TLL #008: I’m Not Going To Sugar-Coat It
Landon Kennedy
We Declutter, Organize & Style Homes For High-Performing Women In Calgary To Support Your Success & Well-Being | OrganizationMagic.ca
Almost 80% of Hawaiians are overweight.
But?this study?helped people lose an average of 17 lbs. in just 21 days!
The most amazing thing is, they were eating MORE food than before!
That’s pretty compelling!
I mean, who doesn’t want to enjoy a healthier body while getting more satisfaction from food?
How can we achieve the same thing?
The answer might surprise you!
The Waianae Diet Program is a “non-calorie restricted weight loss protocol”. Meaning that participants could eat UNLIMITED quantities of natural foods.
In fact, they were encouraged to eat as much as they wanted!
This helped native Hawaiians quickly recover from the damage done by the standard western diet.
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The program was:
- low in fat (7%)
- moderate in protein (15%)
- high in complex carbohydrates (78%)
(sweet potatoes, yams, greens, seaweed, fruit, and other unprocessed plants)
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The takeaway:
IF you're eating the right foods, you can literally eat as much as you want without gaining a pound...
(fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, beans, herbs, and spices)
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Irresistible Food Cravings
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3 questions for you…
Over the past year, have you eaten to the point where you felt physically ill?
Did you spend a lot of time feeling sluggish or tired from overeating?
Has your eating behavior caused you a lot of distress?
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These questions are all from the Yale Food Addiction Scale.
It’s a series of 13 questions that determine if you’re addicted to certain foods. (View it here)
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If you’re addicted to sugar and snacks, it’s not your fault!
They’re designed to be as addictive as possible.
Once you understand this, the path forward becomes clear.
This is nothing short of full-blown addiction!
Do you feel like cravings are controlling your life?
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How Food Addiction Works
- You consume sugar or processed food.
- Your dopamine reward system lights up.
- Your blood sugar skyrockets.
- You feel high.
- Your blood sugar drops.
- You feel low.
- You crave relief from that low.
- You consume sugar or processed food.
- You experience temporary relief.
- The cycle continues.
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Food addiction stems from the idea that you will be missing out if you give up sugar and junk.
But this couldn’t be further from the truth!
That empty feeling was?CREATED by the junk food in the first place.
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The Bliss Point
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Have you heard of “The Bliss Point”?
The Bliss Point is that euphoric feeling you get from candy, chips, and other fake foods.
Junk food companies have found the perfect proportion of salt, sugar and fat to intentionally get you addicted.
It’s a short-lived high that destroys your metabolism!
It makes your appetite hopelessly insatiable!
Definitely not worth it!!!
Unless you want to gain weight, dysregulate your gut microbiome, and rely on the sick-care system for your final 3 decades of life!
All for a sweet treat?
No thanks!
This is obviously immoral.
And you should be pissed off!
Again, it’s not your fault!
BUT if you want to have control of your health, it is absolutely your responsibility!
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How Junk Food & Sugar Erode Your Health:
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Sugar is a very dangerous drug.
Maybe the most addictive in the world.
Since at least the 1950s, there has been a debate raging about the cause of rising obesity.
Sugar, saturated fat, trans fats, salt, red meat, etc.
The truth?
In 2016, a New York Times exposé revealed that the Sugar Research Foundation paid Harvard scientists to intentionally mislead the public in the 60s.
“They were able to derail the discussion about sugar for decades”.
Their goal was confusion and uncertainty.
Mission accomplished!
Just as tobacco companies faced immense pressure and public scrutiny over their addictive products, now the processed food companies are facing a similar fate.
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It’s obvious that eating processed food affects our weight, but have you considered the other horrible effects?
- Weight Gain
- Inflammation
- Mood Swings
- Poor Digestion
- Reduced Fertility
- Insulin Resistance
- Hormonal Imbalance
- Addiction + Cravings
- Cognitive Impairment
- Impaired Sleep Quality
- Energy Spikes + Crashes
- Destroys Microbiome Diversity
- Reduced Lifespan + Health-Span
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Eating sugar and junk increases your risk of nearly every (preventable) lifestyle-related disease!
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I personally want to have control over my own life, especially my health!
So the only thing to do from here is…
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Make One Firm Decision
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Remove sugar and processed foods from your life!
All of them!
For good!
Stop consuming the fake food that fuels your addiction.
It's that simple to take back control.
And until you do, you will remain a slave to the cravings…
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Here’s what happens when you stop feeding your fake food addiction:
- Cravings disappear.
- Your energy improves.
- Your mind becomes more clear.
- You naturally drop excess fat.
- Your gut microbiome begins to recover.
- Your taste palate returns to normal quickly.
- Your skin clears up.
- Your mood improves.
- You’re not constantly hungry.
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I could list hundreds of benefits!
Not to mention, your risk of dying from preventable disease plummets.
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Physical vs. Psychological Addiction
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I was a smoker from age 18-23.
For 5 years, I tried to quit, and failed probably 30 times.
Then I read a book, The Easyway to Stop Smoking by Allen Carr.
When I finished the last page, I knew I would never smoke another cigarette in my life.
The secret?
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3 Things:
领英推荐
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All addictions are the same…
Please understand, this is a Real Addiction.
Sugar and processed junk food is no different from someone struggling with alcohol or cocaine… seriously!
Once you see it this way, the path forward becomes so obvious.
If someone with a drinking problem asked you for advice on how to get their life back, what would you tell them?
To cut back to only 1-2 drinks per night?
To go on a cleanse for a week??
NO!
You would tell them that they need to stop drinking!
To stop consuming the substance that’s creating the problem!
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Physical vs. Psychological Addiction
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Physical cravings subside within just a few days.
Your blood sugar returns to normal, and your body begins to recover immediately!
Then, all that remains is your psychological addiction.
The idea that you will somehow be missing out if you free yourself from the grips of your food addiction…
But now you can see right through that lie!
That’s precisely part of the plan.
Processed food companies thrive in a society of addicted obese people!
REMEMBER: Your food addiction was CREATED by the junk food in the first place.
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Nature Wants You To Be Fat And Lazy
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Human nature drives us to:
-?Overeat energy dense food.
-?Conserve energy.
-?Store fat.
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This was our # 1 asset for survival for 99% of human existence.
But it has become our greatest threat.
Food companies are exploiting these natural tendencies!
The solution is to learn how to work with nature rather than against it.
What the heck does that mean?
It means eating as much as you want of simple whole ingredients.
If you fill your grocery cart, and your belly, with colorful fruits and veggies, there will be no room left for processed crap!
Most people are overfed, and undernourished.
Junk food is more harmful than you think!
If you banish fake food from your life, the inevitable result is better health.
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What’s Holding You Back?
Whenever we talk about lifestyle change, there are costs…
But I would argue that it’s worth paying any price to gain back control from your cravings.
This is your life, and you deserve to feel in control!
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All of these are completely reasonable objections:
- Convenience
- Perceived deprivation
- Emotional attachment
- Instant gratification mindset
- Lack of support or resources
- Social pressures and expectations
- Coping mechanism and stress relief
- Lack of awareness or misinformation
- Lack of confidence from past failures
- Limited food options and unfamiliarity
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So what?
That doesn’t change the fact that your cravings are steering your ship!
If you want to?feel?in control, you must TAKE control!
Are you ready to grab the wheel?
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8 Ways I Protect My Family From Fake Food Addiction
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1. Grocery Shop With A Beautiful State Of Mind
First off, try to avoid grocery shopping when you're dehydrated, stressed, or hungry.
That's when impulsive decisions happen!
Drink some water, take a few deep breaths, have a banana.
Now you're ready to shop.
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2. Use A Grocery List + Meal Plan
Fail to plan. Plan to fail.
I always list of 4 or 5 meals I want to cook each week.
Then I write my grocery list intentionally, and stick to it.
Shopping without a list is gambling with your health!
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3. Leave Sugar & Processed Junk At The Store
It's relatively easy to avoid buying snacks.
It's nearly impossible to avoid eating them when they're in your pantry!
I use something called the 100% Rule.
The 100% Rule means no exceptions.
I made a firm decision once, so I never need to make a decision in the moment.
A 99% commitment is no commitment at all!
When you’re finally ready to face this fact, you will need to remove ALL sugar and processed food from your home.
There’s simply no other way.
Moderation has rarely worked for anyone, but it has?never?worked once for an addiction.
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4. Meal Prep At Home
I only spend 20m in the kitchen each day!
I make double portions, and pack lunch for the next day.
I make similar meals every week to become fast and efficient.
The healthiest meals can also be the most delicious, and the most convenient!
If you want to cultivate a cooking habit, reply to this email with “Meal Plan”, and I will send you my best recipes to get you started!
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5. Read Food Labels
Most of the “food” on grocery store shelves is trash…
Avoid ingredients you can't pronounce, or that sound more like a science experiment than food.
Don't worry about Macros: Protein, Carbs, and Fat.
Just buy real food.
And if you’re unsure, a good rule of thumb is to stick to food that doesn’t require an ingredient label.
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6. Focus On Whole Plants
I believe that living food carries life-energy.
Processed junk and sugar are drier than Death Valley, and void of life.
Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, beans, herbs, and spices are full of micronutrients, antioxidants, polyphenols, fiber, and WATER!
Nature's multi-vitamins!
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7. Keep Healthy Snacks In Sight
Your environment shapes your decisions!
We keep a fruit bowl and a beautiful water pitcher on the counter so it's the first thing we see when we're snacky.
Nuts and seeds are another great option. (Unsalted)
Use your environment to your advantage!
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8. Become A Student Of Personal Health
The only way to truly feel in control of your health is through understanding.
Take 100% responsibility for your health!
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Once you’re free from your food addiction, avoid falling back into the trap at all costs.
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When you’re ready here’s how I can help you:
Cooking & Nutrition:?I will teach you my simple system for creating mouth-watering meals that are both more delicious and more convenient than takeout.
Mindset Coaching:?I will help you create a compelling vision for your life to gain clarity & purpose, and cultivate the habits to get you there!
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