Podcasts man…where have you been all my life! These things are AMAZING! Now that I am at the lake for the summer and back to a longer commute I am really finding the value of a good podcast. I find myself wanting to re-listen to them so I can take notes on all that is being said! 30/10 gives you access to guided-meditation style recordings that are great but I appreciate the banter that happens in the podcasts. They really make me think about my situation, my addiction, and offer new or renewed insights into what is road blocking my healthy relationship with food. I am REALLY trying to be 100% on plan. That did not happen yesterday or the day before but DAMMIT it is happening today. I am taking pictures of everything that I put in my pie hole today (as well as journaling it in my 30/10 tracker) to keep me accountable to my freaking mouth and brain- may they work together today for food freedom…AAAMMEEENNNNN. I am finding that the podcasts are a great way for me to “interrupt” those demon voices in my head that are telling me to eat the chips and peanut butter that are in the pantry at the moment. David says that if you can give your rational brain a few moments to catch up to your addicted brain you can fight off those cravings and regain composure. At the moment I feel like my rational brain needs about 20 minutes to catch up so these podcasts are quickly becoming my tool of choice at the moment. So here are the podcasts I have listened to so far and some brief notes on why I enjoyed them.

PODCASTS (On Apple podcast network, many can be found online, and some are even linked for your listening pleasure):

Bulletproof Radio, Episode # 272; Dr. David Ludwig: Food Addiction & Will Power is Not Enough. 

• What I appreciate MOST about this podcast is the science behind addictive foods. Dr. Ludwig has spent his career making the connection between food, the body, and addiction. Certain foods trigger the addiction pathways and once those pathways are laid down it becomes monumental to overcome. “Overeating doesn’t make you fat.  The process of getting fat makes you overeat.” He also breaks down the concept of calorie in does NOT equal calorie burned; meaning that all calories are NOT the same and you cannot work off calories you consume, which is a 30/10 TENENT. Weight loss happens in the KITCHEN, not in the gym. 

The Health Bridge; I Am A Food Addict with Guest Susan Peirce Thompson (June 6, 2016)

• Some foods for me will forever trigger the addiction pathways and I need to stay away from those foods forever. I appreciate her willingness to say this publicly…that for many people, there are certain foods that they will HAVE to say no to every time to maintain their new-found healthy weight. She also discusses the power word choice and phrasing in the weight loss journey; “I CAN’T eat that.” versus “I DON’T eat that.” You give your power away when you say you cannot have something. You retain your power when you say that you don’t eat something.

Pro You Podcast; Food Addiction (June 4, 2015)

• This one really annoyed me at first because it is hosted by two people who do NOT have a food addiction and know nothing about it…they are simply learning about it as the show goes on by Google searching “Food Addiction” and sharing it with their listeners. What I came to appreciate about this episode is that I found myself constantly saying “You are not mentioning THIS aspect of it!” or “People could also think about it this way!” It was a way for me to reaffirm my addiction and in a weird way was kind of comforting. Their mantra throughout this podcast was “SEEK HELP! Dont hide from this any longer! Help IS available.” And THAT is a mantra I am living and 100% stand behind.

The Minimalist, Episode #015; Consumerism AND Episode #019; Mentalclutter

• To NOT deal with my addiction and food issues I filled my life with THINGS and STUFF- 3 jobs, LOTS of clothes, shoes, handbags, pantry drawers FILLED with food, social events on my calendar, random shit. And because I (we) made so much money I just spent and spend and spent. Well…a few years ago we made a SHIT TON on money and owed a HUGE amount in taxes- after we had already paid a HUGE amount of taxes through our withholding. My dad said it was a good thing…”That just means you made a lot of money!” But really it was devastating. I had worked 3 jobs to make all that money and really had not only nothing of greater value to show for it but NO time to do anything fun with all that money. My life was no longer fun. I had become a slave to STUFF and was losing what I really did value in life. So I knew I had to make a change. Then 30/10 came along, I started to see David, walked away from 2 jobs that I loved, and started giving my shit away. I can say now that I am on my way to being a minimalist. Instead of buying new things all the time I look for ways to either fix it or find it used. I only buy clothes that I can wear for a LONG time and are made to last. I only keep things in my home that are functional AND bring me joy. I GIVE things away, I don’t sell them. Long story short here…I was filling my life with lots of things and stuff to distract me from what I most needed to work on. So now I try to keep my life as “empty” as possible to force me to always work on me first. And this podcast helps me stay focused on staying “empty”. I think anyone who is struggling with weight can relate to this on some level. It is the last thing we want to deal with and we fill our lives with things and stuff to avoid dealing with ourselves.

I am also following Cut the Fat Weight Loss Blog podcast, Half Sized Me podcast and Radio Headspace podcast. I have not yet listened to any but will do so soon and report back my thoughts as I move through them. Have any of you found any great podcasts that I have been missing out on? Please share them in the comments!

Here is what my 100% on-plan day looked like. It was HARD but I am stilling breathing. It’s JUST food…it’s JUST food…it’s just ONE day…ONE day…ONE day at a time.

Breakfast: Cocoa cereal with almond milk

Snack: Crispy Coconut bar

Lunch: Sloppy Joe with feta wrapped in butter lettuce, 2 cups broccoli and cauliflower with EVOO and Mrs. Dash seasoning

Snack: Cappuccino drink mix, cold brew coffee mixed in Vitamix with water and ice 🙂

Dinner: Asian Beef Lettuce Wrap with sauteed Bok Choy