181. The Comfort Food Conspiracy

Discover the transformative power of nutrition and how it shapes our mindset and productivity. We dive into why high achievers eat differently, the dangers of comfort food, and the importance of starting the day with a nutritious breakfast.

• Nutrition’s role in mindset and productivity 
• Common misconceptions around healthy eating 
• Understanding comfort foods and their impacts 
• The necessity of a balanced breakfast 
• Myths about intermittent fasting 
• The significance of nutrient-dense foods 
• Practical strategies for meal prep and planning 
• How setting nutrition goals can influence success 
• Exploring personalized eating plans for optimal performance 

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Mindset Cafe
• 41:44 The Role of Nutrition in Mindset and Productivity
• 1:19:26 Comfort Foods: The Hidden Dangers
• 2:00:04 Myths about Healthy Eating
• 2:05:19 Setting Nutrition Goals
• 3:30:19 Nutrition for High Performers
• 11:30:02 Importance of Breakfast
• 16:20:03 Is Intermittent Fasting Effective?
• 20:51:22 Understanding Nutritional Density

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

fast. So get ready to rise, because we about to be the best. Gotta switch it up. Gotta break the old habits. Get your mind right, turn your dreams into habits. No negative vibes, only positive thoughts what is up guys?

Speaker 2: 0:13

welcome to another episode of the mindset cafe podcast. It's your boy, devin, and we got a return of the nick. What up guys? How's it's it going?

Speaker 2: 0:25

But this is a live episode, so make sure that you guys share your guys' feelings, your guys' questions, whatever, in the comments. Let us know what you guys think, let us know what you guys got going on with the related topics that we're talking about, how you feel about it. But today's topic is about nutrition, switching it up a little bit and, you know, diving into nutrition and mindset and understanding you know what nutrition really does play a role, not just in your you know the way you start to think, but also in your productivity and your day and so forth. So we're going to be breaking down how you know how and why top athletes, you know, ceos, coos, cfos, all the C's you know not, not, you know all the C's and high achievers eat to really fuel their mindset and their energy. But we're also going to expose some things like why comfort food is secretly killing your potential and really killing your energy, but it's fueling your immediate gratification and, you know, kind of giving you that crutch just to kind of forget about something, if that's your thing.

Speaker 1: 1:37

Is it a secret? Is it actually a secret if it's not a secret? If you say it's a secret, is it not a secret? Some quantum shit? I mean a secret is only a secret's a secret.

Speaker 2: 1:46

Is it not a secret? Damn, some quantum shit. I mean, the secret is only a secret to those who know it. There you go to the other people that don't know it. That's still a secret. That's true, you know, um, but here's the kicker. You know, most people really think that they're eating healthy and eating for what their goals are. Or you know, they're listening to social media, their favorite Instagram influencer, and you know there's a new fad diet and this is what it must be. Or there's a new medication and this is what you got to take, and all that shit. We're just kind of thrown to the curb. Nick's smiling right now because, believe me, it's a conversation we hear a lot, you know. So, without further ado, you know, let's dive in a little bit and you know, as we're going through this, you know again, make sure you guys, if you guys have any questions related to nutrition, doesn't even have to be what we're talking about. If you have any questions related to mindset, you know, or just comments, throw it in the comments.

Speaker 1: 2:46

Share your experience when it comes to like your nutrition journey.

Speaker 2: 2:49

Yep, and I will say I will steal a line from Andy Purcell's podcast Don't be a hoe, share the show. But with that being said, so let's dive in. You know the first part. We'll kind of start base level. You know why high achievers eat differently than the average person, right, nick? I'm going to throw it to you just on a base level, bird's eye view. Why do people that are achieving high level of success, or just a high level of productivity, why would they be eating different? Or just a high level productivity? Why would they be eating different? How does their nutrition typically play from preparation to actual food and so forth? You know, just base level. Like you know, birds eye view.

Speaker 1: 3:32

Got it. I was just going to give my whole spiel. I mean, you know, because I think my opinion on why you know high performing individuals, or at least very productive people, to at least have that tendency to have a more you know, I don't want to say the word healthy, but okay, let's just use the word healthy healthier nutrition aspect, or at least like, have the right. You know habits when it comes to the nutrition, whether that's, you know, being mindful of what they're eating, um, eating almost the same, almost like almost the same thing, or, you know, fairly similar. What I'm trying to get at is like they have a routine, right Cause then that's a main part of it, because when, when you have a routine and a habit when it comes to your eating habits and your nutrition, it takes the complication out of it. One out of you know kind of wasting time and having to figure out and be sporadic when it comes to what you're going to eat for the day, for the week and all that. And also, two, they understand that, like, when you're properly, your nutrition is on point and you're properly like, you know you're able to function at the most optimum level, you're able to think properly, you know, move as efficient as possible. Right, and aside from, like you know, the being time efficient and having that understanding that the better you feel physically, the more your output, you're going to perform a lot better in cognitively and like, and pretty much I can work and anything that you do.

Speaker 1: 5:08

But also, if you do ask a lot of like high-performing individuals or you know, ceos or whatever, or even people that are just they perform at an optimum level, anybody can tell you that when somebody and it it does fall into that kind of like that, that typical thing that, oh, you know, like that, that, um, dang, I can't, my brain is fried, it's like, it's um, like, oh, like you think you're hot shit because you're, you're in shape, it's not that. But if you think about it, when somebody, if you're in in any kind of setting, if somebody walks in a room and they're in shape, immediately everyone's thought goes to one thing though right, like, oh, this, this person, like one, goes to the gym. But two, they, they're, they're on point with something. Yeah, right, you may not be able to pinpoint right away what it is, but they're on point with something because, like, there's just that, that vibe, that presence that you give off when, like, you're physically in shape. Right, and that goes hand. Obviously you're not going to be able to be in shape if your nutrition's not on point. You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 1: 6:11

Like if someone's like, and let's just call it what it is like.

Speaker 2: 6:15

I mean that's. That's debatable though too. I mean, like I will say I just gotta throw it out there, because some people think that just because you have a six pack, you're're in shape. But then you got to go into, like, like that one caveat is like there are different body types, right, and so, like an ectomorph that already had, like it's harder for them to gain weight, just because they look good and they're telling you how to get a six pack doesn't necessarily mean they know how to get a six pack.

Speaker 2: 6:46

You know they're they can't, can't they? It's hard for them to not have a six pack, right. So just because they're like, oh, this is what you do, and you know they're doing flutter kicks and they're just just do this, this is what I do, it's like, yeah, but you can't get up to. You know you can't add 10 pounds to you, right? So you got to take it with a grain of salt. So I will say that looks to a degree. You know, do play a huge role in it, but there's a little bit more to it, and like you're definitely going into that part. So I just want to make sure that people don't just go into just look right, right 100.

Speaker 1: 7:16

You know, I and I agree with that I wasn't trying to call people out and tell you like, oh, if you're not like, if you don't look like you're in shape, you ain't shit. That's not what I'm trying to say. But in addition to it, though, um is the fact of like, when you, when your nutrition is on point and physically you know you are at your optimum capacity at that moment or whatever, it's that energy that you give off internally, the way you carry yourself and one, the way you're functioning is optimum. But also like the energy that you give off and how you carry yourself, how you speak you know what I'm saying how you move, it's like that energy that you're giving off is.

Speaker 1: 7:54

Also, there's a difference between when your nutrition is not on point and you're like damn, and you know you're kind of sluggish, you're, you know you don't like outside of, where you're walking into or where you're trying to present yourself, you're not, you're not doing what you're supposed to be. The way you can tell like when someone's like I guess like has that form of insecurity in a sense. You know I'm saying versus like. When you know that, like, I do what I'm supposed to do right, I do the right thing when it comes to like eating right and all that, and it shows and reflects in your how you carry yourself. It's like it also shows. Yeah.

Speaker 2: 8:29

I mean just to kind of go into, like, some other other reasons, like starting to dive into the weeds of the nutrition, right, you know thinking about certain high performers if we talk about, you know, in the business sense, and actually I would say even for you and I, like we are very much in this category of type of eating. But you know, steve jobs, for example, has mentioned in multiple interviews that you know he, he eats the same thing pretty much every single day, but it's not a special thing. That is like ste job does and it's like a secret. You and I do it out of its convenience, right, and it's not necessarily convenience of oh, it's just really quick to eat the same thing. It's because we know what we need to eat and instead of making 10 different variations, 10 of this and all, and taking that kind of time, because our time is already limited in what, like we don't, you and I both don't enjoy cooking, right, it's not a passion of ours, you know. So it's like I know if I cook this, you know, ground turkey, if I do this and I can just do it real quick and do it in bulk, cool, right, I know I can speak for Gabby and I'm probably, you know, I'm probably good in saying that Nicole can't eat the same exact thing every single day, every single meal 100, you know, I know her and Gabby are very similar in a lot of aspects and that's I know.

Speaker 2: 9:51

That's how Gabby is too, and I think we've talked about that. But for me and for you it's like, you know, wake up, you know, first meal pretty much the same. Second meal probably the same. Third meal probably the same, you same. You know it's like, and it's often convenience, but also it's like because our main focus is eating for fuel and not eating for pleasure, right, right, other people, when you get into, like the athletic side of it, right now you're eating for a there you're eating for a different, certain reason, right? One, it's either two, let's say, for remember diana, like she used to have to cut weight, so her nutrition was around like cutting drastic weight in but maximizing power output for punching and for fighting, for she was a professional boxer. But even like Tom Brady, like he's been noted, to have a diet that is really high in like micronutrients, for anti inflammatory like reasons, right? So there's a ton of different things that your nutrition can play a role in, but the biggest one is your mental clarity, right, and so I think it was I think it was tim ferris that he he ate. He would eat each meal and then measure his blood, uh, sugar, to see his like mental response and how it was like messing with his cognitive function.

Speaker 2: 11:08

But what you eat does have a chemical response and a physiological change on your abilities and your performance, on your thought process and everything. And you know, kind of fast forwarding. You know, something that we were talking about earlier is like breakfast. Kind of fast forwarding. You know, something that we were talking about earlier is like breakfast.

Speaker 2: 11:30

So many people skip breakfast and the name itself is to is breakfast. But it's break fast, right? You're. You're breaking the fast of your night from sleeping and so forth. You're also giving your body the initial nutrition it needs to fuel the start of your day, right? It's like getting into your car and already having it on E and then being like I'm just going to go as far as I can and then maybe I'll put gas in it later. It's like, is that really productive, right? Instead of filling it up in the beginning of the day and then topping it off here and there throughout the day, right. And so what are your thoughts? Or what have you seen? I guess from the gym side, we'll take it into the gym side with people and them struggling with breakfast and like some of the advice that we've given, right, because I mean, you already know my favorite, you know breakfast, you know protein shake style With the cereal.

Speaker 1: 12:21

Yeah, that shit smacks. I mean, if you want to share that with people, I think that that's a you know a plug for them that they may be able to um benefit from.

Speaker 2: 12:31

I mean, there's definitely healthier ways to do it, but it's not bad, dude, honestly. But I mean the healthier version. So, like, what I'll do is if I'm especially if I'm in a rush like I'll get, you know, my protein powder and I'll put it in my shaker cup. So I'm at 5 am or 4 am6 am. I don't want to drink or eat anything, but I know in an hour I need to right. So it's like I don't want to make the shake now and then have it get warm and gets gross and you know. Last thing you do want to do is wait for a little bit and all of a sudden you open it and it's like, oh, it smells. So it's like you throw the protein powder in and then you do like a cup of the healthier version. You do one of those like instant oatmeals, right, and I will say that the apple cinnamon, one best one, but you do, yeah, you throw one of those in and then, when you're ready, you throw water in and you shake it up and you get your carbs, you get your proteins. It's amazing.

Speaker 2: 13:26

But the unhealthier one and the one I tend to lean towards because I'm a child is you do the protein powder and then you do a cereal. You know, and you know, now having, you know, a daughter, it's easier to justify why I'm using cereal. But you know it honestly, it's one of those like quick, quick things to do in the morning, but it's it's honestly. It's like now you're breaking the fast, like, even if you have to do a protein shake, like, yes, is it more beneficial to eat breakfast 100%? I'm not going to disagree on that. But again, efficiency, do I, am I going to have time to eat breakfast? Right? Or if I'm like, damn I, I don't have time, am I most likely just going to skip it because I don't have time to sit there and eat and stuff, I'm probably gonna end up skipping it. So drinking it is, it's like that's better than you know, not doing it at all.

Speaker 1: 14:14

Right, you know no, and honestly, like when, when you told me the, the protein shake, the way you do it, and the, the way I actually figured out that devin was doing that protein shake was because I saw him here at the gym. He made that shake one time and I walked in the back office and he was drinking the shake and then you were, you were talking, and then you took a drink and then, like you started chewing and I was like, what are you drinking? I was like, are you chewing? He's like, yeah, I put cereal in my protein. I was. And then you told me how you did it and I was like, damn, that's actually pretty smart, you know, because it's like, it's like cereal, but in like a protein shake form. Yeah, you know, and it works really well. I actually like that a lot. I haven't tried it myself, but it looks good because you don't put that much cereal in it either. Right, just enough to cover that carb aspect of that meal and like put something in your stomach.

Speaker 1: 15:02

Yeah, but to answer, like what you kind of said, like what we, what we kind of like, you know, have a lot of talks with with the members in the gym, it's like, you know, they'll, they'll tend, they're not hungry in the morning right now. Being completely honest, like I, I get that everybody has a different schedule, right, everybody has a different schedule. Everybody wakes up at a different time and for those people that come in at 5 am, I get that that they can't wake up at like four or whatever and then just get a meal in and then, you know, want to just come work out like 20 minutes right after. You know, like that part, like I can understand, but you can still again, you can maybe drink a protein shake or something you know. But in a more realistic, tangible sense, I guess, for normal people that wake up and I'm not normal, but like the people that wake up a little bit later in the morning, like if you wake up like seven, eight, and then you're gonna, you know, go to work in a little bit, it's even if you're not hungry, keep in mind like you're.

Speaker 1: 15:58

You're putting something off, like your breakfast, but you're trying to run on empty, like demin said, with the car. It's like you're trying to run on empty, like Demi said with the car. It's like you're trying to function physically and mentally and get yourself going, but there's essentially not a lot for your body to burn and use this fuel and use this energy to carry you throughout the day and to get you started. And what happens a lot is, most people are going to be like I'm not that hungry or more. So people are going to think, oh, the less calories I eat in the day, the better I'm going to lose weight, right, so then they'll skip breakfast and just eat way later on in the day.

Speaker 1: 16:32

And that's what some people like praise intermittent fasting, but at the end of the day I think we covered this in another top, another episode but the whole intermittent fasting thing is just your the end of the day, you're counting your total calories and your macros, right, you're just trying to condense it all at one time and the different kind of diets out there, it's just about your preference. But as long as you are hitting your numbers that you're supposed to hit, that's really what matters. But now keep in mind if you're giving yourself a very and I've heard people do like one meal a day, and in my head I'm like damn, like, imagine trying to intake all the macros you're trying to that you need to intake in one meal, go to McDonald's, exactly, and you're not going to be hitting your protein. I guarantee that. You know what I mean. It's like just trying to trying to understand that. It's like you're trying to squeeze everything and push everything back.

Speaker 1: 17:22

You know, at a either at a shorter timeframe, at the end of it, that, towards the later part of the day, what tends to happen is you're not going to hit all your macros properly. You know what I mean. You're going to end up missing some meals, or the few meals that you are getting towards, like maybe the afternoon, towards the end of your night. It's like, yeah, you skip breakfast. And it's like you're you're, I guess, shortening the time that you're eating, but are you actually one? Or, if you're counting, if you're tracking what you're eating, are you actually hitting the right amount of numbers?

Speaker 1: 17:53

Cause, like, even in the challenge, like you know how we already write the meal plans for people, for the members that are doing it, and then I'll ask them on their check-in hey, are you, are you hitting all your meals? They'll be like, uh, yeah, and I'm like, no, that's not. Like, tell me how, how well you're on top of the nutrition, right, and then they'll tell you like, oh well, I'll eat most of it. It's like now we're getting deeper. It's like, okay, tell me exactly what you're eating and then they'll tell. They'll tell me I miss.

Speaker 1: 18:20

I'm skipping like a couple snacks, which most of the time it's the protein shake. That's like a little less than 50 grams of protein. That's like. A bunch of the time it's the protein shake that's like a little less than 50 grams of protein. That's like a bunch of the protein that you do need. And the reason why they end up skipping a snack or a meal is because they're they're putting it off later in the day.

Speaker 1: 18:37

You know what I mean. And it's like you're missing a crucial part of what you're supposed to be having in the day and just cause you're not hungry. That's that. That's actually shooting you in the foot. That that means your metabolism isn't working, as often as you know, as efficiently as supposed to be right. You know what I mean. So, as hard as it is like, I think being strategic is is the best answer to that. One, be prepared with your meals. Two, place your meals like whatever you have in your plan, whatever best fits you, as long as you get all of them in. Like if it's for convenience-wise, like if in the morning it's easier for you to, you know, have the smaller portion meals or even a snack, then by all means do that, you know what I mean and at least you're getting that food in to start you off and then on your next time frame to eat, you can have that next bigger meal.

Speaker 2: 19:25

Yeah, your next timeframe to eat you can have that next bigger meal. Yeah, I mean to kind of go into some of the comments. Miriam, you know, said that you know I can't. I can't eat early in the morning. I get hungry. I don't get hungry in basically until 11. And sometimes I end up breaking my fast with foods that lack in protein.

Speaker 2: 19:42

So going into what Nick is saying too is like, not every meal necessarily needs to be an even split of protein, carbs and fats, right, if your breakfast is a little more carb or fat heavy, then that means that your protein just kind of gets pushed back into those other meals of the day. Right, it's crazy because there was actually a study done, Um cause, like the. The thought process up until recently was that you know, each meal you can't, you can, you can only really consume and absorb and utilize 30 to 40 grams of protein, right. And so even when you're writing meal plans, it's like, okay, now someone needs to get 200 grams and you're like, okay, well, I'm going to hit 40. And then they got to get, you know, four meals and a snack that you know try to equal that 200. And it can get time consuming and so forth. But the most recent studies have actually shown that we don't know what the true like cap is on protein intake to utilization. Cap is on protein intake to utilization. So even if you do miss a meal like, let's say, your breakfast did contain protein and then you didn't eat it If you did put that into the next meal or split it between the next two meals, like, you'll still utilize those, those amounts.

Speaker 2: 21:00

I'm not saying eat all your protein in one meal, because that's a ton of protein. And you almost have to think of your metabolism almost like as like a line in the theme park protein. And you almost have to think of your metabolism almost like as like a line of the important. Yeah, I was trying to think the the term of the line, but yeah, almost like the waiting line at like disneyland, right, and it just keeps getting backed up and backed up, and backed up. So if all of a sudden you have all this pre-loaded carbs and and fats and then you're putting the protein, it's like that protein isn't going to get to metabolize fully by the time it gets there, you know, and so the carbs and everything that go behind it, it's going to start storing as fat and so forth. So that's why splitting it up typically can be easier to utilize and and really make sure that your metabolism is a little more efficient.

Speaker 2: 21:42

But again, it's to each their own, like you know, if it works for you and if it fits within your day, you feel good, you don't feel all you know. All of a sudden you eat and then you're all you know sluggish and you know lethargic. Then buy all meats, right? So there is no set time on necessarily when you need to start eating. So if you're, if you're not, if you're waiting until 11, that's fine, but make sure that your next meal is, you know, a decent amount of time afterwards, meaning that you're not eating at 11 and then eating at 12 because it's lunchtime. It's like, okay, you're eating at 11, the next meal will be around 2, and then the next meal will be around 5,. You know, and now that's three meals. If you have snacks in between, you know you can still hit your meals.

Speaker 2: 22:27

Now some people will be like, ok, well, isn't that intermittent fasting? I guess Right, but that's just what works for her, right? If I wait until 11 to eat on, let's say, today, I might be hungry at eight, so I can't wait. I have to wait until 11. Now you're intermittent fasting. If you, if you're setting the time frame every single day, I'm not going to eat until this time. Now you're intermittent fasting. Is intermittent fasting beneficial? Maybe, if it works for you. Otherwise, the only reason why people think it's this amazing diet and stuff is because the fact that you're eliminating time frames that you would normally eat junk food. Eliminating calories in is obviously going to have a result in weight loss. Because you're eating less you have, you're going to start creating more of a deficit from what you previously were doing and all of a sudden, you start to lose weight. There's no magic to intermittent fasting, right? Because technically, you're intermittent fasting once you go to sleep, right, that I mean. Granted, you're sleeping eight hours, you know.

Speaker 1: 23:26

Yeah, and I want to add to you know, kind of Into Miriam's thing, that when she said towards the last part, she said that she ends up breaking her fast with foods that lack protein. Now, it could be you know I'm not speaking for you, miriam, but I definitely agree with that that most people that they'll do that intermittent fast or push their first meal later in the day, and it ends up happening because you're starving and now your body's not asking for food and mentally you're deteriorating. So then what's the first thing? That your mind wanders off? To want to eat Junk food or something that's going to, you know, satiate your taste buds rather than your fuel needs. You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 1: 24:12

So, with that, if you guys truly want to be successful in one, you know, optimizing your eating habits and your nutrition part yes, being prepared is a huge part of it but also be strategic with what, with your foods, because, again, like, it can go back to you know, like writing meal plans for people, for people, whether you're on the challenge or not, it's like, if you know that you want to have like a, like a good workout, right, it's like I would suggest like, maybe save your snacks, or like the foods that are like a little bit higher in carbs. Like like prior to your workout and I'm not saying right before your workout, cause you're going to throw up everywhere. I'm saying you know, like maybe 45 minutes an hour to a little bit longer. If it's a heavier meal, um, you know that's higher in carbs, like before you're going to work out because, like, you know that when you intake those carbs is going to help you fuel and break it, metabolize it and use it as energy and you're going to have a much better workout. You know what I mean. And then, properly spreading your protein throughout the day, it's going to keep you satiated.

Speaker 1: 25:14

And I think water is a big part of it too, because I there's a lot of people think, actually, you know, I don't want to throw her under the bus, but nicole tells me this all the time like she's like, oh, I'm hungry, or you know, I kind of want a snack. It's like, have you drank water today, you know? And it's like she's like not really. It's like you might be just thirsty or you, I think you're just thirsty or you're a little dehydrated. Yeah, you know what I mean because, like, if you drink it like water, like sufficiently throughout the day, it can actually negate some of that hunger pains or what you think what you think could be hungry, it's not, it's not negating hunger pains, necessarily.

Speaker 2: 25:50

But you actually answered Patty's question, which is how about if you're hungry all the time, right. But to to aid in what you're saying, like to, to kind of piggyback off of where you're going to is like it's the same mental trigger when you're hungry and when you're thirsty, right. So if you're hungry and when you're thirsty, right. So if you're hungry all the time, in your mind you're thinking you're hungry all the time, but really you're hungry some of that time and then you're thirsty some of that time, right. But if you're constantly drinking water, now we can eliminate the fact that you're already hydrated, so you're not thirsty, necessarily you're hungry, right. But now there comes the flip side of that. Let's say you are drinking. You're as strange as a fish, but you know like, you know drinking a half a gallon to a gallon a day, depending on the person. You know half gallon minimum. You know a gallon is the upper echelon of. You know a water bowl, nick, two gallons, you know. But at the same time like. So let's say you're hydrated, right, and you're eating your meals, but you're still always hungry. Make sure that your caloric intake is lined up with what you're actually doing, because if you're over expending calories and you're not intaking enough, you're actually also going to slow down your metabolism. Right? You have to to factor in not just okay, well, this is my current weight, this is how many calories I need to eat. It actually goes off of a little bit more than that, off of, like, total expenditure for the day and so forth, right? So that might be one of the factors. The other thing is are you hungry If you already drink water and you're eating normal, but you seem to be hungry all the time? Do you have a past where you've used food as a comfort? Right, do. Have you used food in response to essentially rewarding yourself? Have you used food in a almost what's it called? In a routine? Like, if you do this thing, right, then you go get fast food, right? You know, let's say, if you play a sport, you play a basketball game. After every basketball game, we go to, you know, fucking Chipotle, right? So then, all of a sudden, now you play basketball and immediately you're hungry because your body's used to that habit, right? So what is the reason that you think you're really hungry? Like, sometimes you need to reflect on it. Am I eating all the calories that I need to have. I drank in the water. Am I really hungry? Because you got to think you're not necessarily eating Like.

Speaker 2: 28:33

Food isn't meant to just eat and be a pleasure. You know, I'm not saying that you can't enjoy eating the food that you're eating, but too many of us use food as a pleasure instead of using it as fuel. Right Food is that. It is fuel. It is meant to be eaten so that you can expend the energy, you can repair muscle and so forth. Everything else is just a cherry on the top. Of the food tastes good that you don't have to eat the same food every single day. But if this was back in the day, you hunted for your food so that you could survive, that you, so that you could have energy and so forth. But you pretty much ate what you, what you caught. Right, and now food is so readily available and so it's like, okay, am I just eating this? Because I saw it and it looks has a cool wrapper and that's why I'm buying it, you know, or is it? You know that I actually am hungry and I do need the nutrients?

Speaker 1: 29:21

yeah, right, and I think too, um, to add that it's like what some people feel, like, oh, I'm hungry all the time and kind of thinking okay, well, what is your regular eating habit throughout the day or regularly? What I mean by that is like are the foods that you're eating and the meals that you're having, is it nutrient-dense foods? You know what I mean because, like, you can think like, oh, like I don't. You know, I, I eat a healthy amount, or I eat like a like a decent amount where I only have three meals a day. Right, but it's like okay, well, what are those three meals? Are they just like kind of high in sugar, high in carbs, high in fat, but not enough in protein? So it's not as dense to be for you, one for your body, to what your body actually needs.

Speaker 1: 30:06

You know what I mean to to hit your proper macros but also to properly give you energy. You know what I mean, because it's like if you're only eating two to three meals a day, but those two to three meals is like what? Maybe some tacos, or you go out and grab something of a quick fast food, it's like those are probably not hitting your protein, the right amount of protein for you. It's just uploading you. It's just like you know you're uploading a bunch of carbs and fats. That's like you're probably going to store. You know what I mean. And you're not even you're not meeting the right amount of numbers that you need.

Speaker 1: 30:37

Because I, at the end of the day, when it comes down to your, your nutrition, it's just, it's just math, just numbers and being and strategic of where it's like an allowance. I like to explain it to people. Like, think of it like you have an allowance for whatever your goal is and you have your macro set and your total calories. It's like your allowance for the day. Where are you going to spend your allowance? You know what I mean Because, like, if you spend like all your allowance, all your numbers that you're allotted for the day on carbs and fats, and you save, like spare change for protein, it's like don't expect to lose body fat and like, gain any gain, any muscle and see any change, progress on what you're trying to attain yeah but and I'm thinking about like the way it, because an allowance is like you get the money.

Speaker 1: 31:30

It's up to you how you spend it. But that's if you spend it, that's if you spend it.

Speaker 2: 31:36

So with this, it's like almost like an investment kind of style, because it's like you need to invest in the three different buckets, right, and you Going with the allowance. It's like you need to invest in the three different buckets, right, and you going with the allowance way is like you, you, you need to spend all your allowance by the end of the day. How do you want to mix and match? So I mean that it does make sense that in that way, and to go into what you were saying about, you know, is it nutritionally dense? Right, because that's where people get mixed up is like food is food is all going to be have nutrition to it, right, but is it nutritionally dense, meaning it's, you know, a dense food for your protein, a dense food for your carbs, a dense food for your fats and for your goal, or is it just calorically dense, right, right, just, it's a sugary. You know, patty, now you're listening. You know Girl Scout cookie, you know, and it's like that's not nutritionally dense, that's just calorically dense, right, in relation to your goals, your nutrition and so forth. You're trying to eat foods that are more nutritionally dense with the three macros instead of one of the macros, which makes it more calorically dense, right?

Speaker 2: 32:55

Miriam said that you know she eats around 11-ish because that's when she gets hungry. But thanks for the reminder about the importance of meal prepping. It's not necessarily meal prepping either, right? I mean, yes, that does make it a lot more efficient and make it easier to stay on track, but it's just about efficiency of your day, right? So again, you don't, if you're, if you get hungry at 11, eat at 11, that's fine If you, if you're hungry in the day, then eat earlier in the day. But if you notice that you're waiting until 11, because it's became a routine, then you know it's like could you move that up a little bit?

Speaker 2: 33:27

And sometimes you set yourself in a nutritional, nutritional like alarm clock. You get hungry at 11, because you've eaten at 11 for so long that if you started eating at nine right and it might you might have to force it down a little bit. You know, it might not, you might not be hungry, but again, you're not eating. Once you're hungry, you're eating it for the fuel of the you know food. And so all of a sudden, once you start eating at nine more regularly, now your body will know okay, your internal clock knows it's around nine o'clock and now you start getting hungry because you're anticipating the food that's about to come. But all of a sudden, if you get used to 9 o'clock and then you try to eat 11, you're going to be hungry way hungrier at 11,. Right, but it's like your internal clock that you've set. You know, even, for example, for like sleep, like we get tired at a certain time, that we naturally go to bed. Right, because we've naturally gone to bed at that time for so long.

Speaker 1: 34:29

And it's like we don't go to bed though. Huh, I was like we don't go to bed though. Right.

Speaker 2: 34:35

But for Gabby and stuff she starts getting exhausted around like 9.30, right, but then she goes to bed at 9.30, where it's like even if we were tired at 930, like we're still doing things and stuff like that. So it starts to reset in, not in a positive manner, but it starts to reset your internal clock to know that you need to kind of split up or give yourself an allowance of energy so that your body can go until 11 o'clock.

Speaker 1: 35:00

Right, and I like that because it's it goes into like adapting. You know what I mean and I, and I think having that understanding that we, our body, can adapt to anything, you know what I mean, cause that's the one of the coolest things about being a person and being human. It's like we can adapt to certain environments and certain routines and habits, so kind of breaking that mental thing of like, and I can actually vouch for this. Cause, when I did that, um, you know, the bodybuilding competition, like bro, like my relationship with food was pretty up for like a little while because I was so restricted, you know, given the goals and everything in a quick time frame, that like it became like, like you said, like a reward system. You know, like after the after doing the competition, I was like, oh my god, like I'm gonna. You know, like, after the after doing the competition, I was like, oh my God, like I'm going to run out of food that I was eating, even when I wasn't hungry, you know, and I wasn't looking at food the same, like I just wanted the things that I couldn't have before, and like it took a while to fix that relationship with food and obviously, yes, it's fixed now. But I can definitely say in like firsthand that it starts telling yourself that, even like let's just say like you eat, well, you know you have, you have your nutrition on point during the week, and that's the thing too.

Speaker 1: 36:20

Most people think it's like, oh, on the weekends I eat whatever I want. You know, it's like giving yourself that reward system. But why does it have to be like that? You know what I mean? Or that punishment type of mentality too, that it's like people are so on point or they restrict themselves so much that when they have like a cheat meal or they go out and they you know they enjoy like a certain meal or go somewhere it's in a party or whatnot it's like the next day they'll starve themselves. And for those of you that are listening, I know you guys have done this or still currently do it to where it's like, oh, I ate this last night or I went somewhere and I had this and I treated myself, so the next day you're going to starve yourself. That's not how it's supposed to be Right. You're supposed to just eat normally and go back to your normal routine. Didn't you say that to Geraldine like not too long ago when she did her in body, and I say that because Geraldine is listening.

Speaker 2: 37:10

Oh yeah, I mean hers is a little different because of the. It was around the holidays and it wasn't that she was eating different and she didn't want it, it wasn't that she was going back off the way. It was like the holidays came around and you know tamales and all that kind of stuff. But all of a sudden she gained a little bit of weight, right. And then I told her when she did a reading, I was like I was like look, I was like give me an. Do another reading next week. I don't want to adjust your macros yet. I was like stick to your stuff for one week straight, like don't cut anything out. And I was like your numbers will go back to this. And then she saw me the next week and she was like the numbers went back to this and I was like it's just science, like it's it's literally just math. Like you know, that's roughly the range that you should have been within and it went back Right. So it's not like you needed to do or eat less because you ate more, like you just go back to the routine, your body adjusts, and you come, you kind of rubber band back, um, and I want to say that, like with with what we're talking about too, because there are so many things on the internet you know and you hear someone trying this kind of diet. That kind of diet like these, these quick fixes, don't work.

Speaker 2: 38:23

It has to be a lifestyle change, right, and it doesn't necessarily need to be a complete 180 right out the gate. It can start off a little bit here, a little bit there, and you make little, small steps towards that full change. For example, like most people here, you know the little bit there and you make little, small steps towards that full change. For example, like most people here, you know the keto diet is, you know, amazing, or the carnivore diet is amazing, and they 180 their diet.

Speaker 2: 38:44

Obviously your body's going to have some changes, but then it starts to level off or you start to not feel good with it. So then you flip flop back to what you currently were doing before and all of a sudden now your body's going into shock again and then, even if you lost weight the first time now, you're gaining weight back the second time because your body doesn't know what you're doing. So sometimes that gradual change is nice for the body to start to acclimate to what you're doing, right. The other aspect of it is knowing that when you intermittent fast or when you do, let's say, the carnivore diet or you do keto and you're cutting something out right. I'm speaking about carbs, because people for some reason think that carbs are bad and they're not People think carbs are the devil.

Speaker 2: 39:30

Yeah, and that's the crazy thing is because they're not right, and it's like if you take it out out completely, then obviously you're going to lose weight because your body doesn't have that energy source, so then it has to pull from your other energy source, which is going to be your fat system. But again, that is a it responds differently. So you're not going to be as energetic, you're not going to have as much mental clarity and if you ever eat a carb again, your body doesn't know what to do with it right out of the gate. So you're naturally you're going to gain weight and then you freak out and then you're like, well, I can't eat carbs ever again in my life. And it's like, no, you can, but maybe just slowly.

Speaker 2: 40:07

Increment, you know, increment them back in, because you haven't eaten carbs in a year and all of a sudden you're throwing in 200 grams of carbs. You gotta, gotta ease back into that champ, you know, um, but it really does start to to wean in on your focus, because if you don't have the right nutrients, right or let's say you, you fast for the day your brain will not function as fast as it needs to, you know. And if your brain isn't as fast in everything that you're doing. Nick's favorite saying how you do one thing is how you do everything. If you eat like shit or you're not eating at all and you don't have the energy, well, that's going to go into the rest of the things that you do. You might be giving it all that you can give, but that's not naturally all that you can do. But it's because you're limiting a factor of your lifestyle. It that you can do, but it's because you're limiting a factor of your lifestyle.

Speaker 1: 41:00

It's having an effect, a ripple effect on the other areas of your life and, honestly, the conversation of carbs with people is just, it just happens all the time and it's like we got to remember that for you to, like you just said, like to be able to function cognitively normally, you got to have carbs.

Speaker 1: 41:18

Able to function cognitively normally, you got to have carbs. That's where your, your brain, is getting the energy from from your, your, your carbs, your carb intake. You know what I mean and some people and again it's like that relationship and relationship starts with your mindset it's like you got to slowly fix it and to get away from like that punishment and reward mentality. You know, slowly, like add, like build yourself up and like allow your body to go through the changes. You know what I mean and like what happens a lot too, is like some people will hop on like the scale or here at the end, with the body. It's like you know they'll do the first reading and then, without this part, without telling me or us, like any of your trainers, like they'll start cutting a bunch of their food out or they'll start starving themselves, right, what someone I know, not by choice, it's like they'll cut though I was talking about from your bodybuilding thing oh yeah, so they'll.

Speaker 1: 42:07

they'll cut out a bunch of like the nutrients that they need and then or they'll limit their, their, their food pretty much and then they'll hop back on the scale or do the Embody again. It's like, oh, I lost 10 pounds or I lost whatever how many pounds. But then I'm like wait, wait, wait, slow down. But did you see your muscle and did you see your body fat? It's like your muscle went down and you gained body fat. It's like, but I lost weight, yeah, but not the right kind of weight. Right, you know what I mean? It's like understanding that when we in the scale too, it's like the relationship with the scale and tying that number, that you just that single number on the scale and tying it with your food. That's not the right way to do it. And just solely basing your judgment off that two things, right. It's like don't, don't. I'm not so like, yes, the number is is important, but not as important of, like, the quantity.

Speaker 2: 42:57

I mean I'm sorry, the quality of your number.

Speaker 1: 43:00

Right, right. It's like you want to build, maintain and build muscle and you want to lose body fat. That's how some people end up skinny fat, you know like where it's like they're. They're skinny but they're fat but like.

Speaker 2: 43:14

And the other thing too is like, kind of. I wanted to circle back to what I was saying about, you know, the whole carbs and and energy and everything, because a lot of people will, let's say, cut out carbs. But what happens? When you cut out carbs, you're cutting out your energy source. And then what do people tend to do? Well, they'll drink coffee, they'll drink energy drinks and so forth, because now they're trying to essentially put a band-aid on a bullet hole and they're not essentially fixing the problem, they're just masking it. And then it leads to a crash and they take more caffeine and so forth.

Speaker 2: 43:48

Caffeine is is a supplement and it is meant to aid in what you're doing. If you need a little boost, if whatever and I'm not saying that I don't drink those, and I know nick drinks them too like, it's like those things aid in what you're currently doing. But you can't use that in lieu of not doing what you need to do right, because now you're essentially creating another problem. It's like now your body's not functioning in the most optimum way, but when you're taking in excess amount of caffeine, you're also raising your stress levels, you're raising your cortisol, you're raising other aspects of your life that you know, start to have a ripple effect.

Speaker 2: 44:26

If you're more stressed out over small things, because you're having a high caffeine intake, because you're not eating enough carbs or fats, then all of a sudden, every little thing that you might have been a small problem seems like a big problem. You start being more, you know, explosive in terms of, like you know, your reactions to things. It's like again, how you do one thing is how you do everything don't eat right, so you mask it with something else. Well, now other things are gonna have ripple effect um, yeah, I lost my train of thought so like one thing I would say like in, that is like no, like not.

Speaker 2: 45:02

You're not gonna always be able to eat. Let's say, a big meal here, a big meal there. So it's like snacks can be crucial, and some people even can break up their meals into multiple little mini meals and almost it's almost a snack. But they're eating five, six, seven times a day, but in smaller portions. That's all fine and dandy. If you do get hungry or something it's like, what do you choose? If you haven't had a lot of carbs today, then a piece of fruit is probably the most beneficial.

Speaker 2: 45:31

If you haven't eaten any protein, then okay, well, why not choose a Greek yogurt or something where it has carbs, has protein? If you haven't eaten any protein, then okay, well, why not choose, like a Greek yogurt or something where it has carbs, has protein? If you haven't had fats, okay, that's when you go for almonds or cashews or so forth. But it's like having those foods and knowing what to eat and when to eat them also affects your daily results, right? Your energy output? You're starting to get sluggish or tired? Okay, well, have you eaten? Right? You don't feel as mentally like clear and you feel a little groggy and said okay, what? What was the last thing you ate right? Was you know, like what did you have right?

Speaker 1: 46:07

because sometimes that is what it is yeah you know, yeah, um, but what I was going to say was you know, with the, the, the snacks too. It's like when people say, oh, like, have a snack, it's like what Devin needs to say is like I'm trying to think of a good term for it, like a good snack, because I don't want to tie like certain words, like good, bad, and I think that's the other thing, that's the thought I was trying to go with. It's like the tying certain that word, good and bad to food, you know what I mean. Like there's no, oh, I wasn't careful there's nothing bad food, there's nothing.

Speaker 1: 46:41

Bad foods, you know what I mean. But it tastes good but they're bad, exactly. But it's like when you're having snacks and stuff, it's like what kind of snacks are you having too? You know, and I think that was the other thing. It's like if you're you're eating, kind of you're eating right or you're you're mindful of what you're eating, you're especially your main meals, and then a lot of people have trouble with snacking. You know, a lot of people are like oh, when I'm work, I'm at work or I'm busy, it's like I'll just have a little snack, you know. But what kind of? What kind of those? Are you having a bag of chips? You know what I mean.

Speaker 1: 47:10

It's like how do you feel when you have those kind of snacks or meals that are just quick and convenient? I can guarantee that you don't. You do feel sluggish or your stomach's upset. I can definitely vouch for that, because you know my stomach be bubbling and but it's like versus like, when you actually are one more prepared or more a lot more mindful of like. Turning to having snacks like almonds or, you know, string cheese I'm lactose, but you know for the protein bar, you know what I mean. It's like being smart and strategic with those. It's like those things like when you have those snacks or your meals that are actually a lot more wholesome and dense. It's like, I guarantee, physically you feel a lot more energetic, you feel a lot more mental clarity as well, versus like you think you had a snack or a meal that was, like you know, not just, like you said, calorically dense. Mentally you think you're like oh yeah, I feel good, but your body is probably like I don't think so, but it's like I feel like shit. You know what I?

Speaker 2: 48:11

mean Definitely. Patty said the challenge. She said, though, but the challenge taught me what foods to pair, and that has kept me in check these past, these past few months. I mean, minus the picture of the beer, you know. So I'm gonna throw that out there, I'm just kidding, but no, I mean you know the thing is doing like a challenge, or you know getting help, or you know getting advice from someone that knows can be a huge knowledge tool for you, because sometimes it's just getting some guidance of what can I eat, when should I eat? Right, and not saying that that's the only things that you can eat, but at least you understand the concept of okay, these are the kinds of foods, when I get tired, that I should try to eat.

Speaker 2: 48:55

For example, when people come in to do their first workout and you know they get nauseous and you know sometimes throw up or whatever, and even back when I was personal training, I let them know.

Speaker 2: 49:06

I was like look before your workout, you know, eat a banana, eat an apple. Right the sugar, and try to do it 30 to 45 minutes before the workout, right, but it's strategically placed 30 to 45 minutes before the workout, right, but it's strategically placed 30 to 45 minutes before the workout, so that that those carbs and that sugar is still in your blood system for when you're working out and now your glucose doesn't drop and you don't get nauseous After a few workouts. Your buddy can, your buddy, your body can regulate your glucose in terms of your energy expenditure and now you don't need to use that eight, right so? But if you still want to eat that before, by all means, you know, eat it. You know. But it's like sometimes you just need that guidance. So, like for Patty, you know, using the challenge and understanding where to pair the foods, what made her feel better, what kind of foods work for her. Sometimes it's just getting that advice right.

Speaker 1: 50:02

Getting taking a step out and, you know, asking for help. Yeah, like you said, there's the, the strategy. It's how it's like our own perspective of one. You got to set a goal like. You got to set a goal for yourself like what are you trying to attain? Right, like be very specific, like we've talked about in. Like setting goals. It's like are you trying to gain some muscle, drop body? Are you trying to gain some muscle, drop body fat? Are you trying to feel overall healthier, feel a lot more energetic? You know, think about the long term effects of it. But when you do have a goal, start planning out your blueprint and how you're going to, you know, get there. It's pretty much saying like, like you said, the strategy part.

Speaker 1: 50:32

It's like placing those, like you know that, the fast digesting carbs and like those sugars like before your workout. That's there before your workout, just because it's like, okay, you can have a piece of fruit, you know you can have like some almonds and stuff like that, or even a pro like a protein bar, doesn't mean you can just because they're good. Smarter snacks, right, smarter snacks doesn't mean you can like download all those smarter snacks at the end of your day, right, you know what I mean. Because then, what are you about to do? You're about to go to sleep. Now, you're not using any energy. You're about to go to sleep. So what is that going to happen? You're just going to store that shit.

Speaker 2: 51:07

Yeah. But with that being said, guys, you know we hope this helped a little bit. Make sure you guys tell a friend, tell a family member about us going live. You know, because at the end of the day we are here to engage with you guys. But you know, for everyone that did comment and throw their questions and stuff in the comments, we do appreciate you guys and we appreciate the rest of you guys for following and supporting and everything like that. So, with that being said, we love y'all, we appreciate y'all and we'll see you on the next one Later.