Send us Fan Mail

I have been in your shoes — starting strong, riding the wave of motivation, and then one day, without warning, just... stopping. In this episode, I dig into why that happens, and I promise you, it is not a willpower problem. It is an experience problem — and once you understand the difference, everything changes. I am sharing research-backed strategies that are so simple, so doable, that you might actually laugh at how practical they are. We are talking about what your brain actually needs to want to keep going — and how you can give it that without overhauling your life. Whether you have tried and quit a dozen times, or you are just trying to make movement feel less like a punishment, this episode is going to give you something real to work with this week. Come take a listen — your future self will thank you.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity." — John F. Kennedy

CITATIONS (Reference Format)

1. Karageorghis, C. I., & Priest, D. L. (2012). Music in the exercise domain: A review and synthesis. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 5(1), 44–66. Referenced in relation to findings consistent with research published in the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology on music reducing perceived exertion during exercise.

2. Milkman, K. L., Minson, J. A., & Volpp, K. G. M. (2014). Holding the hunger games hostage at the gym: An evaluation of temptation bundling. Management Science, 60(2), 283–299. Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Research on pairing enjoyable activities with necessary behaviors to increase exercise follow-through.

3. Dishman, R. K., & Buckworth, J. (1996). Increasing physical activity: A quantitative synthesis. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 28(6), 706–719. University of Georgia. Long-term review identifying social support as one of the most consistent predictors of exercise adherence over time.

Let’s go, let’s get it done.

Get more information at: http://projectweightloss.org

Send us Fan Mail

Have you been "about to start exercising" for longer than you'd like to admit? You're not lazy — you're human. And that's exactly the problem this episode solves.

In Part 1 of this two-part series, we're ditching the motivation myth and replacing it with something that actually works: a simple, research-backed system that takes the decision-making out of exercise entirely. Because the hardest part of working out isn't doing it — it's deciding whether to do it.

We're covering three practical strategies: how to track your movement so your brain stays in the game, how to pre-decide your "when and where" so you stop negotiating with yourself at the worst possible moment, and how to set up your environment so starting feels almost effortless.

No gym membership required. No perfect schedule. Just a system your brain can actually follow.

Don't miss Part 2 next week — that's where we talk about how to make your brain WANT to come back to exercise again and again.

Quote of the week:

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit." — Aristotle

1. Self-Monitoring / Tracking (Meta-Analysis) Michie, S., Abraham, C., Whittington, C., McAteer, J., & Gupta, S. (2009). Effective techniques in healthy eating and physical activity interventions: A meta-regression. Health Psychology, 28(6), 690–701.

2. Implementation Intentions ("If-Then" Planning — Columbia University) Gollwitzer, P. M., & Sheeran, P. (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement: A meta-analysis of effects and processes. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 69–119.

3. Activation Energy / Environment Design (Habit Formation) Duhigg, C. (2012). The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business. Random House. (draws on MIT behavioral research)

Fogg, B. J. (2019). Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. (Stanford behavioral design)

Let’s go, let’s get it done.

Get more information at: http://projectweightloss.org

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode, I'm sitting with something that has weighed on so many of us for far too long — the relentless mental noise around food, what I call food chatter, and what it actually takes to quiet it for good. I'm not talking about another meal plan or a new set of rules. I'm talking about what is happening in your brain when the spiral starts, and the two science-backed strategies that peer-reviewed research has proven can interrupt it. We dig into Rumination-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy — which sounds clinical but is honestly one of the most practical tools I've come across — and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, which teaches you to watch a thought without obeying it, and why that single skill changes everything around food obsession. I also share a story about my sister that still lives in my heart, talk about what my son and the Game of Thrones soundtrack taught me about dropping resistance, and make the case for why sitting down to eat your meal is one of the most underrated acts of self-respect you can give yourself. This episode is grounded in real research, real life, and the kind of honest conversation I hope feels like a walk with a good friend.

Quote of the Week: "True silence isn't the complete absence of thoughts; it is the act of stepping back and watching your thoughts without attaching to them or fighting them. When you stop struggling against your mental chatter, it loses its power over you." - Anonymous

Citations:

1. Morillo-Sarto, H., et al. (2023). Mindful eating for reducing emotional eating in patients with overweight or obesity in primary care settings: A randomized controlled trial. European Eating Disorders Review, 31(2), 303–319. https://doi.org/10.1002/erv.2958

2. Ducrot, P., et al. (2017). Meal planning is associated with food variety, diet quality and body weight status in a large sample of French adults. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 14(1), 12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-017-0461-7

3. Li, Y., & Tang, C. (2024). A systematic review of the effects of rumination-focused cognitive behavioral therapy in reducing depressive symptoms. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1447207. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1447207/full

4. Cheng, P.Z., et al. (2025). The effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on rumination and related psychological indicators: A systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Psychology. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40359-025-03348-x

Let’s go, let’s get it done.

Get more information at: http://projectweightloss.org