session 3 part 1: mastering detours

Copyright © 2020 Allison Hull, D.O. This information may not be duplicated or reproduced in any way without written permission of Dr. Allison Hull.

Session 3 Part 1: Mastering Detours

1. Thought training

a. As humans we have many thoughts that come into our minds. b. We get to CHOOSE what thoughts we FOCUS on. c. The key to self-discipline and making healthy food choices is to learn how to change

dysfunctional (motivation-sapping) thoughts into more motivating, productive thoughts. d. We do this by recognizing what we are thinking in specific moments and CHOOSING to change

any dysfunctional thoughts. e. Goal: New→ Normal → Natural (example: driving a car)

Identify your automatic negative thought or emotion.

Watch from afar and permit the negative thought to drift away. See it as a fleeting moment.

SHIFT your perspective and SEEK to think of an alternative, more motivating thought. (Strategize by using visual cues).

f. Researchers Ozlem Ayduk and Ethan Kross have conducted several studies to manipulate the emotional response to stress.

g. Distancing your thoughts from your emotions can redirect a threat response into a positive feeling or challenge.

2. Ayduk’s and Kross’ Methods: Linguistic Self-Distancing:

Think about a stressful circumstance in the third person. “What is making Suzie feel defeated?” This strategy puts you in the audience and allows you to be more objective.

Time Distancing: Ask yourself, “Will I still crave this cookie next week?” Recognizing the impermanence of a circumstance helps you respond better.


Visual Distancing (Cognitive Defusion):

Close your eyes and take a visual step back. View the event from afar, as though you are watching yourself in a movie. Immediately reduces the neural response to stress by activating the brain’s more reflective, analytical areas.

Thought Training through Distancing when our negative thoughts are food related.

Identify your negative/stressful thought

1) “I have had such a bad day. I can’t help but eat these chips. 2) Suzie did have a bad day but eating the chips won’t fix the fight she had with

her co-worker. 3) * I want the chips now, but by tomorrow morning my craving will be gone. 4) * I envision myself from afar going for a walk to reduce my stress rather than

grabbing the chips. I notice I not only feel much more relaxed, but also feel empowered.

5)

3. Thought Training through Detours when our negative thoughts are food related. 1) CHOOSE an alternative food (if truly hungry) or activity (if emotionally eating) to

replace your automatic habit. 2) See our “Thinking Roadmap”. 3) Repetition leads to Routine. Routine leads to normal. Normal leads to natural.

Examples of Detours:

• Going for a walk or bike ride

• Visual imagery

• Progressive muscle relaxation

• Diaphragmatic Breathing

• Working in the yard/gardening

• Engaging in a hobby

• Praying, meditating, journaling

• Drinking water when you feel hungry


• Organizing, cleaning, folding laundry

• Call or text an accountability partner

We must be intentional while growing a new habit. Connect your Why to completing a routine that is attached to a reward. Eventually your Why (I just want to feel good) will become the reward! (I eat well, I feel good). Identify the extrinsic motivators that speak to you. Use them as a reward as you are building these new habits and watch the magic happen.

Question 1: What are the three specific Thought Distancing Strategies researched by Ayduk and Kross?

Answer: 1. _____________________________________ 2. _________________________

3. ___________________________________

4. Using your purpose as a detour a. Draw a picture of your purpose. b. What is the central theme of your picture? c. What captures your attention? d. Simplify this into a symbol/logo. e. Use this Symbol as your physical and mindful cue to engage a detour!

Thought training example: You see a table with desserts. What thoughts can you CHOOSE?


Question 2: Instead of, “I can’t resist my craving” Think: “I can and choose to resist my craving

because I know the craving is…”Answer: _______________________

5. Motivational messages a. Type your motivational messages into your phone or on index cards. b. Read them (and speak them out loud) first thing in the morning, when arriving to work, and

again when returning home from work. c. Be strategic in seeking and creating motivational messages. d. Create visual cues to trigger your motivational messages. e. Examples of motivational messages:

• Making healthy choices will give me a longer life with my friends and family and allow me to be around longer for my kids.

• Making healthy choices will help me feel stronger and more energetic.

• Making healthy choices now will help decrease expensive medical problems later.

• Being healthy is a choice, and I choose to make healthy choices. f. I AM WORTHY AND CAPABLE OF ____________________________________________

Reference: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26361052

Summary: How to change our habits

• Reflect: Continually reflect upon your purpose, list of reasons why you want to be healthy, and key aspects of your personality or individuality.

• Reject: Let go and reject the negative thoughts by recognizing them as fleeting thoughts.

• Recognize: Recognize that behaviors change when you substitute desirable behaviors for undesirable ones.

• Relish: Relish in your Triumphs no matter how big or small.

Question 3: The 4Rs for thought training are:

Answer: _______________________________________________________________

Session 3 Part 2:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26361052


Debunking the Mystery of Our Dietary Guidelines

6. Debunking our dietary guidelines

a. In 1951, an American physiologist named Ancel Keys proposed fat and cholesterol within our diet served as the cause for cardiovascular disease.

b. Ancel Keys conducted a retrospective, observational study (never ideal) examining the association between diet and cardiovascular disease in several countries.

c. Ancel Keys coined this study the Seven Countries Study, however, far more than 7 countries were included in this study.

d. According to Keys’ alleged observation, the countries where fat consumption was the highest had the most heart disease.

e. What did Keys conveniently leave out?

• He did not include countries with a high fat diet, but very little heart disease, such as France, Holland, and Norway.

• He did not include countries where fat consumption was low, but heart disease was high, such as Chile.

• He did not recognize an association between diets low in sugar and processed foods and lack of heart disease, as seen in Japan.

Reference: Joseph Mercola, Fat for Fuel

f. Ancel Keys cherry picked his data to best support his hypothesis! As a result we see biased, flawed science at its best!!

g. The timing was perfect for Keys as his study coincided with the timing of President Eisenhower’s massive heart attack in 1955.

h. Ancel Keys was persuasive with President Eisenhower’s personal physician, Dr. Paul Dudley White.

i. Keys shared his skewed results and Dr. White then made a public service announcement for all Americans to avoid saturated fat and cholesterol in their diet.

j. How did Keys influence so many despite poor data? Interestingly, Proctor and Gamble (the makers of Crisco) donated $1.7 million to the American Heart Association in 1948.

It would be very convenient for the AHA to support Crisco, promote hydrogenated vegetable oils, and demonize saturated fat. Time magazine highlighted Keys as the “twentieth century’s most influential nutrition expert.” Reference: Joseph Mercola, Fat for Fuel


Question 1: What makes Ancel Keys’ Seven Countries Study unscientifically sound?

Answer: _______________________

k. Keys’ research never proved causation, only a possible flawed association l. So what was the cause of uptick in heart disease in Americans in the first half of the 20th

century? Likely: m. Mass production of hydrogenated vegetable oils n. Proctor and Gamble turns cottonseed oil, a farming waste product, into a food marketing

dream! Welcome Crisco and good-bye lard! We now have a healthy, vegetable-based oil?! o. Synthetic fertilizers p. Herbicides-Glyphosate (Round Up) q. Food additives Reference: Joseph Mercola, Fat for Fuel r. Unfortunately, the American medical community and mainstream media advised people to

stop consuming butter, lard, and bacon and replace them with bread, pasta, margarine, low-fat dairy, and vegetable oils.

s. In 1977, the U.S. released the first national dietary guidelines recommending Americans significantly reduce fat intake.

t. Sadly, there were no randomized controlled trials supporting this recommendation. u. Despite the lack of science, the guidelines urged all Americans to reduce their overall fat

consumption to less than 30% and saturated fat to less than 10% of total energy intake. v. The low-fat phenomenon gained traction following the USDA Dietary Guidelines in 1980. w. The food industry reaped great secondary gain with mass production of low-fat foods filled

with hydrogenated Trans fats and refined sugars. Reference: Joseph Mercola, Fat for Fuel

x. Despite Americans dutifully following our governmental guidelines, our country has never been so sick. Never have we spent so much money on healthcare. Never have we seen so much diabetes, heart disease, cancer, autoimmune disease, depression, and anxiety.

1)

7. Something To Think About: Why have these recommendations not changed if they have caused so much harm?

a. Unfortunately, money talks! b. The global food and beverage industry is growing at around 5% a year and consumers are

expected to pay $20 trillion by 2030. c. While more recent studies have been done to best determine our dietary guidelines, they are

often funded by the food industry.


d. Through the science of manipulation, the industry is able to highlight the results they like and hide the ones they don’t like.

e. These studies are found to be biased and unscientifically sound.

8. What Should We Really Be Eating? _______________________________ Question 2: Why do we not have better studies to necessitate change to our current dietary guidelines? Answer: ___________________________________________________

9. Mindfulness: Through Distancing a. Contemplate a common Trigger. b. Identify a stressful event that typically leads to poor food choices. c. Think about what you would say to your friend about the stressful event to practice Linguistic

Self-Distancing. d. Think about how temporary the circumstance is to practice Time Distancing. e. Envision yourself from afar to practice visual Self-Distancing. f. Envision yourself choosing a Detour in place of the unhealthy food.

This week’s COGNITIVE action plan: a. Meditate on and envision your PURPOSE daily b. Envision a detour process for 1 of your unhealthy habits and implement your detour (New

Routine) daily… maybe multiple times a day. c. Follow the habit loop and connect it to a reward. d. Review the motivation navigator.


This week’s NUTRITIONAL action plan: g. Eat 3 servings of healthy fats per day (1TBS olive oil, coconut oil, ¼ cup nuts, 3oz. salmon) h. Reduce Carbohydrates to 100 grams per day. Adjust in your app.

Continue to: i. Track all food and beverage intake j. Eat at least 4 servings of non-starchy vegetables daily k. Drink at least 64 fl. oz. of water daily. l. Consume fermented foods daily.

NOTES:


Mastering Detours & Debunking the Mystery of Our Dietary Guidelines

1. What did I think during this week’s mindfulness exercise? How did I feel? How can I use

visual imagery to foster my success?

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2. Which one of my undesirable habits do I want to change the most?

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3. Write 2 motivating, productive thoughts.

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4. What are 3 healthy detours (alternative foods or activities) I can choose?

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Automatic Negative Thoughts (Lies)

Alternative Positive Thoughts (Truths)

It’s just too hard. (→discouragement)

I choose to nourish my body and have energy for what I want to do. I will eat something else.

It’s not fair. (→ anger, deprivation)

I choose not to eat dessert so I can be my best. I am not being deprived. I am making a conscious choice so

I can live well.

I really want it. (→ disappointment)

I always have the choice to eat or drink what I want. I want to be strong and fulfill my purpose.

I can’t eat this. (→ disappointment, deprivation)

I CAN eat this, but I CHOOSE not to WANT this.

I had a bad day, so it’s okay to overeat or choose an unhealthy food to feel better. (→ frustration)

It’s psychologically healthy for me to want to relax or have something comforting when I’ve had a bad day.

Eating is one way to soothe my emotions, but there are healthier ways to feel better in the long term.

I can’t resist my cravings. (→ frustration)

My cravings are strong now, but they ebb and flow. If I don’t give into them now, they will weaken over time.

I’ve already eaten more than I intended. I might as well keep overeating and start again tomorrow.

(→ feelings of defeat)

Learning how to stop eating after I’ve already started overeating is an important psychological skill that will help

me maintain my health in the long-term. I’m going to use this moment to practice it.

I can eat this extra dessert because I’ll just eat less later. (→ false sense of security)

I will have much more energy and feel good if I stop eating now and focus on something else.

This comfort food will make me feel better. (→ frustration that I will feel defeated later)

This food will only temporarily make me feel better. I will choose a different food (or a non-food activity) so I won’t feel guilty, shameful, powerless, and/or defeated

later.

I will not make it through the day if I don’t have this food or beverage. (→ feeling powerless)

This is a craving that will pass if I allow it to. I will choose a healthy food or do something other than eating.

I CHOOSE to nourish my body with healthy foods and not only survive but thrive!

THINKING ROADMAP

WHAT CHOICE AM I THINKING ABOUT MAKING?Examples: Making a healthy dinner, eating sweets, staying in bed longer, making my lunch, going for a walk, or sitting & watching TV?

WHY DO I WANT TO MAKE THIS CHOICE?

Examples: I’m motivated to be healthy. I feel tired

from a long day. I feel happy, sad, or frustrated. I feel hopeless. I am excited

about my new goals and the changes they will bring.

AM I PHYSICALLY HUNGRY OR THIRSTY?

Will this choice help me develop healthier habits to support my goals and my “why” list?

Choose a healthy low-carb food or beverage. Remind yourself that you are creating a new REWARD SYSTEM every time you make a healthy choice.

REMEMBER YOUR WHY!If the choice is related to feelings or circumstances remind yourself you have important goals you want to achieve. You have a purpose to fulfill!

Move to the next section.

GO FOR IT!

CHOOSE A HEALTHY DETOURExamples: Breathe deeply. Envision your goals and meditate on your “why” list. Listen to music. Pray. Take a walk. Draw. Call/text/chat with someone who supports your goals. Clean or engage in a hobby you enjoy.

Use this roadmap whenever you make a choice related to your health.

Review the strategies you have developed to make healthy choices & make changes in your current routine as needed.Remember: You want to achieve your goals and all of your effort is worth it!

NO

NO

YES

YES

session 3 part 1: mastering detours

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