The Buck Stops Here ~ The Responsibility Decision

This winter at The Healthy Weigh we're traveling through time! We are "visiting" 7 prominent historical characters during the next 9 weeks, each of whom will teach us a valuable life lesson. Our theme comes from the book "The Travelers Gift" by Andy Andrews.  This week we visited Harry Truman, our 33rd President.  President Truman made the phrase "The Buck Stops Here" famous. The buck stops here, meaning responsibility is not passed on beyond this point.

One of the most pervasive myths in the American culture today is that we are entitled to a great life. That somehow, someone (certainly not us) is responsible for filling our lives with continual happiness, exciting career options, nurturing family time, and blissful relationships simply because we exist.

But the real truth, and the lesson we are going to be learning over the next weeks to come, is that there is only one person responsible for the quality of the life you live.

That person is you.

If you want to be successful at anything, you have to take 100% responsibility for everything that you experience in your life. This includes the level of your achievements, the results you produce, the quality of your relationships, the state of your health and physical fitness, your income, your debts, your feelings...everything!

That is not easy.

In fact, most of us have been conditioned to blame something outside of ourselves for the parts of our life we don't like. We blame our parents, our bosses, our friends, the media, our co-workers, our clients, our spouse, the weather, the economy, the President, our lack of money...anyone or anything we can pin the blame on. We never want to look at where the real problem is, ourselves.

To really be successful you have to give up all your excuses! If you want to create the life of your dreams, then you are going to have to take 100% responsibility for your life as well. That means giving up all your excuses, all your victim stories, all the reasons why you can't and why you haven't up until now, and all your blaming of outside circumstances. You have to give them up forever!

You have to take the position that you have always had the power to make it different, to get it right, to produce the desired result. For what ever reason, you chose not to exercise that power. Who knows why? It doesn't matter. The past is the past. All that matters now is that from this point forward you choose to act as if you are 100% responsible for everything that does or doesn't happen to you.  

If something doesn't turn out as planned, you will ask yourself, "How did I create that? What was I thinking?  What were my beliefs?  What did I say or not say? What do I need to do differently next time to get the results I want?"

It's simple.

You are the one who is creating your life the way it is. The life you currently live is the result of all of your past thoughts and actions. You are in charge of your current thoughts and your present feelings. You are in charge of what you say and what you do. You are also in charge of what goes into your mind. That's great news!

We must be willing to say...

"I accept responsibility for my past. I control my thoughts. I control my emotions. I am responsible for my success. The buck stops here!"

Until next week when we meet with King Solomon,

Always encouraging you,

Letha

What Are You Telling Yourself?

Psychologists and behavioral therapists have long known the effectiveness of using positive affirmations in producing behavioral changes.  Our behavior is due in large part to how we subconsciously feel about ourselves. For many of us, our subconscious "programing" is counter-productive. This is especially true when weight loss in concerned. Past experiences, past feelings of failure and frustration can sabotage our sense of expectation in a new endeavor, including losing weight.

For whatever reason your present "programming" is keeping you from reaching your goal, you can change the old tapes.  The subconscious mind will accept anything that is fed into it on a regular, disciplined manner and accept it as reality.  Your subconscious is the creative, goal oriented part of the mind.  The conscious mind, on the other hand, does the "talking" and interprets information from the environment. The subconscious mind depends on experiences, real or imagined, and programs that as it's reality.

For this reason, positive affirmations or positive self talk promote change in behavior.  They program the subconscious mind with positive, productive thoughts which in turn lead to positive productive behaviors.  If you want to change and stay with your slim eating style, you need to first change how you think of yourself.

These positive affirmations are powerfully effective. Repeat each of them aloud three times every morning and evening. Create your own affirmations, becoming as specific as you need.

• I can become the person I want to be.

• I am in charge of my life.

• I have the motivation and am learning the skills to reach my goal.

• I am learning and growing and improving each day.

• I am responsible for my actions, and I am now taking action to get what I want.

• I desire an abundant, happy life, and to be the person I want to be.

• My desires are so strong that my feelings and thought processes are changing.

You may want to write these and other positive affirmations on a card and tape them on your bathroom mirror or carry them in your car or purse.

Change your thinking...and you will change your life!  Positive affirmations, speaking right thoughts over yourself, is a great step towards changing the way you think.  Try it!

Always encouraging you,
Letha

Fifteenth Season of The Team Challenge About to Begin!

One snowy day in 2006, stranded at home without a car that would travel on the icy streets, I  took advantage of the situation and read a book. The book was a gift from one of my sisters and had been sitting on my bookshelf for quite some time. That cold day in January seemed like the perfect time to read it.  It was The Travelers Gift by Andy Andrews. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down.  My only regret at the end of that day was that I hadn't read it sooner. It was that good. It changed me.  I've haven't quit thinking about it since.

With The Healthy Weigh about to begin their 15th season of the Team Challenge, I'm always looking for ways to inspire people to live their best lives.  When it came time to choose a theme for the Winter Challenge I remembered The Travelers Gift! I couldn't shake the strong feeling that THIS would be the GREATEST theme ever! We've climbed Mt. Everest, gone on Road Trips, Camp Outs and Cruises (to name a few), but nothing will be as powerful as the theme we're about to experience.  I'm convinced that the clients enrolled in this 10 week challenge will walk away from these weeks believing in permanent change...for real, because of The Travelers Gift!!

The book takes us on a journey through history and teaches us about 7 DECISIONS for personal success. We're going to go on that journey together at The Healthy Weigh this winter!  It's going to be powerful!

As I celebrate my 31st year of helping men and women lose weight, I'm sure of one thing..."IT'S NOT ABOUT THE FOOD!!"  (I'm sorry...did I raise my voice???)  I'm a little passionate about that! It seems we all know what to do...we just don't do what we know! The Team Challenge isn't about a diet or recipes, or exercise...it's about finding out WHY we don't do what we know! I belief The Travelers Gift will help us do that.

Oh, you can bet that my clients are going to follow the best nutritional plan available in the next ten weeks and they are going to receive recipes and learn all kinds of things about healthy eating and proper nutrition. They are going to lose a TON of weight in the next ten weeks too.  Some of them will lose 50 pounds or more...but that's not the best part! :-)

The best part is that they are going to change their thinking! From the important lessons I'll teach each week to the CD series they'll listen to with homework, every client will come through the 10 weeks making DECISIONS differently than when they arrived because of changed thinking! First we make DECISIONS ~ then our DECISIONS make us!  For weight loss to be permanent..we MUST change our thinking!

If you are already enrolled in the Winter Team Challenge...be glad! You are going to experience a life changing 10 weeks! Invest all of yourself to the process and you'll reap MAJOR benefits! If you're still undecided...there's still time!  Tuesday, January 22nd is our first weigh in and kick off!  You can join us at Noon, 5:30 or 7:00! You'll seriously thank God that you did!

I told my sister the other day that she was responsible for the theme of this Team Challenge! Her gift of The Travelers Gift not only changed me...but it's going to change a lot of other people too! How cool is that? She was pretty excited.  You never know when you reach out and share a good thing with someone else, how far reaching your influence will really go. Thanks Nancy...from all of us at The Healthy Weigh!

I'll see you on the journey.

Always encouraging you.
Letha

The Year in Review!

It's that time of year again! Time to celebrate all that happened in 2012 and anticipate 2013! Exciting things happened at The Healthy Weigh last year and I'm anticipating GREAT things for 2013!

Join me for a look back at 2012!

We offered 4 Team Challenges this year. We not only lost over 9,000 pounds in 2012 but we had fun doing it! All of our Challenges had their own theme and their own fun!

We started out 2012 climbing Mt. Everest with our winter Team Challenge, "Beyond the Limits."  It was a powerful 10 week challenge. Our clients had to have attitude with altitude, a courageous spirit, a willingness to change and a heart that said "I'll never give up." We lost over 2000 pounds as a group and 6 of our climbers hit their 100 pound weight loss mark! What a way to start the New Year.  We also had 15 Alumni participate, which added great support and encouragement.  Glenda was our Sherpa, "Mingma" and helped us all reach the summit! Our top three teams went home with prize money, however all the climbers went home with changed lives! Our 10 weeks was concluded with a great finale, celebrating all the climbers and the posting of our flag at the summit of Mt. Everest! A group of  our climbers took it to the next level after being motivated by this theme and trained together to climb a real mountain.  On July 7th of 2012, a group of our clients climbed Mt. St. Helens!

In the Spring, we went on a "Camp Out."  We had a lot of fun with this theme! Our teams learned that to change permanently, "YAGODDAWANNA!" You've Got To Want To! :-)  We wore our wood cookies as name tags, had walking sticks for our "immunity idol" and even went on a camp out together at the end of this 10 weeks!  All 80 teams were greeted each week with a camp fire, camp songs and pup tent to keep us in the mood! Again, we lost over 2000 pounds and this time had 4 clients reach 100 pounds, along with many others reaching their personal best! Glenda wore the name tag "Ranger Rikki" and supported us again along with a even bigger group of Alumni! Seeing our Alumni wear their ORANGE shirts each week was an inspiration to all the clients!

Summer brought "The Olympics." Our Alumni marched in on the first day of the games and lit the torch that burned for the ten week challenge! The London Olympics celebrated some amazing participants with perseverance and fortitude...and so did The Healthy Weigh! We took on the motto of the Olympic games. Citius ~ Altius ~ Fortius! Faster Higher Stronger! Not only did our teams lose over 2200 pounds over the summer, but 5 of our Olympians reached 100 pounds!   We learned from former Olympians and were inspired by the current ones. We learned that if you have the Olympic spirit inside of you, you can accomplish anything you set your mind to! The London games had "Wenlock" as a mascot...so of course, we had "Glenlock."  Glenda was a good sport once again!
Along with 4 more clients reaching their 100 mark, our Alumni  surprised the Olympians by giving two full scholarships to the Fall Team Challenge to deserving team mates! There wasn't a dry eye in the place as we celebrated all the great accomplishments at the closing ceremonies and snuffed out the Olympic torch!

Our final challenge of the year took us on a 10 week cruise!  "Sail A Weigh" was our theme as we set sail on the maiden voyage of THW DINAMI!  Dinami, our ships name, was Greek for strength and power! Our passengers showed a lot of that as we closed out 2012 losing over 2500 pounds and having 2 more clients reach 100 pounds!   We had a ship board photographer shooting film for the 10 weeks as we sailed to Hawaii and Mexico! We even had a holiday party with midnight buffet recipes! A few emergency drills allowed us to get to know each other better in our perspective muster stations! Luckily, even though we hit some rough seas, we had no great emergencies! Every good cruise ship has a cruise director. Julie McCoy was an old favorite from the Love Boat.  Well, we had one too, Glenda McCoy. As always, Glenda offered her support and wisdom to this group of Sailors.  At the finale we celebrated great weight loss and great life change! Our Alumni did it again and paid the way for 3 more clients to attend the Winter 2013 Team Challenge!  What a group!

The Healthy Weigh believes that if you change your thinking...you can truly change your life!  Although the clients lost close to 10,000 pounds this year at The Healthy Weigh and look totally different on the outside, I'd say the real change, happened on the inside!  It was a fun, exciting,  but powerful year!

As I look back at 2012, I'm so thankful to have used my creativity and my inspiration to make a difference in the lives of so many people. I always give my best to the program and expect outstanding results because of it.  What I'm always surprised at  however, is the overwhelming community support that the clients at The Healthy Weigh give each other.  We've got some talented and inspiring people participating in the program and they made all the difference in the success of The Healthy Weigh this last year!  I'm honored to be a part of such a great group of people!

We are preparing now to enter our 15th season of the Team Challenge on January 15th. Our theme for this 10 week challenge is "The Travelers Gift ~ Seven Decisions That Determine Personal Success." I read this book by Andy Andrews about 6 years ago and was changed by it's content.  I've always wanted to travel through it with a group of people! So...that's exactly what we are going to do starting in January!  Our Team Challenge themes have been powerful, fun, challenging...this one is going to go down as "life changing"  I'm just sure of it!

We have plans in 2013 to offer 4 Team Challenges again and are so excited about the number of clients who are reaching goal weight and keeping it off by participating in our Alumni program.  Here's to another year of permanent weight loss, lives being changed, and the ripple effect that all of that change brings!

If you are reading this and you haven't participated in a Team Challenge yet, don't wait! Come join me on Tuesday, January 8th at noon or 6 PM to hear all the details of our upcoming Winter Team Challenge!  I hope to see you then!  Go to www.healthyweigh.com to find out more or to sign up!

Always encouraging you,
Letha

Your Word for 2013

We have a tradition at The Healthy Weigh...choosing a word for the year. As 2012 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, or mastered, would alter our lives in 2013.

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 2013?

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 2013.

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 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 2013!

Always encouraging you,

Letha                                                                    

Oh, and by the way, my word for 2013 is...MOVE!

Merry Guilt Free Christmas!

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

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

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

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

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

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

If I had a list of things to do to stay healthy over the holidays it'd look like this:

  

Make sure you are eating ALL your program food! Don't miss a meal.

Put cranberries or frozen strawberries with lime in your water and drink a ton of it!

Before you start your holiday cooking/baking, eat a meal!

Don't run out of healthy/program food!

Get outside and MOVE!

When you choose to have a bite of a "sometimes food"...pick the best! Don't waste a calorie on something that isn't GREAT!

GET RID OF LEFTOVERS! Don't let the celebration continue for days!

I know for some of you this perspective will be a relief, for others it will feel stressful! 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!

Always encouraging you,

Letha

Don't be a Grinch this Christmas!

No one wants to be a killjoy at a Christmas party or a family get-together. But when it comes to dealing with the temptations of the season's high-calorie bounty, you don't have to be a Grinch,

But you do need a plan. Whether you’re trying to lose weight or maintain your weight loss over the holiday, these are some practical lessons for anyone to try.

It Just Keeps Going 


The holiday season consists of nearly two months of celebrating, with goodies appearing in homes and offices at Thanksgiving and continuing until the beginning of January.

By Christmas, most of the plans to eat less and exercise more have dwindled, and it's easy to gain a significant amount of weight, even seven to 10 pounds. One way to monitor your intake over time: Keep track of your daily habits and set weekly goals around food intake and exercise.

Realize the Challenge


At any time of the year, losing weight and keeping it off is very difficult, holidays are an especially high-risk time. Set achievable goals.

Write It Down


When you've figured out your goals, write them down and keep a diary of what you eat. When researchers talk to people who are successful at losing weight and keeping it off, they inevitably say that writing everything down made the biggest difference. It's that willingness to stay in touch with what you're eating that's important.

Even more critical is keeping track of your weight:  People say this accountability factor makes a big difference. Often, people avoid the scale because they don't want to come face-to-face with the news. But if you detect a two to three pound gain, there's still time to get back on track before things escalate.

Buddy Up


It's easy to underestimate the toll that the season takes — physically, psychologically, and emotionally. To avoid gaining weight, you need commitment and awareness. It's best to do this with a group of people — even one or two friends or a close buddy — whom you can call upon to talk about eating concerns. Get specific when providing one another with support, preparing strategies for potentially troublesome situations coming up that week. For instance, how would someone manage her food intake with three holiday parties in a row?

Identify Difficult Situations


One of the best outcomes of a support group or buddy system is to identifying the situations that cause you to overindulge.  You might have a plan that says…"I eat raw vegetables or a piece of fruit before I go out, so I have something in my stomach. I don't drink any alcohol; instead, I try to hold a glass of sparkling water, so I feel like I'm doing something with my hands. And I try to talk more than I eat.” Let your buddy know before the event and then stick to it!

Avoiding alcohol is a big key to being successful with your healthy eating. You can still serve everyone champagne to toast the holiday, but have sparkling water in your champagne flute. It's not the champagne that matters; the real deal is that you're celebrating with your good friends.

Planning ahead, knowing what you want and how you want to feel on January 1st, is the start of having a healthy and happy holiday season. Take complete responsibility for your choices and then celebrate the outcome! You'll for sure, have a happy holiday!

Always encouraging you,

Letha