ThirstCast

Stop Binge Eating for Good: The key Understanding you need | ThirstCast

• Dennis Tzatzos

Share episode

We're going over the key understanding you need to break the cycle of binge eating and weight gain.

If you're struggling with binge eating and weight gain, then you need to watch this video! We're going to share with you the key understanding you need to break the cycle of binge eating and weight gain, and help you get on the path to sustainable change.

 Join our FREE community and get access to courses and programs
⚡️Supercharge: https://bit.ly/3vj2RN9


0:00 Intro
01:02 Fitness background
03:38 Advice I'd give to my younger self
08:42 At the peak of having 6-pack
12:54 Binge eating habits
16:28 Understanding the root cause
20:25 Intermittent fasting
22:36 The 10-minute walk technique
23:33 Tips for overcoming hunger
26:19 Tips for Before and After sleep
27:36 HIIT Exercises
28:09 LISS Exercise
32:00 Seeking Professional Help
32:56 Online Fitness Apps
33:56 Why consistency is key
36:20 Why men feel intimidated at the gym


You can also support us through these links:

https://www.youtube.com/ @ThirstCastofficial_  
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialThirstCast
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/thirstcast_/

Support the show

Speaker 1:

I've implemented that in my daily life and I know that it works.

Speaker 2:

Welcome back to another episode of Theskast. Everybody, today I'm joining my beautiful sister again, so welcome. How was your day? Thank, you.

Speaker 1:

Well, I've been to the gym in the morning. Then I had a bit of a browse in town Is it was a nice day in the morning before the rain came.

Speaker 2:

But that's a typical weather in the UK, isn't it? It is. It's one of the things I really am not a very big fan of. I cannot miss. The weather in Greece every time Year round is like 30 plus degrees, Sunny most of the time.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, you know when it's clouding, it's going to rain, and that's it. You know what to expect.

Speaker 2:

But in England, as you may know, you never know what to expect. You cross the road, it rains, you cross them again, it's just a topical cloud. It's so good. Clouds. Yeah, I'm very much of a gym guy myself. I've been working out about 10 years now, maybe even more. I can't remember for sure, could be lying to you. How many years have you been training for?

Speaker 1:

I've been training since 16, probably so it's a long time ago. Nearly 15 years.

Speaker 2:

OK, what's one piece of advice that you can give to your younger self If you were just about to start out working out?

Speaker 1:

I'll start a little bit with my background to begin with. So on my well, teenagerish years I've tried the bodybuilding. When I tried that, the main reason why it was because I constantly had bloating and I wanted like more in depth to find out maybe my diet was something wrong with my diet or what I was doing. So because my friend was like a bodybuilder. So we got on that route and back on then they would say, like regular, when you eating regularly you shouldn't really have the hunger or be bloated, high in protein. So I got into that and see if that worked for me. By that experience it was all right, but honestly, every four hours sitting it was just a pain. It was a good, it was fun. Yeah, and I go to like low fat percentage. You know, for a female it's quite hard to achieve because of our hormones and everything else. It was a very good experience, but I don't think that was that was. That wasn't for me really. But I've tried it, I give it a go and it was. The results was absolutely stunning. The results were up there. And then after that I was doing kickboxing at the same time. So kind of like if you growing up with muscle wise and boxing is high density, so you kind of like you have to lose some weight to be quicker, so I was in the middle of, like my coach, you have to lose weight. Bodybuilding.

Speaker 2:

You have to gain weight, you go for it. Ok, that's. That's entirely two different sports.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

And because I've tried some MMA kickboxing before, which I absolutely love. You can't maintain both, if I'm honest, for the obvious reasons. Coming back to my question, so if you were to just about starting out, walking out, what would be one piece of advice that you give to your younger self?

Speaker 1:

Learn, adjust Expose.

Speaker 2:

That's very vague OK.

Speaker 1:

And taking all the information that you can find out there and see what works in your body.

Speaker 2:

OK, that's interesting.

Speaker 1:

Why I am saying that? Because with the experience that I have now, if I knew it back on then and we have done it Long time ago- OK. Because I didn't know how to use the Internet when I was like 20, like I know now that I am 30. And of course, my knowledge it wasn't as good. And 10 years ago of course, we were in that forward with like equipment, with with the Internet and how you can take advantage of it and the things that we see nowadays.

Speaker 2:

I absolutely agree with that because you can find all that information on what you need to, when do you need to start on? Everything online. But I understand it can be very overwhelming if you're just starting out, if you don't know what you're doing. And funny thing is that I met a guy a couple of weeks ago he was around his 20s no entire show and he woke up to me and he said to me I was working out. And he said to me I like the way that you're working out. I can see that you've been working out here for for a while now. Can you help me, like, do back exercises? And I was really happy about that because he sort of gave me that experience of teaching someone something that I know. I'm not saying I'm the best out there or have the best physique out there, but just that moment was very unique. If I had to just start out at the gym, it's very challenging because it's very competing environment. Everybody goes there for the salt pebbles of Luke big and strong and shredded I get that. But if you're just starting out, you need to understand the basics Absolutely and you need to allow your body to give your body more time to adjust in that environment lifting weights. I was working out with the body of mine and he haven't been lifting weights for a couple of years now. He started with me and he said to me dude, I want to. My goal is to lift as much as I can. I have this goal now and I know how this is. Especially in the beginning, it's a new feeling.

Speaker 1:

You want to be pumped. You won't be in 24 hours you wanna.

Speaker 2:

You wanna look yourself after the session and say, yes, I've done something, but unfortunately it takes. Time is one of those things. You can just take the pill and Overnight.

Speaker 1:

You the guy you need to be patient with yourself and then just it will take some time to see the results.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and then this is what I said to him. I said take some time to understand the techniques, the movement, the, the tempo of the exercise with lot weight, with low weights, before you, even you know, start lifting heavy weights. Because chances are you gonna injure yourself before you even get to where you want to be. And and then, once your body feels that the weights you know you've been lifting, rok, and you can take a little bit more, then you are done. What I that? What I do, it might be a little bit different because if you've been working out for a number of years, then obviously your body recovers a little bit quicker. I like to check on the weight every week. So every week if I'm, if I'm lifting on the bar bear like 60 kilos, then every week, if my aim is to do more, then I'll try out another 2.5, another five, you know Whatever it takes. And I think that's that's where you begin.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, but it's good to know and set up your goals when you know when do you want to go and the achievements that you want. And that's when you have a diary and you you check your improvement every week for sure that come back to Two years ago.

Speaker 2:

I was really on on my diet. I managed to get shredded Not absolutely insane shredded but I've been the most ready I've ever been in my life.

Speaker 1:

So you need, how he did, have a six pack.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it was. It was six pack by always had that extra fat on On the lower abs and my and my chest, because I always I have more developed chest, I guess, and I keep more fatter around there. But coming back to the diet, this is what I've been. The point I wanted to make is is very critical to be able to stick on your diet and have a diet if you have a goal and I'm gonna expose myself, I'm knowing the best shape, as you can probably tell, I'm not where I was two years ago having the six pack. I Understand the journey, but when I was there at that point of having the six pack, I didn't have a vision, I didn't have a new challenge and Then I started crawling down to my butt habits. Then here I am today. Now I'm trying to change this again. If you, if you don't have those goals and ambitions and the determination to keep the up there, you always have that curve in in your diet and everything that you do.

Speaker 1:

It's kind of like you need to go in a kind of an in a habit. I am slightly the opposite than you. I always set up goals and I always set up challenges for myself and I'm not getting into bad habits, because I've never had bad habits before. I was never into like fast food or junk food. I Always quite good, although I have a sweet tooth, I get that. So my points are over there and the thing that I tried and it was Around it was during COVID. Well, three years ago, the most challenging Diet. I wanted to try the keto diet, so I gave it a go and at that point I was in the community that they were doing the same thing, because I didn't know much about it. And you have to be very careful when, especially when you first start and get into a keto diet, because you reduce, you only work with the good fats, you have no carbs and all the carbs are coming from the good fats. I have to say that was the best thing I've ever done in my life.

Speaker 2:

That's interesting. Yeah we heard of the, the diet that you eat only meat carnal, what's it called?

Speaker 1:

Carnival diet yeah.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I think it's either twice a day or any meals that you have throughout the day is purely meat, nothing else.

Speaker 1:

Well, it's not only just meat they have. They have Some cheese and some some fruits as well, but yeah, it's based on, yeah, meat and like cheese and things like that. I'm not, yeah, that I believe, though, that's a good diet. Yeah, but in long term, I don't think you can maintain that, for we have to think that for a month's perspective, some things were different For a women's perspective, because we have all the hormones that they get.

Speaker 2:

It's different as well. It is different.

Speaker 1:

Again, I would prefer the keto diet. My opinion, that's what my body felt better. I always feel better when I don't have carbs like bread, rice potatoes. It is a good when you have a balance in your diet Absolutely Everything you know moderate. However, when we get to bad habits, like those cravings and then like yeah, exactly. And then you get on the loop that you. That is the thing.

Speaker 2:

I can speak from experience. Sometimes you get that edge to grow back to your bad habits and be eating all the time, especially if you're working from home. If your working environment is home, then you don't really move around. I've been working from home for the last year and you know you don't move around. I've now started to do something different. Either if you can change your work environment, if you're one of those people who can, you know, work remotely, I would try and go somewhere else, maybe in the library. Work in the library a couple of hours depends on if your job allows that.

Speaker 1:

Away from the fridge.

Speaker 2:

Away from the house because you don't really have any other movement. It's so much better than being out or just staying all day home. It's good that going to the gym, for me, is one of my identities. What do I mean by this? I've read this book called Good Habits About Habits and how you Can Overcome your Bad Habits, and one of the things that it mentions is you need to find whatever you do, you need to assign that to a feeling, to an emotion, and the more that you do it, it becomes one of your many identities. And I guess this is very true for me, because I've been going to the gym forever by myself. I never really needed a reason to go, I just went yeah. Nothing else, nothing more.

Speaker 1:

You make it part of your life. You don't make it look like you need to make an effort. It's the mindset that some people are struggling with.

Speaker 2:

But this is for everything.

Speaker 1:

It's not just about going to the gym, no, no, it's for everything. Yeah.

Speaker 2:

This applies to everything that you do in your life. Yeah, not just the end goal, but how you actually taking that information and applying that to yourself. Because a lot of people would count on motivation and they say I don't feel motivated going to the gym, I don't feel motivated running my business. Just an example For me it's just another day, it doesn't make any difference. So I can't exactly tell you step by step what I did to obtain that, because it just became a normal thing in my life, it just happened.

Speaker 1:

No, that's the thing, that's the key. You make it part of your normal life. The same with the dieting part of you, the same with working out, movement, or even if you go for a walk, some activity out there, part of your life, so it doesn't feel that I need to make an effort for it.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I get that Some people actually. They have the root cause. Sometimes it can be emotional stress. Sometimes we say I'm just having a very bad day, I work my personal life, whatever I'm just going to do it take away. I've done it so many times. There's nothing wrong of doing that, as long as you can control it, acknowledge it and try to change what you did. So if you go into the gym and if you still go into the gym and you're still working out, I think it's fine if you have a take away once in a while. But if this happens, if this is a habit, then obviously it's not something good, cause it takes a lot of into your mental health as well. So emotions when you become, if you're obese or overweight, it's a lot of things. Physicality as well. You don't have the same stamina and the older that you get, it gets more difficult. You may get some sort of health issues out of this as well.

Speaker 1:

But if someone gets one of those days that you're like emotionally overwhelmed or stressed, it's fine. Don't fight it. Feel your emotions, it's okay. You want to have a day that you like. You want to have sweets, you want to have take away, you want to have junk food, you want to have the food that you like.

Speaker 2:

Just, do it.

Speaker 1:

But not every day.

Speaker 2:

It's easier said than done. I'm going to disagree with you in one part on what you said. You said it's fine, you can do that, you don't have to fight it. For me, it's not just you just you fighting something, it's also the your environment helping you fight whatever it is. Tell your story. When I was maybe 10 or even younger, I was a little, you know, small little kid, fat little kid, but I was bullied in that good way of being called fat, and then I had to take action and I believe, in some sort of form, some pulling in your life is required, not in the bad way of me just taking out of you because you look in a particular way, but I believe you need those people in your life to challenge you. That's how I see it. I see it as a challenge. Someone's challenged me and it's down to you to change that.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, what I meant was, you know, we all all of us we have good and bad days and some like, and one day is okay to feel just your emotions and then just relax and then have something naughty, if you want to name it. My point is don't make that a regular habit in your regular life. Now, as I said, I have a sweet tooth, so I'm not into junk food and things like that, but I am very much you need to. I have a routine in my life that helps me. When you stick to your routine, you sleep, try to sleep enough, eat the same time, sleep the same time. I know it sounds boring, but then your body gets in a regular schedule and it works better. I very much believe on intermediate fasting, and so I try to eat within the window between 12 and 7. For some people works. For some other people they might like mainly women they might require some breakfast as well. So for me it works two meals per day. For other people might work three meals per day, but you need to give that resting time. So automatically, when you're fasting early in the morning and late in the evening, then you have enough time for your digestion system to work normally and better, and then that becomes part of your regular things.

Speaker 2:

That you do in your life. Does that only apply for women? Because they can eat less?

Speaker 1:

Why I'm saying that is because the blood sugar spikes differently in different groups and normally more females tend to need breakfast instead of the man because of our hormones. So it's all about the blood sugar spikes and the glucose and the glucogen. That's how you can last longer on your fasting.

Speaker 2:

Okay, that's very interesting. One of the points that you make is that it's better to do fasting, and I'm very much into that because, let's say, if you want to eat something late night, I believe that it's much better either go for a walk, for a mini walk, or just slip it off, rather than just eating something, because whatever you eat at a specific time and after, it's gonna be stored in your belly or whatever your body keeps all the fats and there will be. You need to walk it out the next day, I guess. Another thing is that I've recently added to my routine every time I'll have my lunch or my dinner, I'll go for a walk instead of just sitting on the couch and do what we do my work, because that allows my body to, I guess, increase the metabolism of the. Yeah, and it also helps you with your craves as well, because it's just your mind playing games, and one of the things I've read somewhere is you need to listen to your body and in and actually see if you actually if you are hungry, because most of the time we actually are not hungry. We're telling ourselves that we are hungry and we convince ourselves that we are hungry actually I.

Speaker 1:

I have a tip for that. Okay, when we feel hungry, people forget that 80% of our body's water we need salt. If you add a pinch of salt in your water Himalayan salt or Celtic salt, which is a great salt just a little bit into your water and drink, your hunger will go away okay because we don't have enough salt in our body and not enough water, why we have to add the salt for the water to get absorbed into actually our body, not to pit it off does that apply for some food as well, or is just? No that is a general.

Speaker 2:

Thing okay yeah, you will remember me, okay, that's, that's very interesting, because I didn't know about this and until you told me and when you craving something sweet, because when we craving something sweet, our body needs something sour.

Speaker 1:

So have a sip of a, have a sip from a lemon okay, and then I've never actually.

Speaker 2:

I've never actually thought about this and I think that is very good to know, because if you're trying to improve and you know I've implemented that in my daily life and I know that it works.

Speaker 1:

That's why I recommend it to people. I wouldn't recommend something that I haven't tried in myself and see the results from it, but there are lots of studies that I've recently read through that they do say that we are actually, even though we we're we're drinking water, it doesn't go into our body, because how many times you're gonna sweat? How many times, whatever you're gonna drink, you're gonna go and have a wee. Yeah, right, so our body is been made with water 80%, if you think. 80% is a lot of water that it has to be replaced daily and that's why we add a pinch of salt so it can be absorbed better.

Speaker 2:

About our body one of the other techniques that allowed me to drop around I think it was around 13 14% body fat at the time was I always have a glass of cold water with a drop of lemon juice first thing in the morning, before you eat breakfast, before you do anything at all, and then I'll have a glass of warm water with drop of lemon juice as well, the last thing in in the night, because that will allow my metabolism to work faster during my fasting period as I sleep through it, and thus that's just a little cheat cause you can lose weight. It's one of the things, but you also need movement. The other things I do for movement. I'll try to maintain at least 10k steps a day, seven days a week, and then on my in my normal routine I'll have. Now what I'm following through is I'll do one day of heat exercises, and heat exercises for those, for those who are not aware of is just a way to have your cardio in less time. So I let's let's put an example that you do high intensity, high high intensity training. Yes, let's say I'll do. I'll do a treadmill. I'll do treadmill for 10 minutes, I'll do some warm up first and I'll do on and off, a minute full on, 100%, and maybe 15, 20 seconds completely stop and then I'll pre the process, the process 10 times, and you can do this on multiple machines, different machines, pretty much following the same strategy. And one of the other days I'll do lease, which is quite the opposite. So same example. On the treadmill, all I do is just walk for 30 minutes on uphill and then that's pretty much all I do. For cardio, I'm not very big fan of doing cardio just because you don't really lose weight on doing just purely cardio. It's better to lift heavy weights and just do the 10,000 steps every single day. You lose more of your body fat than the night. You will lose weight just to doing cardio. What do you say?

Speaker 1:

depends on your goals and what kind of like exercises you like to do, because some people they do like running but some people they hate running. So you kind of like you are just the training on what you like. So if I like running, then I can implement my workouts around what I like. Now I do like being outdoors when the weather is nice, but I do for me. My conclusion after 15 years working out I like functioning training which is a variation, with body weight implementing animal flow, kettlebell variation and high intensity. Not necessarily I have to do cardio at the end or outdoors. It is a good to have a variation in your training so you don't get bored, but automatically you need to enjoy what you're doing so you can turn up every day for it.

Speaker 2:

For sure your workouts. I've seen your workouts. I'm not massively impressed with that sort of type of exercises as home because it's just not me.

Speaker 1:

Some people like bodybuilding. It really isn't.

Speaker 2:

I've tried pretty much a lot of exercises whatever exercise that are there.

Speaker 1:

Don't get me wrong, I do muscle weak as well.

Speaker 2:

But if I had to choose a program, then my goals would be set under Maybe bodybuilding more likely, but it depends on what I'm focusing on more. Exactly so if I'm focusing legs, maybe I'll do two or three times a week legs, and if I'm focusing on upper, I'll do something later on.

Speaker 1:

As I said, you need to try different kind of variations in training and decide what you like. You prefer the bodybuilding style. I've tried the bodybuilding style in the past and I just don't prefer it anymore. I like to be a little bit more flexible, a bit faster, a bit quicker, like high intensity cardio. Because of the high intensity and the high rate, sky high. I prefer this kind of variations. Don't get me wrong. Everything is good. Your style is good, my style is good. As long as you achieve the goals that you set for yourself, that's absolutely fine Either way, or you still have a movement, some people. That's why it's good to have the 10K steps as a minimum, so people can keep on moving outside as well.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I agree. Do you think it's better if they reach out to a professional, maybe if they have an eating disorder, like a therapist or a therapist around that profession, or even a dietician?

Speaker 1:

I believe that if there's any health background, absolutely you need to reach out to a specialist. Is that a dietician? Is that a doctor? That they need to take care of your health when you don't know about how you have to work out, how to use the equipment. I believe, to be safe, you should have an instructor and a dietician on the side as well.

Speaker 2:

Because a lot of things nowadays are online. I have a nap on the phone, I go on the app see the exercise, I do the exercise, and I think this is pretty much the majority of people nowadays they just have a nap or they see something on YouTube, they go on YouTube, Okay, and then I say, oh, I'm going to try this exercise.

Speaker 1:

My only issue with that is who is checking on your performance? Who is checking if you're doing the exercise correctly? You can watch a video or you can have a nap that's absolutely fine, but when you're on the first steps, you really need to have an instructor next to you so they can improve your body position, because they need to check that you are performing well, mainly that. Then, when you get to the stage there, you're quite happy and you're confident in your exercise and everything else. Then go ahead, use the apps, use the YouTube, everything else.

Speaker 2:

A little side quest. I would even recommend for people who are just starting out or walking out to even just go to the gym Without even doing much. Just turn up. That would be the very first advice I would give to someone. Just turn up for the first month. Don't focus on diets. Don't focus on what is the best workout to do the best to have that maximum output of that. Just turn up, because you need to be able to be consistent on that. Once you unlock that achievement, then you level up and then you move towards the next goal. You can even start with your own body. Do body workouts, body weight workouts, at home. Once your body gets used to that, you can go to the gym. Do the same steps. Then, just with time, you lift more.

Speaker 1:

I know there are a lot of people out there that are feeling uncomfortable to start something. Or uncomfortable to be in an environment that they've never been before. They feel a little bit awkward about I don't know what to do. I had a lot of friends reaching out to me and say can you make me a program or can you show me a few exercises? I don't know what I'm doing. It's the first day I'm going to the gym and I have no clue whatsoever. It's good to have somebody experience, like myself, for example, or somebody or a personal trainer that they can show you a few things. And then it takes the stress and that uncomfortably feeling that you have on a new environment. But, as you said, it's very important to turn up, even if you start from home. You do some body weight style, a little bit of running, a little bit of cardio, a few steps outside, and then slowly you get your confidence back.

Speaker 2:

For sure, and for a lot of people just going to the gym, just purely going to the gym. Just I've seen it myself and some people feel so way off, out of their comfort zone. Because, they're exposed now into this environment with so many other people looking in a particular way, and they say the immediate thoughts that you have in your mind is that I'm not looking as good as this guy looks like. And I think for a lot of young guys this is the first thing that they see and they're getting intimidated by. And then they say, no, this is not for me.

Speaker 1:

But I would say something your ego is not your amigo.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, for sure it's easier to say than done. We can sit here and argue, but it takes time for someone to accept that and move on.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, because that's a lot of inner work as well, with yourself, to build that confidence and be no, I'm going to go out there, I'm going to go to the gym and I'm going to do it for myself.

Speaker 2:

And.

Speaker 1:

I don't care about if other people looking, and I don't care about others. The only person that I care is about myself.

Speaker 2:

Okay, that's very interesting. So, to wrap up things, we said quite a lot of things now. We covered a lot of things about diets, a lot of things about workouts, what I do, what you do, your background a little bit. I think we have like a general idea now as to how we can move forward. So it's been a pleasure, like always. Thank you. Hope we can catch up the next episode. You never know, or maybe it's a different guest this time, so stay tuned and we'll see you next time.