I know that when I was dieting I constantly had negative self talk going on in my head . “This is really hard”, I’ll never reach my goals”, “why am I doing this it will never work”. These are just a few example of the struggles I had .

I remember  during this time I would constantly look at myself in the mirror in disgust and how I had let this happen to me, constantly telling myself I was “fat” and unattractive, not realizing then  I was just reinforcing to my subconscious mind  this is what I wanted. I didn’t understand  this constant thought process was in essence sabotaging myself and my goal, keeping me where I was.

The Law of Attraction clearly states “what we focus on we get”, regardless of what it is we want. The universe only delivers what we are most focused on so what I was doing was telling the universe I wanted to be fat and unattractive. Looking back I understand now how I and my thoughts were my biggest problem.

You have an advantage now and it’s the Law of Attraction, so if you are seeking a slimmer more attractive you focus on how you want to look. Visualize your self the way you want to be when you reach your desired weight and be specific. See yourself in that new bathing suit, enjoy those envious looks, feel the pride in yourself for achieving your goals, use all of your senses and get into the moment. Practice this on a regular basis 2,3 or more times a day and I promise you will be amazed at how quickly things start to happen. Your dieting will no longer be an effort because you know everything is possible with your new mind set. Should a negative thought try to emerge just say “thanks for sharing however this is no longer the case.” Remain positive about your outcome, the Universe always delivers, no matter what, negative or positive, so keep that positive attitude, visualize and reach your goals.

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HOLIDAY TIP #1.

    SNACK! That’s right. The day of your festive gathering have a snack approx. 15 minutes before you sit down to the feast.  Choose a glass of cold milk,  a handful of mixed nuts, banana or grapefruit.This little trick helps your tummy feel a little fuller  so you won’t be tempted to overeat.  If your not starving when you arrive at the table you will be less likely to stuff yourself.  Remember the turkey is the one that is stuffed, it shouldn’t be you.

Holiday Tip #2.

     Eat slowly. Concentrate on eating slowly and chewing your food thoroughly. This little trick allows you to savour the flavours, you enjoy your meal more and it allows your food to settle so your tummy will feel fuller.

Holiday Tip #3.

     Instead of using a large dinner plate opt for a smaller one. The larger the plate the more likely you are to pile on the food. With a smaller plate your portion sizes are smaller.

Holiday Tip #4.

     Make the right food choices. Enjoy all the turkey you want but take smaller portions of potatoes and dressing. Remember your vegetables also. This way you can enjoy a little of each and not feel restricted,guilty or deprived.

Holiday Tip #5.

     Should you still feel hungry after you have eaten, wait 20 minutes before you say “Pass the Spuds”. This 20 minute period allows you  to digest the food and your stomach to feel full . You will be less likely to grab seconds.

Holiday Tip #6.

     Limit your alcohol intake.  Allow yourself a couple of drinks then switch to a wine spritzer, light beer, water, tea or coffee. Sodas can also be a substitue but you must be careful on the number you drink, they can be loaded with calories.

Holiday Tip #7

     Forget the couch?  After your meal instead of heading for the chesterfield go for a walk.  Encourage your freinds and family members to come along. This is a great time to share your thoughts on the season and a great way to walk off that meal.

     I hope these tips help you throughout the upcoming season.  Allow yourself to enjoy the season and all it has to offer.  By following the above tips and making sensible food and drink choices you will enjoy the season without feeling deprived and if on January 2 you have not lost or gained a single pound….celebrate…you’ve done well!!

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Like the good friend you are you’ve watched them try every available avenue to lose weight always looking for the overnight miracle of dropping 100 pounds as they sleep, and as always listen to them as they complain, “Well this didn’t work either.”

Now if you are anything like me I get just a little tired of listening to them. Trust me, I know where they are coming from however losing weight is not easy, it takes commitment, perseverance and determination to reach the ultimate goal. If you have read my about me page you’re aware that I had a weight problem earlier in my life and like so many others I wanted an easy fix, something that would allow me to continue to be a couch potato, eating everything I wanted and as much as I wanted and still drop the pounds……in your dreams!

Let’s get real here. You didn’t gain all that weight overnight and you will not, I REPEAT, not lose it overnight. Stop looking for the easy way out and start being honest with yourself and get committed to your diet. I don’t care what plan you use, what supplement you take or course of action, just do it.

Here is the fact in a nutshell…. the time has come for you to take responsibility for your weight problem and do something about it, quit whining “nothing works,” because basically they all work, it’s your lack of commitment and determination that is letting you down not the products you try. Stop looking for the magic potion or pill or plan and look at the real problem…….YOU!

You’re the reason for the failure, not the products. How many times have you gone on a diet used a product and if you haven’t lost all your weight by the end of 30 to 60 days you pack it in and say,” Well there’s another one off my list, it didn’t work either.”

Isn’t it about time you assess the true problem of your failure to lose weight, you won’t try because it’s to much like hard work and you are to busy looking for the magic pill, the FAIRIES OVERNIGHT WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM —GAURANTEED TO TAKE OFF 100 POUNDS IN 10 HOURS!!!! If you ever do find it let me know there are a lot of people out there that would pay dearly to have it.

Really, come on. If you really want to lose weight you will. It’s that simple. It’s like quitting smoking, if it is truly your desire to stop you will, no matter what. Here’s something to thinkabout . I recently had a patient (yes I’m back at a clinic 2 days a week, enjoying it very much) who possibly tipped the scales at 4 to 500 pounds. He is a delightful man and quite funny, however he has a severe weight problem. His excuse for this was being a long haul truck driver and he ate twice a day, each time just before he slept. Now does this make sense to you? It’s about choice not about what job we have . Why wouldn’t it be more beneficial to eat after you had slept and burn off those calories between each meal and the next time you slept. Change your habits! Now, just to let you know this same person has gained so much weight his heart is very enlarged and the walls of the heart have become so thin that it hardly functions. Do you think he has reason now to lose weight? Do you believe he will make better choices?

Perhaps you don’t have a strong enough desire to lose the weight, or your waiting until you have a life threatening situation as my patient does. Stop wasting your money and don’t even attempt to lose weight because you probably never will unless you are willing to accept that fact you are fat because of YOU, not your job, your family, your bone structure or any other imaginable thing, it all boils down to YOU AND THE CHOICES YOU HAVE MADE!

I apologize if this sounds harsh but perhaps you or someone you know and love needs to have these words said. I don’t believe in being anything but honest and truthful. My realization came when my husband made fun of my FAT knees and I knew that I had to do something about it. Was it tough? You bet. Am I happy that I remained committed and persevered—You bet.

Today, if you are overweight there are all manner of products to help you and sometimes using two in conjunction with each other is a bonus, just stop looking for a pill or program to do all the work. These products can only as it says “Aid”, the rest is up to you. Remember a healthy weight loss is 2 pounds per week and if you have to lose 50 pounds then commit yourself to the plan for 25 weeks or 6 months. Lose the weight the smart way, change your lifestyle habits and you will keep it off for a very long time.

It takes time, however, not only are you losing the weight but you are conditioning yourself to a healthier lifestyle. By making better and healthier choices you will keep the weight off and have a more fulfilling life, never again restricted by your weight.

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It seems that as we go along in life and try to achieve certain goals and we are on track something comes along and Boom we get derailed! When I was attempting to lose my weight several things came up for me that derailed me, causing me to slip, give into my cravings and eat foolishly, without thinking. I remember getting so frustrated sometimes I would say to myself “Oh what’s the use?”

At times like this if you are experiencing a “slide” , feeling as though you are just spinning your wheels and getting nowhere fast it’s time to seek help. By that I mean it’s time to start looking for help from others who are attempting to lose weight just as you are.

The Internet is a great place to find just those people, in forums and blogs. Look for a support group where you can interact with others who may be going through the same thing you are and talk about it. You are never alone and people are generally very giving with information and tips for you that they have tried and things that may have  worked for them.  Remember that if you find that group be honest and ask for help or a solution to help you over your hurdle. Someone may have already gone through the same type of “slide” and may just have a solution that will work for you.

When I was attempting to lose my weight the Internet was not available, and the only form of support I could get was from my nutritionist and my family doctor, however they weren’t going through what I was. Today you can interact with so many people and share your triumphs and ask for help just by clicking your mouse. These people are all attempting to do exactly what you are, they understand and they will help you just as you will help them. They know how you feel and what you are going through. Also you may have some helpful tips for others that you can share.

It’s truly amazing how people will come together and help one another out, all we have to do is ask. That’s one of the reasons for my blog. I want to help in any way I can becasue I have gone through what so many of you are going thorugh. I know the feelings you are experiencing, the cravings, the mood swings, the feelings of helplessness and unhappiness, I’ve been there. Now I am here for you.

I recently joined the FOURTY-FIVE DAY CHALLENGE, presented by Bob Doyle to work out some issues of my own. The support and friendships I have gained is immense and proves that people in general are all very giving and supportive. The key is to ASK. There is an old saying “No Man Is An Island”. This is so true and all we have to do is put ourselves out there and ask for a little help and guidance.

If you find that you are struggling, feeling deprived, moody, and just basically ready to throw in the towel look around, find that support group and dive in. Share with those people what you are going through and you will be amazed at just how much help you will get to help you through the rough times and little bumps that life is throwing at you. Please also remember that all you have to do is leave a comment and I am here to help.

There are always going to “BUMPS & HURDLES”to deal with, that’s life, however support from a group of friends will help you get through anything!

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Our society today is very fast paced with little time to stop for a good nutritious meal. Instead we opt for the drive through window at any fast food establishment we can find and gobble down an unhealthy lunch or dinner loaded with calories. We haven’t time to eat properly and have little time for exercise so now we have loaded ourselves up with calories and no time to work them off. The outcome……those extra calories get stored as fat. How can we not help but put on weight if this is our lifestyle?

I encourage you to take a walk through your local park at lunch time on a sunny day and count the number of MacDonald boxes and wrappers you see floating around, not to mention Burger King, Harvey’s etc. These retail giants are smart marketers with convenient locations where you shop, work and play. The commercials on T.V. are a constant reminder to our children and when you ask them where they would like to go to eat I don’t have to tell you the answer. These places are okay once in a while as a treat for yourself or you children but a steady diet of this junk is a guarantee for packing on the pounds. The worse junk food of all is Kentucky Fried Chicken. The skin on chicken is loaded with fat so to add insult to injury they coat the stuff in lots of salt and spices and DEEP FAT FRY IT! Hours later after devouring this very popular junk food, floating along in your bloodstream are fat globules. Oh your poor heart and lungs. Close your eyes and just imagine what this looks like. I have actually seen this in a patients blood sample under a microscope. Imagine what a constant diet of this would do to your arteries, heart, lungs and as an extra added bonus your cholesterol level would,…. well you get the picture.

I think it’s time that we all took a hard look at what we eat and decide to make a life style change. We have to learn to relax and take time for ourselves, eliminate the stress as much as we can and start eating a more balanced diet. By making an effort to eat healthier and get more exercise our sleep is improved, we feel better and we look better. We are filled with more energy and function closer to 100% instead of 60%. Removing a lot of fat from our diets (certainly not all fat, it does have benefits) eating more vegetables, exercising will help us to live a longer and healthier life, not to mention establish good eating habits for our children.

I would like to see the statistics go down, wouldn’t you?

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I am now re-reading another of her books “YOU OWN THE POWER!”  As I sat reading this book I realized that I had to write a  post about this because it contains a very important message that I think everyone should know.

We are spiritual beings having a human experience. Now having said that I’m sure there are some who say “bah”. That’s fine, what kind of a world would it be if we all believed in the same thing, perhaps a better one, but I’ll leave that thought for another day.

Rosemary is a teacher of healing. The book, takes the reader on a journey to discover who you are spiritually, in other words she teaches how to find out who we truly are and why we are here. As I said, we are spiritual and are part of a higher power, be it God, Source energy, whatever you prefer to call it, and we have within each of us an awesome POWER!

To find this power  we need to discover who we are. This power  will assist us in achieving remarkable things in our life, and help heal us as well.  I wrote a previous post about discovering who you are and your attitude toward yourself. I know many people, women in particular, are extremely hard on themselves, and we as women are constantly striving to achieve what we preceive as the beautiful woman. The media has done a fine job on brainwashing us into thinking what beautiful should look like and we hastily beat a path to the local drugstore to get the latest and best wrinkle reducer, lotions.potions etc., because we want to achieve that beautiful look.

As spiritual beings we are all beautiful from top to bottom.  Our true essence and beauty lies within us, and to achieve the exterior image we first need to accept the fact that We are beautiful just the way we are! We as women must learn to love ourselves in all our shapes and forms before we can ever hope to achieve our desired goal. We must  look ourselves in the eye and love every aspect of what we see. Then and only then can we hope to achieve that which we desire.

Love yourself for who, what, why, where and how you are. Learn to bestow on yourself what you  so freely give to others, unconditional love for who they are and what you see inside them. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  When you can love yourself unconditionally, which is the toughest to do, the rest is easy.

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It’s really quite simple. If you have a set of stairs in you house this is what you do.

Stand on the landing of the stairs so that your right side is parallel to the stair.

Step down on the first stair with your right foot, squeeze those muscles and return to the landing.

Do 20 of these on the right side and then switch to the left side.

Do these each day increasing the rep’s by 5 each day.

I did this consistently, and still do them and I was really amazed at how quickly the inner thigh starts to look less “flabby” and firmer.

If you want you can hang on the banister for support until you get used to doing these, because it is more effective if you don’t hang on.

If you try it let me know how it is working for you!

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It’s time to access the reason for you being overweight in the first place. What are your eating habits? When do you eat and why? Do you eat more calories then you can possibly burn in any given day? Are you an emotional eater, do you eat when you are upset? Do you binge one day and starve yourself the next? Do you pop from diet to diet without giving one at least 90 days to work? These are just a few questions you should be asking yourself before starting on any diet program.

The simplest and quickest way I know to lose weight fast is to just stop eating period and that is just stupid. Think of your body as your engine. Now to take a trip to anywhere in a vehicle you must add fuel. You fill the tank and drive to and from your destination on that tank of gas. Your body works in much the same way. You eat so that you have the energy (calories) to go about your daily routines, it’s just some of us overfill our tanks. In other words we take in to many calories for the amount of energy we expend. The unused calories are then stored as fat on our bodies.

You should only eat enough calories during the day that you know you require to do the things you want to do. If you sit at a desk all day you are going to need less calories then the construction worker. Really it’s just common sense.

Embarking on a fad diet of bread and water, water only for 3 days, only grapefruit, only cabbage soup just to name a few is in my humble opinion just plain unhealthy. Sure you’ll take off the weight but the minute you start eating regular food again your body is going to store it up as fat because the body doesn’t want to be starved and with these fad diets that’s exactly what you are doing.

There are many great diet programs out there and by investigating them and finding the right one for you is the healthy way to go. Be patient with the diet and yourself it takes time, but you will reap the rewards of being not only slimmer but you’ll be healthier and have more energy.

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My first impression of this lady was of a good mom, taking care of the needs of her children, but when her eyes met mine there was another side I saw. This mother of three had beautiful long blond hair , gorgeous blue eyes, a lovely smile and she was very overweight. The day as I said was very warm and she had decided to wear a long cotton dress, sandals and a sun hat to the beach probably because she did not feel comfortable in shorts and top. Seeing this brought back memories of when I was overweight and how I wouldn’t be caught dead in a bathing suit or shorts unless I was hiding on my balcony.

I could instantly relate to the long dress knowing full well it was the means of hiding from public scrutiny. If you have never been overweight then it is difficult for you to understand what goes through the minds of overweight individuals. Today, more than ever, society places an emphasis on thin, trim and slim, so as an overweight person you are ridiculed. People tend to avoid eye contact with you and often make fun of you as you pass. Fat jokes have taken over from ethnic jokes. Just enter “fat jokes” in any search engine and see how much information is returned.

Overweight women have a tougher time then men and are often times accused of being “bitches” and “pushy”. I know first hand what most men think of overweight women, having heard the unflattering comments as I passed by. How can we change this? Well it certainly isn’t going to happen overnight, however we could start by accepting ourselves just as we are.

I’m sure there are very few women who don’t love to wear nice things and look attractive, however when you are overweight it becomes very difficult to pull off. Instead of being down on ourselves for the way we are, we should be grateful. We could all learn a lot by listening to Oprah about her problem with weight, how she battles it & by paying attention to what she wears. Jamie Lee Curtis is also an extraordinary woman who believes in the natural approach to everything. These two ladies, and there a many more, are advocates for accepting yourself for who you are.

You are not your weight, color of skin, religion or political view point. You are the mother of invention, nurturer, lover, nurse, teacher ,laundress, cook, housekeeper, and most of all powerful. Remember, the outside of the box is just the window dressing, who you really are and what you are all about is on the inside. Let the inside out and show the world that you’re outside packaging has little to do with the real you. Rejoice and be grateful in being you for “YOU ARE ONE OF A KIND!”

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Now when I was dieting and attmepting to lose my weight I ate a lot of salads, but the one thing I hated most of all was squeezing lemon on it. I can’t stand the taste of lemons and that low fat dressing I find disgusting.

Here is a little receipe for salad dressing that I have tried and it tastes great.

Use canned or in the box low sodium chicken broth.  Heat in a saucepan and when it is about to boil add some cornstarch to thicken.  Add enough to make it the consistency of olive oil. Let it cool and then keep in an old salad dressing bottle, add you own herbs and spices salt and pepper to taste  and voila your own homemade dressing that tastes good.

Enjoy.

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