"Empty" Feelings

Those nagging feelings that you feel in the back of your throat and on your tongue that tell you to eat something when you know it is not time to eat are a result of your brain putting forth to your conscious thoughts a Negative Thought Behavior Pattern.  Negative Thought Behavior Patterns can be changed - you can actually train your brain to translate visuals (such as donuts and other bad foods that may be in front of you), as well as translate sensations (such as the back of the throat or empty visceral feelings) into POSITIVE Thoughts.  When you are plagued with these negative Thought Behavior Patterns, turn those sensations and visual cues into sensations of strength and power.  Allow feelings of emptiness to be feelings of joy that your body is utilizing stored body fat for energy, therefore allowing your weight to go down and your good health to remain stable.  See those bad foods that your co-workers bestow upon you as stale, moldy and spat upon.  Disgusting, yet a profoundly efficient tool to change your negative Thought Behavior Patterns.

Even with the PERFECT diet..

Losing weight and keeping it off is a multi-faceted challenge with many unsolved mysteries.  Having a basic understanding of food groups, calories, fats, proteins, carbs, etc... is easy, but only 1/3rd of the battle.  Even with the PERFECT meal plan, with all the right food groups and recipes, falling off the wagon is all too easy, all too common.  Our brain gives us the message that we are hungry, we crave certain things at certain times, and somehow we reach that moment in time when we give in....and there in lies the biggest challenge of all.  How do we get to the point of not giving in - ESPECIALLY when we have been following a meal plan that is designed to keep us satisfied???  We give in because we get caught off guard and we are not in control of our Thought Behavior Pattern.....our brain becomes our enemy!!!!!

Try this:  Be smarter than your brain. Take charge of your own Thought Behavior by being acutely aware of your surroundings and the surroundings that are headed your way the minute you get up until you put your head on that pillow at night.  YOU are in charge of your thoughts - don't let your brain plan your day.  Think of your Thought Behavior Pattern as a 1st grade classroom with 40 students - YOU make the decisions, YOU are in control and YOU are thinking ahead so the little buggers don't do something unsafe or stupid.  Don't get caught "not thinking"....be prepared, make the rules, implement the rules, and follow the rules. You can't do it alone.....Dig deep inside early in the day to find your weapons of mass control - your own personal strength and power!

Keep it subtle, keep it close

Remember......

• Keep your power close to your heart
• You're not on a diet, you are on a Lifestyle
• Immerse yourself in knowledge - scientific knowledge
• Check out your resources, verify validity
• There is nothing easy about a healthy Lifestyle - it takes work, patience and drive
• There is nothing good about an unhealthy Lifestyle, it hurts, it ruins, it kills
• Think Forever, Think Protection, Think Life
• Go deep inside and tap into your own Strength and Power - it's there - find it, Use it!

Protect, Pro-act, Produce

Protect your health both physically and psychologically by standing firmly by your plan without fail....

Be Pro-Active against well meaning (or not) friends, family or special occasions that are high risk situations for derailment. 

Produce results (keep weight off) by remembering that you may still enjoy yummy foods and beverages when they "fit" into your plan - think quantity.  Many "party" foods are not worth the calories - be selective!

VISUALIZE YOURSELF ATTENDING ALL SOCIAL FUNCTIONS WITH A DROP DEAD, GORGEOUS FIGURE THAT YOU MAINTAIN 24/7/365 BY PROTECTING, PRO-ACTING AND PRODUCING.  YOU ARE IN CHARGE!!!

Everyday is a Holiday

Often times I hear people planning to "lose weight for the Holidays"....then when the Holidays are over, they plan to "lose their Holiday weight"!  Maintaining a healthy body weight should not be thought of in "chuncks" for this occasion or that occasion.  Be ready for everyday by viewing everyday as a Holiday...go deep inside to tap into your inner strength and allow yourself the pleasure of being "body ready" for every occasion.  Today is the best day to begin your 24/7/365 "body ready" plan.

Think Lifestyle

Yesterday I heard an ad on the radio for lap band surgery with their premise being:  "There is no diet that works long term - lose weight with lap band surgery".  I do agree that diets must be followed everyday for the rest of one's life or one will gain weight back.  I also agree that lap band surgery (or any gastric bypass surgery) does promote weight loss.  However, once one loses the weight with lap band surgery, they are faced with the same challenges they had prior to the surgery.  Just as when we "go on a diet" and lose weight, we are faced with the same challenges once the novelty of the diet wears off.  Think Lifestyle, think success, think healthy eating at all times.  Many people feel that it is OK to cheat "once in a while"..... My advice is to not think of enjoying your favorite foods as "cheating" and don't tell yourself you are "cheating" when you enjoy something yummy. Think of it as planned - just as you plan any other aspect of your diet. The rest of your life is a nice long time, and your healthy eating plan that is designed to keep the pounds off and keep you healthy, is a Lifestyle - a Lifestyle that your friends and family will more readily accept for themselves when they see your success, your health and your happiness.

A spoonful of vinegar......helps the pounds stay off !!

I'm always talking about "visualizing" yourself as being slender, fit, healthy and exactly where you want to be.  Our minds are very powerful tools that we often just let sit there doing only the very basic functions.  Try this little "mind game" on yourself.  Take a teaspoon full of vinegar each day and imagine that the vinegar has super powers to help you stay on your meal plan and get plenty of exercise.  The taste, smell and texture of the vinegar kicks the brain into thinking that it is acutally a medicine.  Make it work for you.  Believe in it and you will be very surprised and pleased at the results.  Remember, you can Become the person that you have pictured in your mind......GET CREATIVE!!!  The only thing you have to lose is weight :)