KISS - Keep It Simple Sweetheart

Episode #16:  KISS - Keep It Simple Sweetheart

Stop complicating things, my friends! Hear my story about how I tend to overcomplicate things, and so have learned what to pass on to you.  It can be as simple as Yes/No lists or If/Then lists. All food plans and food styles have bones. You just need to learn them.  Learn to have your own back and keep it simple. There is scientific evidence (link below) that shows that the more like rocket science one's diet plan feels, the less likely that one will succeed with long-term adherence and maintenance. Follow your plan in a way that you can follow it in real life. Stay off the diet roller coaster by kissing and dancing (Episode #12). This week's actionable coaching advice gives you 8 easy recipes to keep it simple (links below) and advice that encourages you to keep cooking to a minimum. Your VFO this week are breakfast and lunch worksheets to help you think outside the box, while at the same time embracing keeping it simple.

1:11.       Personal Story
6:07.       KISS - Keep It Simple Sweetheart
13:44.    What mistakes are we making?
15:11.     Why are we making these mistakes?
16:44.     The cost of making these mistakes
17:21.      A better way
18:40.      This week's actionable COACHING ADVICE
21:00.      VFO (Valuable Free Offer)
22:30.      Episode 17, coming up

RECIPES:
Caprese Salad
Charcuterie Plate
Chicken Wings
Fish Provencal
Plain Ol' Hamburgers
Rachael Rollups
Ribs
Scallops

LINKS:
Breaking Free From Diet Prison Book
Breaking Free From Diet Prison Course
THIS WEEK'S VFO:  Meal Planning Guide
Breaking Free From Diet Prison Facebook page
Roadmap To Diet Success Instagram
Indiana University Study
ACCESS Transcript Here

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Transcript

Episode #: 16 - Kissing

You’re Listening to the Roadmap to Diet Success Podcast, Episode # 16, Kissing.  

 Introduction

 Did you know that you don't have to spend money on a diet program or weigh, measure and track your food? What if you could learn to have success by following an easy roadmap that takes you on adventures from learning how to change your mindset so that you can believe in yourself, to learning about what foods work best in your body and why? Join me, Miriam Hatoum, health coach, course creator and author of Breaking Free From Diet Prison, as I give you actionable coaching advice that is sure to empower you so that you will finally find peace with food and learn to trust your body’s signals. You’ve got this, girl! 

 Oh, and before we start, I want to let you know that the primary purpose of this podcast is to educate and does not constitute medical advice or services, and I’m keeping up with the science as fast as I can so I can share with you the latest breaking research in this area to help you achieve your dreams!

1:11     Personal Story

 When I started Keto (but the same story holds for anything that I did, from Weight Watchers to Paleo to counting calories) I bought so many Keto baking ingredients I ended up giving them all away. As I said in an earlier episode, I even paid for postage to mail things to friends in other parts of the country who were doing Keto. That being said, three years later I repurchased some of these things because I was finally ready to branch out into baked goods. Not that you won’t be ready at the very start of your weight loss journey if baking floats your boat, but this was an unwise direction for me. And trying every new complicated recipe might not be your best way to start out. 

This is my own experience with Keto and low carb baked goods and sweets, and also my take on starting with complicated recipes. Some of the following I have already shared with you, but it bears repeating.

 First of all, I hadn’t learned yet Whatever you do, never run back to what broke you. When I first started Keto, I was excited about the Keto breads, Keto cookies, Keto cakes, Keto candy and Keto ice cream. I was thinking that as long as something was Keto, I could eat it. After all, the experts said that it was food itself that causes you to eat. At some level this is true. When you eat foods that trigger your insulin, your ghrelin (which is a hunger hormone) goes up and your leptin (which is your fullness hormone) goes down. 

 I am telling this story again because it is so important for you to understand what pops up when you start any new eating plan that promises you can still have your desserts and sweets and snacks.  I did not understand that I have a two-pronged problem. Yes, I had high fasting insulin and I was insulin resistant. That means that if I ate a slice of bread, my body craved the whole loaf. If I ate a cookie, my body craved the whole bag. I thought my forever happy ending would be to eat Keto and never crave or overeat certain foods again. What I didn’t realize that no amount of Keto – or low carb or low calorie – eating would solve my head hunger and “concept cravings.” What I mean by “concept cravings” is that I wanted the cookies because they were cookies. The fact that they were high in fat and contained no wheat had no effect on my head hunger. I made many complicated sweets and desserts when I first started, and I was driven to eat the entire batch of whatever it was. If this issue resonates with you, this is one reason I would tell you to stay away from all the recipes and cookbooks until you have your physical hunger under control with whatever food lifestyle you are following. In later episodes I will talk about cravings, urges, habit and head hunger. ALL the things, even if they can fit into your chosen food plan, might not be for you.

 Another reason I would recommend staying away from all the recipes and cookbooks when you are starting out on a new eating plan is so you can learn how various foods feel in your body. It is important to learn how the elements of a recipe work for you. For instance, a high-fat recipe might not sit comfortably with you. Or some people never know they have dairy or egg or nut sensitivities until they start eating a different way. Eating foods in their less complex state can give you a chance to really tune into what makes you not feel well as opposed to what makes your body hum and fill you with energy. I covered this a bit in the Dancing episode, #13 and also in the Grocery Shopping episode, #15.

 Another reason I would recommend staying away from all the recipes and cookbooks when you are starting out on a new eating plan is that it is very easy to become overwhelmed, which is probably the most common reason for giving up on a new eating plan rather than restrictions with that plan. Keep it Simple. Honestly. This is the best route your long-term success. This is all written under the heading “Personal Story.” Because, believe me, I know.

 6:07      KISS – Keep it Simple Sweetheart.

 You can start with something as simple as a Yes/No food list. If you are doing Keto, something like that is easy. You do have meat, chicken and fish, you do not have grains and bread. Of course, your Yes/No list is more than that, but that is an example. If you are doing something like Whole 30, Paleo or Primal, it is basically the same thing, but the Yes/No foods will differ slightly. For instance, any real sweetening such as honey and maple syrup, which is allowed on Paleo, is not allowed on Keto, while no sugar substitutes such as sucralose or erythritol, very popular on Keto, are allowed on Whole30 or Paleo.  If you are following a diet that allows everything, but in moderation, you can make your own Yes/No lists, such as with Weight Watchers, you might have green and cruciferous vegetables on the Yes list, while you can make your own No list, such as “on days I have bread I will not also have pasta.” That example is more an “If/then” category than a “no” category. But the point is, simply consulting a food list might be all you need to keep it simple.

 Another piece of advice to keep things simple when you are just starting out, is to stay away from recipes with a lot of ingredients and directions. Eat simply and plainly. You must keep it simple when learning a new lifestyle. Practice simplicity. When Pablo Casals, a legendary cellist, was asked why he continued to practice at the age of 90, he answered, “Because I think I am making progress.” I think we all need to practice simplicity, especially at the beginning of a new eating plan, so that we will make the progress we wish to see.

 We often make this venture into a new eating plan way more complicated than it has to be! Let’s take dancing again. There is the goofy way of dancing in your living room and then there are the professional ballroom dancers. Oh my, do you think there is anything in between? I’m not even going to give you the answer to that because I think you know it! Eating Keto, low carb, Paleo or even Weight Watchers can be placed along that same spectrum. Somewhere in between is where most of us find success with a new way of eating. It doesn’t have to be an absolute choice between eating catch-as-catch-can or planning out every single bite you will eat between now and next week. It doesn’t have to be an absolute choice between eating however much we want, or weighing, measuring and tracking every morsel of food that goes into our mouths. It doesn’t have to be an absolute choice between eating plain dull foods day after day or remodeling your kitchen, buying every cooking gadget known to man and cooking only from fancy cookbooks and recipe blogs. 

 I once had a girlfriend say to me, “I could do Keto if I had someone to shop and cook for me.” First of all, this is a helpless and needless way to look at things. Second of all, it is a window into the fact that a lot of people think that Keto (or any eating lifestyle) is a lot more complicated than it is. You do not need special kitchen equipment or special cookbooks or spices or dishes. You do not need a pocketful of money to buy only organic produce and grass-fed or pasture-raised meats to eat well. You do not need hours to make meal plans, grocery shop and prepare meals. You don’t. You really don’t.

 In addition, if you have been eating mostly processed and catch-as-catch-can foods up to now, you don’t have to make a huge leap into being able to eat most of the lifestyles and plans I explore in this podcast. Learn to label sleuth especially with plans that prefer that you stay away from certain ingredients such as sugar, grains, additives, sweeteners, and the like. Also, if you are a Facebook user and you join a group for your particular plan, watch out for the “Police” or “Snobs” – listen only to kind advice and not to them. Many groups are very helpful, but if you are uncertain, the one person who finds fault is the one that might fill you with self-doubt. Do your new plan your way as best you can. Anything moving towards a healthy lifestyle is an improvement. Keep it simple. When you are ready to move on, you will.

 I am going to say a word here about cooking for, and eating with, family and friends who have no interest in your food plan at all, or worse yet, finds fault with it. This is truly a soap-box moment so please indulge me. I understand (and encourage you) if you do need some support from your family and friends. However, this is your journey. You cannot expect them to never have another snack, piece of bread, potato, pasta or cookie. Don’t whine you cannot do this because you do not have support. Hopefully at the very least, they would not tempt you with the “off plan” foods they are eating, and not make fun of you for trying something new. You can do your part to find family “friendly” recipes within your plan. I address this in “Cooking for the Family,” Episode # 14.

 If your reasons are strong enough for finding a new eating lifestyle, THEN YOU CAN BE STRONG ENOUGH TO FIND A WAY. Stop trying and just do it. It’s your why and your journey. Have your own back and don’t think you can’t do it without support. Remember to KISS!! Don’t make separate meals for family members. Find a way to keep it simple but add things for other family members. You can keep this simple even while pleasing everyone in your family. Trust me on this!

 There is scientific evidence that you will succeed best on your eating plan if you take my advice and keep it simple! An Indiana University study compared dieting behavior of women following two radically different diet plans and found that the more complicated that people thought their diet plan was, the sooner they were likely to drop it. Even if you believe you can succeed, thinking that the diet is complex can undermine your efforts. The more like rocket science one’s diet plan or eating style feels, the less likely that one will succeed with long-term adherence and maintenance.
 
13:44      What mistake are we making?

·       We make the whole process of learning a new eating style more complicated than it needs to be.

·       Because of overwhelm or misunderstanding, we find that maybe we can’t follow the plan 100% as prescribed. Don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater (throwing away all your progress because you had one misstep) or give up the minute something is harder than you thought it would be. 

·       As I said, usually this is because you are making things harder than they need to be. You are not stupid or broken or any of that negative crazy talk. You have just made things more complicated than they need to be.

·       I repeat: Eating any way you chose does not have to be complicated. Don’t make it so. Things get only as complicated as you make them. 

·       Yes, you have to learn new things, maybe some simple new recipes, or construct your shopping lists a little bit differently. 

·       I’m not saying that you read one paragraph about something on a Facebook feed and all of a sudden you have all the answers. 

·       I’m just saying to start any new eating plan, learn the bones. 

·       Any eating style or diet has bones. Look for them. 

 15:11       Why are we making these mistakes?

·       Pure and simple, we have been taught not to trust ourselves when it comes to dieting or knowing what is the best eating style for ourselves and our families.

·       My husband used to joke with me about this and other things that I approached. He would say to me, “Touch your right ear,” and totally expect me to come around my head to touch it with my left hand. In other words, I was the first one in line to make things difficult and complicated because I didn’t realize the simplicity of them.

·       Take the time to pull apart the eating lifestyle you have chosen. Take the time to find its bones. Take the time to figure out how you can, as simply as possible, approach the first week; then the second; and then take off. 

·       We make mistakes because we think we have to break down the back door instead of just finding the key that fits into the front door.

·       We live in a complicated time, with electronics, social media, high-tech this and that. We forget that we don’t have to make everything complicated. “Oh, you don’t eat grains on this plan? Okay. Let me find a list of grains. Okay. I just won’t eat those.”  SIMPLE!!! You don’t have to spend hours researching grains and buying a half a dozen cookbooks that don’t use them as an ingredient.

 16:44      What is the cost of making these mistakes?

·       We get on a diet rollercoaster – either with the same diet over and over again, or every month or every Monday, we start a new one because we just couldn’t understand and keep up with what we were doing.

·       We start to get in a loop of negative self-talk: “I’m broken. I’m stupid. I’ll never get this right. I will just be fat my whole life. My family doesn’t support me. My life is just too busy and complicated to try a new eating style.” I am sure you are familiar with some parts of this loop. 

 17:21      A better way

·       The best way to start any new eating plan is to keep things simple. 

·       Whenever you feel overwhelmed, please just stop, take a breath and remember K.I.S.S.  Keep It Simple Sweetheart. Don’t you DARE let me hear you saying, “Keep it simple stupid!”

·       Don’t begin a new diet or eating style without some prep. This means learn the bones and see what are some of the simplest ways you could approach it. All eating styles have bones.

·       Do you even need recipes? Can you have cottage cheese or eggs for breakfast with a fresh fruit, maybe some olives or an avocado and maybe one piece of whole grain toast? For lunch could you have a can of tuna, made with chopped celery and onions and mayo, some crunchy vegetables on the side and another piece of fruit? For dinner could you have broiled steak or chicken with a salad and a cooked vegetable? Not a recipe in sight. Live the simple life for a while, then go hunting for recipes. It will keep your grocery shopping easier as well, AND it’s everything your family can eat.

18:40       HERE IS THIS WEEK’S ACTIONABLE COACHING ADVICE 

·       This week I want you to go to my website, miriamhatoum.com and look up the recipes for the charcuterie plate, the caprese salad and Rachael Rollups. These require no cooking.

·       Then go and look up Plain Ol’ Hamburgers, Chicken wings and ribs. If you like seafood look up the Scallops and Fish Provençal. Here are examples of cooking with minimal instructions – not even recipes – and ordinary ingredients. 

·       The above all fit into a Keto eating plan, but also fit most any other eating styles. You can adjust as necessary.

·       NOW, I want you to list three meals that you like that need no cooking. They might need assembling like a tuna salad, but you do not have to turn on the oven or cooktop, and you do not need recipes.

·       NOW, I want you to list three meals that you like that require a minimum of cooking, such as chicken baked in the oven, ground beef with soy sauce and some bean sprouts and water chestnuts, or shrimp done on the grill.

·       NOW, I want you to look at some easy recipes for your chosen eating style – either from cookbooks that you have, Facebook groups you belong to, or internet searches. Easy means the main food, maybe a vegetable or two, and spices that you already have in the house. DO NOT purchase anything for these recipes other than the fresh food needed to make the recipe. Use what you have in your house. I bet you have canned tomatoes and tomato paste, or dried Italian spices, soy sauce, onions and garlic. Okay, maybe you can buy one or two things but don’t be ordering five-spice powder or shirataki noodles from Amazon.

·       Rotate these easy things and when you are comfortable, add another recipe or put together things a little differently than the time before.

·       Not only are you dancing but now you are kissing!

 21:00      VFO (Valuable Free Offer)
 
I am giving you here the breakfast and lunch worksheets that I use with my clients, and which are also available in my book, Breaking Free From Diet Prison and the course of the same name. I have given them to you with other episodes, but if you haven’t already downloaded them, this is a good time to do it. Sometimes we wrack our brains to go beyond the same old same old, and these worksheets will get you started thinking outside the box, while keeping things very simple. The download is available at miriamhatoum.com/meal-planning and as always, the direct links for everything are in the show notes and transcript. The recipes I gave you above are also directly linked in the show notes and transcript.

 And, if you like what you hear, please like and subscribe, and remember to leave a review wherever you listen to your podcast. It helps other people find the show.  Also, don’t be a stranger. Come on over to my Facebook page, Breaking Free from Diet Prison, and let me know if there is anything you would like to see on the show. I always look forward to hearing from listeners. You can also mail me directly … miriam@miriamhatoum.com. 

22:30       Next week’s episode

 Next week is another in the series of various eating styles. One of my listeners ask me to explore Joel Fuhrman’s Nutritarian Diet which is largely a plant-based, gluten-free, low salt and low fat way of eating. It is a far cry from any style of eating I have done, but 20 years later, this eating style is still popular and you can see his appearances on PBS. Let’s see what it is. I will take a look at it, as well as other plant-based plans.

 So go share the show with your friends, let them know that’s coming up in the next episode, and invite them to tune in with you and learn how to become free from diet prison with my Roadmap to Diet Success.

Until then, go live free from diet worry — I’ll see you back here next time.

RECIPES:
Caprese Salad
Charcuterie Plate
Chicken Wings
Fish Provencal
Plain Ol' Hamburgers
Rachael Rollups
Ribs
Scallops

LINKS:
Breaking Free From Diet Prison Book
Breaking Free From Diet Prison Course
Meal Planning Guide
Breaking Free From Diet Prison Facebook page
Roadmap To Diet Success Instagram

Indiana University Study