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News & Updates
Journal
January 19, 2020
How do I stop my emotional eating?
Have you ever stopped to ask yourself why you can’t stop your binge/emotional eating even though it is ruining your life?
If you still aren’t sure if you are an emotional eater, if you find yourself eating for any other reason than legitimate hunger, you are eating out of emotion.
If you have followed me for any period of time you know that I was a huge binge eater for decades. I would find myself eating out of emotion for any reason, it really didn’t matter if I was sad or happy, it had just become a way of life for me. It wasn’t until I got to the root cause of why I was emotionally eating was I able to radically change my life. I’ll come back to this in a minute.
Most of my time was spent either feeling really good about myself when I was ‘perfect’ and adhering to the newest diet I was on or feeling like absolute crap about myself when I fell off the wagon and ate something I deemed ‘bad’ and ended up in a binge fest. I felt tremendous shame when I lost control over those foods I swore I would never eat again and kept finding myself in this vicious cycle.
See if this sounds familiar.
I would start a new diet, be ‘perfect’ for a week or so, and then life would hit. I would feel stressed and find myself eating something I swore I’d never touch again to make myself not only forget what was wrong, but to make me feel better. Then I’d swear to myself that I would never do that again and that the next time would be different, except that it wasn’t. I would find myself repeating that same binge/shame cycle for nearly a decade of my life.
I tried everything under the sun to lose weight and stop the cycle of emotional eating. I did the normal diet pills, shakes, deprivation diets, and endless hours of exercise in the hope that this would finally be the last time. It was crazy when I look back because I kept doing the same thing over and over again, wishing and hoping for a different outcome. I kept beating my head against the wall like this for far too long.
The reason behind binge eating is typically tied to deprivation. If you are used to going on these crazy making diets where you only allow yourself to have chicken and broccoli you can probably relate. You swear off any foods you legitimately like and think that you’ll be able to sustain this. A week or two goes by and WHAM, you find yourself face first in a pint of Ben and Jerry’s, wondering how in the hell you got here. That is what most people would refer to as ‘falling off the wagon’ eating.
Or maybe you were at work one day and the boss brought in some doughnuts and left them in the break room. You walk by, see the doughnuts, and sneak one. After you’ve finished the doughnut you are filled with so much guilt and shame because you just broke your diet. So what do you do? you proceed to eat 3 more because you failed again, so what does it matter? This is what keeps us stuck in this never ending cycle of misery.
Those who emotionally eat are usually doing so to avoid or escape uncomfortable emotions. I know I did this myself anytime I had to think about my past or something stressful came up that I just wanted to run from. The only issue with this, as you know, is that the problems don’t go away. So not only do you still have these unresolved issues, but you must also deal with an ever expanding waist line.
If you find yourself falling under the category of a ‘restrictive dieter’ just know you are setting yourself up for failure and remaining stuck on the guilt/shame cycle of binge & emotional eating.
If you moralize foods by labeling them as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ or if you self-worth is dependent on your weight, you are setting yourself up for failure.
If you truly want to be free from binge eating and emotional eating there are some things you must do.
#1 You have to practice mindfulness and learn to reconnect with your body. I go in depth in this area with my coaching clients.
#2 You have to change your relationship with food. Going on restrictive diets simply doesn’t work long term. You will ultimately find yourself eating everything around that food that you crave and then that food itself.
#3 Stop focusing on the outcome and be happy with yourself at the place you are at right now. Far too often we tell ourselves that we will be happy when _____. By doing this we are indirectly telling ourselves that we can’t be happy until we reach a certain weight. This will only ensure you stay miserable and sabotage your efforts.
#4 You must heal your damaged body image and look at how you got here in the first place. You will never be able to shame your way into wellness or self-love. I feel that if we can identify those underlying causes of why we eat to avoid we can heal and ultimately the weight issues resolve themselves.
In order to do all of this you are going to need help and that is where I come in. Not only have I gone through all of this myself, but I’ve done the work to heal. I have since come down from nearly 300 pounds, dealt with some pretty traumatic childhood issues, and now help people just like you to do the same.
Coaching is for you if you can identify with the following:
- You find yourself face first in a pint of Ben and Jerry’s and you’re telling yourself that you know you shouldn’t be doing this, you hate yourself, but you just don’t know how to stop.
- You are a chronic dieter and always find yourself on a diet more often than not. You’ve done everything from Keto to IF and sucked down more nasty shakes then you care to admit.
- You catch yourself always preoccupied with the thought of food. I know for myself when I was eating breakfast I was also thinking about what I was going to have for lunch, etc.
- You have what I call the ‘mirage mentality’ and think that if you finally have the perfect body everything will be okay and you will love yourself. I can tell you that this is a mirage [wishful thinking] and even if I could miraculously give you the body of your dreams, unless you deal with the internal stuff, you will still be miserable.
If you found yourself nodding your head to any of the above I want to do the following for you:
- No longer obsess about food or go on any more deprivation diets.
- Be able to eat foods you once moralized as bad and not end up in a feeding frenzy, binge fest.
- Finally be able to love the skin your in, the reflection you see in the mirror, and no longer be at war with yourself.
- Have a healthy relationship with food and no longer feel like a slave to your emotions.
So my friend, here is what time it is
If going on miserable deprivation diets, doing endless amounts of cardio, and trying to hate yourself into wellness is working for you, keep on keeping on. If however you find that your diets are literally sucking the life out of you, you can’t maintain them for more than an week or two without going into binge mode and are open to trying something that will help change your way of thinking and being, I want to help.
If you are truly sick and tired of being sick and tired, doing the same old thing and getting nowhere, go here NOW to learn more about how my coaching group can change your life or hit reply and we can connect that way.
God bless,
Brandon Jenkins
November 4, 2019
Why a lack of motivation isn’t your problem
I hope you are doing well so far and are excited for the upcoming week.
I’ll make this message short and sweet. I’ve been talking to folks who complain that they aren’t ‘motivated’ when it comes to getting in shape or making any life changes that would benefit them.
I told them that was rubbish and that it wasn’t motivation that they lacked.
You may also be one of those who use the lack of motivation as an excuse to stay stuck and not do the work, but here is what you most likely are really deficient in.
You lack vision and a plan.
If you have no vision for what you want your life to look like things will be ‘muddy’ for you. You might have some idea but not a clear vision.This lack of vision will leave you feeling frustrated and will keep you from taking action.
If you don’t have a plan you will also feel a sense of hopelessness and claim it is a lack of motivation. It really comes down to not knowing how to get to where it is you say you want to be, not a lack of motivation.
I have people tell me all the time what they want to do, such as lose weight, start exercising again, eat better, look for a better job, etc. This is great and I love that they are dreaming about a better life for themselves, but they run into problems when I ask them what their plan is. I will usually get a generic answer like, “I’m just going to eat better” or “I’m going to work out next week.”
The issues is these are very vague responses and are not specific enough. It isn’t a plan that you can follow. If you find you say similar things just know you are hoping that you will reach your destination instead of having an actionable plan that you know will get you there.
I have all my clients use Sunday as the day they will plan our the upcoming week so they can be successful. We plan out what they will meal prep, what days they will train and what they will do, etc. We make sure they have a specific, easy to follow, plan of action they can follow.
This not only helps to keep them on track but we can measure what they are doing. Meaning, if they aren’t getting the results we want then we look back at their action plan and can find out why.
So, there is no more guessing or ‘hoping’ and ‘wishing’ that they will get results. If you follow the plan you will get results. If you have no plan then it makes sense if you are still struggling to get results year after year.
I care about you and I want you to get results.
If you use what I am about to give you then you will get the results you want. The key is you MUST use it. I don’t care if you have thoughts that you won’t be successful, just use it.
I am attaching my s.m.a.r.t. goal setting guide that will help you to create an action plan for any goal you have in your life. Open it up and begin filling it out.
As always let me know your thoughts and if it helps. The key is for you to take action. So don’t just look at it and then say you’ll do it later.
Do it now.
It’ll take you less than 10 minutes to do. Set yourself up for a successful week my friend.
God bless,
Brandon Jenkins
One on one coaching application.
September 18, 2019
I am coming to you on a very rainy day where I live. I hope that where you call home things are a little more pleasant. I actually don’t mind the rain but I know that for some it can be an issue.
On to why I am writing you today. I was thinking about my own journey over the last 20+ years, the highs and lows, and how far I have come. I look back to all that I overcame and remember at one point I never thought I would.
Can you relate to that?
Do you catch yourself thinking that the life you have right now is all there will be for you and it won’t get any better?
How does that make you feel to read that or even be the one speaking that to yourself on an almost daily basis?
I want to tell you a story about what finally helped me to turn my life around and get serious about losing weight and improving my health.
You see for years I struggled with being obese, not overweight, but obese. I used food as a way to cope for as long as I can remember. As a child that is really the only ‘drug’ you have access to, so that became my way to escape all the painful emotions that life brought.
For those who don’t know I came from a pretty abusive childhood that fed into my emotional and binge eating disorder. The majority of my clients have also come from this background of physical, sexual, or emotional abuse. Many have experienced all three, but that is for another story.
It’s crazy when I look back and think about my life then. You would think that just being miserable with myself would have been enough of a push to change but it wasn’t. If you struggle with your weight then you know what I’m talking about. I was literally a prisoner in my own body and I hated it, and if I’m being honest, myself. I hated that I allowed myself to get so big [nearly 300lbs] but I felt I was so far gone that there was no hope for my situation.
Just the thought of trying to lose weight felt so overwhelming that it would typically cause me to procrastinate on taking action to change or when I did try to change I would ultimately end up sabotaging myself because deep inside I didn’t believe I would be successful or worthy of a better life. I had come to the place where even though I was miserable I chose to settle.
I remember the looks of disgust I would get from some people. How I was treated differently just because of my weight and how that made me feel so small. Just doing simple tasks were made that much harder because of my weight. My self-esteem and self-worth was shot, but I desperately tried to hide it daily behind a fake smile. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I had some moments of happiness, but it didn’t last. In those moments that I found myself all alone all I felt was incredible self loathing and hopelessness.
I had tried every diet you could think of…cabbage soup diet, medifast, dexatrim diet pills, fasting, low carb, no carb, low fat, and the list goes on.
None of it worked long term and it always came back to one thing.
My weight, and quite possibly yours, was never about the food.
It never was and never will be.
Think about it.
How many diets have you been on? how many times have you lost weight only to gain it back? if it was as simple as a dietary change or exercise plan you probably wouldn’t be reading this right now.
Now onto how I made my change.
The best thing that ever happened to me was slipping down a flight of stairs and straining a muscle in my back. Most people wouldn’t think so but it most likely save my life and put me on a journey of change.
You see at the time I didn’t know I strained a muscle, but later on that night while laying in bed I felt this intense pain on my left side when I took in deep breaths.
I thought I was having a heart attack.
In that moment I cried out to God and said I would change my ways if I could live. I was scared and the thought of death and potentially losing my life finally became more important than any piece of food I could put in my mouth.
The faith based coaching system that I use with my clients today is what I used for myself to finally be able to come to peace with myself, my thoughts, and my body. I was finally able to deal with my emotional eating in a healthy way and stop running from my emotions. I got to that place where I could sit with them, acknowledge them, and allow them to move on without stuffing my face with my favorite jo-jo doughnuts and liter of Coke!
Back then I settled for jobs that I hated but worked because I didn’t think I deserved better, stayed in abusive relationships because I thought I was luck to have someone at my size, and existed. Today I am pursuing my Masters in Social Work, coaching amazing clients, a girls high school soccer coach, and visionary. None of this would have ever been possible had I chosen to stay where I was at. The Godfidence that I have today is directly tied to the work I had to do on myself. You know that part that we all want to skip? that is where the magic is and where you will find out who you really are and what your purpose is in this life.
It is all about addressing the mind, body, and spirit. If you leave out any of these parts of yourself you won’t find the long lasting results that you want.
I went from hating my life to now loving it. From not seeing a future for myself to realizing that I can do anything I want and that the only limit was me. I am now free to dream of the life I want and pursue it having the faith that with God I can do all things.
I share my story with you because I want you to know that if you find yourself in that place of hopelessness you aren’t alone. If you find yourself scared to try again because deep down you feel you will fail or that you aren’t worthy, you aren’t alone.
I get it.
That is why I love what I do. I am already inside my clients head. I know the excuses you’ll tell yourself to not start, how you’ll talk yourself out of doing anything that might be good for you, and even when you will want to quit.
This journey isn’t easy my friend. If you are brave enough to start you are going to have to face some things that will make you uncomfortable, afraid, and want to shrink back in f.e.a.r.
With that being said, I would rather go through all of that then sit back passively while life passed me by and my health just got worse with each passing day. To me that isn’t living, but rather existing and I know for a fact that God didn’t put us here to just exist. He wants you to live your life fully and I truly believe we can’t do that if we are in bondage to anything. At some point we have made food an idol in our lives and we need to address that if we are to be made whole again in Him.
Are you at that place where you are tired of just existing? Do you feel deep down that there is more out there for you than what you are currently settling for?
Don’t be like most people who continue to stay on the hamster wheel and keep doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different outcome. You and I both know that the answer to your problem isn’t going to be solved with another fad diet.
If you can relate to any of what I said and feel led to reach out to me, I encourage you to do so. I trust God to send to me those He knows I can help and that tug you feel at your soul isHis prompting.
I don’t care where you are at right now physically, mentally, or emotionally. You ARE NOT so far gone that you cannot be helped or get the results you want. All you have to do is take that first, and hardest step, and reach out to me today.
Hit reply and lets connect.
I am also going to give you a FREE gift that can help you only if you put it to use. You’ll find it attached to this email below.
God bless,
Brandon
P.S. Whenever you are ready, here are some ways I can help
Stay on track and journal your experiences with my 30 day devotional. It is packed with motivational tips and scripture to help keep you on track.
Do you need to ‘reset’ your body, lose fat, have more energy and eliminate joint pain? try my 21 day reset.
If you need help with nutrition, training, and want to find out how your emotional eating is impacting you today grab my coaching guide. It will give you the blueprint to your success.
March 25, 2019
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Get your FREE download HERE.
December 12, 2018
Are your thoughts ruining your life?
If you’re reading this know it isn’t by accident. You were meant to read this and begin the process of letting go of your limiting beliefs.
You see, far too many of us are walking around with a ‘poverty mindset’ and then wonder why we lack those things we truly desire.
Whatever you are FOCUSING on the most will manifest itself in your life. Do any of these limiting beliefs sound familiar?
🔹️I’ll never be able to afford it.
🔹️I don’t believe I can do it.
🔹️I’ll never lose this weight!
🔹️They just have it easier than I do.
🔹️I’ll always be alone.
🔹️This is my lot in life.
🔹️I’m just not motivated.
🔹️I have no energy!
🔹️I’m just unlucky.
🔹️I’ll start tomorrow. [procrastinate & avoid]
🔹️I’m such a failure.
🔹️I failed before so why try again?
All of these are self-fulfilling prophecies, and the MORE you repeat them to yourself the MORE you will struggle with them. Think of your thought life as a big magnet. Whatever dominates your thinking the most is what you will attract into your life.
Make sense?
There is abundance EVERYWHERE and you don’t have to struggle for the rest of your life.
You can either CHOOSE to believe that you will always struggle or you can CHOOSE to believe that you will OVERCOME.
Let go of those negative, unproductive, patterns of thinking and being. They aren’t helping you and are only keeping you stuck.
Begin today to FOCUS on the life you want. Follow that up with affirmations that reflect the life you want, and then take ACTION.
Yes, it will be hard to do at first. You will want to reject what you’re doing, but in time you will start to accept this new information.
Remember that in order to RECEIVE you must first BELIEVE. ☝️
Do you need to take out some mental ‘trash’ and renew your mind? Are you confused as to where to start and feel overwhelmed?
If so, I want to help you on this journey. I too struggled unnecessarily for a long time. Then one day I got tired of how my life looked and how I was living. I was tired of not being happy, using food to cope, and missing out on really living life. I had allowed myself to become a prisoner in my own body because of the weight.
I had hit my ‘bottom’ and to be honest that’s the best place one can be at times. You’re left with no other choice but to fight or die. I chose to fight and here I am today. I want you to choose to fight as well.
There will be no perfect time to start, so just do it now. You’ll try to talk yourself out of it like you’ve done a million times before. I want you to stop doing that. That is just a tactic used by the enemy to keep you stuck and miserable. Take a leap of faith and trust that God will help see you through this.
Reach out to me today for a phone consultation. I can work with you no matter where you call home. I have clients all over the globe who are finding freedom from those things that used to hold them back. You can be one of them too.
Go here to set up the call that can radically change your life.
Also, be sure to grab my FREE fat loss guide. It also has a sample menu for you to follow.
Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
December 2, 2018
Tips on dealing with life’s struggles
I have received a lot of messages from folks regarding depression and this time of year. I know that for many it is a joyous time, but for some of you it is very hard. Maybe you’re dealing with the recent loss of a loved one, a relationship has ended, etc.
No matter the case, I want you to know that I get it. You are not alone and you don’t need to feel guilty or ashamed for FEELING depressed.
If you have followed me for any amount of time you know that I will not say, “I AM” depressed, but I will say that I feel depressed. When we say, “I am” we are owning that thing or feeling, and I don’t want to own depression, but I will allow myself to feel it and process it in a healthy way.
It has been my experience working with clients that far too many Christians suffer in silence when it comes to depression. They feel as if they aren’t ‘spiritual’ enough, so that’s why they feel depressed. You’ll even hear other Christians tell them to just “pray it away!”, as if it was that easy. Now, I do know, and believe in the power of prayer, but comments like that are incredibly insensitive to the person suffering before you.
I’m going to share my testimony of sorts and how I handle dealing with depression. This isn’t advice for you to take, but what I choose to do.
Many people are shocked when I tell them that I have dealt with depression, and anxiety for the better part of my existence on this big ball of mud.
There is no shame in ‘FEELING’ depressed or anxious. I say “feel” because I am very careful in how I choose my words surrounding anything. I won’t own depression or anxiety. I won’t say “I am depressed” but I will say “I feel depressed.” By doing this I have not personalized it or made it about me, it is just a feeling I’m experiencing at that moment.
I think the important thing to keep in mind is that everyone has dealt with this at some point and time, it’s just to what severity. I have found that those who deal with, myself included, often felt like they are the only one or that they are somehow defective.
There are a myriad of reasons as to why someone may deal with depression or anxiety. If you have a history of emotional, sexual, or physical abuse and didn’t have some level of depression or anxiety I would be shocked.
These types of childhood trauma, at a young age, literally change the brain. As a child you were constantly on guard, waiting for the next thing to happen. Being in this constant state of ‘fight or flight’ keeps cortisol [stress] levels high, even when the danger is gone. This usually will carry on into adulthood. This is just a snippet of the research I’ve come across, and it helped me as a survivor, to understand what I was dealing with.
I will share how I have managed this in my own life. I am not against antidepressants, but no longer use them. I chose to come off of them as they just made me ‘flat’ emotionally. I never had any really good days or bad days, I just felt ‘meh’ most of the time.
This has worked for me and it has been proven in studies to work for many who deal with depression and anxiety.
- I pay very close attention to my diet. I ensure that I get all the necessary vitamins and minerals my body needs to function. Many people who eat a diet high in processed foods, sugar, fat; tend to be more depressed than others.
- I strength train, and move my body however I can. This release of endorphins helps tremendously with depression and anxiety. It also give me an outlet for all those feelings I’ve stored up.
- When I feel my mood shift I gently remind myself that I have been here before and that it will be okay. I just make myself do those things that help me maintain, such as being mindful of diet, and continuing to exercise. Most who become depressed just say “f**k it” and crawl into a hole. I have found that I have to act against those impulses. I know that if I let myself go there that it will only get worse. I have to force myself to act in spite of how I feel.
- I have a support system. It’s very easy to feel like you’re the only one who feels this way, and that can lead to isolation. This is where the ‘enemy’ can really beat you up. You need to surround yourself with people you can safely share with.
- I don’t self medicate with food, alcohol, etc. I allow myself to feel EVERYTHING. If you run from this you’ll only compound your problems.
- I watch my intake of caffeine. If you have issues with anxiety this can exacerbate the problem.
- I don’t allow others to minimize my experience. There are many who say “just get over it.” If it were that easy I believe many would. No one who has truly suffered from deep depression wants to feel that way.
- I give myself permission to be human. No one is ‘depression’ or ‘anxiety’ it is just something you’re dealing with at the moment. Remember that no one has it all together, and this doesn’t define me, it’s just a part of my story that I can use to help others know that they are not alone.
I hope this helps someone out there to know they aren’t alone. If this message resonates with you hit reply and let me know about.
If you would like to discuss how my COACHING PROGRAM can help you process and work through issues such as depression, emotional eating [binge eating], self-sabotage, shame, or any other thing getting in the way of your true happiness, please fill this FORM out. We can schedule a phone consultation and see if we are a good fit for one another.
Have a blessed day my friends. Just know that God loves you and so do I.
PS- Take a look at how some of my e-books can help jump start your fitness journey. They are packed with relevant, easy to apply health and fitness tips.
You can use the 21 day body reset to finally find out what foods work best for you for maximum fat loss and overall health. This comes with a meal plan and shopping guide.
My 30 day devotional will provide the motivation that you need to keep going on those days that it gets hard. It is packed with tips on fitness and daily scripture for you to meditate upon for the day. It also has an area where you will journal your thoughts and feelings for the day. You will focus on what went well and what you can improve upon. This is a great tool for being able to go back after the initial 30 days and see just how far you have come.
Do you wonder if you’re an emotional eater? do you find yourself starting out on a new health plan only to sabotage yourself a few days or weeks later? If so, my coaching guide is for you. It will explain in detail the importance of nutrition, why macros [carbohydrates, protein, fat] are ALL needed, and important, in your daily diet. It also will provide you with in depth questions you can answer to see exactly where you might be ‘stuck’ so you can begin to work on, and be rid of, unhealthy ways of coping. You no longer have to use food or anything else to numb out or ‘escape’ the trials of life.
November 26, 2018
You no longer have to struggle with losing weight and getting in shape
November 26, 2018
Try this tip to make change easier
I wanted to change, I needed to change, but I really didn’t know HOW to change.
So, you find yourself wanting to make a change, to do things differently in your life but like most people you stay stuck just THINKING about it.
When I wanted to take my health and fitness to the next level and break out of the rut of eating a box of raspberry filled doughnuts and 2 liter bottle of Coke every other day I knew I had to change what I was doing.
Thinking about what you want to accomplish is a great start but that won’t get you off your butt and moving.
If you find yourself in a similar position you must ask yourself, “What would I be doing if I already had achieved my goal?”
So, if your goal was to drop 10 pounds, gain strength and look and feel better, what would that look like? What would that ‘future’ you be doing every day to make this happen?
Well, you could assume this ‘future’ you would be planning their meals and workouts. You would be educating yourself on healthier food choices. Your ‘future’ you may also be watching less T.V. at night and getting more sleep and engaging in activities that get you outside of the house.
Really think about what it is you have to do to get to where you want to be. Make a list of what you would need to do and commit to doing at least one thing on that list EVERY DAY.
I don’t care if it’s as small as walking for 10 minutes, drinking a glass of water instead of a soda or only having one slice of pizza instead of five. The purpose of this is to get you to begin to move in the direction of your goal(s).
You must take ACTION if you want to achieve anything worthwhile in this life. Don’t allow those voices in your head to stop you from trying.
Can you think of one thing you can do today to move you closer to your goal? Tell me about it and let me see if I can help.
October 27, 2018
What do you believe to be true about yourself?
I hope you are having a great Saturday. I was able to get away for some time this morning and go watch some youth soccer matches. It is always a different experience when I can just watch the game and not have to worry about coaching it.
I had an interesting conversation with a mom at this one game. She knows I am a lifestyle/fitness coach and asked me if she could run something by me. I said “sure” and told her to fire away with her questions. She wanted to know why she had such a hard time losing weight and staying on track.
She told me how she starts off pumped up and motivated only to end up feeling flat and deflated within a weeks’ time. She went on to tell me how she felt like a failure because of how many times she has tried to lose weight with little to no success. She has tried Weight Watchers, Keto, fasting, and even used prescription diet pills and nothing worked for her long term.
I told her that it really wasn’t her fault as to why she wasn’t succeeding. I said it really comes down to the beliefs you hold to be true about yourself. You see, anything you find yourself really struggling with in your life can be traced back to what you hold to be true about that thing.
I’ll give you an example of what I mean. Growing up my parents had some very interesting beliefs surrounding money. They had what I call a ‘deprivation mindset’ and like many of us, didn’t know it. I can remember vividly them always saying how they couldn’t afford something or they had to save money for a rainy day.
They were constantly speaking ‘lack’ into their lives when it came to money and they unknowingly passed these beliefs onto me. I grew up with the same mindset about money. I always felt like being financially well off was meant for everyone else but me. This was all due to my programming I received as a child by my well meaning parents.
I have since been able to work through that false belief and no longer hold that to be true. I had to be very intentional to reprogram my subconscious as this is where virtually all our mental blocks reside. Think of your subconscious mind like a tape player, until you change the tape, nothing will change.
This is where this ladies issues with weight loss were taking place. Her subconscious beliefs about herself were keeping her stuck and fat. I told her until she took measures to address those false beliefs she held about herself that she would most likely continue to struggle. Think about yourself. How many times have you tried to lose weight only to hear that voice in your head tell you that “you’ll fail just like last time” or “you won’t be successful.” Maybe you said something different, but the message was still a negative one. These limiting beliefs are keeping you stuck but it doesn’t have to be this way.
Maybe you can relate to this woman’s story that I shared. Maybe your issue isn’t weight at all, but is related to money, relationships, etc. No matter what it is, you can be assured that those areas in your life in which you struggle to change can be traced back to limiting beliefs.
Many of my clients have come from a background of physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, so you can imagine how many of them grew up in a very chaotic environment. I tell these clients that I work with that their behaviors are just a manifestation of the abuse that they endured. The good thing is they survived the abuse and now they can change the dysfunctional behavior that is now causing problems in their lives. That could be emotional eating, binge eating, sex addiction, using alcohol to escape, etc.
If you have followed me for any amount of time then you know my story. I am a survivor of sexual abuse, weighed nearly 300 pounds, and was miserable for a big portion of my life. I was always dieting and trying to lose weight, but I didn’t want to be healthy. I was desperate. I was tired of the self-loathing that I felt towards myself and I was sure that if I was able to lose the weight I would finally have the happiness I was so desperately craving. By following a detailed plan, one many of my clients now use, I was able to get off the weight loss roller coaster and lose nearly 100 pounds and have kept it off.
Just like we are told to ‘renew our minds’ in Romans, I was able to do just that. That is the biggest thing that helped me to get to where I am today. I had to work on changing those limiting beliefs that I had about myself. I had to ‘change the tape’ and put in a new one. I put in a new tape that told me I could do anything I set my mind to do and that I was worth it. Friends, the process isn’t an easy one, but it was the best thing I ever did for me and those around me. I became a better son, brother, and dad because of it.
So, what are you struggling with? What is that one thing you truly want to see change in your life but you keep running into resistance? You can be sure that you have some limiting beliefs surrounding that. Just know you aren’t a failure if you haven’t had the success that you want. You just need to take a different approach to your situation. If you’d like to know more about my coaching program and how I can help you to change your own ‘tape’ and finally have the life you want please reach out to me today.
Go here to get started. ⤵️
June 21, 2018
Are you constantly hungry?
Do you find yourself hungry all the time? Some of these reasons may be why.
Poor sleep habits:
Sleep is required for proper brain function and also is vitally important for a healthy immune system. If you’re not sleeping well you can be sure to get sick more often and will find yourself making poor dietary choices. It is because sleeping is a big factor in controlling your appetite. How many times have you found yourself reaching for high sugar, high fat foods after a poor night’s sleep? This may be due to increased levels of ghrelin. This is an appetite stimulating hormone that can be affected by lack of sleep.
Lack of protein in your diet:
Protein has been shown to improve satiety, meaning you feel fuller for longer periods of time, and can help to reduce overall appetite. Protein works to help increase the hormones in the body that signal to the brain that you are ‘full’ and can help to lower the hormones that signal hunger. You can use a whey or hemp supplement in addition to your whole food choices in order to get more protein in during the day.
You are eating too much processed crap:
If you are consuming a lot of refined carbohydrates you are potentially setting yourself up to eat far more throughout the day. This is because the body is able to rapidly digest these foods which in turn will cause you to tend to eat more as you don’t feel as full for longer periods of time. Also, eating a lot of processed foods can cause low blood sugar levels which may then signal to the body that you need more food [energy]. Try to incorporate more high fiber foods, protein, veggies and healthy fats at every meal to combat this.
Your water intake is poor:
Those who don’t drink enough water may find themselves eating when they aren’t legitimately hungry. This is because dehydration can mask itself as hunger in the body. So, before you reach for that yummy doughnut, drink a glass or two of water and see if that feeling of hunger doesn’t go away.
You eat in a chaotic environment:
Do you find yourself eating in front of the television, in the car, or while surfing Facebook? Those who ate while distracted tend to eat more. I advise my clients to be mindful when eating and to eat in a distraction free zone. This will allow you to not only fully enjoy the food in front of you but to be aware of the signals your body sends to you letting you know that you are full. Think about it like this. When many people go to the movies they can kill an entire bucket of popcorn, candy, and a drink without giving it a second thought. Why? Because they are eating while distracted and just consumed well over 2000 calories! Try this for yourself and see if you don’t eat less while being in a quiet, distraction free zone.
So what do you think? Can you identify with any of these? What changes can you make starting today to move you into a better place?
Until next time,
Brandon Jenkins