August 5, 2024 • 39 mins
Stronger U Coach, Dr. Julie Beegle is back on the podcast to chat about the post-summer reset as it applies to nutrition and fitness. With the close of summer, back to school, and fall right around the corner, many people want to shift their diets, goals, and their approaches to eating (us included!). But what happens to our bodies when we decide to make these changes following a period of relaxed behavior? And why is it so hard initially? During this episode of Stronger U Radio, Coach Julie brings her wisdom and expertise to an honest conversation with Stronger U RD and Manager of Nutrition Education, Gianna Masi about the challenges of transitioning to a healthier lifestyle and the strategies to help overcome them.
This lighthearted and non-judgmental discussion covers:
A must-listen to help you get into the right mindset and prepare for a lifestyle and nutrition transition this fall (or any time!) Tune in here for the full episode and then head to the Stronger U Community to share your takeaways.
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This lighthearted and non-judgmental discussion covers:
- Biological changes that occur when you transition to a healthier diet
- Hyper-palatable (high fat, sugar and/or sodium) foods’ effect on the brain's perception of hunger and fullness
- The underlying physiological and psychological mechanisms of cravings and hunger
- Suggestions for managing cravings throughout the day
- The psychological reset of the Fresh Start Effect and the research behind why you’re more likely to feel more motivated during certain times of the year.
- The importance of building habits and structure to lean on when motivation wanes
- And more!
A must-listen to help you get into the right mindset and prepare for a lifestyle and nutrition transition this fall (or any time!) Tune in here for the full episode and then head to the Stronger U Community to share your takeaways.
Subscribe to Stronger U Radio
Follow us on Instagram
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome back to the Stronger You Radio. This is Gianna Massey.
I'm a registered dietitian and i work at Stronger You Nutrition.
I'm excited to have a Stronger You coach joining me
on the podcast today, and that special guest is doctor
Julie Beegel, who is so loved by her members and
really has such a great approach to bouncing back and
(00:23):
getting on track with nutrition and what that really means.
Welcome to the Stronger You Radio. Stronger You Radio brings
insightful conversations with top nutrition, health and fitness experts, hosted
by Stronger You dietitians and nationally certified coaches skilled at
(00:44):
simplifying nutrition.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Science into actionable advice.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Get inspired with evidence based practical tips to optimize your
potential and crush your body composition, health and performance goals.
This is your time to level up and become a
stronger You. So today we're talking about what happens when
we focus on nutrition after a period where maybe nutrition
(01:09):
wasn't the number one focus we had, or the end
of the summer that we're coming up to, for example.
There's some things to look out for and ways to
help yourself as you try to get more focused on
your nutrition. We'll explain what the fresh start effect is,
and we'll cover all of that and more in this episode.
So doctor Julie Viegel, welcome back to the Stronger You Radio.
(01:34):
Hi Julie, thank you so much for talking to me
today about one of our favorite subjects, which is this
transition period that we're coming up to, which is the sadly,
the end of the summer going into the fall. So
when people are listening to this, it will be kind
of the winding down of summer, which is sad to say.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
But the exciting thing is that people are going to be.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
A little bit more focused on their health, maybe trying
a different nutrition initiative. What they have in store for
the fall may be more structured for some of us,
especially those with children and getting them back to school,
or maybe our work schedules change a little bit. So
when you think about that and someone's coming in and saying, Okay,
(02:18):
I want to be focused, I want to start eating
in a more health conscious way. What are some of
the things that happened in that I guess new endeavor.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
Yeah, Well, thanks for having me first. I'm excited to
be here and chat with you. As always, and especially
about this subject that I think doesn't really get a
whole lot of attention as a big transition period during
the year, not as much as tension as.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
The holidays and the new year.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
And you know, fall tends to be a big refreshing period,
even for people who don't have kids, just as the
seasons change and our routines change, and a lot of
people are looking to get back into some more structure
and go back to less of this are celebrating, and again,
as you said, especially if you have kids, and kids
are going back to school and routines are getting complicated again.
(03:08):
So it's good to talk about this now. As we
go forward, I see a lot of people who really
want to shift their diets and their goals and their
approach to nutrition along with this shift in structure. And
I think it's actually a really smart time to do that,
because we know that structure and planning helps a lot
(03:29):
when you have new goals, especially as it relates to
fitness and nutrition habits. So some of the hurdles that
I notice when we start moving towards this is that
people have pretty lofty goals and they're excited about new things,
and then as soon as we come up to those
first hurdles, when it gets hard, when the spark of
(03:51):
motivation kind of fades and it gets hard, you get
those pieces that are more challenging and you kind of
don't know what to do and maybe spiral out. The
things I think about there are what are those things?
Can we anticipate what they're going to be, and how
can we approach them? And I'm going to back up
a step and actually talk about where that comes from,
how those hurdles come to be. And I think that
(04:14):
we think that we can approach these goals and just
shift right away from whatever we were doing in the
summer with more freedom, with more flexibility, and straight into
what often becomes hyper rigidity, and that transition is just
too stark. It doesn't work. And one of the reasons
for that is actually really biological and psychological. I was
(04:36):
looking into this and thinking about this and reading about
what we call hyper palatable foods, and for anyone who
doesn't know, that's basically anything that's really high in fat
and sugar or sodium, super super delicious, and summer tends
to be very full of those delicious, hyper palatable foods.
And then when you get super rigid with your nutrition,
(04:57):
those kind of fade away, and it's really hard. It
feels really hard to shift away from those super delicious
foods to things that are more nutritious but perhaps less appealing.
So anyway, I was looking into this and seeing that
there are actual biological reasons why that is so hard
to shift away from, and it's because those hyperpalatable foods
(05:21):
actually impact the way that your brain perceives hunger and
fullness and how it responds to that. So if you've
been spending a lot of time eating a lot of
these hyperpalable foods, your brain can actually shift the way
that it responds with hormones to tell yourself that you're full,
including how you choose to eat and when you choose
(05:41):
to eat. So when you need a ton of hyperpalatable foods,
your brain is more likely to tell you to eat
more for gratification than because you're hungry or low on energy.
And the longer you do that, and the more you
do that, the more your body reinforces those pathways and
it becomes harder and harder and harder to tune tune
into the systems that tell you you're full, which is
(06:03):
what we really want to try to do when we're
managing coloric intake and managing food choices and all of
that stuff. So it makes sense that it is hard
to go from a lot of super delicious food to
things that helped keep your energy up make you feel good,
but maybe aren't quite as satisfying taste wise.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
Yeah, that's so interesting too, Julie, because I think about
with sugar, for example, in this example made me think
of when people eat a lot of sugar and then
they transition off, like they may be really like breathing sugar,
but it's because they're.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Transitioning away from this really sweet food. And so when
people are not eating.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
As many sweets or in taking as much sugar, like
we'll say like a lot of added sugar, they're like, oh,
I don't really notice there, I.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
Don't really need as much sugar.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
Then they go to Starbucks and when they have the
five pumps of the sauce, are like, whoa, this is really.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
Sweet and they notice it so much more.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
So I think that's kind of similar to what you're
talking about, if I'm not mistaken.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Do you agree with that?
Speaker 3 (07:09):
Yeah, And that's definitely true. And I think what I'm
thinking of is kind of that transition period from where
you'd go to Starbucks and get your five pump carmel
latte and really love it to weeks and months from
now when you've done the really hard work of kind
of pushing yourself to limit those sugary drinks. Then you
come back and you're like, oh wow, this tastes super sweet,
(07:32):
when you've kind of come over that adjustment period that
is definitely challenging to do. The other reason I thought
of it and then it comes up and is a
little bit complicated, is because I hear a lot of
specifically people in the bodybuilding world talking about when they're
deep in prep for a physique show or something where
they want to be super lean, but they really try
(07:52):
to limit those hyper palattle foods because they make you
want to eat more. Part of their strategy is actually
to eat really bland, boring foods. This is complicated and
not necessarily something I would advise for people to do
in general, but just as an idea of using this,
you know, biology to help support your goals in that
(08:14):
kind of way is interesting.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
Yeah, and it goes I think this is a good
reminder for those.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Who are listening who are already doing the things you're
already eating really well, they're feeling like I have everything
going really great for me, but I'm.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Hitting a plateau or I need to kind of go
a little bit more. I want to see more results.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
And this is where we can kind of leverage eating
more whole foods and focusing.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
In on the quality.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
So once you have the quantity the energy balance down,
let's go into the quality a little bit more. And
I think that's exciting. It gives another option and a
way forward.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
Yeah, And I think that understanding the work in your
brain and the stuff behind it that makes you crave
those foods even though you really feel really strongly about
your goal and know what you have to do to
meet that goal. Understanding why that's hard, I think helps
empower you to make decisions that make sense. Instead of
(09:09):
feeling like I can't have these foods, it's it's you know,
I am choosing not to have these foods for these reasons,
and this is why it feels hard for me to
make that choice.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
So how would you recommend if I were your client
and I'm meeting a lot of hyper palatable foods. I'm
meaning hot dogs, and all the barbecue stuff this summer.
How would I start that transition or what would you recommend?
Speaker 3 (09:32):
That is a hard question and it would depend on
a whole lot of things. And I think one of
the great things about working with a coach is that
you get to know that person and their personality and
you can work with them on figuring out what works
for them. Because for some people it might be avoiding
hyper palatle foods for a period of time, probably not forever,
(09:54):
but for a period of time until you get to
that you know, this Starbucks tastes super sweet place. But
for some people, saying you know, you should avoid all
of these foods could potentially make that worse. I know
that I am somebody who, for the most part, can't
just remove all I have a major sweet tooth. I
(10:14):
am a dessert lover. Removing all of those foods from
my diet is just not going to work. That's going
to backfire for me. So it kind of depends on
anybody's personality and what works for them, And I think
the most important thing is giving yourself a chance to
experiment and figure out what works for you and being
okay figuring out what doesn't work. For you. I think
(10:35):
a lot of people try something new, it doesn't work,
and then they just feel like they are a failure,
like it's a personal failure that that strategy wasn't effective
for them at that time, instead of saying, Okay, this
is not the thing for me right now, let's try
something else. So working with a coach and having somebody
who can be objective and remind you that you are
(10:56):
not a failure when things don't work out for you
present some other ideas is where there can be a
huge advantage in pushing through that really tough initial stage
where you probably feel hungry, you feel frustrated with elevated cravings,
and there's kind of a distance between what you want
for your goal, and also that those cravings and those
(11:17):
feelings that don't align with your goal.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
Yeah, thank you. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
And so I loved hearing about like the hyper palatable
foods and so.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
Really the what we're eating.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
And then I'm thinking about people who well transition into
a cut or a deficit, so eating less than what
they were typically eating prior. So what are some things
that they could anticipate happening in that transition.
Speaker 3 (11:43):
Definitely cravings, for sure, given what we talked about about,
you know, the psychology and biology of eating super delicious
foods and then kind of shifting away from those, and
there's probably also going to be some level of hunger.
And this is complicated because I don't ever like to
tell anybody to ignore their hunger. That's usually not a
(12:04):
good idea, but instead to kind of tune into it
and hear it and don't be reactive to it. You
can kind of sit with that and think about your day,
your context, what else is going on, and how you
want to respond to it. I think, especially when people
start a fat loss diet and reduce their intake quite
a bit and then they feel that hunger, the tendency
(12:27):
is just to like grip white knuckle onto your resolve
and try to push through it, rather than thinking about,
maybe I do need a snack, maybe I need something
intentional and purposeful to get me to my next meal
or my next plan or whatever it is. And so
I would advise for people to sit with that a
little bit and think about it. And you know, I'm
(12:48):
not saying that if you feel hungry, don't eat, but
to try not to be reactive to that feeling. And
that can be really hard at the beginning, when you
know hunger is pretty powerful. Your body really wants to
fight against you trying to make changes. That is normal,
and so sitting with it and choosing how to react
to it rather than just ignoring it or being reactive
(13:10):
with what you choose.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
Yeah, being And I like that advice of not being
reactive because then it teases out time a little bit
where we can really see my board.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
Am I tired? Am I trying to avoid work?
Speaker 1 (13:22):
Am I chasing some other state or time that I
need some more space in.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
Rather than just the queue of food?
Speaker 3 (13:32):
Right?
Speaker 2 (13:32):
Or the queue is that? And then I'm going to
get food? So I like that. Thank you. If you
talk about.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
I've heard you use the phrase changing your state. You
just mentioned it in or reminded me that I've heard
you say that before. And I really like that, especially
in this context because, like you mentioned that hunger might
be coming from a lot of different places. That doesn't
necessarily mean that it's not legitimate hunger, but it could
be craving, just a change in energy, a change in
(14:00):
entertainment if you're super bored, whatever it is, craving, just
a change in state might be something to think about
while you're reacting to, maybe not reacting to, but listening
to that hunger queue and deciding how you want to
change your state. I think that's a really smart way
to build thoughtfulness into that reaction.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
Yeah, and hunger is not a failure, right, Like I
hear you say that too. It's like hunger is expected,
it is normal. And then it's kind of like that
volume dial. I was actually just talking to a colleague
who has a family member competing in bodybuilding, and so
bodybuildings coming up a lot today, guys, But it's one
that is kind of like the punctuation mark on hunger
(14:41):
that happens when people are dieting down to this stage
lead presence and their hunger dial is cranked all the
way up. Because that's pushing the bounds of our physiology
and our psychology really is the biggest thing there. And
so while that's not necessarily what we have to deal
with day to day when we're seeking a change, it
(15:02):
is something to learn from and understand.
Speaker 3 (15:06):
Definitely, you're a human being and you cannot escape the
physiology that makes you want to eat when your energy
is low. So figuring out how to manage that and
work with it in the context of your life and
your goals is the name of the game, even if
you're not a physique competitor. Yes, you do not need to.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
Be a physique competitor to benefit from this conversation.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
Do we do this one?
Speaker 1 (15:30):
How can we figure out this hungerful and a stance
when we're trying to It's like the hard part is
that no one can tell you where to draw the line.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
I think that's good to know too.
Speaker 3 (15:38):
Yeah, I mean I think that's indifferent language. What I
said about working as a coach. Oh yeah, as an
example here, that actually does come up quite a lot
when been coaching about like playing a snack. If you
notice you get hungry at the same time eat, Yeah,
that makes sense. You want to go there and we
can go there.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
So when I talk about this hungerfulness dance, if you
will as negotiation, am I going to have a snack?
Speaker 2 (16:05):
Am I going to eat?
Speaker 1 (16:06):
Can we talk a little bit about that about knowing
where our personal line is?
Speaker 3 (16:11):
If you could say, yeah, again, this is a great
place to be working as a coach and talk through
that where that line is. But one of the things
that comes up a lot that I chat with my
members about is that they're often noticing when they get
hungry at a similar time most days, and for a
lot of people, this is kind of in that afternoon
(16:31):
window three to five or so, when we're all tired,
it's getting towards the end of the day and you
still have the whole evening ahead, especially if you have
kids and their whole routines. I hear a lot of
people saying, oh, I was snacking while I was making
dinner because I was just so hungry, and then you know,
I ate all this random stuff and it wasn't paying attention,
and now I don't know how much I ate. And
this happens every day. And instead of saying, well, you know,
(16:55):
stop doing that, how about we plan for that. How
about we plan for you to have a snack around
that low energy hungry window so that you can make
it to dinner without feeling like you're nibbling on everything
in the pantry while you're putting dinner together. Instead, have
something that you want that works for your goals, that
you can taste and enjoy, sit down to eat for
(17:15):
a minute, and then get on with your crazy evening routine.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
Really, yeah, I've talked to people about that same thing,
and they'll be like, well, I don't want to go
over this amount of calories or I don't want to
go over and I'm like, right, but what's happening. Then
if we skip that snack or that afternoon time when
we need something, then dinner is that much bigger, or
your dinner's your dinner and then you're still looking for
more food because your body knows yeah.
Speaker 3 (17:40):
Or the second the second most common time I see
this is at the end of the day, in the evening,
when it's quiet, kids are in bed. You finally have
a minute to just sit quietly, and you're like, I
want to eat stuff. If that happens, plan for it,
plan to have a snack, plan to put something there.
Snagging gets a bad reputation, and I think that's because
(18:00):
we're talking about mindless snacking or nibbling on things or
finding things in the candy bullet work instead of a
purposeful snack that you plan and choose and enjoy. That's
totally different, and that is definitely a tool in your
toolbox that you should lean on when hunger it becomes
a problem for you totally.
Speaker 1 (18:20):
I know, I want to sit on the couch andy popcorn.
So that's like a planned thing. It's happening and I'm
leaning into the natural flow of my day.
Speaker 3 (18:29):
Yeah, and popcorn is great. I love popcorn.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
Yeah, it has lots of fiber. Yes, it's a whole
great at that your snacks need to be all fiber.
But you know it's helpful.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
I screaming said, yeah, I scream when I think of
like that evening quiet time when I want to lunch
on something.
Speaker 3 (18:48):
Yes, watch TV thinking of ice cream.
Speaker 2 (18:52):
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(19:18):
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(19:43):
This is where a stronger you begins. Let's do this
all right, So talked about the physiological changes, some of
the psychology there.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
I'm curious if you could share some of your.
Speaker 1 (19:56):
Coaching tips for maintaining motivation when transitioning into a new behavior,
whether nutrition, fitness, anything like that.
Speaker 3 (20:06):
I definitely can. And my trick answer to this question
is that we really don't want to rely on motivation
at all because we know that motivation is fleeting, it
will not and cannot last forever. So knowing that that's
the case once again, you want a plan for when
that motivation fades. What are you going to do? What
(20:27):
systems are you going to lean on to keep moving
forward when you really just don't feel like it, which
happens to everybody. Again, you're not a failure by not
feeling super hyped up and motivated every single day to
do these things that we know are hard. So the
biggest tip for that, I think everybody's heard this ten
million times, it's going to be planning ahead wherever you
(20:49):
can do that. It just makes everything easier when you
put that time and energy and investment ahead of where
it gets really hard. So if you can do that,
I always add for that. And then remember that planning
ahead can look a million different ways. It doesn't have
to be all of your meals for the whole week
are planned and prepped and tracked and every decision has
(21:11):
been made ahead of time. It could be you have
a vague idea of what dinners are, you know what
groceries you need, you know what you're having for breakfast.
I prep for my kids' lunches days ahead of time
to take to school because it just makes my morning
a little bit easier.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
Stuff like that.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
Anything in your routine that takes some of the pressure
out of the thought and time you have to give
when you're the most tired and when the motivation is gone,
is going to help you keep moving towards your goal
with a lower barrier. I guess is the word for it.
And then another thing I would recommend is to lean
(21:49):
on your support systems. A lot of this us feel
like you're kind of in your head by yourself with
this goal, constantly making decisions and try to make it work.
Talk to your family and your friends. If you're working
with a coach, definitely talk with them. Get them involved,
let them know how they can help you. I think
people don't realize how much your friends and family want
(22:10):
to be helpful, but they don't know if you don't
say anything. So that could be, you know, talking to
your partner about how often you want to go out
to eat or dine out or get take out during
the week. What kind of negotiation can you make so
that everybody feels like their needs are met. It could
be when you're out with your friends saying, hey, can
you get this bowl of chips out from right in
front of my face because I'd rather have these tacos
(22:32):
that I ordered that I'm excited about, and instead I've
got delicious, salty, hyper palatable chips right in front of
my face. And I'm sure they'll say, great, I would
love those chips and of my way. So don't be
afraid to reach out and talk to people and let
them know how they can help you, because I'm sure
that they want to. And another part is to remind
(22:53):
yourself of why you're doing this at all. It is
I'm going to say this ten million times, it's hard
changing how changing behaviors, going from something that is super
fun to something that is good for you, but perhaps
not as fun. Is difficult, So it's not going to
be easy, it's not going to be perfect, and that
is totally fine. Remembering why it is worth the effort
(23:16):
to you is super important and once again empowers you
to choose what you want to do instead of feeling
like you can't or like things being are being taken
away from you. And the last thing is that a
lot of the things we do in the beginning when
you're making behavior change can be more on the rigid side.
(23:37):
When you're looking at a spectrum of how I guess
loose versus rigid would be would be the two words
that on the super side of rigidity, that part is
not forever. What you're doing now doesn't necessarily have to
be forever. A lot of what you do, the bones
of how you're shifting your routine in your life due
for the changes that you make to be permanent. But
(24:01):
you're going to figure it out. You're going to figure
out structures and strategies that work for your life, and
don't feel like you're just like in this constant state
of deprivation or constantly trying so hard all the time.
Give yourself time to figure it out and know that
this feeling that it's hard and you're hungry and you
have all these cravings, it's not forever.
Speaker 1 (24:23):
Yeah, it's definitely not forever. And like that that would
be the goal, right to do it in the shortest
amount of time. When I say do it, I mean
like a diet phase or you know, an extreme or
not extreme, but a more aggressive deficit or cut that
we're referring to. But I think that a lot of
times we'll meet people that are just doing a low
(24:44):
greed deficit chronically and just.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
Kind of like trying to be low for their entire lives.
And that's not.
Speaker 1 (24:51):
Really a fun place to feel like you're just always
hanging out in that space. So I definitely I want
people to hear that like it does have to be
that Paul, and that like.
Speaker 2 (25:03):
Drawn out and just this arduous process.
Speaker 3 (25:07):
Yeah, And I think a lot of people get stuck
in that place because they're constantly trying the same thing,
kind of constantly pushing at the same button that's not working,
and they're so scared to try something else, even though
it'll be weeks and months of doing the same thing
and getting nowhere. So that's where that advice of you know,
(25:28):
lean on your family, don't be afraid to acknowledge when
something doesn't work and you want to try something else.
Speaker 4 (25:34):
Yeah, and it's not them, Yes, don't yourself right right,
it's not your fault when when things aren't always not
every tool is useful in every situation.
Speaker 2 (25:45):
Yeah, for sure. I think that's a really important point.
Speaker 1 (25:48):
And so Julie, I love that you just spoke about
all of these different tools and tips and you know
what we might experience hunger wise, or how our.
Speaker 2 (25:58):
Body might shift.
Speaker 1 (25:59):
And now I would love to chat about this concept
called the fresh start effect. And you actually brought this
research to my awareness so long ago when we first
met each other, actually, and I really loved it so much,
and I would love for you to just share a
little bit more. What is the fresh start effect? And
can we talk about that science a little bit more?
Speaker 3 (26:20):
For sure? I was really excited when I first read
about this too, because, like we were talking about earlier,
there seem to be certain times of year, or certain
days of the week, or periods of time that feel
particularly motivating or we as a population tend to want
to make changes around that time. New Year's obviously is
a huge one, and now again in the fall, it
(26:42):
just kind of happens. And there is actually a behavioral
science explanation for that, and so the fresh start effect
is described as a behavioral science finding that suggests that
people are more likely to engage in goal directed behaviors
and have increased motivation towards achieving those goals when they
(27:04):
perceive that it's a new beginning or a new time period.
So again like New Year's or I'm sure you all
start on Monday, Monday is a super common one. There's
also birthdays or just certain time landmarks, and those are
actually considered those are called temporal landmarks in the research
in this field, and it's described as quote unquote a
(27:26):
new mental accounting period. So like your brain perceives this
day or this whatever, your landmark is as a separate event,
and you as a separate not as a separate person,
but you separate yourself from where you were before that
temporal landmark. So Monday is going to be a new me.
(27:47):
Or in the fall, when my kids go back to
school and the structure is back in my routine, it's
going to be a new me compared to summer, and
that psychological separation of your before and after your self
can help to increase your motivation. It can help separate
you from perceived failures or shortcomings. So if you're feeling
(28:09):
really bad about how you ended up after the summer,
seeing the fall as a fresh start can feel really
good for your brain and really motivate you to make change.
So we really want to take advantage of that. So
you have your temporal landmark, which might be the fall,
which is what we're talking about right now. A lot
of people are probably feeling that right now, and having
(28:31):
that landmark can help with sort of the next pillar
of what we're talking about when we talk about the
fresh start effect, and that's having a psychological reset once again,
feeling like your future self after this time period is
going to be superior to your past self or this
thing that you want to change, and you're more likely
to engage in the behaviors that support the better self
(28:55):
that you see on Monday or in fall or on
New Years, and therefore more likely to follow through on
the things you need to do to reach your goal.
This is also called the sort of like a clean slate.
It's not clean slate effect, but they talk about having
a clean slate in the research a lot after that
temporal landmark. So you use that temporal landmark not only
(29:16):
to spark motivation, but also to help psychologically connect yourself
with what you think is a superior version of yourself,
and then your actions are more likely to align with
that goal. And then the other piece of this, so
this whole thing is as kind of pillars of how
they're explaining how this fresh start effect really is meaningful
(29:37):
and how we can take advantage of it. The other
piece of it is that there's research that shows that
when you're looking at your superior self on the other
side of this temporal landmark, that your thinking is actually
more big picture than in the nuances of your day
to day and you are more motivated by seeing this
new life, this new future. And once again you can
(29:59):
ride them motivation. Even though I just told you not
to rely on motivation. I'll get back to that in
a minute. You can ride that for the time that
you have it. To lean on your structures, your just
support systems, all of those tips and tricks we talked
about to set yourself up for success and to keep
moving towards this goal after the temporal landmark. So that
when your motivation does fade, you've used that time to
(30:22):
really support yourself and build structures into your routine so
that you just keep going once you know, this psychological
reset and bigger picture thinking kind of fizzles out back
to your baseline state, which has also been shown in
the research that even after these temporal landmarks, the farther
you get away from them, the less impacts you see.
And so you really want to lean on this thing
(30:45):
that there is clear psychology that we understand and that
we can lean on. You really want to utilize that
because it's going to be there and you can use
that to support your goals in the long run.
Speaker 1 (30:58):
I love a brand new plan because I have the
opportunity to be an organized not a procrastinator me. So
I love that You're like a supercharged version. I'm like, yep,
that's how I feel every time I buy a new planner.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
So yeah, I.
Speaker 3 (31:12):
Bet a lot of people are listening to this and
thinking of that and having kind of an a haul
moments of like, oh, that's why I do that, and
it's a thing people do this. This is a whole population.
You know, there's a lot of research on this and
You're not alone being somebody who sees a blank journal
or if you're you know, somebody who acts a ton
of journalist and like, I'm going to be a journal er.
I'm going to write in this every day. This is
(31:34):
going to be a new me. That's that's normal. We
can use that.
Speaker 2 (31:38):
Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 1 (31:39):
I'm curious too with that kind of your last point
of like the big picture thinking. Does it make sense
like if I'm somebody who's like, Okay, I'm going to
start on my birthday or start on this Monday, does
it make sense to kind of time box it and
be like the next three months or and then start
again or how would you think about that? I'm just
curious your opinion. Maybe not the res Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 3 (32:02):
About the research on that, but I would also think
that I'm thinking of it in the context of people
who start dieting phases and how there's definitely a mix
of people who do really well with here's my three months,
that I really want to reach this goal or I
really want to make as much progress as I can,
and then people who are more focused on habits that
(32:22):
support long term stability, not that they are mutually exclusive,
but as you were talking about earlier. Someone who might
be in more aggressive deficit might benefit from having it,
as you call it, a timebox, a frame where you're saying,
this is my time to do this thing, and I'm
going to be really focused on it. Some people do
really well with that and some people not so much.
(32:44):
So it kind of depends once again on experimenting, trying
new things, and figuring out what your brain likes best.
Speaker 1 (32:51):
Right, and almost I'm getting like a mix of both
is actually beneficial for some people. Right, Like, you have
these behaviors that are sustainable and there they'll be forever
things that you do, and then there might be a
timebox thing that's like, yeah, I'm not going to do
this forever, but I'm going to do it right now.
Speaker 3 (33:06):
Yeah, it's a good way to frame what we're talking
about with hyperpellead old foods. Right. If that's really a
struggle for you, it could be I'm going to get
these out of my house for two weeks or whatever,
and then from there I will try to reintegrate them
and figure out how I relate to these foods after
I've had a period of abstaining from them. So just
(33:28):
like when we were talking about, you know, dieting for
fat loss or go starting off with an aggressive deficit,
starting off your time frame or your plan or whatever
it is, with an idea for the big picture as
well as what you want to do in this shorter
timeframe is important for sustainable change.
Speaker 1 (33:46):
Yeah, thank you so much for explaining all that. I
think it's fascinating. I think it's really cool for everyone
to listen in of like you can leverage that you
don't have to shame yourself if you do want to
start on a Monday, but just don't keep bumping the Monday.
Speaker 3 (34:00):
This came up for me actually because it was around
the New Year, and you know, you get a lot
of mixed messaging around New Year's of you know, I'm
going to be a new me on January first, and
people saying you don't have to change on January first.
Both are true, but a lot of kind of negative
thoughts around the idea of having resolutions or that you know,
you shouldn't join the crowd of people who are doing
(34:22):
all the same thing on January first. And then there's
this piece that it's like, no, there's actually psychology here.
There's actually research that shows that this is a thing,
and this is something you can use. It's not just
a bandwagon although yah, bandwagon effect is a thing too,
but we won't go there.
Speaker 2 (34:38):
We'll save that one.
Speaker 1 (34:40):
So as we leverage this temporal landmarks and this all
this great research that you just shared with that, is
there anything we should be aware of, like any caveats
or disclaimers that you'd want to share.
Speaker 3 (34:52):
I mean, as with anything, there's there's going to be
contexts and nuanunds and the things that come to mind
for me when I think of utilized the idea of
temporal landmarks is that, as I mentioned, the research to
show that as you get further from the temporal landmark,
the motivation and the drive and that spark you initially
felt will decrease. I actually saw a study where they
(35:14):
looked at this and they used Google search for the
word diet after New Year and saw, you know, an
eighty two percent increase in researching the word diet at
the New Year, and then that kind of petered out
by February March, and then it was at the all
time lowest in December. They saw the same effect for
(35:35):
gym attendance. They saw this for federal holidays, and birthdays,
the same kind of trend that at the landmark it's
at its peak, and then right before that landmark it's
at its absolute lowest. So that's just something to be
aware of and again use your systems to land for
so that you have something to lean on when inevitably
that spark fades. And then the other thing that comes
(35:57):
to mind this for me is something that is you're
dear to my heart because something that I also struggle
with it is that there is a pretty big potential
for that all or nothing or perfectionistic thinking. When you
get started, you're super excited, you're all in. You anticipate
that fresh start on a Monday or your birthday or
in the fall, and then when things get challenging, it
(36:19):
can easy to be easy to say, well I can't
do all this stuff. It's too hard, so I quit.
Instead of saying like, well this is too hard, this
is really hard. I'm going to pick two or three
of these things, or I'm going to scale back on
the things that I am doing and try something new.
That is something that I notice in myself. I see
it in my members all the time. It's super duper
(36:40):
comment and I can see that this fresh start effect
or viewing things as a clean slate can feed into that,
and it's just something to be aware of and to
think about when you're you know, if you're somebody who
tends toward all or nothing, thinking to build more awareness
about that.
Speaker 1 (36:57):
Right, don't shut it all down at the time of
I don't know, I guess where you're feeling like, oh,
this isn't working or I didn't stick to it.
Speaker 2 (37:04):
It's I don't shut it all down.
Speaker 3 (37:06):
Right, Like you went out to dinner and the chip
bowl was in front of your face and you ate
all the chips and now you're like, well, I blew it.
I guess it's all done. Obviously, when you say it,
it sounds ridiculous, but we've all been there, we've felt that.
Speaker 2 (37:19):
Wely that's never happened to me. I'm never over.
Speaker 3 (37:24):
To assume definitely happened to me.
Speaker 1 (37:29):
Yes, yeah, that's something that's really hard. I think for
a need dieter is the chips and glock.
Speaker 3 (37:35):
Yeah, yeah, or just anybody, right, because you can easily
even if you're not dieting, even if you're not in
any kind of state of deprivation, it's very easy to
overeat hyper palatable foods. That's that's what makes them hyper palatable.
That's the whole reason that your brain gets kind of
rewired to make you want to eat those because they
taste good and that just because you know, you need
(37:56):
that much energy. Yeah, I need that.
Speaker 1 (37:59):
Much blok Yeah unfortunately, but my heart gets Yeah, my heart.
Speaker 2 (38:03):
Needs the guawk. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (38:05):
I think that's really important and I hope that people
learned a lot more like it is bigger than us
with the hyper palatable food. You know, obviously we are
responsible for what we eat, but there are some things
at play that are bigger than us, and I think
that's important to hear. Yeah, for sure, Julie, thank you
so much.
Speaker 2 (38:23):
As always, we love listening into all of your thoughts
and wisdom.
Speaker 1 (38:27):
And all the science that you share, so we will
look out for another podcast.
Speaker 2 (38:32):
With you, hopefully than coming up there soon. So thank
you so much.
Speaker 3 (38:36):
Well, thank you so much for having me and always
listening to me prat along about all these fun things
that I get to look up and share with everybody.
That's my favorite thing about what I do and can't
lead to chat again, thank you, thanks.
Speaker 1 (38:52):
Thank you for listening to Stronger You Radio for more
information about how you can get started with a Stronger
You coach, visit stronger.
Speaker 2 (38:59):
You dot com or click the link in the episode description.
Speaker 1 (39:03):
As a special thank you for listening, we have a
Stronger You discount code just for our listeners. Use the
code Radio fifty at checkout for fifty percent off your
first month of coaching.
Speaker 2 (39:15):
With Stronger You.
Speaker 1 (39:17):
Tune in next time for more health and nutrition conversations
Welcome back to the Stronger You Radio. This is Gianna Massey.
I'm a registered dietitian and i work at Stronger You Nutrition.
I'm excited to have a Stronger You coach joining me
on the podcast today, and that special guest is doctor
Julie Beegel, who is so loved by her members and
really has such a great approach to bouncing back and
(00:23):
getting on track with nutrition and what that really means.
Welcome to the Stronger You Radio. Stronger You Radio brings
insightful conversations with top nutrition, health and fitness experts, hosted
by Stronger You dietitians and nationally certified coaches skilled at
(00:44):
simplifying nutrition.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Science into actionable advice.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Get inspired with evidence based practical tips to optimize your
potential and crush your body composition, health and performance goals.
This is your time to level up and become a
stronger You. So today we're talking about what happens when
we focus on nutrition after a period where maybe nutrition
(01:09):
wasn't the number one focus we had, or the end
of the summer that we're coming up to, for example.
There's some things to look out for and ways to
help yourself as you try to get more focused on
your nutrition. We'll explain what the fresh start effect is,
and we'll cover all of that and more in this episode.
So doctor Julie Viegel, welcome back to the Stronger You Radio.
(01:34):
Hi Julie, thank you so much for talking to me
today about one of our favorite subjects, which is this
transition period that we're coming up to, which is the sadly,
the end of the summer going into the fall. So
when people are listening to this, it will be kind
of the winding down of summer, which is sad to say.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
But the exciting thing is that people are going to be.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
A little bit more focused on their health, maybe trying
a different nutrition initiative. What they have in store for
the fall may be more structured for some of us,
especially those with children and getting them back to school,
or maybe our work schedules change a little bit. So
when you think about that and someone's coming in and saying, Okay,
(02:18):
I want to be focused, I want to start eating
in a more health conscious way. What are some of
the things that happened in that I guess new endeavor.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
Yeah, Well, thanks for having me first. I'm excited to
be here and chat with you. As always, and especially
about this subject that I think doesn't really get a
whole lot of attention as a big transition period during
the year, not as much as tension as.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
The holidays and the new year.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
And you know, fall tends to be a big refreshing period,
even for people who don't have kids, just as the
seasons change and our routines change, and a lot of
people are looking to get back into some more structure
and go back to less of this are celebrating, and again,
as you said, especially if you have kids, and kids
are going back to school and routines are getting complicated again.
(03:08):
So it's good to talk about this now. As we
go forward, I see a lot of people who really
want to shift their diets and their goals and their
approach to nutrition along with this shift in structure. And
I think it's actually a really smart time to do that,
because we know that structure and planning helps a lot
(03:29):
when you have new goals, especially as it relates to
fitness and nutrition habits. So some of the hurdles that
I notice when we start moving towards this is that
people have pretty lofty goals and they're excited about new things,
and then as soon as we come up to those
first hurdles, when it gets hard, when the spark of
(03:51):
motivation kind of fades and it gets hard, you get
those pieces that are more challenging and you kind of
don't know what to do and maybe spiral out. The
things I think about there are what are those things?
Can we anticipate what they're going to be, and how
can we approach them? And I'm going to back up
a step and actually talk about where that comes from,
how those hurdles come to be. And I think that
(04:14):
we think that we can approach these goals and just
shift right away from whatever we were doing in the
summer with more freedom, with more flexibility, and straight into
what often becomes hyper rigidity, and that transition is just
too stark. It doesn't work. And one of the reasons
for that is actually really biological and psychological. I was
(04:36):
looking into this and thinking about this and reading about
what we call hyper palatable foods, and for anyone who
doesn't know, that's basically anything that's really high in fat
and sugar or sodium, super super delicious, and summer tends
to be very full of those delicious, hyper palatable foods.
And then when you get super rigid with your nutrition,
(04:57):
those kind of fade away, and it's really hard. It
feels really hard to shift away from those super delicious
foods to things that are more nutritious but perhaps less appealing.
So anyway, I was looking into this and seeing that
there are actual biological reasons why that is so hard
to shift away from, and it's because those hyperpalatable foods
(05:21):
actually impact the way that your brain perceives hunger and
fullness and how it responds to that. So if you've
been spending a lot of time eating a lot of
these hyperpalable foods, your brain can actually shift the way
that it responds with hormones to tell yourself that you're full,
including how you choose to eat and when you choose
(05:41):
to eat. So when you need a ton of hyperpalatable foods,
your brain is more likely to tell you to eat
more for gratification than because you're hungry or low on energy.
And the longer you do that, and the more you
do that, the more your body reinforces those pathways and
it becomes harder and harder and harder to tune tune
into the systems that tell you you're full, which is
(06:03):
what we really want to try to do when we're
managing coloric intake and managing food choices and all of
that stuff. So it makes sense that it is hard
to go from a lot of super delicious food to
things that helped keep your energy up make you feel good,
but maybe aren't quite as satisfying taste wise.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
Yeah, that's so interesting too, Julie, because I think about
with sugar, for example, in this example made me think
of when people eat a lot of sugar and then
they transition off, like they may be really like breathing sugar,
but it's because they're.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Transitioning away from this really sweet food. And so when
people are not eating.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
As many sweets or in taking as much sugar, like
we'll say like a lot of added sugar, they're like, oh,
I don't really notice there, I.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
Don't really need as much sugar.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
Then they go to Starbucks and when they have the
five pumps of the sauce, are like, whoa, this is really.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
Sweet and they notice it so much more.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
So I think that's kind of similar to what you're
talking about, if I'm not mistaken.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Do you agree with that?
Speaker 3 (07:09):
Yeah, And that's definitely true. And I think what I'm
thinking of is kind of that transition period from where
you'd go to Starbucks and get your five pump carmel
latte and really love it to weeks and months from
now when you've done the really hard work of kind
of pushing yourself to limit those sugary drinks. Then you
come back and you're like, oh wow, this tastes super sweet,
(07:32):
when you've kind of come over that adjustment period that
is definitely challenging to do. The other reason I thought
of it and then it comes up and is a
little bit complicated, is because I hear a lot of
specifically people in the bodybuilding world talking about when they're
deep in prep for a physique show or something where
they want to be super lean, but they really try
(07:52):
to limit those hyper palattle foods because they make you
want to eat more. Part of their strategy is actually
to eat really bland, boring foods. This is complicated and
not necessarily something I would advise for people to do
in general, but just as an idea of using this,
you know, biology to help support your goals in that
(08:14):
kind of way is interesting.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
Yeah, and it goes I think this is a good
reminder for those.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Who are listening who are already doing the things you're
already eating really well, they're feeling like I have everything
going really great for me, but I'm.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Hitting a plateau or I need to kind of go
a little bit more. I want to see more results.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
And this is where we can kind of leverage eating
more whole foods and focusing.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
In on the quality.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
So once you have the quantity the energy balance down,
let's go into the quality a little bit more. And
I think that's exciting. It gives another option and a
way forward.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
Yeah, And I think that understanding the work in your
brain and the stuff behind it that makes you crave
those foods even though you really feel really strongly about
your goal and know what you have to do to
meet that goal. Understanding why that's hard, I think helps
empower you to make decisions that make sense. Instead of
(09:09):
feeling like I can't have these foods, it's it's you know,
I am choosing not to have these foods for these reasons,
and this is why it feels hard for me to
make that choice.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
So how would you recommend if I were your client
and I'm meeting a lot of hyper palatable foods. I'm
meaning hot dogs, and all the barbecue stuff this summer.
How would I start that transition or what would you recommend?
Speaker 3 (09:32):
That is a hard question and it would depend on
a whole lot of things. And I think one of
the great things about working with a coach is that
you get to know that person and their personality and
you can work with them on figuring out what works
for them. Because for some people it might be avoiding
hyper palatle foods for a period of time, probably not forever,
(09:54):
but for a period of time until you get to
that you know, this Starbucks tastes super sweet place. But
for some people, saying you know, you should avoid all
of these foods could potentially make that worse. I know
that I am somebody who, for the most part, can't
just remove all I have a major sweet tooth. I
(10:14):
am a dessert lover. Removing all of those foods from
my diet is just not going to work. That's going
to backfire for me. So it kind of depends on
anybody's personality and what works for them, And I think
the most important thing is giving yourself a chance to
experiment and figure out what works for you and being
okay figuring out what doesn't work. For you. I think
(10:35):
a lot of people try something new, it doesn't work,
and then they just feel like they are a failure,
like it's a personal failure that that strategy wasn't effective
for them at that time, instead of saying, Okay, this
is not the thing for me right now, let's try
something else. So working with a coach and having somebody
who can be objective and remind you that you are
(10:56):
not a failure when things don't work out for you
present some other ideas is where there can be a
huge advantage in pushing through that really tough initial stage
where you probably feel hungry, you feel frustrated with elevated cravings,
and there's kind of a distance between what you want
for your goal, and also that those cravings and those
(11:17):
feelings that don't align with your goal.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
Yeah, thank you. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
And so I loved hearing about like the hyper palatable
foods and so.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
Really the what we're eating.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
And then I'm thinking about people who well transition into
a cut or a deficit, so eating less than what
they were typically eating prior. So what are some things
that they could anticipate happening in that transition.
Speaker 3 (11:43):
Definitely cravings, for sure, given what we talked about about,
you know, the psychology and biology of eating super delicious
foods and then kind of shifting away from those, and
there's probably also going to be some level of hunger.
And this is complicated because I don't ever like to
tell anybody to ignore their hunger. That's usually not a
(12:04):
good idea, but instead to kind of tune into it
and hear it and don't be reactive to it. You
can kind of sit with that and think about your day,
your context, what else is going on, and how you
want to respond to it. I think, especially when people
start a fat loss diet and reduce their intake quite
a bit and then they feel that hunger, the tendency
(12:27):
is just to like grip white knuckle onto your resolve
and try to push through it, rather than thinking about,
maybe I do need a snack, maybe I need something
intentional and purposeful to get me to my next meal
or my next plan or whatever it is. And so
I would advise for people to sit with that a
little bit and think about it. And you know, I'm
(12:48):
not saying that if you feel hungry, don't eat, but
to try not to be reactive to that feeling. And
that can be really hard at the beginning, when you
know hunger is pretty powerful. Your body really wants to
fight against you trying to make changes. That is normal,
and so sitting with it and choosing how to react
to it rather than just ignoring it or being reactive
(13:10):
with what you choose.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
Yeah, being And I like that advice of not being
reactive because then it teases out time a little bit
where we can really see my board.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
Am I tired? Am I trying to avoid work?
Speaker 1 (13:22):
Am I chasing some other state or time that I
need some more space in.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
Rather than just the queue of food?
Speaker 3 (13:32):
Right?
Speaker 2 (13:32):
Or the queue is that? And then I'm going to
get food? So I like that. Thank you. If you
talk about.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
I've heard you use the phrase changing your state. You
just mentioned it in or reminded me that I've heard
you say that before. And I really like that, especially
in this context because, like you mentioned that hunger might
be coming from a lot of different places. That doesn't
necessarily mean that it's not legitimate hunger, but it could
be craving, just a change in energy, a change in
(14:00):
entertainment if you're super bored, whatever it is, craving, just
a change in state might be something to think about
while you're reacting to, maybe not reacting to, but listening
to that hunger queue and deciding how you want to
change your state. I think that's a really smart way
to build thoughtfulness into that reaction.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
Yeah, and hunger is not a failure, right, Like I
hear you say that too. It's like hunger is expected,
it is normal. And then it's kind of like that
volume dial. I was actually just talking to a colleague
who has a family member competing in bodybuilding, and so
bodybuildings coming up a lot today, guys, But it's one
that is kind of like the punctuation mark on hunger
(14:41):
that happens when people are dieting down to this stage
lead presence and their hunger dial is cranked all the
way up. Because that's pushing the bounds of our physiology
and our psychology really is the biggest thing there. And
so while that's not necessarily what we have to deal
with day to day when we're seeking a change, it
(15:02):
is something to learn from and understand.
Speaker 3 (15:06):
Definitely, you're a human being and you cannot escape the
physiology that makes you want to eat when your energy
is low. So figuring out how to manage that and
work with it in the context of your life and
your goals is the name of the game, even if
you're not a physique competitor. Yes, you do not need to.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
Be a physique competitor to benefit from this conversation.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
Do we do this one?
Speaker 1 (15:30):
How can we figure out this hungerful and a stance
when we're trying to It's like the hard part is
that no one can tell you where to draw the line.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
I think that's good to know too.
Speaker 3 (15:38):
Yeah, I mean I think that's indifferent language. What I
said about working as a coach. Oh yeah, as an
example here, that actually does come up quite a lot
when been coaching about like playing a snack. If you
notice you get hungry at the same time eat, Yeah,
that makes sense. You want to go there and we
can go there.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
So when I talk about this hungerfulness dance, if you
will as negotiation, am I going to have a snack?
Speaker 2 (16:05):
Am I going to eat?
Speaker 1 (16:06):
Can we talk a little bit about that about knowing
where our personal line is?
Speaker 3 (16:11):
If you could say, yeah, again, this is a great
place to be working as a coach and talk through
that where that line is. But one of the things
that comes up a lot that I chat with my
members about is that they're often noticing when they get
hungry at a similar time most days, and for a
lot of people, this is kind of in that afternoon
(16:31):
window three to five or so, when we're all tired,
it's getting towards the end of the day and you
still have the whole evening ahead, especially if you have
kids and their whole routines. I hear a lot of
people saying, oh, I was snacking while I was making
dinner because I was just so hungry, and then you know,
I ate all this random stuff and it wasn't paying attention,
and now I don't know how much I ate. And
this happens every day. And instead of saying, well, you know,
(16:55):
stop doing that, how about we plan for that. How
about we plan for you to have a snack around
that low energy hungry window so that you can make
it to dinner without feeling like you're nibbling on everything
in the pantry while you're putting dinner together. Instead, have
something that you want that works for your goals, that
you can taste and enjoy, sit down to eat for
(17:15):
a minute, and then get on with your crazy evening routine.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
Really, yeah, I've talked to people about that same thing,
and they'll be like, well, I don't want to go
over this amount of calories or I don't want to
go over and I'm like, right, but what's happening. Then
if we skip that snack or that afternoon time when
we need something, then dinner is that much bigger, or
your dinner's your dinner and then you're still looking for
more food because your body knows yeah.
Speaker 3 (17:40):
Or the second the second most common time I see
this is at the end of the day, in the evening,
when it's quiet, kids are in bed. You finally have
a minute to just sit quietly, and you're like, I
want to eat stuff. If that happens, plan for it,
plan to have a snack, plan to put something there.
Snagging gets a bad reputation, and I think that's because
(18:00):
we're talking about mindless snacking or nibbling on things or
finding things in the candy bullet work instead of a
purposeful snack that you plan and choose and enjoy. That's
totally different, and that is definitely a tool in your
toolbox that you should lean on when hunger it becomes
a problem for you totally.
Speaker 1 (18:20):
I know, I want to sit on the couch andy popcorn.
So that's like a planned thing. It's happening and I'm
leaning into the natural flow of my day.
Speaker 3 (18:29):
Yeah, and popcorn is great. I love popcorn.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
Yeah, it has lots of fiber. Yes, it's a whole
great at that your snacks need to be all fiber.
But you know it's helpful.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
I screaming said, yeah, I scream when I think of
like that evening quiet time when I want to lunch
on something.
Speaker 3 (18:48):
Yes, watch TV thinking of ice cream.
Speaker 2 (18:52):
Is it time for you to level up? Get matched with.
Speaker 1 (18:55):
A Stronger You coach who's dedicated to your success and accountability.
Work one on one with an expert to define your goals,
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is grounded in science, not fads, and tailored to you.
(19:18):
No one size fits all plans or deprivation. Here, eat
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(19:43):
This is where a stronger you begins. Let's do this
all right, So talked about the physiological changes, some of
the psychology there.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
I'm curious if you could share some of your.
Speaker 1 (19:56):
Coaching tips for maintaining motivation when transitioning into a new behavior,
whether nutrition, fitness, anything like that.
Speaker 3 (20:06):
I definitely can. And my trick answer to this question
is that we really don't want to rely on motivation
at all because we know that motivation is fleeting, it
will not and cannot last forever. So knowing that that's
the case once again, you want a plan for when
that motivation fades. What are you going to do? What
(20:27):
systems are you going to lean on to keep moving
forward when you really just don't feel like it, which
happens to everybody. Again, you're not a failure by not
feeling super hyped up and motivated every single day to
do these things that we know are hard. So the
biggest tip for that, I think everybody's heard this ten
million times, it's going to be planning ahead wherever you
(20:49):
can do that. It just makes everything easier when you
put that time and energy and investment ahead of where
it gets really hard. So if you can do that,
I always add for that. And then remember that planning
ahead can look a million different ways. It doesn't have
to be all of your meals for the whole week
are planned and prepped and tracked and every decision has
(21:11):
been made ahead of time. It could be you have
a vague idea of what dinners are, you know what
groceries you need, you know what you're having for breakfast.
I prep for my kids' lunches days ahead of time
to take to school because it just makes my morning
a little bit easier.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
Stuff like that.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
Anything in your routine that takes some of the pressure
out of the thought and time you have to give
when you're the most tired and when the motivation is gone,
is going to help you keep moving towards your goal
with a lower barrier. I guess is the word for it.
And then another thing I would recommend is to lean
(21:49):
on your support systems. A lot of this us feel
like you're kind of in your head by yourself with
this goal, constantly making decisions and try to make it work.
Talk to your family and your friends. If you're working
with a coach, definitely talk with them. Get them involved,
let them know how they can help you. I think
people don't realize how much your friends and family want
(22:10):
to be helpful, but they don't know if you don't
say anything. So that could be, you know, talking to
your partner about how often you want to go out
to eat or dine out or get take out during
the week. What kind of negotiation can you make so
that everybody feels like their needs are met. It could
be when you're out with your friends saying, hey, can
you get this bowl of chips out from right in
front of my face because I'd rather have these tacos
(22:32):
that I ordered that I'm excited about, and instead I've
got delicious, salty, hyper palatable chips right in front of
my face. And I'm sure they'll say, great, I would
love those chips and of my way. So don't be
afraid to reach out and talk to people and let
them know how they can help you, because I'm sure
that they want to. And another part is to remind
(22:53):
yourself of why you're doing this at all. It is
I'm going to say this ten million times, it's hard
changing how changing behaviors, going from something that is super
fun to something that is good for you, but perhaps
not as fun. Is difficult, So it's not going to
be easy, it's not going to be perfect, and that
is totally fine. Remembering why it is worth the effort
(23:16):
to you is super important and once again empowers you
to choose what you want to do instead of feeling
like you can't or like things being are being taken
away from you. And the last thing is that a
lot of the things we do in the beginning when
you're making behavior change can be more on the rigid side.
(23:37):
When you're looking at a spectrum of how I guess
loose versus rigid would be would be the two words
that on the super side of rigidity, that part is
not forever. What you're doing now doesn't necessarily have to
be forever. A lot of what you do, the bones
of how you're shifting your routine in your life due
for the changes that you make to be permanent. But
(24:01):
you're going to figure it out. You're going to figure
out structures and strategies that work for your life, and
don't feel like you're just like in this constant state
of deprivation or constantly trying so hard all the time.
Give yourself time to figure it out and know that
this feeling that it's hard and you're hungry and you
have all these cravings, it's not forever.
Speaker 1 (24:23):
Yeah, it's definitely not forever. And like that that would
be the goal, right to do it in the shortest
amount of time. When I say do it, I mean
like a diet phase or you know, an extreme or
not extreme, but a more aggressive deficit or cut that
we're referring to. But I think that a lot of
times we'll meet people that are just doing a low
(24:44):
greed deficit chronically and just.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
Kind of like trying to be low for their entire lives.
And that's not.
Speaker 1 (24:51):
Really a fun place to feel like you're just always
hanging out in that space. So I definitely I want
people to hear that like it does have to be
that Paul, and that like.
Speaker 2 (25:03):
Drawn out and just this arduous process.
Speaker 3 (25:07):
Yeah, And I think a lot of people get stuck
in that place because they're constantly trying the same thing,
kind of constantly pushing at the same button that's not working,
and they're so scared to try something else, even though
it'll be weeks and months of doing the same thing
and getting nowhere. So that's where that advice of you know,
(25:28):
lean on your family, don't be afraid to acknowledge when
something doesn't work and you want to try something else.
Speaker 4 (25:34):
Yeah, and it's not them, Yes, don't yourself right right,
it's not your fault when when things aren't always not
every tool is useful in every situation.
Speaker 2 (25:45):
Yeah, for sure. I think that's a really important point.
Speaker 1 (25:48):
And so Julie, I love that you just spoke about
all of these different tools and tips and you know
what we might experience hunger wise, or how our.
Speaker 2 (25:58):
Body might shift.
Speaker 1 (25:59):
And now I would love to chat about this concept
called the fresh start effect. And you actually brought this
research to my awareness so long ago when we first
met each other, actually, and I really loved it so much,
and I would love for you to just share a
little bit more. What is the fresh start effect? And
can we talk about that science a little bit more?
Speaker 3 (26:20):
For sure? I was really excited when I first read
about this too, because, like we were talking about earlier,
there seem to be certain times of year, or certain
days of the week, or periods of time that feel
particularly motivating or we as a population tend to want
to make changes around that time. New Year's obviously is
a huge one, and now again in the fall, it
(26:42):
just kind of happens. And there is actually a behavioral
science explanation for that, and so the fresh start effect
is described as a behavioral science finding that suggests that
people are more likely to engage in goal directed behaviors
and have increased motivation towards achieving those goals when they
(27:04):
perceive that it's a new beginning or a new time period.
So again like New Year's or I'm sure you all
start on Monday, Monday is a super common one. There's
also birthdays or just certain time landmarks, and those are
actually considered those are called temporal landmarks in the research
in this field, and it's described as quote unquote a
(27:26):
new mental accounting period. So like your brain perceives this
day or this whatever, your landmark is as a separate event,
and you as a separate not as a separate person,
but you separate yourself from where you were before that
temporal landmark. So Monday is going to be a new me.
(27:47):
Or in the fall, when my kids go back to
school and the structure is back in my routine, it's
going to be a new me compared to summer, and
that psychological separation of your before and after your self
can help to increase your motivation. It can help separate
you from perceived failures or shortcomings. So if you're feeling
(28:09):
really bad about how you ended up after the summer,
seeing the fall as a fresh start can feel really
good for your brain and really motivate you to make change.
So we really want to take advantage of that. So
you have your temporal landmark, which might be the fall,
which is what we're talking about right now. A lot
of people are probably feeling that right now, and having
(28:31):
that landmark can help with sort of the next pillar
of what we're talking about when we talk about the
fresh start effect, and that's having a psychological reset once again,
feeling like your future self after this time period is
going to be superior to your past self or this
thing that you want to change, and you're more likely
to engage in the behaviors that support the better self
(28:55):
that you see on Monday or in fall or on
New Years, and therefore more likely to follow through on
the things you need to do to reach your goal.
This is also called the sort of like a clean slate.
It's not clean slate effect, but they talk about having
a clean slate in the research a lot after that
temporal landmark. So you use that temporal landmark not only
(29:16):
to spark motivation, but also to help psychologically connect yourself
with what you think is a superior version of yourself,
and then your actions are more likely to align with
that goal. And then the other piece of this, so
this whole thing is as kind of pillars of how
they're explaining how this fresh start effect really is meaningful
(29:37):
and how we can take advantage of it. The other
piece of it is that there's research that shows that
when you're looking at your superior self on the other
side of this temporal landmark, that your thinking is actually
more big picture than in the nuances of your day
to day and you are more motivated by seeing this
new life, this new future. And once again you can
(29:59):
ride them motivation. Even though I just told you not
to rely on motivation. I'll get back to that in
a minute. You can ride that for the time that
you have it. To lean on your structures, your just
support systems, all of those tips and tricks we talked
about to set yourself up for success and to keep
moving towards this goal after the temporal landmark. So that
when your motivation does fade, you've used that time to
(30:22):
really support yourself and build structures into your routine so
that you just keep going once you know, this psychological
reset and bigger picture thinking kind of fizzles out back
to your baseline state, which has also been shown in
the research that even after these temporal landmarks, the farther
you get away from them, the less impacts you see.
And so you really want to lean on this thing
(30:45):
that there is clear psychology that we understand and that
we can lean on. You really want to utilize that
because it's going to be there and you can use
that to support your goals in the long run.
Speaker 1 (30:58):
I love a brand new plan because I have the
opportunity to be an organized not a procrastinator me. So
I love that You're like a supercharged version. I'm like, yep,
that's how I feel every time I buy a new planner.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
So yeah, I.
Speaker 3 (31:12):
Bet a lot of people are listening to this and
thinking of that and having kind of an a haul
moments of like, oh, that's why I do that, and
it's a thing people do this. This is a whole population.
You know, there's a lot of research on this and
You're not alone being somebody who sees a blank journal
or if you're you know, somebody who acts a ton
of journalist and like, I'm going to be a journal er.
I'm going to write in this every day. This is
(31:34):
going to be a new me. That's that's normal. We
can use that.
Speaker 2 (31:38):
Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 1 (31:39):
I'm curious too with that kind of your last point
of like the big picture thinking. Does it make sense
like if I'm somebody who's like, Okay, I'm going to
start on my birthday or start on this Monday, does
it make sense to kind of time box it and
be like the next three months or and then start
again or how would you think about that? I'm just
curious your opinion. Maybe not the res Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 3 (32:02):
About the research on that, but I would also think
that I'm thinking of it in the context of people
who start dieting phases and how there's definitely a mix
of people who do really well with here's my three months,
that I really want to reach this goal or I
really want to make as much progress as I can,
and then people who are more focused on habits that
(32:22):
support long term stability, not that they are mutually exclusive,
but as you were talking about earlier. Someone who might
be in more aggressive deficit might benefit from having it,
as you call it, a timebox, a frame where you're saying,
this is my time to do this thing, and I'm
going to be really focused on it. Some people do
really well with that and some people not so much.
(32:44):
So it kind of depends once again on experimenting, trying
new things, and figuring out what your brain likes best.
Speaker 1 (32:51):
Right, and almost I'm getting like a mix of both
is actually beneficial for some people. Right, Like, you have
these behaviors that are sustainable and there they'll be forever
things that you do, and then there might be a
timebox thing that's like, yeah, I'm not going to do
this forever, but I'm going to do it right now.
Speaker 3 (33:06):
Yeah, it's a good way to frame what we're talking
about with hyperpellead old foods. Right. If that's really a
struggle for you, it could be I'm going to get
these out of my house for two weeks or whatever,
and then from there I will try to reintegrate them
and figure out how I relate to these foods after
I've had a period of abstaining from them. So just
(33:28):
like when we were talking about, you know, dieting for
fat loss or go starting off with an aggressive deficit,
starting off your time frame or your plan or whatever
it is, with an idea for the big picture as
well as what you want to do in this shorter
timeframe is important for sustainable change.
Speaker 1 (33:46):
Yeah, thank you so much for explaining all that. I
think it's fascinating. I think it's really cool for everyone
to listen in of like you can leverage that you
don't have to shame yourself if you do want to
start on a Monday, but just don't keep bumping the Monday.
Speaker 3 (34:00):
This came up for me actually because it was around
the New Year, and you know, you get a lot
of mixed messaging around New Year's of you know, I'm
going to be a new me on January first, and
people saying you don't have to change on January first.
Both are true, but a lot of kind of negative
thoughts around the idea of having resolutions or that you know,
you shouldn't join the crowd of people who are doing
(34:22):
all the same thing on January first. And then there's
this piece that it's like, no, there's actually psychology here.
There's actually research that shows that this is a thing,
and this is something you can use. It's not just
a bandwagon although yah, bandwagon effect is a thing too,
but we won't go there.
Speaker 2 (34:38):
We'll save that one.
Speaker 1 (34:40):
So as we leverage this temporal landmarks and this all
this great research that you just shared with that, is
there anything we should be aware of, like any caveats
or disclaimers that you'd want to share.
Speaker 3 (34:52):
I mean, as with anything, there's there's going to be
contexts and nuanunds and the things that come to mind
for me when I think of utilized the idea of
temporal landmarks is that, as I mentioned, the research to
show that as you get further from the temporal landmark,
the motivation and the drive and that spark you initially
felt will decrease. I actually saw a study where they
(35:14):
looked at this and they used Google search for the
word diet after New Year and saw, you know, an
eighty two percent increase in researching the word diet at
the New Year, and then that kind of petered out
by February March, and then it was at the all
time lowest in December. They saw the same effect for
(35:35):
gym attendance. They saw this for federal holidays, and birthdays,
the same kind of trend that at the landmark it's
at its peak, and then right before that landmark it's
at its absolute lowest. So that's just something to be
aware of and again use your systems to land for
so that you have something to lean on when inevitably
that spark fades. And then the other thing that comes
(35:57):
to mind this for me is something that is you're
dear to my heart because something that I also struggle
with it is that there is a pretty big potential
for that all or nothing or perfectionistic thinking. When you
get started, you're super excited, you're all in. You anticipate
that fresh start on a Monday or your birthday or
in the fall, and then when things get challenging, it
(36:19):
can easy to be easy to say, well I can't
do all this stuff. It's too hard, so I quit.
Instead of saying like, well this is too hard, this
is really hard. I'm going to pick two or three
of these things, or I'm going to scale back on
the things that I am doing and try something new.
That is something that I notice in myself. I see
it in my members all the time. It's super duper
(36:40):
comment and I can see that this fresh start effect
or viewing things as a clean slate can feed into that,
and it's just something to be aware of and to
think about when you're you know, if you're somebody who
tends toward all or nothing, thinking to build more awareness
about that.
Speaker 1 (36:57):
Right, don't shut it all down at the time of
I don't know, I guess where you're feeling like, oh,
this isn't working or I didn't stick to it.
Speaker 2 (37:04):
It's I don't shut it all down.
Speaker 3 (37:06):
Right, Like you went out to dinner and the chip
bowl was in front of your face and you ate
all the chips and now you're like, well, I blew it.
I guess it's all done. Obviously, when you say it,
it sounds ridiculous, but we've all been there, we've felt that.
Speaker 2 (37:19):
Wely that's never happened to me. I'm never over.
Speaker 3 (37:24):
To assume definitely happened to me.
Speaker 1 (37:29):
Yes, yeah, that's something that's really hard. I think for
a need dieter is the chips and glock.
Speaker 3 (37:35):
Yeah, yeah, or just anybody, right, because you can easily
even if you're not dieting, even if you're not in
any kind of state of deprivation, it's very easy to
overeat hyper palatable foods. That's that's what makes them hyper palatable.
That's the whole reason that your brain gets kind of
rewired to make you want to eat those because they
taste good and that just because you know, you need
(37:56):
that much energy. Yeah, I need that.
Speaker 1 (37:59):
Much blok Yeah unfortunately, but my heart gets Yeah, my heart.
Speaker 2 (38:03):
Needs the guawk. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (38:05):
I think that's really important and I hope that people
learned a lot more like it is bigger than us
with the hyper palatable food. You know, obviously we are
responsible for what we eat, but there are some things
at play that are bigger than us, and I think
that's important to hear. Yeah, for sure, Julie, thank you
so much.
Speaker 2 (38:23):
As always, we love listening into all of your thoughts
and wisdom.
Speaker 1 (38:27):
And all the science that you share, so we will
look out for another podcast.
Speaker 2 (38:32):
With you, hopefully than coming up there soon. So thank
you so much.
Speaker 3 (38:36):
Well, thank you so much for having me and always
listening to me prat along about all these fun things
that I get to look up and share with everybody.
That's my favorite thing about what I do and can't
lead to chat again, thank you, thanks.
Speaker 1 (38:52):
Thank you for listening to Stronger You Radio for more
information about how you can get started with a Stronger
You coach, visit stronger.
Speaker 2 (38:59):
You dot com or click the link in the episode description.
Speaker 1 (39:03):
As a special thank you for listening, we have a
Stronger You discount code just for our listeners. Use the
code Radio fifty at checkout for fifty percent off your
first month of coaching.
Speaker 2 (39:15):
With Stronger You.
Speaker 1 (39:17):
Tune in next time for more health and nutrition conversations
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