Lose Weight Over the Holidays? Yes I Can!

How many times have we heard (or said) that it is impossible to lose weight over the holidays?

Granted, if we look at it on the surface it would seem to be pretty darned hard. What with all the extra treats around. People are giving food, bringing it to the office, making special meals...and everything this time of year seems to be packaged with extra fat or sugar--or both.

So how does one lose weight over the holidays without coming across as the next big Grinch or feeling like we totally missed out?

The first step is to decide that it truly is possible. Yep, your attitude about it is crucial. As long as you say and believe that you cannot lose weight over the holidays, then believe me, there is no way that you will. Oh, you could starve yourself and have a slight dip but it won't last.

On the other hand, if you repeat often enough "It is possible to lose weight over the holidays" or better yet, "I can lose weight over the holidays" then you will actually begin to believe it. You will even start to see ways that make it possible and perhaps even easy!

Does this mean that you can eat gallons of ice cream covering plates of pies, platters of meats and cheeses and all the food you can possible stuff into your face? Well...I've never tried those affirmations!

What I do know is that when you start to believe that something is possible, it becomes possible. Maybe you end up eating less, while still enjoying your special holiday favorites--just in smaller quantities, or you end up moving your body more, or maybe your body processes the food more effectively...or maybe your focus is shifted off the food and put somewhere else. Don't really know the "how" at least not for everyone. For myself it seems to be a combination of all the above.

When I remind myself that it is possible to lose weight (or maintain weight) over the holidays...or at any time, for that matter...I become more aware of my health choices. I crave foods less. I move my body more. I'm certainly not dieting--they don't work anyway--I'm enjoying my favorite treats and even some that aren't my favorites. I know that when I have a positive attitude about losing weight then I am in control and life is just so much easier...and no one thinks I'm a party pooper either!

Here are some affirmations for losing weight over the holidays:

It is possible to lose weight over the holidays
My body craves foods that nourish it
I can enjoy holiday treats and still lose weight
I move my body and feel good
The holidays are a wonderful time to enjoy friends and family
I am loving and loveable and I feel great
My body sheds excess fat easily
I love this time of year because it sets me up for success for the new year
My body naturally reaches the weight that is healthy for it

I was reminded of this simple shift in thinking when I watched Louise Hay's You Can Heal Your Life again recently. You don't have to be "sick" to benefit from the film although people with a variety of illnesses have benefited from Louise's teachings. I used her affirmations and inspiration in my own 125 pound weight loss journey and so I totally recommend her book and film, but I'm partial to the film. I own and suggest the complete set that has the affirmation toolkit and extra interviews.

Happy Healthy Holidays to You!

Cruising for Weight Loss

If you want to improve your health, whether that is by losing weight or healing an illness or injury, and you like to cruise, then consider the

I Can Do It! Caribbean Cruise!

January 28 – February 4, 2011

The cruise is a private charter by Hay House...the publisher of many of my favorite books, CDs and DVDs...(if you want to see just some of their offerings that I recommend, click here)

Explore the beautiful Caribbean with these Ports of Call: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Half Moon Cay, Bahamas, Philipsburg, St. Maarten, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Spend a week with your favorite authors who inspire, motivate, and challenge you to reach your greatest potential! Choose from five extraordinary workshop programs throughout seven incredible days at sea.

My friends at Hay House are offering my readers 20% off registration! Cabins are limited so click here to register!

Speakers include:

• Dr. Wayne Dyer
• Gregg Braden
• Sonia Choquette
• John Holland
• Denise Linn
• Caroline Myss
• Cheryl Richardson
• Brian Weiss, M.D.
• Reid Tracy
• Lisa Fugard
• Margarete Nielsen

For more information about the cruise, click here...but to get your 20% off, be sure to to put Priority Number 156 on the registration form...or call call 888-259-9191 ext.1239 Ericka or ext.1262 Adam and mention Priority Number 156

*Please note: this offer is valid for new bookings only and cannot be combined with any other discounted offer. The discount is applicable to those attending the seminar programs only. Offer applies to the first two passengers in the cabin and is not applicable to third or fourth passengers sharing cabin. $650 cancellation fee applies through 11/11/2010. No refunds from 11/12/2010 through date of sailing.

Diet Pills for Teens

This is in response to a 13 year old who wanted to know if she should take diet pills to lose weight because she can't seem to any other way.

Short answer:
Do not take pills to lose weight. I don't believe pills are the answer for ANYONE but especially not when our bodies are still developing and changing...which they are, even if we have reached our full height.

If you have been following my blog at all, you know that there is a longer answer to this question...I always have a longer answer ;-)

The longer answer:
I had trouble losing weight at 13 too...even though I was very active. I rode my bicycle and swam competitively...but I never could seem to be "thin"...my best friend was and she ate terribly and didn't exercise nearly as much. It was so frustrating!

At 13 it is hard to appreciate the differences in our bodies...but as an adult I have come to appreciate that those differences are part of what makes the world (and people) so interesting!

Sometimes we THINK we need to lose weight and we don't...it may be that we are heavier than our friends because of our body structure--our muscles and our bones. Other times we aren't "skinny" and so we think we should lose weight to match some image in our head of what the ideal body looks like. It might just be that we are already at the right weight for us...even if that is a few pounds more than charts say we should be.

Without knowing your situation more it is hard to say if you actually need to lose weight or not...but if you think you do then I know you are pretty unhappy with your body right now no matter what anyone else says.

Please do NOT take pills as tempting as it may be. There is no magic pill that will have you lose weight in a healthy, permanent way.

The best way to have a healthy body is to start by working on your mind...it is important that we learn to love ourselves--our bodies, our abilities, everything. That doesn't mean that we can't strive to be better! It does mean that we deserve to respect ourselves and stop being so critical. Love is where it all starts.

If someone had told me that when I was 13 I would have been like, "what's to love?...I'm fat, my nose is too big, I'm not smart like my brother"...on and on. You know what? Just about every teenager I have ever met has thoughts like that...even the popular ones, the really cute ones.

I'll let you in on a secret...many adults still struggle with these thoughts, too!

I know it is a challenge just being 13...maybe knowing that you aren't alone in this journey will help. I believe you have a wonderful opportunity to learn some positive thinking patterns that will help you NOW and for the rest of your life!

When we truly love ourselves we naturally begin to take better care of ourselves...and then we physically feel better and we create this wonderful loop of health!

In my personal experience...the more I "dieted" the harder it was for me to lose weight. I couldn't keep it up...I couldn't drop enough calories or work out enough to be the same size as my best friend. I didn't get that it was physically impossible--so I just got more and more frustrated. In the end I wound up ADDING weight instead of losing weight. I ate out of frustration and then hated myself more for eating. I set myself up for failure--big time!

That was a long time ago...long before the movie "The Secret"...before books about positive thinking were common. Loving yourself was considered vanity back then...it wasn't understood that self-respect and valuing yourself were (and are) important parts of mental AND physical health.

I encourage you to talk to other people who can support you in believing in yourself. I have several suggestions in the side bar that are great tools...I really like "You Can Heal Your Life"...it isn't just for people with a specific physical illness...it can help all of us to live better, healthier lives. You really can lose weight through positive thinking (presuming that you have weight to lose, of course!) Along the way to achieving the perfect body for you, when you learn to love and accept yourself you will find that life is a much more fun and beautiful place to be...and that is a great thing to learn at any age!

You deserve all the best! Please keep in touch...I'd love to hear about your progress--your successes and challenges. Know that you are loved and that you are a beautiful person--just the way you are right now!

Healthy Body Starts with Healthy Thoughts

If we want to live a healthy life, to have a healthy body, we must first think healthy thoughts.

I remember when I was first exposed to positive thoughts, affirmations and the power of our thinking. When someone would catch me as I said something negative (like I'm fat, or, what a bad day I was having) I would look at her and say, "Well, it is TRUE"...it may have been true...after all objectively I was fat...or it may have seemed true (the day just was, it wasn't "bad")...the point really was that it wasn't the words, but it was the feeling behind the words that was so important and that kept me stuck.

When I said "I'm fat" I wasn't been detached or objective, commenting on my body shape or physical structure, like I would if I said "I am 5 feet 6 inches tall"...instead there was judgment (a lot of judgment!) built in...I was saying I was "fat" but I felt like fat=ugly, fat=bad, fat=lazy, fat=unloveable, fat=....well, you get the picture!

And I judged the day, when in reality it wasn't bad. I may have had some experiences during the day that frustrated me, or where I because angry or sad...so I said the day was bad. But similar experiences on other days might not have triggered those feelings...so it wasn't even the experience. This proved to me it is totally how I feel about it, and my feelings are based on thoughts and beliefs.

At first this "control" was a bit scary, but the good news is we can change our thoughts. When our thoughts change our feelings, our beliefs, our judgments change, freeing us to start totally fresh.

Two of the tools and teachers that have worked well for me in this process are

• Louise Hay, particularly her book and DVD You Can Heal Your Life
• Esther and Jerry Hicks, specifically, Ask and It is Given

Of course being aware of a situation can be an important part of our ability to change it. We can't really lose our excess fat if we don't believe we are overweight...if we are happy with our body where it is.

The balance is to objectively recognize the situation and learn to love ourselves through it...we might start of judging, but we can change that! We change our thinking and then we change our lives...and our bodies!

See Yourself As You Want to Be

I'm currently reading a book written in 1954 titled "TNT The Power Within You"...it has a lot of the same teachings that I have gotten from Louise Hay, Abraham-Hicks, Bob Proctor and other fantastic teachers of the Law of Attraction.

I love the language that the author, Claude Bristol uses...he was a psychologist and former newspaperman...a very observant guy...and he teaches how we can use the power of our minds, of the subconscious to achieve anything we want.

I have been using these principles...and that is how I have lost 120lbs, so I know they work...I'd like to share some of his words with you.

See yourself as you want to be!

Look in the mirror. Size yourself up. Are you the man or woman you want to be? If not, gie yourself the suggestions that can help make you what you desire. See a mental picture of how you would like to appear to others....Superimpose this mental picture upon the actual image of yourself before you. See the changes you must bring about in yourself, as though they had already occurred! Repeat this visualization day after day,night after night.

If others criticize you or don't believe you are capable of doing what you want to do...don't accept their suggestions!...Maintain your belief in yourself! If you lose this, you lose everything. All success, big or small starts with faith in self and faith in the creative power within. You must have it, and you must retain it--to go from where you are to where you want to be!

Say to yourself: "Each day I am going to improve and eventually I will remove the faults I discover in myself. Each day I am going to attain greater control of my mind and emotions. Each day I am going to overcome more of my fears and worries and other destructive thoughts. Each day I am develping greater health, happiness and prosperity. Each day I am going to find finer opportunities for serving others an the doing of worthwhile things. Each day...!"

See yourself as you want to be...look in the mirror and picture yourself in the body you desire, with the health that you deserve to have...the happiness and health shining from your eyes. See yourself and feel it in your heart. Know that this works...because I have done it! And you can to!

Loving Self Start to Weight Loss

Being fat can make it seem hard to believe that we are loveable.

Through the media we are led to believe it is ugly, horrible, that we are lazy, slobs, and that we are not worthy of love from anyone...except maybe our pets.

Being fat is not a crime--and it does not preclude us from being loved and giving love.

Many of us focus on being loving to others which is giving away love--

• as a way to make us feel good about ourselves
• because we were taught that it is better to give than to receive (or some other similar message)
• in the hopes that if we love someone enough they will love us back in the way we need
• because we do not believe we are worth loving
• to create an image that we believe others will find loveable (an image, not necessarily a reality)
  

In order to achieve our health goals including, but not limited to weight, we must change this focus to being loving to ourselves first--

• as a way to feel good about ourselves
• to fill our "tank" so we are overflowing with love which we then give to others
• and thereby learn and believe that we are worthy of being loved
• to learn in what healthy ways we want to be loved
• to model for others how they should behave towards us and how they too can be authentic (real instead of image)
  

To be loved by others we must first treat ourselves lovingly. If we do not care for and about ourselves, than why should anyone else.

By loving ourselves we gain a sense of peace and possibility.

This is what helps us to move forward with our lives in the fullest possible health!

If you need assistance in this, start with affirmations...and I strongly endorse Louise Hay's movie and book "You Can Heal Your Life"...get the extended version of the movie for lots of affirmation tools!

More About Mindset

So how do you get your head in the game, like discussed yesterday?

I've said this many times before, but affirmations are a great tool for changing your head.

I know that I started and failed many diets over the years. I had myself convinced that I actually COULD NOT SUCCEED. Sure enough, as long as I held that belief I didn't.

What changed for me? I started by being open to the possibility that maybe I could be healthy.

Sound simple? Well, if you have been struggling for years (almost 40 in my case) to be healthy then it may be simple but it is far from easy!

If you are struggling with affirmations--or struggling with the idea that it is even possible for you to lose weight, then review some of my past posts that deal with the subject of affirmation. I have several posts that give specific affirmations as well as how I have used them in the past.

If you are still challenged with affirmations and your mindset I suggest you give yourself the gift of some help. Louise Hay has been a great help to me. I love You Can Heal Your Life. I have the extended version with the affirmation tool kit and listen to that daily. I also meditate with Wayne Dyer. I suggest you start with one, and I would start with Louise Hay. Then as you get more comfortable with affirmations you can add some other tools.

Bottom line is to be loving to yourself! Give yourself the gift of health. You deserve it! Be open to the possibility of health for you.

Controlling Cravings Tips

Fifth in a series on controlling cravings!

Today's Success Tip:

Know WHY you want to improve your health

This is a way to give cravings the one-two punch by bringing to the forefront of your mind the reasons why you want to lose weight, gain strength, have more endurance--whatever your health goal is.

Take the time to think about why you want to lose weight (or whatever...). Get some paper and write your reason(s) down.

There are no wrong answers--as long as the "why" is honest and for YOU then it is okay.

Review the list...and mark through any that are "shoulds"--the ones that come from guilt...they tend to not motivate. Instead they give us an excuse to punish ourselves for any small infraction! "Should" whys include things like, "My doctor/wife/husband wants me to lose weight", "I look disgusting and should take better care of myself", "No one will love me at this weight", "I will be happy when I have lost 5/10/50/100 pounds"

Instead of the 'shoulds' on the list, focus on the ones that feel empowering and loving, ones that help you to want to make the changes for good...if you don't have any on your list yet, take some more time and write some more!

Examples of empowering 'whys' include--"I love my baby so much I really want to be around for her wedding", "I enjoy being outdoors and I want to be able to spend more time in nature moving easily and effortlessly", "I deserve to look and feel and live up to my full potential", "I want the health and vitality I had when I was younger and at a healthier weight", "I am a good, loving person and I love myself enough to take care of my body"

Can you feel the difference in the two types of "whys"... the shoulds are negative based, the empowering ones are positive, love based.

Keep your positive, loving "WHY" with you at all times. Write it down on a card that you keep in your wallet or pocket. Post it at your computer. Put it on the mirror where you brush your teeth. Put it as many places as you want--places where you will see it many, many times during the day.

These positive thoughts WILL help you reduce your cravings and keep you on track!

Controlling Cravings Tip of the Day

Second in a series on controlling cravings!

Today's Success Tip:

Meditation and Affirmations

I change it up from time to time, to keep things from getting "stale" or being merely a "habit"

I found that starting with loving affirmations that confirm my decision and ability was extremely powerful.

Added benefit was that I generally and genuinely began to feel better about myself!

I highly recommend Louise Hay for the beginner. She teaches that loving self is the solution! (And I know for the beginner that can feel like a HUGE challenge.)

Be gentle with yourself during this process.

And if you want support, again, do not hesitate to ASK!

In the sidebar there are links to purchase some of the tools that I've used, if you are interested. Or check out your local library or used bookstore!

Why Don't My Affirmations Work?

Dr. Linda and I are on the same wave length this week. Isn't that funny how that works. (That is called Law of Attraction in case you didn't know!)

I've been really aware of how my mental attitude and my ideas about my own health seem to directly manifest in my body. Check out her blog post and get her take on that concept.

If you find yourself saying "I can't go work out", or "My body hurts", or "I'm too fat to exercise", or "Eating right is too hard" then those things will be true for you. Immediately! Do you realize that those are all affirmations? They are just negative ones!!!

So if you have been practicing positive affirmations and you do those a couple times a day but the rest of the time you are saying (in your mind or out loud) negative affirmations you will be defeating the positive ones. This is the main reason your positive affirmations are not working!

Start to be aware of when you have a negative thought (or affirmation) and stop yourself. Louise Hay in the wonderful film "You Can Heal Your Life" says we should ask ourselves this question:

Do I want to experience that thought in my life?

If the answer is no! then you should stop right then and work out how to turn that negative thought into a positive affirmation.

You mind is an awesome tool in your toolbox for health and weight loss -- if you let it be!