2023 - 2:8 Fb Live - Protocols Public Audio
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[00:00:00] Hello, and welcome to the concierge weight loss podcast. My name is Kara Hackleman, and I'm a certified life and weight loss coach. I help people just like you lose weight for the last time. Are you a little people pleasing, a little procrastinating, and maybe a little perfectionistic? Do you eat when you are not even necessarily hungry?
I can help you overcome that so you can finish losing weight and get out of your own way. Join me each week to get a little motivation and a lot of inspiration. I am Kara Hackleman. I am a certified life and weight loss coach for Concierge Weight Loss. And I come live pretty much every Wednesday morning around 9 a.
m. Eastern Standard Time. So if you are on Facebook and I have figured out how to also put me on Instagram at the same time, then you are here and good morning. Today I wanted to really [00:01:00] come share a bit about protocols, situations, events. And so it sounds kind of like Boring, right? What's the protocol?
However, as I lost weight, as my clients lose weight, as many things that you can think of ahead of time, they're going to make it so much easier when it actually comes up. So if you think about your day and you're going through just bouncing from moment to moment within your day, and you think about all the things that you have in your control, and you think about all the things that you do not.
You're going to quickly realize that there are many things you don't feel in control of. And so, with eating, and you're making plans, and you're creating great intentions, and you know, figuring all that out. The faster you figure out how to overcome obstacles, the quicker nothing is really an [00:02:00] obstacle.
You'll get to that. So the quicker you learn how to overcome the obstacles, the sooner you realize that. Not really, anything's an obstacle. And so, with that, um, protocols. Protocols are going to be the thing that as you think ahead of time, like, uh, and I like to remember, um, I've had to do, uh, not had, I've party planned.
I'm a mom. I, you know, was very active with a lot of things that with my child. So, Party planning was at times a big deal and I would think through as many aspects of the party, the food, the location, um, who's coming, did the invitations get set up, did the house get cleaned, or where are we having it? Do I need to decorate?
You think about all those things ahead of time and then the event goes much smoother. Now that doesn't mean that it's going to [00:03:00] go flawless because we all know that the best intentions, there's still something that you didn't think of. There's still some, especially when you're working with other people, there's always some part that just happens, you know?
Um, when my nephew who, gosh, uh, when he was little guy, we'll just say learning the potty training thing, right? He put. his pajama bottoms down my toilet right before we were having a big party and our toilet in our It's like the powder room right off of the kitchen. It's overflowing into the kitchen.
There is no way I could have ever prepared for that to happen before a party He flushed his bottoms down the toilet. So like, there's no way I could have ever prepared for that. But, I was prepared for so many other things, that when something unexpected happened, wasn't quite such a big deal. Um, it was in the [00:04:00] moment, but everything else was already so taken care of.
It made it so that, It didn't drop me to my knees and ruin my day. It was what's next, where are we going, what's happening, and so I was able to be in the moment and get it taken care of. back on track with the plan. But to get to be able to do that, I had to think through as many aspects of that day as I could.
So with your weight loss, thinking through as many aspects ahead of time is going to make it so much easier. So for example, um, I had a client who was responsible for getting the meals for her entire, um, office. So she worked, um, At a, in an office complex and her job was to collect the menu meal orders and place the order, go pick it up, bring it, distribute it all.
And in the beginning, um, I remember her saying [00:05:00] things like, it, I'm not going to be able to have any of this. And she didn't trust herself with it. And so all she wanted then was more of that. So her homework was to get all of those menus, because she's the one who was telling them where she was picking up from the day, for.
Picking up from for the day and so she put on each menu what her option would be if they were ever to eat there. So she picked ahead of time one or two possibly like in her best moment of thinking like if I were going to take excellent care of myself, eat foods that I truly love and lose weight, what would I choose from this restaurant?
And if it was just a no, there's nothing from it, then she either did not give them that option that, uh, she was gonna go eat from there, or she knew that was the day she would bring something for herself. And so, in doing that, she had a plan ahead of time for every single place [00:06:00] that was a possibility.
She knew ahead of time what she would choose when she wasn't emotionally connected to making a quick decision. Quick decision? My words are not coming out quite so strong today. She knew ahead of time for a quick decision. She wasn't trying to like figure it out in the moment. She wasn't thinking what sounds good or what am I in the mood for?
It was already decided. already decided. So that type of planning ahead just makes everything so much easier. I do that quite often. I'll look along, um, the routes and kind of pick a few places that I know, um, if we're going to be in a car trip. Um, typically in a car trip, I will plan ahead and I'll create a protocol for myself.
And so a protocol is kind of, um, slightly different from a plan. So a protocol doesn't have like A, B, C, D, all of this is in it. It's like, if this happens, this is what I want. If [00:07:00] that, then this, kind of thing. And so, when we're traveling, I know, I don't, like, I, I blow easy. So, like, I don't want to drink a lot of soda.
I get upset stomachs with, like, um, shakes or things like that. So, I rarely have a shake if we're going to be in the car. Um, the My husband and I disagree on this. I drink a ton of water because I said I bloat so much. He would prefer for me to drink a little less of the water because we are stopping quite often.
However, my joints hurt whenever I am sitting for periods of time. And so I do better even outside of bathroom breaks to be walking. So like just thinking ahead of like all the different scenarios. And so like, If we stopped at a burger joint, what's my best choice? If we stopped at like a KFC or a place where I could grab a salad or Even a gas station.
Like, if I [00:08:00] was going to stop at a gas station, what's my best choice there? So maybe I get some nuts or maybe I'm picking like a tortilla chip, uh, chip bag or a beef jerky and a bag of tortilla chips. And so like whatever it is, I'm making decisions ahead of time. And typically with car rides, I usually pack a cooler of waters and I, um, Put some snacks in there for myself.
So maybe like a bag of grapes or some popcorn or, um, some kind of meat or something and so like even lunch meat slices for me roll a couple up and then have some grapes like it's almost like a mini charcuterie in a cooler and I am happy as a clam with that. So making a decision ahead of time and planning it.
I talk every year about the holidays and what the holiday would look like, um, if you were making plans ahead of time. You already know [00:09:00] what your past holidays have looked like, so going into it, what are, what are you anticipating, and how can you make some decisions ahead of time? Any decision you make ahead of time Is one less that you have to in the moment and so, um, we're, uh, we're creatures of habit.
So like as we go to holidays, as we go to birthday parties or events or family gatherings, friend gatherings, whatever it is, if you have, um, a group of people who always get together and this is what always happens. You know ahead of time what to anticipate so you can make some decisions to show up in a way that's going to make it that you get to enjoy yourself and that you can still support your weight loss goal.
So my clients, I love this, my clients are like, they start where they're like, Everything just happens to me. Isn't that a beautiful [00:10:00] thought, right? Everything just happens to me. And then they move into like, I've decided. And so I love hearing this, I've decided. And I wish I could, uh, well actually I can, but I just haven't.
Um, Playback for them. Some of the beginning coaching sessions when they're telling me that they have nothing in their control. Life just happens to them and that nothing is a choice. Everything's already decided. It's all out of their control. Two, I've decided this is what's gonna happen. I've decided this is what we're having.
I've decided I'm gonna I'm bringing my own food because all they ever have is stuff I don't like. And like how far my clients have come. And so they think like, well, um, My mental decision making is so different now. And I really love that it's just that they've decided what has worked in their body and they make sure that it's there and it's provided for themselves.
Whatever that [00:11:00] looks like. I have decided water and walking around often helps me on car trips. And my husband has decided he doesn't love that, but because I decided it happens. I keep drinking water, he keeps having to stop, which means I get to walk at least to the rest station or wherever it's at and then come back to the car.
So, deciding ahead of time. The other thing that I really love Um, is protocols for the different possibilities such as like, um, if something's wrong with your food. So let's say that I planned to make spaghetti tonight. I was gonna do spaghetti and maybe a salad and garlic bread and I got home and we actually didn't have any spaghetti noodles.
Let's say that happened. Typically when I plan ahead, that hardly ever happens because I make sure that when I get my meal on the [00:12:00] plan that my groceries are in the pantry or in the fridge or freezer. But occasionally stuff happens or somebody used it, I bought it, you know, and somebody's used it for another meal or took it with them or something's happened.
It's not okay. Um, typically what happens for me is it's a vegetable, like some vegetable just went bad really fast. And so then I have to make another decision. So, knowing ahead of time, what decision do I want to make? And so, with a protocol, knowing ahead of time what, um, your intention is. So, um, with that type of thinking, my intention is to have a meal because I'm probably hungry at the end of the day.
So, um, I could leave it at that. Anything that I eat, it, uh, achieved the objective, right? I typically have a little more to it than that. [00:13:00] So, any meal that makes, you know, satisfies my hunger and doesn't cause me indigestion, upset stomach, doesn't cause bloat, swollen joints. Okay, so a little bit more. Maybe I even add on that maybe I've been noticing that sugar is limiting, it being limited helps my body a little bit.
So maybe I say I'm not gonna do sugar for this particular meal if I have to swap out. And so like you could have some checkpoints, whatever you decide they are. Um, typically, um, I'll hear people say whatever meat, so like a protein, a vegetable, and a grain. And, uh, they'll be like, so when something happens, I just pick the next best protein, grain, and vegetable.
And so they just keep it super simple. They, uh, they understand the objective and they only eat it if they're hungry to enough. And that could be your protocol for when you have [00:14:00] to swap things out. I, I just refuse to be upset with myself if something has happened and I have to swap. I think that it's a great lesson in Um, picking the next best choice and it gives me the opportunity to see how I respond and truly I think I plan so well now I have less and less of those opportunities So when it does happen, it's like oh now What am I gonna do because i'm so used to being planned ahead that it just doesn't happen very often anymore So with that sometimes too people will have like If I have a migraine, if I'm on my period, if, if, if, and you just decide ahead, what is that going to look like?
And it doesn't all have to be about food. I know. I mean, we're talking about weight loss. So of course that's some of the things that we're talking about. But, um, with my exercise, if I have really swollen joints, then I don't do CrossFit. I stay home and do yoga. [00:15:00] If I'm able to go outside and take a 15 minute walk at lunch break, I love doing that.
Like, I just have some backup plans for my plans, and that's kind of what protocols are. It's knowing what the intention and the goal is supposed to support, and then what would you be happy with? How can you do it ahead of time? What decision can you make before you even need to make the decision? It's anticipating your needs so that you are taking the best care of yourself.
You are showing yourself the most. love, most care, most compassion, right? And so what can you do ahead of time? That's the whole point of protocols. I have one for camping. So when we go camping, I know if I'm having alcohol ahead of time or not. I know if I am eating something specific or if I'm eating, if it's like pigeon style for camping, if we're camping with other people, am I eating whatever's provided but only to enough, like I know ahead [00:16:00] of time going in.
And the reason for that is so that whatever I, my current goal is, like whatever I'm focusing on, that need is met with what my protocol is going to be. And so someone pitching in a whole bunch of meals doesn't mean I have to be eating them. It doesn't mean that I have, you know, I also, it doesn't mean that I have to bring all my food and I have my own selection of Tupperware and I can't have anything anyone else is having.
I get to decide, am I happy with that choice? Is it supporting my goal? Can I make it easier? And keep it that simple, like truly keep it that simple. So that is about, I think, all I wanted to talk about. Let me run through my notes real quick. I have a vacation protocol, um, especially when we go to, uh, Sanibel.
There's a couple places I really love to eat and so like not making [00:17:00] every meal important but like specific ones So I make sure that those are on my vacation protocol Um, so lots of things like that. You might have a protocol. I'm just running through my list here to make sure that I comment Hello, miss.
Gina. I see you're on Alrighty, let's see. So Um, oh if someone brought doughnuts from work To work. If someone puts something in the break room. If your kids have, um, have friends over. Like different things. There's all kinds of fun ones here. Um, So some of it is to decide. It takes away the should This is the should factor with having a protocol.
So like if you don't have a protocol, you're thinking I should be doing something. It should have been this way. And then you're feeling pretty bad if it doesn't happen that way. So it's really more of a could factor. So [00:18:00] protocols give you a could like it could be that we do this. It could be that it does that.
And so it takes the should factor and turns it into a could. Um, it allows you to take charge of your life. When you are making choices, you're not feeling like you're a victim or out of control. Um, I like that. I wrote it, but I like it. Um, let's see. I think that is most of what I had. So yeah, as I am, um, Valentine's chocolate.
Oh, Gina's saying Valentine's chocolate. Are you talking about protocol for Valentine's chocolate? I, I do have protocols for Valentine's chocolate. So, um, I don't know if she's talking about herself or me. And so, um, I have a Valentine's chocolate protocol. I do not, I'm just going to sound like a snob for a minute.
[00:19:00] Okay, so I do not eat Hershey's, hardly ever. Um, if I'm having a Hershey's it's because I have decided that a s'more on a camping trip is important. If not, Hershey's is a beautiful company that brought chocolate to my world. However, I am a chocolate snob now. I truly enjoy going and getting chocolate. I love picking chocolate.
I love being in the candy room that has all the pretty, it's very artistic, I don't know if you've been, and so I go and I make a whole event of picking the chocolate. I am assuming that you, me, and other lovely people will be getting some sweets next week. Yes. So my chocolate is I make it a whole event.
And so I decide that I'm not having Hershey's. I decide that it is, um, either something from a very specialty store. It is something from, um, Godiva [00:20:00] or Ghirardelli. Like those are all my favorites. Um, and so, and then I decide ahead of time how many I have. And as I've done this process, and I, like I said, I've kind of become a chocolate snob, I have started saying like three or four amazing pieces, and then I see how long I can make them last.
So if you are getting chocolates, tell whoever might be buying them for you what it is that you even really enjoy. And that way they're not necessarily thinking like the biggest box of chocolates is gonna show my love even more Maybe you just put the bug in their ear like I would like And you tell them and maybe Twizzlers is your jam and you're like I want The Rope Pull Apart Watermelon Twizzlers.
Whatever you're thinking it is, mine is going to be chocolate, and mine is going to be, I want three to four pieces of amazing chocolates. If they're pretty, great. If they have toffee, Karamel, great. Those are going to be my choices. The ones [00:21:00] that look like they're glass and are so artistic, that's going to be what I want.
I'm going to decide how often I have them, so your protocol can be like how often. Maybe you decide. I'm going to do this instead of a meal. I'm going to eat my four pieces of chocolate, or whatever number you come up with, and then you move on with the rest of your time. You don't stay eating in the chocolate.
Maybe you decide. Whatever this box is, I'm going to pick out what my favorites are. I'm going to be absolutely okay with gifting the rest of this box to someone else. or the trash can, which is really a gift to yourself because it's a gift to your future self. Um, and then you just have the ones that you love.
Whatever it is, you get to decide and you make the decision. So, um, as I'm wrapping up, I want to create this whole invitation every single week. I would love to work with you. I would love for you to get to be able to be in control of your decisions, uh, the way Gina and I are, [00:22:00] the way all of my clients have become.
They really learn what they want and what they don't. I am not eating chocolates I don't like to make someone else happy. And neither should you, you are going to figure out what's important to you, what's important to your weight loss and how to maintain it. That doesn't mean you're not eating the chocolates.
It just means you have figured out how to do it in a way that you get to eat what you truly love and lose your weight. maintain your weight eventually. If this sounds great to you, I really invite you, really, really invite you to take my next step quiz. It's going to tell you the areas where you have sabotaged yourself in the past, and it'll tell you what your next steps are.
And then those next steps, we can work on those together. Hint, hint, it's not diet stuff. So I was super excited to create this because all the things that people come to me are, what's my Um, what's my diet going to be? What can I have? What can't I have? So look at it and then tell me in the [00:23:00] comments after you take it, what was the thing that grabbed you?
You were like, yes, that is me because I've heard that again and again, when people take it, they do not realize that's the thing that held them back or where their next step is. And that's what I give you. I'll see you next week. Thank you for listening to the concierge weight loss podcast. Like what you heard today, leave a review or share with a friend.
And And check out the next step quiz where you'll find what has held you back from lasting weight loss and what to do next. You will find the link to this and many other helpful podcasts and videos in the show notes. I can't wait to see you there.
