Community Class Review #333 | Get Motivated With Exciting Goals

Summary

Julie Marie discussed the importance of exciting, personal goals for Protective Diet adherence, while Jerry Christensen highlighted reward-driven motivation and the visualization of ultimate goals. Maria, Angela, and Vicky shared personal successes and strategies for maintaining the diet, including overcoming sugar cravings, managing dining out, and meal prepping for travel. Julie Marie explained the evolution of the Protective Diet, emphasized the negative impact of alcohol, and addressed the obesity epidemic, also discussing the benefits of day fasting and a healthy microbiome in promoting plant-based cravings and overall well-being.

Details

• Goal Setting and Protective Diet Adherence Julie Marie initiated the discussion by highlighting the importance of goal setting for adhering to a Protective Diet, noting that a general goal like lowering cholesterol might not be sufficiently motivating. She shared their personal experience, emphasizing the need for exciting goals such as improving physical abilities, like walking faster or doing pull-ups, which helps her stick to the diet and avoid unhealthy “chef’s treats.” She later expanded on this idea, introducing the concept of being instinctively reward-driven and using neurotransmitters like dopamine to motivate oneself even before achieving goals, citing her own experience with morning dog walks as an example.
• Overcoming Sugar Cravings and Microbiome Health Maria acknowledged the difficulty in avoiding sugar and shared her journey of getting back to a 100% Protective Diet, having previously lost over 100 pounds. Julie Marie stressed the importance of understanding the microbiome classes (lessons 346-351), explaining how sugar feeds “sugar-loving microbes,” making it difficult to abstain and leading to a detox process whenever sugar is consumed. She emphasized that complete abstinence from sugar makes it easier to maintain the diet long-term, as these microbes go into “hibernation.”
• Community Support and Personal Transformations Maria expressed gratitude for the Protective Diet community, highlighting its continuous support and emphasizing that the diet works for improving health and well-being. Angela shared a personal anecdote about a recent encounter where she was complimented on her weight loss after 12 years, reinforcing the visible results of following the Protective Diet. These personal accounts underscore the effectiveness of the program and the positive impact it has on individuals.
• Dining Out and Mindset Shifts Maria discussed strategies for managing eating out, stating that she prioritizes company over food when dining away from home. She also elaborated on the mindset shift required to overcome societal pressures and concerns about protein intake, asserting that her health improvements, confirmed by her doctor, made her confident in their choices. Angela echoed this, sharing an experience where her doctor acknowledged the validity of her protein intake on the diet.
• Personal Experiences with Protective Diet and Travel Julie Marie, Jerry Christensen, and Maria reminisced about a cross-country tour in 2014, highlighting the strong community bonds and shared experiences, including visiting Maria’s home and enjoying Protective Diet recipes. Maria also shared her strategy of meal prepping on weekends to avoid temptations while traveling for work, which was crucial for staying on plan. Vicky added her experience of bringing her own salad dressing to a restaurant for a family celebration, demonstrating proactive planning.
• Adapting Recipes and Quick Prep Methods Julie Marie shared how she adapts Protective Diet recipes, such as the Caesar salad, and use kitchen appliances like the Instant Pot for efficient meal preparation, illustrating her systematic approach to daily cooking. She noted that over the past few years, the recipes have become “incredibly quick prep,” designed to get dinner on the table efficiently, and encouraged members to explore these newer, faster options.
• Evolution of Protective Diet and Common Misconceptions Julie Marie addressed the evolution of the Protective Diet, explaining that while some members may have adopted different advice from other plant-based communities (e.g., regarding nuts, avocados, or dates), these divergences can lead to weight gain due to high saturated fat content. She re-emphasized the importance of following 100% Protective Diet recipes to achieve optimal results, as seen with early charter members, like Barb and Maria, who experienced significant success.
• Alcohol and Health Risks Julie Marie specifically highlighted alcohol as a significant negative factor, noting its detrimental effect on the microbiome and its role as the “number one accelerator of cancer,” particularly breast cancer. She strongly advised eliminating alcohol to reduce the risk of reoccurrence, especially for those with relevant health histories, while acknowledging that individuals ultimately make their own dietary choices.
• Addressing the Obesity Epidemic and Medical Approaches Julie Marie discussed the national obesity epidemic, attributing part of it to increased “news noshing” and stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. She criticized the trend of doctors prescribing diabetes medications that cause weight loss through appetite suppression rather than promoting true health through a nutritious diet, emphasizing that such methods do not address underlying dietary issues.
• The Power of Visualization in Goal Setting Julie Marie presented a detailed approach to goal setting, advising individuals to visualize their ultimate, exciting goals (e.g., fitting into a bathing suit, achieving a specific body weight) rather than just action steps like “walking three times a week.” She emphasized that this vivid visualization creates excitement and motivates the necessary daily actions, like eating a Protective Diet, and helps maintain resolve against external pressures, such as at parties.
• Weight Loss Expectations and Adherence to the Diet Julie Marie provided clear expectations for weight loss, stating that on average, individuals can expect to lose 10 pounds per month if they adhere to the Protective Diet 100%. She clarified that this is an average, meaning total weight loss over several months, rather than a consistent monthly drop. For those aiming to become very lean, she recommended additional tools like “Stop the Snacks,” avoiding alcoholic beverages, and considering day fasting.
• Understanding Day Fasting and Hunger Hormones Julie Marie explained the benefits of day fasting, including improved focus, cognitive clarity, and cellular recycling (autophagy), noting her personal experience with it after brain surgery. She shared how consistent meal times, along with eliminating food additives, help control hunger hormones like ghrelin, making the lifestyle easier and more Protective. She also recounted a personal instance of early snacking leading to decreased food satisfaction and disrupted hunger signals, reinforcing the importance of consistent meal timing.
• Julie Marie’s Journey and the Protective Diet Julie Marie shared personal experiences of restarting a whole food plant-based diet multiple times, emphasizing the importance of community and evolving information. She highlighted that a Protective Diet alone can lead to a slim physique, with practices like day fasting and fermented foods being optional progressions for those seeking more. Julie Marie also discussed the benefits of a healthy microbiome, which promotes cravings for fruits and vegetables and makes unhealthy foods unpalatable.
• Cultivating a Protective Diet Lifestyle Julie Marie addressed the feasibility of a Protective Diet regardless of living situation, mentioning that even in urban settings, she maintained a garden using planter boxes and pole beans. She also recommended looking into protectivediet.com or protectivediet.com/azure for affordable organic produce delivery in rural areas. Julie Marie expressed a desire to revisit PD basics classes to share new information on topics like cholesterol and reversing heart disease, emphasizing the role of the microbiome in building health through plant-based eating.
• Microbiome and Diet Adjustments Julie Marie explained that cravings for sugar and high-fat foods are due to unhealthy microbes, which die off after three hours without these foods, making way for healthy microbes that thrive on raw, organic fruits and vegetables and diverse plant fibers. She suggested incorporating a variety of whole grains like potatoes and carrots, and simplifying meal preparation with quick-prep recipes. She went onto detail how a healthy microbiome produces short-chain fatty acids like butyrate, which have anti-inflammatory effects and can help repair the gut wall, making one less sensitive to certain foods.
• Addressing Challenges and Staying Focused Julie Marie acknowledged that human beings are reward-driven, encouraging individuals to visualize their health goals and trust that results will come with consistent effort. She discussed “Mary’s Mini,” a temporary diet from the McDougall community, which aims to reprogram taste buds by focusing on simple starches before reintroducing creamier plant-based foods like tofu. She clarified that tofu and other soy products are protective, satiating, and beneficial for microbes, and addressed common distractions like health diagnoses or personal losses, emphasizing that maintaining a Protective Diet can be a constant source of stability during difficult times.
• Community Support and Goal Setting Julie Marie highlighted the importance of the Protective Diet community, which offers support beyond just diet and health discussions, including sharing garden joys during harvest time. She encouraged setting clear, exciting goals, citing her own experience of meticulously planning and visualizing their move to San Diego and later their current home, demonstrating how maintaining a goal-focused mindset can lead to achieving ambitious aims. Julie Marie also shared personal struggles with her current kitchen setup and the difficulty of finding resources, but affirmed their commitment to the Protective Diet practice as a “workplace for wellness,” even if it means simplifying their approach.
• Physical Adjustments and Exercise Julie Marie clarified that the Sunday night regroup session is an hour long and includes discussing the recipe of the week, future plans, and celebrating successes. Michelle asked about lessons on body adjustments during weight loss, specifically skin tightening, and Julie Marie recommended Lesson 355, “Whole Wheat Berry Bread and Excess Skin Elimination.” Julie Marie explained that autophagy, promoted by day fasting, helps metabolize excess skin by recycling unused proteins, and advised against judging one’s body before reaching a lean state, as remaining fat can still pull the skin down.
• Building Muscle for Youthful Appearance Julie Marie emphasized that building muscle through weightlifting helps fill in and firm up the skin, making arms and legs look more youthful. She shared her own experience of needing to recommit to weightlifting despite it being boring without a social gym environment, noting that results are faster when fasting. Julie Marie concluded by reiterating the importance of not judging one’s body prematurely and dedicating at least two 15-minute sessions a week to weightlifting to build muscle.

Suggested next steps

• Maria will get back on track with all of the microbiome classes from lesson 346 through 351 to understand why sugar is off plan and choosing to include it makes sticking to a Protective Diet impossible.
• Maria will get her yogurt going again.
• Julie Marie will make time and make it a priority to resume pull-up training first thing, just twice a week.
• Jerry Christensen will post lesson number 355 about whole wheat berry bread and excess skin elimination over to the chat.