Primal Potential - The Anti-diet Solution To Mastering Fat Loss Naturally

In today's episode we're talking a look at artificial sweeteners. More specifically, we're looking at non-nutritive sweeteners along the artificial spectrum like saccharine, aspartame, sucralose, sugar alcohols and stevia. We'll talk about what they are, the science in support of and against them, if and how they impact our fat loss hormones, their impact on hunger and cravings and I'll share my personal perspective. Definitely an episode to check out!

In this episode we are talking about non scale victories, daily fluctuations in body weight and what causes them, and the best ways to measure your fat loss progress. 

Are you wasting your time trying to change habits that won't make a big difference or won't help you reach the goal you're pursuing? In this episode we talk about how most of us go about behavior change in the wrong way and why it leads to failure. We're explaining how to identify what YOUR most effective strategies are and how you can tackle them. Then we dive into a step by step process for how you can changes that will lead to effective fat loss but will also be EASY to maintain for the rest of your life!

In this episode we're talking about how fruit today is VASTLY different from fruit even just 50 years ago. We're talking about the changes in agriculture & how they impact our food. Then we dive into fructose, the sugar naturally found in fruit, and how it is the single most LIPOGENIC carbohydrate. What does that mean? It is most easily converted to fat when compared to ALL other carbohydrates. We discuss how fructose accelerates the aging process and what you can do about it. 

Elizabeth Benton and Shawn Stevenson tackle the major myths about exercise for fat loss and establish the most effective workout strategies for lasting fat loss and optimal hormone balance.

After struggling with my weight for over 20 years, it was the process of paying off $130K in debt that taught me everything I needed to know about weight loss. I had worked in the nutrition & fitness industry for 10 years, studied nutrition in college and grad school but didn't figure it all out until I paid off my debt. These powerful lessons transformed my finances, my body and my health.

Our weight struggles are about much more than what we eat. If weight loss was as easy as choosing healthy foods, we wouldn't have an obesity epidemic. Most of us know how we could improve our diets, but the problem is our MENTAL game. Mindset, motivation, willpower and discipline are usually what keep us from reaching our goals. In today's episode we talk about how to quickly and permanently overcome your emotional eating so you can make LASTING changes and break the hold that food has on your life. 

In this episode we're talking about alcohol and fat loss & if you can have both! We talk about how alcohol impacts metabolism, how it can increase your likelihood of being in fat-storage mode but we also talk about becoming aware of how alcohol impacts YOU in a unique way. Does alcohol increase your cravings? Does it make you bloated? Finally, we go into practical implementation strategies for how to enjoy alcohol without trashing your fat loss goals. 

In this episode we are talking about the thing that derails our progress: our old, negative thought patterns. Yup, most of us are passive victims of our thoughts about our lack of willpower, our cravings and our bad habits. But we have the CHOICE to change those thought patterns and embrace new, productive, helpful thoughts that will propel us towards our goals and this episode tells you how.

It is not just about the QUANTITY of your sleep. The QUALITY of your sleep might be preventing your weight loss. That's right, when we don't get into those deepest stages of sleep, we are making weight loss an uphill battle. We talk about how sleep deprivation leads to insulin resistance and how stress, light exposure, food & exercise can impair our ability to get good, quality sleep. We also go through concrete steps you can take TODAY to allow your body to get into those deeper phases of sleep. 

Today we're answering a question from a listener concerned that eating more fat will raise her cholesterol levels. We talk about the MAJOR myths about cholesterol including how cholesterol is actually a healing substance and the fact that high cholesterol is a sign of chronic damage in the body. We talk about how to identify the REAL source of the problem to avoid what doctors measure as "high cholesterol". We talk about how cutting out dietary fat can actually send your body's production of cholesterol into overdrive and what you need to do to stay healthy & maintain your vascular health. 

In this episode we talk about what Primal is, why I chose the Primal approach and define my top 10 Primal Principles for Fat Loss and how they'll help you reach your goals and maintain them for life. 

This episode is all about estrogen. Estrogen dominance accelerates weight gain and makes weight loss an uphill battle. We unknowingly feed our estrogen dominance with our diet and lifestyle choices. In this episode we talk about how estrogen becomes a weight loss nightmare for both men and women and we establish concrete steps for reducing your overall estrogen levels, eliminating estrogen dominance, and improving your overall health and weight loss potential naturally. 

Sometimes people feel stumped for breakfast ideas once they realize that the bagel, cereal and oatmeal aren't the best options for fat loss. There often isn't time to spend 30 minutes preparing breakfast when you're trying to get out the door. In this episode we talk about healthy, fat loss breakfast options that work when you have time and when you don't. I give tons of recipes & meal ideas and talk about what to go for and what to avoid. 

The thyroid hormones tend to take a lot of the blame when it comes to an ability to burn fat or chronic low energy levels. The thyroid hormones are incredibly sensitive to our diet, lifestyle and environment and then can totally derail our fat loss efforts if they are out of balance. In today's episode we talk about the factors required for optimal thyroid function and how we can implement specific nutritional, exercise and lifestyle strategies to optimize our thyroid function naturally!

We are talking everything bulletproof coffee!!! Why I drink it, what it is, why low toxin, high quality coffee is important, what grass fed butter is and why it matters, what MCT is oil is and how it improves your health. We go into how to make bulletproof coffee, where you can buy the ingredients and how it will make you feel!

Your hormones control your ability to burn fat. They can put you in fat storing mode or fat burning mode. But most people don't know whether or not their hormones are balanced! It's easier than you think! Our hormones are CONSTANTLY signaling us and letting us know when there is a problem, we just don't know how to interpret the signals! In today's episode we talk about how you can quickly identify if your hormones are balanced, which hormones are out of balance and we talk about specific steps to take to achieve balance where you need it most! 

How do you handle your sweet tooth? In this episode we're talking about both long term and immediate strategies for taming your sweet tooth WITHOUT restriction & deprivation so you can reach your fat loss goals and enjoy your food along the way.

Hormones have EVERYTHING to do with fat loss regardless of your age or gender! Most people seeking weight loss don't know how or why to balance their hormones. In this episode we talk about how your hormones influence fat loss and specific diet and lifestyle changes you can start making TODAY to get your hormones balanced for effortless fat loss. 

In our 3rd QA episode we're answering a question from a reader who doesn't like exercise or vegetables and needs to balance weight loss with her many other priorities including kids, husband & work. We talk about how to navigate weight loss when you don't like vegetables or exercise and establish what matters MOST when it comes to getting results.