In today’s episode, Dr. Sasha High dives into a powerful mindset barrier in weight loss: fighting reality. If you’ve ever found yourself thinking, “It’s not fair that I have to work so hard,” or “I shouldn’t have to track what I eat,” this episode is for you. Dr. High explains how these thoughts may feel justified but are actually holding you back. She discusses how accepting reality, instead of resisting it, can pave the way to real progress in your health journey.

Key Takeaways:

1. Resisting Reality Creates Emotional Suffering
2. • Fighting against the facts of your situation leads to frustration, resentment, and sometimes anger. This emotional resistance drains your energy and makes it harder to stay motivated on your weight loss journey.
3. Fighting Reality Leads to Inaction
4. • When you focus on the unfairness or difficulty of your circumstances, it’s easy to give up. This mindset makes you feel like your efforts are futile, keeping you from taking the steps that will actually move you forward.
5. Ignoring the Power of Acceptance
6. • Acceptance doesn’t mean you have to like your situation; it just means you stop resisting it. Accepting reality allows you to focus on actions within your control instead of wishing things were different.

Practical Strategies to Move Forward:

1. Acknowledge What’s Within Your Control
2. • Identify the habits and responses that are in your hands, rather than wasting energy on aspects you can’t change.
3. Reframe Your Thoughts
4. • Shift your language from “I shouldn’t have to…” to “I choose to… for my health.” This reframe puts you in control and helps you own your actions.
5. Practice Radical Acceptance
6. • Accept your reality without judgment. Radical acceptance frees up energy to focus on actionable steps instead of resisting what is.
7. Focus on What’s Working
8. • Instead of dwelling on what’s unfair, celebrate small wins and focus on the progress you’re making. These positive steps forward will keep you motivated.

Fighting reality will only hold you back. Accepting your situation allows you to focus on what you can control and take meaningful actions that lead to progress. Embrace your reality, stay empowered, and keep moving forward.

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Ontario OHIP-covered Obesity Medicine https://www.highmetabolicclinic.com

In today’s episode of High on Life, Dr. Sasha High continues her series on self-sabotage in weight loss, focusing specifically on limiting beliefs. These are the thoughts and stories we tell ourselves that hold us back and keep us stuck in patterns that sabotage our health and weight loss goals. Dr. High discusses common limiting beliefs, such as “I’ll never lose weight,” “It’s too hard for me,” and even situational beliefs like “Vegas is Vegas.” She explains how these automatic, often subconscious thoughts shape our actions and outcomes.

Key Takeaways:

1. Your Thoughts Shape Your Reality: If you believe weight loss is too hard, it will be. By questioning your limiting beliefs, you can start to make changes that align with your goals.
2. Thoughts Are Not Facts: Recognizing that thoughts are just beliefs we’ve internalized opens up the possibility for change.
3. Thought Dump Exercise: A practical exercise where listeners can write down all their thoughts on a topic, identify the most painful or limiting thought, and then question it to open up new, empowering beliefs.
4. The Power of Small Actions: You don’t need to be overly positive; you just need enough resilience to take the next small step.
5. Questioning Limiting Beliefs: Asking yourself questions like “Is this true?” and “What else could be true?” can lead to new perspectives and better choices.

Resources:

• Best Weight Program: If you’re ready to take charge of your weight loss journey and feel mindset is a barrier, consider joining Dr. Sasha High’s Best Weight program. This program uses cognitive reframing to help reshape your thoughts, habits, and approach to weight loss, creating a sustainable, healthy lifestyle. Learn more at www.sashahighmd.com/bestweight.

Follow Dr. Sasha High:

• Website: www.sashahighmd.com
• Instagram: @sashahighmd

• Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@sashahighmd

WORK WITH ME

Join my Weight Loss Coaching Program for women, Best Weight https://www.sashahighmd.com/bestweight

Recover Strong for Binge Eating - https://www.sashahighmd.com/bed

Ontario OHIP-covered Obesity Medicine https://www.highmetabolicclinic.com

Today we’re continuing my series on self-sabotage in weight loss and we are focusing on perfectionism another word for this is all-or-nothing thinking.

Perfectionism inhibits forward progress, and perfectionism is the enemy of consistency. When it comes to weight loss, trying to “get it right” may be holding you back in ways you haven’t even realized.

Here’s what it can sound like:

• “Now’s not a good time to start losing weight, I’m too busy, I have too much going on.”
• “I screwed up already today. I may as well just keep eating and start over tomorrow morning.”
• “This week has been a bust. I’ll start over on Monday with a clean slate.”
• “There are too many celebrations in December, I’ll start in January.”
• “There are too many vacations and social events over the summer, I’ll start in September.”

Can you see the theme here? Perfectionism leads to procrastination and misleads you into believing there will be a better time to re-start.

On today’s episode I’ll share some tools to help you overcome perfectionism, including:

• Next Best Choice
• Self-Compassion
• Psychological Flexibility
• Habit Focus

Remember, you don’t need to wait for the perfect time to start focusing on your health. Starting with today’s Next Best Choice is 100% better than not bothering until some indeterminate time in the future!

My favourite electrolyte drink right now – mix with lime flavoured sparkling water!

https://amzn.to/3NvGd9P

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Join my Weight Loss Coaching Program for women, Best Weight https://www.sashahighmd.com/bestweight

Recover Strong for Binge Eating - https://www.sashahighmd.com/bed

Ontario OHIP-covered Obesity Medicine https://www.highmetabolicclinic.com

Today is episode 2 of the self-sabotage in weight loss series. We are talking about COMPARISON.

Comparison is something we all fall into at some point, right? Maybe you’re scrolling through Instagram, seeing transformation photos, or hearing about how someone dropped 10 pounds in a month, and suddenly, you start feeling like you’re doing something wrong. Sound familiar?

Today we talk about why comparison is so harmful, especially when it comes to your weight loss efforts, and how you can shift your focus back to your personal journey.

I see comparison show up in 2 forms:

• It’s not fair (other people don’t struggle)
• I’m not losing fast enough! (everyone else is losing faster)

Remember that your journey is your own. No one else has your exact circumstances, your body, or your life. Focus on your own progress, even if it’s slow. Progress is still progress, and it’s unique to you.

Another person’s actions don’t need to impact your choices.

And likewise, someone else’s progresses neither diminishes nor accelerates your own.

Until next time, stay focused on your progress, not perfection. You’ve got this!

National Menopause Show

https://nationalmenopauseshow.com/
Date: October 26, 2024
Location: Metro Toronto Convention Centre
Promo Code: SashaLS15 for 15% off live-stream tickets

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WORK WITH ME

Join my Weight Loss Coaching Program for women, Best Weight https://www.sashahighmd.com/bestweight

Recover Strong for Binge Eating - https://www.sashahighmd.com/bed

Ontario OHIP-covered Obesity Medicine https://www.highmetabolicclinic.com

Today’s episode kicks off a multi-part series on how self-sabotage can affect weight loss. In this episode, we explore FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and how it can derail your health goals.

1. What is FOMO?
2. FOMO Leads to Mindless Eating
3. FOMO and the Scarcity Mindset
4. FOMO Fuels the All-or-Nothing Mentality

Tools & Mindset Shifts:

• Mindful Eating: Choose in advance what meals you want to enjoy fully and mindfully.
• Retrospective Review: Ask yourself how you’ll feel afterward. This tool can help you prioritize your long-term goals over immediate gratification.
• Reframe Your Thinking: Instead of seeing skipping that extra slice of cake as deprivation, view it as an investment in your future health.
• Positive Self-Talk: Replace guilt with empowerment. Remind yourself: "I’m learning to love taking care of my body," and "I’m allowed occasional indulgences."

FOMO doesn’t have to control your health decisions. By being mindful of your thoughts and making intentional choices, you can take back control and invest in your long-term health goals. Remember, it’s about consistency, not perfection.

If you found this episode helpful, please share it with someone who might benefit. We’ll be back next week for part two of the self-sabotage series, where we’ll talk about comparison. Until then, do one thing today that supports your body and well-being.

Event Reminder:

National Menopause Show

https://nationalmenopauseshow.com/
Date: October 26, 2024
Location: Metro Toronto Convention Centre
Promo Code: SashaLS15 for 15% off live-stream tickets

Thanks for tuning in!

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WORK WITH ME

Join my Weight Loss Coaching Program for women, Best Weight https://www.sashahighmd.com/bestweight

Recover Strong for Binge Eating - https://www.sashahighmd.com/bed

Ontario OHIP-covered Obesity Medicine https://www.highmetabolicclinic.com

This episode is a follow-up to episode 116 “Am I Overeating? (Probably)”

Topics covered today:

1. Environmental and social triggers for overeating
2. Practical strategies to overcome overeating

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Join my Weight Loss Coaching Program for women, Best Weight https://www.sashahighmd.com/bestweight

Recover Strong for Binge Eating - https://www.sashahighmd.com/bed

Ontario OHIP-covered Obesity Medicine https://www.highmetabolicclinic.com

• • Mindless Eating: Eating without paying attention, such as snacking while watching TV. This can lead to consuming more calories than intended.
  • Comfort Eating: Eating in response to emotions like stress, sadness, or boredom. Often involves cravings for high-calorie comfort foods.
  • Social Eating: Overeating in social situations due to peer pressure, availability of food, or cultural norms.
  • Habitual Overeating: Eating more than necessary out of habit, such as always finishing your plate even when you’re full.
  • Binge Eating

FOLLOW SASHA

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Join my Weight Loss Coaching Program for women, Best Weight https://www.sashahighmd.com/bestweight

Recover Strong for Binge Eating - https://www.sashahighmd.com/bed

Ontario OHIP-covered Obesity Medicine https://www.highmetabolicclinic.com

When we talk about weight loss, ideally what we are meaning is fat loss, not muscle loss. But the reality is that with all weight loss, there is a degree of muscle loss – somewhere in the range of 25-40%. I believe that instead of talking about weight loss, we should be discussing body composition – because improving body composition (decreasing fat mass, improving muscle mass) is truly what leads to improved fitness, cardiometabolic health and longevity.

Today’s episode covers all of this and more – with specific recommendations for what you can do to lose fat and maintain muscle with weight loss. I cover:

• Body composition
• Why is muscle loss a big deal
• What can we do to prevent muscle loss while working on fat loss
  • Protein intake (specific numbers to target in grams)
  • Resistance training (simple exercise prescription)
• How can we measure body composition
  • DEXA
  • InBody
  • Home measurements
• Recommendation for a great program – Muscles & Mindset

WORK WITH ME

Join my Weight Loss Coaching Program for women, Best Weight https://www.sashahighmd.com/bestweight

Recover Strong for Binge Eating - https://www.sashahighmd.com/bed

Ontario OHIP-covered Obesity Medicine https://www.highmetabolicclinic.com

This week’s show brought to you by FRIDAY’S HEALTH.

If you’re in the USA looking for a healthcare provider and comprehensive obesity medicine program to support you in a science-backed, compassionate way, then check out Fridays Health. Each patient works with a medical provider as well as a team of coaches to pair medical treatment with effective behavioural support. Use code HIGH to get $20 USD off the first month of your membership.

https://www.joinfridays.com/

References

Resistance Exercise Training in Individuals With and Without Cardiovascular Disease: 2023 Update: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association Amanda E. Paluch, et al. Circulation. 2024;149:e217–e23. 7 Dec 2023 https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001189

AHA article on resistance training https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001189

Systematic review https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38629387/#:~:text=Results%3A%20Six%20studies%20with%201%2C541,reduction%20were%20observed%20in%20others