099: Our Top Ten Episodes… Ever!

Introduction 

You're listening to Biceps after Babies radio episode number 99.

Hello and welcome to Biceps after Babies radio. A podcast for ladies who know that fitness is about so much more than pounds lost or PRs. It's about feeling confident in your skin and empowered in your life. I'm your host, Amber Brueseke, a registered nurse, personal trainer, wife, and mom of four. Each week my guests and I will excite and motivate you to take action in your own personal fitness as we talk about nutrition, exercise, mindset, personal development, and executing life with conscious intention. If your goal is to look, feel, and be strong and experience transformation from the inside out, you, my friend are in the right place. Thank you for tuning in, now let’s jump into today’s episode.

Sharing our 10 most downloaded, most listened to and most impactful episodes  0:49

Hey, Hey, Hey, welcome back to another episode of Biceps after Babies radio. I'm your host, Amber Brueseke. And we are coming up on a pretty big milestone. In case you didn't know, we are almost at 100 episodes. This is episode number 99. So next week, we're going to hit 100. And for that, we actually have a really special surprise for you. So if you aren't subscribed to the podcast, make sure to do that now because you're not gonna want to miss it. It's gonna be a really fun episode. But as we're approaching episode number 100. And honestly, like this big milestone of a podcast, like we have almost put out 100 podcasts like how is that possible? It's so crazy to me that I started this in October of 2018. And here we are 100 podcasts later. And I am really big about celebrating wins and I teach my clients to celebrate wins because I believe as we look for those wins in our journeys, that we get more of them. And so I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate this milestone of hitting 100 episodes or almost 100 episodes, then by sharing our 10 most downloaded, most listened to and most impactful episodes so far. These 10 episodes were the ones that you guys loved, that you shared with a bunch that you downloaded. These were the biggest game-changers in so many of your journeys. And I just really wanted to recap them in hopes of being able to either have you re-listened to some of these or for those of you who are newer to the podcast, be able to push you back towards some of the highlight episodes in the past. So we're going to go through these 10 episodes, they're in no particular order, I just took the top 10 and but individually and collectively, all of these are top 10 podcasts ever, and I don't want you to miss them. So as we dive into each of these episodes if you've listened to them before I really highly suggest that you go back and re-listen to them. And again, if you're new to the podcast, these will give you a couple of episodes to put at the top of your list to go back and listen to. Sound good? Let's dive in.

No. 1 Episode 002: How to Track Macros: 6 Simple Steps 0:49

Alright, I'm going to kick it off with episode number two, this was the episode titled 6 Simple Steps to Learn to Track Macros. And I'm pretty sure this is our most downloaded podcast episode ever. And for good reason. It's a very like, basic introduction into the concept of macro counting, which, when a lot of people find me, they're kind of starting with their macro counting journey. They're trying to understand this concept and what it means and how you get started with it. And so it's obvious why this might be a highly downloaded podcast. But the thing that I want to point out is I don't want you to make the mistake that even if you've been counting macros for a while, don't make the mistake of missing out on this episode, because I share some things that are likely different than you're hearing from other macro coaches when it comes to setting and hitting your macros that really makes such a difference in the long run. And one of those things that I talk about here is the difference between weight loss and fat loss. And if you understand and you remember this one simple concept you are gonna be lightyears ahead of the women who immediately get frustrated when they step on the scale and it goes up. So let's listen to that clip.

Difference between fat loss versus weight loss 4:08

Today we are going to talk about the six steps to learn how to track macros. And we're going to start this discussion off by a fundamental understanding that I think a lot of people lack. And it's something that really should be taught more in elementary and junior high in high school, but really isn't. And that is this idea of the difference between fat loss versus weight loss. We are all very familiar with weight loss, you get on the scale, the scale either goes up, which means you've gained weight, or the scale goes down and that means you've lost weight. And we have in our mind that this scale weight is a one to one relationship with fat, meaning if we gained a pound that means we gained a pound of fat and if we lose a pound, that means we lost a pound of fat and in fact, it is so much more complicated than that because our weight is made up of so much more than just fat. In our body, we have the fat, of course, we also have muscles, we have soft tissue, we have organ weight, we have water weight, we have ligaments, we have a brain, we have all of these things that contribute to our overall weight. And so when you see the scale go up a pound or down a pound, you cannot say that that is necessarily equivalent to fat loss. Fat Loss is specifically the loss of fat in the body, and you can have fat loss without any weight loss, you can lose fat off your body and not see any change on the scale. And you can also converse, have weight loss without any fat loss. You can see that scale going down and it not being fat. And I think this concept is really misunderstood. We look at scale weight as this one to one relationship with fat loss. And it really truly is it. So the next time you start saying I want to lose weight, I really want you to start changing that in your mind to I want to lose fat, because that's what you really mean, right? Like, nobody goes into weight loss saying, Oh, I really want to lose some water weight, or, oh, I really want to lose some muscle, or Oh, I really want to lose some, you know, my ligament weight. No, we want to lose fat. And so I really want you to start to change that in your vocabulary from weight loss to fat loss because that's what we want. We want to have this fat loss.

Create a caloric deficit in order to experience fat loss 6:37

In order to experience fat loss. You have to create a caloric deficit. Period. End of story. That's how you create fat loss. And a caloric deficit means that you are eating fewer calories than you burn. Seems pretty simple, pretty straightforward. You eat fewer calories than you burn in the day. That puts you in a caloric deficit, which causes fat loss. And this is very fastly misunderstood because we have these ideas that certain diets cause fat loss, like if you eat paleo that causes fat loss, or if you do intermittent fasting that causes fat loss, and it's really important to understand the difference between the method and the cause. So intermittent fasting does not cause weight loss or fat loss. What intermittent fasting does for a lot of people is it makes them eat less food. And the fact that they create that caloric deficit is what causes the fat loss. Same thing, keto. Keto does not cause fat loss. Keto causes a lot of people to put themselves in a caloric deficit and the caloric deficit causes fat loss. And so I really want you to separate the method for creating the caloric deficit from the actual cause, which is always a caloric deficit, and that causes fat loss.

No. 2 Episode 011: Macros Aren’t Magic- How to Set Macros 8:02

Okay, number two is Episode 11. And this is called Macros Aren't Magic – How to Set Your Own Macros. And many of you know that I have a free guide to set your own macros. It's from www.bicepsafterbabies.com/setmymacros. And if you haven't downloaded that, it's great. You just put your name and email, you get the free guide, I walk you through all the steps of setting your macros. But there are some nuances and there are some things to consider. And that's why I recorded this podcast episode, I talk about setting your macros, I talk about some of the concerns that people have. And some of the things that keep people back from starting with macro counting are starting with setting their own numbers. And so this episode is a really good one. If you are at that point where you're setting your numbers, or you're thinking about getting started with macros and setting your own number numbers seems really intimidating. This is also a good one to listen to if you're a little bit further in your journey, and you're starting to think about adjusting your macros because that's a step that a lot of people don't understand or miss out on.

Macros are individualized 9:03

Now I will say that if you find yourself second-guessing everything, meaning if you know yourself and if you set your macros and you know that you're gonna second guess it, that you're gonna, you know not to have any consistency because when it gets hard you're gonna not push through because you're like, I don't know, I don't know if I set these appropriately. If you know that about yourself, having a coach set them for you can give you a little bit of peace of mind and give you the ability to push through when it gets hard, because you may trust that coach a little bit more than you trust yourself. But even from that perspective, I really need to understand it's still just a starting point. And it's not set in stone. Macros are very individualized and figuring out the macros that are right for you and your body takes some tweaking all of the time.

Be consistent and start tracking 9:52

The only way to zero in on the macros that will be effective for you is to be consistent and then to adjust just based off the feedback that your body gives you, for example, your results, whatever you're seeing your body do, you can then adjust off of that. Now there is one way that you can get a little bit more accurate and it's one of the reasons that it's one of the suggestions that I make. And one of the steps I say in Episode Two about how to get started with tracking macros. And that is to log your normal intake for one week if you have a good idea of how much you're currently eating. And if you're maintaining that amount, then you have a much better idea of how many calories you need to cut in order to create the caloric deficit. So in order to lose fat, you have to create a caloric deficit, you have to be burning more calories than you are consuming. And if you can get really clear on how many calories you are currently eating and maintaining on then you can easily create that caloric deficit and you don't have to guess quite as much, meaning if you know that you eat 2400 calories a day, you can then know that if you drop your calories by 15 to 20%, it's going to create enough of a caloric deficit that you're going to start to see fat loss. Now, if you start tracking and you typically eat 3500 calories a day, you're not going to want to set your macros at 1800 calories, or you're going to frickin starve. So knowing your base intake of how you're eating right now, is a really, really important first step, to be able to set your macros at an appropriate level.

It takes honesty with yourself 11:30

One thing I need to caution you on is that you do have to be really honest with yourself. One thing I hear really often is how shocked people are when they start tracking how much they're eating. You don't think it's a lot or you think your caloric intake is you know, is low, and then when you start actually logging in on paper and weighing out your portions, you may realize that you are eating more or maybe less than you actually thought you were. So you have to be really honest with yourself. When you're tracking, making sure that you're just viewing it as data, it's not to be emotional, but you're viewing it as data and to make that data as accurate as possible. And then after being really honest with yourself and tracking just your normal typical intake for a week, you can have a really good idea of what your maintenance level is and then create that caloric deficit from that.

No. 3 Episode 009: How To Know When To Reverse Diet 12:24

Number three is episode number nine How To Know When To Reverse Diet. This is a concept that is usually new to most people. And it is revolutionary to so many. I can't tell you how many of you have listened to this episode and then DM me and tell me what a mind-blowing episode this was because this concept of metabolic adaptation is one that is not widely taught. And once you understand the concept of metabolic adaptation and how to deal, how to work with it, right, it doesn't have to be this thing that's scary or this thing that's bad or evil. It's just something that happens with your body. When you learn how to work alongside your body, and you work with that metabolic adaptation to your advantage, you are in such a better place as you go through your fitness journey.

Body adaptation 13:11

So let's see if this scenario kind of rings true to you, you decide that you want to lose weight. So you cut your calories down because you know that you have to create a caloric deficit to see that fat loss. And over time, you see the scale dropping, you see your measurements dropping? And yeah, maybe you have to make some sacrifices and maybe like it's a little bit hard sometimes, but you don't really care because you're feeling so motivated. You're seeing these results, you're putting in the effort and seeing what the changes are happening in your body. And then after a period of time, you end up reaching your goal weight or your goal look or whatever the end of your fat cutting phase, and you try on your jeans and they button them really easily and you're feeling really proud and really accomplished for what you've done. So now it's time to celebrate right after months of like restricting yourself and not eating the cake, then you're kind of convinced, Okay, I'm done. Like I'm finished, I can let go of the reins, I can eat whatever I want. This is so great. Here's the problem. The problem is over that period of weight loss, your body has adapted, and it's now burning fewer calories than when you started trying to lose weight. Because over that period of time, it's been forced to become more efficient at using energy. So if you think of your metabolism like a fire, if you have a fire, we live near the beach. We live in Southern California, we go to the beach a lot, we do bonfires. And when we create the bonfire like you have to keep putting fuel on the fire, right, you'd put a log on the fire, and the more logs you put on, the hotter the fire burns, the bigger it gets. And to a certain extent, our bodies are the same way. The more food you eat the higher your metabolism burns. If you take away fuel just like a fire if you take away that fire, the fire starts to die out, take away calories and your metabolism just doesn't your body doesn't burn as many each day because it becomes more efficient. But if you don't know that and when you end that fat loss phase and you start eating anything that you want, you create this perfect storm for really fast fat gain and overshooting your body fat because your metabolism has decreased over time. And now you are increasing your calories by an exponential amount. You are going to have really rapid fat gain and this is where yo yo dieting comes in. You lose 10 pounds you gain 20 you lose eight you gain 25 and this yo yo dieting is something that we see so frequently with people who restrict and then you know binge or go back to eating way above normal and then end up yo yoing back up with their weight.

No. 4 Episode 003: Losing 50 Pounds From A Place Of Love with Becca Jackson12:24

All right, number four, Episode Number 003: Losing 50 Pounds From A Place Of Self Love. And this is with Becca Jackson. And I love this episode. And I know a lot of you guys love this episode too because Becca Jackson shares how she was able to lose 50 pounds, right, which is an incredible amount of weight. And she's and most importantly, she's been able to keep it off. And Becca really shares her history and her story about how she got started counting macros, and how she was able to lose that 50 pounds and do it from a place of self-love, which is I think, is what every woman wants, why we want to be able to have that self-love and be able to yes, reach our goals and love ourselves through the process. In this clip is one of my favorite things that Becca said during this episode, and I've heard so many of you pull this out and repeat this to yourself during your journey. So let's jump into that clip from episode number three.

Becca Jackson  16:58 

Yeah, I had a friend, six months ago, she reached out to me and so she started tracking her macros. And she, you know, was really frustrated the first few months. And then finally, she texts me one day, she's like, you know what, I've just discovered that my body loses about half a pound a week. And that's okay. And you know, and so she had finally just, like, come to terms, but like, that's just how her body was, no matter how hard she tried, just like, but it's okay. And then I got a text from her last week, check. It's been five months, and I lost 15 pounds. And she's like, it was maybe only you know, half a pound a week. She's like, but I did it. You know, she's like, I lost the way I was looking for. And anyway, so I think that's a huge, huge part of it, too, is just not like, it's not a race, like we're sorry, to lose weight fast. Like, it's, I mean, we didn't gain weight fast. I mean, but you know what I mean? It's like, it's not like you gained 10 pounds in one week. And it's like, just give yourself time like, it's okay. It's not a race and I mean, you'll be grateful that you did it even if it is a year from now or two years or however long it takes, like, it's okay. And you'll be grateful for that one pound at a time. So that's one thing that I like to share is that I didn't lose 50 pounds, I lost one pound 50 times. And I think that that's a good thing to remember too, is that I had to do that one pound 50 times over and over and over again. You know, it wasn't just like, oh, I'm going to do this one thing real quick. It's all going to come off. It'll be great. But it's just putting in that consistent consistency, consistency, consistency, just to just keep going and it can be discouraging and hard but that you know, when hard work pays off is when you just keep giving it your best no matter what.

Amber B  18:43

I love that you lost one pound 50 times. I hope that that really rings true to a lot of people because I think there's so much wisdom in that and just that statement. So a lot of what you talk about Becca on your platform and on your Instagram page is self-love and really like talking to women and helping them to talk kindly to themselves throughout this process. So how? And I know a lot of women struggle with that, right? They feel like, well, if I like myself in it, I'm just gonna be fine with where I'm at, and I'm not gonna change things. So how do you balance these two things? Like talking to yourself really kindly and giving yourself grace, but like still making progress and still having a game? Yeah.

No. 5 Episode 029: Rant: Macros and Intuitive Eating 12:24

Number five was Episode Number 29, which is called Rant: Macros and Intuitive Eating. And this was a one that I was a little nervous to put out there. In fact, when I listen back to the episode, I can see how many times I kind of liked it. I don't like, don't hate me for putting this out here but I thought that it was something that was really important to be said because I feel like there's this inherent tension between macros and intuitive eating, that there doesn't necessarily have to be and that is what you know, go through and share with this episode and so many of you guys have said that this really helped you to align the two within your mind. Because it can be really hard when you have people who are labeling you as diet culture or labeling you as the problem. And saying that weight loss is bad and that you shouldn't ever intentionally try to lose weight, it can be hard to rationalize that in your mind. And hopefully listening to this episode will help to understand how those two things can work together and how it's so valuable to be able to have the tools that macro counting gives you to then get to that place of intuitive eating if that's what you so desire.

Food should not be about guilt 20:34 

To eat should not be about guilt. I do not believe that guilt and food should ever be in the same sentence. I think that they are completely separate. And I think it's a problem with our culture that we have guilt around any food. And so I totally believe in the fact that food should not have a moral value. It's not good or bad. It just is food and when you can strip those you know moral imperatives off of food, it is a really awesome place to be. And it can make the food and the choices that you make a lot easier to make because you're taking that emotion out of it, you're taking that, you know, judgment away from that food. And so I completely agree with the intuitive eating movement, that food should not be about guilt, they should not be in the same sentence.

I totally disagree in never losing weight intentionally 21:22 

Okay, so then let's dive into the uncomfortable part. Let's dive into some of the things that I disagree with. And again, these are my opinions. You don't have to agree with me. In fact, I hope you don't agree with me. But I hope you also listen with an open mind and hear what I'm saying. And maybe, you know, think about it in a new way that maybe you haven't ever thought about it. And maybe it helps you to process your ideas and where your opinions lie. So the first thing I disagree with is that you should never intentionally lose weight. I have to say that I disagree with this so passionately. I am all for body autonomy. And if you want to lose weight, then you can lose weight because it's your body and you get to choose what you want to do with it. If you want to add muscle, sweet, like do it. And if you want to get like huge and jacked, awesome, go for it. And if you're at the place where you're like, I want to stop thinking about food, and I don't want to diet anymore, and I just want to let my body settle into like, whatever is natural for me, sweet, you should do that then. You don't owe me an explanation. You don't owe anybody else an explanation. And you should never have to justify what you want to do with your body. You get to be in control of what you want to create in this life and what you want to expend energy on and I think it's a really awful place to be when we go around judging people's goals. Your goal is your goal and you get to have whatever goal you want girl. Don't let anybody else tell you what you should be doing with your body.

A big no, no to shaming 22:52 

And so I get really hot under the collar when we start shaming and we start shaming any intentional weight loss as diet culture because I just don't think it's true. And I think we don't need to do any shaming as we can just be all up in our own business. And we don't have to shame other people's choices. If you want to be at the place where you aren't dieting anymore, and you don't want to restrict calories and you want to intuitively eat. That's so awesome. I am so happy for you like, that's wonderful. But the moment that you start telling other women that they're wrong for intentionally wanting to lose weight, I feel like that's when you've crossed a line. That's when you are starting to like, tell other women what they should do based on what you do with your body.

Intuitive eating 23:37 

Now, I want to be really clear. There's a difference between preaching about intuitive eating and sharing your experience and sharing like this change in paradigm because I feel like for a lot of women like intuitive eating is like this huge change in paradigm from what they grew up thinking and they grew up knowing. And like I love it. I love that it causes women to like to think about food in a completely different way than they've never thought about it before. And so I'm not saying that people should stop preaching about intuitive eating, I think you should keep doing it. What I'm saying is that I want you to do it in a way that doesn't cast shame or judgment on other people who make informed choices about their body and what they want to place effort in, in their life.

No. 6 Episode 045: How Should You Train? Your Body Type Matters 24:26

Number six is Episode 45 How Should You Train? Your Body Type Matters. This was an important episode that I recorded because I get tired of this like one size fits all in the essence of training programs and building muscle and that like if you just follow this plan, then you're you know, this x, y, and z eat these things, do this exercise and like do this cardio then you're going to see the results that you want. I don't have to tell you that we are all different. And that thinking that you like you can follow just like some cookie-cutter plan and be able to get the exact results that you want, isn't gonna happen. Like we are all different, our bodies respond differently, we know that we are unique. And so when there are these just like cookie-cutter plans of like, do this and you're going to get results. I always, like my radar always goes up. And I want women to understand that the best way that they can train is the best way that they can eat, the best way that they can go through their fitness journey is to customize it. And when you start to understand your body type, you can start to understand that like, you may need more cardio or less cardio, then your friend or your sister, you may need different macros than your friend or your sister in order to get the same exact results. And when you understand that it's powerful and you're able to apply it to your journey.

We have different body types, therefore, we need to be trained differently 25:43 

So yeah, I'm always going to be a big proponent of women lifting weights, I think it is a really important thing. But I think when it comes to weightlifting, particularly and also nutrition, we'll bring nutrition and wrap that into this as well. When we talk about how to set up programming or what type of workouts you should do while you're at the gym, and how much cardio versus how much weights. A lot of times people think it is a certain just blanket, everybody should do the same thing. And they'll look at people on Instagram, and they'll say, I want to look like a certain woman. And so I'm going to go buy her program, right? Like, I want to look like her. How do I do that? Okay, I go buy this program that she did, that she followed, and I followed as well, and then my body will look like hers. And that really is a false idea. And one of the reasons is because there are different body types and different body types are going to respond to training in different ways. And so you cannot just look at someone and say, Okay, what did they do? I want to do that too because they may have a completely different body type than you do and your body's gonna respond differently to the training than there does. So by understanding that you can set yourself up for so much more success than just thinking, Oh, my body is broken because I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing or I'm doing what this person told me to do and my body is not responding in the same way that my friends are, or my body's not responding the same way that they're, you know, someone else's body did. That comes down a lot to the different body types and how they need to be trained differently to be able to get results.

Three main body types  27:29 

Let's talk about the different body types. There are three main body types. And as I talk and dive into each one of these, you will likely be able to self identify which one of these sounds like you. However, if you want to take a quiz and have you know, an algorithm tells you which one is you or which one you lean more towards. We've linked up a couple of quizzes on the show notes. So If you go to www.bicepsafterbabies.com/45, that's where the show notes will be. And that's where I'll link up some online quizzes that you can take that will help you to identify which of these body types kind of fits best with you.

No. 7 Episode 062: How  to Get A Six Pack (and how you can too!) 28:15

Number seven is Episode 62: How I Got A Six-Pack (and how you can too!). Now, this doesn't surprise me that this episode is one of our highest downloaded and that's because this elusive goal of getting abs is one that a lot of women have, and maybe not you and that's okay like there's no good better or best when it comes to goals. But it's something that a lot of women have in the back of their minds. to them. It's like abs equal success, right? Like when I have this physical manifestation of the results that I want like that's a success. And so you know, I support all goals here like here with biceps after babies, we support all goals and I'm all about helping you to be able to be intentional about the goals you set, and then how you achieve those goals. And so if getting a six-pack is one of your goals, then this episode is definitely a must-listen, I share the process that I went through to get a six-pack and then I share what the process could look like for you in order to do the same. And there's some secrets and some truth bombs that I dropped in this episode that a lot of people didn't expect. And I think it's important to hear from somebody who has gone through the process to get abs to be able to understand what it's like, what it means, how you get there. And that's what I do in this episode.

Be ready to push yourself when you set your goals  29:30 

And so for a lot of people, I think, when we go for this elusive ab goal, that is one of the biggest things you may or may not, we'll talk about how I got abs, what you can do in order if that's one of your goals as well. But what I want you to consider is that what you learn along the way, whether or not you actually end up with a six-pack is almost if not more important than the actual six-pack itself. So that's my little disclaimer as we go into this conversation as I talk to you about my experience. And as you think about how this can relate to your fitness journey, I just really want to make clear if this is a goal that you have set for yourself or you want to set for yourself or you can see yourself setting in the future, that you come from this place that you're very clear that abs aren't going to make you happier. Abs aren't going to make you love your body. Shocker for a lot of people. Some of the most insecure women I know are people who you would look at their body and think that they just have it all together and that they are complete goals right you wish your body looked like them. Some of those women are some of the most insecure women so if you're setting this goal to get abs, please, please do not do it because you think it will make you happier. You think it will make you healthier. You think it will make you more attractive, you think that it will establish that you are worthy. Those aren't, in none of those are good reasons for setting a goal to achieve abs. What would be a good reason to set a goal? You want to push yourself. You want to see what you're capable of, you want to get a little bit uncomfortable and experience the growth that comes from stepping outside of your comfort zone. In my opinion, those are excellent reasons to set a lofty goal like this and to work towards it because you know that as you push yourself and as you stretch yourself and as you challenge yourself that that helps you as a person to grow and in my mind, that's where I came from in, in my quest for abs and I hope that's where you're starting from as well. We really need to make sure that we're starting from this place that you are 100% worthwhile and you are 100% enough as you currently are right this very moment and then we can talk about, awesome how can I step outside of my comfort zone? How can I grow a little bit and how can I challenge myself? That is when it gets exciting to set goals like this.

No. 8 Episode 058: The Sneaky All or Nothing Mentality 31:47

Number eight is Episode 58: The Sneaky All or Nothing Mentality. This is one that I think everybody, no matter where you are in your fitness journey should listen to and that is because all or nothing mentality is something that we all run up against because it is the default way that our brains are programmed. There's nothing wrong with all or nothing mentality. It's a default way that our brains are programmed. But if we continue to live life by default, we are never going to be able to achieve the things that we want to achieve. Okay, default settings. It's like when you get your computer, right, and you have your default settings. Like there's nothing wrong with those default settings. But if you really want to customize your computer to do the things that you want it to do, you're gonna have to upgrade things and you're gonna have to download programs and you're gonna have to, you know, organize your desktop, right? Like you're gonna have to take that default setting and uplevel it and that is what we need to do with the all or nothing mentality. So I talked about the process, I talked about spotting it first of all, because the all or nothing mentality is sneaky, and most times, we don't identify it for what it is. So in this episode, I talk about how to identify it and then how to move past it because it is one of the biggest things that is going to propel you forward in your fitness journey.

All or Nothing Mentality 33:01

So all or nothing thinking is a very binary way of thinking. It means either I do it all, or I do none of it. And logically, you can already start to see the fallacy in this right? Like our logical brains when we start to think about this, we're like, yeah, I could either eat zero doughnuts or 12 doughnuts, right? But there is a middle ground like there is a place that I could eat one doughnut, but our brain tends to want to default either zero or 12. Either I pick up the entire house, or I don't do anything. Either I do my full 30 minutes of workout, or if I can't do that, then I do nothing. So there's very binary, I either need to do it all whatever “all is”. Or if I can't do it all or I don't want to do it all or I don't have time to do it all then our brain just tells us okay, well then we're just going to skip it, we're just going to do nothing. So this is this concept of all or nothing mentality. And I'm sure that as I say this, you can start to come up with ideas or experiences where maybe you've experienced this all or nothing mentality. So places that it can show up show up a lot in eating. It's one that a lot of my clients relate to this idea that I can either have zero doughnuts or 12 donuts. It shows up a lot in things like housework, right? If you can't do the job right, then you might as well not do it at all. If I can't do all of the dishes, or I can't put away all the dishes, then I'm not going to even start. It may show up in the way that you perform in your job right? If I don't have time to make this presentation 100% perfect, then my brain just doesn't even want to do it at all. And those of you who identify as perfectionists will really relate to this a lot. This idea of it has to be perfect or why even try right If I can't do it 100% that I'm not even going to start. And again, this is just this is a very evolutionary default way that our brain works in order to keep us safe.

Get outside of your comfort zone 35:36

But the key is, is that safe, doesn't yield results. Safe doesn't yield growth, safe doesn't yield the progress that you want to make. And so sometimes we have to get outside of safe and outside of our comfort zone, not sometimes we almost always have to get outside of safe and outside of our comfort zone if we want to see results that we haven't yet been able to see.

No. 9 Episode 068: 5 Secrets To Successful Weight Loss 35:36

Number nine, Episode Number 68: 5 Secrets To Successful Weight Loss. In this episode, I share secret number two and in this clip, but I share five secrets to how you're going to be able to successfully lose weight and keep it off because the long-range goal is obviously not only just to lose the weight, but to keep it off. And there are some important things that you need to understand as you're going through your weight-loss period and your weight loss phase, to be able to reach that end result. And so I share those five secrets in this episode. And in this clip, I share secret number two, how to become a scientist and really look at that data without emotion like a scientist would.

Willingness to become a scientist 36:21

The second secret to Successful Weight Loss is the willingness to become a scientist. And I look at it like this. My brother is a biochemist. So he works in a lab. And he works with, I don't know, cells and chemicals and really complicated stuff that he tries to tell me about. And, but he's a scientist and he and he, you know, works on these experiments. And when he doesn't experiment, it either works or doesn't work. Right, like that's the nature of experimentation. Like he doesn't experiment. It either works or it doesn't work. And the emotion is kind of detached from it, right? Like he probably does want the experiment to work, right? He's in a Ph. D program like he wants it to work. But there isn't any like, shame or guilt if it doesn't work, right. It's more of a scientific mentality of I'm going to try X, Y, and Z and I'm going to see what the result is. I'm going to look at the data, I'm going to see if it worked. And if it didn't, I'm going to try something else. And that is exactly how you need to be in your fitness journey.

Detach your emotions 37:36

So many of us lead with emotion. And your fitness journey has been a journey, bundled in emotion, bundled in, like happiness and excitement when you're making progress. And bundled in like guilt and shame and depression when you slide back. And what I would like you to consider is what it would look like in your journey. If you could take that emotion hat off, and instead be willing to put the scientific hat on, be willing to look at the data, as data, as numbers, as things that can give you feedback and guidance, rather than making a moral declaration about your progress. Rather than saying anything about you personally, just starting to look at it as just data and something that you can you're experimenting with. You're getting the feedback, you're adjusting, and you're continuing to move forward.

Not to #tossthescale 38:39

Now, we're going to talk a little bit about this hashtag that I see floating around, #tossthescale. I am not a big fan of #tossthescale. I get its purpose. Its purpose is to not have you defining your worth by a number on the scale, I'm all for that. But here's my issue with #tossthescale. If you don't have any measurements, you cannot change something, you cannot change what you can't measure. Okay? That is a fundamental principle. When you are setting goals, you cannot change what you can't measure. And so what I encourage clients to do is not to toss the scale, but to learn to use the scale as a tool, rather than a weapon. So many of you use the scale as a weapon. You stand on the scale, and you use it to beat yourself up. Rather than using it as a weapon. What would it look like if it was a tool, and it was just a single data point? And this is one of the reasons I encourage my clients to not only use the scale but also to use measurements to use progress pictures, to use things like how your clothes are fitting, to look at non-scale victories, like, are you feeling more confident around food? Are you able to go to the party without anxiety?

No. 10 Episode 072: Losing Half your Body Weight with Heather Robertson 40:09

And we have made it to number 10 on our list, Episode Number 72, Losing Half Her Body Weight with Heather Robertson. And this episode is such an important one. and I think maybe we didn't name it well enough, because I think it gets skipped over more than it should. But this episode is all about maintenance. It's all about how Heather, yes, was able to lose half her body weight, which is incredible, but more importantly, how she's been able to maintain it for eight-plus years. And so if you are somebody who has either struggled with maintenance, right, like maybe you've hit your goal weight, but you've struggled to maintain it, or maybe you've always been on the cycle of just trying to lose weight and you've never actually hit something that you want to maintain. This episode is a must-listen, Heather talks about the idea of maintenance that's it mindset. And it is a revolutionary concept that most women do not have as they're going through their weight loss journey. And if you can understand this concept and really bring it into your journey, it's going to make all of the difference for you. So let's dive into this last clip.

Heather Robertson 41:19

I feel like if I was going to give her a checkoff list one, it would be to calculate the amount of time she's invested in this whole process from the beginning to the end. And for most women. I'm not saying every single woman, for most women that's late teens or early 20s. That's when I see most of them starting that and then when they usually come to me like okay, Heather, I've been through this wringer and I've seen all the acts and the performances, they were probably pushing like, you know, the late 30s, mid-40s, they've invested a good 10, 20 plus years of their life into this, and sometimes much, much older. I mean, I always say that I've met women in their 70's who still are pursuing that, and that's a huge significant portion of your life, right then you've invested in this pursuit. So that's number one.

Heather Robertson 42:01

The second thing is to remove the feeling that there has to be this deadline. And you'll see this a lot when you see weddings, summer season, right? Because the reality is, and somebody told me this one time, and I think it's great, you don't want to just fit into the dress on the one day or the bathing suit on the one trip. You want it to be fitting seasons later, and multiple events later. And what that means is, if your diet extreme to get into those things, you're going to probably overeat when you're away because you're making up for what you didn't eat. And that dress may not fit on the trip back from where you're going. So it's a totally different mindset.

Heather Robertson 42:37

And then the third thing I would tell her is plan maintenance breaks in your journey that troubles a lot of people, because they're like, Heather, I'm not where I want to be. Yeah, but every moment you spend practicing maintenance, you're securing a better chance of actually keeping this weight off long term. What most people do is they're saying super good at losing weight or gaining weight, they're really good at those two polar opposites. But that subtle place in between where they learn how to eat adequately to not lose or gain, but realize they can't have all the things all the time, it's a totally different frontier. And the more that you can go there and explore and practice and be comfortable with eating at maintenance calories and seeing what that feels like, you'll be better suited for when you do get to your goal weight and maintain it long term. We get good at what we practice, but no one practices maintenance. So shockingly, maintenance isn't something most people are good at, right? So if we want it to be something we're good at, we've got to practice it, which means while you're losing weight, loose fit spending x amount of weeks or months losing or hitting a certain percentage and then taking a break and maintaining. And it's shocking because most people think maintaining it should be “easier”. But in some ways, it's not, you know, and that's why that practice needs to happen in my opinion.

Let’s wrap up 44:00

There you have it our top 10 episodes that we've ever done. And these episodes as you go back and re-listen to them or listen to them for the first time, they are going to rock your world. Now if you are a new biceps after babies radio listener welcome, welcome to the community and welcome to the podcast. These 10 episodes that I've just gone through are the perfect episodes to understand how I coach, how I teach, to understand macro accounting, and to understand how you can be successful in setting and achieving whatever goals that you have. And if you are somebody who's been around since the beginning, first of all holla so grateful that you are here and so happy that you have continued to listen. But if you're an OG and you've listened to all these episodes once before, here's my challenge to you, go back and re-listen to at least one and the reason is you are likely at a different place in your journey than you were the first time you listened and you never know what tidbits of inspiration and motivation are going to hit your ears the second time that you listen because you're looking for different things, you're looking for different answers, you're at a different place in your journey. So I really challenge you if you've listened to all these episodes, you're like, Girl, I've already listened to every single one of these episodes. I'm an OG listener, pick at least one and go back this week and re-listen to it and see if you find something that's new or different or that you don't remember hearing the first time around. Now, if any biceps after baby radio episode, any of the 99 has touched you have impacted your fitness journey or has taught you at any point, please consider sharing the show to help join in the celebration of hitting almost 100 episodes, 100 episodes next week. So whether you share it on Facebook, you text it to a friend, you put it on your Instagrams story truly, the more that you share, the more we're able to get this message out and help women to be able to set goals and achieve them and really be able to be empowered in their life to be able to create whatever it is that they want. But that truly is my message and I hope that that comes through with every single podcast episode that I record. Thank you for being here. Thank you for listening. Thank you for rating and reviewing and sharing the podcast. And I am so excited about the last hundred episodes that we've been able to do, I guess next week, and I am excited for the next 100. So. that wraps up this episode of biceps after babies radio. I'm Amber now go out and be strong because remember my friend, you can do anything.

Outro

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