day with the journaling practice is we find our thoughts, we decide if they're helpful. And the way that we're deciding if they're helpful is by listening for the feeling the emotion inside of our body, feeling the feeling of it. As you practice that, you're gonna start feeling all kinds of sensations in your body, you're gonna start feeling hunger, thirst, satiety, energy, you're gonna start noticing which foods aren't digesting very well, you're gonna start noticing which foods send you into a little bit of a, I'm gonna call it a sugar frenzy, because that's what I call it in my own life. There are absolutely times where I have that too much sugar feeling. And then I pay attention with curiosity and love. Okay, what did I have? Why does it feel this way? And what's an amount that I can eat next time because my friend, I'm always going to eat sugar? What's an amount that I can eat next time that doesn't bring on this yucky feeling? What's the what's the upper limit of where I can eat sugar that feels good. And when does it get beyond that? Let's make sure that next time I stay under that threshold. This is, this is the longer term game that I I'm reluctant to offer you the very first day you stepped foot in the FIFO method. I feel like asking you to pay attention to how your body feels after every food that you've eaten. With everything that you put in your mouth all day, every day. It's a really big ask and offering it to you as a long term solution. in small doses here and there, starting with your emotional body starting with recognizing when you feel happy. When you feel sad, when you feel stressed, when you feel frustrated, that little bit of brain body connection is going to spill over into every area of your life, every area, I personally don't feel like I need to spell out every inch of your food journey at the very beginning. Because so much of the paying attention and operating through self love and curiosity is really going to come very naturally on your journey. Here's the other I'm gonna call it biological reason why I offer you the advice to eat the foods you already know and love and portion sizes that fit your daily calorie target. Instead of going directly to something like intermittent fasting or low carb or low calorie, or all healthy or any other. I'm going to call it a program any other like big broad sweeping here, let's change everything you've ever eaten ever. It's simply because your brain can't handle it. And I say that with so much love. It's not your brain. It's all of our brains. It's the human brain really struggles with making a lot of changes at once. And in fact, if you have ever, ever broken any habit ever, you know how hard it is to make changes really specifically changing your habits. I quit smoking, okay, how many years ago was that? It was 1994 which was, oh my goodness, almost 30 years ago. So 29 years ago, I quit smoking. And I remember thinking that I was quitting one habit. And yet, when I really thought about it, if I was think by the time I quit, I was smoking an entire pack a day but I was smoking you know a fair few cigarettes let's just say 10. Just for the sake of argument. Let's say that I was smoking a half a pack a day which would be 10 cigarettes. So what I was actually doing was breaking 10 habits. I was breaking the habit of having a cigarette when I first woke up in the morning I was breaking a habit of having a cigarette after a cup of coffee or with a cup of coffee. I was breaking the habit of having a cigarette when I got in my car. I was breaking the habit of having a cigarette after dinner. I was breaking the habit of having a cigarette when I was hanging out with my friends. I was breaking the habit of having a cigarette right before I went to bed. I was Breaking the Habit this one cracks me up every time of smoking a cigarette on my way home from the gym where I had just been on the treadmill for an hour memory still sticks with me I remember the last time I did it where I was just like I don't even know what I was just doing it the gym. If all I'm doing is undoing it afterwards. It was it was one of the many reasons why I, well, no the main reason why I quit smoking is because my boyfriend at the time who is now my husband of nearly 30 years was like, Yeah, I'm not sure if I can date you if you're still smoking. And that was a really, really easy choice to make for me. But anyways, here's what I'm saying. When you think about changing, breakfast, lunch, dinner, maybe how you drink coffee, your snacks, your grocery shopping, your meal planning, your cooking, your eating out, all of the different ways we interact with food, if you are trying to break every single one of those habits, no wonder it feels hard. No wonder you're existing on willpower and then eventually, because willpower, I mean, it's a finite resource at best, and, and doesn't feel good. Truly, it's it's a podcast for another day. But I just I never recommend willpower. I never recommend just muscling through something, there's a there's a way to quit. And it's by trying to use willpower. Truly, the thing about eating the foods you already love in portion sizes. That makes sense means that you are changing fewer habits, you can still go to the grocery store and go up and down the aisles just like you've always done, you can still cook the foods that you've always cooked or go out to the restaurants you've always gone out to. Yes, you are still changing how you interact with the foods in terms of you are possibly measuring or weighing, or at least eyeballing you are tracking, you are thinking about it. But there are fewer decisions to be made. And without getting too far into the weeds on decision fatigue and how that can affect you. I will give you the overall advice that the fewer decisions you can make, the easier it is to change any habits. So by offering you this advice to eat the foods that you already know and love in portion sizes, that makes sense. I'm not telling you that you are going to get to your goal weight, still eating the exact same foods you're eating right now. Over time, your desires will change over time, when you recognize that certain foods just feel more energetic in your body. Or that you do have that sense of restriction or holding yourself back that doesn't feel good emotionally. You will naturally and with intention, make different choices. And making those choices. One at a time in small ways for one meal here or there or everywhere. You won't get to that point of decision fatigue at noon on the first day, you're trying out a new diet. In fact, it's my hope for you my desire for you my advice for you, that you spread out your decisions over the entirety of your weight loss journey, and possibly beyond. I will tell you that when I lost weight a while ago, and this was honestly it was before I was doing a lot of mindset work. And this is maybe not the best example. But it is the example that I think of all the time, I was able to lose the weight that I wanted to lose, which was a little over 30 pounds by eating the foods that I was already eating, which is to say I mean at the time. Oh my gosh, it was almost nonstop junk food. In about nine months. It took me about nine months to lose the other 30 pounds. And then over the course of the next like two and a half years. I ended up changing almost everything I was eating. I ended up finding new dinners one at a time over the course of weeks instead of hours. I ended up experimenting with breakfasts that I liked better than others. I ended up moving around the sorts of things that I would eat for lunch that felt good and that I wanted to eat. I ended up again experimenting with snacks. I came to every decision and again this was long before mindset work. I came to every decision from a place of curiosity and love and honest to goodness, always wondering how much can I eat and still successfully lose weight? Like I was always aiming for that beautiful mix of food that tastes good food that feels good food that feels like a volume that you know is satisfying. food that is healthy enough. And food that just really satisfied some emotional, comforting. Something inside of me, this is still the way I make decisions. This kind of decision-making. What feels good mentally and physically, is how you're going to eat for the rest of your life. It's the decision-making process that is going to help you lose the weight and keep it off forever. When you make decisions from love and curiosity. And from a place of wanting to feel good, physically and emotionally. My friend, you can never go wrong. And that starts with foods that you already enjoy. Really, really, really being okay with where you are with the food choices you are currently making is one of the best mindset trips I can give you. Loving yourself where you are is the thing that takes you where you want to go. You guys, I really hope this was helpful for you today. Like always join me for weight loss University and I'll see you again next week. Thanks for listening.

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Originally aired April 9, 2023
The main driver of weight loss is the AMOUNT you eat (calories), but is that the only thing you should change? On this week’s episode of the Get Your GOAL podcast, I’m spilling the tea on how, when and WHAT to eat for weight loss.

Meet Your Host

Mindset expert and certified life coach Pahla B knows a thing or two about changing your mind to change your weight and your life. She’s the creator of The 5-0 Method, Amazon-best selling author of the book “Mind Over Menopause,” and former yo-yo dieter who has cracked the code on lifelong weight maintenance. Join Pahla B each week for the personal insights, transformative mindset shifts, and science-backed body advice that can help you lose all the weight you want and keep it off forever.