Redefining Stress

Whew! Last week was wild! I came back from a short vacation with a big goal in front of me – the release of my new audio class on CD.

In the past, an event like this, which brings a certain amount of deadline pressure, has served as an excuse to go unconscious for me. I wouldn’t say I binged over this kind of stress. That hasn’t been an option for a long time.

The Hard Cold Truth about Permanent Weight Loss Audio Course

The Hard Cold Truth about Permanent Weight Loss Audio Course

But, even if binging is an impossible reaction, controlling food and using it to help control stress…
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Monuments that Matter

I’m back from vacation. It was wonderful to take a break from routine. It was also wonderful to get emails from my readers who missed me!

We visited Washington DC and saw many fantastic sights, museums and monuments.

But we also visited with family, where we met my cousin’s son’s little girl, Nadia, for the first time. She’s two and she’s amazing! Most babies are imaginative and creative and full of wonder – and she is all those things – before the world encourages them to drift away to more concrete “realities.”

PurpleBoots

Being a cowgirl myself, I brought her new purple cowgirl boots. She loved them!
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Can you drive? Then you can manage permanent weight loss.

I’m often asked this question as my year-long weight loss group class ends:

“Will I be able to maintain weight loss permanently?”

I compare this to driving. (I love to drive. Damned good at it too. Driving is awesome.)

Remember when you first learned to drive? It was kind of hard! There were all kinds of things to remember inside the car. The gear shift, the pedals, the windshield wipers, the turn signals. Then, outside the car, there were other cars, bikes, signals, signs, turn lanes, and (eeeek!) people. And (double eeeeek!) people doing stupid things like crossing on a “don’t walk” signal.

It was a lot to maneuver and coordinate.

How's your driving?

How's your driving?

Now, what is it like to drive now?

Do you even think about it?

Do you panic when you miss a turn? Do you freak when you get near the center line or the edge of your lane?

No, you simply CORRECT and keep moving.

In fact, most corrections on the road require only a tiny 1/16th move of the steering wheel. We do it completely unconsciously and we do it continually or we’d be running off the road ALL THE TIME!

That’s what happens with weight loss (more…)

Test: Are You On a Diet?

You hear a lot about “lifestyle change” today. In fact, most diets call themselves a “lifestyle change”, even Weight Watchers.

I guess it makes customers THINK they’re doing the big job, not the little (short-term) one.

My favorite “lifestyle change” quote was a friend on Phen-Fen who had lost a lot of weight. As she ordered lasagna and whipped four packets of sugar into her tea, she proclaimed “It’s not a diet! It’s a lifestyle change! I feel so different!”

Well, with real change you don’t “feel different”, you ARE different.

Diets Force Hard Choices

Don’t be fooled. My friend’s sad truth is that (more…)

McDonald’s Sweet Iced Tea Commercial: Egg or Chicken?

I’m all about living consciously – making decisions with full attention to the moment I’m living in, as well as the way that moment is connected to the future.

When I finally saw the connection between my momentary urges for foodication (medicating through food) and the ultimate result in my body, I changed my weight permanently.

I’m focused on a lifestyle that ends the lease on weight loss and OWNS it instead. I emphasize making my own decisions instead of going with the crowd. I don’t like being a “sheeple.”

I’m convinced accepting the norm, programmed by the media, advertising and fashion industries, means lots of excess weight and fat in our lives.

Soda Consumption is Directly Connected to U.S. Obesity Epidemic

Soda Consumption is Directly Connected to U.S. Obesity Epidemic

Case in Point: McDonald’s new Sweet Iced Tea commercial where the woman has been sipping tea so long, she’s developed a tan line across her chin.

Yowza!

My first reaction was: “that’s the stupidest commercial I ever saw!”

No one would drink that much, right?

But…
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Now We Know

In the 16th century, people believed their kings were chosen by god, and were not fully human.

In the 17th and 18th century, people thought cancer was a curse from god for evil thoughts and was contagious.

In the 20th century, people believed diets cured excess weight.

Every one of these beliefs robbed human beings of their natural power in life. And, in every case, science proved these beliefs untrue and noted that the belief prevented proper treatment.

Permanent Weight Loss Requires a New Solution

Permanent Weight Loss Requires a New Solution

No one can blame us for what we didn’t know then. But, now we know.

In 1996, I knew something was wrong with my previous approach to weight loss. I knew because the weight just kept coming back every time I lost weight (and it always brought an extra 10 lbs with it!).

My doctor gave me the hard science.
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Winning

As you know, I’m a baseball fan, and a New York Yankees fan. When I was young, we only got baseball on TV on Saturday afternoons (imagine that!). I lived in an area that did not have a major league team, so who was on TV?

The Yankees.

Later, I moved to New York for graduate school and lived the life of a “real” fan. Today, the owner of the Yankees, George Steinbrenner, died. It’s been really interesting to see the reaction and the old clips of him on TV.

YankeesWorldSeriesTrophy27

He wasn’t liked by everyone. He was often mean, demanding, arrogant and perfectionist. He bought and traded players and hired and fired managers at will. He drove us fans crazy with his changes and tinkering, and he traded our favorite players away often.
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Clapping in Delight for Each Other

Ever have one of those weeks when the timing is just OFF?

Missed connections. Rescheduled appointments. Frustration.

Then, my son had a car accident. No injuries – WHEW! Lots of details take my attention. I make space for it.

Then, the internet goes down!

And doesn’t come back with simple fixes. Hours on phone with Earthlink.

Internet still down. More hours on the phone with Earthlink.

Extreme frustration!

I plan an escape. Off to the pool to work on editing audio recordings for my next educational product.

As kids we had the energy to play all day.

As kids we had the energy to play all day.

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Celebrate Your Independence!

Here in the U.S., we’ve just celebrated Independence Day. Freedom of thought and speech are huge cornerstones of our country’s government, but do we really use those freedoms?

Thinking for ourselves is so important… after all, we are people, not sheeple! Although I mindlessly followed the crowd of yo-yo dieters, procrastinators and the denial-prone for many years, I realized it forced me into a decidedly unexciting existence: overworking, never complaining, stressed and unhealthy. Uncle Sam might have been happy, my boss was happy, my doctor was happy as I marched with my little white prescription to the pharmacy… but I was not.

We are people, not sheeple!

We are people, not sheeple!

Huge amounts of money are spent every day in an attempt to get us to think one way or another.
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Weight Loss and the Illusive Finish Line

I love this quote by Bill Gates:

“If I’d had some set idea of a finish line, don’t you think I would have crossed it years ago?”

I differ from many weight loss experts since I’ve accomplished permanent weight loss. I learned my lessons down in the trenches, instead of in a book, and my experiences smashed many of the widely accepted tenets of weight loss.

Jogger

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