We Only LOOK Thin

Some people are afraid of the dark because they can’t see the ghouls.  Other people are afraid of the dark because that’s when their relentless snaking happens.  Catherine and Donald probably can’t help with the ghouls, but they just might be able to help with the snacks.  This week, the couple take you through some strategies for managing your night-time eating.  Adding some pla...

You say you want to exercise. You have the best of intentions to exercise. But the day goes by, and you still don’t do it. But what’s stopping you? That’s where BJ Fogg’s ability chain comes in. It might be time, routine, physical effort, mental effort, money, or a combination. This week, Catherine and Donald walk you through letting go of ideals and by using the ability ch...

If you’re like most people, you try to eat food every day.  Sometimes, even making a dinner that fits into our health and fitness goals can be a challenge.  But what’s really stopping you?  This week, Catherine and Donald use BJ Fogg’s “ability chain” to break down the reasons that it might be giving you trouble.  Buy looking at each link in the chain, Time, Money, Ro...

Whether it’s racing formula 1, becoming a fire truck when we grow up, or losing 5 pounds, we’ve all said that we wanted to do something, but then haven’t done it. Most of the time we don’t take the next step and really look at what’s making it difficult to do what we say we want to do. That’s where Dr. BJ Fogg and his ability chain comes in. This week, Catherine...

Historians and the people who lived through it, often ask the question, “what the heck was wrong with the 1970s? Disco, mood rings, pet rocks, and of course, streaking. The act of running through a public place without any clothes on as a prank became very popular. Sure, you burned some calories, but what the fudge? Anyway, this episode is about a different kind of streak. In weight loss, we...

The word “postmortem” comes from the Latin words “post” (after) and “mortem” (death). What a cheerful way to start a podcast! My point here is that businesses are too lazy to come up with new words, so they’ve co-opted the word “postmortem” to refer to looking back at a project after it’s over to figure out what went right and what could...

If you’re a longtime listener, you already know that our second favorite thing is to make parallels between business strategies and health goals.  If you’re also a fan of that practice, this episode is for you.  Usually, we encourage you to imagine that you can accomplish your goals and figure out how to do just about anything.  This week, we’re asking you to imagine that it&#821...

After last week’s episode, you probably thought that it was impossible for a weight loss and fitness podcast to include even more facts about Ohio.  You were sorely mistaken.  This week, the couple answer the second question from listener Erin in Ohio, “How will I know when I’ve lost enough”?  The answer isn’t as easy as it might seem to some and the couple walk you t...

Listener Erin wrote in asking about how to deal with plateaus.  At first, we thought it was strange that she’d turn to us for information about areas of relatively level, high ground.  Maybe there was a Geology podcast we could recommend. Then we realized she was asking about how to deal with periods in your weight-loss journ-venture when your results level off.  How do you know when it&#821...

You’ve probably heard the old expression, “People: you can’t live with them”. But if that’s true, why do we spend so much of our time and energy trying to make them happy? A lot of us are “people pleasers”. Most of the time we put the needs of others above our own. It turns out that that may be one of the main reasons we can’t hit our weight and heal...

As it is nearing Valentine’s Day people’s attention turns towards one thing; business strategies.  It is generally accepted that business strategies aren’t good for anything, but what if I told you that you could apply some of the concepts to weight loss?  This week, Catherine and Donald walk you through doing a S.W.O.T. (Strategies, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis o...

If you’re a character in a movie about big game hunting, at some point you’ll probably say, “humans are truly the most dangerous animals on earth”.  If you’re a real person looking to form new habits to hit a weight and health goal, you should know that humans are the most adaptable species on earth.  However, learning to adapt to new situations and challenging obstac...

Do you pride yourself on knowing the one right way to do something? Do you often say, “my way or the highway” and think it’s a good thing? Not so fast dear listener. This week, Catherine and Donald talk about the dangers of rigidity when it comes to weight loss and fitness. Life is going to happen and when it does, you need to be ready to adjust your thinking and approaches when...

If you’re like most people, you probably look into a mirror and sing the Eurythimics song, “Would I Lie To You?”.  You sing, “Now would I say something that wasn’t true? I’m asking you sugar, would I lie to you?” When it comes to tracking your calories, the answer is “yes”.  Yes, you would lie to yourself.  This week, Catherine and Donald take...

It’s our 7-year anniversary!  Hooray!  To celebrate, we’re going to talk about giving up.  Isn’t’ that just like us?  Sometimes, we bump up against a number on the scale that just won’t budge, and it can feel like bumping our heads against the wall.  Listener Alan wrote in about this situation and how it can lead to wanting to give up entirely.  Catherine and Donald t...

If you’re like a lot of us, you may have treated the end of 2024 like a big party full of food. You may have also treated the beginning and/or middle of 2024 like a big party full of food too. Now, 2025 is practically upon us and we’re trying to bring the party to a close. This week, Catherine and Donald talk about “restarting” and what it means to you. What habits will you...

There are many ways to participate in cramming. You may have tried to cram too many people into the same car, or, if you’re like the hosts of this show, you’ve tried to cram too many snacks into your mouth. And of course, there’s the classic “cramming for a test”; trying to force as much information into your brain as possible on the night before an exam. One type of...

Do you ever wish you could take the thoughts in your head about losing weight and getting more physically fit and turn them into actions in a place not inside your head? Unfortunately, the time isn’t perfect, the plan isn’t perfect, the location isn’t perfect, and a million other things aren’t perfect and so you just stay where you are. We’ve all been there. This week...

Why don’t I just do everything perfectly?  Shouldn’t I wait for the perfect circumstances before I start?  If you’ve found yourself saying these kinds of things, you might be a perfectionist.  Or maybe just a procrastinator.  Catherine and Donald have been there too.  This week, the couple talk about Marie Forleo’s book, “Everything is Figureoutable” and in part...

Winging it might work for improv comedians and reindeer flying around, but winging it on your food and exercise plan through the holidays is a set up for regret.  For decades, Catherine and Donald went into the holidays without any planning and came out many pounds up on the scale.  But sticking to a rigid plan isn’t the answer either.  This is where having policies can save the day.  Polici...

You know that magical feeling when you open a present and discover that it’s the gift of math? Well, we’ve got a whole episode dedicated to giving you that feeling! If you’re like a lot of us, you might be tempted to just give up on any weight or health goals until next year. What if we had a better idea? This week, Catherine and Donald help guide you through planning for the res...

It’s that special time of year in between Halloween and Thanksgiving when people can only think of one thing; forming new and healthy habits. Friend of the show in our dreams, Gretchen Rubin, wrote a book about it and this week, Catherine and Donald go through her final eight strategies for forming habits. Are you going to turn to pairing, clarity, or other people? Or maybe everyone’s...

You might be saying to yourself, “Look, it’s Autumn.  Can’t you just let me enjoy the leaves changing color and some pumpkin spice?”  It’s a fair point, but it’s not what we do here.  We help you form habits that will allow you to reach and maintain your weight loss and fitness goals.  And so does Gretchen Rubin.  This week, the couple takes you through 9 more o...

It’s that time of year again when everyone starts turning their attention towards one thing; habit formation. But how do you start? Close personal friend of the show, Gretchen Rubin (we wish) has some ideas. She literally wrote the book on it. This week, Catherine and Donald go over Gretchen Rubin’s first four strategies of habit formation and relate them to weight loss, health, and fi...

At Halloween time, dread is supposed to be part of the fun. But when it comes to exercise, dread is a major part of why we don’t do it. But where does that dread come from? This week, Catherine and Donald examine the origins of dreading a new healthy activity and give you some suggestions as to how to get over the dread and on with the movement. The chilling truth is that adults are responsi...