Being Thin & Healthy Is A Skill

Hey everyone, welcome to today's Program Yourself Thin podcast. Today we're talking about being thin and healthy is a skill. It's a skill that you develop. It's not something that you're intrinsically born with. And this is a big mistake a lot of people make. And one of the reasons why you think it's something that you already have within you is because they always say, just eat what your grandmother ate. You know, this was never an issue. It was never really an issue. Just kind of trust yourself. Intuitively, you'll be fine. No, you won't. You won't, because it's a completely different environment than we've ever lived in in history. What we're dealing with now has never been dealt with by humans ever, ever in history. And what I mean is that through all of our history as human beings, we have evolved in a food-scarce environment. And so all of our biology and our neurology and our cognitive biases are all geared towards getting us to overeat when there's food in front of us. And on top of that, there are nonstop hyperpalatable addictive foods constantly pumped into our environment that we're always around. And on top of that, we're constantly conditioned through marketing to consume and focus on these foods. And so there is no reference point in the past for how to deal with this. And you certainly are not going to deal with it just with willpower. So it takes a skill to be the person you want to be in terms of your weight. And I think this is a fundamental difference in thought than how most dieters approach it. Most dieters think they just need willpower to stop themselves from doing the wrong stuff. I think in the reality is that you need to learn a whole bunch of things because all of a sudden your environment has completely changed. Last 50 to 100 years, the food environment has completely transformed in ways never seen in history. And there's no reference point back there for how to deal with it. So we need to create it. And that's one of the things I talk about every day here is that you need to fundamentally shift your mindset, your lifestyle, and your eating in a way that allows you to live at the weight and the health that you choose to do it. But it's a skill set that you develop, not something that you have within you already. Now, some people do, okay? Granted, some people are able to manage it, and good for them. But that's 25% of the people, right? Because right now in America, 75% of the population is overweight or obese, which leaves 25%. And out of that 25%, you know, 10% of them probably are white-knuckle willpowering it, and maybe 15% are able to just kind of manage it naturally. And those numbers are shrinking, by the way. You know, it's estimated that that number of 75% is estimated to go up to 90%. Now, that study was done, you know, a couple of years before the GLP-1, so maybe that'll make some impact. But the point remains the same, that there really is no reference point for how to manage this environment so that you can live at the weight you want to. And it just brings back the point that if you are feeling defeated, if you're feeling like you're beating yourself up or blaming yourself for not being able to control your eating or your weight, I wish you'd stop doing that and start to realize it's much more like You know, if you don't know how to play the piano because you've never studied it, I hope you don't beat yourself up for not being able to sit at the piano and just be able to play it. It would be as unusual for you to be able to sit at the piano with no prior experience, be able to bust out a song, as it would for you to be able to live in this environment and control your eating. It's that similar, in my opinion. And I think this fundamentally changes the way that you approach weight loss, I hope. Because I think the diet industry has really built itself on this idea that if I just give you a plan and the plan could, could be something as simple as saying stop eating carbs. Sounds so simple. But if I just give you the plan, then you can just do it. And that's not how your brain works. That's not how you work. You're a much more complicated organism. And you have, again, evolved over millions of years in a food-scarce environment so that your impulses, your thoughts, your reactions are based on that. And now you're in a food-abundant environment and it's hyperpalatable addictive foods on top of that. And so most people are overeating. And it goes so far beyond just a willpower, uh, conversation that it's laughable. But dieting really keeps you stuck in that space that everything is built around your willpower. And if you do just a casual search of your brain, you're going to quickly understand that willpower is not something to be built around. Your success with your weight is not going to depend on your willpower. It's going to depend on your skill set. Your skill set being, do you know how to think like a thin, healthy person? Do you know how to live like a thin, healthy person? Do you know how to eat like a thin, healthy person? And do you know how to run your brain so that you can do all those things? It's a skill set. It's like, imagine you went to college for learning these things. Imagine you went to college and you learned how to think, live, and eat like a thin, healthy person. You went to college to learn how to practically run your brain in your life so you could practically effectively influence your decisions and behaviors? What if you had those skills underneath you? Wouldn't it be a lot easier to manage your weight? But you don't have those skills underneath you. You don't know how to think like a thin, healthy person. You don't know how to live like a thin, healthy person. You don't know how to eat like a healthy person, and you don't know how to run your brain. You don't know how to do those things. And so you try to make up for all of that with willpower, and it just doesn't work. And it doesn't work at a fundamental level. Again, once you study willpower, you realize how silly that approach is. And so the alternative is to approach your weight as it's a skill set, as if it was like learning a musical instrument or a sport or an art. It's a commitment to it of breaking it down into pieces, learning those pieces, and then building on top of those. And when you approach your weight this way, it becomes less about using your willpower to not do the wrong things, and it starts to become developing yourself into a person who naturally does the right things. And that's the secret to success. And you know this. I mean, you're brushing your teeth is the perfect example. You dedicated time to brushing your teeth at a certain time of day when you were a kid, and now as an adult, you still do that on near autopilot, naturally. And it is this process that we want to utilize, this ability to implement a habit that runs on near autopilot in the background. That's what we want to build on. And when you start to develop the skills and the habits of a person who naturally lives at their goal weight, the whole process changes. It stops being one of constantly fighting against yourself and starts to become one of working with yourself to become the person you want to be and doing it in a logical, consistent, system-based way where you look at the process, you break it down and figure out what's going to help you most. And again, dieting does not do that. Dieting is this really this, this one solution. Your willpower overrides all the problems, and that's just not how it works. All right. Oh, so, yes, if you want to go deeper into this way of thinking, please click the link in my bio and go get the free hypnosis session, because one of the skills that you need to live at your goal weight is the ability to relax, to calm down, to kind of live out of a more peaceful state. This hypnosis session will help you do that on top of kickstarting your motivation, because it's going to clarify what your goal is and help you to connect to it and allow you to move in that direction naturally. So again, you can click the link in my bio. Uh, if you're over on TikTok, if you're over in Facebook land or YouTube, I'm going to put the link in there and you can go get this. One of the things I do have available now as well is PYT Daily. It's a free thing I put together and I'm super excited for this. Basically every day I just send you something to help you out. Some days it's just an email. Some days it's a podcast I did that was really popular. Some days it's a TikTok video I did one. It really resonated, uh, just a little bit every day. I'm always there for you, and I'm so excited, uh, because again, my mission in life is to help as many people as possible with their goal weight. And, um, this is just one more thing that's going to help me do that. So again, once you sign up for that hypnosis session, you'll be, um, you'll kind of get— be guided along to how to sign up for that if you want that. I don't send you the PYT Daily because it is every day, and so if you want it, it's easy to just— all you have to do is click a link. But, um, I, I don't just naturally send that to you because I don't want to blow up your inbox. Um, I let you decide if that's something you would want or not. But go check that out because again, I think that in terms of weight loss— oh, look at that, Hillary says love PYT Daily. All right, that's awesome. It's only literally 3, 4 days, I think, and I'm really, really glad. And, uh, that's something— I don't know, I— well, I'm not gonna get into it, but I was talking the other day and it's like, it's silly that I haven't done this in so long and But you know, better late than never. That's the motto. What's up, Sherry? How's it going? Anita says, finally enjoying my life while losing weight and accepting the time it will take. Thanks, Jim, you are awesome. This overthinker was ripe to appreciate every facet of your program. You're the best. Thank you so much, Anita. I really appreciate that. Yes, overthinkers. A lot of people in my program are overthinkers, if not all of them. I know a lot of you even watching this are overthinkers and I want you to know that overthinking, in my opinion, is not the problem. It's really part of the solution. And I think that instead of trying to fight against your brain, we use that overthinking piece to reprogram your brain. And yes, part of that is to enjoy the whole process. You know, my goal is that I want you to enjoy the first day of weight loss as much as the last day and then beyond. And I think that that may break your brain to even consider that, but it's really possible. And just to give an example, in Program Yourself Thin, the program starts the first day with a 5-minute hypnosis session in the morning. Every day you get a 5-minute hypnosis session in the morning. This is part of the program, but that's one of the simplest parts, you know, because it's a lot easier to get yourself to listen to a 5-minute hypnosis session in the morning than it is to go work out for an hour every day or to never eat a carb again. Or to, you know, track every calorie. So again, program yourself then, in my opinion, is really built around being practical. And I think practical is the key word, you know, because I think most diets are really built around being fantastical. But yeah, if you could do this really, you know, it's the Biggest Loser model. I don't think anything could summarize it better than The Biggest Loser. And I fucking hate The Biggest Loser so much for so many reasons. Um, but most of all that it's this ridiculous amount of effort to change something and it just reinforces this, this dieting paradigm that crazy, crazy effort, crazy results. That's the way we do it. This all or nothing thinking I despise with a passion because I think it's so separated from reality for most people. And, um, yeah, I guess when you get amazing results, that's fun. Everyone loves that part. I wouldn't argue that, but we've got to zoom out a little bit and ask ourselves the big question: how long can you keep this up for? And for most people, it's not very long. So again, once you kind of acknowledge that and accept it, you know, that, that's the first step in kind of opening your mind to finding a better way. Uh, yeah, Hillary says, great points today about the commercial background to our weight problems. Thank you, Jim. Yeah, you're welcome, you're welcome. Um, Yeah, commercial background, so true. The commercials are crazy. And again, that's the book I can't wait— I'm not writing that book first because I got to get these other books done first, but I cannot wait to write my, my third book is what it's gonna be, third or fourth. But, but speaking of books, don't forget this book. Let me switch this around. No mirroring my video. Don't forget this book because it's available. And it's a doozy. Check it out, The Tao of Living at Your Goal Weight. That's my book. People loving it, people loving it. Um, but thank you, Hillary. I'm glad. Yeah, PYT Daily. And again, if you're already on my list, um, all you got to do is click. I said every couple days I send out just a random one anyways. We can go to the bottom and click that, and then every day you'll get something. And, um, that's really cool. Completely free. Yeah, and it'll really help you too. It's all my best stuff. I make a lot of content, I'll tell you that. And I got more coming too. Um, Sherry's saying, looking forward to going out tonight for Mexican food with a longtime friend. I won't rely on willpower, I've rehearsed it, and now I know I will enjoy the experience thanks to you. Thank you, Sherry, I appreciate you saying that. Um, Sherry's someone in the program who I get to work with, um, personally as well. And, uh, yeah, you know, that's something we talked about. You know, when you go to special occasions, just for example, you go to some nice restaurant And you don't want to go all anxious and nervous and all that, you know, that's not what we want, folks. That's what I'm trying to say. We've got to set our goals higher. We've got to demand more from life. Losing weight isn't enough. You need to lose weight in an enjoyable, fun way. That's what you want. Set your goal, notch your goal up higher. Weight loss ain't enough. You got to do it in a way that's enjoyable and fun. And so that's what Cheri's talking about. Is the ability to go to, you know, for her it's Mexican restaurants, different for different people. But when you can go to the place that you usually overeat and start asking yourself the question, how can I get more enjoyment out of this place? And a lot of times the answer is to eat a bit different, you know? And so Sherry's doing that. And the cool thing, Sherry, as well, is that not only is that idea in your mind now, just kind of like it exists where it never did, But every time you go there, Sherry, and you practice, you get better and better at it. Again, that goes back to what I was talking a minute ago, that being fit and healthy is a skill. It's a skill that you can learn and develop. And I don't think most people approach losing weight that way. You know, it goes right back to the mindset stuff, like Carol Dweck stuff, the fixed growth mindset, you know? And if, um, Like, dieting really, in my opinion, is very steeped in a fixed mindset paradigm. And the idea is that, you know, you can't change your mind and your mindset, so you just have to rely on your willpower. Now, of course, your willpower is fixed too, so there's a little bit of a pickle people put themselves in, but they don't really think of it that way, so they don't experience that pickle. But, um, you know, again, most dieters would They balk at the idea that you could actually get better at moderation. They think it's impossible that you could, you know, deal with your cravings in a legitimate way that doesn't require willpower. It just doesn't even exist to them. Most dieters just kind of frame the whole process as one of complete and total willpower. I'm going to be starving. I'm going to be hungry. I'm going to crave these foods. I'm going to be miserable. But I got to fight through that and still eat the right way so I can lose weight. And I say, geez, what a limited way to approach this. And it's sad, and I think it's the core reason why most people ultimately fail to lose weight, because it doesn't work either, you know. But there is a better way, and that's why I'm here every day for free to kind of point that out to you all. Um, and she says, I'm just coming in, can you tell me how to begin or just where the link is? Thank you. Uh, yeah, and if you're just coming in, I— did I put the— I'll put it in again. Pop this right in there. So where are you at? Oh, you're on Facebook. Yeah, so it should just show up right in the comments. You can just click that and go get that free hypnosis session. And like I said, the coolest thing— I love the hypnosis session, it's really good, but I'm super excited to give you all PYT Daily. It's completely free. And again, like I said, it's just a way for me to support you all every day for free. And it's just some of my best content, you know, whether it's again, a podcast, a training I did, just an email supporting you, kind of helping you out, a TikTok, uh, hypnosis sessions. I give hypnosis sessions away. I mean, I, I don't know, like, like again, there's, there's no one I know that does this, but it's because I truly, truly from my heart, I mean, this is a mission for me. I have a program too, but, um, I do this every day for free because it's It's so important to me because to me weight's life and death. And so this is my way to give back to the world, you know, and I think it's serious shit. I always joke, I remember when I was younger, I considered, I mean, very casually, like, oh, maybe a doctor, that'd be cool to help people. That was, I thought that until I took my first chemistry class. Well, I guess that's not for me. That was not a good fit. But, um, in my, my way, I think that this is what I kind of worked around. And in a weird way, I think I, I'm actually probably a bigger impact. Um, because I think, I don't know, I look out there in the world and I just don't see very good information about how to live at your goal weight. And I will tell you, you know, I've been at this for over 30 years and it hasn't always been easy. You know, I, I gotta say, I, I genuinely have to, had to create my own lane. And I genuinely mean that. Program Yourself Thin, I've been doing over 20 years. I just created it. I came up with it. And pretty much everything I share with you, I didn't create it all, um, but I learned it from people that successfully lost weight and kept it off. I'm obsessed with those people for over 30 years, and by studying them, I was able to drop over 50 pounds and keep it off. Um, but on top of that, that's what I've been able to share with people and really help a lot of people. A lot of people in life, and I'm very thankful for being able to have done that. Um, so again, you know, sometimes the hard path is the right path. I would say I've always told my, my, especially my son, I always tell him that, that hard is good. I, I like hard things. I think hard things are worthwhile and leave you with a feeling of satisfaction and fulfillment. And I think if you— and I know a lot of you are willing to do hard things. I mean, dieting's hard. Okay, I'll give you that, but I think it's the wrong kind of hard. It's the kind of hard that is temporary. You know, you're dieting and you're either doing all perfectly or you're not doing any. And that's the problem. You have to approach your weight kind of like you approach college or any kind of longer-term program you've ever done in your life. You know, maybe you got a skill set that you went and got trained for or something, but that's the attitude you need. You know, you need a bigger mindset that can absorb the ups and downs that happen with anything you do. And certainly with your weight, there's going to be ups and downs. And, um, dieting doesn't really set you up to manage those, you know. So there's a lot of— the ups and downs of dieting lead to all-or-nothings. They're catastrophic when they happen, the downs. And when you're doing well, it's— you feel excited and you're great and you're losing weight and it's exciting and it's a thrill, but it's always, always followed by a down, and that usually wipes out all your results. So again, in my opinion, I say this every day, that I think the number one skill of mastering your weight, of being able to live at your goal weight, is the ability to get back on track quickly. And I think there's a lot of— there's a lot packed into that concept because you're gonna make mistakes. And I think dieting is really built around the idea that you're never going to make a mistake again. But you are going to. I promise you, you're gonna make lots of mistakes, and it's fine. Mistakes are fine. They're part of life. They're unavoidable. So instead of every time you start losing weight hoping, okay, here's Monday, let's start fresh, because you're— it's like an endurance test. That's subconsciously how you're approaching your weight loss, like an endurance test. If you know anything about endurance tests, you don't beat an endurance test. There's no beating an endurance test. You're never going to beat the treadmill. It's just a matter and a measurement of how long you can stay on it. And for most people, most dieters, that's how they've internalized dieting and weight loss is it's this temporary endurance test to see how long I can go. And usually you can go a couple of days. Sometimes you're able to go a couple of weeks. Once in a really rare while, you're able to go a couple of months and that's it. Maybe once or twice you've gotten past a year, but that's it. And it's diminishing as well. You find it harder and harder to get to that year. That year was when you were in your 20s, probably. Maybe one time when you're in your 30s. Gets harder and harder, you get older. So, you know, again, I don't say this to discourage you. I say it so that to help wake you up that dieting doesn't work and there's better strategies and better ways to do this. And, um, certainly what I'm sharing with you I think is one of them, you know, but that you can decide for yourself. But at the very least, I just want to be a counterpoint, you know what I mean? Like, I don't give a shit if I don't— if you say, ah, Jim, you're full of shit, I don't believe in this, like, great, I respect that, you know, this isn't for everyone. But good Lord, I just want to give you at least an alternative so that you can— because we learn through contrast. I say this every day too, that the, the big trick of weight is that dieting doesn't work, and we know that, but we don't have anything to— so I always say like diets are like get-rich-quick schemes, but you know and can contextualize a get-rich-quick scheme because you compare it against the traditional way of making money is to develop some skill or some value, offer that value, and be compensated for it. So that becomes the main way that we think about making money. And when it comes to weight loss, though, in the modern world, we have not been given any legitimate way to really change our weight. There's nothing out there. There's diets, there's surgery, and there's the medicine now. But you've never been given a holistic strategy and what it's, what it looks like in its most basic form, in my opinion, at least in Program Yourself Thin world, is, is we kind of build around this goal weight pyramid. And so it's a much more comprehensive, holistic strategy than just, okay, now start eating better. Okay, now start working out. That, that's so vague and indescript that I, how could you possibly succeed with that versus something like this where again, we're working on our mindset strategically. In a comprehensive way, because again, there's subcategories here. We're working on our lifestyle, not just working our lifestyle, like what to do, but how do we develop the habits so they start to run themselves? And then the eating, ultimately, how do we get ourselves to eat at our goal weight in the most comfortable, enjoyable way possible? And so we start to look at it in a more systemic way, a more holistic way, in a more comprehensive way than what a diet does, because the dieting, again, is just so simplistic to be unhelpful. I always say dieting to me is the equivalent of like, just say no to drugs. Remember that back in the '80s? That was the big thing. And we know now that doesn't work. That's why there's no just say no to drug centers available, you know, because it doesn't work. It doesn't address the deeper issues that are the core problem. It's just this, this simple-sounding Band-Aid. And that's what diets are. They're a simple-sounding band-aid. They're always easy to understand. That's part of their appeal, and it's very intentional. But again, the idea— just stop eating carbs, just don't eat for 16 hours, just count your points— these things are so easy to say and to understand, but they are very difficult to do long-term. And that's where the problem ends up happening. But we really never talk about that part, and it's shocking. So anyways, yeah, yeah, Sherry, how can I get the most enjoyment out of this? It's really life-changing. Yes, it really is. Once you understand the power of that, it is just so, so profound. Um, what's up, Irene? Irene's in Scotland. I love your talk. Thank you, Irene, I appreciate that. Yeah, Scotland. All right, yeah, we get people from all over the world when we do this. And again, we're live every day, um, Monday through Friday, uh, usually around noon Eastern. So, uh, yeah, we're here every day. It's also a podcast if you can't make the live and like listening to it. You can go search Program Yourself then and go find it. Uh, what's up, Deb? Deb says, I'm excited to have joined your program, have been on it for 3 weeks. Love, love, love it and everything you're saying. I listen to you all day as I do my farm chores. I ordered your book today and look forward to reading it. Thank you for throwing a lifeline to me. That's so awesome, Deb. I'm gonna screenshot that. That's my, my goal, and I'm getting closer and closer, is to have all my testimonials and there is a lot of them, um, somewhere where people can read them. But thank you, Deb, so much. Thanks for getting the program. I'm really glad that you're using it. That's exactly the way we want to use it, and I'm glad you're enjoying it. That is so awesome. And again, I mean, that's what happens. It's just— I know it's gonna sound strange, but it's like, it's not just about the weight loss, you know? It's about feeling better. And again, I think dieters have just sat there. God, poor dieters. I feel so bad for you. I feel so bad for— I'm here every single day trying to help you out. But it's like, boy, do you set the bar low. You know, all you think, all you think you want is just to lose weight. But how about losing weight in a way that's relatively comfortable and enjoyable? Raise that bar. Demand more. Demand more. But, Deb, you're awesome. Thank you for sharing that. I appreciate it. Keep it up. Um, Hillary says, yes, I've started to interview thin people and everyone has some strategy. Yes, I want y'all to hear that. Okay. Yes, I've started to interview thin people and everyone has some strategy. Yes. Instead of thinking like, oh, they just— their metabolisms, they got quick metabolism. No, there's absolutely strategies there. Success leaves clues, no question about it. Um, speaking to thin people is helpful. Speaking to people who have lost weight and kept it off is the gold standard. That's the best person. Um, a person who has lost weight and kept it off for at least 2 years, that is your— that's your guru. That, that's who you want to learn from. That's who I learned from. Everything I share with you is based out of their knowledge. And, um, I— you will be shocked. I, I say this all the time. That was the big shift for me, uh, was when I began speaking to people that lost weight and kept it off instead of dieters, instead of overweight people. Uh, and it was shocking, shocking, instantly shocking how different they approached it than the dieters. And it really wasn't about what they were doing so much. It was more in the way that they thought about it. I cannot— I think the biggest difference you notice immediately when you speak to someone who has lost weight and kept it off, the mindset. That the mindset, that's the biggest difference I noticed. Now listen, obviously there's— they eat different, there's lifestyle. Those things are important too. But the biggest thing is I noticed when I began speaking with people that lost weight and kept it off, is their mindset was so different. The way they spoke about food, the way they spoke about themselves, the way they spoke about their lifestyle, the way they spoke about their habits, their eating, all of these things. It was just fundamentally different, different words, different ideas, different context, different timeframes, different emotions and feelings. I don't know. And I will challenge you to go do that. And I think you'll see the same thing. I can't think of a single person who I've talked to where that hasn't been true. And that was really what guided me along in this process, that it's not enough to just tell you what to do. It's not enough for me to tell you what to eat to lose weight. And that's what the diet industry is in a nutshell. The diet industry in a nutshell, I think that the thing that unites them all is they just— here, do this. See you later. Get yourself to follow this plan. Okay, goodbye. And you know that they missed the most important part, which is the mindset piece. If just being told what to do was helpful or effective, um, we wouldn't have 75% of the population overweight or obese. But again, the core problem you have is not that you don't know what to eat, it's that you don't know how to get yourself to eat the way you know you should consistently. And the reason that is, is because you do not— you do not know how to run your mind. You've never learned it. You've never learned how to run your mind. And so you could have a stack of diets this big. They're useless. You could go to a dietitian who would custom make a plan for you. It's going to be just as useless as the diets are. Because it's not about knowing what to do so much. Don't get me wrong, you can always learn a little bit more about nutrition and improve that. But the core problem, if you're overweight and struggling to get it down, your core problem is you don't know how to run your mind. Do you not believe that? You know, and again, once you realize that, it's scary because where are you going to learn how to run your mind from? You got me. Okay, so I'm here for you and I'm here for you for free too. So again, please go get the free hypnosis session I give you. Because not only do I give you the free hypnosis session, but I give you access if you want it, PYT Daily. Every day I just give you a little bit of support. Even if you just see it show up sometimes, it's helpful. But it's always just something there, completely free, my gift to you. And I, it's a game changer because I have done daily programs for people for years now. They're extremely helpful because every day it's like, Zig Ziglar used to say, I'm going to mangle it a little bit, but, but you get the idea. He's like, you know, motivation doesn't last. What do I do? And he goes, well, showers don't last either. That's why I suggested to take one every day. Motivation's the same thing. You dieters make a big mistake thinking that the motivation you feel Sunday night or Monday morning, that's okay, good forever. You know, it's not. It's like the tank of gas in your car. It don't mean to bring up pain points, but it's like that. Yeah, it's full now, but you use it and it goes down. You got to replenish it. And a lot of you have no idea how to replenish your motivation. You start with your initial motivation and it just fizzles and you have no idea how to maintain it. That's why in Program Yourself Thin, if you look at mindset, the very first thing we focus on is motivation. It's the first thing we do in the program. Because ask yourself the question, do you know how to motivate yourself? Do you know how to get yourself motivated when you're not feeling it? Do you? Have you ever studied it? Have you ever learned it? Have you got any strategies at all? And I know you don't. I know you just have— I usually don't want to think about it and I feel bad, and then some days I feel so bad that's it, I'm going to change everything. And you, you flip-flop between those two. I ain't gonna get the job done. You know, you need a more consistent source of motivation to drive you through the process when you're doing well, when you're not doing well. What's up, Michelle? Michelle says, good morning, just want to introduce myself as a new follower. In 2020, life lined up in a way that finally enabled me to shift focus to health. In between, 2024, I lost 178 pounds. Wow. I have maintained since but still have 30 pounds to lose. I continue eating healthy with nourishment and energy gain during my— oh, energy gain being my primary food choice drivers. That is awesome, Michelle, and thank you for sharing that. And again, once again Michelle reveals a strategy, and I want to make it explicit. You may not even notice it. I continue eating healthy with nourishment and energy gain being my primary food choice drivers. You hear that? So this is Michelle, someone who over— was maintained. So for over 4 years, lost 178 pounds. And now here we are in 2026. So we'll give it 2 years, has maintained for 2 years. And again, ends it with the wisdom, a pattern I hear a lot. What's the pattern? The main food driver, the main thing driving Michelle's food choices is not what she looks like. Michelle went out of her way to say that at the end. I continue eating healthy with nourishment and energy gained being my primary food choice drivers. I literally just had this conversation 2 hours ago. The main reason that I choose to eat well, the main reason I choose to eat well is not how I want to look. I want to look good. I want, I want that too. Don't get me wrong. That's not enough motivation. I know you think it should be. I know you think it is, which is crazier, but it's not enough. It's I want to be energized. I literally was just saying that the thing that drives me is I want to be the best version of me. And what that is for me, I've internalized that contextually. So when I'm working right now, I want to, I want to be clear-headed. I want to be focused. I want to be energized. I want to be able to be passionate, to be able to communicate to you all, to help you all out. That's really important to me. That same energy I want to use when I'm with my family, to show up and be the best parent I can be, to do things with my kids, to be there, support them when they're struggling, to just be there as a role model for them. To have the energy to be there with my wife, to be with my family, my friends, just to show up in life the way I want to. That's my number one, my number one motivator for making good food choices. And the weight benefit is really secondary to me. And if you don't feel that way, I bet you're struggling with your weight. I bet you are. Unless you're like a model or if you make your money and your living and a lot of your life revolves around your weight and how you look, then you're in a different position than the average person. But if you're struggling with your weight and your main motivation is to look better, that is why you're struggling. And Michelle just literally revalidated that. And it's the same pattern over and over again. Everyone I've studied who successfully lost weight and kept it off, it's always the same story. Their motivation is deeper than just what they look like, which isn't to say that they don't want to look good either. Understand what I'm saying? It's not an either or. You can still want to look good. Keep that. Keep that motivation, please. We want as much motivation as we can tap into. So keep that motivation. But you've got to fucking add to it. It's not enough. Stop gaslighting yourself that, oh no, I'm really motivated. No, Jim, you don't understand. I really want to wear those jeans. No, you don't understand. You've wanted to wear those jeans for 20 fucking years. It's not enough motivation. How much more proof do you need? It's not enough motivation, and I don't know why this is so hard to accept. You can still want to wear the jeans, just dig a little fucking deeper. You need more motivation. Take it from Michelle, she's lost 178 pounds and kept it off. Kept it off. Biggest Loser study— get the fuck out of here with that thing. It's a— listen, there's so much money being made off of us being overweight, unhealthy, and unhappy. This idea, The Biggest Loser study, I hate with a passion because it installs a limiting belief that, oh, even when I lose the weight, I'm never gonna be able to keep it off. Bullshit. Look at Michelle. She's been at this for 6 years. She'll be at it for another 10 years. I can already tell the way she writes that she's congruent. She's focused, motivated in a way that's gonna last. And the 30 pounds, don't even worry about that, Michelle. That'll come off in its own time. The last part of the weight, and it's relative for each person. So you've lost 178 pounds. Your ultimate goal is that you want to lose 208 pounds. So you're in the last 15% of your goal. 15%. Your ultimate goal weight loss is 118— wait, no, yeah, 208 pounds. That's Michelle's total goal weight, which she wants to lose. All right. So she's 85% of the way there. And it's always the same that the last— because now really you're in the mastery phase, Michelle, you know what I mean? Getting that last 15%, that's mastery. And mastery takes longer than the beginning or the middle. So let your time frame expand with that as well. It's a lot easier to learn the basics of the guitar than it is to master the intricacies of it. It's the same with everything. And so the first weight you lose is not the same as the last weight you lose. It's not. It's— but that's the same with everything. The beginning of anything is easier than the mastery phase of it. Time slows down in the mastery phase. That's okay though. So remember that you give yourself some more time as well, Michelle. Now Michelle says for life. Yeah, of course. She sounds very congruent with it. And again, the biggest thing she said is, I continue eating healthy with nourishment and energy gained. Nourishment and energy gain being my primary food choice drivers. That's a common pattern I see with a lot of people that successfully lose the weight. That's their main motivation. That's my main motivation. My main motivation is nourishing my body and energizing myself, number 1 and 2, and all the reasons for it. The way I look is, is there. But it's distant, distant to those. Do I want to look a certain way? Sure. Do I want to have energy and nourish my body and be operating on all cylinders? Hell yeah. That's way more, way more relevant to me. Way more important to me. So that's awesome, Michelle. Thanks for sharing that. But yeah, if anyone's got any questions, feel free to ask them. I am here. Tick, tick tock. What's up, Ken? Ken says, great sermon today, Father Jim. It does feel like a sermon sometimes. Star says you are cool. Well, thank you. I like the nice trolls. I like the people that just write like random nice stuff. What's up, Claudia? How's it going? Yes, I am here, TikTok. I know sometimes I, I forget it. Okay. Hey, you look like Steven Salvatore. I always love— this is one of my favorite games to play. It's a little bit of a— we'll see. People say, hey, you look like this person. Sometimes I know them, but this one I don't know. Steven Salvatore. Who's that? Or Stefan Salvatore. Okay, all right, I'll take that. I don't— I wouldn't have guessed that, but I'll take that. A good-looking guy. That's funny. Thanks for sharing that. Star says, my problem is that I know what I do wrong and what to do instead, but when the moment of action comes, I never do the right thing. I don't know why. That's a, that is like the, that should go in the quote hall of fame. And, uh, I'm not picking on you, it's just, it's so funny because you start by saying, my problem is that I know, and I know is all caps. My problem is that I know what I do wrong. Right. Um, yeah, but knowing what you do wrong and knowing what to do right are two completely different things. Please understand that. And you've just identified one of the biggest mindset traps that you can get caught in. And that is to be problem-oriented. And this is what dieting really promotes, is the idea that you're crystal clear. You could all crystal clear write a report on what you do wrong. Every one of you. I— you could all write, write a full-on report about everything you do wrong. But that's not helping you. And it's a— it's almost addicting. And especially for my people, because we're overthinkers. So it's like we're just obsessed with focusing on what we do wrong because we think there's going to be this cognitive breakthrough on the other side of it. It's like, oh my God, that's why. But I'm here to tell you, knowing why isn't helpful either. You said, oh my God, I've been overeating for 30 years. And then we work together for, for half hour and say, oh my God, it's because my mom said this to me. Oh, I'm so glad I finally figured it out. Well, great. You still don't have any of the mindset, lifestyle, or eating habits to get to be thin and healthy. So I know it scratches a certain itch, but it's not actually helpful to you. And what we need to do is become obsessively focused on solutions. That's what's between— what's between you right now overweight and you at your goal weight is the number of solutions and strategies you have access to that work for you. And so yes, start focusing on what you can do right. And that's the thing that makes the difference. Um, Star says, why you start talking about weight? Um, why? Because that's what I talk about. I talk about weight every single day. I am obsessed with helping people live at their goal weight. Whoops. Um, managing the TikTok comments, if you're here any amount of time, is, is harder than you need, need to know. All right, let's see here. I don't want to miss any comments either. Okay, here we go, caught up. Um, Charlene says, can't hear you. Kathy Dunn says sound is off. Oh, it's back, hear you now. All right, that was weird. I don't know what happened there. Um, Joe Mama says, you don't need hypnosis, just put the fork down, y'all. Um, yeah, but that's dumb shit, you know what I mean? Joe Mama's just probably making jokes. Um, but it— I mean, whatever, jokes are funny in their own context, but there's a lot more to losing weight than just putting the fork down. And that's the kind of simplified dumb shit that you've been told your whole life that's not helpful. There's a lot more to it. Do you need hypnosis? No, maybe not. You know, hypnosis is just one more way to help you put the fork down, you know. And it works for some people, doesn't work for others, okay. But to just put the fork down, the idea that you just need to put the fork down is the most ignorant shit ever. And if you believe that it's that simple, well, you're probably going to be overweight for a long time because it's not that simple. It's a paradox. On one hand, it's that simple, but on one hand, everything's that simple. How do I play piano? Well, you just hit the right notes in the right order at the right time. Good, good. Simple, simple, right? We can minimize anything to be that simple. But the reality of actually anything usually is a lot more complex. And so again, it's funny when people say that as long as you treat it as a joke and not serious, that your weight and losing it and getting to where you want to live is going to take a lot more than, oh, just put the fork down or just eat better or just exercise. That shit is so fucking pointless. It's— it means nothing to you. Your subconscious mind anyways. It's pointless and it's not helpful at all, uh, and it's hurtful most of the time because you use that as fodder to beat yourself up. It's so simple. Joe Mama said just put the fork down, and here I am, I can't even put the fork down. It's so simple and I can't even do that. Oh, I'm such a bad person. You ever do that some way or another? You know, so it's a lot more than just putting the fork down. Yeah, that's one description of it. But if you're a person who struggles to put the fork down, you got work ahead of you before you're able to just put the fork down. And please understand that and respect that and honor yourself and show yourself some grace. Because if you internalize what Joe Mama says and you start beating yourself up because, oh yeah, it's so simple and I can't even just put the fork down and I'm a loser and I can't do this, my mom was right, I'm, I'm just lazy. How's that going to help you? Just do it. Such a bunch of bullshit. Just do it. Such a funny thing. I mean, sometimes just do it's the perfect answer. A lot of times just do it is not. And that's what just put the fork down is, right? It's just say no to drugs. When you hear— I'll tell you what, here's a little, little trick for you. Whenever you hear the word just, when you hear yourself say just, or someone tells you just please let your antenna go up, because that's minimizing it. And there's no just— there's no just, because what's easy for one person is hard for another. And for the person it's hard for, it's not a just. I'm sure Joe Mama has some challenges in their life, whatever they may be, and there's always someone that could say, oh, 'Just do this.' 'Oh, oh, I'll just stop.' 'Oh, I'll just work harder.' 'Oh,' you know, and it's that— that attitude is so fucking irritating to me because it's just not true. It's just ignorant, you know. Again, look in your own life. There's some things you do easily that other people struggle with, and I think you ought to use that to appreciate that, well, some things are kind of easy for me for whatever reason— nature, nurture, whatever— that's kind of easy for me. And this thing's hard and we're all humans and we all have that experience in some form or another. And so when something's easy for you and it's harder for someone else, don't be a fucking asshole. Don't be a fucking asshole and just, ooh, yeah, okay. You know, because I'll tell you why I say this to you as someone, I have spent the last 20 years doing this professionally and I work with really smart people. It's $25,000 to work with me privately. So imagine the quality of person I'm working with. You know, these are people that have built businesses and are extremely smart and successful. And that's what's made me really realize— I mean, I've worked with people that have had PhDs in psychology from Harvard. So it's like I've worked with people that you consider the top of the game in certain aspects who struggle with their weight. And I share that with you to realize that it's not an intelligence issue. You know, it's really not. It's just, it's a deeper thing than that. And I mean, it comes down to your subconscious programming, but we won't get into that too much right now. Well, maybe I should. Um, Phantom Player said, I've stopped surrounding myself with losing weight content and I feel so much better. Oh yeah, absolutely, folks. I, I don't watch weight loss content at all, at all. It's the most triggering shit to me because most of it's bullshit and it's all delivered in that same thing I was just talking about. Almost, I would say to you, 99% of weight loss content delivered to you is delivered. Just do this. Just do this. Oh, just do this one fucking thing. Oh no, it's not that easy. Guess what? Guess what? It's not that easy. Oh, just eat more protein. Oh, just stop eating carbs. Oh, just don't eat for 16 hours. And everyone's got to like, you know what I mean? Like they're so, so committed to their one little tactic and it drives me insane. I hate weight loss content. With a passion, with a passion. So I agree. Yeah, Fan says, I'm not thinking about it constantly now. Yeah, and I, I could go into that all day long. That's a great thing. I'm glad you did that. Uh, Lisa says, you're such a good soul giving away your gifts. Thank you, thank you. Yes, I, um, I appreciate you saying that. But, but again, it's just for me, you know, my, my father died at 54 of a heart attack. So for me, weight really is life or death, and so I treat it as such. And If I think I can help people, um, live longer, live a better life, I will do it. Now to this piece of work, give everything away for free. Because when I give everything away for free, no one uses it. And I tested that literally a couple months ago. I put a whole program together, gave it away for free, and hardly anyone used it. And that's another side of it too, that people value what they invest in. But again, I give as much as I can away for free that I've seen help people out. Um, you know, but I do what I can because again, for me, it really is life or death. I want you all to be helpful. Yeah, Lisa says I have no strategies. There you go. So it's good noticing that though. I know it can sting a little bit, but at least now you're aware of what the real problem is. It's not that you have no willpower. I will see your I have no willpower and raise you. You have no fucking strategies. That's the bigger problem, not your willpower. Don't get me wrong, willpower plays a part, but it's a much smaller part than you think. The way bigger part is that you don't have strategies, folks. Guaranteed. I don't even know you and I know that's true. He says, you're so right, thank you. It wasn't exactly to that, but all right anyways. Yvonne says, I keep ordering McDonald's knowing I shouldn't. Could it be a comfort thing? Um, yeah, it's absolutely a comfort thing, but that's not all. It's also that there's a lack of strategy. You don't have an alternative behavior in that scenario. So there's very specific— when you order McDonald's, it's probably a very specific pattern And the main things that trigger our patterns: time, place, mood, hunger. Those are the big ones. Okay. And so when you get McDonald's, I bet there is a pattern to it somewhat. And so, yes, it's a comfort thing, but that's a very simplistic kind of explanation. Dig deeper into it. Get to more of the pattern. What's your hunger level when you typically McDonald's? What's your mood when you typically get McDonald's? Um, is there a time of day or a time of week when you typically get it? Is there a situation or scenario you find yourself in when you get it? And start to understand it in more context. Don't just say a comfort thing. Comfort thing is just too vague. Um, even though that's probably part of it, it's a tiny part of it. There's more to it. And the more you can understand about it, the better off you'll be. Yeah, he says truth. Thank you. All right, okay, okay. Pretty says, I lost weight fully with visualizing before sleep and after waking up. Hey, what do you know? And program yourself then. When do we have our hypnosis sessions, folks? At night and in the morning. Yes, powerful times to program your mind, at night and in the morning before you start your day. So nice job, Pretty. And, um, yeah, that's what I find most of my clients, that works best for them. Is to listen to some hypnosis first thing in the morning, kind of train your brain to think that way right from the get-go, and then use some hypnosis techniques in the, in the evening to program yourself right before you go to bed. So yes, classic, uh, formula there for success. Um, yes, Preeti says, and it wasn't hard at all, you have to program your subconscious to get to the aim. Well, Preeti, thank you very much. And Preeti's not even part of the program, but again, people that have done it and succeeded with it, it's extremely powerful, and that's exactly what we do in the program. In a very systematic way. Uh, Anna says, I haven't eaten anything today and I'm still not hungry. I'm trying intermittent fasting. Yeah, but that's okay because you're, you're trying it, and when we try something first, there's a lot of excitement and it's new. And, um, yeah, the first day of intermittent fasting is a lot different than the seventh day of intermittent fasting. I don't say that to be negative. I say that to give you context for when that seventh day comes. You think there's something wrong with you. There's nothing wrong with you. It's that you had a lot of kind of reserve of energy and focus and willpower and excitement in the beginning, and it runs out, and then it gets a lot harder to do it. So good luck with it, and I hope that's your strategy. And if it's not though, don't worry, there's a lot of other strategies you can use as well. Uh, Joe says, how many calories weed? I have bed and MIA. I don't know what any of those mean. Um, let's see over here though. Uh, Nina, what's up Nina? Nina says, and you make sure we are motivated on track. I'm becoming a brand new person. I listen to you day and night. I do not miss it for the world. I'm gentle and compassionate with myself. I choose what is good for my body, love and crave healthy foods. I imagine how incredible a salad of salmon would taste at the restaurant. I imagine a great conversation, having a good time with my friends, focus on the joy, not on the food. I do want healthy and to look amazing. I'm on my way and can't thank you enough. This works 100%. Nina, that's awesome. Screenshot. Hold on a second. Again, I'm building my wall of testimonials. And, uh, again, make sure you got— let your eyes rest first. A lot of testimony, a lot of people changing with this method. It really works, folks. Okay, sit here and, you know, that's awesome, Nina. I'm proud of you, Nina. And that's the way, you know, again, when you start putting good stuff in your brain, it's hard not to have good stuff come out. So that's awesome. Vicky, looking forward to the Dow audiobook. I know, I know, I know. It's, uh, it's front and center on the next thing I do. I think I find myself productive procrastinating with that, but there have been some reasons why as well. Um, but yes, it's on the docket. What's up, Jane? How's it going? Uh, Angela says it's getting harder the older I get. Yeah, well, of course it gets harder the older you get, folks, because most, most people I work with are usually 45 plus because before that, they just haven't enough experience that dieting doesn't work. And I guess by the time 45 rolls around, people finally start putting the pieces together. But yeah, it gets harder to diet the older you get. It's not harder to lose weight necessarily. It may be a little slower. But yeah, it really specifically what you're saying, Angela, is it gets harder to stick to a diet. It gets harder to start a diet. Let's just be specific. Uh, Anita says, yeah, just put the fork down. Just what you want to hear, Jim. They all know, they've seen me. There's the triggers. Triggers me. It says, just do it should be replaced with just start something. Oh, I like that. Yeah, for sure. Just do it. Hillary says, I also look forward to the audiobook, but I just surrendered. Too hard to use the electronic copy, so I just ordered a hard copy so I can keep it on the table. Yeah, Hillary, I got to agree. I, again, it's not me trying to sell books. Um, because they're both pretty inexpensive relatively. Uh, the, the electronic version is $2.99, the physical version is $9.99. I think that extra $7— $6— $6 is well worth it. This book, I say it all the time, it's just got a feel to it. There's something to it, and people have told me that too. I'm not just crazy. And, um, but I think the big thing is having around the house. That's what I want. Um, because this book is written— there's 40 chapters, and each chapter is a page or two. Each chapter is a hypnotic story. And it's meant, it's meant to be read. So you just open up anywhere and read a chapter. And it's funny, a lot of people playing the game, you know what I mean, just pick something and it's like, wow, that was really relevant. They're all really relevant, you know. But, um, you know, it's quite a book. So I think that's a smart move, Hillary. I think you're going to find a completely different experience, the actual physicality of it, no doubt about it. I, I'm a little biased. I don't love digital readers Personally, I, I read a lot and I read books. I just like that more. Um, even though for me anyways, the digital reader would have been so much easier. I just do not enjoy it as much. So, um, to each their own, but I think that was a smart move, Hillary. I think you're gonna love it. Um, what's up, Joyce? Joyce says, I'm so blessed to have access to listen to you. Thank you. You're welcome, Joyce. Yes. And again, remember, I'm going to put this link in there as well, and I got to get out of here. Um, is go get this hypnosis session if you haven't gotten it yet. And once you opt in for that hypnosis session, you also, um, are going to get some emails at some point if you choose to. You can, uh, sign up for the PYT Daily emails, and that's just a free gift I'm giving to you just to help support you. So again, whether you're in program yourself then or not, whatever you're doing, if you're interested in getting your weight under control, this is just free. It's some of my best content. I'm just giving it to you because it's going to help you. The more you start to think in this way the easier time you're going to have with your weight. All right. So, yeah, go click the link in my bio. If you're on TikTok, click my little picture and go get it. Um, if you're on Facebook or YouTube, uh, click the link I just put in there. Uh, it takes 5 seconds to get it. You got to fill 3 questions and, uh, check it out. Um, yeah, Lois says, I love my hard copy. Uh, again, this is the book, right? This is The Dowel: Living Your Goal Weight. This is my book. People say it's the best book on weight they've ever read. Um, and I think it is. I really, I gotta say that just in an egotistical, biased way, uh, because I'm not just telling you what to do here. I'm sharing stories with you that really change the way that you think, um, in a lot of fundamental ways about weight. Um, it's really, really helpful. All right. Oh, all right. Lucy, Lucy says, I'm down 40 pounds. Thank you, sir. All right. Let's screenshot that because we love the testimonials here. So that's, that's awesome, Lucy. Good job and keep it up. All right. Um, so yeah, this is, I'm here every Monday through Friday. So if you enjoy this, please hop on here. I'm happy to help you out. I'm literally here to coach you. If you have any questions, well, let me take a whack at it. Let me see if I can help move you forward. I'm happy to do it. Um, and if you can't make the live, you like listening to, it's also a podcast. You can go to any podcast platform, search Program Yourself, then it'll pop up. You can listen in whenever you like. Okay. Go check that out. And again, one last time, this book is available on Amazon, The Tao of Living at Your Goal Weight. Um, you know, relative pennies, you know, I don't want to bum everyone out, but what are we talking about, a gallon and a half of gas at this point, depending where you live? So again, a huge, you know, good investment for you to make if you like what I'm saying. This is everything I'm saying in a very enjoyable, easy read, um, that really moves how you feel about it. So thanks so much, everyone. Have a super duper day, and we'll talk soon. Bye, everyone.