Caroline Biesalski welcomes Alan Thomas, who shares his personal story, setting the stage for a conversation with both Alan and Angie Thomas. They delve into the mindset shift crucial for a successful weight loss transformation, emphasizing personal responsibility. Vicky's weight loss journey highlights the importance of vision setting, while empowerment and self-questioning changes are explored. An intriguing analogy on temperature tolerance and Rick's story further illustrate maintaining weight loss. The episode concludes with discussions on future goals and an offer for a free session, providing listeners with an opportunity to engage further.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
What can I eat instead of boiled eggs andlettuce?
(00:03):
And she and I said, what would be different inthe last 30 days about what you've eaten that
would have saved the life of those you loved iftheir life were on the line, not yours, if it
was their life?
And it was so interesting.
She said, oh, I'd stop eating all the cookiesand ice cream.
And it's funny because she wasn't lying to us.
She was lying to herself.
And I said, well, how about doing that for thenext 200 days?
(00:24):
She said, really?
I said, yeah.
And then immediately, it started working.
Welcome to Inspired Choice Today.
I'm your host, Caroline Biesalski, here tobring you authentic stories, surprising
lessons, and powerful takeaways to fuel yourjourney in business and life.
In each episode, I'll take you from oneinspiring guest to the next, blending their
(00:47):
experiences with my expertise to uncoverpractical strategies you can use right away.
Whether you're starting out or stepping up,stay tuned for insights and actionable tips
that make a difference, and stick around untilthe end for a special freebie just for our
listeners.
(01:08):
Hello, and welcome, Inspired podcast community.
This is your new episode.
My name is Caroline, and my today's guests areAngie and Alan.
And I'm so happy that you said yes.
You see, I'm overwhelmed already with yourpresence here and that you both said yes to our
(01:30):
interview today.
How are you doing?
Doing great.
Little bit cold in North Florida, but lookingover it.
Yeah.
We're doing well.
Thank you for having us so much, Caroline.
We appreciate it.
Thank you so much.
I don't tell you.
Here in Germany, we already have snow in themountains where I am, of course.
So yeah.
(01:51):
But I see your irony there.
Or yeah.
I would like to introduce you to the audiencefirst, and I'm very excited about all those
numbers that are put in.
So you are transformational weight loss coacheswho conquered obesity after decades of failed
diets and exercise plans.
(02:13):
Alan, facing a life-changing moment at 304pounds, you lost 129 pounds in 260 days, while
Angie shed 63 pounds in 190 days.
Together, you founded Rethink Dieting, a uniquecoaching program that helps clients achieve
(02:33):
incredible weight loss results withoutprescribing diets or exercise routines.
Alan's motto, "The solution is never a diet.
It's a decision," reflects their empoweringapproach to unlocking potential and releasing
weight through mindset shifts and personalaccountability.
(02:54):
Welcome to the Inspired Choice Today podcast.
Oh my goodness.
Angie and Alan.
Thank you.
Thank you.
So great.
And my first question to you, and I'm soexcited to know more about you both, of course.
What was the pivotal mindset shift that helpedyou both achieve and sustain your weight loss
(03:16):
transformation?
That's pretty, you know, it's interesting.
Angie and I were just literally talking aboutthis just a moment ago.
We get so many questions, you know, typically,during a month, we have hundreds of people,
typically 400, 500, 600 people reach out to us.
But all we want to know and one of the firstquestions people say, well, what do you eat?
(03:37):
What do you eat?
And it's really interesting.
My question we answer back with a question thatwe've developed along our journey.
And, you know, do you have to change what youeat?
Of course, you do.
If you're like I was and you weighed 304 poundsand you're a 55-year-old man, it helps to do
some exercise if you're healthy enough.
(03:58):
Well, we've had clients.
We've got a client right now down 170 poundsthat physically cannot exercise, but down 170
pounds.
And so, but at the end of the day, it's amindset shift.
If you think of it this way, if you know yourideal weight and if people are wondering how to
figure out their ideal weight, this is how wehelp people figure out their ideal weight.
We don't go to a chart on the wall.
(04:20):
We don't go to a, you know, to a BMI chart,although that has some validity, of course.
But if you can imagine, we all know what weshould weigh.
If the creator of the universe walked into yourhome with the version of yourself you were
created to be at your present age, what doesthat version of you weigh?
That's your ideal weight, and it's so funny.
(04:40):
We've had, I've, Angie and I have talked topeople literally that have told us they want to
be one weight, and they said, oh, no.
No.
That version, I'd be 10 pounds lighter.
I'm like, why wouldn't you just say it?
You know?
So it's a decision about what you really,really, really want in owning it.
Second thing is, like so many, like a client ofours that lost nearly 200 pounds, that was so
funny.
(05:01):
He's the only person that we've ever coachedout of the hundreds of people that we work with
that had never been on a diet.
This gentleman was almost 500 pounds.
He was in a wheelchair if he had to walk morethan 10 feet.
I don't know how many kilometers that is, butit's not many.
And so he but he was he was and he struggled,and I told him just like we tell all our
(05:23):
clients.
We're never gonna tell you what to eat.
We're never gonna tell you what to exercise todo because if that were the problem, everybody
would already be thin.
Okay?
They would already be thin.
And so you're asking what this pivotal momentis, and I'm getting to this.
But it's so interesting.
You know, Sean, who he says, Alan, I've neverbeen on a diet.
I'm like, okay.
So you've never been on a diet.
(05:44):
If you, but if your wife and your 2 daughters,who you love dearly, were taken hostage, And
the only way to get them back alive is for youto do is for you to release 1 pound till you
reach that ideal weight that you told me youwant to weigh.
1 pound per week.
But you here's the catch.
(06:05):
You can't ask Google.
You can't you can't search it.
You can't search it on YouTube.
You can't ask a dietitian, nutritionist,physical fitness expert, even a physician.
However, what you eat has to be so healthy thatyour doctor would be absolutely ecstatic with
it, be thrilled with it.
What would you do differently moving forward sothat you could save your wife and your two
(06:29):
daughters' lives?
What would you do differently from what you'vedone in the past?
And he thought for about 30 seconds.
True story, Caroline.
He thought for about 30 seconds.
He said, I know what I'll do.
I'll start eating less.
I said, that's where you start.
And it is so interesting.
We think we have to have some special diet tofix this.
People are all very different.
(06:50):
You know, you're different than Angie and I.
Angie's different from me.
I'm different than her.
We're all very different.
And and the diet industry has taken away ourour responsibility to become an expert on
ourselves.
And so when we put that we put that emphasisback on the individual, when we put that
(07:12):
emphasis back on the individual, they alwaysknow the solution, and remarkable things start
to happen from that point.
And so what was the pinnacle shift when Irealized it was my responsibility?
I realized when I stepped on the scale and saw304 pounds that I was gonna be known as Angie's
first husband.
I was gonna be a dead man if I didn't get theweight off.
(07:34):
I was 55 years old, and she'd be calling meshe'd be calling her first husband because I
would be dead.
You know, some other good-looking guy wouldhave come along who was rich and famous or
something a lot more so than me would comealong and sweep her off her feet, and I
wouldn't be there for my kids, for my family.
And then it's just we already know what to do.
(07:56):
Does that make sense, Caroline?
Absolutely.
I'm impressed, and you talked about mind shiftand mindset as well.
And while you were talking about this storywith your client and you asked this question,
what would be different?
Then I answered it for myself.
And I would have said, I would have had the orI would have the confidence to start or the
(08:24):
knowledge that I will succeed, and this wouldmove me.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Does it
I mean
Does it make sense?
You start,
yeah.
You start where you are.
And this is the thing.
We think we have to have everything so perfect.
I mean, it's kinda like Angie and I raised fourchildren together.
We, we've, we've had she, she birthed them.
We raised them together.
(08:44):
We, and, and they're all adults.
They all survived childhood.
We didn't have a clue.
I mean, and so it's so interesting.
We, you know, we, we have children, people havechildren, and they don't know what to do.
They just learn as they go.
You start, you know, you start families.
You, you do, you start businesses.
You don't know everything about your business.
I will assure you that you've learned a lot inpodcasting since you began podcasting.
(09:08):
And but then for some reason with diet, wewanna know the magic formula.
And, really, what we're asking, Caroline, justto be totally transparent, what I was asking
for 35 years while I struggled with obesity,what Angie was asking for her 15 years of
struggle with her weight, was not what weshould eat.
It was when can we get to the land of eat asmuch as you want, whatever you want, and
(09:31):
whenever you want.
We just wanna get there, and I can tell youthat land does not exist this side of heaven.
You're gonna have to pay attention.
If you struggle, you're gonna it's it's gonnabe a challenge.
It's not gonna be easy.
But it's so interesting.
I know, you know, client Angie and I Angie justenrolled a client recently.
A lady who she's, you know, she what's what'sVicky been with us?
(09:54):
What?
Six weeks?
Six or seven weeks?
Something like that.
And and she came to us, you know, after she'dhad, I think, weight loss surgeries.
All these things have failed.
And she said, all I ever do is eat is eat, youknow, lettuce and boiled eggs.
And she and on our very first, you know,coaching we did with her.
(10:15):
And I said, okay.
I can appreciate that.
And so what I did was I asked her thosequestions.
You know, first, she told us she wanted to be150 pounds.
Then when I asked her the question about her,about if the creative universe walked into her
home and introduced her to the version ofherself that she was creating to be at her
present age, what she weighed, she said, well,I want to be 135
(10:37):
That version's 135 pounds.
I said, well, that's where you go to.
She said, oh, but I want to get to 150 first.
I said, you won't get to 135 without getting to150.
You start where you want to go to begin
Get a real clear vision of where you wanna be.
Okay?
And then I asked her that same question aboutshe said, but I'll eat this.
And I asked her the same question about, if herfamily and loved ones were taken hostage.
(11:02):
And I said, what would be different about youreating in the last 30 days?
Remember, she asked me what to eat.
What can I eat instead of boiled eggs andlettuce?
And I said, what would be different in the last30 days about what you've eaten that would have
saved the life of those you loved if their lifewere on the line, not yours, if it was their
life?
And it was so interesting.
She said, oh, I'd stop eating all the cookiesand ice cream.
(11:24):
And it's funny because she wasn't lying to us.
She was lying to herself.
And I said, well, how about doing that for thenext 200 days?
She said, really?
I said, yeah.
And then immediately, it started working.
Immediately, she drops within a week 5 pounds.
Now the first 5 pounds, most of it's waterweight.
We always get that big weight loss bump in thebeginning.
And it was so interesting.
(11:46):
Then she goes right back into that samethinking, that same mindset.
Oh, I always get stuck.
I never can do it.
I said, okay.
Let's jump on a call.
Let's figure this out.
We get on the Zoom with her, and we have anhonest conversation.
And I said to her, I said, okay, Vicky.
How long do you normally give it when you getfrustrated?
She told us she was always stuck at 197
(12:08):
I said, how long do you normally give it whenyou're stuck to go back to the cookies and ice
cream?
And she said, maybe a day.
I said, okay.
Would you give me 30 without the scale moving abit?
She said 30 days.
I said, if it doesn't move a bit, then we'llrevisit it.
I said, but give me 30 days, and you just giveme 30 days like your family's life depends on
(12:31):
it.
And the very next day, the scale dropped below197.
Okay.
Now she's down to—now she's breaking into the170s.
She's at 180.
Okay.
She's dropped, and she's always getting stuckhere and said, no.
You don't.
This is another opportunity for growth.
It's another opportunity to overcome theobstacle.
And it's so interesting.
And I said, so tell me now.
We asked her this, what, about a week ago.
(12:53):
What her confidence level was that she wasgonna reach her ideal weight?
Now this is key, Caroline.
It's extremely key.
She said, well, it wasn't very high in thebeginning, she said, but I'm positive I'm
getting there now for the first time ever.
This is after weight loss surgeries havefailed.
This is after all these diets have failed.
Now she's positive.
And so does it mean that the scale won't dothis up and down routine?
(13:15):
No.
It's gonna do that.
It's not a we always want we want success to bethe straight line.
We want weight loss to be the straight line,45-degree angle.
It doesn't work like that.
And it's so interesting.
But as she she's becoming an expert on herself,she's realizing certain things about food she's
eating didn't it didn't work to her benefitthat she thought were.
(13:36):
They were, quote, healthy foods, but theyreacted a certain way in her body.
Like, I didn't we didn't Angie and I didn'tteach her that.
She's become an expert on herself, so she's nolonger hostage to the diet industry.
She's no longer hostage to the belief that itcan't be done.
And, Vicky, she's winning in so many ways whileshe still has weight to release.
(13:57):
She, you know, she's certainly wearing smallersizes that thankfully she had saved.
And actually some friends have given her someclothes because with her weight loss.
But the real joy that Al and I have with her,recent, recent account with our conversation
with her is that fault.
She sings in her choir.
(14:18):
She's always been on the back row.
And while, again, just down maybe I think she's25 pounds of about 100, close to 100, that
she's planning to go, she has moved to thefront row with the choir.
She's not hiding behind the other people.
She is out front being heard because she knowsshe is on her way.
(14:40):
She believes she can do it.
She can.
She always could.
But she has the tools, and she is on her way.
And so she is living life differently.
Yeah.
And that's what sets us—oh, I mean, I get achill thinking about how her life has changed,
and she's not even all the way yet.
(15:03):
Outstanding.
Thank you so much.
You said something very important.
She always could, yeah, but she was not awareof it.
So she had not the confidence, and youempowered her.
Well, we helped her change the questions shewas asking herself.
(15:24):
You know, instead of asking the question, whycan't I?
You know, change your questions.
I mean, if you want to change, and this iswhether you're starting a podcast, you're
starting a business, you're raising children.
It's like, well, first of all, what one man orwoman can do, another man or woman can do at
some level.
Okay?
That doesn't mean that I'm gonna be an NBAbasketball star because I'm 5'11".
(15:48):
It's pretty doubtful that at age 63, I'm gonnajoin the NBA.
But there are things that we can all do withinour ability, and there's no reason why she
can't do it.
And she's building that belief, and that beliefshift is changing her confidence.
So now she's stepping into the 135-poundversion of herself before her body has caught
up.
Does that make sense?
(16:09):
I mean, so Caroline, think of it this way.
If you were to—if all of a sudden you were—andyou probably heard this metaphor before, but
it's very cold in Germany right now.
Right?
Yes.
Okay.
So how cold is it in Germany right now inCelsius?
Or if you don't hear
(16:30):
it?
No.
It's like 0 degrees in Celsius.
I don't know how how
much it is.
So 0 in Celsius is that's freezing.
That's 32 degrees in Fahrenheit.
Okay?
Yeah.
Now here's what's interesting.
You're not even to the real cold weather yet.
Right?
No.
That right.
So, like, 32 is not a big deal to you.
(16:51):
Right?
No.
Okay.
Yeah.
Or 0 degrees Celsius.
So Angie and I, we live in Florida.
We live in North Florida.
Okay.
We get some days that get down into thethirties, maybe.
That would be equivalent to your below zeroprobably because of the fact that we're so
used.
It's like 2, 3, 4 degrees Celsius is likenegative 20 Celsius for us.
(17:15):
You know?
Does that make sense?
So what I'm saying is we have our thermostatset at a certain level of what we're accustomed
to.
We like warm weather.
We're not gonna—when it gets down to below 50,we're like, oh my gosh.
It's freezing.
It's not freezing.
It's our belief that it is.
You know, for Vicky or for somebody like Rick,like I was talking about earlier.
I mean, Rick was so interesting.
(17:36):
He believed it was too late for him.
Okay?
Rick was a 70-year-old real estate agent whohad retired because he couldn't even stand up
without the aid of a walking device.
He'd allowed himself to get morbidly obese for50 years.
He was 50, 52 years.
He'd been obese.
(17:57):
And he didn't really understand that he had thetools to lose the weight already.
When he came to us about three years ago, hesaid, hey, guys.
I can't exercise.
You know, I've got a fused vertebrae.
I walk with a walker.
I've had heart attacks.
I've had, you know, all these medicalconditions.
I said, so?
(18:17):
I mean, I care about him.
And I said, I'm positive it'll work if you'lldo the work that we require.
And so for the first time in Rick's life sincehe was 18 years old, he just escaped obesity
about a month ago.
It took him three years, but he hit 206.
That's out of the obese category in a BMIchart.
(18:37):
While I don't put a lot of stock in BMI, it's abig deal because people say that they can't do
it.
He had every excuse in the world.
It was hard.
It was harder for him.
It was harder for him than it would be for us.
It was harder for him than it would be anyclient we've ever had.
But Rick has this belief, and here's what'sinteresting.
He's going to 188 pounds.
(18:59):
And he thought he completely thought I was alunatic when I asked him to take a picture of
himself in 20, in 20, what was it, 2021.
I said, take a picture of yourself becauseyou're not gonna recognize yourself when you
reach your ideal weight.
You will not look like the same person, and hedoesn't.
I mean, he said, he said, Alan, I thought youwere a lunatic.
(19:19):
I said, no.
I was positive that you could do it.
I didn't know if you'd do the work, but he did.
And this is what I want your listeners to hear.
It's possible for them.
It's not about fat shaming or any of that.
We don't believe in that.
If you know your ideal weight, and I believeyou do, every person that's listening to this
podcast, and you're not there, then starttaking the steps to get there.
(19:44):
And that's what Rick did.
He took his steps, which were a lot harder thanyour steps would be or my steps or Angie's or
anybody we've ever run across.
But it just proves how it works.
And he'll be down 200 pounds total when hecompletes his journey.
And and at that point, he can't just he's he'snot he knows he's not going to the land of eat
as much as you want, whatever you want,whatever you want.
(20:05):
It doesn't exist.
He has to keep applying the same principleslong term to stay there, and he's learned those
principles.
And it was never about whether he eat broccolior couldn't have a doughnut.
It was about, are you sick and tired of thismorbid obesity and ready to do something about
it?
And he was.
And it worked.
(20:26):
It does every time when people do the work, themindset work.
Yes.
You said it starts with the decision as well.
And, wow.
It's so amazing.
I learned so much.
Thank you so much.
I have one last question for you.
Yes.
Let me ask you this.
Do you set goals for yourself, or what is oneof your next projects?
(20:48):
And please, if you can tell us where we canfind you when people want to reach out to you
after listening to this episode.
We do have a big goal for ourselves.
It's what we call a BHAG, a big, hairy,audacious goal.
We want Rethink Dieting to change thetrajectory of obesity.
That's gonna take about 100,000 men and womenevery day.
(21:08):
The world today, including children, is over abillion of these people.
But what alarms us more about that than eventhe health concerns.
We're really concerned for people's health.
We want people to live a long time and to havethe life that they were created to live.
But at the end of the day, people are just likeVicky was hiding in the back row of required.
(21:30):
There's so much impact that people have thatthey will never have if they don't get the
weight off.
And that's what we're passionate about.
But we created something for your audience.
They can go to Transform My Future.
Yes.
Where to find us?
Go to transformmyfuture.com, Transform M Y F UT U R E.
(21:56):
I got lost.
Transform My Future and put it alltogether.com/forward/inspiredchoice.
Okay?
We created a link, yeah, inspired choice justfor your audience.
Go to transformmyfuture.com/forward/inspiredchoice, the name of your podcast, and they can
watch a free training.
Now here's the thing.
If people already know that they're ready togo, they can just go to
(22:22):
transformmyfuture.com/forward/apply.
We're not too busy for any of your audience,and they can, now there's nowhere on our
website to buy Rethink Dieting.
Rethink Dieting is by invitation only, and it'sfor this reason, because we want to get on the
phone and find out how bad somebody's problemwith weight is, how committed they are to solve
it if we believe that we're the solution.
(22:42):
And if we do, we'll invite them in, and we'llget them there.
But they've got to do the work.
They've got to be ready.
Oh, thank you so much.
This is an honor, and I would check it out asyour first, of course.
I check out the website.
I put it in the show notes, of course.
And I'm honored and blessed by your presencetoday.
(23:03):
This is such an important message.
Thank you so much.
A message.
Now is the time for your final message orthoughts to the audience.
It's really what's our final message is thatanybody can do this.
Anybody can do it.
And if they're looking for a magical diet, amagical drug, a magical surgery, they're
(23:28):
looking in the wrong place.
It's much like, you know, not to preach to youraudience, but it's like the Israelites.
They were looking for a shortcut to walk an11-day journey that took them 40 years in the
Exodus from Egypt to the promised land.
That's what stopped me and Angie from reachingour ideal weight.
It was always this close.
Stop looking for a shortcut.
(23:49):
Do the work.
The mindset work is what you have to do first.
The the food, the nutrition, the the exercise,yeah, that's that's absolutely gonna gonna help
the journey too, but but it's it's alreadywithin your power to do this.
If you don't know how to do it, grab a spot onour calendar at transform my
future.comforward/supply, and we'll and we'llwalk hand in hand with you.
(24:12):
But we've had but we've but we know how to getpeople there.
We've done it over and over, and and it startedwith our own failure.
So just be know that it's a safe place, and,and, yeah, definitely book a call with Angie.
We would love to have a chat.
Oh, thank you so much.
You are the best example of role models andleaders of this message and the movement.
(24:36):
We can say movement maybe.
And please reach out to Angie and Alan.
They are amazing.
Thank you so much for our interview.
Thank you, Caroline.
Caroline.
See you in the next episode.
Thank you for listening to Inspired ChoiceToday.
I'm thrilled to have you on this journey ofgrowth and transformation.
(24:59):
Don't forget to hit follow or subscribe to stayconnected and never miss an episode.
And here's something special.
Grab your free 20-minute breakthrough sessionwith me.
It's designed to help you kick-start or levelup your business.
Just check out the show notes for more.
Until next time, keep making those inspiredchoices.
(25:21):
See you in the next episode.
What can I eat instead of boiled eggs andlettuce?
(00:03):
And she and I said, what would be different inthe last 30 days about what you've eaten that
would have saved the life of those you loved iftheir life were on the line, not yours, if it
was their life?
And it was so interesting.
She said, oh, I'd stop eating all the cookiesand ice cream.
And it's funny because she wasn't lying to us.
She was lying to herself.
And I said, well, how about doing that for thenext 200 days?
(00:24):
She said, really?
I said, yeah.
And then immediately, it started working.
Welcome to Inspired Choice Today.
I'm your host, Caroline Biesalski, here tobring you authentic stories, surprising
lessons, and powerful takeaways to fuel yourjourney in business and life.
In each episode, I'll take you from oneinspiring guest to the next, blending their
(00:47):
experiences with my expertise to uncoverpractical strategies you can use right away.
Whether you're starting out or stepping up,stay tuned for insights and actionable tips
that make a difference, and stick around untilthe end for a special freebie just for our
listeners.
(01:08):
Hello, and welcome, Inspired podcast community.
This is your new episode.
My name is Caroline, and my today's guests areAngie and Alan.
And I'm so happy that you said yes.
You see, I'm overwhelmed already with yourpresence here and that you both said yes to our
(01:30):
interview today.
How are you doing?
Doing great.
Little bit cold in North Florida, but lookingover it.
Yeah.
We're doing well.
Thank you for having us so much, Caroline.
We appreciate it.
Thank you so much.
I don't tell you.
Here in Germany, we already have snow in themountains where I am, of course.
So yeah.
(01:51):
But I see your irony there.
Or yeah.
I would like to introduce you to the audiencefirst, and I'm very excited about all those
numbers that are put in.
So you are transformational weight loss coacheswho conquered obesity after decades of failed
diets and exercise plans.
(02:13):
Alan, facing a life-changing moment at 304pounds, you lost 129 pounds in 260 days, while
Angie shed 63 pounds in 190 days.
Together, you founded Rethink Dieting, a uniquecoaching program that helps clients achieve
(02:33):
incredible weight loss results withoutprescribing diets or exercise routines.
Alan's motto, "The solution is never a diet.
It's a decision," reflects their empoweringapproach to unlocking potential and releasing
weight through mindset shifts and personalaccountability.
(02:54):
Welcome to the Inspired Choice Today podcast.
Oh my goodness.
Angie and Alan.
Thank you.
Thank you.
So great.
And my first question to you, and I'm soexcited to know more about you both, of course.
What was the pivotal mindset shift that helpedyou both achieve and sustain your weight loss
(03:16):
transformation?
That's pretty, you know, it's interesting.
Angie and I were just literally talking aboutthis just a moment ago.
We get so many questions, you know, typically,during a month, we have hundreds of people,
typically 400, 500, 600 people reach out to us.
But all we want to know and one of the firstquestions people say, well, what do you eat?
(03:37):
What do you eat?
And it's really interesting.
My question we answer back with a question thatwe've developed along our journey.
And, you know, do you have to change what youeat?
Of course, you do.
If you're like I was and you weighed 304 poundsand you're a 55-year-old man, it helps to do
some exercise if you're healthy enough.
(03:58):
Well, we've had clients.
We've got a client right now down 170 poundsthat physically cannot exercise, but down 170
pounds.
And so, but at the end of the day, it's amindset shift.
If you think of it this way, if you know yourideal weight and if people are wondering how to
figure out their ideal weight, this is how wehelp people figure out their ideal weight.
We don't go to a chart on the wall.
(04:20):
We don't go to a, you know, to a BMI chart,although that has some validity, of course.
But if you can imagine, we all know what weshould weigh.
If the creator of the universe walked into yourhome with the version of yourself you were
created to be at your present age, what doesthat version of you weigh?
That's your ideal weight, and it's so funny.
(04:40):
We've had, I've, Angie and I have talked topeople literally that have told us they want to
be one weight, and they said, oh, no.
No.
That version, I'd be 10 pounds lighter.
I'm like, why wouldn't you just say it?
You know?
So it's a decision about what you really,really, really want in owning it.
Second thing is, like so many, like a client ofours that lost nearly 200 pounds, that was so
funny.
(05:01):
He's the only person that we've ever coachedout of the hundreds of people that we work with
that had never been on a diet.
This gentleman was almost 500 pounds.
He was in a wheelchair if he had to walk morethan 10 feet.
I don't know how many kilometers that is, butit's not many.
And so he but he was he was and he struggled,and I told him just like we tell all our
(05:23):
clients.
We're never gonna tell you what to eat.
We're never gonna tell you what to exercise todo because if that were the problem, everybody
would already be thin.
Okay?
They would already be thin.
And so you're asking what this pivotal momentis, and I'm getting to this.
But it's so interesting.
You know, Sean, who he says, Alan, I've neverbeen on a diet.
I'm like, okay.
So you've never been on a diet.
(05:44):
If you, but if your wife and your 2 daughters,who you love dearly, were taken hostage, And
the only way to get them back alive is for youto do is for you to release 1 pound till you
reach that ideal weight that you told me youwant to weigh.
1 pound per week.
But you here's the catch.
(06:05):
You can't ask Google.
You can't you can't search it.
You can't search it on YouTube.
You can't ask a dietitian, nutritionist,physical fitness expert, even a physician.
However, what you eat has to be so healthy thatyour doctor would be absolutely ecstatic with
it, be thrilled with it.
What would you do differently moving forward sothat you could save your wife and your two
(06:29):
daughters' lives?
What would you do differently from what you'vedone in the past?
And he thought for about 30 seconds.
True story, Caroline.
He thought for about 30 seconds.
He said, I know what I'll do.
I'll start eating less.
I said, that's where you start.
And it is so interesting.
We think we have to have some special diet tofix this.
People are all very different.
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You know, you're different than Angie and I.
Angie's different from me.
I'm different than her.
We're all very different.
And and the diet industry has taken away ourour responsibility to become an expert on
ourselves.
And so when we put that we put that emphasisback on the individual, when we put that
(07:12):
emphasis back on the individual, they alwaysknow the solution, and remarkable things start
to happen from that point.
And so what was the pinnacle shift when Irealized it was my responsibility?
I realized when I stepped on the scale and saw304 pounds that I was gonna be known as Angie's
first husband.
I was gonna be a dead man if I didn't get theweight off.
(07:34):
I was 55 years old, and she'd be calling meshe'd be calling her first husband because I
would be dead.
You know, some other good-looking guy wouldhave come along who was rich and famous or
something a lot more so than me would comealong and sweep her off her feet, and I
wouldn't be there for my kids, for my family.
And then it's just we already know what to do.
(07:56):
Does that make sense, Caroline?
Absolutely.
I'm impressed, and you talked about mind shiftand mindset as well.
And while you were talking about this storywith your client and you asked this question,
what would be different?
Then I answered it for myself.
And I would have said, I would have had the orI would have the confidence to start or the
(08:24):
knowledge that I will succeed, and this wouldmove me.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Does it
I mean
Does it make sense?
You start,
yeah.
You start where you are.
And this is the thing.
We think we have to have everything so perfect.
I mean, it's kinda like Angie and I raised fourchildren together.
We, we've, we've had she, she birthed them.
We raised them together.
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We, and, and they're all adults.
They all survived childhood.
We didn't have a clue.
I mean, and so it's so interesting.
We, you know, we, we have children, people havechildren, and they don't know what to do.
They just learn as they go.
You start, you know, you start families.
You, you do, you start businesses.
You don't know everything about your business.
I will assure you that you've learned a lot inpodcasting since you began podcasting.
(09:08):
And but then for some reason with diet, wewanna know the magic formula.
And, really, what we're asking, Caroline, justto be totally transparent, what I was asking
for 35 years while I struggled with obesity,what Angie was asking for her 15 years of
struggle with her weight, was not what weshould eat.
It was when can we get to the land of eat asmuch as you want, whatever you want, and
(09:31):
whenever you want.
We just wanna get there, and I can tell youthat land does not exist this side of heaven.
You're gonna have to pay attention.
If you struggle, you're gonna it's it's gonnabe a challenge.
It's not gonna be easy.
But it's so interesting.
I know, you know, client Angie and I Angie justenrolled a client recently.
A lady who she's, you know, she what's what'sVicky been with us?
(09:54):
What?
Six weeks?
Six or seven weeks?
Something like that.
And and she came to us, you know, after she'dhad, I think, weight loss surgeries.
All these things have failed.
And she said, all I ever do is eat is eat, youknow, lettuce and boiled eggs.
And she and on our very first, you know,coaching we did with her.
(10:15):
And I said, okay.
I can appreciate that.
And so what I did was I asked her thosequestions.
You know, first, she told us she wanted to be150 pounds.
Then when I asked her the question about her,about if the creative universe walked into her
home and introduced her to the version ofherself that she was creating to be at her
present age, what she weighed, she said, well,I want to be 135
(10:37):
That version's 135 pounds.
I said, well, that's where you go to.
She said, oh, but I want to get to 150 first.
I said, you won't get to 135 without getting to150.
You start where you want to go to begin
Get a real clear vision of where you wanna be.
Okay?
And then I asked her that same question aboutshe said, but I'll eat this.
And I asked her the same question about, if herfamily and loved ones were taken hostage.
(11:02):
And I said, what would be different about youreating in the last 30 days?
Remember, she asked me what to eat.
What can I eat instead of boiled eggs andlettuce?
And I said, what would be different in the last30 days about what you've eaten that would have
saved the life of those you loved if their lifewere on the line, not yours, if it was their
life?
And it was so interesting.
She said, oh, I'd stop eating all the cookiesand ice cream.
(11:24):
And it's funny because she wasn't lying to us.
She was lying to herself.
And I said, well, how about doing that for thenext 200 days?
She said, really?
I said, yeah.
And then immediately, it started working.
Immediately, she drops within a week 5 pounds.
Now the first 5 pounds, most of it's waterweight.
We always get that big weight loss bump in thebeginning.
And it was so interesting.
(11:46):
Then she goes right back into that samethinking, that same mindset.
Oh, I always get stuck.
I never can do it.
I said, okay.
Let's jump on a call.
Let's figure this out.
We get on the Zoom with her, and we have anhonest conversation.
And I said to her, I said, okay, Vicky.
How long do you normally give it when you getfrustrated?
She told us she was always stuck at 197
(12:08):
I said, how long do you normally give it whenyou're stuck to go back to the cookies and ice
cream?
And she said, maybe a day.
I said, okay.
Would you give me 30 without the scale moving abit?
She said 30 days.
I said, if it doesn't move a bit, then we'llrevisit it.
I said, but give me 30 days, and you just giveme 30 days like your family's life depends on
(12:31):
it.
And the very next day, the scale dropped below197.
Okay.
Now she's down to—now she's breaking into the170s.
She's at 180.
Okay.
She's dropped, and she's always getting stuckhere and said, no.
You don't.
This is another opportunity for growth.
It's another opportunity to overcome theobstacle.
And it's so interesting.
And I said, so tell me now.
We asked her this, what, about a week ago.
(12:53):
What her confidence level was that she wasgonna reach her ideal weight?
Now this is key, Caroline.
It's extremely key.
She said, well, it wasn't very high in thebeginning, she said, but I'm positive I'm
getting there now for the first time ever.
This is after weight loss surgeries havefailed.
This is after all these diets have failed.
Now she's positive.
And so does it mean that the scale won't dothis up and down routine?
(13:15):
No.
It's gonna do that.
It's not a we always want we want success to bethe straight line.
We want weight loss to be the straight line,45-degree angle.
It doesn't work like that.
And it's so interesting.
But as she she's becoming an expert on herself,she's realizing certain things about food she's
eating didn't it didn't work to her benefitthat she thought were.
(13:36):
They were, quote, healthy foods, but theyreacted a certain way in her body.
Like, I didn't we didn't Angie and I didn'tteach her that.
She's become an expert on herself, so she's nolonger hostage to the diet industry.
She's no longer hostage to the belief that itcan't be done.
And, Vicky, she's winning in so many ways whileshe still has weight to release.
(13:57):
She, you know, she's certainly wearing smallersizes that thankfully she had saved.
And actually some friends have given her someclothes because with her weight loss.
But the real joy that Al and I have with her,recent, recent account with our conversation
with her is that fault.
She sings in her choir.
(14:18):
She's always been on the back row.
And while, again, just down maybe I think she's25 pounds of about 100, close to 100, that
she's planning to go, she has moved to thefront row with the choir.
She's not hiding behind the other people.
She is out front being heard because she knowsshe is on her way.
(14:40):
She believes she can do it.
She can.
She always could.
But she has the tools, and she is on her way.
And so she is living life differently.
Yeah.
And that's what sets us—oh, I mean, I get achill thinking about how her life has changed,
and she's not even all the way yet.
(15:03):
Outstanding.
Thank you so much.
You said something very important.
She always could, yeah, but she was not awareof it.
So she had not the confidence, and youempowered her.
Well, we helped her change the questions shewas asking herself.
(15:24):
You know, instead of asking the question, whycan't I?
You know, change your questions.
I mean, if you want to change, and this iswhether you're starting a podcast, you're
starting a business, you're raising children.
It's like, well, first of all, what one man orwoman can do, another man or woman can do at
some level.
Okay?
That doesn't mean that I'm gonna be an NBAbasketball star because I'm 5'11".
(15:48):
It's pretty doubtful that at age 63, I'm gonnajoin the NBA.
But there are things that we can all do withinour ability, and there's no reason why she
can't do it.
And she's building that belief, and that beliefshift is changing her confidence.
So now she's stepping into the 135-poundversion of herself before her body has caught
up.
Does that make sense?
(16:09):
I mean, so Caroline, think of it this way.
If you were to—if all of a sudden you were—andyou probably heard this metaphor before, but
it's very cold in Germany right now.
Right?
Yes.
Okay.
So how cold is it in Germany right now inCelsius?
Or if you don't hear
(16:30):
it?
No.
It's like 0 degrees in Celsius.
I don't know how how
much it is.
So 0 in Celsius is that's freezing.
That's 32 degrees in Fahrenheit.
Okay?
Yeah.
Now here's what's interesting.
You're not even to the real cold weather yet.
Right?
No.
That right.
So, like, 32 is not a big deal to you.
(16:51):
Right?
No.
Okay.
Yeah.
Or 0 degrees Celsius.
So Angie and I, we live in Florida.
We live in North Florida.
Okay.
We get some days that get down into thethirties, maybe.
That would be equivalent to your below zeroprobably because of the fact that we're so
used.
It's like 2, 3, 4 degrees Celsius is likenegative 20 Celsius for us.
(17:15):
You know?
Does that make sense?
So what I'm saying is we have our thermostatset at a certain level of what we're accustomed
to.
We like warm weather.
We're not gonna—when it gets down to below 50,we're like, oh my gosh.
It's freezing.
It's not freezing.
It's our belief that it is.
You know, for Vicky or for somebody like Rick,like I was talking about earlier.
I mean, Rick was so interesting.
(17:36):
He believed it was too late for him.
Okay?
Rick was a 70-year-old real estate agent whohad retired because he couldn't even stand up
without the aid of a walking device.
He'd allowed himself to get morbidly obese for50 years.
He was 50, 52 years.
He'd been obese.
(17:57):
And he didn't really understand that he had thetools to lose the weight already.
When he came to us about three years ago, hesaid, hey, guys.
I can't exercise.
You know, I've got a fused vertebrae.
I walk with a walker.
I've had heart attacks.
I've had, you know, all these medicalconditions.
I said, so?
(18:17):
I mean, I care about him.
And I said, I'm positive it'll work if you'lldo the work that we require.
And so for the first time in Rick's life sincehe was 18 years old, he just escaped obesity
about a month ago.
It took him three years, but he hit 206.
That's out of the obese category in a BMIchart.
(18:37):
While I don't put a lot of stock in BMI, it's abig deal because people say that they can't do
it.
He had every excuse in the world.
It was hard.
It was harder for him.
It was harder for him than it would be for us.
It was harder for him than it would be anyclient we've ever had.
But Rick has this belief, and here's what'sinteresting.
He's going to 188 pounds.
(18:59):
And he thought he completely thought I was alunatic when I asked him to take a picture of
himself in 20, in 20, what was it, 2021.
I said, take a picture of yourself becauseyou're not gonna recognize yourself when you
reach your ideal weight.
You will not look like the same person, and hedoesn't.
I mean, he said, he said, Alan, I thought youwere a lunatic.
(19:19):
I said, no.
I was positive that you could do it.
I didn't know if you'd do the work, but he did.
And this is what I want your listeners to hear.
It's possible for them.
It's not about fat shaming or any of that.
We don't believe in that.
If you know your ideal weight, and I believeyou do, every person that's listening to this
podcast, and you're not there, then starttaking the steps to get there.
(19:44):
And that's what Rick did.
He took his steps, which were a lot harder thanyour steps would be or my steps or Angie's or
anybody we've ever run across.
But it just proves how it works.
And he'll be down 200 pounds total when hecompletes his journey.
And and at that point, he can't just he's he'snot he knows he's not going to the land of eat
as much as you want, whatever you want,whatever you want.
(20:05):
It doesn't exist.
He has to keep applying the same principleslong term to stay there, and he's learned those
principles.
And it was never about whether he eat broccolior couldn't have a doughnut.
It was about, are you sick and tired of thismorbid obesity and ready to do something about
it?
And he was.
And it worked.
(20:26):
It does every time when people do the work, themindset work.
Yes.
You said it starts with the decision as well.
And, wow.
It's so amazing.
I learned so much.
Thank you so much.
I have one last question for you.
Yes.
Let me ask you this.
Do you set goals for yourself, or what is oneof your next projects?
(20:48):
And please, if you can tell us where we canfind you when people want to reach out to you
after listening to this episode.
We do have a big goal for ourselves.
It's what we call a BHAG, a big, hairy,audacious goal.
We want Rethink Dieting to change thetrajectory of obesity.
That's gonna take about 100,000 men and womenevery day.
(21:08):
The world today, including children, is over abillion of these people.
But what alarms us more about that than eventhe health concerns.
We're really concerned for people's health.
We want people to live a long time and to havethe life that they were created to live.
But at the end of the day, people are just likeVicky was hiding in the back row of required.
(21:30):
There's so much impact that people have thatthey will never have if they don't get the
weight off.
And that's what we're passionate about.
But we created something for your audience.
They can go to Transform My Future.
Yes.
Where to find us?
Go to transformmyfuture.com, Transform M Y F UT U R E.
(21:56):
I got lost.
Transform My Future and put it alltogether.com/forward/inspiredchoice.
Okay?
We created a link, yeah, inspired choice justfor your audience.
Go to transformmyfuture.com/forward/inspiredchoice, the name of your podcast, and they can
watch a free training.
Now here's the thing.
If people already know that they're ready togo, they can just go to
(22:22):
transformmyfuture.com/forward/apply.
We're not too busy for any of your audience,and they can, now there's nowhere on our
website to buy Rethink Dieting.
Rethink Dieting is by invitation only, and it'sfor this reason, because we want to get on the
phone and find out how bad somebody's problemwith weight is, how committed they are to solve
it if we believe that we're the solution.
(22:42):
And if we do, we'll invite them in, and we'llget them there.
But they've got to do the work.
They've got to be ready.
Oh, thank you so much.
This is an honor, and I would check it out asyour first, of course.
I check out the website.
I put it in the show notes, of course.
And I'm honored and blessed by your presencetoday.
(23:03):
This is such an important message.
Thank you so much.
A message.
Now is the time for your final message orthoughts to the audience.
It's really what's our final message is thatanybody can do this.
Anybody can do it.
And if they're looking for a magical diet, amagical drug, a magical surgery, they're
(23:28):
looking in the wrong place.
It's much like, you know, not to preach to youraudience, but it's like the Israelites.
They were looking for a shortcut to walk an11-day journey that took them 40 years in the
Exodus from Egypt to the promised land.
That's what stopped me and Angie from reachingour ideal weight.
It was always this close.
Stop looking for a shortcut.
(23:49):
Do the work.
The mindset work is what you have to do first.
The the food, the nutrition, the the exercise,yeah, that's that's absolutely gonna gonna help
the journey too, but but it's it's alreadywithin your power to do this.
If you don't know how to do it, grab a spot onour calendar at transform my
future.comforward/supply, and we'll and we'llwalk hand in hand with you.
(24:12):
But we've had but we've but we know how to getpeople there.
We've done it over and over, and and it startedwith our own failure.
So just be know that it's a safe place, and,and, yeah, definitely book a call with Angie.
We would love to have a chat.
Oh, thank you so much.
You are the best example of role models andleaders of this message and the movement.
(24:36):
We can say movement maybe.
And please reach out to Angie and Alan.
They are amazing.
Thank you so much for our interview.
Thank you, Caroline.
Caroline.
See you in the next episode.
Thank you for listening to Inspired ChoiceToday.
I'm thrilled to have you on this journey ofgrowth and transformation.
(24:59):
Don't forget to hit follow or subscribe to stayconnected and never miss an episode.
And here's something special.
Grab your free 20-minute breakthrough sessionwith me.
It's designed to help you kick-start or levelup your business.
Just check out the show notes for more.
Until next time, keep making those inspiredchoices.
(25:21):
See you in the next episode.
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