How a Mindset Change Helped One Man Lose 40 Pounds

Glenn’s Story

One of the things I find most rewarding is watching people achieve results simply from a mindset shift. I’ve never met Glenn but knew he had the ability to inspire others since he has anchored what I believe is one of the most important nutrition lessons for success. This lesson is acknowledging that you can eat anything, just not everything and that the secret to success is being intentional about your choices. I asked Glenn if he would share some thoughts so that he could inspire others to think differently. Here is his story…

Glenn’s Story

I’ve struggled with weight my whole life, and have tried diet after diet. Daily you can read how one food that was once good for you, is now bad for you. Or you should stay away from this or that. I’ve never found anything I could actually stick with, and nothing I was doing really seemed to be working.

Work offered a Webinar called Energized! Healthy, Productive Energy. I didn’t really know what it was about, but decided to sign up, as I thought I could use some energy in my life. It was hosted by Andrea Holwegner, the chocoholic dietitian. I really didn’t know what to think about that when I heard it, but hey, I love chocolate, so let’s see what she has to say. I’ve been to dieticians before, and to be honest, people are people, and have their own opinions about things. Everyone can tell you something different. One thing I can say about this dietitian is what she said made sense. For example, I never thought of carbs being brain power, as all you hear is how bad carbs are for you these days. It was a different way of looking at something. I began to look at how I was eating.

I realized first that I wasn’t eating enough for breakfast. Second, I’m a person who loves a sandwich, and now I don’t have to give up my lunch and replace it, just need to look at what I’m having with that bread. Third was supper. This was hard. I’ve been shown what portion sizes are before, and never really been able to deal with actually trying to eat like that. After listening to Andrea, I was encouraged that I did not have to give up anything. My problem wasn’t exactly what I was eating (but yes, sometimes it was) but how much I was eating.

Today’s society shows everything bigger, and your mind really takes it in as this is ok. I use a strange example of McDonald’s, but it kind of makes sense as well. When I was a kid, you see the McDonald’s Quarter Pounder, and it was huge, so you thought. By today’s standards, it’s tiny. Why is this? Our bodies haven’t changed, why is this not enough? Although I would only eat one burger like this when I was out, at home, I’d always cook two. I had to change my mind. I had to relearn, I can still eat the burger, I just don’t need either two burgers, or the biggest one. After supper, I usually like something sweet, and again not giving anything up, I usually have a small bit of something. Yes, even a little chocolate (Thanks, Andrea!). Night times are the worst and I try not to eat past 8:00pm. If I’m going to reach for something, it’s usually popcorn. It fills the gap, and doesn’t really contain much.

Andrea helped change my mind about the way I was eating, making me think about things. I didn’t want to give things up, as I don’t think that really works. I see people having a “cheat day”, and I don’t really understand it. You spend all week giving up everything you enjoy, just to wait for one day, and decide to have them all. It’s the old two steps forward, three back. I don’t give up anything, I now realize I don’t need to eat a full cake on a cheat day, but I can have a small piece during the week if I want it.

One thing I really hate is when people say, “If I can do it, you can do it.” No two people are alike. What works for one doesn’t always work for another. There are so many factors that are involved in how one thing works for one, but can’t work for another. For me, it was about being in the proper mindset. I’ve still got a long way to go, but it’s a start. I’ve noticed one thing, I’ve failed many times as I got discouraged at the numbers on the scale. I still get discouraged now sometimes, but I’ve had to teach my mind not to worry about the number on the scale too much, but to help me learn. And I haven’t given myself a goal. I know that sounds strange, but I think if I don’t get to that goal, I’ll fail. If I don’t have a goal in the first place, I can just keep going and celebrate what’s happening in the now.

Glenn DuHart