Your Word for 2012

We have a tradition at The Healthy Weigh...choosing a word for the year. As 2011 comes to a close, we've been working on our word choices. We've each been deciding on a word, that if studied, focused on, and mastered would alter our lives in 2012.

Words carry enormous power to move us to a greater level of living. Words create impressions, images and expectations. They build psychological connections. Words dictate how we think, and since our thoughts dictate our actions, there's a powerful connection between the words we focus on and speak, and the results we get.

Poorly chosen words can kill enthusiasm, impact self-esteem, lower expectations and hold people back.
Well chosen words motivate people, offer hope, impact thinking, and alter results. Do you want altered results in 2009?

Choose a word, just for you...then become an expert at it. Select a word that creates a visual of the desired outcome. Choose your word as if it matters...because it does. Research it, become a student of it, and display it all year. Let your friends and family know about your word. Allow your word to alter you in 2012.

I Thought I would post a few of my clients word choices with their explanations as to why they chose that word. It might help get you started on your own word choice.

My word is TRANSITION.
Meaning the process of changing; passing from one condition to another. Its an exciting word for me in many ways; my weight, my fitness goals, and my job. This year I became eligible for early retirement and I get excited thinking about all the things I could do and change the season of my life to a new and exciting chapter but I haven't done anything towards making that happen. I found it interesting to look up and see that opposite words are stagnation, sameness (wow, that's where I've been). While I may not mentally be ready to completely let go I do want to take steps that direction such as cutting back hours and responsibilities to focus on personal goals and interests. Yep, I like the word meaning the "process" of changing and setting goals in all areas of my life in that direction will make it happen!
Peggy

I've had a problem with my word for the last couple of years and finally decided to adopt it. It's not a pretty word like "hope" or "believe" or "understanding".
My word is TENACIOUS
Meaning "persistent in maintaining or seeking something of value", "holding fast", "not easily pulled asunder", "unyielding". I Will Be Tenacious This Year!!!

Susan

My word is FREEDOM.
The state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint 2. exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc.
3. the power to determine action without restraint.
Kimberli

My word for the year is TRIUMPH or TRIUMPHANT.
depending on how you are using it. Triumph/Triumphant...the act, fact, or condition of being victorious or triumphant; victory; conquest, a significant success or noteworthy achievement, exultation resulting from victory; joy over success, to be successful, to be elated or glad; rejoice proudly, the feeling of exultation and happiness derived from a victory or major achievement. What makes this word even better is having the word REJOICE (another great one) in the definition! This is so my word!!!!
Karen

I hope that these words have inspired you to start this powerful and life changing tradition for yourself! I'd love to see your comments and hear about your words for 2012!

Always encouraging you,

Letha...oh, and by the way, my word for 2012 is...FUN!

Give yourself permission to have a Merry Christmas!

It's the Friday before Christmas and I just sat and read through my clients face book posts. I've been inspired to write this morning because of them. I love face book for that reason. It gives me a peek into their lives this Christmas.I read about their struggles and their desire to stay the course. Let's face it, the holiday season isn't an easy time for people who have decided to lose weight and eat healthy.

I guess I want to give a new perspective on eating healthy through the holidays this morning. I could make a list of the top 10 ways to "stay on your diet," I could give a list of "diet recipes" to take to your holiday parties or I could give one of my motivational talks about what it looks like to "make a decision!" Instead I'm going to give you a new way to look at this wonderful time of year!

Have you ever noticed that thin, healthy people go through the holidays and come out on the other side thin and healthy? It's not because they are staying away from EVERYTHING that's not on their program, it's because they are making healthy choices for the most part and then enjoying a few bites of "sometimes foods." Those are the foods that we don't have every day...or even every week. They are the foods that we should have "sometimes" in our diets. Those sometimes foods show up more often during the holidays!

What would happen if you(who are on a weight loss diet)made sure that you were exercising, drinking water, getting in your important food groups, had a bite or two of those "sometimes foods?" I'll tell you...you'd probably STILL lose weight over the holiday!

But here's what happens! Instead of eating your basic, nutritional foods, you start saying yes to the sometimes foods and no to your healthy foods. You don't have a bite of something yummy, you finish it off! Guilt sets in because you were "off program" and to make matters worse, you feel physically sick as well! That sets in motion more of the same and you throw in the towel! You gain weight over the holidays and have to climb out of that hole after New Years' and "start over."

What if you gave yourself permission to take a bite of Aunt Judy's fudge? What if you gave yourself permission to eat the prettiest sugar cookie on the plate? What if you gave yourself permission to eat like a thin, healthy person on Christmas Eve? I'll tell you. You'd feel great, you'd be really proud of your choices and you'd probably lose weight over the holidays!

If I had a list of things to do to stay healthy over the holidays it'd look like this:
Make sure you are eating ALL your program food! Don't miss a meal.
Put cranberries or frozen strawberries with lime in your water and drink a ton of it!
Before you start your holiday cooking/baking, eat a meal!
Don't run out of healthy/program food!
Get outside and MOVE!
When you choose to have a bite of a "sometimes food"...pick the best! don't waste a calorie on something that isn't GREAT!
GET RID OF LEFTOVERS! Don't let the celebration continue for days!

I know for some of you this perspective will be a relief, for others it will stress you out! Living in extremes is a similar characteristic of over weight people; it's all or nothing. What if you gave yourself permission to live life in the balance this Christmas?

I'm making sugar cookies today. The sparkly snowflakes are my favorite! I'll be having one with my Christmas Eve dinner.

To you and yours I say Merry Christmas my friends. Have a healthy, balanced, guilt free Christmas!

VISION 2012!

At our house we have a saying about good movies, we just say. “quality movie.”
Remember The Titans… “quality movie”, The Count of Monte Cristo… “quality movie”, …Zoro “quality movie”.

We always remember great lines of quality movies. One of my favorite lines ever is in the movie Zoro when the governor of California asks Alejandro, “Are you a man of vision?” He replies… “I am a man in search of a vision!”

So I’ve got to ask you today…are you a person of vision, or are you a person in search of a vision?…or neither?

Vision; a dream, a mental picture, foresight, the ability to see the future.

Quest; a chase, pursuit, you go in search of, you are on a hunt for.

To change, to lose weight permanently, to have a vital, strong, healthy, free life, you MUST have vision quest!

It works like this: You know your vision…now you’re on a quest to get there!


Without Vision…people perish…(give up the ghost), die!

The first step to any change is to know what you want,to have vision! Vision is about looking ahead, looking to what you want.


Vision is a picture or idea you have in your mind of yourself, or your life. A clear vision helps you pursue dreams and achieve goals. A vision that is clear will open your thoughts to the endless possibilities of the future. Your thoughts dictate your feelings and your feeling dictate your actions so you’ve got to have vision to open your thoughts and keep them on right track!

A vision will help you to overcome obstacles in the way and helps you hold on when times are tough. A vision that is well defined helps you to focus and create a purpose that becomes your measurement for your success.

If you do not have a vision of who you want to be, how you want to succeed or what you want out of life, you begin to lack drive and your life becomes just an order of events.
A strong and current vision connects with your passions and greatest potentials. Regardless of what is going on in the world or challenges that present themselves, a vision helps you know what and why you are doing the things you are doing. Having a vision is most important in the path of your success in life.

A vision might be the most powerful way to keep focused on what you want in life while keeping you motivated in achieving it. A vision will open up your mind to many possibilities and a brighter and bigger future. When you can envision a future that is better, happier, more productive, you are going to make the changes that are necessary for you to reach that type of life.

Who do you want to be?
Your vision should include who you want to be. It is important to know clearly who you are right now to know who you want to become. This includes your habits, attitudes, and your beliefs. If you are unclear about yourself, you will be unclear about your future. The destination of your vision should be emotional, physical, spiritual and intellectual.

When you create a successful vision, you begin to feel passionate about it. The only way to be successful in your vision is to visualize it and set goals and a plan of action to reach your vision.

Over time, you will begin to see more parts of your vision coming true until one day you see yourself living your vision. You gained your weight little by little. You didn’t wake up one morning with 30 extra pounds on your body because of what you ate last night. That’s how it is when we begin to live a new life, with new habits, based on a vision of the life we really want. Little by little we begin to see that vision lived out! That’s so cool!

A vision is the capability to see beyond your current reality, creating and inventing what does not now exist and becoming what you are not right now. A vision is important in all aspects of life; body, soul and spirit. Building your vision does not have to be difficult as long as you know exactly what it is you see for yourself in the future. But that can be the problem sometimes, not knowing what we really want.

Important things to remember when creating a vision:
Know exactly who you are.
Brainstorm, imagine and dream.
Focus on things that give your life purpose and meaning.
Do not put limits on your dreams.

What do you really want? Why have you set out to lose fat off your body? Is your vision to weigh less, or is your vision to live more!!!?

If you have not created a vision for the life you want to be living, the life you MUST live, then now is the time to do it!
It’s really about having the discipline to sit down and dream. We are all so different,but it helps me to dream in compartments. A vision for my physical body, a vision for my soul;my mind, will and emotions and a vision for my spiritual life;the deepest place of who I am.

Creating a vision should be intense,it’s about knowing who you are today, knowing how you live today and saying "I want it to look different." "I want a new life." "I want it to be different!"
Then and only then, will you be inspired to move, to go, to leave behind what you’ve known and go to that new place!

Without vision people parish. Be a person of vision as we head into 2012!

Always encouraging you,
Letha

It's The Most Wonderful Time of The Year...

or is it?

For some of us, we're feeling the squeeze of our cultures expectations, to shop, to eat, to bake, to GO!
For others, this holiday season may hold fears and sorrow. This might be the 1st holiday season without a loved one or it's a holiday full of change.
For some, you're just mad because it's the most wonderful time of the year and you're on a diet!

The great news of this holiday is that you have a choice. No matter what your circumstances, this holiday season can be one you look back on a remember that your soul(mind, will and emotions) was fed! This can be the year that you blaze a new trail! You can chose to have this holiday season look different and be wonderful all at the same time!

As we look together at making this the most wonderful time of the year, I thought I'd help you take a look at some holiday goals for body, soul and spirit!

BODY:
What are your physical goals in the next 4 weeks? What will you weigh on Christmas day? What will you weigh on Jan 1st 2012? Be specific. Set those goals.
How many times are you going to exercise between now and 2012? The benefits of exercise are so important all year, but especially during the holidays.Exercise;
Brightens your mood
Causes you to sleep better
Burns calories
Feeds your soul if you exercise with a friend!

SOUL: (Remember, your soul is made up of your mind, will and emotions)
You can spend your holiday season stuffing yourself with food and still feel empty...or you can work to fill up emotionally and feel more full than you've ever felt! What does it look like to set emotional goals?

How will you spend your holidays? What activities with family and friends can you do this year to feel your soul? Our community is full of events that feed the soul with music and theater during the holidays. Start traditions with your family that bring you closer together this holiday season.
Set a goal to give this holiday season! Studies have shown that the brain activity when giving, is associated with the parts of the brain that enjoy food and sexual activity! Want a warm glow this holiday season??? Give often!

Take the time to reflect on your year. Make a list of the things that happened in 2011 that you are grateful for. Start looking ahead to your goals for 2012! Feeding your emotions takes time and purposeful planning!

Cozy up with a good book.(fill your holiday season with stories of hope, miracles and fun!)

SPIRIT:
Tis the season, to look at the spiritual part of you! Some ideas to revive your spirit during the holidays;
Look at a daily devotional to start your day now through Jan 1st.

Attend a Christmas Eve service that you've not attended before, invite a friend to join you.

If you celebrate Christmas, read the Christmas story for yourself. Luke 2:1-20

Record your prayers for the rest of the month.

What ever you do this holiday season, be purposeful about your goals; body, soul and spirit. I promise if you look for ways to feed your soul, you'll feel full all month long.

I am convinced that this weight loss journey has little to do with food and everything to do with being full.

It is the most wonderful time of the year!

Always encouraging you,
Letha

Walk & Knock

This morning I'm filling up my brown paper bag with items to feed the hungry. I'm always a little bit convicted as I fill my Walk & Knock bag each year with food I'll never miss.

I can't help but think about hunger, and question my self as to whether or not I've ever been hungry.

I visit with clients every week who are afraid that they'll be hungry if they eat 3 servings of protein, 4 servings of vegetables, 3 servings of fruit, 2 servings of starch and 2 servings of milk...every day.

Hunger, is defined as; a discomfort caused by a need for food. I guess the next question I'd have to ask my self is what is a need. Is my need for food related to physical hunger or something else?

My words will be few this morning. I'm on my way to drop off this bag of food. I encourage you to do the same this weekend.

Visit www.walkandknock.org for more information.

Always encouraging you,
Letha

Is Relapse Necessary For Permanent Change?

In most cases, I believe it is.Relapse; to slip back in to a former state. Whether it's a BIG slip or a small one, we've all experienced relapse. It doesn't feel good. If you're reading this right now and you've slipped BIG, you feel miserable. Shame, guilt and discouragement are just a few of the words to describe how you're feeling. Your clothes don't fit, you're fighting the urge to buy new ones in bigger sizes and you're not looking forward to the most "wonderful time of the year." Relapse is ugly.

I have spent the last 30 years helping people change and I've learned a thing or two. Firstly...we need each other! Relapse happens when we try to go it alone. As hard as this weight loss journey is, we somehow think we should be able to do it by our selves!

Secondly, we believe that if we've relapsed, we're bad. We're not bad...we're human! CHANGE IS HARD and relapse happens.

So what now? "Maybe a different program would help?" "Maybe I'll try that packaged food that you order on line.(then I can lose my weight in the privacy of my own home and no one has to know.)" "I'll just get back on program...I have the "diet," I know what to do!" What now? You can try another option, you could even have temporary success. But I believe that the love and support you receive from The Healthy Weigh is just what you need. We understand relapse and we don't judge it, we just support you.Relapse happens because beliefs systems have not been changed. I am convinced that the education and the community support that is offered at The Healthy Weigh is unparalleled and is the answer to changing your beliefs and keeping your weight off for life.

If you are currently an active client at The Healthy Weigh...stay the course, keep investing in your health and your future. If you have slipped away, we'd love to see you again. Come on home!

I'd love to hear from some of you that are feeling discouraged right about now. I invite to write me privately at letha@healthyweigh.com . Whether you're on the program now, or haven't seen me for some time, I look forward to hearing from you.

Always encouraging you.

Letha

Are You Working The Program?

For the last nine weeks we have been looking at ways to keep motivation alive and well. Motivation is at the center of all change. It's the motive that causes us to act. In finishing up this 10 week "series" on motivation, I just went back through and read that last 9 blogs to get a feel for how I wanted to end this 10 weeks!

I'll tell you how I'm going to end this thing. I'm going to ask the big question. ARE YOU WORKING THE PROGRAM? I didn't ask, are you following the diet? or Are you losing weight? or Are you trying new recipes? I asked, ARE YOU WORKING THE PROGRAM?

I can guarantee that if you were taking out the tools that have been handed to you in the last nine weeks, seeking to understand them on a different level, and then working them week after week as you built on the week before...YOU WOULD BE MOTIVATED! and motivation changes things!

Motivation is not a secret. Motivation is not reserved for the people who were just born that way. Motivation doesn't just happen. And you surely can't count on someone else to supply it for you.

Motivation is your responsibility.

I've never seen a person fail at losing weight because they didn't know what to eat. I've never seen a person fail to keep weight off because the needed a new recipe. They key to losing your weight, reaching your goal and keeping it off for life is motivation!

So what's keeping you from it?

I want to encourage you to read back through the last 9 weeks, one week at a time if necessary and work the program. Do the work that it takes to keep motivation alive! You'll find that mastering motivation won't just get you to your goal weight, but it will effect every area of your life!

Your tool box is full. Choose to use the tools that will help you change your life! They are there for the taking!

Always encouraging you,

Letha

"It's in the Doing"

Motivation is at the heart of all success. The word motivation comes from the word motive…think about that. Motivation is at the heart of all success…motives come from the heart! Motivation comes from within you!
Here’s the beautiful part…You have control over how motivated you are!
If you were to ask yourself right now, “On a scale of 1 to 10 how motivated am I regarding my weight loss and my following my NP?” What would your answer be?
You’re not alone if your motivation wavers…you’re not alone if you’ve said, “This is hard.” “I don’t know if I can do this.” “I don’t know why I’m doing this.” “I don’t want to do this anymore.” “I’m not motivated.”
Those are normal thoughts.

But remember…..
Your thoughts dictate your feelings and your feelings dictate your actions.
If you are thinking those thoughts, If you are saying those words…I want to let you know that the odds are against you...you might not get to the finish line.
How motivated do you feel right now?

Words are powerful, thoughts are as powerful!
The truth is this. Making the choice to be disciplined with your eating and exercise, setting limits on yourself and learning to say no thank you, is less than fun, less than exciting, less than happy…but the benefits are all of that and more!!!

Motivation is all about the benefits…all about our thought life… all about what we focus on!
So it’s up to you to keep motivation alive. Motivation starts with a thought. A thought that says, if I want to be successful, if I want to cross the finish line and then keep my weight off, I need motivation and I need it now! I will choose a thought pattern that keeps me focused on where I’m going, what I’m getting, and what life will be like when I get there! Let's look at the 9th tool in this tool box.

#9 Motivation is in the doing

Doing something to keep your thought life right, strong, focused.
I'll share some of my tools, my secrets to keeping my motivation alive:

Clothing: What would you be wearing if you were at goal weight…That’s what you focus on!
Hang it out…hang it in the pantry if you need to!
Do you have clothes in your closet that still have the tags on them? Did you buy it a little small and then never get in to it?
Swim suit summer is coming…where will you be?
Little black dress next Christmas…Do you want to wear a little black dress this year?

Year at a Glance Calendar:
What events will take on a different feeling a different excitement a different freedom at your goal weight?

Affirmation Cards:
What affirmations does your mind need to hear...what lies are you listening to...what truths need to replace those lies?

Words:
They are powerful...place them in strategic places in your home, work, car!

What motivates you…sporting equipment?
How would you be playing if you were at goal weight. That’s what you focus on!

Collages:
What would your life represent if you were at goal weight ? How would your life improve?

Motivation is in the doing…it’s taking a naturally negative, discouraged, unbelieving attitude and turning it around.
Motivation is about walking away from spending your time and energy thinking about food, thinking about what you don’t get to eat today, and thinking about a life free from being burdened down with extra pounds.
How much time are you spending thinking about what you can’t eat…VS. where you’re going?
Let’s turn our homes, our cars, our workplaces into places of renewed motivation…reminders of where you’re going, why it matters, how our life will improve.

That’s "doing" motivation!

Every place you go…you should be inspired and provoked to climb this mountain, to run run this race, to accomplish this task…you’re just the one that has to create it!

Motivation is in the doing...do some this weekend!

Always encouraging you,
Letha

"Rewards Change Your Auto Pilot"

Motivation...motive; the inner drive that causes one to act!
We are on week # 8 of 10, looking at ways to keep motivation alive. Healthy motivation is the key to reaching your goals in any area of your life. The question we must ask ourselves is, "what causes me to act?" The answer is a simple one...PLEASURE! We do EVERYTHING we do, to avoid pain or seek pleasure! A huge part of keeping motivation alive is to reward your new behavior. We will ALWAYS gravitate towards pleasure. The next tool in your tool box:

8. Reward yourself for new behavior

The problem we face when we try to change is that we link pleasure to the wrong things. One of the keys to permanent change is to use pain and pleasure to change your beliefs system for good. Rewarding new behavior is a must to keep your motivation alive!

It's easy to look back in our lives and see when rewards were used effectively. From the charts our parents made us for doing our chores(you know, the ones with stars on them) to the creative ways our teachers rewarded us for turning in our homework, being quiet in class or any other behavior they were motivating us to live out, rewards have been a part of our lives.

For some reason, as adults we quit rewarding ourselves, or we begin to use unhealthy rewards in our lives like food, alcohol, spending...rewards that promote addiction. (all empty or wounded places in us are addictions waiting to happen)

We make decisions as adults to quit over eating, quit drinking, or stop over spending, but we don't replace those pleasures with anything else. We are fine for a while, putting pleasure aside, but 100% of the time we will automatically swing back to what we feel is pleasure. Rewarding yourself with new pleasure is a MUST!

It's important to reward yourself not only for weight loss goals, but also for new behavior. It's great to reward yourself at a 10 pound, 20 pound...weight loss, but equally important to reward yourself when you attend a party and stay on your nutritional plan! Your subconscious mind will begin to love living the new life style and feel pleasure in a new way. Auto pilot changes when you use rewards!

In looking at the kinds of rewards you might find pleasure in, it's important that you don't see rewards as something you buy. Rewards should be things that bring pleasure to you in many areas of your life.

Linking pain to old behavior and pleasure to new behavior will be life changing for you. Don't miss out on the importance of rewards. They will truly keep motivation alive!

Always encouraging you,
Letha

"Act As If"

As we continue to look at ways to keep motivation alive it's very important to remember that motivation is in the doing! We can't just 'think' about being motivated...we must also 'act' on our motivation.

Our 7th tool in this priceless tool box:

Act As If.

What would happen this weekend if you acted like a healthy, slender person? What if you chose to act like you have always been slim? What choices would you make? Where would you go? What would you eat? What would you say yes to? What would you say no to? You've heard it said before, "fake it till you make it", well, that is another way of saying, act as if!

Have you ever studied slender people? They do things differently than over weight people:

They do more and sit less
They don't look for the closest parking spot
They take the stairs instead of the elevator
They choose restaurants with the best food, not the most food
They don't have a problem ordering what they want
They take small bites
They don't focus on the food when they eat out, they focus on the company
They always have their dressing on the side
They always need a 'to go box' for their leftovers
They leave food on their plate
They don't order dessert

Just to name a few.

What if, this weekend you acted as if? Motivation IS in the doing and you would find yourself feeling better about yourself and begin to believe that you really could live out the rest of your life as a slender person.

Your beliefs dictate your thoughts which dictate your feelings which dictate your actions However, to permanently change your beliefs, sometimes you have to act your way into feeling which causes you to think differently and ultimately helps you change your beliefs!


Act as if this weekend and embrace the feelings of your new decision to live a healthy life.

Always encouraging you,
Letha

" Dear Future Me"

It's all about the motivation! Motive; the inner drive that causes one to act.
We spend way too much time thinking about food when we are trying to lose weight...and way too little time thinking about why we want to lose weight; our motive for losing weight.

Our weight loss goals MUST inspire us. Motivation is SO important to being successful at weight loss and weight maintenance that I have spent the last 5 weeks on Motivation! One week at a time, I've been focusing on one tool to add to your motivation tool box. Today I'll give you your 6th tool and an effective one at that!

6. Write a letter to your future self.

This is a powerful exercise that can be life changing! What would your letter look like if you sat down today, at the weight you are at, at the health level you are experiencing, and wrote to your future self? Your future self who is living at goal weight, healthy, and has made permanent changes. What do you want him or her to know about how you are feeling today? How compelling could your letter be? How desperate are you to tell your future self that this life is painful and you don't want to EVER live here again!?

Below, you'll find a letter that a client wrote and gave me permission to use. I hope it touches you like it did me. Take the time to write a letter to your future self this weekend. Motivation is in the doing...this tool will make a difference, I promise!


Dear Future Self,
**You are at the Clark County fair with your kids. It is warm and the sun is just disappearing. One of the kids, I think it was your daughter, wants to go on a ride together with you. You give the toothsome "carnie" your tickets, find your seats, and wait in anticipation. He comes around to lower the bar and yours won't go down. The safety bar can't click into place because you are too big. You are so embarrassed you want to fade into the seat so no one can see you. But you can't. You look at your daughter, and see the disappointment in her face. She won't go on the ride without you. You slowly get out of your seat, take her by the hand, and walk towards the midway. You apologize to her trying to keep your voice steady, and she squeezes your hand three times very quickly... your secret way of saying I love you to each other when you are in public. It is all you can do to not burst into tears for the rest of the night.**

Please remember this moment. As painful as the memory is, it is important for you to keep it fresh in your mind. You never want to go back to this place and all the other ones just like it. You want to be able to go shopping and try on clothes without breaking a sweat. You want to run up a flight of stairs without losing your breath. You want to actually WANT to look in a full length mirror. You don't want to be the girl that hides behind her layers of fat to keep herself safe from all the men in the world. You want to be healthy, and to be able to get on a bike without instantly worrying that you've flattened the tires. You want to be able to lie on the beach and feel completely relaxed without wondering if people are looking at you and feeling disgusted.

Most of all, you want to set a good example for your son. You want to show him that eating right and taking care of your body is important. You DON'T want him to go through any of the embarrassing moments that you have lived through. The time is now. The opportunity is here. There is no tomorrow. There is only TODAY.

Always encouraging you,
Letha

"Garbage In ~ Garbage Out"

For the last four weeks we've been looking at ways to keep motivation alive. Losing weight and keeping it off for life is a difficult task, and if we don't keep motivation alive and well, we're going to have a tough go of it!

I don't know about you, but the bad news and the tragedies of this world get to me and affect my thinking. I have to make conscious decisions to take in good news and positive thoughts to keep my mind renewed. I believe in the phrase, "garbage in, garbage out," and that is why I'll encourage you to take out the 5th tool in your tool box to keep your motivation alive!

5.Absorb GOOD NEWS through books, tapes, the internet or however you can wrap your mind around it!

This last few weeks have been difficult for me. I have struggled with grief and fear because of personal situations in my life. It seemed that all the tragedies happening in the world and on the news and were adding to my already dark feelings. I knew that the circumstance were not going to change, so it was time that I made the choice to change my thinking.

My usual practice when I'm feeling this way is to walk into my office and slowly look over my book shelf. I have lots of books that have made a difference in my life over the years. I look until one jumps out and screams, "read me again!" Well, this week it was a winner..."As a Man Thinketh" by James Allen. A powerful, classic book that I have not read in over 15 years!

I was on page 2 when I felt my mind turning around. "A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all of his thoughts."
Allen goes on to say, "Man is made or unmade by himself; in the armory of thought he forges the weapons by which he destroys himself; he also fashions the tools with which he builds for himself mansions of joy and strength and peace."

There it was! The truth that I needed to hear to turn my thoughts around! Changing your thinking is hard work, especially during difficult times in your life but I am convinced that these are the times when our mind grows the strongest.

What are you reading? What are you listening to? Is the garbage that the world is presenting to you on a daily basis consuming you? It's up to you to find the balance in this world. As we face the hard things of life we also must keep focused on the good. Do everything you can to absorb GOOD NEWS to keep your mind strong and thinking rightly.

As a man thinketh...so is he.

Take out the 5th tool in this tool box and keep it close...use it often...it will change the way you think; change your thinking...change your life!

Always encouraging you,
Letha

"Let Nothing Stop You!"

I'm a Tower of Power fan, shows my age a bit, but I can't help thinking about one of my favorite songs this morning..."Ain't nothing stopping us now."

What's stopping YOU right now at this very moment from losing weight and looking the best you can?

We are looking at tools to keep motivation fresh and alive! Motivation has to be a priority if you want to achieve your goals. I've got another tool for you to pull out and use as you strive to reach your goal weight and live your best life.

4. Write down everything that's stopping you from reaching your weight loss goal and then beside each thing that's stopping you, make a plan to eliminate the problem.


You may write down:

"I don't have time to lose weight" and a solution to that problem would be to make time by spending 30 minutes exercising instead of watching TV or exercise for 30
minutes while watching TV.

"I eat too much and I can't control my cravings" and a solution to that would be to eat ALL the food on your nutritional plan every day to provide you with the nutrients you need to combat cravings.

"My head's just not into it" and a solution to that is to use the tools you have, and spend time on your head! Make the time to get alone with yourself and use the valuable tools you've received to change your thinking. You have complete control over your thoughts. Eliminate stinkin' thinkin'!


Write down whatever it is that is stopping you from losing weight and then eliminate it! You have a problem? You also have a solution! Let nothing stop you!

How bad do you want to be at goal weight? What's keeping you from having what you want? Use this tool and you'll be singing..."Ain't nothing stopping me now!"

Always encouraging you,
Letha

"Make a Bet With Yourself"

I'm not a betting woman, but this is a fun way to increase motivation! We are looking at 10 ways to keep motivation alive. We've looked at a couple of tools in the last two weeks, today we'll look at yet another fun way to kick up your motivation to lose weight!

3. Make a bet with yourself or someone else!

What would happen to your resolve if you walked into the next office at work with $100 bill and "bet" your co-worker that you will lose 20 pounds in 10 weeks? If you don't do it, they keep the money, when you accomplish the goal, they give it back!!
I can tell you what would happen...you'd do it!!

How inspired would you be if you told your children that you were going to walk every day for the next 60 days...if you didn't follow through they could dye your hair blue! (that one is a little outrageous, but I bet you'd follow through)

The more extreme the bet is or the more you have to lose, the greater chance you'll actually reach your weight loss goal and think about like this...

If there was a chance you could lose your house, your car and all your money if you did not lose 50 pounds in 10 months (which is a reasonable amount of time) then you'll probably end up losing 50 pounds in 7 months or less!

How outrageous can you be? What kind of "bet" will inspire you? Who would you make a bet with that would get you to make a DECISION once and for all?

You can start today. Bet someone today. Keep motivation alive, that's what people do who accomplish great things!!

Always encouraging you,
Letha

"If I Do" and "If I Don't"

It's all abut the motivation! So this week we are going to look at another tool to keep motivation alive! I believe strongly in using pain and pleasure to motivate us to change. This is another way to look at it, another way to think about it. Our second tool in our tool box;

2. Play the "If I Do" and the "If I don't game"


Here's how you play the "If I Do" and the "If I don't game."

You're going to take 2 sheets of paper and on the top of 1 sheet of paper you're going to write:

"These are all the GOOD things that will start happening to me tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, or even 2,5, or 10 years from now if I DO take action now to lose weight."

Then you'll fill up that sheet with every single GOOD thing you can imagine that will happen in the near & distant future If You DO take action now to lose weight!

Spend time here. Be creative. Think of things about your physical, emotional and spiritual life that will be GOOD if you DO take action now to lose your weight. Don't forget to think about your family, your friends, your work. All the things that you are involved in will be affected by your weight loss!


Now take your second piece of paper and write:

"These are all the bad things that will start happening to me tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, or even 2,5, or 10 years from now if I DON'T take action now to lose weight."

Then you'll fill up that sheet with every single BAD thing you can imagine that will happen in the near & distant future If you DON'T take action now to lose weight.

Spend time here. Be creative. Think of things about your physical, emotional and spiritual life that will be BAD if you DO NOT take action now to lose your weight. Don't forget to think about your family, your friends, your work. All the things that you are involved in will be affected by your choice to NOT lose weight.

This will be a powerful tool of motivation when you sit and "play this game," however the key to keeping motivation alive is to refer back to it often. Put it somewhere visible or keep it in a notebook or journal so that it is easy to refer to.

Keep adding these tools to your tool box and you are going to find that you are becoming an expert at motivation!

Always encouraging you,
Letha

"So That..."

It's all about the motivation! Motive; the inner drive that causes one to act.
We spend way too much time thinking about food when we are trying to lose weight...and way too little time thinking about why we want to lose weight; our motive for losing weight.

Our weight loss goals MUST inspire us. Motivation is SO important to being successful at weight loss and weight maintenance that I am going to spend the next 10 weeks on Motivation! One week at a time, focusing on one tool to add to your motivation tool box. Here we go:


1. Keep on saying "So That"

Ask yourself "Why do I want to lose weight?" and after you come up with a reason why... Just keep on saying SO THAT...

For example - Why Do you want to lose weight?

•I want to lose weight to look better SO THAT...
•I want to lose weight so I can feel more confident about myself SO THAT...
•I want to lose weight so I can look amazing at my high school reunion SO THAT...
•I want to lose weight to be a healthy wife and mother SO THAT...
•I want to lose weight to have better health SO THAT...

Can you see what's happening here?

The more times you say SO THAT, the more and more motivated you'll become to lose weight.

We connect somewhat to why we want to lose weight, but we don't make it personal enough to motivate us on a deep level. Motive... the inner drive that cause one to act.

Everyone should lose weight for their health. right?
Everyone should lose weight to feel more confident, right?
Everyone should lose weight and model health for their children, right?

But why you? Why should you do these things? Adding SO THAT at the end of your goal statements will make a difference and help you connect to why YOU should accomplish these things!

Try it this week...SO THAT...

One tool each week. Pick them up, use them, and lets see what you build by the end of these 10 weeks!

Always encouraging you.
Letha

The Amazing Race!

It's September! That means summer is coming to a close, children are headed back to school and parents are celebrating! It also means that life is going to have some routine again.

At The Healthy Weigh, it means that we are two weeks away from closing out our Summer Team Challenge, "EXTRAORDINARY LIFE" and getting geared up for our Fall Challenge, "THE AMAZING RACE." Our Summer Team Challenge has been extraordinary just like the theme. We are going to beat the weight loss record again and will have lost over 1500 pounds in just nine weigh-in's. We have records being broken, weight loss goals being met and more importantly, changed thinking all around! The Summer Team Challenge has lived up to it's name!

That brings us to the Fall! October 11th we will launch our 10th season of our exciting Team Challenge! When we introduced this new program back in the spring of 2009, we could not have imagined the success that was ahead of us. The Team Challenge has changed the way The Healthy Weigh helps people lose weight and keep it off. Because of the challenges we are experiencing greater client success than ever, and it just keeps getting better!

"THE AMAZING RACE" will be a powerful theme for the 10 week fall Challenge. We will have fun and lose a bunch of weight while we explore 'detours,' 'road blocks,' 'clues' and 'pit stops.' Our teams will rise to the occasion with this theme for sure.

Another exciting announcement about our 10th season is that we will have our first ever "alumni" team. This team will consist of clients who have completed the Team Challenge, gone through stabilization and are now at goal weight. This team will be a big group that will be competing for a separate prize. They will be focused on keeping their weight loss % the same or possibly a touch lower by the end of the 10 weeks. One thing our clients have learned at The Healthy Weigh is that having accountability is one of the most important things you can do to maintain your weight loss success. This group, sporting their alumni Healthy Weigh tee shirts, will not only be an inspiration to the clients losing weight, but will set a great example of what it takes to keep weight off. Our alumni know that the holiday months are a dangerous time for people trying to eat healthy and keep their weight off. The Team Challenge will be an excellent place for them to hold firm and move into January at or below their goal!

If you or someone you love is considering changing their life, re-writing their story, losing 20, 30 ,40 or more pounds by Christmas...The Healthy Weigh Team Challenge is a place to do that! We will be having six 30 minute "infomercials" to explain all the details of the Amazing Race Team Challenge. September 20, September 27th and October 4th we will share the details at 11:00 am and 7:00 pm. Come and find out more about what's happening at The Healthy Weigh... and bring a friend, they might be your partner on this Amazing Race!


Always encouraging you,
Letha

Interrupting Patterns!

We all have patterns, habits, routines that we are so caught up in, we don’t even know that we are doing them at times. We follow through with our patterns, our habits even when we want to be doing other things. We want to lose weight, but we have a pattern, a habit, of walking into our house and immediately grabbing something to eat.

We walk into our house, we walk to the pantry, we grab a bite to eat. It’s such a habit, it’s such a pattern that we automatically do it.

Interrupting patterns is a BIG deal and a crucial part of changing permanently. Sometimes interrupting patterns takes doing something outrageous. My husband and I had a talk last night about how we could outrageously interrupt that pattern, that habit that includes our pantry. He came up with an outrageous idea."Let’s put a sign in sheet on the pantry door." "You have to sign in and sign out every time you go in or out."

Now that’s outrageous,that would interrupt the pattern.
How outrageous are you willing to be to interrupt patterns?

Let’s say you have a pattern, a habit of stopping by a convenience store and getting a little something, just a little something that’s "not going to hurt your diet." What could you do to interrupt that pattern? Here’s an outrageous idea; burn a CD of a song, maybe the theme from Rocky, or Helen Reddy's, I am woman or Rudolf The Red Nose Reindeer, something outrageous! Every time you get in your car after work,you play that CD. Every time. You will laugh, It will scramble the pattern, you will think...and make a new choice.

Pattern interrupts: tools that you use to break that pattern. It can happen in so many different ways. Our clients at The Healthy Weigh work on a lot of them.

They have learned to link pain to their old life and pleasure to their new life. If you keep using leverage you’ll interrupt patterns. If you are outrageous enough about the pain that being overweight has caused you or will cause you, you will interrupt patterns.

Our clients have learned about positive affirmations, the truth that whatever we repeatedly say to our self on a regular disciplined manner our subconscious will accept reality. Positive affirmations, changing your self talk from negative to positive will interrupt old patterns. Old patterns of negative thinking.

Keeping a program journal interrupts patterns. You come from a place of eating mindlessly to bringing awareness to your eating patterns. Keeping a program journal, interrupts patterns in behavior! If you really keep it and write down EVERYTHING!

Visualizing your self at goal, living out a vital, active, free life,interrupts patterns.

Sometimes we’re so caught up in our patterns, our habits that they keep us from following through. We want to lose weight. We want to change, but our old patterns and habits take over. So we’ve got to interrupt our patterns. We’ve got to interrupt the old and replace it with new.

What are some of the patterns that have played over and over for you? Some of you might be thinking about daily patterns, habits that you repeatedly do. Others might be thinking about deep seated patters like "I lose weight, but I put it back on again." "I diet, but then I go back to eating the way I always have." I’m in smaller clothes but I end up wearing my bigger ones again." "I feel great eating this way, leaving alcohol alone, but I always slip back and start eating unhealthy and drinking again."

Here’s what it looks like to interrupt a pattern. You have a CD, it plays music. You play it over and over and over. It plays the same song, because the music inlay-ed within it’s pattern. What if one day you took out that CD and took a nail and scratched it, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. I promise you,the next time you put that CD in the player to play that familiar music that has played over and over and over again,It wouldn’t play. That inlay-ed pattern has been interrupted for good.

Pattern interrupts, to be effective, need to be different than what you’ve done in the past. They need to be outrageous! The more outrageous you are, the more effective you’ll be. The more fun you make a pattern interrupt, the more likely you are to do it again and again.

Is there a habit that is getting in your way of reaching your goal weight or keeping it off? It's time to think of an outrageous pattern interrupt. How can you "take a nail" to a pattern or hait that is not getting you what you want, and scratch it up permanently?!

Be outrageous, have fun, and interrupt those patterns!

Always encouraging you,
Letha

Your Mind's Eye...what does it see?

Of all the work we've had our clients do over the years at The Healthy Weigh to have success at weight loss, imagery seems to be one of the most difficult tasks for them to accomplish. It takes time, it's not as easy to measure as some of the writing work, and we're "just not that in to it." Imagery is powerful!

A fascinating fact about your non-conscious mind is that it’s completely deductive in nature. In other words, it is fully capable of working backwards from the end to the means. You do not need to have the means or the “know how” to achieve a goal at the time you first set the goal, because if you “program” only the outcome (the goal) successfully into your “mental computer,” then your subconscious will take over and help you find the information and means and carry out the actions necessary to reach your desired end.

Although visualization is widely used today, even people who are familiar with it often don’t realize its versatility and many applications. Arguably the most frequent use of visualization is by athletes (as well as musicians and other performers) as a form of mental rehearsal. Research has shown that “practicing in your mind” is almost as effective as practicing physically, and that doing both - mental and physical practice - is more effective than either one alone.

A common and simple use of visualization in the fitness context is “goal visualization,” which is simply making mental images of yourself already having achieved your perfect goal weight or with the type of muscularity you desire (i.e., see yourself with the “body of your dreams”). However, visualization does not need to be limited only to mental rehearsal or seeing pictures of your dream body in your mind’s eye. The technique of visualization knows no bounds - because remember, you are working with your imagination.

One creative way you can use mental imagery is called “process visualization.” It works like this: Once you’ve set your goals, it’s fairly easy to come up with a list of daily habits, behaviors and action steps you’ll need to take to reach your goal. So write the action steps down and visualize them (the whole process, not just the end result). In your mind’s eye, see yourself food shopping and making the right choices, see yourself ordering healthy foods from restaurant menus, visualize yourself saying no to sodas and drinking water instead, and mentally project yourself going to the gym consistently and having killer workouts. Some people literally visualize their entire “perfect day” as they would want it to unfold. When you do this as vividly, emotionally and in as much detail as you can, you will be neurologically priming your brain to carry out those behaviors.

The more I read,the more excited I get about the benefits and the power of visualization. I’ve attached a handout for you below to help you get started if you have not already done so. Allow your mind’s eye to see who you are, who you are becoming.



Therapeutic imagery usually consists of a 20- to 25-minute session that begins with a relaxation exercise to help focus attention and "center" your mind. Very often it is done in combination with positive affirmations. These exercises aid in weight loss by allowing people to envision how manageable lowering their weight is and what they would look like.
During a typical session of imagery , you focus on a predetermined image designed to help you control excessive and unhealthy eating (active imagery) or you allow your mind to conjure up images that give you insight into your weight and fat (receptive imagery). Imagery can be explored on your own, with the help of a book or audiotape, or with a counselors guidance (guided imagery).
Martin L. Rossman, MD in an article "Imagery: Learning to Use the Mind's Eye," described how imagery works for healing:
Visual, auditory, and tactile imagery seem to arise from the brain's cerebral cortex, the seat of higher mental functions, such as language, thinking, and problem solving. (Imagery having to do with smell or emotional experiences may arise from more primitive brain centers.) When researchers have used a sophisticated technique called positron emission tomography (PET) to monitor the brain during imagery exercises, they have found that the same parts of the cerebral cortex are activated whether people imagine something or actually experience it. This suggests that picturing visual images activates the optic cortex, imagining that you are listening to music arouses the auditory cortex, and conjuring up tactile sensations stimulates the sensory cortex. Thus, vivid imagery can send a message from the cerebral cortex to the lower brain centers, including the limbic system, the emotional center of the brain. From there, the message is relayed to the endocrine system and the autonomic nervous system, which can affect a range of bodily functions, including heart rate, perspiration, and blood pressure.
To relax, for instance, you might visualize a restful beach scene. Then you could incorporate the surrounding images through your senses: Hear the waves. feel the breeze. Smell the salt air.
Keep your eyes closed while you take a few deep, easy breaths, and imagine yourself in the most peaceful, beautiful, serene place you can conjure up. Think of a time when you felt relaxed and peaceful- perhaps a walk in the park, a day on a sunny beach, or an evening at a concert-and focus intently on the sights, smells, and physical sensations associated with that event. Focus on this image for about five minutes.
Or you can start with the following imagery for seeing your way to weight-loss success.
Sit quietly and comfortably.
Once you are in position, start breathing deeply.
Close eyes. Keep it closed during your visualization. Keep your belly soft. Let that softness spread from your belly into your legs and upper body.
These exercises will relax you. Being relaxed helps you to concentrate on the images that you visualize. Now you are ready for some visualization for weight loss. Here is an exercise recommended by Gerald Epstein, M.D. author of " Healing Visualizations."


Close your eyes and breathe deeply. Picture yourself standing before a mirror, seeing a noticeably thinner you. Imagine entering the mirror and merging with that image, becoming that slimmer you. Feel your clothes hang more loosely on you.
Now separate yourself from the image and step out of the mirror, but keep your eyes on it. Open your eyes.
Each time you sit down to eat, take a minute or two to practice this exercise. It can help you eat more sensibly and reinforce your commitment to losing weight.
Seeing yourself losing weight programs the subconscious mind to do what you want. Imagine how your body will feel and what it will look like. See yourself wearing the kind of body-hugging outfits and doing the kinds of things-such as proudly walking across a crowded beach-that might not feel comfortable for you quite yet.
Here is a visualization recommended by Debbie Johnson, author of "Thinking Yourself Thin - The visualization technique that will make you lose weight without diet or exercise."
"I am walking on the beach, feeling slim and beautiful/ handsome. I feel people watching me as they notice how lean and lovely/ strong I am. I feel the warm sand move under my feet as I walk barefoot. The salty ocean air fills my nostrils. I breath deeply, loving the feeling of health and vigor. The waves roll in, their majestic sound enveloping me. I hear children playing and screaming with delight at finding shells or building castles. I am so happy to be alive in this moment and grateful for the new body I have. I feel more confident, healthy, vital, relaxed, and serene. I am at peace with my body and myself."

Keep forming these pleasant mental pictures, and you'll find yourself motivated to make them a reality.


I hope you'll take some time to see yourself at goal weight this beautiful weekend. See yourself where you want to be physically, spiritually and emotionally. Your mind...it's a powerful thing to waste!

Always encouraging you,
Letha

Relapse is a process, not an event!

I spoke Tuesday at The Team Challenge about PAWS Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome. It was a powerful subject as we recognized that permanent change takes time...more time than it takes to lose weight. The emotional and psychological work of recovery of any destructive behavior takes time. I challenged our clients to do the very important work of self-care and rewards to change the way they think about their relationship with food and also to prevent relapse in the future.

Relapse...a scary word in all of recovery.

Relapse is a process, it's not an event. In order to understand relapse prevention you have to understand the stages of relapse. Relapse starts weeks or even months before the event of physical relapse. There are three stages of relapse.

1. Emotional relapse
2. Mental relapse
3. Physical relapse

Emotional Relapse

In emotional relapse, you're not thinking about overeating. But your emotions and behaviors are setting you up for a possible relapse in the future.

The signs of emotional relapse are:

* Anxiety
* Intolerance
* Anger
* Defensiveness
* Mood swings
* Isolation
* Not asking for help
* Poor sleep habits

The signs of emotional relapse are also the symptoms of post-acute withdrawal. If you understand post-acute withdrawal it's easier to avoid relapse, because the early stage of relapse is easiest to pull back from. In the later stages the pull of relapse gets stronger and the sequence of events moves faster.

Relapse prevention at this stage means recognizing that you're in emotional relapse and changing your behavior. Recognize that you're isolating and remind yourself to ask for help. Recognize that you're anxious and practice relaxation techniques. Recognize that your sleep and eating habits are slipping and practice self-care.

If you don't change your behavior at this stage and you live too long in the stage of emotional relapse you'll become exhausted, and when you're exhausted you will want to escape, which will move you into mental relapse.

Practice self-care. The most important thing you can do to prevent relapse at this stage is take better care of yourself. Think about why you overeat. You use food or alcohol to escape, relax, or reward yourself. Therefore you relapse when you don't take care of yourself and create situations that are mentally and emotionally draining that make you want to escape.

For example, if you don't take care of yourself and eat poorly or have poor sleep habits, you'll feel exhausted and want to escape. If you don't let go of your resentments and fears through some form of relaxation, they will build to the point where you'll feel uncomfortable in your own skin. If you don't ask for help, you'll feel isolated. But if you practice self-care, you can avoid those feelings from growing and avoid relapse.

Mental Relapse

In mental relapse there's a war going on in your mind. Part of you wants to overeat and go back to old habits, but part of you doesn't. In the early phase of mental relapse you're just idly thinking about it. But in the later phase you're definitely thinking about using...your drug of choice.

The signs of mental relapse are:

* Thinking about people, places, and things you "used" with
* Glamorizing your past life style
* Fantasizing about using
* Thinking about relapsing
* Planning your relapse around other people's schedules

It gets harder to make the right choices as the pull of addiction gets stronger.

It's important to use tools at this time to stop the mental relapse. Play the tape through. When you think about overeating, the fantasy is that you'll be able to control your self and get back on track this time. You'll just eat poorly one day, one week. But play the tape through. One bad day usually leads to another. You'll wake up the next day feeling disappointed in yourself. You may not be able to stop the next day, and you'll get caught in the same vicious cycle. When you play that tape through to its logical conclusion, over eating doesn't seem so appealing. Remind yourself of the negative consequences you've already suffered, and the potential consequences that lie around the corner if you relapse again.

Call a friend, a support, or someone on the same journey. Share with them what you're going through. The magic of sharing is that the minute you start to talk about what you're thinking and feeling, your urges begin to disappear. They don't seem quite as big and you don't feel as alone.

Distract yourself. When you think about eating, do something to occupy yourself. Call a friend. Get up and go for a walk. If you just sit there with your urge and don't do anything, you're giving your mental relapse room to grow.

Wait for 30 minutes. Most urges usually last for less than 15 to 30 minutes. When you're in an urge, it feels like an eternity. But if you can keep yourself busy and do the things you're supposed to do, it'll quickly be gone.

Do your recovery one day at a time. Don't think about whether you can stay "on program" forever. That's a paralyzing thought. It's overwhelming even for people who've been healthy and at goal weight for a long time.

One day at a time, means you should match your goals to your emotional strength. When you feel strong and you're motivated to eat healthy, then tell yourself that you won't eat poorly for the next week or the next month. But when you're struggling and having lots of urges, tell yourself that you'll eat well today or for the next 30 minutes. Do your recovery in bite-sized chunks and don't sabotage yourself by thinking too far ahead.

Make relaxation part of your recovery. Relaxation is an important part of relapse prevention, because when you're tense you tend to do what’s familiar and wrong, instead of what's new and right. When you're tense you tend to repeat the same mistakes you made before. When you're relaxed you are more open to change.

Physical Relapse

Once you start thinking about relapse, if you don't use some of the techniques mentioned above, it doesn't take long to go from there to physical relapse.

It's hard to stop the process of relapse at that point. That's not where you should focus your efforts in recovery. That's achieving abstinence through brute force. But it is not recovery. If you recognize the early warning signs of relapse, and understand the symptoms of post-acute withdrawal, you'll be able to catch yourself before it's too late.

Beliefs=Thoughts=Feelings=Actions...it always come down to this! Work the program and you will keep your weight off for life!

Always encouraging you,
Letha

What Makes A Champion?

I've always loved reading about, watching, investigating ordinary people who do EXTRAORDINARY things. What makes someone become a champion? What do they have that others don't. Here's what I've discovered!

Champions don’t become champions when they win the event, but in the hours, weeks, and months they spend preparing for it.



Champions are positive thinkers; they believe in themselves.
Champions share in a belief that they will succeed. Champions always look for the good in every situation. No matter what obstacles they encounter, they always continue to think positive. Without confidence, faith in your abilities, and positive mental attitude, you’ve defeated yourself before you ever step out to succeed. You can choose the mind of a champion today!

Champions visualize their successes.
Champions understand the importance of positive mental imagery or visualization. We believe that at The Healthy Weigh. We believe that the mind is a powerful tool in your success. To be a champion, you must practice seeing yourself at goal weight. Practicing and becoming good at visualization is a must in the life of a champion.

Champions surround themselves with positive people and avoid negative influences.
Champions keep themselves in a "positive shell" and do not associate with negative people, places, or things. Choose who you spend time with…limit your time with negative influences…spread out your time with positive people that help you live out your best life! Invest in establishments, books, tapes, friends…who bring champion like thinking in to your world!

Champions are goal setters.
Champions realize that if they don’t know where they’re going, that is exactly where they’ll end up; nowhere! Champions consistently set long and short-term goals. From day to day goals to long term career objectives, champion’s have written out specific, measurable goals with a deadline. They understand the importance of the reward system to change behavior permanently…set goals, reward self, set goals, reward self…over and over…that’s what champions do. That’s what you can do starting today!

Champions have a burning desire to succeed.
Champions not only have goals, but they ardently desire them. Robert Collier, summed up the idea of desire beautifully in his 1926 self-help classic Secret of the Ages. He said, "Very few people know how to desire with sufficient intensity. They do not know what it is to feel and manifest that intense, eager, longing, craving, insistent, demanding, ravenous desire which is akin to the persistent, insistent, ardent, overwhelming desire of the drowning man for a breath of air, or a desert-lost man for a drink of water, or the famished man for bread and meat." Champions have burning desire. They want it and they want it badly. How bad so you want the body you deserve? Do you want it as bad as your next breath? If you do…you’re a champion!

Champions are disciplined and consistent.
Champions live and breathe their new lifestyle all year round. They are committed and disciplined in training and dietary practices. They know that when you’re changing your life permanently there is no off-season and success does not come overnight.
One day at a time…making the healthy choice no matter what yesterday looked like.

Champions are persistent.
Champions never, ever quit. Thomas Edison was the epitome of persistence: He conducted 10,000 experiments before finally finding a filament that would burn in the electric light bulb. Champions know that if they persist long enough, eventually they must succeed.

Champions learn from their failures.
Champions don't view losses as failures, they see them as learning experiences. When asked how it felt to fail 10,000 times, Thomas Edison replied, "I didn’t fail, I learned 9,999 ways that wouldn’t work." Champions know that they haven’t failed until they quit; but once they quit, then they have failed. A champion finds a lesson in every apparent loss and finds ways to grow from it.


Champions have incredible powers of focus and concentration.
Champions set goals and then maintain a laser-like focus on them. They have the ability to always keep the long term objective in their sights while focusing 100% on what they are doing at the moment. If you watch a champion train you will notice that they are completely oblivious to their surroundings. 100% of their focus and concentration is on what they are doing. They almost appear to have slipped into a hypnosis-like trance. This peak physiological and psychological state has often been referred to as being in "the zone" or being in "flow." Champions can access this state instantly at will. When it comes time to train they turn everything else off and zero in on what they are doing. What does it look like to be in the zone on your healthy eating plan…I know, I’ve been in the zone. It almost feel like you’re Teflon…nothing can get to you, because you’ve decided!

Champions have a deep love and boundless enthusiasm for the sport, the program….what ever it may be.
To a loser, training and dieting is work and drudgery. To a champion, training and dieting are a love, a joy, and a passion. Champions are enthusiastic about what they do; they can’t wait to train each day. Motivational speaker Tom Hopkins once said, "Work is anything you’re doing when you’d rather be doing something else." Champions are doing what they love, so to them it’s not work at all, its fun!

Champions strive for constant and never ending improvement.
Champions are never satisfied with the status quo; they never rest on their laurels. Champions aim for small improvements every day in every way. Champions are open-minded and are always looking for a better way to do things. Although champions are always striving for more, they also realize that success is a journey, so they enjoy each moment and savor every step along the way.

Champions are hard workers; they are willing to go the extra mile.
Positive thinking, goal setting, visualization, desire, persistence, and enthusiasm are vital, but without action and hard work, these traits are all worthless. Edison said, "Success is 98% perspiration and 2% inspiration." Champions are hard workers. Champions take consistent action and they are willing to do the things that the losers are not.


Our Champions at The Healthy Weigh face many obstacles during their weight loss programs. Parties, graduations, taking children to college, tragic deaths, family reunions, weddings, vacations, daily temptations both at work and home…all the things, that we all face.
What sets our champions apart…is that even in the midst of all those events and seemly “out of control” times…they truly knew that they DID have control over what they ate, how they responded and what they chose to do!

Champions aren’t born, they are made. They are made by the choices they make every day. By the way they choose to think when they’ve gotten off track and need to get back on, by the way they continue going when they going gets real tough.

Are you a champion? What choices can you make even this weekend to call yourself one? Here's to a weekend of extraordinary choices!

Always encouraging you,
Letha

Contentment = Permanent Weight Loss

I love to help people lose weight, I also love to help them stabilize and then maintain weight loss for life. Although I have gained tremendous knowledge about food, calories and nutrition over the past 30 years working in the weight loss industry, you'll rarely find me talking about those things in this blog. The amount of information available to the public about dieting is overwhelming and plentiful. If you have a question about food, calories and protein...you can get that question answered 100 different ways.

My experience has taught me this...it's a lot more about what's eating you...than what you're eating! As I work with clients every week, I'm continually reminded of that.

This week I visited with clients who seem to be "bored with the food" on the Healthy Weigh weight loss diet, but with further examination discovered that discontentment was at the root of "needing" more or different food.

Being content isn't easy. If you've studied contentment at all you find it gets harder before it gets better. Contentment is being satisfied with what you have and where you are; a feeling of calm satisfaction. The problem with contentment is that we look for the circumstances to change, when being content is really learning to be satisfied with things just like they are.

The rub comes when we feel those feelings of discontent and we don't know what to do with them. Food so often becomes the drug of choice to numb, avoid, or escape that uncomfortable feeling of discontentment.

The answer is ALWAYS to identify those feelings and then process them. That might look like journaling, talking to a friend or choosing gratitude for what you have and where you are right now.

Choose contentment this weekend. Challenge yourself to process feelings of discontent and be grateful. See if finding contentment in your present circumstances doesn't just make following your diet a little easier.


Always encouraging you.
Letha

Selfish or Self Care?

I'm a wife and I'm a mom, I'm a sister, aunt,daughter and friend. All of these roles in my life take time, energy, and sacrifice. I've worked hard over the years making sure that the people that I love the most get the best of me...they get the best of me, because I work to be the best me.

I'm convinced that taking care of myself is the very best thing I can do for all of my loved ones. My husband has a wife that feels confident and beautiful. My son has a mom that he looks up to and respects. My sisters and brothers look to me for inspiration and my nieces and nephews see me as a role model. My Mom just loves me.

I meet with men and women every week who do a lot of sacrificing, but they do it to their detriment. They give out all they've got without taking care of themselves first. They love, they serve, they give, all while they aren't in touch with their very best self!

I once heard a great analogy for this issue. When you go on an airplane and the flight attendant is explaining the oxygen mask that will fall down in an emergency...she says, "If you're with a child, remember to put your mask on first, and then help the child." That's the way we should see it every day. We need to be taking care of ourselves first so that we might be able to help and love those around us.

I've always felt like I owed it to my husband and to my son to be my very best; physically, emotionally and spiritually. I think it would be selfish of me to live any other way. Sometimes I see men and women that have that thinking backwards...they think if they take care of themselves first, that somehow, that is selfish.

Selfish to me is being unhappy, dissatisfied, and angry with my self. Selfish to me is spending time worrying about how I haven't taken care of my self, how bad I look and how frustrated I am with my self!

Self care is truly the selfless thing to do. When we are at our best, we are able to pour out, love on, and be free, around the very most important people in our lives.

I hope you will reflect on your self care this weekend and know that the greatest thing you can do for those people in your life, is become the very best you!

Always encouraging you.
Letha

Restaurant Eating...Aint No Big Thing!

One of the obstacles when trying to lose weight seems to be eating out. I say seems to be, because restaurant eating...aint no big thing. We've worked it up to be more difficult than it is. In some ways, eating out can be easier while you are "dieting" than eating at home.

I could tell you all the new ways to find out what you’re eating when you go out to a restaurant. You'll find information about calories,fat grams and carbohydrates, on the internet or even the brand new text message service. I’m sure there is an app for that. BUT it’s easier than that! We make this harder that it should be and then we’re not getting the results we’re looking for.(weight loss)

We’re going on line to look up restaurants menus and nutritional information, then we’re focusing on calories and fat grams and we’re not staying on our nutritional program. We’re being provided nutritional information at some restaurants and saying things like "Wow the 6 inch sub only has 6 grams of fat…that sounds good." We’re making healthier choices than before, but not losing weight.

There’s a difference between being on a weight loss program and being on maintenance eating a healthy diet. The tools offered on the internet, etc are great, but while you’re on the weight loss program, I want to help you go out to eat and stay 100% on your weight loss plan!

I went restaurant hopping and gathered up menus. I wanted to be able to show you, hey, this eating out in restaurants aint no big thing. So here’s what I found, VERY FEW MENUS HAVE PROGRAM FOOD ON THEM! But repeat after me…”The food you need, is in the kitchen!” The restaurants kitchen, that is! It really is. I have picked up MANY menus and looked over them, from our favorite fast food restaurants to the finest dining around. The same thing was true,nothing on the menu, but the food we need is in their kitchen!

So here’s the trick. Confidence! Belief in your ability to order and the knowledge that every restaurant wants to serve you…with love. They need you and will serve you what you need. You just have to be in charge of you and what goes in your mouth!

Let me give you some examples;

Olive Garden…this isn’t on the menu, but this is what I order.
Garden fresh salad, no dressing, with a piece of grilled chicken breast on the top. No bread sticks please. Ice tea with lemon.

Red lobster…"The food I need is in the kitchen."
I will have the broiled sole no butter
Extra vegetables, no rice
Dinner salad~ hold the croutons please and don’t bring the cheese rolls.

Azteca
Chicken sandwich…hold the bun, hold the fries, side salad please, with fat free dressing.

Great Taste Chinese Restaurant
Steamed shrimp with steamed broccoli
Steamed vegetable deluxe
White rice

Subway (don't listen to Jared)
Make any 6 inch sub into a salad, order double meat

Red Robin
Red rice bowl
Hold the rice, hold the crunchy noodles, just bring vegetable and chicken OR
Chicken burger hold the bun, extra fruit or side salad instead of the fries

Burgerville
Side salad
Rosemary grilled chicken breast on top


So are you getting a feel for what needs to be done? The food on this nutritional plan, is in every restaurant in Vancouver and Portland…we must be confident and help our server, help us. The program choices most likely will not be on the menu, but the food you need is in the kitchen. I rarely look at menus,I just order what I need.

So now let's talk portions! We are served meals on platters…what’s up with that?! Then,we’re afraid to leave food! Are you afraid that you’re not going to get your money’s worth? You have to ask yourself, "What did I pay for my weight loss program?"
I often ask for a ‘to go’ box when my food is served and put 1/2 my food away for my next meal.

You are worthy of ordering what you need. You are not high maintenance,you are healthy, in control and confident. You are happy and a role model!
If you had a life threatening illness and had to eat certain foods, would you have confidence then? Or better yet,if your child or grandchild had a life threatening illness and had to eat certain foods,would you have confidence to order what they needed then? Would you be assertive? Oh you bet you would.

Really, I’ve found it easier to eat out.
You order the food, it comes, you eat it.
At home; you buy it, bring it home and put it away, take it back out, prepare it, serve it, clean it up, put away leftovers!

Don’t use the opportunity to go out, to go off program. You can absolutely follow your nutritional plan while eating out!

Be confident, be in charge of what goes in your mouth,and remember, the food you need is in the kitchen!

Always encouraging you,
Letha