October 17, 2024 • 21 mins
Is a stubborn addiction or habit holding you back from the life you want? In this candid episode, Kevin Tinter shares his personal journey of overcoming sugar addiction and reveals the 3-step strategy that finally helped him break free after years of struggle.
Drawing from his own experiences and insights from "Atomic Habits" by James Clear, Kevin discusses:
- The power of admitting you have a problem
- Why public accountability is crucial for lasting change
- How shifting your identity can transform your behavior
- Practical strategies for navigating temptation and social situations
- The importance of proving to yourself that you can change
Kevin and Bekah offer actionable advice on breaking free from addictive behaviors while keeping faith and personal growth at the center. They share personal anecdotes about family dynamics, vacation challenges, and the unexpected benefits of overcoming addiction.
Whether you're battling sugar cravings, another type of addiction, or simply feeling stuck in an unhealthy pattern, this episode provides valuable insights to help you take control and create lasting change. Join us for a conversation that will inspire you to approach your challenges with renewed determination and hope.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Hey guys, welcome to the Uncommon Freedom Show.
Kevin Tinter here with mylovely wife, Beck.
Beck say hi.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Hello everybody, Becca Tinter here and glad to be
with you for another episode ofthe Uncommon Freedom Show.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
Yeah, we're really excited.
So we are going to be hostingcoming up in about a month and a
half, uh, early december we aregoing to be hosting a workshop
on, basically, how to thrive in2025.
We're going to condense ouryear-end reflection.
Year-end reflection guide and weactually have it being revamped
(00:40):
into an awesome workbookinstead of just a printable.
Yes, um, and and we're reallyexcited, so we're going to spend
a couple hours.
If you live in the Gilbert areaof Arizona, you can join us.
We'll be publishing details.
We're still working outregistration costs and things
like that and all those details,but we're really excited.
Basically, we're going to bewalking our friends through the
(01:02):
people who join us.
We're going to be walking themthrough the process that we've
really developed and used forthe last several years to help
us what we call design our life,Absolutely All right.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Let's get started on this week.
We're going to talk about thethree steps to overcoming
addiction.
So what brought on this topic?
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Yeah.
So I'm really excited becauseI'm sharing just the practical
steps that I have implementedsince really August 1st, or
maybe a couple days before then,to finally overcome my sugar
addiction, and so I know many,many people struggle with food
addictions.
There's lots of otheraddictions out there.
I'm certainly not an addictionspecialist, but I also know that
(01:40):
there's a lot of crap and 12steps and this, and that that
work for some people and a lotof it is more academic or it's
more kind of theoretical asopposed to what has actually
helped me, because I've beenworking on my health journey for
over 13 years and, without adoubt, the one thing for me has
always been sugar.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
We're definitely not suggesting you not get
additional help if neededAbsolutely sugar.
We're definitely not suggestingyou not get additional help if
needed.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Absolutely, but I'm confident, because of how much I
struggled with sugar addiction,that if this worked for me and
you legitimately apply thesethree steps, I'm confident that
you can have victory withwhatever addiction you might be
struggling with.
I'm pretty impressed Now thereare some things that have
medical need, medicalsupervision.
So I believe that actuallyalcohol is one of those things
(02:29):
that can cause.
I'm trying to.
I'm reaching back, you know,into my law enforcement days.
I know that alcohol withdrawalcan actually require medical
supervision and there are somedrugs that if you quit cold
turkey, can have some prettyserious side effects Medically.
I don't know what kind ofsupervision you need for that,
so keep that in mind.
(02:50):
But if we're talking about amore habit, lifestyle type
addiction that you might have, Ireally think these are going to
work.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Okay, so let's start with number one.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
All right.
The first one is to admit youhave a problem.
This is really crucial becauseacknowledgement is the first
step in any recovery process.
It's one thing to say I man, Ireally like it, or this is a
weakness of mine.
It's a whole nother thing tosay I'm downright addicted Like.
This is out of control in mylife.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
When did you realize this about sugar?
Speaker 1 (03:20):
I think I've known it , for, I mean, I've known it for
a very long time.
I mean I tell people that mygrandmother, on my dad's side of
the family, she spelled lovewith sugar.
You know, the second my parentswould leave when I was a little
kid, she would bring a pursefull of candy and it's just how
(03:41):
she knew to love.
She would start, you know, notforce feeding me, because I was
so sugar deprived as a littlekid that it was like, oh yeah,
sugar.
But that's just.
And when I look back, you knowthere's kind of like probably a
generational sugar addiction inmy family, and so I've known
that I struggled with it.
But just realizing that, comingto grips with the fact that,
(04:03):
man, I have to make this change,it was probably the one thing
holding up your health journeywould you say, without a doubt
you were doing so many otherthings well.
Exactly, exactly.
And when I went 11 weekswithout sugar, and just so
people know, when I talk aboutgoing without sugar, I'm really
talking about eliminating junkfood.
If there's incidental sugar ina recipe, whether it's, you know
(04:24):
, pancake mix or bread orsomething like that, I'm not
completely eliminating all sugar.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
If he accidentally eats chocolate chip cookies
because they have sugar in itJust kidding.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
We don't do that around here, nope.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
I've been very intentional to avoid that stuff,
that's right?
Speaker 2 (04:37):
I would say you grew up with so little sugar, right?
I mean at least what you share,if I remember correctly.
Growing up, I mean yogurt wasdessert was kind of how you
described it.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
Oh yeah, yeah, I mean when my mom was in charge you
know yogurt would actually, butactually the funny thing is we
didn't read nutrition labelsback then.
Right, right and actually, ifyou were to look at the type of
yogurt we used to eat, I thinkit was.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
Dannon.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Dannon and Breyers, like the fruit at the bottom yes
, it's actually loaded withsugar at the bottom was like the
best part of the.
It was it was, but it wasactually loaded with sugar.
But you know, when you're a kidyou know, dessert is not yogurt
, it's ice cream.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
So when your dad was in charge, did you guys have
treats way back?
Speaker 1 (05:16):
when, um, there weren't a ton of times when my
mom traveled or left, and my dadwas responsible for us
definitely he would splurge withsugar.
You know, if we were doing aday with dad or something like
that, we would definitely haveum more sugar than we would, and
I actually.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
I saw the same type of probably the same thing in
our house, wouldn't you say yeah?
Speaker 1 (05:39):
I mean, I definitely like you know, when we, when we
first started camping and Iwould take the kids, like it was
s'mores and smacos and Chicagomix and things like that.
So anyways, we don't need todwell on all of my bad habits,
but one of the things I justwant to talk about is that
admitting the problem allows theperson to face reality and
recognize the need for change,and it's also the point where
(06:02):
they can start seeking help andresources.
Now I'm grateful that I didn'tneed help like professional help
and resources, although I diduse resources.
I'm going to talk about thebook Atomic Habits real quickly,
which is a phenomenal book.
It really kind of helped memake that mental pivot to
implement all the steps that I'mtalking about here in just a
second.
So the second step was topublicly declare your commitment
(06:25):
to change and inviteaccountability.
So, once again, I think all ofus know especially you think
about your health.
You think about maybe yourfinancial situation, maybe in
your relationships or yourmarriage.
I think we all know what's thatone thing.
And maybe we just struggle inone area and so maybe it's an
(06:45):
addiction to shopping or youknow amazon or something like
that.
For me, I always knew that theone thing was sugar and I always
hesitated.
I would say I'm gonna in myhead, say I'm gonna go without
sugar, but without that publicaccountability it didn't have
the same effect and I did 11weeks without sugar in about two
(07:07):
and a half years ago a littleless than two and a half years
ago, and one of the things I didis said I'm going without sugar
in the entire month of I thinkit was April is when I kicked it
off.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
And that public decoration made a huge
difference, and so definitelydifferent than I think, cause
you've told me before thingsbefore and it's it's not great,
honestly, to have your spouse beyour accountability partner in
some of these areas.
I mean, what happens with us is, you know, we tell each other
we want accountability and thenthe other person steps into
check-in and it's very naggingor it feels that way and, um,
(07:37):
you know, as the spouse, it'salso hard to watch, cause you're
like, well, are you doing it orare're not doing it?
But again, it's not the bestrole.
It's better to have outsideaccountability to just protect
the integrity of your marriageand yeah, so I think the
combination is but when you goon public and you don't have to
declare this to the entire world, right?
Speaker 1 (07:53):
But could be a small group of people public
commitment to a group that willhold you accountable.
So, for me, what I did was andalso people that you don't want
to let down and so it makes mefeel like crap, because it's
just the familiarity of amarriage relationship makes it
not the ideal.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
I just had the epiphany that I should have used
a different motivational tactic.
I can just imagine if I hadsaid to you no sex If you have
any sugar that is not healthyfor the marriage.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
That wouldn't have helped.
I mean, I feel like I mean thatwould not.
That is not.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
OK, it's not biblical .
We're not going to hold back onsex.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
The way that I did this is I told our like group of
coaches that we work with andwe train with on a regular basis
that are also health-minded.
I said, hey guys, I'm sharingsomething that I have struggled
with that and.
I'm making a commitment and forme, my commitment was that I not
have any sugar until I geteither below 10% body fat which
(08:55):
I'm still working towards buthaven't reached yet or we reach
a different business metricmilestone like a specific goal
that we've been working on Right, and there were two goals that
I knew were going to take sometime to get to.
So it wasn't like a okay, I'mjust going to do this for one
week.
It was like I knew Iintentionally invited
accountability and said I'm notgoing to have any until I do
(09:18):
something that I knew was goingto take several months to
accomplish.
And actually, you know, theinteresting thing is I just kind
of reflect on this is that I'mokay with how long it's taking
me to get below 10% because now,granted, my, my mindset has
totally shifted.
Where in the past was like,okay, I'm below 10%, I'm going
to have sugar, it was like Icrossed the finish line.
My mindset has totally shifted.
(09:38):
You didn't reset yourstructural tension when you
exactly exactly, but I'm alsookay with it taking me so long
because I know the longer ittakes me, the more I'm cementing
the habit of not having sugar.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
And you are microdosing adversity.
I would say yeah, yeah, whichyou're really good at.
I have to admire you for that.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
But the key here was the public declaration to people
that I didn't want to let down.
I mean, the bottom line is thegroup of people I made the
commitment to.
We are kind of the figureheadleaders.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
Right.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
And there were times where I'm taking the kids out
and they're having ice cream, orjust you know.
There's moments of weaknesswhere I've been very tempted,
almost without thinking, to dosomething, and then I'm like
wait a minute, I promised, Imade a commitment to my coaches
and I'm not going to let themdown, and so that key is really
(10:26):
important, the publicdeclaration once again, but the
key is to a group that's goingto support you not a group
that's going to mock you and nota group that is not going to
hold you accountable, Right,right.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
And I feel like once you make that commitment, then
you have to change how you thinkabout yourself, right?
Speaker 3 (10:45):
Uncommon.
Freedom is a game changer, notonly for the focused leader.
Freedom is a game changer notonly for the focused leader, but
also for the rudderlesssojourner seeking direction.
When Kevin talks, I listen, Ilean in and always leave a
better man.
As the wisdom of Proverbs 3.13states, happy is the man who
finds wisdom and the man whogains understanding.
(11:05):
I want to warn you in advanceto prepare your spirit for a
heart and mind shift.
As you read this book.
I have learned that convictioncomes when the heart is open to
change.
As I read this book, I wasmoved on several occasions to
evaluate my personal life andmake course corrections.
This isn't just a book.
It's a manual for creatinggodly leaders who we desperately
(11:30):
need today and especially asour children walk the earth in,
whatever it looks like 10, 20,30 years from now.
Who knows that?
We need leaders who embodythese things?
Because not only do we needpeople who are healthy and
wealthy and have the right heart, but we need people who know
(11:51):
where the spirit of the Lord is,there is freedom.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
So let's talk about number three.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
Yeah, so this was probably.
This was the one thing that I'dnever done before.
I've admitted I have a problembefore.
I've publicly declared thecommitment and invited the
accountability.
But this third step issomething that really the Atomic
Habits book helped me make thisshift and that is switching my
identity from an addict to thenew person I want to become.
(12:24):
So James Clear in the booktalks about that.
When and I think when I talk topeople who have tried 12-step
programs and I know that theycan be helpful for some people,
but I also know that theirsuccess rate is actually fairly
low and my understanding is like, if you're an alcoholic and you
go to aa, you say my name iskevin and I'm an alcoholic
(12:46):
you're constantly identifying,you're constantly identifying as
an alcoholic and the one theidea here is I, I think to say
you know what they want you tobe honest, I'm always going to.
Yeah, I have an issue with this.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
Right.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
But what James Clear talks about is your identity,
when you identify as somethingyou behave with what goes along
with that you meet theexpectations of that identity
Exactly, naturally, and so inthe past I said I'm a sugar
addict.
I thought it was like thishumble thing to say just admit
the fact that I was a sugaraddict.
But what I realized is I havethe power to change from being a
(13:17):
sugar addict to actuallysomeone who's no longer
controlled by sugar, who doesn'tcelebrate it.
I mean, we're getting ready toleave on our annual favorite
family vacation where we have achef available to us.
They cook, you know, dessert,lunch and dinner, and I've
already made decided like it'snot, in fact, it wasn't even a
decision but I'm not going tohave dessert when in the past
(13:37):
it's like well, this is aspecial occasion, I'm going to
have dessert and I'll get backon track when I get back.
But I've been, you know, ouramazing.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
I'm really impressed by this.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
He was saying you know what I'm done being a sugar
addict?
Yes, I realized I've had aweakness with this in my entire
life, but I'm done with it.
Yeah, I have the ability tochange it and I'm the type of
person now who actually isn'tcontrolled by sugar.
So my identity has shifted andbecause of that, my mind is
different.
My behavior, behavior isdifferent.
I'm no longer like I make afruit smoothie or I have an
(14:15):
apple with some almonds orpeanut butter or something like
that, and it's amazing howdelicious it tastes and that's
my dessert now.
And but the identity fact ofsaying I'm no longer a sugar
addict, uh, is been anabsolutely powerful.
That was a missing piece for me.
So I you know this is going tobe a relatively short podcast,
(14:38):
but I hope I know there's otherpeople out there that can
struggle.
And so you know the key isadmitting you have a problem,
make a public declaration andcommitment and ask for
accountability, but the keythere being from people that
will support you and encourageyou and then switching your
identity from what you don'twant to be to who you want to be
(14:59):
.
So, once again, for me, eventhe last time I went 11 weeks
without sugar.
I was like I was stillidentifying as a sugar addict,
right, and so eventually, likeyou know, it was actually
Father's Day weekend.
I enjoyed some treats, had somesugar and I did a good job for a
while of like, only havingsugar once a week.
And but it became this slow,kind of slow creep back to my
(15:19):
old habits.
And the other thing is itreally it's amazing this is how
I knew I was addicted is becausewhen I couldn't have it, I
thought about it a lot and Ialso realized, like man, I would
go to it.
B thought about it a lot and Ialso realized, like man, I would
go to it bored, angry, tired.
Yeah, hungry, angry, lonely,tired.
I mean, it was just a way pasttime and just deciding like I'm
now the type of person that I'mnot an addict anymore and so my
(15:40):
behavior because I'm not anaddict, my behavior has changed,
my mindset has changed.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
so can I just say, as your wife, this is very sexy oh
very very sexy and also I wascracking up inside because when
I was a school teacher inokinawa, japan, um, I I was
pretty healthy minded, like Iwould go running frequently.
I ate, I think, pretty healthy,not like I know how to eat now,
um, but I had committed to myfellow first grade teachers that
(16:05):
I was only going to have sugaron saturdays.
I think I kept up with it.
I really can't remember.
It was a long time ago, but oneof the joke gifts they gave me
one year for Christmas orsomething was a calendar that
was all Saturdays as a joke,because they knew how
disciplined I was about it orwhatever.
So it was something that justcame to mind.
I completely forgot about that.
(16:26):
Also, I wanted to, just as wekind of close, say what the
power is in that word becoming.
Because you might say like well, a lot of people want to be
healthy, but they know they'renot healthy yet.
So it feels like cognitivedissonance to be like I'm a
healthy person but maybe you'rea hundred pounds overweight or
you have the behavior and habitsthat are not healthy yet.
But when you say becoming, it'sthat transition process of like
(16:52):
I'm starting to make thosedecisions.
Now I hear you saying you're,you're kind of there Like you've
arrived from this standpoint ofyour mindset has completely
shifted.
But when you're in the process,at the very least you're saying
I'm becoming the type of personwho doesn't consume sugar
anymore.
So I guess that's a helpful,maybe step people to take so
that overnight, you don't becomethis and james clear talks
about.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
Every decision you make becomes a vote.
It's a vote person.
You want to be so while you'revoting at the beginning
especially.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
Yes, you have to have the becoming absolutely.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
yeah, um, and there's .
It's not like I don't have thisawareness in, like I realize
that I'm I'm now.
You know, my identity haschanged, I've overcome this
addiction, but I also realize itwas a weakness in my life in
the past, and so I'm not goingto be reckless with the fact
that, if I go back to old habits, that the addiction couldn't
(17:41):
come back number one, and then Iwas going to say something else
and it just kind of lost mymind.
I think the power, though, ofmaking decisions ahead of time,
I mean I've made through someevents.
Like you know, I went back toOhio one little about a one
month into this, and Ohio has, Ithink, the best ice cream in
the world.
Speaker 2 (18:01):
It is my kryptonite.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
I go there once, maybe twice a year.
Mitchell's ice creamunbelievable ice cream.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
And you wouldn't go and normally just have a scoop
of ice cream.
I always get the largest.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
It would be like a scoop waffle largest and I would
get one to go and have onewhile I'm there or get up, you
know a slightly appalling to goyeah, I mean it was uh just
being honest with people and thetruth was sugar didn't really
affect my weight.
I mean I kept my weight stillfor the last several years like
the worst I ever got was in the14% body fat.
Speaker 2 (18:32):
Which is pretty amazing.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
It is, and so the reality is like I was, like I
could, I could manage myaddiction, right, but it was
impacting my life and you know Imean, if you looked at what I
spent my cash on, you'd sayyou're not a health coach.
You know, you're not a healthyperson.
I mean, I even looked like it.
But if you actually looked likewhat, looked at what my habits
(18:55):
were, at least in you knowdifferent slices of time.
So but when?
When?
I made it through the entireweekend, I mean dinners and all
kinds of stuff, my aunts alsohomemade gelato, which is
amazing, and it was just likeI'm not going to have it, I'm
not going to have a taste.
Those making it through eventslike that were huge boosts in
(19:16):
confidence.
Those were some major votes.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
They're like okay, like you're not addicted to
sugar anymore.
A lot of times, we just need toprove to ourselves that we can
do something.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
And I want to just encourage us all Like we will
hold other people peopleaccountable, far more
accountable than we'll holdourselves.
We quit on ourselves muchquicker than we quit on other
people so, anyways, I hope thisencourages you guys.
Um, I know and here's the thingis that sugar I've heard this
over and over is far moreaddictive than cocaine so this
is why we have not tried cocainefor the record.
(19:45):
But this is why I know that if Ican beat sugar, you can be just
about anything in your lifethat you're struggling with.
And just want to encourage youguys, do it If you're if you're
going to take something on,please, you know, comment either
on the podcast or in the video.
Um, send us a message and I'mgoing to root you on.
Um, and you know, shoot me yourstories, cause I want to cheer
(20:07):
for you guys.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
Love that so excited.
And again, just another steptowards creating a life of
uncommon freedom.
You know again, common is to beaddicted to things that don't
serve you well.
Uncommon is choosing to breaksome of those chains, create
those habits and become the bestversion of yourself.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
All right, let's go on vacation.
Amen, see you later.
All right, friends.
Please subscribe to the podcastfor more insights on blending
entrepreneurship and theentrepreneurial mindset with
intentional living.
You can follow us on socialmedia.
We are on instagram, primarily,and facebook, and you're going
(20:46):
to find daily tips andinspiration from us there.
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listening to us on.
Hey guys, welcome to the Uncommon Freedom Show.
Kevin Tinter here with mylovely wife, Beck.
Beck say hi.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Hello everybody, Becca Tinter here and glad to be
with you for another episode ofthe Uncommon Freedom Show.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
Yeah, we're really excited.
So we are going to be hostingcoming up in about a month and a
half, uh, early december we aregoing to be hosting a workshop
on, basically, how to thrive in2025.
We're going to condense ouryear-end reflection.
Year-end reflection guide and weactually have it being revamped
(00:40):
into an awesome workbookinstead of just a printable.
Yes, um, and and we're reallyexcited, so we're going to spend
a couple hours.
If you live in the Gilbert areaof Arizona, you can join us.
We'll be publishing details.
We're still working outregistration costs and things
like that and all those details,but we're really excited.
Basically, we're going to bewalking our friends through the
(01:02):
people who join us.
We're going to be walking themthrough the process that we've
really developed and used forthe last several years to help
us what we call design our life,Absolutely All right.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Let's get started on this week.
We're going to talk about thethree steps to overcoming
addiction.
So what brought on this topic?
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Yeah.
So I'm really excited becauseI'm sharing just the practical
steps that I have implementedsince really August 1st, or
maybe a couple days before then,to finally overcome my sugar
addiction, and so I know many,many people struggle with food
addictions.
There's lots of otheraddictions out there.
I'm certainly not an addictionspecialist, but I also know that
(01:40):
there's a lot of crap and 12steps and this, and that that
work for some people and a lotof it is more academic or it's
more kind of theoretical asopposed to what has actually
helped me, because I've beenworking on my health journey for
over 13 years and, without adoubt, the one thing for me has
always been sugar.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
We're definitely not suggesting you not get
additional help if neededAbsolutely sugar.
We're definitely not suggestingyou not get additional help if
needed.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Absolutely, but I'm confident, because of how much I
struggled with sugar addiction,that if this worked for me and
you legitimately apply thesethree steps, I'm confident that
you can have victory withwhatever addiction you might be
struggling with.
I'm pretty impressed Now thereare some things that have
medical need, medicalsupervision.
So I believe that actuallyalcohol is one of those things
(02:29):
that can cause.
I'm trying to.
I'm reaching back, you know,into my law enforcement days.
I know that alcohol withdrawalcan actually require medical
supervision and there are somedrugs that if you quit cold
turkey, can have some prettyserious side effects Medically.
I don't know what kind ofsupervision you need for that,
so keep that in mind.
(02:50):
But if we're talking about amore habit, lifestyle type
addiction that you might have, Ireally think these are going to
work.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Okay, so let's start with number one.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
All right.
The first one is to admit youhave a problem.
This is really crucial becauseacknowledgement is the first
step in any recovery process.
It's one thing to say I man, Ireally like it, or this is a
weakness of mine.
It's a whole nother thing tosay I'm downright addicted Like.
This is out of control in mylife.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
When did you realize this about sugar?
Speaker 1 (03:20):
I think I've known it , for, I mean, I've known it for
a very long time.
I mean I tell people that mygrandmother, on my dad's side of
the family, she spelled lovewith sugar.
You know, the second my parentswould leave when I was a little
kid, she would bring a pursefull of candy and it's just how
(03:41):
she knew to love.
She would start, you know, notforce feeding me, because I was
so sugar deprived as a littlekid that it was like, oh yeah,
sugar.
But that's just.
And when I look back, you knowthere's kind of like probably a
generational sugar addiction inmy family, and so I've known
that I struggled with it.
But just realizing that, comingto grips with the fact that,
(04:03):
man, I have to make this change,it was probably the one thing
holding up your health journeywould you say, without a doubt
you were doing so many otherthings well.
Exactly, exactly.
And when I went 11 weekswithout sugar, and just so
people know, when I talk aboutgoing without sugar, I'm really
talking about eliminating junkfood.
If there's incidental sugar ina recipe, whether it's, you know
(04:24):
, pancake mix or bread orsomething like that, I'm not
completely eliminating all sugar.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
If he accidentally eats chocolate chip cookies
because they have sugar in itJust kidding.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
We don't do that around here, nope.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
I've been very intentional to avoid that stuff,
that's right?
Speaker 2 (04:37):
I would say you grew up with so little sugar, right?
I mean at least what you share,if I remember correctly.
Growing up, I mean yogurt wasdessert was kind of how you
described it.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
Oh yeah, yeah, I mean when my mom was in charge you
know yogurt would actually, butactually the funny thing is we
didn't read nutrition labelsback then.
Right, right and actually, ifyou were to look at the type of
yogurt we used to eat, I thinkit was.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
Dannon.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Dannon and Breyers, like the fruit at the bottom yes
, it's actually loaded withsugar at the bottom was like the
best part of the.
It was it was, but it wasactually loaded with sugar.
But you know, when you're a kidyou know, dessert is not yogurt
, it's ice cream.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
So when your dad was in charge, did you guys have
treats way back?
Speaker 1 (05:16):
when, um, there weren't a ton of times when my
mom traveled or left, and my dadwas responsible for us
definitely he would splurge withsugar.
You know, if we were doing aday with dad or something like
that, we would definitely haveum more sugar than we would, and
I actually.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
I saw the same type of probably the same thing in
our house, wouldn't you say yeah?
Speaker 1 (05:39):
I mean, I definitely like you know, when we, when we
first started camping and Iwould take the kids, like it was
s'mores and smacos and Chicagomix and things like that.
So anyways, we don't need todwell on all of my bad habits,
but one of the things I justwant to talk about is that
admitting the problem allows theperson to face reality and
recognize the need for change,and it's also the point where
(06:02):
they can start seeking help andresources.
Now I'm grateful that I didn'tneed help like professional help
and resources, although I diduse resources.
I'm going to talk about thebook Atomic Habits real quickly,
which is a phenomenal book.
It really kind of helped memake that mental pivot to
implement all the steps that I'mtalking about here in just a
second.
So the second step was topublicly declare your commitment
(06:25):
to change and inviteaccountability.
So, once again, I think all ofus know especially you think
about your health.
You think about maybe yourfinancial situation, maybe in
your relationships or yourmarriage.
I think we all know what's thatone thing.
And maybe we just struggle inone area and so maybe it's an
(06:45):
addiction to shopping or youknow amazon or something like
that.
For me, I always knew that theone thing was sugar and I always
hesitated.
I would say I'm gonna in myhead, say I'm gonna go without
sugar, but without that publicaccountability it didn't have
the same effect and I did 11weeks without sugar in about two
(07:07):
and a half years ago a littleless than two and a half years
ago, and one of the things I didis said I'm going without sugar
in the entire month of I thinkit was April is when I kicked it
off.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
And that public decoration made a huge
difference, and so definitelydifferent than I think, cause
you've told me before thingsbefore and it's it's not great,
honestly, to have your spouse beyour accountability partner in
some of these areas.
I mean, what happens with us is, you know, we tell each other
we want accountability and thenthe other person steps into
check-in and it's very naggingor it feels that way and, um,
(07:37):
you know, as the spouse, it'salso hard to watch, cause you're
like, well, are you doing it orare're not doing it?
But again, it's not the bestrole.
It's better to have outsideaccountability to just protect
the integrity of your marriageand yeah, so I think the
combination is but when you goon public and you don't have to
declare this to the entire world, right?
Speaker 1 (07:53):
But could be a small group of people public
commitment to a group that willhold you accountable.
So, for me, what I did was andalso people that you don't want
to let down and so it makes mefeel like crap, because it's
just the familiarity of amarriage relationship makes it
not the ideal.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
I just had the epiphany that I should have used
a different motivational tactic.
I can just imagine if I hadsaid to you no sex If you have
any sugar that is not healthyfor the marriage.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
That wouldn't have helped.
I mean, I feel like I mean thatwould not.
That is not.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
OK, it's not biblical .
We're not going to hold back onsex.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
The way that I did this is I told our like group of
coaches that we work with andwe train with on a regular basis
that are also health-minded.
I said, hey guys, I'm sharingsomething that I have struggled
with that and.
I'm making a commitment and forme, my commitment was that I not
have any sugar until I geteither below 10% body fat which
(08:55):
I'm still working towards buthaven't reached yet or we reach
a different business metricmilestone like a specific goal
that we've been working on Right, and there were two goals that
I knew were going to take sometime to get to.
So it wasn't like a okay, I'mjust going to do this for one
week.
It was like I knew Iintentionally invited
accountability and said I'm notgoing to have any until I do
(09:18):
something that I knew was goingto take several months to
accomplish.
And actually, you know, theinteresting thing is I just kind
of reflect on this is that I'mokay with how long it's taking
me to get below 10% because now,granted, my, my mindset has
totally shifted.
Where in the past was like,okay, I'm below 10%, I'm going
to have sugar, it was like Icrossed the finish line.
My mindset has totally shifted.
(09:38):
You didn't reset yourstructural tension when you
exactly exactly, but I'm alsookay with it taking me so long
because I know the longer ittakes me, the more I'm cementing
the habit of not having sugar.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
And you are microdosing adversity.
I would say yeah, yeah, whichyou're really good at.
I have to admire you for that.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
But the key here was the public declaration to people
that I didn't want to let down.
I mean, the bottom line is thegroup of people I made the
commitment to.
We are kind of the figureheadleaders.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
Right.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
And there were times where I'm taking the kids out
and they're having ice cream, orjust you know.
There's moments of weaknesswhere I've been very tempted,
almost without thinking, to dosomething, and then I'm like
wait a minute, I promised, Imade a commitment to my coaches
and I'm not going to let themdown, and so that key is really
(10:26):
important, the publicdeclaration once again, but the
key is to a group that's goingto support you not a group
that's going to mock you and nota group that is not going to
hold you accountable, Right,right.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
And I feel like once you make that commitment, then
you have to change how you thinkabout yourself, right?
Speaker 3 (10:45):
Uncommon.
Freedom is a game changer, notonly for the focused leader.
Freedom is a game changer notonly for the focused leader, but
also for the rudderlesssojourner seeking direction.
When Kevin talks, I listen, Ilean in and always leave a
better man.
As the wisdom of Proverbs 3.13states, happy is the man who
finds wisdom and the man whogains understanding.
(11:05):
I want to warn you in advanceto prepare your spirit for a
heart and mind shift.
As you read this book.
I have learned that convictioncomes when the heart is open to
change.
As I read this book, I wasmoved on several occasions to
evaluate my personal life andmake course corrections.
This isn't just a book.
It's a manual for creatinggodly leaders who we desperately
(11:30):
need today and especially asour children walk the earth in,
whatever it looks like 10, 20,30 years from now.
Who knows that?
We need leaders who embodythese things?
Because not only do we needpeople who are healthy and
wealthy and have the right heart, but we need people who know
(11:51):
where the spirit of the Lord is,there is freedom.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
So let's talk about number three.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
Yeah, so this was probably.
This was the one thing that I'dnever done before.
I've admitted I have a problembefore.
I've publicly declared thecommitment and invited the
accountability.
But this third step issomething that really the Atomic
Habits book helped me make thisshift and that is switching my
identity from an addict to thenew person I want to become.
(12:24):
So James Clear in the booktalks about that.
When and I think when I talk topeople who have tried 12-step
programs and I know that theycan be helpful for some people,
but I also know that theirsuccess rate is actually fairly
low and my understanding is like, if you're an alcoholic and you
go to aa, you say my name iskevin and I'm an alcoholic
(12:46):
you're constantly identifying,you're constantly identifying as
an alcoholic and the one theidea here is I, I think to say
you know what they want you tobe honest, I'm always going to.
Yeah, I have an issue with this.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
Right.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
But what James Clear talks about is your identity,
when you identify as somethingyou behave with what goes along
with that you meet theexpectations of that identity
Exactly, naturally, and so inthe past I said I'm a sugar
addict.
I thought it was like thishumble thing to say just admit
the fact that I was a sugaraddict.
But what I realized is I havethe power to change from being a
(13:17):
sugar addict to actuallysomeone who's no longer
controlled by sugar, who doesn'tcelebrate it.
I mean, we're getting ready toleave on our annual favorite
family vacation where we have achef available to us.
They cook, you know, dessert,lunch and dinner, and I've
already made decided like it'snot, in fact, it wasn't even a
decision but I'm not going tohave dessert when in the past
(13:37):
it's like well, this is aspecial occasion, I'm going to
have dessert and I'll get backon track when I get back.
But I've been, you know, ouramazing.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
I'm really impressed by this.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
He was saying you know what I'm done being a sugar
addict?
Yes, I realized I've had aweakness with this in my entire
life, but I'm done with it.
Yeah, I have the ability tochange it and I'm the type of
person now who actually isn'tcontrolled by sugar.
So my identity has shifted andbecause of that, my mind is
different.
My behavior, behavior isdifferent.
I'm no longer like I make afruit smoothie or I have an
(14:15):
apple with some almonds orpeanut butter or something like
that, and it's amazing howdelicious it tastes and that's
my dessert now.
And but the identity fact ofsaying I'm no longer a sugar
addict, uh, is been anabsolutely powerful.
That was a missing piece for me.
So I you know this is going tobe a relatively short podcast,
(14:38):
but I hope I know there's otherpeople out there that can
struggle.
And so you know the key isadmitting you have a problem,
make a public declaration andcommitment and ask for
accountability, but the keythere being from people that
will support you and encourageyou and then switching your
identity from what you don'twant to be to who you want to be
(14:59):
.
So, once again, for me, eventhe last time I went 11 weeks
without sugar.
I was like I was stillidentifying as a sugar addict,
right, and so eventually, likeyou know, it was actually
Father's Day weekend.
I enjoyed some treats, had somesugar and I did a good job for a
while of like, only havingsugar once a week.
And but it became this slow,kind of slow creep back to my
(15:19):
old habits.
And the other thing is itreally it's amazing this is how
I knew I was addicted is becausewhen I couldn't have it, I
thought about it a lot and Ialso realized, like man, I would
go to it.
B thought about it a lot and Ialso realized, like man, I would
go to it bored, angry, tired.
Yeah, hungry, angry, lonely,tired.
I mean, it was just a way pasttime and just deciding like I'm
now the type of person that I'mnot an addict anymore and so my
(15:40):
behavior because I'm not anaddict, my behavior has changed,
my mindset has changed.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
so can I just say, as your wife, this is very sexy oh
very very sexy and also I wascracking up inside because when
I was a school teacher inokinawa, japan, um, I I was
pretty healthy minded, like Iwould go running frequently.
I ate, I think, pretty healthy,not like I know how to eat now,
um, but I had committed to myfellow first grade teachers that
(16:05):
I was only going to have sugaron saturdays.
I think I kept up with it.
I really can't remember.
It was a long time ago, but oneof the joke gifts they gave me
one year for Christmas orsomething was a calendar that
was all Saturdays as a joke,because they knew how
disciplined I was about it orwhatever.
So it was something that justcame to mind.
I completely forgot about that.
(16:26):
Also, I wanted to, just as wekind of close, say what the
power is in that word becoming.
Because you might say like well, a lot of people want to be
healthy, but they know they'renot healthy yet.
So it feels like cognitivedissonance to be like I'm a
healthy person but maybe you'rea hundred pounds overweight or
you have the behavior and habitsthat are not healthy yet.
But when you say becoming, it'sthat transition process of like
(16:52):
I'm starting to make thosedecisions.
Now I hear you saying you're,you're kind of there Like you've
arrived from this standpoint ofyour mindset has completely
shifted.
But when you're in the process,at the very least you're saying
I'm becoming the type of personwho doesn't consume sugar
anymore.
So I guess that's a helpful,maybe step people to take so
that overnight, you don't becomethis and james clear talks
about.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
Every decision you make becomes a vote.
It's a vote person.
You want to be so while you'revoting at the beginning
especially.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
Yes, you have to have the becoming absolutely.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
yeah, um, and there's .
It's not like I don't have thisawareness in, like I realize
that I'm I'm now.
You know, my identity haschanged, I've overcome this
addiction, but I also realize itwas a weakness in my life in
the past, and so I'm not goingto be reckless with the fact
that, if I go back to old habits, that the addiction couldn't
(17:41):
come back number one, and then Iwas going to say something else
and it just kind of lost mymind.
I think the power, though, ofmaking decisions ahead of time,
I mean I've made through someevents.
Like you know, I went back toOhio one little about a one
month into this, and Ohio has, Ithink, the best ice cream in
the world.
Speaker 2 (18:01):
It is my kryptonite.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
I go there once, maybe twice a year.
Mitchell's ice creamunbelievable ice cream.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
And you wouldn't go and normally just have a scoop
of ice cream.
I always get the largest.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
It would be like a scoop waffle largest and I would
get one to go and have onewhile I'm there or get up, you
know a slightly appalling to goyeah, I mean it was uh just
being honest with people and thetruth was sugar didn't really
affect my weight.
I mean I kept my weight stillfor the last several years like
the worst I ever got was in the14% body fat.
Speaker 2 (18:32):
Which is pretty amazing.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
It is, and so the reality is like I was, like I
could, I could manage myaddiction, right, but it was
impacting my life and you know Imean, if you looked at what I
spent my cash on, you'd sayyou're not a health coach.
You know, you're not a healthyperson.
I mean, I even looked like it.
But if you actually looked likewhat, looked at what my habits
(18:55):
were, at least in you knowdifferent slices of time.
So but when?
When?
I made it through the entireweekend, I mean dinners and all
kinds of stuff, my aunts alsohomemade gelato, which is
amazing, and it was just likeI'm not going to have it, I'm
not going to have a taste.
Those making it through eventslike that were huge boosts in
(19:16):
confidence.
Those were some major votes.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
They're like okay, like you're not addicted to
sugar anymore.
A lot of times, we just need toprove to ourselves that we can
do something.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
And I want to just encourage us all Like we will
hold other people peopleaccountable, far more
accountable than we'll holdourselves.
We quit on ourselves muchquicker than we quit on other
people so, anyways, I hope thisencourages you guys.
Um, I know and here's the thingis that sugar I've heard this
over and over is far moreaddictive than cocaine so this
is why we have not tried cocainefor the record.
(19:45):
But this is why I know that if Ican beat sugar, you can be just
about anything in your lifethat you're struggling with.
And just want to encourage youguys, do it If you're if you're
going to take something on,please, you know, comment either
on the podcast or in the video.
Um, send us a message and I'mgoing to root you on.
Um, and you know, shoot me yourstories, cause I want to cheer
(20:07):
for you guys.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
Love that so excited.
And again, just another steptowards creating a life of
uncommon freedom.
You know again, common is to beaddicted to things that don't
serve you well.
Uncommon is choosing to breaksome of those chains, create
those habits and become the bestversion of yourself.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
All right, let's go on vacation.
Amen, see you later.
All right, friends.
Please subscribe to the podcastfor more insights on blending
entrepreneurship and theentrepreneurial mindset with
intentional living.
You can follow us on socialmedia.
We are on instagram, primarily,and facebook, and you're going
(20:46):
to find daily tips andinspiration from us there.
You'll also find us on YouTubelots of shorts as well as our
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And then please, if you enjoythis podcast, please leave us a
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listening to us on.
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