Summary
Julie Marie, Faith, and Jerry Christensen discussed holiday plans, including Faith’s pet-sitting, Julie Marie and Jerry’s cabinet hardware installation, and gift preparation, which involved whipped derma cream and chive blossom salt. Julie Marie also advised Cindy on sourcing and storing turmeric and ginger root, while she, Faith, and Jennie Echols shared personal wellness updates, with Jennie Echols expressing fatigue and Julie Marie addressing Jennie’s question about honey and sugar’s effect on a protective diet. Julie Marie then inquired about Cindy’s holiday menu and reflected on potential “recipe of the year” winners, before Lesson #339 led a discussion on “The Diet Struggle Reward Cycle,” focusing on using anticipation and struggle to generate dopamine for long-term diet motivation. Following the presentation, Skye and Julie Marie discussed managing stress and maintaining the Protective Diet while moving, emphasizing the importance of mindfulness, gratitude, and routine to reduce stress.
Details
- Holiday and Family Updates Julie Marie, Faith, and Jerry Christensen began the meeting with holiday plans, noting that it was a small group with Cooper. Faith shared that she will be watching a golden retriever while her family visits Wisconsin for Christmas, noting the dog is calm and gentle, unlike their other dog, a bulldog-like golden retriever, which is too strong and is being taken to a kennel. Julie Marie mentioned that she spent the day finishing cabinet hardware installation with Jerry and his laser level, which required adjustment to be level.
- Gift Preparation and Deliveries Julie Marie discussed making and preparing to deliver gifts, including whipped derma cream with note cards detailing the ingredients, and chive blossom salt for those who might not appreciate the derma cream. She noted they have received gifts like honey butter, fresh-baked bread, and a plate of nuts, cookies, and fruit from new friends who understand their vegan diet. Julie Marie expressed the need to catch up on gift deliveries, stating everyone is ahead of them by a few days.
- Recipe Discussions and Voting Julie Marie inquired if Faith had voted for “recipe of the year.” Julie Marie shared that they had cast their vote and found it difficult, choosing the Bodacious Bakery Boule bread recipe because they make it daily and it is essential for making other recipes. Julie Marie mentioned they won’t be making new Christmas recipes because they will be away at their daughter’s house and won’t have their kitchen.
- Turmeric and Ginger Root Sourcing and Storage Cindy shared in the chat that they found fresh turmeric and ginger root after visiting three stores, and Julie Marie advised that the smaller roots are generally more tender and less fibrous. Julie Marie recommended ordering organic turmeric and ginger root from Azure Standard for freshness and noted they stock up for the whole year by freezing the roots, which they then zest directly from the freezer. Peels should be included when zesting, according to Julie Marie.
- Personal Wellness and Holiday Fatigue Faith confirmed they completed their physical fitness activity for the day, which was a body workout, but hadn’t posted it online. Jennie joined the call and expressed being tired and wanting Christmas to be over. Jennie shared that their family is coming up on Christmas Eve, and they plan to “relax Christmas day with a big capital R.”
- Discussion on Honey and Sugar Jennie asked Julie Marie how honey affects a Protective Diet, to which Julie Marie responded that honey is equivalent to sugar because it populates sugar-preferring microbes in the gut. These microbes then trigger cravings for high-calorie sweet foods. Julie Marie emphasized that concentrated sugars in honey, molasses, and date paste are marketed as health foods but contradict the protective diet goal of high-volume, low-calorie foods to promote satiety.
- Holiday Menu and Recipe Suggestions Julie Marie continued to inquire about Cindy’s Christmas dinner menu for 18 people, which included potatoes, carrots, bread, and salad with Healthy Valley Ranch dressing, plus “funeral potatoes.” Julie Marie reflected on possible recipe of the year winners, suggesting the Sheet Pan Baked Ziti and the fresh Tomato Ricota Pasta, noting the latter’s ease of preparation in an Instant Pot might lead to more votes. Julie Marie planned to make Protective Diet eggnog with just vanilla and nutmeg for a more traditional flavor.
- Introduction to Lesson 339: The Diet Struggle Reward Cycle Julie Marie introduced the lesson selected by Jerry Christensen, titled “Anticipation, Dopamine, and the Diet Struggle Reward Cycle” (Lesson #339). Lesson #339 welcomed attendees, highlighting the drinking word game is “reward” and noting this is part of a series addressing the human nature to seek challenge and struggle. The lesson aims to provide solutions to keep participants excited and focused on the Protective Diet.
- Maintaining Excitement on a Protective Diet Lesson #339 explained their strategy to remain on track for 11 years without deviation, attributing it to anticipation, rewards, and continual self-challenge without changing the foundation of their diet. They outlined three parts of the diet struggle reward cycle: number one, staying excited, learning, and growing, which produces dopamine through anticipation of goals like weight loss. Number two includes getting excited about a new diet or, conversely, getting bored after some time and deviating to off-plan foods or new diets.
- The Cycle of Deviation and Regrouping Lesson #339 detailed the third part of the cycle where failure (gaining weight back or deviating) leads to lining back up for a fresh start, resulting in a massive hit of dopamine from renewed excitement and anticipation. They emphasized the importance of regrouping with classes and community for excitement and new challenges to avoid getting bored with the “PD maintenance.” Lesson #339 encouraged participants to write testimonials, even after a month of success, as a source of self-inspiration during periods of boredom.
- The Science of Anticipation Rewards and Dopamine Lesson #339 cited studies involving mice showing that the highest level of dopamine is produced when anticipating a reward (a treat or achieving a goal), not upon receiving it . Dopamine production is higher when the chance of success is 50% compared to 100%, indicating that a degree of risk or struggle is more exciting. Lesson #339 advised participants never to feel ashamed of healthy living, emphasizing that caring for oneself is insurance and a gift to family members.
- Personal Fixes to the Struggle Reward Cycle Lesson #339 shared that their solution to avoiding the boredom trap is to find new, exciting interests outside of food, calling them “betterment challenges,” while never deviating from the Protective Diet. They explained that day fasting successfully provides daily dopamine hits from the anticipation of plating and eating the one meal a day. Lesson #339 concluded by stating that the first bite of the meal is the best because the dopamine reward was received during the preparation and plating of the meal, not just from eating the health food.
- Dopamine and Protective Diet Motivation Lesson #339 highlighted the importance of generating dopamine through anticipation, excitement, challenge, and struggle to stay motivated on a protective diet. They suggested strategies such as stopping snacks between meals to increase hunger for the next meal, which provides an anticipation reward, and participating in challenges like the “beauty bra hot pot challenge” to combat boredom. Julie Marie also emphasized that sharing success provides a dopamine reward, and their job of coaching and problem-solving fulfills their own need for challenge.
- Resolving Challenges and Day Fasting Lesson #339 discussed problem-solving during phone coaching sessions, which they find very rewarding, often discovering the “flaw” or change that led to an undesired result, like unexpected weight gain while day fasting. They clarified that day fasting enhances the detox process, potentially leading to faster withdrawal than the usual 30 days. They also advocated for day fasting, noting that it promotes longevity and autophagy, protecting against cancer and inflammatory diseases, and they offered guidance to maintain weight while following this practice daily.
- Daily and Weekly Dopamine Rewards Lesson #339 detailed daily dopamine-producing activities like coaching and recipe testing, highlighting the anticipation and challenge in perfecting recipes. Julie Marie shared their current struggle in doubling a plant-based chicken and dumpling recipe, emphasizing that testing is necessary to ensure success for others and that daily testing provides a calorie-free, free thrill and dopamine hit. They noted that publishing the weekly recipe provides a dopamine hit from the anticipation of community reaction and reviews the following day.
- Big Events and Dopamine Production Lesson #339 shared that big events, such as an ice bath from a Wimhof workshop, produce a significant dopamine reward, with the anticipation building up before the event and the production continuing for about two hours afterward. They also described public speaking events as another major event, where they generate excitement through extensive preparation and research, leading to a feeling of being “lit up” before addressing the camera. Julie Marie suggested that even the challenge of a kitchen remodel produces dopamine, as people naturally gravitate toward activities that provide a neurotransmitter reward.
- Overcoming Human Nature for Struggle Lesson #339 stressed that setting up new challenges is necessary to create progress and excitement on a Protective Diet. They advised examining one’s own tendency to search for struggle and challenge due to human nature, suggesting that starting Day Fasting is an exciting way to produce dopamine and achieve health goals. Julie Marie also observed that some people intentionally mess up their diet just for the excitement of starting again, but urged the audience to make their protective diet exciting with new recipes to prevent seeking excitement elsewhere.
- Reframing Hunger and Marketing Influence Lesson #339 countered the prevailing wisdom of avoiding hunger, which they attributed to product marketing campaigns like those promoting snacks and six small meals a day. They encouraged riding out hunger by drinking tea or water, explaining that not snacking throughout the day creates dopamine excitement at night when preparing a meal. Julie Marie explained that feelings of unease or “the shakes” when skipping a meal are withdrawal symptoms caused by “fast food microbes” dying off due to lack of sugar, animal products, or processed foods.
- Promoting Healthy Microbes and Advancing the Diet Lesson #339 advised feeding healthy microbes with polyphenols from herbal protective beverages like green tea and black tea, and especially “flour water,” which acts as a calorie-free prebiotic. They mentioned upcoming lessons on the Microbiome Population Project that covers resistant starch, which helps the microbes and can cut the calories of a potato in half. Julie Marie emphasized that a truly low-fat, whole-food, plant-based, sugar-free diet allows for volume eating, whereas including high-fat plant foods requires restricting starch and leads to a high-fat diet.
- Long-Term Diet Consistency and Health Goals Lesson #339 reinforced the importance of continuous Protective Diet practice to maintain remission from diseases like heart disease or plantar fasciitis, and to keep the “battle of the bulge” at bay, as reversing the diet will cause these conditions to return. They encouraged finding healthy ways to be “lit up” rather than resorting to processed foods, which are “overpriced,” negatively affect taste buds, and lead to secretive eating. Julie Marie concluded by urging participants to make the protective diet a constant success story to share with others.
- Group Regrouping and Moving to Ohio Following the main presentation, Skye and Faith joined the conversation, with Julie Marie mentioning they were making chopped salad and pizza. Skye shared that her Protective Diet is improving with more recipe preparation, such as split pea soup, and that they are trying to manage the stress of moving to Ohio by focusing on healthy food for energy and consistency. Julie Marie confirmed the chat regroupings are currently on Tuesday and Sunday evenings at 6:30 Mountain Time, with discussion about possibly moving it back to Saturday.
- Being Present and Mindfulness Julie Marie and Skye discussed the challenge of staying present and avoiding excessive anticipation of the future, especially during stressful times like moving. Jerry Christensen shared a personal analogy of a morning run where he could only see five feet ahead, symbolizing the need to focus on the “now.” Julie Marie affirmed the difficulty of staying busy to avoid feelings, but emphasized the necessity of addressing emotions.
- Appreciation, Gratitude, and Mental Health Jerry Christensendiscussed strategies for mindfulness, with Julie Marie suggesting that finding things to appreciate, even silly ones, helps center them. Skye shared that focusing on gratitude and finding beauty in small things has been life-changing.
- Importance of Routine and Acknowledging Wins Skye emphasized that maintaining structure and consistency, particularly with food, is a vital focus for managing her health, serving as an area of control that positively affects her life. Julie Marie agreed that routine and maintenance activities, such as preparing meals and exercise, must be acknowledged as “wins” or “goals achieved” to prevent feeling like one has failed at the end of the day. Skye praised the “calendar of achievements” idea as life-changing for recognizing progress, and they are learning to establish AM and PM routines.
- Transitioning from Caregiving to Self-Care Skye described her experience transitioning from over two decades as a pet sitter and caregiver, where her self-worth was tied to managing others’ homes and pets, to focusing on their own care during the holiday season. She found it awkward to direct that attention toward her. Julie Marie and Skye ended the discussion on a positive note about the Protective Diet Split Pea Soup, which Skye finds comforting and nostalgic, and the availability of healthy, clean breads in her town.
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