In this episode, I’m coming from a place of real concern. Recently, I’ve had a few patients who have brought to my attention that weight loss is not always beneficial – and when done without proper support and guidance, can in fact be detrimental. These are patients who have been referred to me by other providers to assume care for their obesity treatment, when they come to me, I often find their health is compromised—they’re lacking in essential nutrients, aren’t taking necessary vitamins, and have likely lost a significant amount of muscle. This isn’t the kind of weight loss we want to see, and today I want to dive into why guidance and balanced nutrition are so critical on this journey.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Why the Scale Isn’t the Whole Story
2. Understanding Sarcopenia and Its Risks
3. Risks of Severe Caloric Restriction
4. Nutritional Deficits and Health Impacts
5. Healthy Weight Loss Strategies

Not all weight loss is beneficial, especially when muscle loss and nutrient deficiencies come into play. GLP-1 medications, bariatric surgery, and calorie restriction can be useful tools but must be paired with lifestyle changes that support muscle retention and nutrient adequacy. The ultimate goal is optimal health, not just a shrinking scale.

Thank you for tuning in! If you found today’s episode helpful, please share it with someone who might need to hear this message. Remember, weight loss that preserves muscle and provides adequate nutrition is the key to long-term health.

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Recover Strong for Binge Eating - https://www.sashahighmd.com/bed

Ontario OHIP-covered Obesity Medicine https://www.highmetabolicclinic.com

In today’s episode, we’re exploring how the concept of your future self can be a powerful tool when it comes to making mindful health choices. I teach you a tool that involves using your future self to guide your decisions, whether it's reaching for a sugary snack mid-afternoon or debating whether to do your planned workout. We explore three scenarios where Future Self Decision Making can be applied:

1. To encourage you to do physical activity
2. To guide food choices
3. To navigate high risk environments

I also give a little race recap and some insights from my recent 3-race series Run the Hammer.

Take a listen to learn more about how to use this approach in your daily life and start making health choices that truly align with how you want to feel.

Remember: Your future self can be a valuable guide for making decisions that support your health and well-being. Tune in now to hear how this mindset shift can make a difference in your health goals!

Weight gain during menopause is common - but not inevitable. Menopause is a time of change in our bodies, AND it’s an opportunity for acceptance of and adaptation to that change.

Dr. High was recently invited to speak at Canada’s first National Menopause Show. Today’s episode is a modified version of the talk she gave to the 3000-woman audience at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. She covers:

• Nutrition recommendations in menopause
• Physical activity recommendation: Lifting heavy, and moderate aerobic activity
• Mindset shifts to help sustain healthy behaviours
• Menopause Hormone Therapy (MHT) – does it help?
• Obesity medications like GLP1 meds in menopausal weight gain

You CAN take control of your health during menopause. It takes being intentional but your body is deserving of care. You are deserving of making your self-care a priority!

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The Ms. FIT study is looking for women who are not currently physical active to participate in different forms of exercise with instructor support with or without a diet program with dietitian support for 6 months. This study is being federally funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The study is being conducted by University of Toronto Professors Drs. Amy Kirkham and Jenna Gillen, who study the use of diet and exercise to improve women’s health.

Are You Eligible?

In addition to being female, 30 years of age or older, being able to travel to the University of Toronto once per week for up to 24 weeks, you must meet the following criteria to participate:

- Be EITHER pre-menopausal (i.e., having regular menstrual cycles) and not pregnant or breastfeeding OR be postmenopausal (e.g., 12 months or greater without your menstrual cycle)

- Not currently on hormonal contraceptive or hormone replacement therapy

Learn more HERE: https://kpe.utoronto.ca/join-ms-fit

In today’s episode, Dr. Sasha High dives into a powerful mindset barrier in weight loss: fighting reality. If you’ve ever found yourself thinking, “It’s not fair that I have to work so hard,” or “I shouldn’t have to track what I eat,” this episode is for you. Dr. High explains how these thoughts may feel justified but are actually holding you back. She discusses how accepting reality, instead of resisting it, can pave the way to real progress in your health journey.

Key Takeaways:

1. Resisting Reality Creates Emotional Suffering
2. • Fighting against the facts of your situation leads to frustration, resentment, and sometimes anger. This emotional resistance drains your energy and makes it harder to stay motivated on your weight loss journey.
3. Fighting Reality Leads to Inaction
4. • When you focus on the unfairness or difficulty of your circumstances, it’s easy to give up. This mindset makes you feel like your efforts are futile, keeping you from taking the steps that will actually move you forward.
5. Ignoring the Power of Acceptance
6. • Acceptance doesn’t mean you have to like your situation; it just means you stop resisting it. Accepting reality allows you to focus on actions within your control instead of wishing things were different.

Practical Strategies to Move Forward:

1. Acknowledge What’s Within Your Control
2. • Identify the habits and responses that are in your hands, rather than wasting energy on aspects you can’t change.
3. Reframe Your Thoughts
4. • Shift your language from “I shouldn’t have to…” to “I choose to… for my health.” This reframe puts you in control and helps you own your actions.
5. Practice Radical Acceptance
6. • Accept your reality without judgment. Radical acceptance frees up energy to focus on actionable steps instead of resisting what is.
7. Focus on What’s Working
8. • Instead of dwelling on what’s unfair, celebrate small wins and focus on the progress you’re making. These positive steps forward will keep you motivated.

Fighting reality will only hold you back. Accepting your situation allows you to focus on what you can control and take meaningful actions that lead to progress. Embrace your reality, stay empowered, and keep moving forward.

FOLLOW SASHA

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sashahighmd/

Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@sashahighmd

WORK WITH ME

Join my Weight Loss Coaching Program for women, Best Weight https://www.sashahighmd.com/bestweight

Recover Strong for Binge Eating - https://www.sashahighmd.com/bed

Ontario OHIP-covered Obesity Medicine https://www.highmetabolicclinic.com

In today’s episode of High on Life, Dr. Sasha High continues her series on self-sabotage in weight loss, focusing specifically on limiting beliefs. These are the thoughts and stories we tell ourselves that hold us back and keep us stuck in patterns that sabotage our health and weight loss goals. Dr. High discusses common limiting beliefs, such as “I’ll never lose weight,” “It’s too hard for me,” and even situational beliefs like “Vegas is Vegas.” She explains how these automatic, often subconscious thoughts shape our actions and outcomes.

Key Takeaways:

1. Your Thoughts Shape Your Reality: If you believe weight loss is too hard, it will be. By questioning your limiting beliefs, you can start to make changes that align with your goals.
2. Thoughts Are Not Facts: Recognizing that thoughts are just beliefs we’ve internalized opens up the possibility for change.
3. Thought Dump Exercise: A practical exercise where listeners can write down all their thoughts on a topic, identify the most painful or limiting thought, and then question it to open up new, empowering beliefs.
4. The Power of Small Actions: You don’t need to be overly positive; you just need enough resilience to take the next small step.
5. Questioning Limiting Beliefs: Asking yourself questions like “Is this true?” and “What else could be true?” can lead to new perspectives and better choices.

Resources:

• Best Weight Program: If you’re ready to take charge of your weight loss journey and feel mindset is a barrier, consider joining Dr. Sasha High’s Best Weight program. This program uses cognitive reframing to help reshape your thoughts, habits, and approach to weight loss, creating a sustainable, healthy lifestyle. Learn more at www.sashahighmd.com/bestweight.

Follow Dr. Sasha High:

• Website: www.sashahighmd.com
• Instagram: @sashahighmd

• Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@sashahighmd

WORK WITH ME

Join my Weight Loss Coaching Program for women, Best Weight https://www.sashahighmd.com/bestweight

Recover Strong for Binge Eating - https://www.sashahighmd.com/bed

Ontario OHIP-covered Obesity Medicine https://www.highmetabolicclinic.com

Today we’re continuing my series on self-sabotage in weight loss and we are focusing on perfectionism another word for this is all-or-nothing thinking.

Perfectionism inhibits forward progress, and perfectionism is the enemy of consistency. When it comes to weight loss, trying to “get it right” may be holding you back in ways you haven’t even realized.

Here’s what it can sound like:

• “Now’s not a good time to start losing weight, I’m too busy, I have too much going on.”
• “I screwed up already today. I may as well just keep eating and start over tomorrow morning.”
• “This week has been a bust. I’ll start over on Monday with a clean slate.”
• “There are too many celebrations in December, I’ll start in January.”
• “There are too many vacations and social events over the summer, I’ll start in September.”

Can you see the theme here? Perfectionism leads to procrastination and misleads you into believing there will be a better time to re-start.

On today’s episode I’ll share some tools to help you overcome perfectionism, including:

• Next Best Choice
• Self-Compassion
• Psychological Flexibility
• Habit Focus

Remember, you don’t need to wait for the perfect time to start focusing on your health. Starting with today’s Next Best Choice is 100% better than not bothering until some indeterminate time in the future!

My favourite electrolyte drink right now – mix with lime flavoured sparkling water!

https://amzn.to/3NvGd9P

FOLLOW SASHA

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sashahighmd/

Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@sashahighmd

WORK WITH ME

Join my Weight Loss Coaching Program for women, Best Weight https://www.sashahighmd.com/bestweight

Recover Strong for Binge Eating - https://www.sashahighmd.com/bed

Ontario OHIP-covered Obesity Medicine https://www.highmetabolicclinic.com

Today is episode 2 of the self-sabotage in weight loss series. We are talking about COMPARISON.

Comparison is something we all fall into at some point, right? Maybe you’re scrolling through Instagram, seeing transformation photos, or hearing about how someone dropped 10 pounds in a month, and suddenly, you start feeling like you’re doing something wrong. Sound familiar?

Today we talk about why comparison is so harmful, especially when it comes to your weight loss efforts, and how you can shift your focus back to your personal journey.

I see comparison show up in 2 forms:

• It’s not fair (other people don’t struggle)
• I’m not losing fast enough! (everyone else is losing faster)

Remember that your journey is your own. No one else has your exact circumstances, your body, or your life. Focus on your own progress, even if it’s slow. Progress is still progress, and it’s unique to you.

Another person’s actions don’t need to impact your choices.

And likewise, someone else’s progresses neither diminishes nor accelerates your own.

Until next time, stay focused on your progress, not perfection. You’ve got this!

National Menopause Show

https://nationalmenopauseshow.com/
Date: October 26, 2024
Location: Metro Toronto Convention Centre
Promo Code: SashaLS15 for 15% off live-stream tickets

FOLLOW SASHA

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sashahighmd/

Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@sashahighmd

WORK WITH ME

Join my Weight Loss Coaching Program for women, Best Weight https://www.sashahighmd.com/bestweight

Recover Strong for Binge Eating - https://www.sashahighmd.com/bed

Ontario OHIP-covered Obesity Medicine https://www.highmetabolicclinic.com

Today’s episode kicks off a multi-part series on how self-sabotage can affect weight loss. In this episode, we explore FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and how it can derail your health goals.

1. What is FOMO?
2. FOMO Leads to Mindless Eating
3. FOMO and the Scarcity Mindset
4. FOMO Fuels the All-or-Nothing Mentality

Tools & Mindset Shifts:

• Mindful Eating: Choose in advance what meals you want to enjoy fully and mindfully.
• Retrospective Review: Ask yourself how you’ll feel afterward. This tool can help you prioritize your long-term goals over immediate gratification.
• Reframe Your Thinking: Instead of seeing skipping that extra slice of cake as deprivation, view it as an investment in your future health.
• Positive Self-Talk: Replace guilt with empowerment. Remind yourself: "I’m learning to love taking care of my body," and "I’m allowed occasional indulgences."

FOMO doesn’t have to control your health decisions. By being mindful of your thoughts and making intentional choices, you can take back control and invest in your long-term health goals. Remember, it’s about consistency, not perfection.

If you found this episode helpful, please share it with someone who might benefit. We’ll be back next week for part two of the self-sabotage series, where we’ll talk about comparison. Until then, do one thing today that supports your body and well-being.

Event Reminder:

National Menopause Show

https://nationalmenopauseshow.com/
Date: October 26, 2024
Location: Metro Toronto Convention Centre
Promo Code: SashaLS15 for 15% off live-stream tickets

Thanks for tuning in!

FOLLOW SASHA

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sashahighmd/

Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@sashahighmd

WORK WITH ME

Join my Weight Loss Coaching Program for women, Best Weight https://www.sashahighmd.com/bestweight

Recover Strong for Binge Eating - https://www.sashahighmd.com/bed

Ontario OHIP-covered Obesity Medicine https://www.highmetabolicclinic.com