Behind the Marketing – Program Yourself Thin

The #1 Trick Food Marketers Use On Us

Jim Katsoulis — Fri, 01 Jul 2022 17:11:06 +0000

Transcript

food marketers are the second biggest

group of advertisers on the planet every

year they spend tens and tens of

billions of dollars to get us to over

consume foods that make us unhealthy

unhappy and overweight ultimately and

there's one big trick that they use over

and over again that once you see it it

can really help you make better food

choices and it's actually a trick that

magicians use it's misdirection and just

like a magician is able to perform their

tricks by getting your attention over

here while they perform the trick over

here the food manufacturers do the exact

same thing but they do it by hyping up

one big thing on the front of their

packages and so you'll notice this next

time you walk into the supermart you're

gonna see this it's on almost every

package brand new flavor um healthier

new recipe

reduced carbs

it doesn't matter it's almost limitless

what they can hype up but the purpose of

that is that it kind of bypasses our

analytical mind and goes right to our

emotional mind and you know if we're

working on eating better

that little thing can nudge us to make

the wrong choice because that one big

thing on the front of the package kind

of overwhelms us to not think about the

big picture what we're doing so the way

around this is to first of all recognize

this is going on see it in the

supermarket look around and notice how

they're trying to get you to focus on

one thing while they deliver you a whole

bunch of other stuff and again they

could say new healthier recipe right

they could put that on a pine bed and

jerry's if they wanted to they could put

half a gram less of sugar in it and then

call it a new healthier recipe you see

so they can do this with literally

anything there's almost no rules to it

there's no rationality to it but when we

see that and we're kind of on the fence

oh do i want to get the ice cream or not

then we see new healthier recipe it's a

lot easier for us ah you know what's

healthier

it's actually healthy for me it's

healthy ice cream and so you know again

it doesn't make sense logically but

that's not where we're making our

decisions from we're making very

emotional decisions typically and the

manufacturers and marketers know this

and so they really highlight one big

healthy thing

to try and overwhelm us the way around

this one of the easiest ways and a

couple ways the easiest way is to not

look at the front of the bag it's to

start training yourself to look at the

back of the bag look at the ingredients

right look at the nutritional

information that's a much more accurate

view now i know that's not as fun right

that's another you know aspect of the

market we'll get into another video but

um if you can start to truly see what

you're putting into your body if you can

start making your decisions more

rational logical based you're naturally

going to make better healthier choices

day in and day out okay so that's your

job here next time you go to the

supermarket look for this one big thing

that they're putting in front of your

face and see through it be the person

who can see through that trick to see

the truth all right so i hope you

enjoyed this remember nothing tastes as

good as thin healthy feels have a great

day

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2 Quick Mental Exercises that Slash Candy Cravings

Jim Katsoulis — Mon, 27 Oct 2014 17:44:11 +0000

With Halloween coming up this weekend, I thought I’d share 2 quick and easy mental exercises you can do to reduce candy cravings, naturally. These techniques are hypnotic in essence because they’re not about using conscious willpower to stop yourself. Instead we’re looking to change the unconscious perceptions and associations you have to candy. Billions of dollars a year are spent on advertising to get you to feel that candy is “fun,” “youthful,” “exciting,” etc., but remember under all that marketing is just a mixture of ingredients.

Which brings us to our first exercise…
Read the ingredients for your favorite candy. But don’t just read through the ingredients, as you read them, think about what they are and what they do to your body.

I don’t eat much candy, but my favorite since I was a kid is Peanut Butter Cups, and I usually eat them during Halloween, so I’ll go first.

The ingredients are…
Milk chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, chocolate, nonfat milk, milk fat, corn syrup solids, soy lecithin, TBHQ), peanuts, sugar, dextrose, cocoa butter, chocolate, nonfat milk, milk fat & contains 2% or less of partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (palm kernel and palm oil), salt, wheat flour, cornstarch, vegetable oil (cocoa butter, palm, palm kernel, shea, sunflower and/or safflower oil), whey, TBHQ, soy lecithin, leavening (sodium bicarbonate & sodium aluminum phosphate), vanillin.

What sticks out to me most are corn syrup solids, milk fat, sodium aluminum phosphate and TBHQ. I don’t really know what these are but on first glance they sound gross to me. Now, I’m not saying this will stop me from eating PB cups, but after reading that I’m definitely not craving them either.

OK, the second exercise…
The next time you eat a piece of candy, eat it like a gourmet. What I mean is really take time to appreciate the smell, flavor, texture, consistency. Be very mindful as you eat it. Pay attention to how it feels on your teeth as you chew it and how it feels when you swallow it. Remain aware through the whole process.

The point of these exercises isn’t to judge candy as bad, it is to become aware of what the actual experience of eating candy is without the emotional associations we’ve developed from childhood and marketing.

On a related note, I did a training this week for my PYT Weekly members where I cover…

Why EATING candy at Halloween can actually help you maintain long term weight loss
2 Techniques for easily reducing candy cravings
A Mental Programming Exercise to Automatically Eat Well during Halloween

You can access it here, ProgramYourselfThin.com/Halloween/

You’ll also see some pumpkins that I carved.

Behind the Marketing: McDonald’s Chicken Nugget Ingredients

Jim Katsoulis — Wed, 03 Sep 2014 00:02:47 +0000

One of the best ways to curb cravings for junk food is not through willpower, but by going right to the source of the craving and “unplugging” it. A powerful way to do this is to really look at the ingredients and think about what they will do to your body. This video really drives this point home.

Diet Review: The Ultimate Tea Diet

Jim Katsoulis — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:31:37 +0000

What would summer be without a new diet? The newest one to get attention is The Ultimate Tea Diet. This book is written by Mark “Dr. Tea” Ukra, who’s family has been in the tea business for over 60 years.

But, does it work?

The Ultimate Tea Diet basically comes down to a three step master planSimply find a tea you love, drink it all day, follow an easy food plan, and see the pounds fall off. That’s it. Don’t you wish you knew this secret formula earlier?

The premise of is that teas are very beneficial to your health because they help you:

• Boost the immune system
• Lower blood sugar and cholesterol
• Prevent cavities and tooth decay
• Slow the aging process
• Decrease high blood pressure
• Prevent arthritis
• Sharpen mental focus and concentration
• Reduce the risk of stroke, heart disease, cancer, and more…

Now, how does this help you lose weight? Good question.
A more accurate title for the book would have been “Drink Tea While You Diet and Exercise” because that’s pretty much what it comes down too, but that probably wouldn’t sell as well.

They say Tea helps encourage weight loss because of its
three main ingredients: caffeine to stimulate, L-theanine to neutralize the harmful side effects of caffeine and act as an appetite suppressant, and EGCG, which causes you to burn fat faster and more efficiently.

Now this may be true, but the only way anyone would lose weight following this plan is because they would eat only the low fat recipes in the book and exercise. Just like what you’ve learned from every other diet in the world.

I say if you really want to lose weight for good, then stop dieting and learn how to reprogram your mind to eat in a new way (you can learn how here).

Maybe I’m being too harsh on this diet, but I’m so tired of everyone trying to sell stuff by claiming it will help you lose weight. Most diets I see cause more harm then good because they aren’t sustainable, and it causes people to get discouraged.

There are better ways to change your body. If you’ve unsuccessfully tried every diet out there, I urge you to never diet again. Instead learn how to change your habits, beliefs, and cravings. It may take a little longer, but it’s a way to create change that lasts.

Diet Reviews: The Flat Belly Diet

Jim Katsoulis — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 17:25:50 +0000

This season’s diet craze is here and it’s called the Flat Belly Diet. The diet is written by Prevention magazine’s Editor in Chief Liz Vaccariello (along with Nutrition Editor Cynthia Sass). The basic idea is based around Monounsaturated Fatty Acids – MUFA for short. The Flat Belly Diet calls for a MUFA food at every meal because according to “exciting new research, MUFAs can actually help you lose weight, specifically around your middle.”

Now, I admit that I don’t like diets in general, I think the idea of dieting has become synonymous with deprivation and short term. After exploring this diet a little further, it’s the same approach as most diets except that it highlights the “scientific” discovery of MUFA’s.

Basically, you reduce calories, exercise, and keep a good attitude. Wow! Ever heard of that before? I can tell you first hand after interviewing over 100 people who have lost weight permanently (over 2 years) that they didn’t do it by dieting. They did it by changing the way they thought (you can learn how by clicking here now).

Dieting is fine to mix things up and to see how your body responds to different foods and exercises, but the first question that needs to be asked when you’re ready to lose weight is “Can I see myself eating like this long term?” If the answer is no, then keep looking for a better approach because starting and stopping diets is one of the worst things you can do to yourself physically and emotionally.

When you reduce your calories your metabolism slows down, if you follow a diet for 2-4 weeks and then go back to eating the way you did before, your body can’t burn the calories off as easily as it did. This is why some people who lose weight on diets end up gaining all the weight back, plus more. And this creates the limiting belief of “no matter what I do, I can’t keep the weight off” But in reality it should be “dieting doesn’t work long term for me, so I’m going to find a better approach.”

I’m sure this diet would work great if you followed it to the letter, but thats true for almost any diet. What really makes real permanent changes in your body is when you change from the inside out. When you begin to crave healthy food and movement. Learn how to think and feel like a thin person and the weight loss begins to happen naturally. Create a new self image for yourself, imagine what it would feel like to have that body. Attach that feeling to fruit and salads.

Remember, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing expecting a different result. Expecting to permanently lose weight with diets may fall into that category. I know because I went through this myself until I discovered a better and permanent way to lose weight, which you can read about here

Introducing The Hawaii Chair…

Jim Katsoulis — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 15:53:34 +0000

These are the types of things to avoid when you’re looking for a way to lose weight. Can you imagine being the one person in your office sitting in this thing? Even if it worked, I don’t know if it would be worth everyone making fun of me.

Cleansing Diets Part 2: The Cons

Jim Katsoulis — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 16:25:00 +0000

In the last post, I wrote about some of the good things about cleansing diets. But, if you’re going to do one, then you should be well prepared. Below are a list of some of the challenges that could come with a cleanse.
Cons:
1. Unpleasant symptoms. There are a number of unpleasant side effects people feel when on a cleansing diet. You may suffer from:
• Fatigue
• Insomnia
• Feeling weak
• Headaches
• Digestive distress
• Feeling dizzy
• Feeling irritable
Proponents of cleansing diets will remind you that these side effects are only temporary and you’ll feel much better after.
2. Temporary weight loss. The weight loss you’re likely to see from a cleansing diet is most often temporary. As soon as your diet ends, the weight is put back on. The goal of these types of diets is not to lose weight but to eliminate toxins.
3. Difficult to do correctly. Cleansing diets can be difficult to do correctly and can be unsafe. It is recommended that you do a lot of research on your chosen diet and see a doctor before undertaking any extreme changes in your diet.

Cleansing diets can be a good thing if they’re handled correctly and you’re prepared for all of the potential side effects. Take the time to research, and visit your doctor before you make a decision.

Cleansing Diets: The Good

Jim Katsoulis — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 02:41:31 +0000

Cleansing or detoxification diets are becoming increasingly popular. The diets operate under the assumption that toxins from food preservatives, pesticides and our body’s own natural waste are stored in our bodies, and that the right combination of food or elimination of food can eliminate these toxins from our bodies to give us a clean start. Here are some of the pros of cleansing diets. Check out part 2 to learn about the cons.
Pros:
1. Cleansed palate. One of the most interesting but less thought of pros of a cleansing diet is the fact that when you don’t eat any processed foods for several days or weeks, you lose your taste for them. Many cleansing diets require you to only drink teas or juices. When you’ve finished with the diet, you no longer crave the processed foods you once did. Twinkies and fast food burgers are no longer appealing.
2. Cleaned out toxins. While this isn’t scientifically proven, many believe that toxins are indeed cleaned out of your body when you go on a cleansing diet. If this is true, then this is certainly a significant benefit to your overall health.
3. Temporary weight loss. Most cleansing diets result in weight loss. The weight loss varies by type of diet and duration; a two day fast will not result in as much weight loss as you might imagine. If you plan on incorporating very healthy eating habits after your cleansing diet is complete, then you may be able to maintain the weight loss. However, the majority of weight loss will not be permanent. Some people choose to go on a cleansing diet right before an important event where they want to look particularly good, like a class reunion.
4. More energy. The majority of people who are fans of cleansing diets will tell you that one of the major benefits of a cleansing diet is the increase in energy you feel. This increase in energy can occur both during the diet and after the diet is completed.

Don’t Watch This Video if You’re Dieting

Jim Katsoulis — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:18:04 +0000

Find out how your mind works and discover that will power is no match for your imagination.
[youtube ivc2FBtVnoQ]

What’s In It? Spray-On Cheese

Jim Katsoulis — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 18:05:53 +0000

It’s perfect on a cracker. Almost too perfect. Explore the secrets of one of the world’s most unnatural foods.

• Whey: The cheese-making process removes 80 to 90 percent of milk’s moisture, some of which is in the form of liquidy whey proteins. This byproduct is usually thrown out, but Kraft plows it back into Easy Cheese to increase volume (filler!) – and passes the savings along to you.

• Sodium citrate: The sodium in this compound exchanges ions with the calcium in the milk and “softens” the water-soluble portion of the cheese, enabling it to mix thoroughly with the fat-soluble component. That’s called emulsification. The citric acid-derived citrate boosts the sour “bite” of cheddar.

• Sodium phosphate: Degreaser, preservative, urine acidifier, enema ingredient – is there anything Na₃PO₄ can’t do? Here, it’s another emulsifying agent. Proponents of natural cheese cited this additive when lobbying to have Kraft’s products regulated as “embalmed cheese.” The Feds settled on the less-mortifying “process cheese.”

• Calcium phosphate: Sodium phosphate tends to make calcium unavailable to the body. So it’s possible that calcium phosphate has to be added to make Easy Cheese healthier. It also makes it legal for Kraft to label every can “an excellent source of calcium.”

• Sodium alginate: Every good processed food has seaweed extract, and Easy Cheese is no exception. Alginate, a gum found in the cell walls of brown algae, is flavorless but increases viscosity.

• Apocarotenal: This yellow-orange pigment, found in spinach and citrus fruits, enhances the color of processed cheese.

– Patrick Di Justo
Wired Magazine Issue 14:10