PEERtrainer

How To Have the Willpower To Stop Eating After Dinner

I saw this question the other day in the Point Of No Return team and it's one I see over and over so I'm sharing the answer.  I hope you find it as helpful as I did when I fully understood the concept.

"I'm thinking I don't have the willpower to allow myself any "points" after dinner. Any ideas how I can hold myself accountable? I don't have anyone in the house on a regular basis to help me out. Forget the 3 bite rule- I currently only do "devour everything in sight". My cravings do not go away in a couple of minutes. I hold on to them for days, then attack."

Here is the answer:

The secret is this:  It doesn't take willpower at all.  The answer is that you are simply not full. If you are hungry after dinner, your body isn't getting enough nutrients. Discipline, such as the 3 bite rule, works when you're happy and you have a specific goal like a date or a reunion but the second you've had a stressful day or you've worked out, discipline goes out the window. 

That's why the Weight Watchers Points System is a great way to understand portion control but it's only 33% of it. You've got to fill up on nutrients, aka vegetables.

Yummy vegetable soups are a great way to fill up on vegetables. You have it in the fridge, you grab a bowl before you go out, or have instant nutrients with lunch or dinner. Have you made the PT energy soup?  Sometimes just one recipe can help you think of new ideas about how to make vegetables you like and want to eat every day.

I remember meeting with a client who was so frustrated by her lack of discipline with snacking at night.  "I run a business, I run my family and I'm successful at it all!  Why don't I have control over this??"

I had to help her find a food she loved that would also be full of nutrients and keep her full.  We uncovered her long lost love of gazpacho. 

I asked, "If both a brownie and and gazpacho were sitting eye-level in the refrigerator, would you have gazpacho or the brownie?"  She answered, "I want to eat healthy and I love gazpacho.  I would choose the gazpacho every time."

This is the key concept:  High nutrient foods are the only way to feel full.  Find some high nutrient soups or salads you love and you have unlocked the secret to lasting weight loss.  Because there will be no more hunger.  No more discipline.  You will feel full.  You will lose the weight because you will no longer be "great all day" while you mess up at night.

Salads, greens and vegetables.  I can't emphasize this enough.  At a certain age, only high nutrient foods will make you feel full.   You can spend your time lamenting over why you can't stop at one slice of pizza anymore or you can step up your vegetables.   This is how I do it.  Want to come over for dinner?? :) 

Jackie

Reebok Easy Tone Shoes: I LOOOOVE these things!!

I love the REEBOK easy tones.  I saw the commercials and had some familiarity with the MBTs and the Skechers.  These easy tones are the best shoes I've had in years.  I wear them ALL the time.  They are more comfortable than my running shoes and I never thought I'd say that!  You MUST try them.  

They have incredible room in the toe box.  They are the first shoes I want to put on in the morning.   And they're so cute!!  Well done Reebok!  I haven't had a pair since those white ones in 7th grade!

Be sure to order a 1/2 size bigger than what you think you might need.

Click here to see all the designs!

 

P.S.  Let me know if you get them.

 

Here is

Stu Mittleman Responds To Your Questions, Today 2PM EST. (Link to Recording Will Be Provided)

At 2pm today I will be holding a conference call with Stu Mittleman. The call information is below. Stu will be responding to many of the most frequently asked questions that he was sent by PEERtrainer members. Those questions are also below.

If you have not signed up for the free 7 day running course, you can still do so right here:

http://marathonmastery.com/peertrainer/

Btw if you have signed up before but not gotten the emails, please send an email to [email protected]. Someone over there will manually send the videos to you!

List of questions covered in this call

1. Will running help me lose fat, belly fat?
2. Will I ever enjoy running? I like the high it gives me, but I always seem to get side cramps. How can I avoid getting cramps?
3. How do I get started if I haven't ran in a long time, or if I don't have a regular exercise routine of any kind before?
4. How can I make it fun - not a dreadful experience! and make it more enjoyable?
5. How do I minimize skeletal and muscle strain in my legs and back while running?
6. How do you prevent injury and pain?
7. How do you stay motivated to keep running and finish?
8. How do I build stamina


Call Details

Title: Stu Mittleman - Marathon Mastery Time: October 18th @ 2:00 pm PST Listening method: Phone Only Call in #: (712) 432-1001 Access Code: 434-589-533#

By the way, if for some reason you not able to get on the call live, because the lines are packed or some other reason, don't worry the call will be recorded and will be available within 24 hours after the "Live" call.

-Jackie

PS: Facebook has been a great way for us to understand that some people were not getting the emails. If you are a Facebook user PLEASE feel free to use our wall and comments to ask questions:

http://www.facebook.com/PEERtrainer

A New Tool To Help Your Kids Eat Healthy and Excel Nutritionally

Learn the Secrets to Getting Kids to Eat Healthy

Many health experts have predicted that this new generation may not outlive their parents. Rates of childhood obesity, type II diabetes, ADD, ADHD, chronically low immune systems, and other nutrition-related diseases are on the rise, and parents are struggling to raise healthy kids in a fast-food and junk-food filled world. National campaigns focused on childhood health problems and on unhealthy school lunches have brought the gravity of the health crisis involving American children to the forefront.  

What can a parent do when his or her child refuses to eat anything green and seem to subsist on chicken-fingers and French fries alone? 

Here are a few tricks of the trade from Hillary Feerick and Jeff Hillenbrand, authors of the new children’s book The Secret Life of Mitch Spinach™:

• Make food preparation a family affair. The more you involve your kids in the preparation and selection of meals and snacks, the more willing they are to try healthy foods. Even a simple trip to the grocery store to allow them to pick out the fruits and vegetables for the week (each child in the family should get his/her own choice) can make a world of difference. Let older children find recipes online that sound good to them using healthy foods. Allow them to choose how the vegetable of the day is prepared and even help in the preparation.

• Have a make-your-own smoothie party. Fill bowls with various ingredients, such as berries, mango, spinach, broccoli, flax or chia seeds, and let kids pick what they want. They can even turn the blender on! They love to be in control!

• Make your own salad. The same trick will work for salads. But don’t just include lettuce. Use seeds, fruit, dried peas—anything goes!

• Let them dip. Make a quick salad dressing/dip or use a store-bought one and watch them eat string beans, carrots, celery, cucumbers, and any other veggie that you cut into strips for dipping.

• Make veggie and fruit shapes. Thinly slice carrots and cucumbers and use tiny cookie cutters to make shapes. Everything is more fun when it’s in a shape (think silly bands).

• Make a vegetarian soup at least one night of the week. Pureed soups are great because you can’t see what’s in them (kale is easy to use this way). You’ll be amazed what they’ll eat when it’s been whizzed in the blender or mixed with an immersion blender.

As adults, we can be told that good nutrition fosters academic and athletic performance, but getting children to understand the importance of a healthy diet can be a daunting task, even with some tricks up your sleeve. Children need fun and entertaining ways to learn about healthy eating. One way is to lead by example. Another way is to tell a story about a super hero who gains powers from fruits and vegetables. The subtlety of fiction enables children to learn without even realizing that they are learning.

Start with the colorfully illustrated book called The Secret Life of Mitch Spinach™.  

Mitch Spinach seems to be an ordinary kid, but his classmates have begun to suspect something. The notes in his custom-made, temperature-controlled Nutripak™ lunchbox appear to have been written in code. While other kids eat their usual chicken fingers and pepperoni pizza, Mitch Spinach mixes up his meal in a battery-powered blender before their curious and envious eyes. Although he is the smartest, nicest, strongest kid in Ms. Radicchio’s class, he often misses recess when he is called to Principal Lycopene’s office. The truth is that his high- powered fruit and vegetable smoothies give him special powers, such as super-sonic hearing and amazing night vision, which help him tackle problems and solve mysteries at Sunchoke Elementary.

 

Written in collaboration with renowned family physician and best selling author Joel Fuhrman, M.D, The Secret Life of Mitch Spinach is a unique book series that provides a perfect way for kids to learn about healthy eating while enjoying exciting adventures and mysteries. Each book in the series contains a healthy recipe and a “Secrets for Parents and Teachers” section, written by Dr. Fuhrman, that explains many of the nutritional concepts alluded to in the book. Dr. Fuhrman is a board-certified family physician, author, and nutritional researcher who specializes in preventing and reversing disease through nutritional and natural methods.

 

While many books focus on a child’s dislike of a certain food (usually a vegetable), this book series is devoid of that type of negativity and instead transforms healthy eating into a behavior to be copied in order to gain “super” powers like those of Mitch Spinach. The Secret Life of Mitch Spinach children’s book series has the power to significantly change the way that children eat because it actually prompts children to ask for healthy food without preaching to them about the benefits of a healthy diet. Good health begins in childhood, and scientific evidence suggests that the food children eat in the first ten years of their lives can have a critical and profound effect on their life-long health.

 

The Mitch Spinach website http://www.MitchSpinach.com features creative, multidisciplinary lesson plans and outlines the importance of sound nutrition. Kids can print educational games, such as crossword puzzles and word searches that pertain to the healthy foods used in the books to reinforce what they have learned.

A new resource to help you in your quest to adopt a healthy lifestyle as a family, The Secret Life of Mitch Spinach can make your transition even easier. When kids start asking their parents for broccoli, carrots, or flax seeds because they want to be like Mitch Spinach, your own healthy choices will seem effortless and fun!

To get kids on the right track with healthy eating, order your copy of The Secret Life of Mitch Spinach by visiting the website: http://www.MitchSpinach.com. This children’s book combines the fun of reading with the invaluable gift of health.  

About the Authors:

Frustrated by the lack of a healthy, smart, cool role model for their five and six year-old children, Hillary Feerick and Jeff Hillenbrand created the Mitch Spinach children’s book series. They decided to combine their expertise (Jeff holds a BS in Exercise Physiology, and Hillary holds a BA and MA in English) to teach kids about the importance of eating healthy foods and reduce the number of children struggling with weight, chronic colds, ear infections and other nutrition-related problems.   Learn more about the Mitch Spinach mission at http://www.MitchSpinach.com

 

Weekend Immersion Program With Dr. Fuhrman In Princeton, NJ January 14-16

Click the arrow on the following video to learn more about Dr. Fuhrman's Weekend Immersion Program:

We have been asked about getting a discount for Dr. Joel Furhman's upcoming Weekend Immersion Program January 14-16th in Princeton NJ.

There is a 15% percent off discount available until November 30th.

In addition, Dr. Furhman Online is offering PEERtrainer members a $50 off coupon that is good from October 16th to October 31st.

Simply use the coupon code "PEERTRAINER" at the check out page.

Here is the link to learn more:

http://drfuhrman.com/events/princeton_immersion/princeton_weekend_immersion.aspx

 

3 Tips to Make Your Water Taste Great And Refreshing

WATER:  To Drink Or Not To Drink (8 glasses a day)

I've seen both sides of the water debate.  Some suggest you MUST get in 64 oz of water a day.  There's even a neat little customized formula. Take your weight, divide by 2 and you have an invidividualized water prescription.    If I weigh 120 pounds, I divide that by 2 and get 60, so my personal optimal intake is 60 ounces of water a day.

The other side of the water debate claims drinking all that water a day is nonsense and completely uneccesary.  You will be at your optimal water intake if you consume your calories from water rich foods such as fruits and vegetables.  If you're eating an adequate amount from this food group, you will be hydrated.

Regardless, most agree that water is a better option than sugar fruit juice or a coke.  But I often hear this:

"I know I should reach for water instead but I just don't like the taste. It's not satisfying".  Take a look:  69 responses to this question in the community:  "I don't like the taste of water!"

I agree.  The only time I've found that plain water tastes great is after a workout.  I've spent years experimenting and finding ways to make water taste great and satisfying.

The reason for my blog post is I stumbled on the lastest way by pure accident and I wanted to share!  I've listed the others below but I must start with my new favorite:

GINGER WATER!

 
I've added fresh ginger to my hot green tea for years.  Over the last few months, I watched my husband squeeze it into cold water and didn't find it appealing until a couple of weeks ago when I sprained ankle and I wanted to find ways to help with the inflammation.  I was plopped on the couch doing mental gymnastics trying to figure out ways to speed up my recovery while watching him and his ginger ritual.  I thought, I have to try that!  It was AMAZING!!

This has become a daily ritual. I squeeze about a finger of ginger into my thermos of water and I add a bit of lemon as well.  I use this Lime Squeezer which I bought because I squeeze lime into almost everything I eat and it works perfectly for lemon, oranges and now "ginger".  Even if it sounds weird you MUST try it!

Other great ways to make water taste great:

1.  Spa water: Place sliced cucumber in a pitcher of water with ice.  Add a bit of lemon or lime.

2.  Citrus Splash:   Use that lime squeezer and drop in any of the following:

•     lime
•     lemon
•     orange
•     grapefruit

  
3.  Mix it up and get exotic!

•    Mandarin orange
•    Citron (from India)
•    Blood orange
•    Pommelo. 
  
  •     One of my favorites.  Also a symbol of the Chinese New year.  This fruit is   a cross between a grapefruit and orange and it is sublime!
•     Fresh pineapple
•     Clementine

For hot water, mango can work well. Many times we keep frozen mango in the freezer for an alternative to hot tea.

Have other suggestions?  Share them here because it's a big frustration for so many people who write me.  Share the wealth.

 

Jackie

 

 

 

The Truth About Making Diet Changes That REALLY Stick....

...and how to break through the "invisible barrier"

We sent out an email over the weekend and we got a very powerful response to something we wrote. And this response triggered some thoughts on what it really takes to lose weight and keep it off.

We have been writing and thinking a lot about this issue because people go on tons of different diets and programs. But the stats show that people are having a very tough time keeping the weight off.

What is interesting is that the PEERtrainer community is full of people who have lost weight, kept it off and then progressed way beyond that. The members of this community make tremendous changes in their life on a very routine basis. For example, we keep seeing people lose a bunch of weight-- and then become a long distance runner. Half- marathon, marathon.

It keeps happening. 

So we decided to create this blog post to try and identify why this is the case. This may be a little controversial as well because we have some different thoughts on how to go about things. Often this has created some conflict. And I think it may be interesting to share that conflict with you, and show you some of the decisions we make "behind the scenes" at PEERtrainer.

Here is what we wrote first of all:

"Life is too short not to really go for it. It is truly possible to make big, positive and permanent changes in your life."

A very simple statement that was part of an overall plea for people to set their sights a lot higher. Here is one response we were just emailed:

"Wow! What a statement! Thank you for that one; I just printed it and put it up in my cubicle at work. Thanks for all the great encouragement - it really helps!"

Why Did This Comment Resonate?

We get a lot of great feedback in general. (We also get our share of people who object to certain things we do!) But we have started to get more adamant in communicating to people that there is a tremendous benefit to really deciding to expect more of yourself.

It's almost like there is this "invisible barrier" that most people bump up against---and then stop. But the secret is that if you put your shoulder down and take a slightly harder run at it, this "invisible barrier" comes crashing down. It really does.

A lot of what we do is simply encourage people to take a harder run at that barrier. And people are responding well to this encouragement!

Now, one important reason this particular comment (and approach) resonates is that almost EVERY product or service to help you lose weight is designed to either manipulate you or appeal to something that you REALLY want but is unrealistic or not helpful over the long haul. 

So much of what is out there is fundamentally short term in nature. 

For example, when was the last time you were offered a "7 Day Zap Your Belly Fat" kind of diet program? Probably a couple times in the last 24 hours! Do you think you are truly going to zap your belly fat in 7 days?

Of course you are not, and in all likelihood you probably know exactly what you need to do over the long haul to actually zap your belly fat. But the ugly truth in weight loss marketing is that people generally are highly responsive to short term and short cut approaches that are counter-productive in the long run.

Short term manipulation is where the money is.

At PEERtrainer we know this because over the years we have hired and worked with some of the best minds in marketing. These people demonstrate to us beyond a doubt that the "7 day belly fat zap" approach works from a sales perspective.

But we refuse to do this approach because we know how people really lose weight over a period of years. And when we refuse and try to develop a different approach these people get MAD at us. Seriously. They say, "Habib and Jackie, you guys need to understand that people need to be sold. It may be cheesy, but people respond to cheesy."

We respond and say, "no, we want to inspire people and help them over the long term. We understand where the marketing minds are and we want to try something different." It usually doesn't go well from there. They think we are stupid or at least unreasonably stubborn.

Maybe we are on one level, but this is the approach that we have chosen to take. 

We hope from a business perspective that this a good long term decision, and that we have identified a "gap" in the market. If we are right that people want to be inspired and not just manipulated then that is good for us. And when other companies in the space start to maybe copy this approach, then maybe we will have had a role in changing things on a more widespread basis.

The development of PEERtrainer has been a step by step process. One of the key things we have learned over the years is that the most important thing for us to focus on is a message that impacts people fundamentally. 

In truth what has happened over the years is that we have developed an "agenda" here with PEERtrainer. And many of you have picked up on the fact that a lot of this goes way beyond weight loss. (Those of you in Phase 2 are learning this and hopefully benefitting from this.)

We believe that when people develop the ability to make long term changes in their diet and fitness, they are then able to make a whole BUNCH of other positive changes in their life.

So it is great to hear responses like the one we just got!

-Jackie

In case you missed the email over the weekend, here it is:

********

We just published a new article that picks up on a conversation we started last week:

A Critical Component To Successful Long Term Weight Loss

One of the key differentiators to what we do at PEERtrainer is our focus on helping people make changes that really stick. From a statistical perspective, this issue is dominant. The number of people who succeed long term on traditional plans is extremely low.

Our whole approach at PEERtrainer has been to try and liberate people from the thinking that they need to focus on one method at a time. We get people to "fuse" their knowledge. But there are SO many other components of success, and this article goes into one of them.

I hope this focus resonates with you. Life is too short not to really go for it. It is truly possible to make big, positive and permanent changes in your life.

The more we see this happen among members of the PEERtrainer community, the more adamant we become about making sure we communicate to everyone that change is possible.

We also want to make sure that we address as MANY of the components of success as possible. And please keep the questions coming!

Read The New PEERtainer article