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
Jun 24, 2010
Jun 17, 2010
Body ~ Soul ~ Spirit, The Spiritual Perspective
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
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
Jun 11, 2010
Exercise and Weight Loss~It's a Math Problem
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
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
Jun 4, 2010
Coping Skills ~ Feeling Your Way Through Life
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
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
May 28, 2010
What's in Your Back Pack~Controlling What You Can
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
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
May 21, 2010
Change Your Thinking~Change Your Life
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
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
May 14, 2010
Changing Your Beliefs~The Key to Permanent Weight Loss
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
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
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