This week Christa is joined by Daniel Thomas, CEO of Evolution Eat, to help you release the guilt of a sugar addiction. Daniel is also partner and cofounder of Rich 20 Something, an education platform for millennials and entrepreneurs. Daniel teaches a counter-intuitive strategy to weight loss, dieting and lifestyle transformation that’s all about mindset, habits and skill development. Where self-development meets diet and wellness, Daniel helps individuals all over the world connect with their truest selves to begin a life of control over their bodies, minds and spirits; releasing all guilt from the past.
Daniel didn’t always associate with such positive principles or self-discovery. He describes growing up as a difficult time of being overweight, allergic and inflamed, feeling as if he had no control over his overall health. With a loving mother who saturated him with love and food, he was quickly tied into an unhealthy relationship with food. Being an only child, Daniel often felt bored and lonely and found a reward loop with food that made him feel loved and entertained but lead to a reliance on food for fulfillment and to displace boredom.
This pattern continued for years after attending the best private high school in New York City, Georgetown University for undergrad, and almost stepping into Law School, as Daniel felt immense pressures to perform. He continued to gravitate towards things like caffeine, sugar and illegal uppers as a dynamic to feel better instead of looking for a solution from the inside.
When discovering the Paleo Diet, (before it was a hip thing), Daniel found it was the first time he had sunk into an “embodiment of control” over his emotions, cravings and old habits. He says that Evolution Eat was created almost by accident when the community surrounding him were so curious about his new discovery that as Daniel taught himself he built his practice by coaching others simultaneously.
Daniel says, “The second you can be honest about who you are, we can actually connect and help each other.”
He dives deep with his clients, as he states on his Website’s About Me, “The process of mastering a skill, diet, mindset, or lifestyle requires relentless effort, deep focus, and enthusiastic concentration. You must go deep to get something out of it.”
This is married with one of his core values of transparency as that it sets the stage to promote change. Being aware and externalizing your fears, guilt, shame or setbacks allows you to objectively look at it and release it from defining you any longer. Many of us live in fictional worlds and are never able to make a change or impact because we’re constantly maneuvering around what others think.
As we’ve discussed in other podcasts, everyone is so different and learning what your triggers are and the emotions that follow them, will continue to vary.
Daniel’s tips on how to bounce back from cravings:
- Be aware and understand your dependencies - it’s incredibly important to be aware of the foods you consume as they may bring you down through addiction or bring you up through health.
- Approach new ways of lifestyle with a new perspective - instead of focusing on the things you must eliminate, embrace the mindset of eating more of the good stuff! When your blood sugar dips, you need to fulfil up with protein and healthy fats, and LOTS of it.
- Treat the journey as a long process and a skill that you can develop. When you make a mistake don’t carry it with guilt but invest in that mistake, it takes time!
- Get out of your fixed mindset - no one is going to be perfect all the time and that’s okay.
- Become curious about what’s happening in your environment when you’re craving sugar.
- Educate! Immerse yourself in self-development of your awareness, mindset, external demands and habits.
- Plan by prioritizing yourself - be proactive while planning food out and stick to it.
- Implement a keystone habit - this is something that is good for yourself that you commit to every morning that brings you closer to connecting with the world from the inside out.
- Meditation - trust that you’re all you’ll ever need to make yourself completely well!
“Living healthily is a skill you can train, it’s not a race to some desired outcome.” Daniel states.
There’s a solution to every single problem and we can change our lives at any second through Mind Zoning® and meditation, connecting with community, healthy eating and daily movement. Daniel does this every day by running down to the beach by his house at 4:45am, meditating for 20 minutes and then jumping in the freezing water. This daily practice sets him up for success, whatever his day may look like. His healthy routine is on his own terms which ensures he’s following his intentions and goals.
To connect with Daniel, make sure you check out EvolutionEat for mini courses, newsletters and blogs, or connect individually by emailing him at daniel@evolutioneat.com.
And, don’t forget to head over to the Fitlandia Podcast on iTunes and subscribe, rate and review us! Make sure to put in your keystone habit about how you’re starting your day off right. We can’t wait to read them!
Feeling overwhelmed on how to break free from a sugar addiction, join our 7-day No Diet Detox challenge for FREE. It starts with awareness. Sign up today!
Huge shout out and thank you to today’s sponsor, Portland Community College and their holistic nutrition program. This 100% online program is 1 year and provides students with science-based principles while integrating in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda for a well-rounded perspective on nutrition to start your healthcare career in nutrition or to supplement into your current holistic program. Christa did this course back in 2015 which launched her into creating what Fitlandia is today! To learn more or enroll for the next course starting September 25th, check out PCC'S functional nutrition program.
