Keep The Weight Off – Details, episodes & analysis

For more details on this podcast visit:

https://www.journeybeyondweightloss.com/blog/182

Hey there!

This week on the Keep the Weight Off podcast, Dr. Angela and Marchelle dive deeper into the fascinating world of Cognitive Distortions and how they can secretly derail your weight loss progress. If you tuned in last week, you're already on the path to uncovering those sneaky, irrational thoughts. But we're not stopping there—this episode takes it to the next level! 🌟

Here's what you'll learn in this powerful episode:

- Why We Think This Way: Discover the origins of cognitive distortions, from early life experiences to cultural influences.
- Spotting the Signs: Learn to identify when your mind is playing tricks on you, especially in those moments of stress or negativity.
- Breaking the Cycle: Understand how these thought patterns become ingrained and what you can do to change them for good.
- Real-Life Examples: Hear personal stories and relatable scenarios that illustrate how pervasive these distortions can be.
- Tools for Transformation: Explore practical strategies to reframe your thoughts and break free from distorted thinking.

If you've ever wondered why it's so hard to keep the weight off, this episode could be the key to unlocking lasting change. 🌟 Tune in and empower yourself with the knowledge to challenge these mental roadblocks!

Episode Highlights:

(08:05) If a child is getting negative feedback or criticism from a parent or caregiver, they will likely develop patterns of negative thinking, such as all-or-nothing thinking, or labeling. Our early experiences are actually really important because they shape our views about ourselves and our view of the world. And these distorted thinking patterns can and do persist into adulthood.

(16:34) Cognitive distortions can be the result of a traumatic experience, especially if it happened when you were young. You're trying to make sense of what happened, and you're trying to protect yourself from future harm. And so it's really common to develop cognitive distortions as a result of that experience.

(30:18) By recognizing the origins of these patterns of cognitive distortions and having this gentle awareness and repetition of healthier thinking patterns, we can begin to challenge and reframe our thoughts, ultimately, leading to healthier and more balanced thinking.

Remember that you can know all there is to know about how to nourish your body well, but unless you address cognitive distortions and develop a new way of thinking, you're likely to regain the weight. So you need so much more than just a food plan and some medications to keep the weight off.

#Weightloss #LastingWeightloss #CognitiveDistortions #BreakingCycles #Transformation #ThinkingPatterns

For more details on this podcast visit:

https://www.journeybeyondweightloss.com/blog/181

🎧 Don't Miss This Episode! In this week's episode of the Keep the Weight Off Podcast, Dr. Angela and Marchelle dive deep into the fascinating world of Cognitive Distortions—those sneaky, irrational thought patterns that can secretly sabotage your weight loss journey. You'll learn:

• 🔍 What Cognitive Distortions Are: Understand how these tricky thought patterns can derail your progress without you even realizing it.
• ⚖️ The Power of "All-or-None Thinking": Discover how black-and-white thinking might be holding you back and how to embrace the gray areas for long-term success.
• 🔄 Overgeneralization & Mental Filtering: Learn how to avoid the trap of thinking "this always happens" and focus on your true progress.
• 💭 Jumping to Conclusions & Emotional Reasoning: Uncover how these distortions can lead to self-sabotage and how to counteract them effectively.
• 🛠️ Practical Steps to Combat Distorted Thinking: Get actionable strategies to identify, challenge, and reframe distorted thoughts, helping you stay on track.

This episode is packed with insights that can transform the way you think and, more importantly, the way you approach your weight loss journey. Don't miss out!

🌟 Tune in now and start thinking your way to success!

Episode Highlights:

(05:23) Cognitive distortions are basically the tricks our minds play on us that make us think in negative ways or unrealistic ways; what happens for people is we think that everything that we think that goes through our brains is true, but with cognitive distortions, our thinking is not true. If we're not aware of cognitive distortions, they can really sabotage us.

(12:29) Here you are like "I lost five pounds. It's not enough". You're acknowledging that things are working, but then you're discounting it, you're discounting the positive. That's not a good plan at all, because think about what happens when you minimize your successes. You rob yourself of the motivation and confidence that come from recognizing your hard work.

(16:56) Another cognitive distortion to watch out for is called "emotional reasoning". This is when you believe that because you feel a certain way, it must be true. And this is a tough one for a lot of people. For example, if you feel like a failure, you think you are a failure. But feelings aren't facts. So just because you're having a bad day doesn't mean that your entire journey is doomed.

#Weightloss #LastingWeightloss #CognitiveDistortions #MentalFiltering #Mindset

For more details on this podcast visit:

https://www.journeybeyondweightloss.com/blog/172

Hey there!


Summer is here, and so are all the fun events and delicious temptations!🍉

But don't worry, Marchelle and I have your back. In this week's episode of the Keep the Weight Off Podcast, we're diving into how to navigate summer challenges and stay on track with your health goals. 🌞

In this episode, you'll learn:

BBQ Strategies 🍔: How to enjoy summer parties without derailing your progress.

Mindful Drinking Tips 🍹: Avoiding the pitfalls of summer beverages.

Vacation Planning 🏖️: Staying active and making healthy choices while traveling.

Hydration Hacks 💧: Keeping hydrated to manage cravings and stay healthy.

Mental Preparation 🧠: How to mentally prepare for summer temptations and make mindful choices.

We've got practical, actionable tips to enjoy your summer without sacrificing your health!

Tune in now to equip yourself with the tools you need to keep the weight off this summer and beyond. Let's make this summer your healthiest one yet! 🌟


Happy listening!

Episode Highlights:

(06:04)  The first thing you want to do is to prepare for summer activities is to prepare yourself mentally. Expect that there's going to be a lot of crap food and sugary drinks and alcohol. Don't be surprised when you get there; do your best to think about all of this ahead of time and decide what you want to do.

Make your choice ahead of time; Am I going to stay on track at this function, or am I going to splurge? A splurge is a perfectly logical choice, as long as you're prepared to deal with the cravings later.

(08:52) There are times when I don't want to be bothered bringing something along, when I'll just eat ahead of time and spend my time just socializing. This way I'm not trying to talk to people with a mouthful of food. It's like you're sitting there and you're trying to multitask. So you can avoid all of that by just eating ahead of time and then socializing once you get to the party.

(20:10) Sometimes what I'll do is if I decide that I want to have a splurge on a vacation, I'll wait until the very last day. Because what I've discovered is if you splurge early on you turn on that dopamine seeking part of your brain. So if you wait until the last day, maybe even the last meal to have a splurge, then the next day you're on the plane home, and you can get right back on track right away.

#Weightloss #LastingWeightloss #Summer #VacationPlanning #HealthGoals

For more details on this podcast visit:

https://www.journeybeyondweightloss.com/blog/81

Episode 81: How I Lost 175# & Kept It Off, With Cassie Becker, Part 3

This week is Part 3 of my very special interview with Cassie Becker, who has lost 175# and kept it off. If you haven't heard the previous 2 parts of the interview, go back and listen to Parts 1 and 2 first, and be sure to watch these interviews on the Dr. Angela Zechmann channel on YouTube, because it's a video interview and I do show pictures of her along her journey!

Cassie started her journey with me at age 32 in December of 2008, when she weighed 340#. Cassie lost the first 100# with my help, and the other 75# came off later. In part 3 of our interview we talk about addiction, about her mantras for staying motivated, about what happens to the loose skin, and a lot more!

Episode Highlights:

(20:22) Persistence, Determination, and courage. That's been one of my mantras the entire time. Persistence is just showing up every day and doing what you need to do. Determination is no if, and, or but. There is a way to conquer this and the excuses are always going to be there, but your determination is bigger than that if you allow it to be. And courage because it is hard and it takes a lot of courage to show up every day and to put yourself in that place of vulnerability.

(21:25) Progress, not perfection. Moment by moment. Don't let one moment ruin your entire day, and figure out how to love yourself enough to do what it takes.

(25:56) Here in the United States and everywhere where the American food industry has infiltrated the culture, it is almost impossible to not have the disease of obesity without being very deliberate and diligent about your food. You have to be almost obsessed about your food in order to protect yourself from all the crap that's in it.

For more details on this podcast visit:

https://www.journeybeyondweightloss.com/blog/80

Episode 80: How I Lost 175# & Kept It Off, With Cassie Becker, Part 2

This week is Part 2 of my very special interview with Cassie Becker, who has lost 175# and kept it off. If you didn't hear (or watch) last week's podcast, go back and listen to that one first, and be sure to watch it on the Dr. Angela Zechmann channel on YouTube, because it's a video interview and I do show pictures of her along her journey. 

Cassie started her journey with me at age 32 in December of 2008, when she weighed 340#. In part 2 of our interview we talk about the psychological healing that was necessary. She also talks about an interesting phase when she actually got too thin, and how she discovered what her "perfect weight range" is. 

Enjoy Part 2 of the interview!

Episode Highlights:

(12:35) You have to figure out… where is your happy [weight] place, based on what it takes to live there. Because what it took to live at 150# for me was two and a half - three hours in the gym every day.

(18:29) It's important to understand that long-term weight loss is going to have some ups and downs. And that's pretty normal. 

(23:42) I will every day of my life, wake up and make a decision that I'm either going to be victim to it [Obesity] or I'm going to conquer it.

(25:41) If you wake up in the morning and you make a choice that's not the best choice … that doesn't mean your day is wrecked. That means you have another opportunity in your next meal to make a better choice. I like to deal in moments and that's something that I learned about addiction, you want to take it moment by moment, not day by day.

For more details on this podcast visit:

https://www.journeybeyondweightloss.com/blog/79

Episode 79: How I Lost 175# & Kept It Off, With Cassie Becker, Part 1

This week and the next 2 weeks I have a very special guest - Her name is Cassie and we sat down recently to talk about her weight loss journey. When she started her journey with me it was December of 2008, she was 32 years old and she weighed 340#. Her highest weight was 350# and perhaps more. She lost the first 100# with my help, and the other 75# came off later. It was a dramatic transformation that occurred over the course of many years and Cassie learned a lot about herself along the way! 

I'm so thrilled that she said yes when I asked her to share her journey with all of you! The interview was an hour and a half long, so I've broken it up into 3 parts, which I'll be releasing over the next 3 weeks. We did a video interview, so I want to recommend that you go over to the Dr Angela Zechmann channel on YouTube to watch this interview, because I do show photos of her along her journey and pictures are worth a thousand words!

Episode Highlights:

(10:00) I was going to prove to everyone that it didn't matter how big I was, that I was capable and strong, independent, and I could do whatever I wanted to do, regardless of what people saw. And I was very successful at that.

(17:50) My kids were tiny. They were four years old and seven years old, and they were kind of like, why can't you have chips with us or popcorn with us or cookies with us? The best explanation is, mommy's allergic to sugar right now.

(21:33) Even if you were able to eat perfectly, the lack of sleep and the stress hormones cause your liver to create blood sugar. It's a process called gluconeogenesis. And so your liver is going to make sugar even if your nutrition is perfectly sound.

(23:35) So many people think that "As long as I'm working out, I can just eat whatever I want" and that doesn't work. So dialing in that nutrition is the key. If you've got an hour, and your choice is to go to the gym and spend that hour on the treadmill, or to spend an hour going grocery shopping and prepping food, and it's one or the other, you need to do the food.

For more details on this podcast visit:

https://www.journeybeyondweightloss.com/blog/78

Episode 78: Your Primitive Brain

Have you ever felt like you had 2 different parts of you that were fighting each other? For example, one part of you wants pizza and wine and chocolate while the other part of you wants to get your weight under control so you can feel better?  It's the proverbial angel on one shoulder whispering one ear while on the other shoulder is the devil tempting you with immediate pleasure, right?

What's going on here? Is there anything we can do to stop the war going on in our heads? Tune in to today's podcast to find out!

Episode Highlights:

(4:41) The primary motivations of the primitive brain are:
1) Seek anything that brings pleasure
2) Avoid anything that brings pain
3) Conserve energy at all costs.
4)Stick with people who are safe, fear those you don't know
5) Avoid being seen. 
Now, this is our primitive brain…. But our brains did evolve beyond this, right? So we have a human brain that has evolved past our primitive brain. This is called our "prefrontal cortex"

(10:35) In order to lose weight and keep it off, what we need to do is to put the prefrontal cortex - the human brain - in charge of the primitive brain. 
We do this by planning ahead EVERYTHING we will eat, 24 hours in advance. This way we are not giving our primitive brain any chance of making a food decision.

(13:14) This is why I always say the weight loss journey done well is a journey of powerful personal evolution. When you can take control over your primitive brain with food, you can do it with spending, you can do it with drinking, you can do it with exercise, you can do it with relationships, you can do it with time management, you can just watch yourself coming more and more into alignment with your goals and dreams, evolving yourself, getting better all the time.

For more details on this podcast visit:

https://www.journeybeyondweightloss.com/blog/77

Episode 77: Managing Your Thoughts.

Imagine being able to understand your own brain better. It sounds like an elusive goal, but it's not as tough or impossible as you might think! The first step in this journey starts with understanding how the mind works and then making rational decisions about what thoughts are helpful and what thoughts hinder us in our weight loss efforts. Today Marchelle and I compare cleaning up our thoughts with cleaning out our closets, and we give you some tips for what to keep and what to let go of!

Episode Highlights:

(4:43) Writing your thoughts down is like taking all the clothes out of your closet and putting them in a pile on the floor. You write your thoughts down so that you can take an objective look at them. If you just keep letting them spin around in your head, they just keep spinning and you keep identifying with them. But if you write these thoughts down, you can be more objective about them. You can see that there's a difference between you and your thoughts.

(14:40) If you have a thought that weight loss is hard, then it's going to be hard, and you're going to make it hard because you're going to find all the ways that it's hard. You're not going to see all the ways that it can be easy. We make our thoughts true.

(15:10) Anytime you're feeling a negative emotion and you want to go for the chips or the candy or the ice cream or whatever it is, instead of doing that, just go sit down and write down what you're thinking. Write down what you're feeling, and then you can start doing your own thought excavations. Because I guarantee you that the reason that you want to go for the chips or whatever, is because there's some sort of thought that's creating a negative emotion for you. If you can learn to excavate what the thought is, you're going to have much more success on your weight loss journey.

For more details on this podcast visit:

https://www.journeybeyondweightloss.com/blog/76

Episode 76: How The Hell Did This Happen?

This week Marchelle and I wanted to talk about something that happens ALL THE TIME in a weight loss journey. And that is the dreaded weight regain. 

Our patients will come into us feeling so ashamed, and they're asking themselves How in the Hell Did This Happen? I thought I had it under control. I was doing so well! But now I've gained a bunch back and it feels SO HARD to get back on track again.

A lot of times this happens after a vacation, or after the holidays, or after something happens in life, like stress at work, going through a separation or divorce, or the illness of someone you care about. And then, of course, Covid did a number on ALL OF US. 

Believe us, we get it! Tune in to today's podcast so you can stop beating yourself up, and get yourself back on track quickly! 

Highlights:

(4:12) Obesity is a disease. It's not a disease like pneumonia, where you get a diagnosis, take some antibiotics, and then it's cured. It's actually not curable like pneumonia. So you can't diet it away. 

(16:28) Our social norms are against us keeping this disease under control. Unlike many other cultures where it's easier, in our society it takes a lot of work to eat wholesome nourishing food. It takes planning, grocery shopping, and a willingness to chop vegetables and prepare protein. Most of us still do not understand at all what it means to cook and prepare real food.

(20:37) Most people slip up and gain all their weight back because they don't understand all of the obstacles that are in their way. They don't understand that they have a disease, a disease that is chronic and progressive and relapsing and it takes vigilance to keep under control. 

Have you ever felt like you were addicted to the scale? Have you ever judged your progress based on that number? Well, most people have no idea that changes in weight do not usually reflect changes in body fat, and there's a lot more to the story!

Tune in to today's episode to discover how it is that you can be doing amazing work, and the scale might not budge at all... and why it's so very important to get body composition testing done for an accurate assessment of your progress!

Episode Highlights:

7:49 Weighing yourself is one of the most misleading ways to tell if you're losing fat or not... most of the time, it's totally inaccurate!

10:29 If you lose one and a half pounds of muscle with every 4 pounds of fat, by the time you've lost 20 pounds of fat, you've lost 6 pounds of muscle. Think about that ... Do you want to lose 6 pounds of muscle mass just to lose 20 pounds of fat? Muscle burns calories for you even while you're sleeping!

20:17 I never recommend setting weight loss goals. You don't want weight loss. Really, you don't. You want fat loss. You want lots of lean muscle mass that will burn calories for you while you sleep. And in order to do this, you have to be, very, very careful with your nutrition.