Encouragement from Letha

Are You Fully Engaged? Principle # 2

2012-01-27T08:00:00.000-08:00

Continued from last week...
a reminder:
To be fully engaged, we must be physically energized, emotionally connected, mentally focused and spiritually aligned with a purpose beyond our immediate self-interests.

The challenge of great life performance is to manage your energy more effectively in all dimensions to achieve your goals. Four key energy management principles drive this process. They lie at the heart of change, and they are critical for building the capacity to live a productive, fully engaged life.

So…to fully engage the following 4 energy management principles will be key:
This week we'll address Principle #2

PRINCIPLE 2:
Because energy capacity diminishes both with overuse and with under use, we must balance energy expenditure with intermittent energy renewal.

We rarely consider how much energy we are spending because we take it for granted that the energy available to us is limitless. In fact, increased demand progressively depletes our energy reserves, especially in the absences of any efforts to reverse the loss of capacity that comes with age. We can dramatically slow our decline both physically and mentally, and we should actually deepen our emotional and spiritual capacity until the very end of our lives.

When we spend far more energy than we recover and the eventual consequence is that we break down, burn out, atrophy, lose passion, get sick and even die prematurely. Sadly the need for recovery is often viewed as evidence of weakness rather than as an integral aspect of sustained performance. The result is that we give no attention to renewing and expanding our energy reserves, individually or organizationally.

The richest, happiest, and most productive lives are characterized by the ability to fully engage in the challenge at hand, but also disengage periodically and seek renewal. Instead, many of us live our lives as if we are running in an endless marathon, pushing ourselves far beyond healthy levels of exertion.

We become flat lines mentally and emotionally by spending energy without sufficient recovery. We become flat lines physically and spiritually by not expending enough energy. Either way, we slowly wear down.

Think for a moment about the look of many long distance runners. Gaunt, sallow, slightly sunken and emotionally flat. Now visualize a sprinter. Sprinters typically look powerful, bursting with energy and eager to push themselves to their limits. The explanation is simple. No matter how intense the demand they face, the finish line is 100 or 200 meters down the track.

We, too must learn to live our lives as a series of sprints. We must fully engaged for periods of time, then fully disengage and seek renewal before jumping back into the fray to face whatever challenges confront us.

Here's to a week with a series of sprints!
More next week.

Always encouraging you,
Letha

Are You Fully Engaged? Principle # 1

2012-01-20T08:00:00.000-08:00

Continued from last week...

a reminder:
To be fully engaged, we must be physically energized, emotionally connected, mentally focused and spiritually aligned with a purpose beyond our immediate self-interests.

The challenge of great life performance is to manage your energy more effectively in all dimensions to achieve your goals. Four key energy management principles drive this process. They lie at the heart of change, and they are critical for building the capacity to live a productive, fully engaged life.

So…to fully engage the following 4 energy management principles will be key:
This week we'll address Principle #1.

PRINCIPLE 1:

Full engagement requires drawing on four separate but related sources of energy; physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.

The truth is that humans beings are complex energy systems. Full engagement is not one dimensional. The energy that pulses through us is physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. All four dynamics are critical. None is sufficient by itself and each one profoundly influences the others.

To perform at our best we must skillfully manage each of these dimensions. Subtract any one of these and we lose our capacity to fully engage…much the way an engine sputters when one of it’s cylinders misfires.

Energy is the common denominator in all dimensions of our lives. Physical energy capacity is measured in terms of quantity (low to high) where emotional energy capacity is measured in quality (negative to positive).

These are our most fundamental sources of energy because without sufficient high-octane fuel no mission can be accomplished. The more toxic and unpleasant our energy, the less effective we perform. The more positive and pleasant, the energy, the more efficient it is. Full engagement and maximum performance are only possible when we are living lives with high physical energy and positive emotional energy.

The importance of full engagement is most vivid in situations where the consequences of disengagement are profound.

Imagine for a moment that you are facing open-heart surgery. Where on a scale from low to high would you want your surgeon to be? How would you feel if he entered the operating room feeling angry, frustrated and anxious. How about overworked, exhausted, and depressed. What if he was laid back and slightly spacey? Obviously, you want your surgeon energized, confident and upbeat.

Imagine that every time you reacted inappropriately at someone in frustration or did sloppy work on a project or failed to focus your attention fully on the task at hand, you put someone’s life at risk? Very quickly, you would become less negative, reckless and sloppy in the way you manage your energy.

We must learn to hold ourselves accountable for how we manage our energy, physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually, just as we do our time.

So for this week...be fully engaged by managing your energy, physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.

Next week we'll look at principle #2

Always encouraging you.
Letha

Will you be fully enagaed in 2012?

2012-01-13T12:27:00.000-08:00

We are only two weeks into 2012...how many of you already feel like the demands of your life exceeds your capacity to make it all happen?

We live in a digital time. Our rhythms are rushed, our days are carved up in to bits and bytes.
We survive on too little sleep, fuel up on coffee, and go non stop from morning until night. We have demands all day and arrive home feeling exhausted and often experience the things and people waiting for us at home as one more demand instead of a place to refuel and feel renewed.

Our lives feel over burdened.

We take pride in our ability to multi task, we have cell phones, pagers, emails and pop up reminders. We use words like obsessed, stressed, crazy and overwhelmed. Feeling starved for time we feel we have no choice but to cram as much as possible into every day.

Managing time efficiently does not guarantee that we are living our lives fully engaged…it does not guarantee that we are bringing sufficient energy into whatever we are doing.

The ultimate measure of our lives is not how much time we spend on the planet, but rather how much energy we invest in the time that we have. The number of hours in a day is fixed, but the quantity and the quality of energy available to us is not.

To be fully engaged, we must be physically energized, emotionally connected, mentally focused and spiritually aligned with a purpose beyond our immediate self-interests.

Full engagement begins with feeling eager to get to work in the morning, equally happy to return home in the evening and capable of setting clear boundaries between the two. It means being able to immerse yourself in the mission you are on, whether it’s grappling with a creative challenge at work, managing a group of people on a project, spending time with loved ones or simply having fun.

I want to do something fun and compare our lives, our busy, successful, time crunched lives, to those of a professional athlete.

Think about it…
Professional athletes typically spend about 90 percent of their time training, in order to perform 10 percent of the time. Their entire lives are designed around expanding, sustaining, and renewing the energy they need to compete for short, focused periods of time.

They build very precise routines for managing energy in all spheres of their lives. Eating and sleeping…working out and resting…summoning the appropriate emotions, mentally staying focused and connecting regularly to the mission they have set for themselves.

Although most of us spend little or no time systematically training in any of these dimensions, we are expected to perform at our best for eight, ten even twelve hours a day.

Most professional athletes also enjoy an off-season of four to five months a year. After competing under extraordinary pressure for several months, a long off-season gives athletes the critical time that thy need for rest and healing, renewal and growth.

By contrast, our “off” season amounts to a few weeks of vacation a year, Even then we probably aren’t solely resting and recovering. More likely we are spending a least some of our vacation answering emails, checking our voice mail and thinking about our work.

Finally, professional athletes have an average career span of five to seven years. If they have handled their finances reasonable well, they are often set for life. Few of them are under pressure to run out and get another job.
By contrast, we can probably expect to work for forty to fifty years without any significant breaks.

Given these stark facts, what makes it possible to keep performing at our best without sacrificing our health, our happiness and our passions for life?

We must become fully engaged!

To be fully engaged, we must be physically energized, emotionally connected, mentally focused and spiritually aligned with a purpose beyond our immediate self-interests.

The challenge of great life performance is to manage your energy more effectively in all dimensions to achieve your goals. Four key energy management principles drive this process. They lie at the heart of change, and they are critical for building the capacity to live a productive, fully engaged life.

So…to fully engage, four energy management principles will be key:

We'll look at those principles for the next 4 weeks!
Until then...be fully engaged, be in the moment.

Always encouraging you,
Letha

The Year in Review!

2012-01-06T08:45:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again! Time to celebrate all that happened in 2011 and time to anticipate 2012! Powerful things are happening at The Healthy Weigh and I couldn't be more excited!

Join me for a look back at 2011:

Last January I made the decision after 30 years, to discontinue the one on one counseling side of The Healthy Weigh's program. That decision came after months of success and participation with our group Team Challenge! Because of the overwhelming success the clients were experiencing at the Team Challenge, the decision came easy. I chose to put all my efforts, finances and energy into what was helping our clients the most! We went on to produce 4 Team Challenges the year of 2011! Our clients lost over 7000 pounds in those 4 challenges, but more importantly, I saw lives being changed from the inside out!

As the participation in the Team Challenge grew, so did our need for a bigger location. It just happened that the suite down the hall was perfect for us! We moved in March just in time to celebrate the finale of our "Saddle Up Your Horses" winter Team Challenge! We purchased 50 more chairs and made room for our spring Team Challenge, "Road Trip." During our summer Team Challenge, "The Amazing Race," We were approached about sharing our space! Because The Healthy Weigh is now only using the space on Tuesday's for the Team Challenge, it made perfect sense to sublease our suite the rest of the week. I was excited to work with "Clark County Career Development" to come up with a shared plan that helped us both. We added a couple of walls, moved a fixture or two and we are happily sharing office space.

We closed out 2011 celebrating one of the most exciting years The Healthy Weigh has ever seen. I saw more weight loss than I've experienced in my 30 year career and I'm working with a community of people that are looking into 2012 with GREAT anticipation!

Stay with me to look into 2012:

We are preparing to begin our 11th season of the Team Challenge on January 10th! Our theme for this 10 week challenge is "BEYOND THE LIMITS." We are climbing Mt. Everest together! :-) As I write this blog on January 6th, we have over 60 teams signed up and ready to begin. I would imagine that 15 to 20 more teams will show up in the next few days! It's going to be an incredible 10 weeks!

We have plans to offer 4 Team Challenges again this year and are so excited about the numbers of clients reaching goal weight and now participating in our Alumni program. Our closed Face book page launched each Team Challenge, has provided a greater support group than I've experienced before. It's with great confidence I'm proud to say the participants in The Healthy Weigh's Team Challenge are some of the most outstanding and supportive people in Clark County. I am honored to be the facilitator of something so powerful!

Here's to the best year The Healthy Weigh and it's clients have ever seen! Here's to permanent weight loss, lives being changed and the ripple effect that all of that change brings!

If you are reading this and haven't participated in The Team Challenge before...don't wait. Come join us on Tuesday,January 10th at noon or 6pm for the program introduction class and climb Mt. Everest with us! We are going to push BEYOND THE LIMITS in 2012...come and push with us!

Always encouraging you,
Letha

Your Word for 2012

2011-12-30T08:09:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-12-23T08:55:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-12-16T08:55:00.000-08:00

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...

2011-12-09T09:08:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-02T08:00:00.000-08:00

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?

2011-11-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

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?

2011-11-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

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"

2011-11-04T08:46:00.000-07:00

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"

2011-10-28T08:53:00.000-07:00

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"

2011-10-21T08:28:00.000-07:00

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"

2011-10-14T10:13:00.000-07:00

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"

2011-10-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

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!"

2011-09-30T08:39:00.000-07:00

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"

2011-09-23T08:46:00.000-07:00

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"

2011-09-16T09:01:00.000-07:00

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..."

2011-09-09T08:41:00.000-07:00

The Amazing Race!

2011-09-02T08:56:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-08-26T08:47:00.001-07:00

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?

2011-08-19T08:25:00.001-07:00

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!

2011-08-12T10:18:00.000-07:00

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?

2011-08-05T08:43:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-29T07:49:00.000-07:00

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?

2011-07-22T07:56:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-07-14T22:17:00.000-07:00

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

Keeper of The Keys

2011-07-08T08:15:00.000-07:00

I love to study people. I'm curious about what makes us do the things we do. The longer I live, the more life I experience, the more firm I am in my belief that our actions are ALWAYS dictated by how we think. Our thought life has EVERYTHING to do with how we act. That continues to be a source of great inspiration to me because I believe that we have complete control over how we think. Our past experiences and our current circumstances have a lot to do with our thought life, that's for sure, but ultimately we have the ability to think rightly about the past and the present, and that right thinking changes everything.

I found this poem years ago and it really speaks to the truth about our thought life.

"Keeper of the Keys"

You are the Keeper of The Keys.
You are the Guard at The Gate.
Waiting in line to get through that door
Is LOVE and also HATE.
In line to enter is GENTLE PEACE.
And also VIOLENT WAR.
You must choose who may, and who
May not come through the door.
INTOLERANCE tries to sneak on through
On wings of FEAR, or PRIDE.
It hides behind DREAMS of BELONGING,
And tries to sneak inside.
Oh! Be alert! You're the Guard who decides
Who GOES and who may STAY.
You are The Keeper of The Keys to Your Mind.
Who will you let in today?

Guy Gilchrist

I encourage you to be the "Keeper of the Keys" to your mind. Choose to think rightly and guard your thoughts. Who will you let in today?

Always encouraging you,
Letha

Freedom!

2011-07-01T08:21:00.000-07:00

It's July, and we're headed into the weekend that we as a country celebrate our Independence and our freedoms. I'm wondering today how free you really feel? Has food, or your struggles to control your eating, made you feel less than free? Do you sometimes feel like a prisoner, trapped in an unhealthy body?

Freedom takes work. It took work over 200 hundred years ago as our forefathers fought for what was ours. It takes work today as we fight for what is ours; a healthy, fit body. To be free is to not be under the control or power of someone or something. To be free is not to give in to the desires of our natural man...that in fact, is bondage to the flesh. I see men and women fighting to be free every week at The Healthy Weigh, they are re-defining freedom for themselves! It's exciting!

I'm convinced that the key to being free from overeating is to fight the battles on the inside as well as the outside. How much time are you spending on coping with life's difficulties, healing past pain, and working to understand your beliefs? Equal time or more should be given to the inside of us, as we focus on changing the outside. That's when freedom comes!

As you spend time with your families this weekend, celebrating our great country, I hope that you will take some time to ponder your freedom as a healthy adult. Choose freedom both on the inside and out this Independence Day.

Always encouraging you.
Letha

Vision Quest!

2011-06-24T08:14:00.000-07:00

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…it’s a dream, a mental picture, foresight, the ability to see the future

Quest is 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! You know your vision…now you’re on a quest to get there!

Without Vision…people perish…(give up the ghost), die! Helen Kellar said, "The saddest person in the world is not the one without sight...but the one without vision."

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…not what you don’t 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 goal. 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…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!

Always encouraging you,
Letha

Can You Just Flip a Switch?

2011-06-17T09:35:00.000-07:00

You know the switch I'm talking about. The one that when flipped, you are ON PROGRAM! You are fired up and nothing can break your resolve! You are excited, motivated and driven to follow the nutritional plan and see results. That switch!

I've spent time in the last 30 years discovering ways to flip that switch in my own life. Not only in regards to my eating habits, but in other areas of my life that require excellence as well! I've gotten really good at it!

There are really two things you need to invest in to flip the switch...time and emotions. Oh, I can hear the sighs right now! :-) You're always short on time...and you avoid those emotional moments really well!

Do you want to flip the switch? Do you wake up each morning and say "This day is going to be better" and by the time you lie down at night, you are discouraged with your self again? If you are willing to spend some time, and feel some feelings, you too can flip that switch and TODAY can be the start of a great summer!

TIME...we rarely take the time to get to know ourselves. We race through this life, taking care of other people and obligations without the important connection with our selves! Can you stop at a coffee shop today and sit in a corner by yourself? Can you drive to a big parking lot and sit in your car on your lunch hour? Can you go to a room in your house that never gets used and spend some time there today? Get alone with yourself! Invest some time in YOU. Some of us are alone a lot...but are we alone, focused on ourselves? Flipping the switch requires time and focus on you!

EMOTIONS...I can promise you, if you have been eating off program, unable to follow through for even one day, you are stuffing your emotions! It's time to look at them and allow them to surface. The first question I ask my self is "Letha, What's up?" I ALWAYS get an answer! You will too. (that's why you're afraid to ask it) If you have a journal...start writing in it. If you have junk mail in the floor board of your car, that works too. Get something down on paper!

Another effective tool I use is the pain and pleasure list! I hope you have all used this "power tool."

Make a list of the pain, over eating is causing you...go for it! Don't stop, get real, get painful...allow it to take you all the way to gaining ALL your weight back, feeling miserable, and overwhelmed with medical problems and personal pain that choosing food has caused you! Don't skip ahead fast...if you have an hour, spend at least 30 of it on this list! Don't forget to include family, children and spouses in this list. How has your overeating affected them. Your overeating has caused you to be irritated, mad at the world and not very fun...how's that working for you and your family? Your clothes don't fit, you feel frumpy, and you don't want to do much of anything! Your overeating is affecting EVERY area of your life!

Now...if you have done a good job on that list... it's time to move ahead...if you haven't, you are not really serious about flipping the switch.(or you're just scared)

This list is a lot more fun! This is the list that includes all the emotions that you feel when you are on program, eating healthy, and setting limits for yourself! Have fun, spend time on this list too. Don't forget to include your family, children and spouse also. How has eating healthy, feeling attractive and in control, made a difference in those relationships? How's your wardrobe? How much energy do you have? Are you fun? Do you laugh more? Do you take pride in how you look and enjoy going out? Is EVERY area of your life affected by how you eat and what choices you are making? Don't stop short dreaming as you make this list. Allow the good feelings to overwhelm you and fill you with hope.

Look at those two lists...ask the all important question now. "Why am I living here...when I could be living here?"

If no tears are involved with this project...you might be dead!:-)

I've had clients tell me, "Ive done the pain and pleasure list thing and it doesn't work." I'm wondering have they REALLY done it. Have they really taken the time to look at the way their eating is affecting their life and the lives of all the people around them? Have they asked them selves, "Why am I letting food win?" "Why am I letting food be the boss of me?"

My friends...to lose weight and keep it off, you must be able to use pain as your friend. Flipping the switch when you are living on maintenance is crucial to you keeping your weight off for life.

I wish I had time to sit in your car with you...but I guess you wouldn't be alone then would you? Take time, allow your emotions to come forth...and flip the switch. Don't wait...today is the perfect day to change the direction of your life!

Always encouraging and pushing you,
Letha

Should We Celebrate More Often?

2011-06-10T08:26:00.000-07:00

For the 8th time in the history of The Healthy Weigh, we are preparing for the Grand Finale of the Team Challenge! We have been on a 10 week "Road Trip" (the theme of this Team Challenge) and we'll be celebrating the success of our Road Trippers next Tuesday night at 6 PM! In some ways the 10 weeks have gone by rather slowly...in other ways, 10 weeks have passed in a blink of an eye! Kind of like life!

The new program that The Healthy Weigh has created, allows us the opportunity at the end of each 10 week challenge, to celebrate! We celebrate group weight loss records being broken, amazing individual achievement, and the powerful results of community support! The Grand Finale is a time to reflect on the previous 10 weeks and look ahead to the next!

It got me to thinking...What if we stopped to reflect and celebrate every 10 weeks?! What would happen if we were to take stock of the weeks we've lived and have a celebration of what we've accomplished? In our homes, at work, in our spiritual lives? What if we set 10 weeks goals and rewarded ourselves(had a grand finale)when we had accomplished the things we set out to do?

What if, at the end of ten weeks we saw that life hadn't changed... that we were still doing the same things and getting the same results? Would that reflection cause us to move?

Tuesday night will be outstanding! We have clients that have forged ahead and had extreme weight loss. We will celebrate with them and feel their enthusiasm that's contagious! We will also be celebrating those clients who started 10 weeks ago...and are still on the road trip. Even though weight loss hasn't been extreme, they will be enthusiastic too, because they have followed through for 10 weeks! They have worked through the tough times in life...but made a decision to keep going no matter what!! I've got a feeling that it's going to be a great night!!!

I'm hoping that we have a few attendees that show up Tuesday night because they need a little enthusiasm rubbed off on them. They might be looking back at the last 10 weeks and not feeling great about what's been accomplished! There's not a better place to be when you're feeling that way, than in a room full of people who are working hard and making it happen!

So mark your calendars...10 weeks out. Where will you be physically, emotionally and spiritually? What will you be celebrating at your "Grand Finale?" Record breaking changes or slow and steady progress?

If you've been wondering about our Team Challenge, I invite you to come Tuesday night and celebrate with us! 6 PM... the festivities begin! We'll be looking back with pride and looking ahead with excitement! Ten weeks... it happens in a blink of an eye!

Always encouraging you,
Letha

Face Your Stuff ~ Don't Stuff Your Face!

2011-06-03T08:35:00.000-07:00

This mantra showed up on the back of a team's shirt at our Team Challenge last year! I love it! Yesterday it sprang up again in the dialog of our Team Challenge participants on their face book page. It got me thinking.

"Face your stuff, don't stuff your face." Such wise instruction with life changing results. I thought a lot about my Healthy Weigh clients yesterday, past and present, in regards to this instruction. I observe and hear about how our clients are choosing to NOT stuff their faces...which brings about excitement and weight loss. We celebrate the pounds coming off as clients are choosing a new way to eat. I've observed for 30 years now, that people can avoid overeating, change their actions and lose weight...they can chose to NOT stuff their faces. The bigger questions is...are they facing their stuff?

Are you "white knuckling" it through the weight loss program, or are you facing the deeper issues that caused you to put the weight on in the first place? I am ALL for a program that offers a easy, healthy, system to lose weight, but the program can't stop there or at best the weight loss will be temporary. Are you facing your stuff?

I've talked in the past about coping skills; the act of taking what's inside of you (pain, resentment, bitterness, unforgiveness, to name a few)and getting it out... processing the feelings instead of denying them. Sometimes I think that when a client doesn't go to food, doesn't USE food as their drug of choice, they feel like they are facing their stuff, when in reality, they have just avoided stuffing the pain down temporarily. Not stuffing your face is very important in this journey...but facing your stuff is the key to permanent weight loss!

Are you journaling your feelings? Are you talking to a friend or a counselor about the anxieties and pain in your life? Are you identifying what you're really feeling when you stand at the refrigerator looking for "something?" Are you facing your stuff?

What ever our drugs of choice are...food, alcohol, drugs, shopping, working too much, we can change our actions and quit using for a time, but unless we choose to face our stuff, we will, on auto pilot, return to the drug that makes us feel better.

My deepest desire as the owner of The Healthy Weigh, is to see my clients/friends, healthy from the inside out. I am proud to offer a nutritional plan that can't be beat, but I am much more passionate about helping people make permanent change that will affect every area of their lives.

Journey on my friends. Face your stuff! You'll be so glad you did!

Always encouraging you.
Letha

Body ~ Soul ~ Spirit...The Spiritual Perspective

2011-05-27T08:04:00.000-07:00

This week we concluded our 6 week CD series by listening to and reviewing the last, and I believe, most important Personal Control Guide. We looked at the spiritual perspective of weight loss.

We were created in three parts...body, soul and spirit. Our body, the physical part of us which relates to the material world. Our Soul, made up of our mind, will and emotions, our personalty you might say, which relates with people. And our spirit, the deepest place of who we are, which relates with God.

To live completely healthy lives, we need to submit our body to our soul, our soul to our spirit and our spirit to God.
The problem lies, when we have an unhealthy soul; a mind that is negative, a will that says, "I do what I want" and emotions that are wounded and have not been healed from past and present pain. You can imagine what a body would look like that comes under that kind of influence.

God makes our spirits new when we invite him in and surrender to him.
Our work, is the work of the soul; renewing the mind, submitting the will and healing the emotions.

I continue to see men and woman work so hard at dieting, losing weight and will power, all while their souls are ravaged. When we focus on the work of the soul; renewing, submitting and healing, the body comes under the influence of a healthy soul and this journey of weight loss gets a lot easier.

We continue at The Healthy Weigh to challenge you in areas of soul work. How many times have we talked to you about renewing your mind..saying no to the bad and yes to the good, and healing those emotions that are keeping you from an abundant life? It's all soul work, at The Healthy Weigh!

We have a society of excess! As we grow older and deny past pain, empty places begin to develop in our souls. We do a great job of trying to fill those empty place with things. Food, clothes, cars, houses, money, and busyness. Excess of anything, is about our emptiness. All those empty places are addictions waiting to happen.

The belief I have says this...many of our empty places can be closed up, healed, with God's help and our soul work, but many of those empty places are holes that only God can fill. He created us for relationship with him and until we surrender to Him, we will always be looking to "fill" those holes.

Whatever your faith background is, I hope that you are able to see the importance of submitting your will regarding your weight loss and your maintenance journey over to God, as you understand Him.

Always encouraging you,
Letha

Exercise and Weight Loss ~ It's a Math Problem

2011-05-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

We spent a couple of emotional weeks looking at the things we're responsible for and then coping skills. It's always good for the soul to throw in a little logic after spending time on our emotions! Our Math assignment did just that!

Sometimes math can be hard too. The simple fact that our bodies need a certain amount of calories to maintain weight can be a difficult truth to accept. The amount of calories we burn compared to the amount we take in, is the story problem.

As we look back to the generations before us, there is a big difference between the amount of calories expended in a day compared to now. That's where the problem lies. Our lives have become more automated and we still want to consume the same amount of calories as the people generations before us did. That's where weight gain comes in!

It takes 3500 calories to lose or gain a pound. We are either saving up calories to add a pound on our bodies, or we are working to have a deficit of 3500 calories to lose a pound off our bodies. It truly is a math problem.

Lesson #5 talked about exercise and the ability to turn up our bodies thermostats to have a speedier metabolism. Keeping close track of all calories consumed and working to burn more calories by being active is the goal!

With so many unknowns in our world today...it's somehow comforting to know that weight loss really is a math problem!

Knowing your maintenance calories and becoming aware of the calories in food is the first step to maintaining your goal weight for life! It truly is a math problem!

Always encouraging you,
Letha

Coping Skills~Feeling Your Way Through Life

2011-05-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

This week we looked at the importance of having healthy coping skills to be truly healthy; body soul and spirit!

We took a look at the coping skills that our society uses. Drinking, drugs, shopping, and over eating to name a few. Coping; wrestling or grappling with difficulties and acting to over come them. As we looked closer at our societies list, we realized that we are not coping at all...we're avoiding. Avoiding the pain of the past and present. Instead of overcoming and healing our issues and pain, we are numbing them.

At The Healthy Weigh, we are convinced that unless a person acquires a healthy list of coping skills and begins to use them to heal past and present wounds, they will have temporary success at best.

The feeling wheel was introduced this week as a great tool to identify feelings and begin to process them. For many of us, we are a bit handicapped when it comes to expressing our feelings. We were taught to feel; mad, glad or sad. Identifying our true feelings is the first step to being able to process what's really going on inside of us. We recommend that you keep your feeling wheel on the inside of a journal so that you can refer to it as often as necessary while you're journaling. It wouldn't be such a bad idea to put it on the fridge so that the whole family could benefit from it!

It takes courage to forge ahead and begin to use real coping skills. What I know is that a mind that is healthy, and emotions that are healed will effect a physical body more than any diet ever could!

Always encouraging you.
Letha

What's In Your Back Pack~ Controlling What You Can

2011-05-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

This week I introduced my favorite lesson on the CD series. I learned about "Back Packs" about 10 years ago, and it was life changing for me.
Learning to control what you can and let go of things you can't control is not only freeing, it's smart!

At first look, clients wonder what "back packs" have to do with weight loss. It doesn't take long to begin to understand the concept. The more you understand about self-control, personal responsibility and emotional ownership, the easier it is to make choices for yourself regarding your weight loss program and your health.

As we begin to look at the 12 things we are responsible for, in control of, and are to take ownership of, I have to laugh at the test we've all been put through lately...something that is completely out of our control; the weather! Living in the Northwest is an opportunity to carry your own weather around inside of you. We can't control the weather, but we can control our attitudes!

Over the years I've seen clients, friends and family, using all their time, and energy on things out side of their control. Those things appear to get bigger and bigger, because we have no control over them, and we appear to get smaller and smaller. The things that we DO have control of...the 12 things in our back pack are the ONLY things that will help us become the women and men we were intended to be. Strong, healthy and full of love.

We looked at the difference between feeling responsible TO others and feeling responsible FOR others. I encourage you to look at the chart on the back of this important control guide and work to become a person who is responsible TO others.

This is a lesson that you will want to share with your children, your spouses and everyone you spend time with. I pray that it will be as life changing for you as it was and is for me.

Always encouraging you,
Letha

Change Your Thinking~Change Your Life!

2011-04-29T07:33:00.000-07:00

Last week we learned that in order to change your actions permanently, you have to change your belief system. This week, we're focusing on your thought life.

I tackled 4 things on week #2 of my CD series:

Motivation
Goals and Rewards
Positive Thinking
Mental Conditioning

Wouldn't you agree that losing weight and keeping it off for life is one of the hardest things you've ever done?...so the questions is, how do you prepared for that? This week we are focusing on necessary steps to be successful at not only starting this weight loss journey, but reaching your destination as well!

Motivation:
As I sit with clients week after week, I see a common theme with clients who are not losing weight. They have lost their motivation. Knowing WHY you want to lose weight and keeping those reasons in the fore front of your mind is critical for weight loss success. There are many ways to keep motivation high. What ever those ways are for you, keep doing them! We all have different motives as to why we want to lose weight...the key is to keep motivation alive! Motivation is in the doing! What can you do this week to elevate your motivation?

Goals and Rewards:
Setting goals and rewarding yourself are proven methods in changing your beliefs permanently. Everything we do, we do out of our need to seek pleasure or avoid pain, the problem is,our society believes that over eating is pleasure and eating in moderation is painful. When I've asked clients to speak out words connected to over eating. I hear; guilt, shame, poor health, pain, and tears. When they speak words connected to eating in moderation I hear; happiness, peace, health, clothes fit, and confidence. That is the truth...we just don't believe it!
Linking pleasure(rewards) to your new healthy life style and pain to your old unhealthy habits will begin to change your belief system and help you keep this weight off.
Rewards are a must!

Positive Thinking:
You won't catch me in a conversation with someone about permanent change, without hearing me talk about our thought life! Choosing positive thoughts will promote positive actions! How we think about ourselves has EVERYTHING to do with losing weight and keeping it off. The good news is that we have a choice every minute of every day about our thoughts. This little girl has it figured out...we could learn a thing or two from her.
Check it out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR3rKOkZFkg

Mental Conditioning:
This is the first week of your mental conditioning exercises. No great accomplishments have happened without first the visions of them! The subconscious mind is powerful. What ever you force into it on a regular basis, it believes. Adding this piece to your Healthy Weigh program could be a key to your success.

Great effort goes into great accomplishments. I encourage you to spend time this week on your thinking...it will change your life!

Always encouraging you.
Letha

Changing Your Beliefs ~ The Key to Permanent Weight Loss

2011-04-22T08:01:00.000-07:00

This week at the "ROAD TRIP" Team Challenge we began our 6 week look/listen of my CD series and the processing homework that goes along with it. I am excited about introducing the six personal control guides to you one week at a time. A lot of great classes, workshops and support groups have happen at The Healthy Weigh, but it's your personal reflection that makes the difference in your weight loss journey!

Beginning this weight loss journey by looking backwards is crucial. The beliefs we have regarding ourselves, our relationship with food and so many other things, determine our success with losing weight and more importantly keeping it off. The key to changing in the present is understanding our past.

Sometimes we resist looking at our past because we are afraid that in some way we will be dishonoring our parents. The search for truth, never requires that we dishonor those who raise us. In fact, distorting our memory of those early years through either denial or idealizing is what really dishonors the past, because it makes the past unreal. We must become fearless in our search for the truth, knowing that the truth, truly does set us free. The search for truth is never an excuse to blame or to confront-it's our search, and it's purpose lies within us.

If you've started this journey with us, I want to encourage you to go for it! Don't back away! You'll come away 6 weeks from now with great insight and a positive attitude towards your future.

Being set free is an awesome thing. I hope you'll take the road that leads there.

Email me with questions or thoughts...I'd love to hear from you. You can also comment to this blog. I encourage that as well. letha@healthyweigh.com

Until next week.
Always encouraging you.
Letha

I Do My BEST On The Weekends!

2011-04-15T09:30:00.000-07:00

The weekend is here, the sun is going to shine(positive thinking), spring is upon us...how prepared are you to follow your nutritional plan all weekend long? Have you given any thought to the days ahead and planned your strategy?

Weekends pose different problems than week days. During the week, we have routine and it makes it "routine" to follow program. It seems that we are better prepared with program foods during the week too, out of necessity with our busy schedules.

The weekend rolls around and we have no routine to speak of, and we've run out of the good program foods! That means trouble!

There are a few easy things you can do to make your weekend days as successful or even more successful than the week days.

1. Preplan a menu for the weekend on Thursday night (with contingencies.)

Put the menu up on your fridge to remind yourself that you DO have a plan for the weekend. It helps to have it written down so you are not making so many emotional decisions about what you "feel" like eating.

2. Stop on your way home on Friday night to stock up on the very BEST program foods.

The weekend is the time when we can take more time to make a beautiful breakfast or even a special dinner. Buy the best ingredients and look forward to your meals instead of eating what's left over from the week!

3. Use the extra time to be more active.

If you have time to walk out the front door...do it! Take time on the weekend to go for a walk, a hike or a bike ride with your family. You can burn more calories on the weekend!

4. Above all else (you guessed it) think rightly about the weekend.

Your attitude about weekend foods and weekend activity will make ALL the difference in your success! Try repeating out loud many times a day..."I do my best on the program, on the weekends." See what that does for your thought life!

Your determination to turn hard weekends into opportunities for more weight loss will make a great difference in your weight loss success.

Plan ahead,go shopping and think rightly, then have a terrific on program weekend!

Always encouraging you.
Letha

...But Do They Keep The Weight Off?

2011-04-01T08:20:00.000-07:00

As I have been sharing information this week about our outstanding weight loss program, and encouraging new clients to participate in it, I have been asked this question many times over .."But are your clients keeping their weight off?"

I'd love to answer that question here this morning.

I have spent 30 years helping people lose weight. I have watched MANY weight loss programs come and go, some that I believed in more than others. I have watched people lose weight and I have welcomed them back to the program when they have gained their weight back.

After years of experience, I have come to this important conclusion...How you lose weight has little to do with how or why you gain weight back. Losing weight means that you cut calories and ate or consumed less than your body needed to maintain your weight. Gaining it back means you consumed more calories than your body needed to maintain it's self. It's really that simple!

I've also had enough experience to know that how you lose weight has a lot to do with the probability of you making permanent changes because THAT'S how you keep weight off!

The probability of you following a cabbage soup diet for the rest of your life is not real great! The chances that you will continue to eat a healthy balanced diet with all the food groups is very probable. So HOW you chose to lose weight has more to do with the changes that you are making than it does with the temporary DIET that you are following.

More important than the diet you chose to lose weight, is the thinking that you chose to lose weight! Your thoughts will always dictate your actions! So, if you have followed a diet...any diet, and have not changed your thinking about food, about health, about your worthiness to care for yourself, chances are, your unhealthy thinking will cause you to act in a way that will put weight back on.

I am a firm believer that being at GOAL weight is another big key to permanent weight loss. When you are stepping on the scale to monitor your weight, and you've never been happy with the weight you see, you will lack the motivation to stay there. On the other hand, when you step on the scale and see your goal, there will be a different level of motivation to help you keep your weight off for life!

The Healthy Weigh nutritional plan is by far the best weight loss plan I have ever seen. Losing weight on our plan, is guaranteed! Keeping it off, depends on you!

Are you willing to accept the truth about the amount of calories it takes to maintain your body at goal weight? Are you willing to make permanent changes in your thinking so that food is fuel for your body and not your drug of choice? If you can answer yes to these questions, you will keep your weight off for life!

I am proud to offer a program that deals with permanent changes on every level. Permanent change is where it's at...and a lot of that is going on at The Healthy Weigh!

Always encouraging you,
Letha

TEAM CHALLENGE FINALE BREAKS RECORDS!

2011-03-25T17:19:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited about the close of our 7th season of The Team Challenge. I thought I'd post the blog here in case you don't hear about what's going on at the clinic!
here's what happened yesterday!!!

You did it...You broke the all time Team Challenge record! You had 93 pounds to lose yesterday...you lost 194! Congratulations to all of you!

What a night it was! After an outstanding 10 weeks, we celebrated victories last night!
We initiated our new space in a big way. We had over 120 in attendance last night to witness the final week of this Team Challenge!

Let's talk about some winners!!!
We had our final team wins at noon, 5 and 6:30. One last time teams were named winners for the week. At noon 'Barely Breathing' won with a 3.81 %. Donetta and Tanya gave it their all this week...and it paid off big time! With that % of weight loss, they also won the Glenda "Oops" award of $100!

At 5:00 'Team Gazelle 2.0' took the win with a 1.77%. Patty and Steve were celebrating more than just that win...Steve entered into one-der-land yesterday! You guys are an inspiration to so many!

At 6:30 team 'Tie Diet-ers' won with a 2.96% of weight loss. Up until last night, Cathy and Steve were the most consistent team without a win...they blew that out of the water this week! Congratulations you guys.

We had many awards to give out last night before we announced the winning teams for this challenge! Here's a look at some outstanding outcomes!

Female with the greatest weight loss: Rosie Lundquist 43 pounds!
Male with the greatest weight loss: Mark Cole 54 pounds!
Female with the greatest % of weight loss: Karen Glafka 21.52 % (greatest EVER)
Male with the greatest % of weight loss: Steve Gehlhausen 18.58%
Our team with the most weight loss was 'Slightly Waisted' with 84.2 pounds!

We were GREATLY inspired by a couple of donations this week... The client with the greatest % of weight loss this week, and the second greatest % of weight loss would win these amazing prizes! Two round trip air line tickets wherever Alaska flies donated by Denise Phillips, and 5 personal training sessions and two weeks of free classes at the Strada training and fitness club, donated by Amy Ruger, courtesy of her brother-in-law and owner of Strada, thanks Paul.
1st place for the week: Donetta delaRosa with a 4.90 % of weight loss!
2nd place for the week: Veleta Lundquist with a 4.63% of weight loss!

Congratulations to you both and thank you Denise and Amy for igniting the fuel in everyone this week!!

And now...our top three teams of this Team Challenge:
3rd place, winners of $300. Team 'Tie Diet-ers' Cathy and Steve 16.41%
2nd place, winners of $500. Team 'Slightly Waisted' Rosie and Veleta 17.38%

1st place, winners of $1000. Team 'Losers Are The New Winners' with a weight loss % of 18.54!!! Congratulations Karen and Cindy. You came in second place at the last Team Challenge and you fought through this one to take your place at the top of the podium! We're so proud of you! You look BEAUTIFUL!!

It was an amazing 10 weeks. MUCH was accomplished! People are losing weight, that's for sure but more importantly, lives are changing. I'm so proud of the effort of this group of people. To walk beside you as you support and encourage each other has been an honor! I'd feel little sad today, but I really don't have time for that! We've got a bridge to cross in the next two weeks and then we've got a Spring Team Challenge to begin on April 12th! Can't wait to see you then!

Happy trails to you, until we meet again...
With great love and encouragement,
Letha

We've Busted Out The Seams!

2011-03-18T13:05:00.000-07:00

As I sit this Friday morning I can't help but write about what's going on at The Healthy Weigh! December of 2011 will mark my 30th year in the business of helping people lose weight and live their best life...and I've never been more excited!

Next week The Healthy Weigh will close out their 7th season of our new, life changing, "Team Challenge." This season we had 74 Teams of two sign up to compete, have fun, and most importantly, lose weight for life. Thursday, the 24th at our grand final, we will be setting an all time record for the greatest % of weight loss of any Team Challenge! Our clients are having more weight loss success and learning more, than in the history of the company, I couldn't be more thrilled.

Over two years ago when we moved to our new location, we hoped that we could fill up our new space. We have a large room that seats 50 or more people and we believed that "if we built it, they would come." Well, they have, and we're on the move again!

For the last 6 months or so, I've coveted the large empty space right down the hall. It's twice as big as our spot and I allowed myself to dream that I would be there someday. Problem was...twice as big, meant twice as costly. That was not an option for me, so I just kept dreaming. Dreaming pays off!

My fantastic landlord, here at The Timbers, cares about The Healthy Weigh and saw that we were busting out of the seams! He came an offered to let us "use" the new space, without additional rent! An offer to good to be true? Yes, but I took it! The tenant improvement is almost finished and just under the wire, we will be holding our Grand Finale next door in the BIG new space next Thursday night at 6:30!
We are hoping to move our entire operation over in the next 6 months! We're pretty excited!

As I continue to dream about what could be,this new space opens up great possibilities. We will be having BIG events and creating even more excitement with the capability to serve more people at once!

If you are reading this and haven't been around for a while, I invite you to come and enjoy the grand finale next Thursday evening at 6:30 in our new location! We have room for you now!

April 12th we will be beginning our 8th Team Challenge. I am Believing that we will have over 100 teams participate! Currently we have over 30 teams signed up and ready to go! I can't wait!

My encouragement for today...dream!

Letha

On Second Thought

2011-03-10T21:27:00.000-08:00

I'm reading a good book right now. It's called "3 Seconds" By Les Parrott, PhD. It's a great book encouraging the reader to breathe in , breathe out, and change your life!

Three seconds, an insignificant unit of time? Not according to Dr. Les Parrott. Three seconds is enough time to give your first impulse a second thought. That makes all the difference sometimes between wishing you could change things and actually
transforming your life. In three seconds you can move from "Whatever"... to "Whatever it takes!"

So many of us believe that our first impulse, or thought, is right, and it sabotages us. These self-defeating impulses emerge automatically straight from our unhealthy belief systems. What if we took three seconds to breathe in and breathe out and allowed ourselves to act on our second thought?

Our first thought might be: "There's nothing I can do about it."
Our Second thought: "I can't do everything, but I can do something."

Our first thought might be: "Someday I'm going to do that."
Our second thought: I'm diving in...starting today!"

Our first thought might be: I'll do what happens to come my way."
Our second thought: "I'll do what I'm designed to do."

Try the pause this week, just three seconds, breathe in and breathe out then rethink that first impulse and consider your second thought!

Always encouraging you,
Letha

Will walking help me lose weight?

2011-03-03T16:55:00.000-08:00

Something almost everyone of us can do today to enhance our permanent weight loss journey is walk. Walking promotes weight loss, and it is often easy to maintain a walking program, especially since the cost is minor, and a walk can begin as soon as you step outside your door. The amount of weight you lose depends upon your metabolism, the amount of calories you are consuming and the type of walking. A ten minute walk daily will not likely result in much weight loss. Walking an hour, five days a week, at a pace of about 2-4 mph can, however, burn quite a few calories.

Studies find that a combination of reduced calories and walking are most effective in promoting weight loss. Walking alone may still provide some weight loss benefits, particularly if your calorie consumption is not overly high to begin with. If you add calories to your diet because you are walking, you may not see weight loss benefits.

Walking at 2 mph, a relatively slow pace, burns about 26 calories per 10 minutes. In 30 minutes the benefits increase and the average person burns about 79 calories. Walking at least thirty minutes is considered better than taking three ten minute walks a day because greater time spent walking means elevating your heart rate. As your heart rate increases, more calories are burned.

Picking up the pace and walking about 3 mph almost doubles the benefits of a half hour walk. You’ll burn about 125 calories in a thirty-minute period. As you get more comfortable walking at slower paces, you can begin to burn even more calories by including a few minutes of extra fast walking to increase heart rate. When you can walk a mile in 15 minutes, you’ll burn about 370 calories in an hour.

Walking more quickly and for longer time periods also contributes to greater calorie burning abilities for the rest of the day. Any type of cardiovascular exercise gets the heart pumping at maximum heart rate for your age and health means the body treats calories differently for the rest of the day. Generally, even if you are sedentary after a walk, you’ll burn calories at a higher rate.

Most fitness experts recommend beginning a walking program slowly, and further, most say it helps to use a pedometer to measure speed and distance. The first week, the only goal is to walk thirty minutes a day, five days a week, at a comfortable speed. Week two should include a minute of fast walking each day in your thirty-minute workout. Week three should include two minutes of fast walking or jogging. You should continue week by week to build ability to walk very quickly to increase calorie burn. As fitness increases, you can also increase time of walks, with an ideal goal of one hour of walking, five days a week.

I wonder what thinking and dreaming we could do on our walks? Not only does walking burn calories and aid us in our weight loss endeavors…it helps our mental attitude which has EVERYTHING to do with how we act. Put on your runners and head out this weekend!

Always encouraging you,
Letha

Drinking Water is a BIG key to Weight Loss!

2011-02-24T16:16:00.002-08:00

It seems like this time of year, it's harder to drink water but water is a secret weapon for weight loss...all year round!

If you eat right and exercise at the intensity, frequency and duration proper for you, but still can't get rid of those extra pounds, you're probably just not drinking enough water.

You're actually quite normal. Most people don't drink enough water. Most people are also carrying around a few more pounds than they would be if they did drink enough water. If you can't seem to get that weight off, try drowning your sorrows in nature's magical weight-loss mineral. It works, and here's why:

"What on Earth is 'metabolism', anyway?" People use the term all the time, but ask them what it means and you'll get all kinds of answers. Webster defines it as, "The process by which a substance is handled in the body." A little vague, but that's really all it means.

There are many forms of metabolism going on in your body right now, but the one everyone is talking about it the metabolism of fat. This is actually something that the liver does when it converts stored fat to energy. The liver has other functions, but this is one of its main jobs.

Unfortunately, another of the liver's duties is to pick up the slack for the kidneys, which need plenty of water to work properly. If the kidneys are water-deprived, the liver has to do their work along with its own, lowering its total productivity. It then can't metabolize fat as quickly or efficiently as it could when the kidneys were pulling their own weight. If you allow this to happen, not only are you being unfair to your liver, but you're also setting yourself up to store fat.

"I've tried it and I couldn't stand it!" The problem is that, though many decide to increase their water intake, very few stick with it. It's understandable. During the first few days of drinking more water than your body is accustomed to, you're running to the bathroom constantly. This can be very discouraging, and it can certainly interfere with an otherwise normal day at work. It seems that the water is coming out just as fast as it's going in, and many people decide that their new hydration habit is fruitless.

What is really happening is that your body is flushing itself of the water it has been storing throughout all those years of "survival mode." It takes a while, but this is a beautiful thing happening to you. As you continue to give your body all the water it could ask for, it gets rid of what it doesn't need. It gets rid of the water it was holding onto in your ankles and your hips and thighs, maybe even around your middle. You are excreting much more than you realize. Your body figures it doesn't need to save these stores anymore; it's trusting that the water will keep coming, and if it does, eventually, the flushing (of both the body and the potty) will cease, allowing the human to return to a normal life. It's true. This is called the "breakthrough point."

One recent finding, as irresponsible as it may be, that caffeine increases the body's fat-burning potential has many people loading up on coffee before going to the gym. This finding may hold some degree of truth in it, but caffeine is, in essence, a diuretic, and diuretics dehydrate. Caffeine may increase the heart rate, causing a few more calories to be burned, but this is at the expense of the muscles, which need water to function properly. This isn't doing your heart any favors, either. It's already working hard enough during your workout. Never mix caffeine and exercise. In fact, your best bet is to stay away from caffeine all together. It's a big bully that pushes your friend water out of your system.

Water is the best beauty treatment. You've heard this since high school, and it's true. Water will do wonders for your looks! It flushes out impurities in your skin, leaving you with a clear, glowing complexion. It also makes your skin look younger. Skin that is becoming saggy, either due to aging or weight loss, plumps up very nicely when the skin cells are hydrated.

In addition, it improves muscle tone. You can lift weights until you're blue in the face, but if your muscles are suffering from a drought, you won't notice a pleasant difference in your appearance. Muscles that have all the water they need contract more easily, making your workout more effective, and you'll look much nicer than if you had flabby muscles under sagging skin.

"Eight glasses a day? Are you kidding?!" It's really not that much. Eight 8-ounce glasses amount to about two quarts of water. This is okay for the average person, but if you're overweight, you should drink another eight ounces for every 25 pounds of excess weight you carry. You should also up this if you live in a hot climate or exercise very intensely.

This water consumption should be spread out throughout the day. It's not healthy at all to drink too much water at one time. Try to pick three or four times a day when you can have a big glass of water, and then sip in between. Don't let yourself get thirsty. If you feel thirsty, you're already becoming dehydrated. Drink when you're not thirsty yet.

Do you think water is yucky? Drinking other fluids will certainly help hydrate your body, but the extra calories, sugar, additives and whatever else aren't what you need. Try a slice of lemon or lime in the glass, or if you really think you hate water, try a flavored water. Just make sure you read the labels. Remember that you're going to be consuming a lot of this fluid.

It's probably a good idea to stop drinking water a good three hours before you go to bed. You know why.

"How cold should it be?" This is debatable. Most experts lean toward cold water, because the stomach absorbs it more quickly. There is also some evidence that cold water might enhance fat burning.

On the other hand, warmer water is easier to drink in large quantities, and you might drink more of it without even realizing it. Do whatever suits you, here. Just drink it!

When you drink all the water you need, you will very quickly notice a decrease in your appetite, possibly even on the first day! If you're serious about becoming leaner and healthier, drinking water is an absolute must. If you're doing everything else right and still not seeing results, this might just be what's missing.

Drink up!

Always encouraging you,

Letha

Motivation Is In The Doing!

2011-02-11T09:01:00.000-08:00

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!

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

I Do My Best On The Weekends!

2011-02-03T08:00:00.000-08:00

The weekend is here, you've got a list of things to do, winter is in full swing...how prepared are you to follow your nutritional plan all weekend long? Have you given any thought to the days ahead and planned your strategy?

Weekends pose different problems than week days. During the week, we have routine and it makes it "routine" to follow program. It seems that we are better prepared with program foods during the week too, out of necessity with our busy schedules.

The weekend rolls around and we have no routine to speak of and we've run out of the good program foods! That means trouble!

There are a few easy things you can do to make your weekend days as successful or even more successful than the week days.

1.Preplan a menu for the weekend on Thursday night (with contingencies.)

Put the menu up on your fridge to remind yourself that you DO have a plan for the weekend. It helps to have it written down so you are not making so many emotional decisions about what you feel like eating.

2.Stop on your way home on Friday night to stock up on the very BEST program foods.

The weekend is the time when we can take more time to make a beautiful breakfast or even a special dinner. Buy the best ingredients and look forward to your meals instead of eating what's left over from the week!

3.Use the extra time to be more active.

If you have time to walk out the front door...do it! Take time on the weekend to go for a walk, or a hike with your family. You can burn more calories on the weekend!

4.And above all else (you guessed it) think rightly about the weekend.

Your attitude about weekend foods and weekend activity will make ALL the difference in your success! Try repeating out loud many times a day..."I do my best on the program, on the weekends." See what that does for your thought life!

Your determination to turn hard weekends into opportunities for more weight loss will make a great difference in your weight loss success.

Plan ahead, go shopping and think rightly then have a terrific on program weekend!

Always encouraging you.
Letha

Power Tools!

2011-01-28T08:00:00.000-08:00

Last week I asked the participants of the Team Challenge to write a letter to their future self! I received over 140 letters this week! This is a powerful tool to help you stay focused as you reach for a new life. Below is one of the letters I received, thought you'd be moved by it.

Letha

Dear Future Self January 23, 2011

**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.

Dear Future Me

2011-01-21T08:23:00.001-08:00

I've been inspired over that last few years by watching "The Biggest Loser" TV program. I'm not a supporter of 6 to 8 hours of working out to lose weight because that doesn't seem very realistic for a life time of maintenance. However, I do believe that sometimes it takes a drastic change in a life style to see results and begin to believe in your ability to change.

A few weeks ago on the show, they aired videos of the contestants. They were filmed at the very beginning of their journey. Each person talked to the camera as if they were speaking to their future self. Their future self that had met their goal weight. Their future self who was healthy, fit and living the life they always wanted to live. It was powerful and emotional! They spoke to themselves and pleaded with themselves to "NEVER come back to this life again." They not only spoke about what life was like being heavy and unhealthy, but they were able to speak about what life was going to look like when they were living in a new body, with a new thought life!

I was moved and inspired! This week at the Team Challenge I challenged our "contestants" to participate in a variation of this same exercise; Write a letter to your future self. Your future self who is healthy, at goal weight and living the life you've always dreamed of. Your future self who is in control and has a new healthy relationship with food.

I'm looking forward to reading the letters. As powerful as the videos were on The Biggest Loser, I think that this exercise will be equally motivating for our clients at The Healthy Weigh.

How would your letter read? What would you say to your future self, not just about weight loss, but about any area of your life? Finances, relationships, life style...what would you say to your future self?

I invite you to join us in this activity this week. I know that it will make a difference for you.
The first step to any change is knowing what you want. Your future self...knows. Write him/or her this week.

Always encouraging you,
Letha

Keeper of The Keys

2011-01-13T18:22:00.000-08:00

I recently taught a class, "Life Principles." My class was inspired by life principles that have helped me during times of great change in my life. My last week was titled, "You are what you think." I found this poem that I shared at my class. I thought it would be good to post.

"Keeper of the Keys"

You are the Keeper of The Keys.
You are the Guard at The Gate.
Waiting in line to get through that door
Is LOVE and also HATE.
In line to enter is GENTLE PEACE.
And also VIOLENT WAR.
You must choose who may, and who
May not come through the door.
INTOLERANCE tries to sneak on through
On wings of FEAR, or PRIDE.
It hides behind DREAMS of BELONGING,
And tries to sneak inside.
Oh! Be alert! You're the Guard who decides
Who GOES and who may STAY.
You are The Keeper of The Keys to Your Mind.
Who will you let in today?

Guy Gilchrist

As I think about the change that our country is experiencing and the personal ways that we are all being challenged, I encourage you to be the "Keeper of the Keys" to your mind. Choose to think rightly and guard your thoughts. Who will you let in today?

Always encouraging you,

Letha

Is it what you're eating...or what's eating you?

2011-01-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

This week I talked to a lot of clients about how to stabilize and then maintain weight loss for life. Although I have gained tremendous knowledge about food, calories and nutrition over the past 29 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 or 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 sit with clients every week, I'm continually reminded of that.

Today 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 discontentment 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

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T11:31:00.000-08:00

We're hours away from a new year! That means it's time to dream, plan, and set goals. I hope you've been thinking about the year 2011 and what you want it to look like. I've talked to some clients who have chosen a word for the year, already set some goals, and are really feeling ready to accomplish great things this year.

I've talked to other clients who haven't given much thought to any of that. From experience, I can tell you that the clients who are setting goals and dreaming dreams for this year, will have a year of accomplishments. They will succeed at reaching their goals no matter what the weather. Those without a lot of thought about the year will tend to blow around like the wind, and go wherever the weather takes them, not accomplishing much and feeling discouraged as the year goes on.

Set some goals this year... regarding your weight loss program and much more. Take some time in these first weeks of January and put some dates on the calendar! That's when the magic happens...when you get things down on paper!

We've got great plans this month at The Healthy Weigh as we kick off our winter Team Challenge. We look forward to supporting you this new year of 2011. We will provide you with the best weight loss program available and then celebrate your success.

Here's to a year filled with peace! Here's to a year of health; body, soul and spirit!

Always encouraging you, Letha

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T08:11:00.000-08:00

As I sit this Christmas Eve morning and look out on the beautify of this day, I am reflecting. These days at home have given me an opportunity to reflect on this past year. 2010 has been a year full of joy and sorrow.

There were so many joys to celebrate...
I celebrated with you, my Healthy Weigh friends, when you married off your children, when you became Grandparents, and even when you had new children of your own. I celebrated with you as you sent your little ones to school, and when you sent your bigger ones to college! I celebrated with you as you lost weight and changed on the outside and celebrated when you changed in even bigger ways on the inside.

There were times of great sorrow this year too.
I suffered with you, my Healthy Weigh friends, when you watched your parents pass away, when you had surgery and illness, and when you struggled to stay positive during hard economic times. I prayed for you when I watched you have concerns for your children and grandchildren. I had empathy when you struggled with this very difficult journey of losing weight for life.

As I reflect back, I am blessed to say that I have had the amazing opportunity to walk beside you in good times and in bad. I thank you on this Christmas Eve, for the opportunity to do so.

For those of you who are celebrating with joy this day, I celebrate with you...for those of you who carry deep sorrow today, I say a prayer for you, that the peace of God would guard your hearts and your minds this Christmas.

Merry Christmas friends,

Always encouraging you.
Letha

Exciting Times at The Healthy Weigh

2010-12-17T08:05:00.000-08:00

It is with great enthusiasm and celebration that I look back on 2010 at the success of the clients at The Healthy Weigh. Over 6000 pounds were lost this year as clients changed their thinking and changed their lives. I was thrilled to watch clients reach weight loss goals and more excited to hear their stories of permanent change. With my years of experience helping men and women lose weight, I don't celebrate weight loss as much as I do change!

It is with equal enthusiasm that I announce change at The Healthy Weigh. I have never quit looking for the best way to help people live their best lives. This year we experienced that more than in all my 29 years in the weight loss business. The Team Challenge brought about more weight loss and more emotional healing than I have ever seen. The class room teaching by Glenda, Nancy and me were, I believe, some of the most important and sound teaching regarding weight loss and emotional healing available in Clark County.

For that reason, we announced Thursday that we will be phasing out the one-on-one clinic side of The Healthy Weigh program. We will be putting all our energies, focus and finances into the Team Challenge and the classroom side of the program, the part of the program where we see the most permanent change happening.

As I look back on my last 4 years being fully engaged at The Healthy Weigh, I see that all the steps I've taken have lead me right here. Developing the workshop series that lead to group participation and the CD series, opened up a new door, emotionally and physically at The Healthy Weigh. Opening this door brought about group support and community involvement that I could not have anticipated. Accountability and support are needed for growth and change. The Team Challenge and the class room events provided an abundance of both.

If you are serious about permanent weight loss and want to change from the inside out...you need not look any further. The Healthy Weigh will provide you that opportunity in 2011! We are thrilled to be starting our 7th season of the Team Challenge January 11th. Glenda and I are also excited about some up coming conferences and classes. Glenda's amazing "Back Pack" class will be taught as a Friday night, all day Saturday conference January 21st and 22nd and Glenda and I will be team teaching a two hour class on Thursday, February 24th "Changing Your Beliefs." Both of these classes can be and will be life changing for those who participate!

It is with great anticipation that I look into 2011. I hope you'll join me on this journey to heal and change both physically and emotionally this year. It's going to be an amazing 2011!

Call me or email me at letha@healthyweigh.com to get more details about the upcoming Team Challenge! You'll be glad you did!

Always encouraging you.
Letha

It's a Wonderful Life!

2010-12-10T21:13:00.000-08:00

George Bailey, the richest man in town...don't you just love that movie? I watched it with my family this weekend and was struck by one of the lines. Clarence was looking down on George and asked the question..."Is he sick?" and Joseph answered back, "No, worse...he's discouraged."

Discouragement can ruin a life. It can keep you from being who you were intended to be. It can definitely keep you from seeing who you are!

Discouragement comes...it comes to all of us. It is the deprivation of courage and confidence.

At The Healthy Weigh, we encourage! We help point you in the right direction. We believe in the power of thoughts and words and use those to impart courage and confidence!

If you're feeling a little like George Bailey these days...discouraged and focusing on your failures, step into The Healthy Weigh and let us remind you that you truly do have a wonderful life and you have all that you need to be successful!

We've got GREAT plans for you in the next 4 weeks before our next Team Challenge begins January 11th! I hope you'll join us for a little "Christmas Vacation" at noon or 6 PM on Tuesday. This week Nancy is unwrapping some of her very best holiday ideas for you. You'll leave encouraged for sure!

Always encouraging you,
Letha

Walk & Knock for the Hungry

2010-12-03T08:14:00.000-08:00

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 sit with clients every day 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

Relapse...necessary for permanent change?...

2010-11-19T08:25:00.000-08:00

...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 Ive 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

Body ~ Soul ~ Spirit, The Spiritual Perspective

2010-11-11T20:11:00.000-08:00

This week we concluded our 6 week class by reviewing the last, and I believe, the most important Personal Control Guide. We looked at the spiritual perspective of weight loss.

We were created in three parts...body, soul and spirit. Our body, the physical part of us which relates to the material world. Our Soul, made up of our mind, will and emotions, our personalty you might say, which relates with people. And our spirit, the deepest place of who we are, which relates with God.

To live completely healthy lives, we need to submit our body to our soul, our soul to our spirit and our spirit to God.
The problem lies, when we have an unhealthy soul; a mind that is negative, a will that says, "I do what I want" and emotions that are wounded and have not been healed from past and present pain. You can imagine what a body would look like that comes under that kind of influence.

God makes our spirits new when we invite him in and surrender to him.
Our work, is the work of the soul; renewing the mind, submitting the will and healing the emotions.

I continue to see men and woman work so hard at dieting, losing weight and will power, all while their souls are ravaged. When we focus on the work of the soul; renewing, submitting and healing, the body comes under the influence of a healthy soul and this journey of weight loss gets a lot easier.

We continue at The Healthy Weigh to challenge you in areas of soul work. How many times have we talked to you about renewing your mind..saying no to the bad and yes to the good, and healing those emotions that are keeping you from an abundant life? It's all soul work, at The Healthy Weigh!

We have a society of excess! As we grow older and deny past pain, empty places begin to develop in our souls. We do a great job of trying to fill those empty place with things. Food, clothes, cars, houses, money, and busyness. Excess of anything, is about our emptiness. All those empty places are addictions waiting to happen.

The belief I have says this...many of our empty places can be closed up, healed, with God's help and our soul work, but many of those empty places are holes that only God can fill. He created us for relationship with him and until we surrender to Him, we will always be looking to "fill" those holes.

We had Church at The Healthy Weigh Thursday, no offering was taken, no choir sang, but I know that God was present and tenderly waiting to be invited in.

Always encouraging you,
Letha

Exercise and Weight Loss~It's a Math Problem

2010-11-04T22:33:00.000-07:00

We spent a couple of emotional weeks looking at the things we're responsible for and then coping skills. It's always good for the soul to throw in a little logic after spending time on our emotions! Our Math workshop did just that!

Sometimes math can be hard too. The simple fact that our bodies need a certain amount of calories to maintain weight can be a difficult truth to accept. The amount of calories we burn compared to the amount we take in, is the story problem.

As we look back to the generations before us, there is a big difference between the amount of calories expended in a day compared to now. That's where the problem lies. Our lives have become more automated and we still want to consume the same amount of calories as the people generations before us did. That's where weight gain comes in!

It takes 3500 calories to lose or gain a pound. We are either saving up calories to add a pound on our bodies, or we are working to have a deficit of 3500 calories to lose a pound off our bodies. It truly is a math problem.

We talked about exercise and the ability to turn up our bodies thermostats to have a speedier metabolism. Keeping close track of all calories consumed and working to burn more calories by being active is the goal!

With so many unknowns in our world today...it's somehow comforting to know that weight loss really is a math problem!

I hope you'll join me next week at noon or Six on Thursday when I conclude this 6 week class schedule with Body Soul Spirit, The Spiritual Perspective.

Always encouraging you,
Letha

Coping Skills ~ Feeling Your Way Through Life

2010-10-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

Can you spell vulnerability? That was me, this week, teaching "Coping Skills ~ Feeling Your Way Through Life." It was a hard lesson for many clients to hear, so I loved it when one of our clients voiced this great word..." Hard doesn't mean bad." How true that was this week as we looked at the importance of having healthy coping skills to be truly healthy; body soul and spirit!

We took a look at the coping skills that our society uses. Drinking, drugs, shopping, and over eating to name a few.Coping; wrestling or grappling with difficulties and acting to over come them. As we looked closer at our societies list, we realized that we are not coping at all...we're avoiding. Avoiding the pain of the past and present. Instead of overcoming and healing our issues and pain, we are numbing them.

At The Healthy Weigh, we are convinced that unless a person acquires a healthy list of coping skills and begins to use them to heal past and present wounds, they will have temporary success at best.

The feeling wheel was introduced this week as a great tool to identify feelings and begin to process them. For many of us, we are a bit handicapped when it comes to expressing our feelings. We were taught to feel; mad, glad or sad. Identifying our true feelings is the first step to being able to process what's really going on inside of us. We recommend that you keep your feeling wheel on the inside of a journal so that you can refer to it as often as necessary while you're journaling. It wouldn't be such a bad idea to put it on the fridge so that the whole family could benefit from it!

We spent most of our time Thursday talking about forgiveness. I believe that unforgiveness robs us of more joy than any thing else in life. I shared a technique or tool to help clients begin to forgive the people, including themselves, that they need to, to heal those wounded places inside. Forgiveness only takes one person, so it definitely is a process that we all find right inside of our own back packs! It is your responsibility to do the work to heal the places that are keeping you from living the life you were intended to live.

I inspired courage Thursday...it takes a little bit to forge ahead and begin to use real coping skills. What I know is that a mind that is healthy, and emotions that are healed will effect a physical body more than any diet ever could!

I hope I will see many of you next week when we have a little math workshop...math will seem easy after Coping Skills! :-) Thursday, Noon or Six! Hope to see you there!

I love you all, I'm walking with you and want you to have your very best life.
Until next week.

Always encouraging you.
Letha

What's in Your Back Pack ~ Controlling What You Can

2010-10-21T22:37:00.000-07:00

This week might be one of my favorite weeks to teach. I learned about "Back Packs" about 10 years ago, and it was life changing for me.
Learning to control what you can and let go of things you can't control is not only freeing, it's smart!

I taught this lesson alone this week as Glenda is on a trip back to Canada. Funny thing about that is that she is the one who taught it to me all those years ago. I guess it's every teachers dream that her student would go on to teach the lessons that she imparted!

At first look, clients wonder what "back packs" have to do with weight loss. It doesn't take long to begin to understand the concept. The more you understand about self-control, personal responsibility and emotional ownership, the easier it is to make choices for yourself regarding your weight loss program.

As we began to look at the 12 things we are responsible for, in control of, and are to take ownership of, I had to laugh at the test we've all been put through lately...something that is completely out of our control. The weather! Living in the Northwest is an opportunity to carry your own weather around inside of you.

Over the years I've sene clients, friends and family, using all their time, and energy on things out side of their control. Those things appear to get bigger and bigger, because we have no control over them, and we appear to get smaller and smaller. The things that we DO have control of...the 12 things in our back pack are the ONLY things that will help us become the women and men we were intended to be. Strong, healthy and full of love.

We talked about the difference between feeling responsible TO others and feeling responsible FOR others. I encourage you to look at the chart on the back of this important control guide and work to become a person who is responsible to others.

This is a lesson that you will want to share with your children, your spouses and everyone you spend time with. I pray that it will be as life changing for you as it was and is for me.

Don't forget to join us next week at noon or 6 PM for 'Coping Skills~Feeling Your Way Through Life.'

Always encouraging you,
Letha

Change Your Thinking~Change Your Life!

2010-10-15T07:55:00.000-07:00

Last week we learned that in order to change your actions permanently, you have to change your belief system. This week, we're focusing on your thought life.

We tackled 4 things in our short 30 minute class on Thursday:

Motivation
Goals and Rewards
Positive Thinking
Mental Conditioning

We all agreed that losing weight and keeping it off for life is one of the hardest things we've ever done...so the questions is, How do you prepare for that? This week we are focusing on necessary steps to be successful at not only starting this weight loss journey, but reaching your destination as well!

Motivation:
As I sit with clients week after week, I see a common theme with clients who are not losing weight. They have lost their motivation. Knowing WHY you want to lose weight and keeping those reasons in the fore front of your mind is critical for weight loss success. There are many ways to keep motivation high. What ever those ways are for you, keep doing them! We all have different motives as to why we want to lose weight...the key is to keep motivation alive! Motivation is in the doing! What can you do this week to elevate your motivation?

Goals and Rewards:
Setting goals and rewarding yourself are proven methods in changing your beliefs permanently. Everything we do, we do out of our need to seek pleasure or avoid pain, the problem is,our society believes that over eating is pleasure and eating in moderation is painful. At our Thursday classes, I had clients speak out words connected to over eating. I heard, guilt, shame, poor health, pain, and tears. I had clients speak words connected to eating in moderation. I heard, happiness, peace, health, clothes fit, and confidence. That is the truth...we just don't believe it!
Linking pleasure(rewards) to your new healthy life style and pain to your old unhealthy habits will begin to change your belief system and help you keep this weight off.
Rewards are a must!

Positive Thinking:
You won't catch me in a conversation with someone about permanent change, without hearing me talk about our thought life! Choosing positive thoughts will promote positive actions! How we think about ourselves has EVERYTHING to do with losing weight and keeping it off. The good news is that we have a choice every minute of every day about our thoughts. This little girl has it figured out...we could learn a thing or two from her.
Check it out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR3rKOkZFkg

Mental Conditioning:
This is the first week of your mental conditioning exercises. No great accomplishments have happened without first the visions of them! The subconscious mind is powerful. What ever you force into it on a regular basis, it believes. Adding this piece to your Healthy Weigh program could be a key to your success.

Great effort goes into great accomplishments. I encourage you to spend time this week on your thinking...it will change your life!

Join us next Thursday, for "Back Packs~Controlling What you Can". Noon or 6 PM

Always encouraging you.
Letha

Changing Your Beliefs~The Key to Permanent Weight Loss

2010-10-07T22:26:00.000-07:00

This week we began our 6 week class at The Healthy Weigh. Glenda and I are excited about processing the six personal control guides with you. Our plan is to present the new guide each week, and review it with you on Thursdays. A lot of great classes, workshops and support groups happen at The Healthy Weigh, but it's your personal reflection and work that makes the difference! We invite to join us on Thursdays, but hope you'll do the "homework" that each guide provides on your own.

Beginning this weight loss journey by looking backwards is crucial. The beliefs we have regarding ourselves, our relationship with food and so many other things, determine our success with losing weight and more importantly keeping it off. The key to changing in the present is understanding our past.

Sometimes we resist looking at our past because we are afraid that in some way we will be dishonoring our parents. The search for truth, never requires that we dishonor those who raise us. In fact, distorting our memory of those early years through either denial or idealizing is what really dishonors the past, because it makes the past unreal. We must become fearless in our search for the truth, knowing that the truth, truly does set us free. The search for truth is never an excuse to blame or to confront-it's our search, and it's purpose lies within us.

If you've started this journey with us, I want to encourage you to go for it! Don't back away! You'll come away 6 weeks from now with great insight and a positive attitude towards your future, If you are still on the outside looking in...come in. We invite you to participate in the next 5 weeks!

Being set free is an awesome thing. Won't you join us?

Email me with questions or thoughts...I'd love to hear from you. You can also comment to this blog. I encourage that as well. letha@healthyweigh.com

Until next week.
Always encouraging you.
Letha

What's Your Story?

2010-09-30T22:10:00.000-07:00

This Tuesday marked the 4th and final week of our Healthy Weigh University. It has been a fantastic 4 weeks starting with Dan Russell coaching us on persevering through life's tough times. Glenda helped us understand that managing our stress is vital to keeping our weight off and Nancy did a great job inspiring us to eat healthy beautiful foods this fall.

I was fully engaged as I closed out the series motivating our clients to take a close look at the story of their own lives. I did that by starting out the class imagining that we were all at our own funeral 3 years from today. We were given the chance Tuesday, to imagine what it would be like to hear from members of our family, close friends and co-workers as they spoke about us and our lives at our funerals.

Every life has a story, whether it is a story worth telling and talking about though, is up to you.

Four weeks ago you heard from Dan Russell. He talked about motivation. He inspired you to persevere. He had stories that were compelling. His stories were about being an over comer,pushing forward when things get tough.

We need those stories. We need to hear about great ones, in great places, over coming great obstacles. But maybe today you need a little motivation for the day to day things…not the Olympics, but maybe things that feel less glamorous but sometimes seem even harder to persevere through. Relationships, our work, weight loss programs, personal healing, raising kids, or letting them go...the list goes on.

All of us have a story don’t we? The question is, are we living out the life that we’ll be proud to end with?

If the answer is YES, then make sure to continue to find balance in your life. Always give love and receive love. Constantly look for ways to continue to grow, and never quit healing wounds from the past.

If the answer is NO, make some decisions to change that. Do a little editing of your own life and choose now to make the changes that will affect the story line of your life. Make your story a story worth telling.

Every life has a story, whether it is a story worth telling and talking about though, is up to you.

Always Encouraging you,
Letha

What does it take to flip the switch?

2010-09-24T08:07:00.000-07:00

You know the switch I'm talking about. The one that when flipped, you are ON PROGRAM! You are fired up and nothing can break your resolve! You are excited, motivated and driven to follow the nutritional plan and see results. That switch!

I've spent time in the last 30 years discovering ways to flip that switch in my own life. Not only in regards to my eating habits, but in other areas of my life that require excellence as well! I've gotten really good at it!

There are really two things you need to invest in to flip the switch...time and emotions. Oh, I can hear the sighs right now! :-) You're always short on time...and you avoid those emotional moments really well!

Do you want to flip the switch? Do you wake up each morning and say "This day is going to be better" and by the time you lie down at night, you are discouraged with your self again? If you are willing to spend some time, and feel some feelings, you too can flip that switch and TODAY can be the start of a great fall season!

TIME...we rarely take the time to know ourselves. We race through this life, taking care of other people and obligations without the important connection with our selves! Can you stop at a coffee shop today and sit in a corner by yourself? Can you drive to a big parking lot and sit in your car on your lunch hour? Can you go to a room in your house that never gets used and spend some time there today? Get alone with yourself! Invest some time in YOU. Some of us are alone a lot...but are we alone, focused on ourselves? Flipping the switch requires time and focus on you!

EMOTIONS...I can promise you, if you have been eating off program, unable to follow through for even one day, you are stuffing your emotions! It's time to look at them and allow them to surface. The first question I ask my self is "Letha, What's up?" I ALWAYS get an answer! You will too. (that's why you're afraid to ask it) If you have a journal...start writing in it. If you have junk mail in the floor board of your car, that works too. Get something down on paper!

I will go to my resting place, believeing in the power of the pain and pleasure list! I hope you have all used this tool.

Make a list of the pain, over eating is causing you...go for it! Don't stop, get real, get painful...allow it to take you all the way to gaining ALL your weight back, feeling miserable, and overwhelmed with medical problems and personal pain that choosing food has caused you! Don't skip ahead fast...if you have an hour, spend at least 30 of it on this list! Don't forget to include family, children and spouses in this list. How has your overeating affected them. Your overeating has caused you to be irritated, mad at the world and not very fun...how's that working for you and your family? Your clothes don't fit, you feel frumpy, and you don't want to do much of anything! Your overeating is affecting EVERY area of your life!

Now...if you have done a good job on that list... it's time to move ahead...if you haven't, you are not really serious about flipping the switch.(or you're just scared)

This list is a lot more fun! This is the list that includes all the emotions that you feel when you are on program, eating healthy, and setting limits for yourself! Have fun, spend time on this list too. Don't forget to include your family, children and spouse also. How has eating healthy, feeling attractive and in control, made a difference in those relationships? How's your wardrobe? How much energy do you have? Are you fun? Do you laugh more? Do you take pride in how, you look and enjoy going out? Is EVERY area of your life affected by how you eat and what choices you are making? Don't stop short dreaming as you make this list. Allow the good feelings to overwhelm you and fill you with hope.

Look at those two lists...ask the all important question now. "Why am I living here...when I could be living here?"

If no tears are involved with this project...you might be dead!:-)

I've had clients tell me, "Ive done the pain and pleasure list thing and it doesn't work." I'm wondering have they REALLY done it. Have they really taken the time to look at the way their eating is affecting their life and the lives of all the people around them? Have they asked them selves, "Why am I letting food win?"

My friends...to lose weight and keep it off, you must be able to use pain as your friend. Flipping the switch when you are living on maintenance is crucial to you keeping your weight off for life.

I wish I had time to sit in your car with you...but I guess you wouldn't be alone then would you? Take time, allow your emotions to come forth...and flip the switch. Don't wait...today is the perfect day to change the direction of your life!

Always encouarging and pushing you,
Letha

Let's Summarize...

2010-09-17T07:29:00.000-07:00

We've spent the last 5 weeks discussing a very important subject: Being fully engaged. Fully engaged in our own lives. It's not something that just happens, being fully engaged is something that we work for.

The ultimate measure of our lives is not how much time we spend on the planet, but rather how much energy we invest in the time that we have. The number of hours in a day is fixed, but the quantity and the quality of energy available to us is not.

To be fully engaged, we must be physically energized, emotionally connected, mentally focused and spiritually aligned with a purpose beyond our immediate self-interests.

To recap...here are the four princples necessary to fully engage!

PRINCIPLE 1:
Full engagement requires drawing on four separate but related sources of energy; physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.

PRINCIPLE 2:
Because energy capacity diminishes both with overuse and with under use, we must balance energy expenditure with intermittent energy renewal.

PRINCIPLE 3:
To build capacity, we must push beyond our normal limits, training in the same systematic way that elite athletes do.

PRINCIPLE 4:
Positive energy rituals-highly specific routines for managing energy-are the key to full engagement and sustained high performance.

Being fully engaged is a wonderful place to live. To be fully alive in every area of life takes balance and a desire to do so. Days, weeks, months and years are wasted by many people, just going through the motions of life and surviving!

I hope that you have learned something in these last weeks and will dig a little deeper at experiencing this kind of life; a fully engaged life.

As you read this blog, I am in Italy on the Amalfi coast! I can promise you that I am fully engaged today. :-) I'm equally excited about returning home, refreshed and renewed as I think about you and look at the fall at The Healthy Weigh.

Until I see you again.
Always encouraging you.
Letha

Are You Fully Engaged? Principle # 4

2010-09-09T22:26:00.000-07:00

Continued from last week...

a reminder:
To be fully engaged, we must be physically energized, emotionally connected, mentally focused and spiritually aligned with a purpose beyond our immediate self-interests.

The challenge of great life performance is to manage your energy more effectively in all dimensions to achieve your goals. Four key energy management principles drive this process. They lie at the heart of change, and they are critical for building the capacity to live a productive, fully engaged life.

So…to fully engage the following 4 energy management principles will be key:

This week we'll address Principle #4

PRINCIPLE 4:

Positive energy rituals-highly specific routines for managing energy-are the key to full engagement and sustained high performance.

Change is hard…we are creatures of habit. Most of what we do is automatic and non conscious. What we did yesterday is what we are likely to do today. The problem with most efforts at change is that conscious efforts can’t be sustained over long haul. Will and discipline are for more limited resources than most of us realize. If you have to think about something every time you do it, the likelihood is that you won’t keep doing it for very long.

A positive ritual is a behavior that becomes automatic over time-fueled by some deeply held value.

I use the word ritual purposefully to emphasize the notion of a carefully highly structured behavior. In contrast to will and discipline, which requires pushing yourself to a particular behavior, a ritual pulls at you.

Think of something as simple as brushing your teeth. It’s not something that you have to remind yourself to do. Brushing your teeth is something you feel consistently drawn to.
You do it largely on auto pilot, without much conscious effort.

The power of rituals is that they insure that we use as little conscious energy as possible where it is not absolutely necessary, leaving us free to focus the energy available to us in creative, enriching ways.
Look at any part of your life where you are successful…you have probably built routines around that action.

With your eating. Exercise, at work, in your home…the areas that you have routine, you are successful.

This week as you identify rituals in your every day life, consider more that you might add regarding your choices to eat healthy and live a fit lifestyle.

I'll close this topic out next Friday. It's been good sharing the power and importance of full engagement with you.

Working to be fully engaged and always encouraging you,
Letha

Are You Fully Engaged? Principle # 3

2010-09-02T22:11:00.000-07:00

Continued from last week...

a reminder:
To be fully engaged, we must be physically energized, emotionally connected, mentally focused and spiritually aligned with a purpose beyond our immediate self-interests.

The challenge of great life performance is to manage your energy more effectively in all dimensions to achieve your goals. Four key energy management principles drive this process. They lie at the heart of change, and they are critical for building the capacity to live a productive, fully engaged life.

So…to fully engage the following 4 energy management principles will be key:

This week we'll address Principle #3

PRINCIPLE 3:

To build capacity, we must push beyond our normal limits, training in the same systematic way that elite athletes do.

Stress is not an enemy in our lives, it is a key to growth. In order to build strength in a muscle we must systematically stress it, expending energy beyond normal levels. Doing so literally causes microscopic tears in the muscle fibers. At the end of a training session, functional capacity is diminished. But give the muscle 24 to 48 hours to recover and it grows stronger and better able to handle the next stimulus. While this training phenomenon had been applied to building physical strength, it is just as relevant to building “muscles“ in every area of our lives.

From empathy and patience, to focus and creativity, to integrity and commitment. What applies to the body, applies to all other dimensions in our lives.

We build emotional, mental and spiritual capacity in the same way that we build physical capacity.

We grow at all levels by expending energy beyond our ordinary limits and then recovering. Expose a muscle to ordinary demand and it won’t grow. With age it will actually lose strength. The limiting factor in building any “muscle” is that many of us back off at the slightest hint of discomfort. To meet increase demand in our lives, we must learn to systematically build and strengthen muscles wherever our capacity is insufficient. Any forms of stress that prompts discomfort has the potential to expand our capacity physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually so long as it’s followed but adequate recovery.

This week as you face stressful situations, demands on your emotional and personal life and are tested even spiritually, remember that discomfort in those areas brings about growth if you properly cope with them and then find time to recover and refresh yourself as well.

Next week we'll look at principle #4.
Until then I'm

Always encouraging you,
Letha

Are You Fully Engaged? Principle # 2

2010-08-26T21:42:00.000-07:00

Continued from last week...

a reminder:
To be fully engaged, we must be physically energized, emotionally connected, mentally focused and spiritually aligned with a purpose beyond our immediate self-interests.

The challenge of great life performance is to manage your energy more effectively in all dimensions to achieve your goals. Four key energy management principles drive this process. They lie at the heart of change, and they are critical for building the capacity to live a productive, fully engaged life.

So…to fully engage the following 4 energy management principles will be key:
This week we'll address Principle #2

PRINCIPLE 2:
Because energy capacity diminishes both with overuse and with under use, we must balance energy expenditure with intermittent energy renewal.

We rarely consider how much energy we are spending because we take it for granted that the energy available to us is limitless. In fact, increased demand progressively depletes our energy reserves, especially in the absences of any efforts to reverse the loss of capacity that comes with age. We can dramatically slow our decline both physically and mentally, and we should actually deepen our emotional and spiritual capacity until the very end of our lives.

When we spend far more energy than we recover and the eventual consequence is that we break down, burn out, atrophy, lose passion, get sick and even die prematurely. Sadly the need for recovery is often viewed as evidence of weakness rather than as an integral aspect of sustained performance. The result is that we give no attention to renewing and expanding our energy reserves, individually or organizationally.

The richest, happiest, and most productive lives are characterized by the ability to fully engage in the challenge at hand, but also disengage periodically and seek renewal. Instead, many of us live our lives as if we are running in an endless marathon, pushing ourselves far beyond healthy levels of exertion.

We become flat lines mentally and emotionally by spending energy without sufficient recovery. We become flat lines physically and spiritually by not expending enough energy. Either way, we slowly wear down.

Think for a moment about the look of many long distance runners. Gaunt, sallow, slightly sunken and emotionally flat. Now visualize a sprinter. Sprinters typically look powerful, bursting with energy and eager to push themselves to their limits. The explanation is simple. No matter how intense the demand they face, the finish line is 100 or 200 meters down the track.

We, too must learn to live our lives as a series of sprints. We must fully engaged for periods of time, then fully disengage and seek renewal before jumping back into the fray to face whatever challenges confront us.

Here's to a week with a series of sprints!
More next week.

Always encouraging you,
Letha

Are You Fully Engaged? Principle # 1

2010-08-19T21:50:00.000-07:00

Continued from last week...

a reminder:
To be fully engaged, we must be physically energized, emotionally connected, mentally focused and spiritually aligned with a purpose beyond our immediate self-interests.

The challenge of great life performance is to manage your energy more effectively in all dimensions to achieve your goals. Four key energy management principles drive this process. They lie at the heart of change, and they are critical for building the capacity to live a productive, fully engaged life.

So…to fully engage the following 4 energy management principles will be key:
This week we'll address Principle #1.

PRINCIPLE 1:

Full engagement requires drawing on four separate but related sources of energy; physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.

The truth is that humans beings are complex energy systems. Full engagement is not one dimensional. The energy that pulses through us is physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. All four dynamics are critical. None is sufficient by itself and each one profoundly influences the others.

To perform at our best we must skillfully manage each of these dimensions. Subtract any one of these and we lose our capacity to fully engage…much the way an engine sputters when one of it’s cylinders misfires.

Energy is the common denominator in all dimensions of our lives. Physical energy capacity is measured in terms of quantity (low to high) where emotional energy capacity is measured in quality (negative to positive).

These are our most fundamental sources of energy because without sufficient high-octane fuel no mission can be accomplished. The more toxic and unpleasant our energy, the less effective we perform. The more positive and pleasant, the energy, the more efficient it is. Full engagement and maximum performance are only possible when we are living lives with high physical energy and positive emotional energy.

The importance of full engagement is most vivid in situations where the consequences of disengagement are profound.

Imagine for a moment that you are facing open-heart surgery. Where on a scale from low to high would you want your surgeon to be? How would you feel if he entered the operating room feeling angry, frustrated and anxious. How about overworked, exhausted, and depressed. What if he was laid back and slightly spacey? Obviously, you want your surgeon energized, confident and upbeat.

Imagine that every time you reacted inappropriately at someone in frustration or did sloppy work on a project or failed to focus your attention fully on the task at hand, you put someone’s life at risk? Very quickly, you would become less negative, reckless and sloppy in the way you manage your energy.

We must learn to hold ourselves accountable for how we manage our energy, physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually, just as we do our time.

So for this week...be fully engaged by managing your energy, physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.

Next week we'll look at principle #2

Always encouraging you.
Letha

Are You Fully Engaged?

2010-08-12T22:33:00.000-07:00

How many of you feel like the demands of your life exceeds your capacity to make it all happen?

We live in a digital time. Our rhythms are rushed, our days are carved up in to bits and bytes.
We survive on too little sleep, fuel up on coffee, and go non stop from morning until night. We have demands all day and arrive home feeling exhausted and often experience the things and people waiting for us at home as one more demand instead of a place to refuel and feel renewed.

Our lives feel over burdened.

We take pride in our ability to multi task, we have cell phones, pagers, emails and pop up reminders. We use words like obsessed, stressed, crazy and overwhelmed. Feeling starved for time we feel we have no choice but to cram as much as possible into every day.

Managing time efficiently does not guarantee that we are living our lives fully engaged…it does not guarantee that we are bringing sufficient energy into whatever we are doing.

The ultimate measure of our lives is not how much time we spend on the planet, but rather how much energy we invest in the time that we have. The number of hours in a day is fixed, but the quantity and the quality of energy available to us is not.

To be fully engaged, we must be physically energized, emotionally connected, mentally focused and spiritually aligned with a purpose beyond our immediate self-interests.

Full engagement begins with feeling eager to get to work in the morning, equally happy to return home in the evening and capable of setting clear boundaries between the two. It means being able to immerse yourself in the mission you are on, whether it’s grappling with a creative challenge at work, managing a group of people on a project, spending time with loved ones or simply having fun.

I want to do something fun and compare our lives, our busy, successful, time crunched lives, to those of a professional athlete.

Think about it…
Professional athletes typically spend about 90 percent of their time training, in order to perform 10 percent of the time. Their entire lives are designed around expanding, sustaining, and renewing the energy they need to compete for short, focused periods of time.

They build very precise routines for managing energy in all spheres of their lives. Eating and sleeping…working out and resting…summoning the appropriate emotions, mentally staying focused and connecting regularly to the mission they have set for themselves.

Although most of us spend little or no time systematically training in any of these dimensions, we are expected to perform at our best for eight, ten even twelve hours a day.

Most professional athletes also enjoy an off-season of four to five months a year. After competing under extraordinary pressure for several months, a long off-season gives athletes the critical time that thy need for rest and healing, renewal and growth.

By contrast, our “off” season amounts to a few weeks of vacation a year, Even then we probably aren’t solely resting and recovering. More likely we are spending a least some of our vacation answering emails, checking our voice mail and thinking about our work.

Finally, professional athletes have an average career span of five to seven years. If they have handled their finances reasonable well, they are often set for life. Few of them are under pressure to run out and get another job.
By contrast, we can probably expect to work for forty to fifty years without any significant breaks.

Given these stark facts, what makes it possible to keep performing at our best without sacrificing our health, our happiness and our passions for life?

We must become fully engaged!

To be fully engaged, we must be physically energized, emotionally connected, mentally focused and spiritually aligned with a purpose beyond our immediate self-interests.

The challenge of great life performance is to manage your energy more effectively in all dimensions to achieve your goals. Four key energy management principles drive this process. They lie at the heart of change, and they are critical for building the capacity to live a productive, fully engaged life.

So…to fully engage, four energy management principles will be key:

We'll look at those principles for the next 4 weeks!
Until then...be fully engaged, be in the moment.

Always encouraging you,
Letha

Selfish or Self Care

2010-08-05T22:30:00.000-07:00

I'm a wife and I'm a mom, I'm a sister, aunt and daughter. All of these rolls 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 as an inspiration and my nieces and nephews see me as a role model. My Mom just loves me.

I meet with women every day 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 the very best, physically, emotionally and spiritually. I think it would be selfish of me to do any different. I think that women 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

Are You on a Diet?

2010-07-29T22:17:00.001-07:00

That is probably a funny question if you're reading this blog. Of course, you're on The Healthy Weigh diet, right? Well, not necessarily. I sat with clients today who have done a really GREAT job changing their life style habits and are even seeing results from that, but have found themselves stuck! Stuck 30, 40 or even 50 pounds from where they want to be.

Here's what I've observed. When a client comes to The Healthy Weigh and is presented the nutritional plan, they get on board! They follow it faithfully and see impressive weight loss. And then it starts to happen...little extras start creeping in. They have done such a good job of changing their eating habits that now they are looking at food different and really are making healthy choices. The problem is, there is a difference between making healthy food choices and being on a DIET to lose weight. A diet is defined this way: a controlled intake of food and drink designed for weight loss, for health or religious reasons, or to control or improve a medical condition. Controlled being the key word here!

The Healthy Weigh nutritional plan is the best weight loss DIET I have come across in my 30 years in the weight loss industry.
It was designed and written by professionals in the field that knew what they were doing! It works! problem is, we tweak it...and then we don't see the results we're after.

I see clients get frustrated every week with slow or no weight loss all while they feel like they've been following the program.
With a touch more effort and a little more control, they could be seeing a 2 to 2.5 pound a week weight loss!

So I guess the question is...Are you on a DIET? I hope the answer is YES! If it is, you will see results that keep you inspired and you will find yourself living that "healthy lifestyle" in no time!

Always encouraging you,
Letha

I do my BEST on the weekends!

2010-07-22T22:24:00.000-07:00

The weekend is here, the sun is shining, summer is in full swing...how prepared are you to follow your nutritional plan all weekend long? Have you given any thought to the days ahead and planned your strategy?

Weekends pose different problems than week days. During the week, we have routine and it makes it "routine" to follow program. It seems that we are better prepared with program foods during the week too, out of necessity with our busy schedules.

The weekend rolls around and we have no routine to speak of, and we've run out of the good program foods! That means trouble!

There are a few easy things you can do to make your weekend days as successful or even more successful than the week days.

1.Preplan a menu for the weekend on Thursday night(with contingencies.)
Put the menu up on your fridge to remind yourself that you DO have a plan for the weekend. It helps to have it written down so you are not making so many emotional decisions about what you feel like eating.

2.Stop on your way home on Friday night to stock up on the very BEST program foods.

The weekend is the time when we can take more time to make a beautiful breakfast or even a special dinner. Buy the best ingredients and look forward to your meals instead of eating what's left over for the week!

3.Use the extra time to be more active.
If you have time to walk out the front door...do it! Take time on the weekend to go for a walk, a hike or a bike ride with your family. You can burn more calories on the weekend!

4.And above all else(you guessed it)think rightly about the weekend.
Your attitude about weekend foods and weekend activity will make ALL the difference in your success! Try repeating out loud many times a day..."I do my best o he program, on the weekends." Se what that does for your thought life!

Your determination to turn hard weekends into opportunities for more weight loss will make a great difference in your weight loss success.

Plan ahead,go shopping and think rightly then have a terrific on program weekend!

Always encouraging you.
Letha

Vision Quest

2010-07-16T07:44:00.000-07:00

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…it’s a dream, a mental picture, foresight, the ability to see the future

Quest is 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! 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…not what you don’t 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 goal. 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…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!

Always encouraging you,
Letha

Motivation is in the Doing!

2010-07-09T11:11:00.002-07:00

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 good news…you have control over how motivated you are!

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 need 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!
Motivation is in the doing…doing something to keep your thought life right, strong, focused.

Some of my tools, my secrets to keeping my motivation alive are…

Clothing
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 into it? Get them out and make them visible!
Change it out if you get used to seeing it there!

What would you be wearing if you were at goal weight…That’s what you focus on!

Year at a Glance
Get it out in front of you…what will your next 12 months look like as you get slimmer and slimmer…healthier and healthier?!

What events will take on a different feeling a different excitement a different freedom at your goal weight?

Words
Be inspired by them, print them, post them in view. Words are powerful and they will keep you focused!

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 instead, 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 instead of 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 this race, to accomplish this task…you’re just the one that has to create it!

Motivation is truly in the doing!

Always encouraging you,
Letha

Independence Day!

2010-07-01T22:43:00.001-07:00

It's July, and we're headed into the weekend that we as a country celebrate our Independence and our freedoms. I'm wondering today how free you really feel? Has food, or your struggles to control your eating, made you feel less than free? Do you sometimes feel like a prisoner, trapped in an unhealthy body?

Freedom takes work. It took work over 200 hundred years ago as our forefathers fought for what was ours. It takes work today as we fight for what is ours; a healthy, fit body. To be free is to not be under the control or power of someone or something. I see men and women fighting to be free every week at The Healthy Weigh.

I'm convinced that the key to being free from overeating is to fight the battles on the inside as well as the outside. How much time are you spending on coping with life's difficulties, healing past pain, and working to understand your beliefs? Equal time or more should be given to the inside of us, as we focus on changing the outside. That's when freedom comes!

As you spend time with your families this weekend, celebrating our great country, I hope that you will take some time to ponder your freedom as a healthy adult. Choose freedom both on the inside and out this Independence Day.

Always encouraging you.
Letha

Contentment = Weight Loss

2010-06-24T21:47:00.000-07:00

Today I taught an extensive class on how to stabilize and then maintain weight loss for life. Although I have gained tremendous knowledge about food, calories and nutrition over the past 29 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 sit with clients every week, I'm continually reminded of that.

Today 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 discontentment 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.

Join me and my Healthy Weigh friends on the water front this Saturday morning at 9 AM. We meet in front of Beaches restaurant and walk for about an hour. Bring a friend or a dog! Come,walk and enjoy the Northwest beauty. It'll be great.

Always encouraging you.
Letha

Body ~ Soul ~ Spirit, The Spiritual Perspective

2010-06-17T17:02:00.000-07:00

Exercise and Weight Loss~It's a Math Problem

2010-06-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

We spent a couple of emotional weeks looking at the things we're responsible for and then coping skills. It's always good for the soul to throw in a little logic after spending time on our emotions! Our Math workshop did just that!

Sometimes math can be hard too. The simple fact that our bodies need a certain amount of calories to maintain weight can be a difficult truth to accept. The amount of calories we burn compared to the amount we take in, is the story problem.

As we look back to the generations before us, there is a big difference between the amount of calories expended in a day compared to now. That's where the problem lies. Our lives have become more automated and we still want to consume the same amount of calories as the people generations before us did. That's where weight gain comes in!

It takes 3500 calories to lose or gain a pound. We are either saving up calories to add a pound on our bodies, or we are working to have a deficit of 3500 calories to lose a pound off our bodies. It truly is a math problem.

We talked about exercise and the ability to turn up our bodies thermostats to have a speedier metabolism. Keeping close track of all calories consumed and working to burn more calories by being active is the goal!

With so many unknowns in our world today...it's somehow comforting to know that weight loss really is a math problem!

I hope you'll join me next week at noon or Six on Thursday when I conclude this 6 week class schedule with Body Soul Spirit, the spiritual perspective.

Always encouraging you,
Letha

Coping Skills ~ Feeling Your Way Through Life

2010-06-04T10:16:00.000-07:00

Can you spell vulnerability? That was me, this week, teaching "Coping Skills ~ Feeling Your Way Through Life." It was a hard lesson for many clients to hear, so I loved it when one of our clients voiced this great word..." Hard doesn't mean bad." How true that was this week as we looked at the importance of having healthy coping skills to be truly healthy; body soul and spirit!

We took a look at the coping skills that our society uses. Drinking, drugs, shopping, and over eating to name a few.Coping; wrestling or grappling with difficulties and acting to over come them. As we looked closer at our societies list, we realized that we are not coping at all...we're avoiding. Avoiding the pain of the past and present. Instead of overcoming and healing our issues and pain, we are numbing them.

At The Healthy Weigh, we are convinced that unless a person acquires a healthy list of coping skills and begins to use them to heal past and present wounds, they will have temporary success at best.

The feeling wheel was introduced this week as a great tool to identify feelings and begin to process them. For many of us, we are a bit handicapped when it comes to expressing our feelings. We were taught to feel; mad, glad or sad. Identifying our true feelings is the first step to being able to process what's really going on inside of us. We recommend that you keep your feeling wheel on the inside of a journal so that you can refer to it as often as necessary while you're journaling. It wouldn't be such a bad idea to put it on the fridge so that the whole family could benefit from it!

We spent most of our time Thursday talking about forgiveness. I believe that unforgiveness robs us of more joy than any thing else in life. I shared a technique or tool to help clients begin to forgive the people, including themselves, that they need to, to heal those wounded places inside. Forgiveness only takes one person, so it definitely is a process that we all find right inside of our own back packs! It is your responsibility to do the work to heal the places that are keeping you from living the life you were intended to live.

I inspired courage Thursday...it takes a little bit to forge ahead and begin to use real coping skills. What I know is that a mind that is healthy, and emotions that are healed will effect a physical body more than any diet ever could!

I hope I will see many of you next week when we have a little math workshop...math will seem easy after Coping Skills! :-) Thursday, Noon or Six! Hope to see you there!

I love you all, I'm walking with you and want you to have your very best life.
Until next week.

Always encouraging you.
Letha

What's in Your Back Pack~Controlling What You Can

2010-05-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

This week might be one of my favorite weeks to teach. I learned about "Back Packs" about 10 years ago, and it was life changing for me.
Learning to control what you can and let go of things you can't control is not only freeing, it's smart!

I taught this lesson alone this week as Glenda was on a rode trip back to Canada. Funny thing about that is that she is the one who taught it to me all those years ago. I guess it's every teachers dream that her student would go on to teach the lessons that she imparted!

At first look, clients wonder what "back packs" have to do with weight loss. It doesn't take long to begin to understand the concept. The more you understand about self-control, personal responsibility and emotional ownership, the easier it is to make choices for yourself regarding your weight loss program.

As we began to look at the 12 things we are responsible for, in control of, and are to take ownership of, I had to laugh at the test we've all been put through lately...something that is completely out of our control. The weather! Living in the Northwest is an opportunity to carry your own weather around inside of you. How's everybody doing with that one lately?

But on a serious note. I see clients, friends and family, using all their time, and energy on things out side of their control. Those things appear to get bigger and bigger, because we have no control over them, and we appear to get smaller and smaller. The things that we DO have control of...the 12 things in our back pack are the ONLY things that will help us become the women and men we were intended to be. Strong, healthy and full of love.

We talked about the difference between feeling responsible TO others and feeling responsible FOR others. I encourage you to look at the chart on the back of this important control guide and work to become a person who is responsible to others.

This is a lesson that you will want to share with your children, your spouses and everyone you spend time with. I pray that it will be as life changing for you as it was and is for me.

Don't forget to join us next week at noon or 6 PM for 'Coping Skills~Feeling Your Way Through Life'.

Always encouraging you,
Letha

Change Your Thinking~Change Your Life

2010-05-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

Last week we learned that in order to change your actions permanently, you have to change your belief system. This week, we're focusing on your thought life.

We tackled 4 things in our short 30 minute class on Thursday:

Motivation
Goals and Rewards
Positive Thinking
Mental Conditioning

We all agreed that losing weight and keeping it off for life is one of the hardest things we've ever done...so the questions is, How do you prepared for that? This week we are focusing on necessary steps to be successful at not only starting this weight loss journey, but reaching your destination as well!

Motivation:
As I sit with clients week after week, I see a common theme with clients who are not losing weight. They have lost their motivation. Knowing WHY you want to lose weight and keeping those reasons in the fore front of your mind is critical for weight loss success. There are many ways to keep motivation high. What ever those ways are for you, keep doing them! We all have different motives as to why we want to lose weight...the key is to keep motivation alive! Motivation is in the doing! What can you do this week to elevate your motivation?

Goals and Rewards:
Setting goals and rewarding yourself are proven methods in changing your beliefs permanently. Everything we do, we do out of our need to seek pleasure or avoid pain, the problem is,our society believes that over eating is pleasure and eating in moderation is painful. At our Thursday classes, I had clients speak out words connected to over eating. I heard, guilt, shame, poor health, pain, and tears. I had clients speak words connected to eating in moderation. I heard, happiness, peace, health, clothes fit, and confidence. That is the truth...we just don't believe it!
Linking pleasure(rewards) to your new healthy life style and pain to your old unhealthy habits will begin to change your belief system and help you keep this weight off.
Rewards are a must!

Positive Thinking:
You won't catch me in a conversation with someone about permanent change, without hearing me talk about our thought life! Choosing positive thoughts will promote positive actions! How we think about ourselves has EVERYTHING to do with losing weight and keeping it off. The good news is that we have a choice every minute of every day about our thoughts. This little girl has it figured out...we could learn a thing or two from her.
Check it out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR3rKOkZFkg

Mental Conditioning:
This is the first week of your mental conditioning exercises. No great accomplishments have happened without first the visions of them! The subconscious mind is powerful. What ever you force into it on a regular basis, it believes. Adding this piece to your Healthy Weigh program could be a key to your success.

Great effort goes into great accomplishments. I encourage you to spend time this week on your thinking...it will change your life!

Join us next Thursday, for "Back Packs~Controlling What you Can". Noon or 6 PM

Always encouraging you.
Letha

Changing Your Beliefs~The Key to Permanent Weight Loss

2010-05-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

This week we began our 6 week class at The Healthy Weigh. Glenda and I are excited about processing the six new personal control guides with you. Our plan is to present the new guide each Thursday, and review it with you the following Thursday, so that you have time to listen and then work on the personal reflection. A lot of great classes, workshops and support groups happen at The Healthy Weigh, but it's your personal reflection and work that makes the difference!

Beginning this weight loss journey by looking backwards is crucial. The beliefs we have regarding ourselves, our relationship with food and so many other things, determine our success with losing weight and more importantly keeping it off. The key to changing in the present is understanding our past.

Sometimes we resist looking at our past because we are afraid that in some way we will be dishonoring our parents. The search for truth, never requires that we dishonor those who raise us. In fact, distorting our memory of those early years through either denial or idealizing is what really dishonors the past, because it makes the past unreal. We must become fearless in our search for the truth, knowing that the truth, truly does set us free. The search for truth is never an excuse to blame or to confront-it's our search, and it's purpose lies within us.

If you've started this journey with us, I want to encourage you to go for it! Don't back away! You'll come away 6 weeks from now with great insight and a positive attitude towards your future, If you are still on the outside looking in...come in. We invite you to participate in the next 5 weeks!

Being set free is an awesome thing. Won't you join us?

Email me with questions or thoughts...I'd love to hear from you. You can also comment to this blog. I encourage that as well. letha@healthyweigh.com

Until next week.
Always encouraging you.
Letha

It's All New at The Healthy Weigh

2010-05-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

Great things are happening at The Healthy Weigh! This week we introduced our new and improved program. All new materials with a fresh new feeling! More importantly, we've re-written the Personal Control Guides to dove tail the CD series. We are convinced that working with these new guides and continuing to follow the outstanding nutritional plan is the key to permanent weight loss.

If you don't have the CD series and personal control guide # 1 yet...'Changing Your Beliefs, The Key to Permanent Weight Loss'...there's still time!
We are starting a FREE 6 week class Thursday May 13th, to review all 6 of the new guides as you journey through them. This will be an outstanding opportunity for you to get the most out of these new guides! Our classes will be held at noon or 6 PM for the next 6 Thursdays. The only requirement we have for you to attend is that you own the CD series, 'Change Your Thinking Change Your Life'. No need to sign up...just show up!

Another great addition to our program starting May 1st is that all clients who sign up for our e newsletter will receive an email from me every Friday, linking them to my blog,"Encouragement from Letha". I hope to do all I can to offer up inspiration and hope as you continue this weight loss journey.

As we seek to improve the program at The Healthy Weigh, I am more convinced than ever, that we have what you need to not only lose your weight, but keep it off for life.

I welcome comments and ideas for possible blog subjects. You are the focus of my writing and continued learning.

Here's to a great weekend and a life filled week ahead!
Always Encouraging You.
Letha

The Heart of a Champion

2009-09-10T21:13:00.000-07:00

We celebrated champions at our REFRESH classes today, " The Heart of a Champion."

Our REFRESH classes were a perfect time to announce the winners of our "Sensational Summer" contest! Ten weeks ago, I challenged our clients to a contest. The top two clients with the greatest % of weight loss for the summer months would each receive $300.00!

It's been an outstanding race. Our winners focused on their goals, stayed committed, and celebrated their accomplishments when they received their prize money today!

Our top two champions are...

1. Susan Mc. with a 12.15% weight loss

2. Kimberlee P.R. with a 11.18% weight loss

Congratulations to both of you for the great job you did this summer. I'm so proud of both of you!

We had so many clients that had great success this summer at The Healthy Weigh. Even though we passed out cold hard cash to these two clients today... many more would agree that they too were winners this summer at The Healthy Weigh.

Our Sensational Summer has come to an end, but champions are being made and celebrated every day at The Healthy Weigh.

Watch weekly for inspiration and encouragement from me and remember to check out the Team Challenge blog to see what's happening there.

Congratulations to all you champions!

Letha

The FROGS Have it!

2009-09-04T07:52:00.000-07:00

Oh Yes, the FROGS could have croaked, but instead they hopped their way to a WIN by writing some great essays..."What I did this summer." I'm sure they'll leap for joy when they come into the clinic Tuesday and receive a gift of ONE FREE WEEK on the program for their ribbiting effort! Congratulations FROGS, you did it!
Final score: FROGS 6 SUNSHINES 4!

I had blast reading over your essays, Frogs and Sunshines alike! We had clients travel from Europe to LaCenter this summer! One thing you all had in common is that you have friends at The Healthy Weigh who enjoyed seeing you this summer! I couldn't help but celebrate the lives you all live with your travels, your families and friends. You're livin' the dream!

Our Client Dee M. will be excited to hear that she was the winner of the drawing this week. I have some beautiful Autumn place mats and napkins for her to start out the fall in style! Congratulations Dee.

Our final weight loss board Visa winner goes to Cindy M. Your card is attached to your chart as we speak! Good job Cindy!

We have one more weigh-in for our top weight loss losers of the Sensational Summer. Two of them will receive the prize money at our Refresh classes on Thursday the 10th. Here they are:

1. Susan Mc. 10.51%
2. Mary O. 10.12%
3. Tammy L 9.81%
4. Ginny M. 8.46%
5. Mary G. 8.22%

As you can see...it's a close race! This weekend's effort will determine the final winners!
You've all done an amazing job this summer...Have a great weekend taking care of you!

See you Tuesday,
Letha

Let's Blame it on the Cheap Hula Hoops!

2009-08-28T08:25:00.000-07:00

We've got to blame it on something...because not one of us,(including me) did a very good job at twisting those hoops around our waist for any length of time. It was fun though. I enjoyed hearing stories of hula hooping and youth. It seems that many of you were experts at the sport at one time! Thanks for being such good sports and showing up for your team!

I'm always amazed as I count the tickets..FROGS, SUNSHINES...you tied this week 40 to 40! Here's what that means...you each get a point this week. FROGS 5 SUNSHINES 4. We have one week left...the Frogs are going to take it with one more win, or the Sunshines are going to come through and tie it all up! How will this thing end?

I was blessed to pull out a name of a client who needs a little extra encouragement this week. Martha L. You won two tickets to the movies! Congratulations!

The weight loss board is full of names again this week! Clients losing 2 pounds or more every week of this Sensational Summer! Carol A. You are our lucky Visa Card winner this week! Your 3.9 pounds for the week can be rewarded with your new Visa Card!

The top five clients are keeping the competition interesting!
Here they are:

1. Mary O.
2. Susan Mc.
3. Kimberlee P.R.
4. Brigida G. (happy 21st birthday!)
5. Mary G.
5. Barbara W.

Yes...a tie for 5th place! You've got two weigh-in's left ladies.. KICK IT UP A NOTCH!
Have a wonderful weekend and to those of you who attended the REFRESH class. Have a awesome time of RE this weekend, I will.

Letha

Support Your Local Healthy Weigh

2009-08-21T07:46:00.000-07:00

I want to personally thank all of our great clients who participated in our advertising campaign this week! You took on the challenge of passing out, hanging up, or dropping off, one of our Team Challenge hand bills. As we have made a decision to put our advertising dollar back in to you...you helped us this week by getting the word out about the best weight loss clinic in Clark County! Thanks!

As you took on the challenge to help out The Healthy Weigh, I know your motives were pure and it didn't have anything to do with the competition! :-) However, one team rose to the top! FROGS...you did it. You beat out the Sunshines this week! Way to come back from the losers bracket! FROGS 4 SUNSHINES 3.
Our Lucky client of the week, winning a FREE month on her program was Lorraine L. Congratulations Lorraine!

Our weight loss board continues to be full of names of clients losing 2 or more pounds per week. Congratulations to our pick of the week, Janette M. Your Visa card awaits you!

And now for the top 5!

1.Tammy L. 2. Kimberlee P.R. 3. Susan Mc. 4. Mary O. 5. Brigida G.

Outstanding effort ladies, it's paying off!

We're walking tomorrow at the WSU campus at 8 am! Hope to see you there!

Letha

It's a Dead Heat!

2009-08-14T09:26:00.000-07:00

Oh Yea...Sunshines, you did it! You caught up with the Frogs! It's Frogs 3...Sunshines 3! You came in with the answer to my question and were inspiring as you taught us all about decision making! 26 Frogs came through...and 27 Sunshines!

We had to pull one name out of the sand bucket to award a wonderful pair of walking socks. I know for a fact that this Sunshine takes walks and will love her gift! Congratulations Bobbi F. your socks await you!

The winner of the visa gift card will be pretty excited as it is her first week as a client at The Healthy Weigh. She's gonna be thinking," This is awesome,these people pay you to lose weight." Congratulations to Kristen K. You are the weight loss board winner this week!

The top 5 continue to battle for those top 2 spots. Who are the top 2 going to be when we hand out the prize money at the end of the summer?
1. Kimberlee P.R. 2. Mary O. 3. Susan Mc. 4. Jodi G. 5. Melodye P.

It looks like these girls have made a decision! Congratulations to you all!

I hope you'll meet Glenda at Who Song and Larry's on Saturday morning at 9, to take a walk to the Farmer's Market and shop for some great fruits and vegetables. It will be a perfect morning for a walk, and a great time to get to know each other a little better.

On a personal note, It's been a difficult week for our family as we have grieved the loss of 4 Ridgefield High School Graduates. Our prayers and love go out to the families and close friends of these outstanding young people.

Thank you for sharing life with me this week, spending time with great people like you, helps.

Choose life this weekend, choose to live your very best life.

Love, Letha

Is That Your Final Answer?

2009-08-10T20:59:00.000-07:00

If you are reading this, you are a dedicated team member of the FROGS or SUNSHINES!

Answer this question at the clinic on Thursday in your visit with one of us and you'll receive a ticket for your team as well as a chance to win a pair of fabulous walking socks! (I've got two pair and I won't wear anything else when I go walking!)

THE QUESTION:
What is the definition of a decision?

Can't wait to hear from all of you... Frogs and Sunshines alike!

Letha

Aloha!

2009-08-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

The clients at The Healthy Weigh had some fun today wearing something that said "Aloha." We saw everything from a petite hibiscus ring, to a couple of grass skirts! (way to go Cuppy's, you always make us smile.)

The competition was the closest it's been so far...The SUNSHINES did it again! They won by one tiny little yellow ticket! I guess they tasted what winning felt like last week and decided to go for it one more time! So it's FROGS 3 SUNSHINES 2! Can you feel the heat?

When it came time to pull out the winner of the prize this week...I reached in and pulled out Cris C.! I bet you think the prize is a trip to Hawaii...but Cris will have to see what I come up with on Tuesday. I'm out of town this weekend with my family and plan to do a little prize shopping! Congratulations Cris!

Our Visa card winner of the week is Shirley B. Wow, Shirley, that 2.2 pounds that got you on the weight loss board this week also won you $25.00 shiny dollars! Great job!

And now for the top 5!
1. Kimberlee P.R. 2. Tammy L. 3. Jodi G. 4. Susan Mc. 5. Mary O.

You girls ROCK! Keep up the great work, and don't let up!

Stay with us this Sensational Summer. Look back on September 8th and be proud of what you've done this summer! We're sure proud of you!

Have a terrific weekend.

Aloha, Letha

I Love a Good Picnic!

2009-07-31T07:53:00.000-07:00

Bright colored table cloths, fresh vibrant flowers, good food, and great friends...that's what a picnic at The Healthy Weigh looked like yesterday! We served over 50 of our clients lunch or dinner in our beautiful air conditioned building. It was a time to share a meal and get to know each other a little bit better. I thought it was great! That moist, lovely chicken was grilled for you by my sweet husband, Barry. Little did I know when I asked him to grill it that he'd be cooking during record breaking heat ! If you'd like to thank him personally you could throw him an email at barrybrandenburg@yahoo.com. He'd love that!

The bigger and more important news of the day...the SUNSHINES won!!! I'm so excited for your team. I knew you could pull it off. As I counted the tickets I have to admit, I laughed and thought..."invite a Sunshine to a meal...and they'll show up" :-) I also thought..."Those Sunshines, they know how to party!" So, Congratulations to you...the race is now officially on! FROGS 3 SUNSHINES 1

Our picnic wares winner will love her new dishes...Rhonda O., your pretty dishes will be at the clinic Tuesday! Congratulations!

The winner of the $25 visa gift card actually danced across the parking lot yesterday when she found out that she had made the weight loss board! I can't imagine what she'll do when she sees her name as the winner! Pam B. You did it! Your card will be waiting for you on Tuesday as well! You Rock!

And now for the top 5!!! We're seeing some names again this week. This competition is heating up!
1. Tammy L. 2. Kimberlee P.R. 3. Jodi G. 4. Mary O. 5. Susan Mc.

Keep up the great work ...you're looking amazing!

Let's keep this Sensational Summer going strong.

We've got a class starting Tuesday, "Changing Your Beliefs." There are a few spots available!
We're starting sign ups for the fall Team Challenge...discounts are good until Thursday.
We've got more fun planned for you in the next few weeks...can anybody say "Aloha"?

Have a great weekend Everyone!...Team Challenge friends...check out the Team Challenge blog...updates are there!

See you next week!
Letha

High Quality H20

2009-07-24T08:36:00.000-07:00

It's going to be HOT this weekend and our clients are ready with water bottles in hand! 65 of you showed up on Thursday with your water bottle...FROGS, you did it again. You beat out the Sunshines by 3 bottles! Sunshines...I know you have what it takes to come from behind and win this thing...you've got 7 weeks to go!

We had a great day as we looked at some of the "miracle foods" of the 21st century in our REFRESH class. Education and motivation is extreme at The Healthy Weigh this summer! Glenda followed up with her emotional eating class and continued to help clients see more about why and when they eat.

We've got some winners to announce...
The winner of a pretty new water bottle is Leigh C. She might need to get one that fits into a cup holder of a Harley...she's been known to ride!

Our $25 visa gift card winner is Tena T. Congratulations Tena...it's reward time for you! I'm so inspired by all of our client's weight loss...keep up the great work of getting your name on the weight loss board...those 2 pounds per week add up!

The top 5 weight losers changed again this week. Here's the update!
1. Tammy L.
2. Kimberlee P.R.
3. Jodi G.
4. Edie L.
5. Brigida G.

Congratulations to all of you...Keep it up over this warm weekend!

Have a terrific weekend...we are planning a fun picnic for you this coming Thursday...plan to eat lunch or dinner with us at The Healthy Weigh. More details to follow on Tuesday!

You can make this a Sensational Summer!
Letha

Books...Food for the Soul

2009-07-17T08:09:00.000-07:00

Sensational Summer is in full swing at The Healthy Weigh! We celebrated with one of summer's greatest pastimes this week...reading. Our clients brought books in to the clinic to trade. We had over 50 books shared yesterday! What food for the soul the books will be in these next warm days of summer!

Here how it stands with the teams...FROGS, you did it again! You beat out the Sunshines by 3 books! It was sooo close! Congratulations to the Frogs; Sunshines, there's still time...weeks left to show your stuff. Don't give up now!!!
So one of you lucky readers is going home with a Barnes&Noble gift card...that would be Bev. D. from the Sun Shine team! Collect your prize on Tuesday when you come to weigh in Bev.

Our Top five weight losers will be excited to see their names posted this week...here they are!
1. Tammy L. 2. Marni D. 3. Kimberly P. R. 4. Brooke W. 5. Melodye P. You are Sensational!!

Remember, the top two clients with the greatest % of weight loss will take home $300 at the end of the Sensational Summer! If you're reading this and saying..."It won't be me." Know that the clients on this list were saying that last week! So Go For It!!

Our weight loss board continues to be impressive with many of our clients losing 2 or more pounds for the week. I'm happy to announce the winner of the $25.00 visa gift card is Susan Mc., member of the Frog team! Congratulations Susan...your plastic is awaiting you Tuesday!

We are looking forward to next week (REFRESH Class Thursday)and the fun weeks ahead...mark your calendars for Thursday, July 30th, We're planning a little picnic for you! It should be fun!

Next week it's going to be HOT HOT HOT! Be prepared, and take great care of yourselves this weekend!

Letha

PS. Tomorrow, a group of clients are meeting on the water front by Beaches at 8:30 for another beautiful walk. Join them, it will be a breathtaking morning!

The Frogs have it this week!

2009-07-10T09:38:00.001-07:00

What fun we had as we started week one of Sensational Summer at The Healthy Weigh! Every client became an official member of a team...FROGS or SUN SHINES! The teams will be in friendly competition throughout the summer!

To get us in the summer spirit we had our first competition with flip flops! 68 of our clients showed up with flip flops on Thursday to represent their team! It's official...FROGS 1 SUN SHINES 0! The sunshine team wasn't far behind, but the frogs out did them with a great foot showing!
The winner of a new pair of flip flops was SHERYL B.(team sunshine) Congratulations! You can pick up your flip flop gift certificate on Tuesday when you come in for your visit!

The Weight loss board has a lot of names on it this week. Congratulations to all of you who worked so hard for that 2 pound or more weight loss! The winner this week of the $25.00 visa gift card is CHRISTINE W. (team frog). Christine, your shiny visa card will be waiting for you on Tuesday!

Glenda did a great job of calculating the weight loss % for the contest so far...here's the top 5 at this point!

1. LeeAnn B. 2. Christine W. 3. Mary G. 4. Rhonda O. 5. Sandra M.

It's a CLOSE race and their are many other clients nipping at the flip flops of these five! Don't let up...the chance to win the $300 prizes is open to all!

Remember, tomorrow morning at 9am, we are going for a walk on the water front. Meet us there on the board walk in front of Beaches. We will take a 45 walk together...it should be fun!

We have some summer time fun planned for the next few weeks. More details on Tuesday...for now stay focused...dream big...and make this the greatest summer of your life! We're glad to be a part of it!

Letha

Sensational Summer Begins!

2009-07-03T17:23:00.000-07:00

Hey Everybody...I'm home from my cruise and ready to have some fun with The Healthy Weigh's "Sensational Summer!" I hope you enjoyed the colors and the music at the clinic this week. We have set the mood and now we're ready to have some fun and lose weight too!

Remember...so far you need to set your sights on making the weight loss board every Thursday...for a chance to win a $25.00 visa gift card and do what it takes to be one of our top weight losers of the summer! The two clients with the greatest % of weight loss between June 30th and September 8th will each win $300.00.

When you weigh in on Tuesday, you will hear the details of the happenings of the week! You are ALL going to want to participate in the weeks "competition" (for lack of a better word!)

It's all about summer...its' all about fun...and it's all about taking great care of yourself this "Sensational Summer" at The Healthy Weigh.

Have a great 4th!

Letha

"I found strength I didn't know I had"

2009-04-29T11:37:00.000-07:00

That comment didn't come from me, it came from one of our clients yesterday after her weigh in. She lost 6.0 pounds for the week! As a partner in the Team Challenge she has a new outlook. Not only is she committed to the program, but she now has a partner that she has made promises to. Promises to follow the program, exercise and keep a great attitude!

She found strength this week when she followed her plan to the mark. She found strength this week when she went for her walks up a BIG hill and ending up running that hill! She found strength in preparing her foods in advance and truly making her health and her self care a priority this week. SHE FOUND STRENGTH SHE DIDN'T KNOW SHE HAD, BECAUSE SHE REACHED DOWN INSIDE OF HERSELF AND JUST DID IT!

I am so proud of her, and I am so proud of all the Team Challenge participants who made a decision and found strength inside of themselves this week!

Keep up the great work...Keep fighting for the strength that lives inside of you.

Always encouraging you,
Letha