#224: Cyd Notter - 4 Mental Tips to Stay Motivated During the Holidays
Author and health coach, Cyd Notter, returns to the PLANTSTRONG Podcast with her “Four Tips to Help You Stay on Track During the Holiday Season.”
From Thanksgiving through the New Year, we’re all inundated with holiday parties, shopping, work stress, and familial pressures. For those on a plant-based journey, especially if you’re new, it’s easy to come up with excuses to “let it go” for a while or “start again at the first of the year.”
Giving into the temptation is certainly one way of “feeding the wolf,” as Cyd says, but she also offers another way and it just may lie right between your ears.
Today, Cyd shares her four tips for staying motivated during these times. Yes, we’re framing it up for the holidays, but they can truly be employed any time you feel vulnerable and need a reset or a reframe of your mind.
The four mental tips are:
Identify Your Motivators and “So That”
Examine Your Limiting Beliefs
Practice Gratitude
Choose Your Internal Words Wisely
Order The “Plan A” Diet
About Cyd Notter
Cyd Notter is a Center for Nutrition Studies PBNC Certified Professional, a past newspaper columnist, and an instructor for several dietary therapy courses, including The Starch Solution, Food Over Medicine, and Women’s Health. She’s also the author of the award-winning book, The “Plan A” Diet: Combining Whole Food, Plant Based Nutrition with the Timeless Wisdom of Scripture.
Cyd offers a variety of health and cooking classes, hosts a monthly “Inflammation Support Group” for PBNSG.org, provides nutritional coaching on both individual and corporate levels, speaks to local groups, and has worked with school district employees and a hospital’s fitness center. Cyd also served as a Certified Health Educator for many years for Wellness Forum Health.
Episode Resources
Watch the Full Episode on YouTube
Learn more about The Plan A Diet
Cyd Notter’s Website - https://cydnotter.com/
To stock up on the best-tasting, most convenient, 100% PLANTSTRONG foods, including our all-new pancake and waffle mixes, check out all of our PLANTSTRONG products HERE.
Join our PLANTSTRONG Black Mountain Retreat- April 14-19, 2024
Give us a like on the PLANTSTRONG Facebook Page and check out what being PLANSTRONG is all about. We always keep it stocked full of new content and updates, tips for healthy living, and delicious recipes, and you can even catch me LIVE on there!
We’ve also got an Instagram! Check us out and share your favorite PLANTSTRONG products and why you love it! Don’t forget to tag us using #goplantstrong 🌱💪
Episode Transcription via AI Transcription Service
Retreats and events for optimizing your plant-based lifestyle
[0:00]If you're looking for the ultimate life-changing gift this holiday, consider joining one of our PlantStrong retreats next year.
We'll be in Black Mountain, North Carolina for six days in April, and the Red Rock Mountains of Sedona, Arizona for an epic week in October.
Both events will provide a full immersion into optimizing your plant-based lifestyle with our program.
Led by a team of physicians and health experts, we cannot wait to spend a week with you.
Visit plantstrong.com to see all the dates and details or email us at events at plantstrong.com and we'll send you everything you want.
There's no better gift than better health.
I'm Rip Esselstyn and welcome to the PlantStrong podcast.
The mission at PlantStrong is to further the advancement of all things within the plant-based movement.
We advocate for the scientifically proven benefits of plant-based living and envision a world that universally understands, promotes, and prescribes plants as a solution to empowering your health, enhancing your performance, restoring the environment, and becoming better guardians to the animals we share this planet with.
We welcome you wherever you are on your PlantStrong journey and I hope that you enjoy the show.
[1:24]Let me wish a big happy Thanksgiving to all of our fans here in the United States and anyone else that happens to be celebrating Thanksgiving.
I sincerely hope that all of you, no matter where you live, are enjoying time with loved ones and always giving thanks and being grateful for your health.
Speaking of being grateful, I am so grateful to all of you for making the PlantStrong Podcast a regular part of your routine and self-care.
Staying motivated during the holiday season with Cyd Notter
[1:59]A couple of weeks ago, I hosted a Facebook and YouTube Live with health coach and author, Cyd Notter, specifically on four ways to stay motivated this holiday season.
And I know it isn't always easy to stand your ground, especially with the temptation of parties, holiday travel, increase stress and of course, family gatherings.
And that's why I wanted to bring this special episode to as many of you as I can this holiday season.
Cyd will walk us through how to change our limiting beliefs, our thought patterns, and as she says, how to feed the good wolf.
I know you'll really enjoy this. So please welcome back to the PlantStrong Podcast, Cyd Nodder.
Introduction of Special Guest: Cyd Notter
[2:55]We have a very special guest today, Cyd Notter. Cyd.
Actually appeared on the PlantStrong podcast, she was episode 202.
And Cyd, it was a very, very incredibly well downloaded podcast that we did where you broke down basically all the barriers, to lasting, well, to make a habit last, if I remember correctly, yes?
Yes, that's right. Yeah, yeah. So very, very informative. of.
Cyd, where are we speaking to you from today?
I am in Wilmington, Illinois, small town on the river south of Joliet in our south of Chicago.
Right, and has fall officially settled into your neck of the woods? It has, yep.
Being right on the river, we watch all the trees change, but today they're going from yellow to brown, so winter's coming. It is, and what's the temperature there for you?
It's in the 50s today, but windy.
The Beauty of Fall and Favorite Season
[4:05]And do you have a favorite season? I do. Fall is my favorite season.
In fact, I'd rather decorate for fall than even for Christmas.
It's my favorite time of year, yeah. And why do you think that is?
I don't know. I think the colors are just warming. I'm just drawn to the colors, the leaves, just everything about it.
The pumpkin, pumpkin spice.
Yeah, well, there certainly is a lot of pumpkin spice everywhere these days.
Which brings me to the topic of today's discussion, but before we kind of go over your.
[4:50]You're basically, you know, how we want to stay motivated through this very, very challenging holiday season.
Can you help people understand, give us a little background on who you are and why we should listen to you?
Okay, well Rip, I've been teaching plant-based, whole food plant-based for over 25 years now.
So I started long ago, wasn't doing it correctly at but for the last 15 years, I've been whole food plant-based with no added oil.
I'm a graduate of Dr. Campbell's program. This Tuesday, I'm gonna graduate from Dr.
Bernard's Food for Life program. So I'll be a licensed Food for Life instructor on Tuesday, the 14th.
And I'm a past newspaper columnist. I wrote a column called the Nutrition Coach.
I'm certified under Dr. McDougall for the starch solution and other programs as well. Dr.
Pam Popper, I taught for her for several years as a certified health educator.
I've written a book called the Plan A Diet.
[5:55]So that to the mix, and I've just got a passion for helping people get their health back in order. Wow.
So growing up, were you ever a teacher or anything like that?
Was this always been something that you've been drawn to or no?
No, I was not. I owned an art and frame store for many, many years where we did custom framing.
Never did I think I would get into the field of nutrition, but that's where it led.
I ran into a class being offered by one of Dr. Pam Popper's teachers in our area.
And I thought I was doing great because I was eating a really unhealthy vegetarian diet, complete with cheese and hostess cupcakes and thinking I was doing really well.
I went to this class, and my eyes were just like wide opened to the fact that no, I was not eating healthy at all.
I was eating all kind of cheese and saturated fat.
And that just rung so true with me that like a light bulb went off.
And I decided to start pursuing education on my own at that point.
Holiday Season Challenges and Staying Motivated
[7:04]Now, so it's November 10th in just about two weeks, we are full blown into Thanksgiving.
And then, you know, it's, it's obviously Christmas, it's new years.
We just recently made it through Halloween and, you know, my kids, Oh God, bless their hearts.
I mean, you know, we had to throw away all the holiday candy that they got going door to door.
That's one time of the year when they really indulge in things that they shouldn't be.
But you've got a kind of a methodology for people to stay motivated and stay strong through the holiday season.
And you've actually written up a nice slideshow for us today, correct?
Yeah, it's four mental tips to help stay on track. Wonderful.
So, I mean, let's just dive in and let's tackle this all together.
And then if anybody has any comments, please feel free to just throw them in the chat and we'll throw those to Cyd as we're going along. So, Cyd, take it away.
[8:25]Yeah, well, as you said, Rip, we are in the holiday season, right?
Halloween to New Year's, I think it's a 62 day period, 62 days of partying and overindulging.
And the holidays can be the most challenging time to stick with a healthy diet, because not only are our stress levels high, what you know, we've got long to do lists and deadlines.
But the high fat and high sugar foods are everywhere, often right in our face.
I mean, the minute you leave the house, even at the hardware store, you're gonna see caramel corn, you know, or something that's gonna get your attention.
So that's the perfect storm, right? It's stressful and there's food in abundance.
So if you're an emotional eater like me, that creates the perfect storm for sure.
Feeding the Good Wolf: Mental Tips for Staying Motivated
[9:07]So it can be really challenging to stay the course, even when we have the best intentions.
[9:13]Sometimes we give ourselves unspoken permission to eat a certain amount of less than optimal food during the holidays, because we might justify it.
You know, it's the holidays after all, or we might start to feel like we're being deprived in some way.
So how do we stay motivated? Well, the answer, and you know this RIP, lies directly between our ears, right?
80% mentality, 20% skill to eat this way.
[9:41]So today I'm gonna share a few ideas on how to stay mentally motivated.
Good. Yeah, so is this the tale of two wolves?
It is, yeah. This is a little, cute little tale that I heard long ago and have never forgotten it.
So there's several variations of this story online, but it's really a legend that illustrates the importance of our choices and thoughts.
And how it goes is that a Cherokee grandfather is teaching his grandson about life, and he says, every day there's a fight going on inside of me, And it's a terrible fight, too, between two wolves.
One wolf is evil. He's anger and sorrow and regret and disappointment and, you know, discouragement.
And the other wolf is the good wolf.
He's peace and love and hope and serenity.
And the grandfather says, so every day this fight's going on inside of me and it's going on inside of you, too, and in every other person, too.
And the grandson thinks for a minute and he says to his grandfather, well, which wolf will win? And the grandfather says, the one that you feed.
So this is where we wanna feed the good wolf with our good mental thoughts, right? That's what we wanna do this holiday season.
Does that make sense, Rip?
[11:00]Absolutely, absolutely. And maybe you're gonna get into this, like what are some of those thoughts? But I'd love some examples.
Yeah, so I've got four tips today. And the first one is your big whys or your motivators, and then adding the word so that.
So think about why you started eating plant-based in the first place, right?
Because those motivations are gonna be crucial to us staying on track this season.
[11:28]Maybe it was concern for the animals, or maybe you had a health or weight issue going on.
And sometimes those initial reasons can even morph into other reasons over the years, you know, but, or we, we include other reasons why we're eating plant-based.
So think about your big whys, you know, your motivators are your big whys, and then add the words, so that, and I'll tell you some examples of this, because when we add the words, so that, that's really going to make a difference.
Because the desire is the big why, but the motivator is the so that.
So here's what I've had clients tell me in response to this question.
So one client said, I wanna get rid of my joint pain so that I can comfortably travel and play with my grandkids.
[12:17]So getting rid of the joint pain is the desire, but the so that is what's gonna motivate him, right? He wants to play with his grandkids and travel.
Yeah, yeah, it kind of it kind of makes it come to life a little bit, right? Yeah, it makes it personal. Yeah, more personalized.
One lady said, I just turned 50. I'm overweight. I've got hypertension and I don't like where this is heading.
So I need to make some changes so that I can age well and avoid a heart attack. Hmm.
You know what? You know what, Cyd, I'd love for people to do that are listening.
If you could put in some of your so that's right now, I think it'd be great for for everybody to see some examples.
So go ahead and put those in the chat room if you can. All right. Go ahead. Cyd.
Yeah, should I continue with some? So that examples or do you have a couple more?
Yeah, I have a couple more. One one client said they have got issues and they said they really want to fix that. so that they can stop being afraid to go out and worried if they'll find a bathroom. So that's a big one, right?
That is. So I'm just gonna put some up on the screen. This is Stephanie and she says, so that I don't hurt animals, right?
I always find that people that do this for animal compassion reasons have a lot easier time staying the course because it's very black and white for them, right?
[13:46]How about this? Mary Taylor, so that I can live an independent and active life.
You agree with these so that's you like those?
I think me I have the same one as Marie because when I get older I want to make my own decisions That's why I eat this way because I have a dire family history rip filled with heart disease stroke cancer diabetes, And now i'm approaching 68 years old and i'm still you know in good health.
I'm sure it's the way that we eat.
Yeah Good stuff. Okay.
Um, you want to give us one more example, then we'll move on Yeah, so sometime you're so that can be about other people to one person told me I watched my dad Suffer with dementia, and I'm going to eat this way so that my family doesn't have to go through that with me some days.
So You're so that could include other people as well.
Mm-hmm Yeah, you know what and there's such a a powerful connection now as the sure size have shown us between, you know, what we're eating, are we exercising, are we engaging in, you know, social connections between that and helping prevent Alzheimer's.
So that's a powerful one.
[15:09]So we want to feed the good wolf with all of these reasons, all of our so that's because if we have a big enough why we can endure any how.
Feed the Good Wolf with Your Big Whys
[15:21]I like it.
So when your motivation starts to wane this Christmas season, feed the good wolf with your big whys and so that's, All right, that's great All right The second tip is to examine your limiting beliefs and we all have these we all do they're false assumptions that we have either about ourselves or about how the world works, And they are those little voices that restrict us from reaching our full potential.
So if you've ever or sabotaged yourself in some way from eating healthy, maybe you have a limiting belief. Maybe you should examine that.
So they start off as these little thoughts that we tell ourselves over and over, until we internalize them as truths.
And the evil wolf, he loves to add fuel to that fire, right?
Because he's the bad wolf.
He's gonna discourage us and try to convince us that we're not gonna succeed this Christmas.
So you might as well just give in and have that glazed donut right now.
You know, that's the evil wolf talking. and we don't wanna feed him.
But some other examples that I've heard would be, it's just not in the cards for me to be thin. I never stick to anything.
I can't afford to eat healthy.
My family would never go for it. It's too hard. It's too expensive.
[16:38]I can't give up my sweets. This is just who I am. And I don't have time to cook.
You know, those are big ones.
So to combat this, which when you think about it, limiting beliefs sometimes can morph into excuses, right?
That we're gonna tell ourselves as to why we can't be successful with this way of eating when we really can.
So the trick is to catch those negative thought patterns, write them down.
I have this exercise on my website, the limiting belief homework.
So on one side, write down what you might be thinking in your brain as to why you won't succeed. And this is going to take some soul searching.
You know, you might not think of these right off the top of your head.
But really think about any limiting beliefs that you may have formed.
[17:27]And then write them down on a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle.
And on the left hand, write down those beliefs.
And then on the right side, you would write down something that's true yet realistic.
You know, you don't want it to be true, but way out there, like not attainable.
True, but realistic. So I'm too old to lose weight becomes I'm capable of losing weight safely at any age, right? Age does not matter.
I don't have time to cook. Well, you can prepare simple meals and your health is worth it.
Or my parents were sick and overweight, so I will be too.
Cross that out with my choices, determine my health outcomes because genetics play only a small role.
[18:09]Again, there's a homework assignment on my website about that.
And then feed that good wolf by keeping these answers posted somewhere so you're gonna see them you know, when these thoughts come to your brain.
Well, and you know, what I love too about the list on the right is that it's all stuff that we work on.
I know you work on it and I know we work on it in our coaching programs and I write about it in all of my books and that it's never too late, right?
It's never too late to start eating this way to regain your lost health, to lose weight, all those things.
We let people know that keep it absolutely drop-dead simple.
This doesn't have to be complicated.
The simpler it is, the greater chance you have of maintaining and making this lifestyle sustainable.
[19:05]And to your third point there, we all have heard the quote, and I'm gonna repeat it, that genetics may load the gun, but it's lifestyle that pulls the trigger.
So, good stuff, Cyd. Yeah.
So, I know that with your foods, you've got simple things like your pizza crusts and your pizza sauce. Those are simple meals.
There's things that people aren't aware of that they could do very simply.
Yeah, I know. Thank you. Yeah. That's one of the reasons why we have spent so much time developing that food line to make this lifestyle as convenient and simple as possible.
And to your point, we have the pizza crust kits. We have the pancake and waffles, we got the cereals, granolas, simple heat and eat chilies and stews.
The list is very vast.
[19:56]Yeah By the way, I ordered your pancake and cereal combo with your plant stock Yeah, it's really good.
And my husband's a granola snob and he likes it very much.
So well good Here said, So the third tip today to stay plantstrong through the holidays is to practice gratitude And this ties closely in with the limiting beliefs, because when we start to complain or engage in that negative self-talk, that's going to prevent us from achieving our goals.
[20:30]So we need to reject those messages that we were talking about earlier and feed the good wolf with the positive aspects of our life, right?
Think about all the wonderful things in your life, things that you can be grateful for, and then write those down. journal them if you're prone to journal.
Have a great gratitude journal.
[20:50]Think about your family, the roof over your head, the availability of healthy food in the store, the fact that you can drive to the store, all these little things that we take for granted.
The fact that you are capable of learning to shop and cook differently, or your comfy bed, or your pets, or your faith, or your friends.
You know, there's so many things to be grateful for.
And any health benefits that you may have already seen or weight loss that you've already achieved.
So when we stay motivated, we can stay motivated through the holidays when we're grateful for what we're gaining instead of focusing on what we're giving up, right?
I like that.
It's so important for us, I think, to have the mentality that we're not giving up anything.
We're not losing. what we're really doing is we're gaining so much more than we might perceive as losing.
So great, I love that.
Practice Gratitude and Focus on What You're Gaining
[21:49]Yeah, the only thing we're giving up is all the cholesterol, all the saturated fat.
Yeah, so one mental trick that I use when I get in a bad mood about doing housework, because mundane chores, they kind of grate on me sometimes, like, oh, do I have to clean that again?
I just cleaned it six months ago. No, not really. I clean often.
[22:12]But I will use the words I get to, like, okay, I get to run errands today, or I get to pull weeds today.
That helps me because when I think of the number of people that would love to be able to do that, and they just can't physically do it, that instills gratitude in my heart that I am able to perform even those routine tasks.
You know, I'm going to chime in here with an example. So in December 6, 2020, I was in a mountain biking accident, and I broke my right ankle, had to have surgery and pins and plates and all that jazz.
And I was not able to walk for six months.
I had to crawl, hop, you know, wheelchair, you name it, six months.
And it gave me such an amazing gratitude for just the ability to be ambulatory, and, and to walk and to drive and do all those simple things.
So I love your your what you've just planted in our brains, I get to walk, I get to weed the garden.
I get to do the dishes, right? Whatever it is.
Yeah, yeah.
And then add that, go further with that. Like I get to learn a new way of cooking that's not gonna contribute to heart disease.
You know, think of when you draw your health into it. I get to eat mashed potatoes and gravy that's gonna help reverse my diabetes.
[23:39]I get to eat nice cream that's gonna lessen my joint pain.
I mean, there's so many ways that good food can strengthen our body and we can be grateful for that.
Gratitude for Healthy Food Choices
[23:50]Very grateful. Yeah, so for me too, I mentioned my dire family history, but knowing that my food choices are within my control, you know, I'm grateful for that, that I don't have to go down the same path that my entire family has gone down.
All right, so with each healthy meal, you can feed the good wolf for being grateful for the benefits that that food is providing for you.
Now, the fourth tip, and this is the best one, this is the one that helps me the most, is to choose your internal words wisely to stick with the good habits.
Because it's those internal words that we use when we're faced with tempting off-plan foods that's gonna determine whether we're successful.
So think ahead what statements or words you're gonna use that are gonna boost your resistance when you are tempted.
So you've got to have, like, you've got a toolbox in your head, think of it, and these statements are going to be the tools that you pull out, you know, when you need strength to get over some type of food temptation.
I call that equipping the toolbox between your ears.
So the statements are the tools, especially if you're tired and bored, and you might want to write them down.
So one tip is, I'm not quite ready for this slide, Kerry.
I'm going to talk about some other tips before that, that one. Thank you!
[25:18]So don't use the words, I'll try. Like, I'm going to really try to stay on track this year.
Because those words, I'll try, they kind of weaken your commitment.
It's like you're already planning an escape route.
You know, studies show that those words are not strong. Like, I'm going to try to avoid the cinnamon buns in the mall.
Or I'm I'm going to try to not drink those peppermint mocha lattes as much ahead of time.
You're going to avoid that refined bakery and those high sugar lattes.
Determine that. Don't just say, I'll try. Just say, I'm going to really do my best to not do that.
Well, Yoda tried teaching us that back in, what, the 80s when Star Wars came out with, do, do, do not try.
There is no try, right? Something like that. Oh, I don't know.
Is that in Star Wars? Oh yeah, Yoda tells Luke Skywalker when he's trying to raise the spaceship out of the swamp that he's kind of crashed into, and he's like, I just can't do it.
And he's like, you know, do, do or do not. There is no try.
[26:25]I like that, do or do not. Yeah. Cool. Yeah.
Yeah, look at Alicia here has put up, try equals fail.
Yeah, it does give you a good escape route, doesn't it?
[26:40]Okay, you keep going, Cyd. All right, so all those positive statements that you wrote down in your limiting beliefs, you can use those as part of your internal words too to stick to your healthy plan, your PlantStrong plan this season.
So now we can go to that next slide, Carrie. This is the tip that really helps me the most, and it's using the words, I don't, instead of I can't.
And there's research on this that was published in the Journal of Consumer Research, which compared the difference just of using those different words.
And the instructors there, they had one group that when they were faced with the temptation, they would use the words, I can't, like, I can't eat ice cream.
And the other group would say, I don't eat ice cream.
And then the students were asked to repeat that, you know, several times.
And then later, as they walked out of the room, they were offered a choice between a chocolate candy bar or a healthy granola bar.
And the students that told themselves, I can't, chose the candy bar or 61% of the time and they chose the healthy group.
The ones that said I don't chose the candy bar only 36% of the time.
The impact of using "I can't" vs "I don't"
[27:56]So can I chime in here? Yeah. So when I look at that and I see I can't have ice cream or I can't eat ice cream, it's almost like it's been imposed by somebody else.
Like when you were growing up and your parents, you're like, I'm sorry, I can't come over tonight. My mom says, I'm, you know, I got to stay in or whatever.
Whereas if it's, I don't, it's very personal. It's you, as opposed to, it doesn't seem like it's coming from an external force.
Is that, is that, that's what resonates with me.
Yeah, that's exactly part of it. Yes. The limitations, right? I can't.
[28:36]And that's what the researchers concluded too. So now on the next slide, so the researchers went and they took this a little further, they asked 30 women to sign up for a health and wellness seminar.
And each one was told to think of a goal that was important for them.
So they each picked out their own goal and then they were split into two groups, into three groups rather.
The just say no group, like I'll just say no to missing my workout.
Group two, I can't miss my workout. Or group three, I don't miss my workouts.
And whenever they were felt like they needed to lapse on a goal, they would tell themselves those words. Well, this was the results.
The group that said, just say no.
Only three out of 10 stuck with their goals the entire 10 days.
I can't miss my workout group, only one out of 10 stuck. And the I don't miss my workouts, eight out of 10 stuck.
I know. Yeah. The I can't, it sounds like, oh, I can't, otherwise I'll be in trouble, right?
[29:37]Oh, my God. And that's what the researchers concluded that when we say I can't, or I don't, these words create a feedback loop in our brain that impacts our future behavior.
So I can't, like, just like you were saying, as a reminder of your limitations, like it indicates that you're forcing yourself to do something that you really don't wanna do.
Like I can't eat that glazed donut. It implies you would eat it, or you could eat it, if your circumstances were different, but you just can't, you know, you can't eat it.
[30:10]But when we say, I don't, I don't eat glazed donuts, that creates a feedback loop that reminds us that we're in control and in power and we've already made that decision, right? I don't eat glazed donuts.
It leaves no room for debate. You know, I've already determined that.
So saying I can't is a very psychologically draining way to respond to things.
You're like, it's a restriction, just like you said, it undermines your own sense of power.
But when we say I don't, that's a very psychologically empowering way to say no.
And so every time you want to you catch yourself thinking I can't simply change that narrative in your brain and say I don't eat that anymore Because it's your choice right you get to decide what you're going to eat what you're not going to eat.
[30:57]So that is so It's so incredible to me how the impact, that choosing your your internal words or external words if you're talking to somebody have on not just you, but I think those around you.
Choosing empowering words to resist temptation
[31:15]So, I mean, I really am a huge fan of what you're sharing with us here, Cyd.
This worked well for me last Christmas. I was at a woman's get together and I won the raffle prize, which was a big bag of Dove milk chocolates, this big bag.
Not even dark. going to make a scene and say, oh, I don't eat that, you know, so I just graciously accepted it.
But I had a 30-minute ride home with that bag of Dove chocolates on the passenger seat.
So I had to use the words, I don't, I don't eat that, you know, all the way home.
When I got home, I was able to throw the bag away. Oh man, so you didn't even give it, you didn't even give it to your next door neighbors, huh?
No, I don't. I like them. I like them too much.
That's adorable, Cyd.
[32:06]Even like at the store, years ago I liked Twizzlers so much and I would just want those red Twizzlers and I'd buy a bag, oh, I'm just going to eat two, no, no.
I'd get home and eat eight and then the next day I would eat eight.
So I know Twizzlers could not come in the house. So now I'm not struggling with Twizzlers anymore, but if I were, I would say, I don't eat Twizzlers.
You know, I just don't and then walk right past the decision that's already been made.
How many Twizzlers come in a bag? 16?
Do you even know? Depends on which bag you get, the little bag or the giant bag.
I'm talking about the ones where you would have eight and then you'd have some the next day.
Oh yeah, probably 30 some I'd say in a giant family value pack.
[32:57]But anyway, just to the point where saying I don't, I use that quite a bit.
Yeah, what do you think of what Jeanette Stevens just commented?
It's not that I can't eat that, I'm choosing not to eat that. Yeah.
That's pretty good too. The same principle, I'm choosing not to and I don't, yeah. Yeah, yeah, I think so too. Yeah.
Recap of Four Big Tips for the Holidays
[33:24]So this is the recap of the four big tips. One was your big whys and your so that's.
The second one was your limiting beliefs to examine those.
The third one was to practice gratitude and that fourth one was to choose your internal words wisely.
And as I thought about all these tips for the holidays, it began to occur to me how many times I'm using the word reflect or choose.
All of those require thought and awareness, right?
Every one of these tips requires our minds to be fully engaged if we're gonna stay on track with a plant-strong diet this holiday season.
And I would imagine, too, if you can start to utilize these skills through the holidays, and then imagine what you can do when it's not the holidays, and you're not as tempted.
You're going to be tempted, birthday parties and, you know, different other smaller holiday seasons.
But yeah take what you've learned with everything that Cyd has shared with us today and then apply those throughout the year and really strengthen strengthen your.
[34:42]Your skill set and your resolve. Yeah, because this is the season we need more awareness, not less awareness.
You know, sometimes in the holidays, we give up exercising or try to eat healthy.
But this is the time of the year when we need to really focus more on those things. Yeah.
And you're right. I know that you all can stick to your plan this season.
And I know that And the you five years from now will be thanking the you of today if you do this, right?
Think about you in five years, what do you want to look like? Where do you want to be?
Do you want to still be struggling with Twizzlers? I don't want to be looking at Twizzlers as a star.
[35:25]No, no. So Cyd, here, we're just going to throw up some comments here from people.
This is from Rhonda. I tell myself each day I am plan strong what I do not everybody can do I am strong It's good. Good internal talk, huh?
Yeah, really good good motivating of talk good positive toolbox You know between your ears when you need it for sure.
Yeah. Yeah Oh, yeah, don't know love this you in five years Exactly.
Here's my Right, right Here's one. Let me show this one.
I have trouble cooking the standard American diet for my family, but I believe this may cause them not to want to come here for the holidays.
I wonder how others here handle the holidays, you and Rip.
Family Dynamics and Dietary Differences
[36:23]Yeah, so do you have any thoughts on that?
If she has, she doesn't want to cook the Standard American Diet for her family, subsequently they don't want to join her for the holidays, what are your thoughts there?
I'm thinking would they be willing to bring their own food or cook it at her house to not have her do the cooking, but if they have the food there and cook it themselves would be one option, unless they're flying in, you know, if they're not traveling by car or something.
Yeah, well that's a good point, Cyd, and I can tell you, you know, we, the Estlestons are, as everybody knows, we're hardcore whole food plant-based, but we also have cousins and relatives, and we typically, every other year, we throw a big Thanksgiving bash at the knob, which is where the last scene in Forks Over Knives was shot.
And we actually invite people to bring, they're not gonna cook it in our kitchen there, but if they wanna bring a turkey or something like that, you know, we don't not allow it.
And if they wanna bring something else that's, you know, kind of on the contraband list.
[37:44]That's fine. But we're not gonna make it ourselves and we're not going to allow them to use our kitchen for animal products and animal byproducts.
So they bring it pre-cooked? They bring everything? Absolutely, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, so, and that's worked well for us for, you know, probably the last 10 years.
Yeah. Is your, your family's okay with that? Your extended family, they are okay with doing that? Yes.
Yes, they are. Yeah.
[38:20]And then Pam here, I cook a turkey for the family. Otherwise, everyone brings something to contribute to the meal.
I cook my own food. Yeah. Yeah.
Different Approaches to Thanksgiving Celebrations
[38:30]Yeah. Every person, I think, is going to feel differently about that.
You know, if they're willing to cook, that's fine.
It just depends on you and how you, your strong convictions about whether you're willing to cook non-compliant food.
Cyd, what are you going to be doing for Thanksgiving holiday? Do you know yet? Yeah.
Well, we go to my sister's. She's not in good shape, Rick. She had a stroke about two years ago and is bedridden and she has dementia.
She's turning 80 next week. And so typically we go to her house and we bring the food.
She has caretakers, you know, around the clock and another couple that's our best friends, they come to their whole food plant-based as well.
So we have a dinner for like the six of us, us, our friends, the caretaker and my sister.
And then on the next day, we go to my husband's side of the family.
But we bring our own food because they are totally not plant-based.
Right, and what do they think? Do they think you guys are nutso?
Well, they've known for 30 years that we're nutso.
Adjusting to a plant-based diet with family reactions
[39:39]That's hilarious. And are they still making comments or cracking jokes or is that, are they over that?
Kind of morphed into it is what it is, you know, And, oh yeah, we should start eating healthier, that, you know, we'll hear that once in a while.
But they don't look at us like we're aliens anymore, at least.
Well, and are they your age?
[40:07]They are, let's see, I'm about to be 68, and yeah, my husband's about to be 70, so 70 to 60 are his siblings. He's the oldest of six.
Yeah, they're all in their 60s or older.
Well, the reason I ask is because I just turned 60, and I'm finding that a lot of the people that I went to school with and a lot of my friends, they're starting to feel the effects of the standard American diet, right?
And it's showing up in, you know, whether it's diabetes, pre-diabetes, heart disease, cancer.
And I'm wondering if that's something that has touched your husband's family, and if that has prompted them to ask more questions as of late about what you guys are doing?
No, but it's prompted us to reach out to them more and say, you know, we could really give you some tips to help with what you're going through right now. And they don't want to hear it, Rip, sadly.
Yeah, we've tried to talk to them many times. Right.
You know, this is kind of a bit of a detour from the holiday talk, but Pam says one of my sons thinks that he can't get enough protein from plants.
[41:33]What would you say to Pam's son if you had him in front of you?
I would say, Pam's son, plants are the source of protein.
That's where the gorillas and the cows are getting the protein, is from plants.
It would be virtually impossible to not get enough protein on a well-structured plant-based diet.
In fact, you're probably eating too much protein.
I wouldn't go that far. I wouldn't say that.
The importance of plant-based protein and protein restriction
[42:02]Oh, I would. I think, to your point, I think most Americans are protein toxic.
We're overdosing with the wrong type of protein.
You know, Michael Greger just wrote his new book, How Not to Age, and it's going to drop December, I think it's 4th of 2023, and he's got a whole section on protein restriction, and how important it is that we actually restrict our protein intake, you know, keep it right around where the World Health Organization has it right now, you know, 0.8, grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.
[42:43]But he's just, he says there's really no reason to do more than that if you're doing animal-based, protein because it's so high in the methionine that really triggers the aging pathways in our bodies.
So he is adamant that limit the protein, make it all plant-based protein because, that animal-based protein is, as I like to say, it's janky.
It's all out of sorts with the essential amino acids.
Yeah, your kidneys, I mean, the liver, all those organs there, they're struggling with all that protein to process it. Exactly.
Animal protein. Yeah, yeah.
We love, we love hearing, you know, testimonials like this from Mona, I'll be 68 in February and feel better than in my 50s.
[43:36]Yay, yay. Yeah. So tell me again, what was that book that you wrote?
What's it called? Oh, it's called the Plan A Diet, Combining Whole Food Plant-Based, Nutrition with the Timeless Wisdom of Scripture.
So in that book, I talk about, there's some principles in scripture, Rip, that just tie into what we're doing here.
One, it says, don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking.
Well, isn't that exactly what we do with food?
We fit into the culture without even thinking.
Aligning food choices with personal values and scripture
[44:13]Exactly. Yeah, those are a couple of motivators.
I used to like, you know for my mental toolbox thing There's a scripture that says everything is is permissible for for me But not everything is beneficial and I will not be controlled by anything.
That's actually a scripture and I'm thinking okay That vegan ice cream there in the freezer case is technically permissible for me, even though it's you know loaded with plant-based junk So is it beneficial for me? No, it's not.
It's permissible, but it's not beneficial.
So I'm not going to buy that. I can make ice cream at home far healthier and far cheaper.
You know, Cyd, it's always great talking to you and listening to your words of wisdom.
You are, you're very wise and I love the way you lay things out in such a nice, simple, easy, understandable format. Thank you for that.
Thank you, Rip. I enjoy being on your show. I'm so glad we met on Plant-Based, Nutrition Support Group that time you were speaking there.
Yeah. I was the moderator, that's where we met.
Exactly, exactly.
[45:23]And for anybody that's listening, if you wanna share this with family, friends, if you wanna go back and watch it again, you just go to our YouTube channel on Go Plant Strong, and you can see this again and again as we roll into the holidays.
So, Cyd, are you gonna have that, are you gonna go out and buy those Twizzlers?
[45:56]No, I haven't had Twizzlers in years. I just talk about them as a thing that I used to think about.
Oh, I know. I was looking for you to say, I don't eat Twizzlers any longer.
I missed that cue. Oh my gosh. So give me a I don't with a so that.
So are you going to go out and get some Twizzlers this holiday season?
No, Rip, I don't eat Twizzlers anymore, so that I can age well and not have to have somebody decide where I'm going to live when I'm 80 years old.
Yay. Yay.
Choosing healthier options for the holiday season
[46:34]All right. Hey, this has been wonderful. Thank you, everybody, for joining us for this episode of Facebook Friday Live.
Thank you, Cyd Notter, for imparting your pearly words of wisdom around the holiday season.
Thank you, Carrie, for manning the slideshow in the background.
[46:58]Be sure to tune in next Friday. I'm trying to think what we got going on for you next Friday, but I think it's going to be—oh, I know what it is.
We have a fantastic testimonial from a woman that I met at our Sedona retreat about a month ago and what she was able to do for herself and her autoimmune disease and also what she was able to do by sharing this with her mother.
So you definitely want to stay tuned for that.
Any parting words from you, Syd?
Just stay strong, stay motivated this holiday season.
You can do it. You have a clear mind. you have all the resources you need.
Get those toolbox tools geared up ready for the season ahead and you'll be fine.
And on January 1st, you'll be so glad you did. You won't be bloated, you'll be feeling great, ready to tackle 2024.
Right on. All right, hey Cyd, will you give me a nice PlantStrong fist bump as we go out? Boom!
Everybody have a great weekend.
Keep it PlantStrong and we'll see you soon.
Support the PlantStrong Podcast and spread the plant-based message
[48:10]Thank you for listening to the PlantStrong Podcast. You can support the show by taking a quick minute to follow us wherever
