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60 Seconds Weight Loss Inspiration Book PDF
60 Seconds Weight Loss Inspiration Book PDF
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any
information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.
ISBN 0-9777913-0-0
Please note that this book reects only the views, opinions, suggestions and
experiences of the author.
Book 1:
New Hope for Weight Loss Success Series
Carolyn Allen
www.MyWeightLossFriend.com
Authors Note
This is not your typical weight loss book. There is no specic diet to follow. It is
especially written for women who already have a healthy eating plan from previous programs or books. Chances are good that you probably already have all
the information and material you need to get up and going again. Whether your
program involved meetings or not, 60 Seconds to Weight Loss Success is written to
provide the benets of a motivating and dynamic weight loss meeting. Think of it
as your very own private meeting-in-a-pocket to make a favorite old program
feel fresh and new again.
A balanced diet which includes lots of non-starchy vegetables and water, limited
servings of fruit, whole grains, dairy products, proteins and a bit of fat is always
the best approach. It should promote an average loss of not more than two pounds
per week. There are some wonderful program recommendations on my website.
I strongly encourage you to get your doctors blessing for whatever plan you
choose.
As women, we are often the primary gatekeepers of what comes into our homes
and the lives of our dear ones. This is the perfect book for getting the whole family
healthier! All of the stories are suitable for sharing with partners, children, teens
and seniors. Read the messages aloud and discuss how they can inuence eating
choices. Print out the poems, listen to the CD, say the empowerments together and
have fun getting healthy and t!
You can also share the thoughts here with friends and diet buddies at your own
small weight loss gatherings. (Please just give me credit and send them to my website to sign up for the free newsletter.) In addition, many women use 60 Seconds
to Weight Loss Success to help them maintain their weight loss after reaching their
goal. Its time for little old Y-O-U to join them and reach your goal too, so lets get
started.
Carolyn Allen
Spring 2006
Acknowledgements
My website and this book would not be possible without my wonderful husband,
Bob, who has clapped and cheered endlessly for the past several years as I have
established my writing. He is truly the wind beneath my wings, and I cannot
imagine my life without him. Many thanks go to our married kids and our patient
and supportive younger children, Emily, Spencer, Cooper, and Kelly. Thanks also
to my beautiful sister, Susan, and my precious mom who have listened, prayed
and encouraged in ways too important and dear to describe.
I express gratitude to the lovely ladies who have attended my community weight
loss meetings and read my newsletter over the past ve years. They are beautiful
women who have given me a reason to start writing and much to write about.
Thanks go as well to the many Internet friends, both old and new, who read my
words online each day and who have conrmed for me that, indeed, with God all
things are possible. I hope you will take some time to see their pictures and read
their stories on my website.
My deepest thanks, of course, go to my generous and kind Heavenly Father. Each
day I kneel down in prayer, and then sit down to writeoften with no idea of
what will spill out. Im as delighted, surprised and strengthened each day as my
readers are with what I create and send. It is my continuing and deepest desire
to be His servant in helping those who struggle with eating and their weight as I
do to lose weight and nd peace. I tell anyone whos interested, Im just a very
willing little word processor for Him!
I believe in you! Using this book and the tools here is an exciting, fresh start. Id
truly love to hear from you.
Angels are near!
Much love,
Carolyn
P.S. All the stories about my own weight loss struggles are at my website. All the
stories in this book are true, though names and details have been changed where
noted.
Foreword
From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for bringing my products into your life
and pray that they will be a light and a comfort for you. It is with much joy that I
offer them to you now.
For those of us who struggle with our weight, at some point reality comes crashing
into viewthere is no such thing as quick weight loss. There never has been and there
never will be. There is no diet, pill, food or potion that will help us lose weight
rapidly and permanently. Fad diets dont work for long. Even with prescription
medication or extreme surgery, smart eating and the importance of exercise
quickly become the name of the game and the only path for long-term success.
Its not easy. People who are naturally slender dont get it. Unlike overcoming a
dependency on tobacco, alcohol or drugs by giving these things up completely,
food is essential for survival and is a permanent part of daily life.
Accepting this reality is sobering. Like children, we want to eat as much as we
want of whatever we want, whenever we want! Believe me, I know.
Throughout my life as I have struggled with achieving a healthy weight (you
can read my story at my website), I have often attended community weight loss
meetings for the support and encouragement I need. I still do and will for the rest
of my life. Once or twice Ive been blessed with lecturers who provided that extra
something which made the meeting the highlight of my week. Id listen for a
story, a phrase, a quote, a thought or a shared personal experience from them to
sustain me throughout the next week. Often I would write it down on an index
card and live with it, hoping and praying that this lift would last until the next
meeting.
In my heart, I know that this extra something made my eating plan come to life
and was the difference between success and failure.
In 1998, I lost my weight for the very last time. In 1999, I became a lecturer myself.
My meetings were such fun that I started sending a follow-up weekly e-mail
newsletter with my thoughts and a healthy recipe that others forwarded to friends
and family. The newsletter grew into a website, then a daily newsletter, a CD, this
book, a Christmas book and CD and more to come. It has been my goal from the
very beginning to provide the extra something to make healthy eating do-able,
enjoyable and valuable on a deep level for a lifetime.
While an excellent, healthy eating and exercise plan are the foundations for weight
loss success, the ability to stick with your plan and make the thousands of tiny, 60second daily choices that will carry you to your goal matters as much, or almost
more, than the plan itself. Thats what this book is all about.
Here are 101 of my best daily e-mail newsletter messages to help you with the
choices we must each personally make every day to build health and peace. I
hope youll read the messages, think about them, personalize them, laugh, cry and
ponder. Read the empowerment statements out loud and see how good it feels
to declare your personal strength. Then spend a few minutes writing down your
reections and action plan in the accompanying journal. Carry the little cards with
you as friends and reminders of your abilities and goals.
May these messages bless you with cheer, comfort, hope, courage and inspiration
to make 60-second choices that will establish peace, health and lifetime weight loss
success.
Today is a new day and you can do it!
I think youll be surprised and impressed with the magic that has always been
within you!
May God bless you on your continuing journey. Send me an e-mail, and Ill be
happy to put your name in my little prayer book. Plan now to send me your
pictures, and Ill be happy to create a beautiful before-and-after web page to share
with your dear ones and to inspire others.
Much love,
Carolyn
Spring 2006
P.S. Please check out my website, www.MyWeightLossFriend.com, for the success
stories and to subscribe to my free newsletter. Its a one-minute quickie with a
recipe.
Table of Contents
e were blessed late last summer with a bushel of fabulous fresh peaches
from friends who make a two hour drive to get them from an Amish
farmer in western Virginia. Maybe tree-ripened peaches are not a treat where
you live, but they are for us. These were as big as softballs, sweet as candy,
juicy as watermelon and lled the room with their divine fragrance. We were
in peach heaven for days!
They were beautiful to look at as well. If I could paint, Id have been tempted to
try and capture their graceful globe-like shapes, soft, fuzzy skin and delicately
blushing orange and pink hues.
Twas not always so! Last winter these delicious, perfect peaches were locked
as promises within the icy branches of a tree. As we sang Christmas carols,
hot summer days with fresh peaches to eat seemed as far away as the moon.
There was not more than the slightest suggestion of buds on the trees, yet
these perfect peaches were already there.
Several months later, quite late in the winter, came true buds. At this new stage,
they were still perfect and hoping for time, warmth, sunshine, rain and a little
human TLC. The buds developed into small blossoms, which miraculously
bloomed into darling little owers. More perfection!
Sadly, the petals died, and fell off, yet the peaches, in a more advanced mature
state remainedperfect! Now it was time for nature to really go to town.
Throughout the late spring and early summer months, the tiny remainder of
the bud began to grow into hard little green pebbles. With time, the pebbles
became perfect marble-sized peaches, which grew into perfect ping-pong,
then baseball and nally softball-sized peaches. Like chameleons, their lime
green color gradually transformed into peachy pinks and rosy oranges. Hard
as a rock in May and June, by August they had become soft and tender.
The law of the harvest was fullled! After months of imagining, waiting and
watching, it was nally time to harvest and savor every juicy bite.
Isnt it a marvel? The actual fruit in August was no more perfect in its reality
than it was way back in January. The only difference was that we could
physically see, feel, smell, taste and touch rather than just imagine it.
1.
Can we make the law of the harvest work for us and our weight loss plan
today? Can we vividly imagine success? Can we quietly accept and make the
most of our 60-second choices, while picturing three months, six months or
one year down the road?
Of course! For with a peach as proof in our hands of Gods beautiful ways,
nothing is impossible.
Several friends and I had gone to lunch and were talking about our weekly
weigh-ins. Im sure anyone passing by would have blushed overhearing our
conversation:
Oh, my goodness! Once I start, I just cant stop! Theres something about it that
just sucks me in. I promise you, when were alone, Im as helpless as a kitten!
Youd have thought this cute friend was talking about falling in love for
the rst time. Actually the object of her affection that week was not a new
sweetheart, but a box of chocolate avored cereal shed bought for her kids.
As she elaborated about why she couldnt resist and why the scale was up,
we all laughed and joined in with our personal stories of the forbidden. At
last one of the gals, whose weight was down that week, said with a touch of
impatience and not much sympathy, Charlene! Its cold cereal! Its just food!
Get over it!
That caught all of us up short and the topic changed.
As I went through the rest of the week, however, I found myself looking at
food in a whole new way. When tempting foods called my name, I heard
my friends voice in my mind again saying with impatience: Get over it! Its
just food! With her voice ringing in my ear, the passion and intensity were
2.
One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
signicantly reduced. The desire to cheat melted like an ice cube. I walked
away time and again with a sense of ownership and self-mastery.
How often we wax eloquent on why we cant resist this or that, when in
actuality, it really is just food. Interestingly, these romances are rarely with
crunchy, fresh vegetables. Usually they are baked goods, processed snacks,
fast food or sweets. The ingredients are our, processed fats, butter, sugar,
dairy products, cocoa and lots of articial avors/ingredients, etc.nothing
that youd eat by themselves. If its a main dish, its meat or protein, vegetables,
pasta, etc.nice, but nothing that merits undue attention, time and affection.
Its just food. Its important and signicant, but so are other things. Face it!
Eating is a one-sided affair. Theres no bad-boy lover. No paperback romance
novel. No passion. No climax. Just food.
Whew! We call the shots on when to break up, and doesnt it feel good to be a
swinging single on this one? You go, friend!
Empowerment: It feels good to put food in its place. I am stronger than any
food.
Get out your Kleenex and read between the lines in this inspiring story that is
shared with permission from Gloria, a teacher who is teaching far more than
academics. At this writing, she has lost over 90 pounds and has no doubt that
sometime in the next year or so she will eventually reach her goal to lose well
over 100 pounds
Soon after she started reading my daily e-newsletter, Gloria ordered inspiration
bracelets from my website and requested the words Today and I Can.
(See how to order these bracelets at the end of this message.)
How powerful! I thought as I made them and tucked her package in the
mail. Within the next few days shed e-mailed a thank you and an explanation
of how these words are changing her life.
With her permission, here is her story:
3.
It literally took me 40+ years to learn that I am not stupid and that it is okay
to do things that are good for me! I must say that my life is certainly on a
different course than the one of a few years ago.
Im a single mom with a grown son. I went to college (while working full time)
when he was in high school. I am now enjoying the job of my dreams teaching
Family and Consumer Science at a middle school to about 400 students in
grades 6-8.
Over the past year and a half, I have lost over 90 pounds. I started with a
weight loss group in my community and learned their balanced-diet plan,
which I still follow. Now I lead my own health focus group at the school where
I teach. Each morning three to four of us meet to walk a mile around the halls
or the parking lot before the students arrive.
I love my new beginning and my new life! I am excited to see what comes
next. In that same timeframe that I returned to college, lost the weight and
began teaching, I began attending church. I became a member and now teach
an adult Bible study.
Now that Im at over 90 pounds, my weight loss has slowed to a crawl. It
doesnt matter. Eventually I will lose it all. I know that today matters and that
I can do it!
Wow, Gloria! Thats an A+ in my books! The empowerment below is Glorias
personal mantra that we can make our own:
Empowerment: Today I can have control over my weight. Today I can forgive
myself for making bad choices in the past that affected my weight. Today I can
care enough about myself to make good, informed choices. If today is a bad
day, I can move on and not berate myself.
Special Note: You can order your own pretty glass bead bracelets that say Today,
I Can or any other word that inspires you from www.MyWeightLossFriend.
com.
Its said that one of the ways comedienne Lucille Ball stayed so slim is that she
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One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
refused to become food centered. What a wonderful decision. She lled her
life (and ours) with beautiful laughter and we can do the same.
Now, the following idea may sound crazy, but it works. Get out some Readers
Digest magazines for a bunch of good jokes or go to the library or online and
print some. When its time to stop eating, get out the jokes. Read them aloud
to your companions or keep yourself company with something funny. It only
takes a second to kick food out of the central spot and satisfy yourself with
laughter and a smile instead of more to eat.
Heres a cute one to get you chuckling and started. Anyone who has ever
dressed a child will love this and its easy to imagine Lucy being the one
dressing this child on an old I Love Lucy show. Here goes:
A teacher was helping one of her kindergarten students put on his cowboy
boots. He asked for help and she could see why. Even with her pulling and
him pushing, the little boots still didnt want to go on. Finally, when the second
boot was on, she had worked up a sweat.
She almost cried when the little boy said, Teacher, theyre on the wrong feet.
She looked and sure enough, they were. It wasnt any easier pulling the boots
off than it was putting them on. She managed to keep her cool as together they
worked to get the boots back onthis time on the right feet.
He then announced, These arent my boots.
She bit her tongue rather than get right in his face and scream, Why didnt
you say so? like she wanted to. And, once again she struggled to help him
pull the ill-tting boots off his little feet. No sooner had they got the boots off
and he said, Theyre my brothers boots. My mom made me wear em.
Now she didnt know if she should laugh or cry. But, she mustered up the
grace and courage she had left to wrestle the boots on his feet again. Helping
him into his coat, she asked, Now, where are your mittens? He said,
I stuffed em in the toes of my boots. Her trial starts next month.
Too cute! Well, its time to end our own kind of stufngfood into mouths
that have had enough and bodies into clothes that are too small. Right now is
5.
a new moment. Its the perfect time to make a 60-second choice to add many
generous servings each day of the most delicious 0-calorie, guilt-free, fat-free,
sugar-free indulgence of alllaughter.
Special Note: Permanent weight loss success is a form of true healing. You may
want to learn more about laughter for losing weight by reading, Laugh It Off:
Weight Loss for the Fun of It by Katie Namrevo.
Over a year ago I bought a little hurricane oil lamp to use as a kitchen table
centerpiece. I even lled it with oil, but we didnt use it that often until I put
some matches in plain sight close by. Aha! All of a sudden we were using and
enjoying the lamp every night. Its charming icker softens the mood and the
rough edges of long days and makes the simplest meal on a weeknight feel
special.
No big deal or is it? I bought and lled the lamp, I moved the matches and we
use it every night. Simple as that. However, because of the pleasure it brings,
conversations are softer and last a bit longer, people enjoy the meal more and
sweet memories are made. Is this not success on a very small scale?
Funny, when you think about it, how nothing happens until somebody moves
and makes things as easy as possible. Sometimes, 1 + 1 = 2. Sometimes 1 + 1 =
11. It all depends on where you put things. Get smart and get more by putting
things beside each other. In other words, put the matches close to the lamp.
Its just the same with healthy habits, theyre right there waiting to bless us,
but the lit match must be brought to it. Rare are the days when were thrilled
about the required actions to lose weight. However, just like I changed where
we now keep the matches, we can change where we keep fundamental weight
loss tools and foods so that theyre visible, close to us and easy to use.
Are your journal and pen close by to write things down? Are your exercise
6.
One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
videos and athletic shoes in plain sight? Do you have motivating pictures
(either at high or low weights) where you can see them often? Whats front
and center in your fridge and in the pantry? Is it food that will bless or confuse
your body? What can you move today?
Here are some more 60-second tricks to make a difference:
On an index card list your personal gateway foods, (i.e., foods
or snacks that start the spiral down. Any food where one is too many
and the whole box is not enough should be on this list. Memorize
this list and keep it handy for quick identity. Isolating these
troublemakers will give you authority and power to handcuff,
arrest and lock em up the minute they appear.
Where do you go hunting (fridge, pantry, etc.) when youre in the
mood to binge? Place index cards or Post-it Notes that say What
youre looking for isnt here! in those places to nd at low
moments as reminders of what youre really seekinga healthy body
and self-mastery.
Keep warm, soapy water in the sink or a big bowl while cooking.
Immediately place mixing beaters, bowls and spoons in it to avoid
extra licks and tastes.
Keep disposable gloves in your kitchen and purse. Wear them while
cooking or at the movies to stop mindless nibbling.
Keep small, hard sugarless candies, sugarless gum, or extra
strong breath mints on the kitchen counter, in your pockets, desk
drawer, purse and car glove compartment to keep your mouth busy.
The avor of cinnamon is especially powerful and a natural appetite
suppressant.
Keep an extra toothbrush and toothpaste in your purse, desk drawer
and the bathroom closest to the kitchen. Quickly brush your teeth
after all meals and snacks.
Oh, were changing the equation and our losses will really add up at the scale
as we persist.
7.
Got your matches placed close to the lamp? Good! Its time to light it now!
One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
grandchildren. Theyll want and need this from us as much as any gift or toy
we can purchase at a store. What could possibly matter more?
God bless grandmas and grandpas!
opening the crumpled plastic container. I made the fourth by dipping a nger
in the smooshed frosting. I made the fth by licking that nger. I made the
sixth by continuing and the seventh by deciding I could save the cake for a
family snack. I made the eighth mistake by never telling the family about the
smooshed cake treat, and in the end, of course, I ate nearly the whole thing
alone, in the kitchen, over a very short period of time. Aaarrrggghhh!
I think Mark Twain said it best, It is easier to stay out than to get out. To this
I add, Smooshed lemon cake is to be buried without a funeral as soon as it is
dead. Poor little thing, my foot!
There are turning point memories for each of us that are equally unforgettable.
Go back now, not to a sad time, but to a happy time in your life when you were
eating and exercising wisely and well. Perhaps it was yesterday. Perhaps it
was a long time ago. Perhaps its never happened. No matter, you can create
it in marble with a powerful thing called visualization. (I have several easy-to-use
articles to help you learn this skill at my website. The CD will also help.)
Do it now! Write down what you remember or want to experience. For
example, the physical sensations of recognizing when youre full and using
your personal power to stop eating; the delight of zippers that zip and buttons
that button, the increased ease in daily activities, the great pleasure in eating
delicious, nutritious, low-fat food and easily leaving unnished portions on
the plate to be thrown away.
Then, follow-up with the wonderful emotional memories (or future experiences)
of an accurate drivers license I.D., not postponing an important visit to the
doctor because of your weight and the enormous satisfaction of knowing the
clothes in your closet t without special pins, tugging or ddling with.
This personal reality (be it actual or vividly imagined) is written in marble.
Take 60 seconds and experience it now.
The mistakes and injuries of events now past? Let them be gone with yesterdays
sunset and two cleaning clothsone to wipe off the dust of the mistake and
one to shine the marble of the lesson learned.
Empowerment: I cherish the past for precious lessons learned and for the
motivation it gives me to move forward on my journey right now.
10.
One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
Its hard to believe that just a little space could make the difference in our
health and weight, but its true. Just as true is the fact that your little space is
already there. It is waiting for you now, calling your name, asking you to nd
the power to separate things.
Ssshhh, listen. Can you hear it? It expects an answer.
Maybe its a little space to breathe deeply 10 times each morning as you visualize
losing just the next ve pounds. Maybe its a little space of conrmation with
the waiter at a restaurant to make sure your salad dressing and sauces are
served on the side. Perhaps its a little space of time to exerciseeven if its
just a quick, brisk walk around the block or the perimeter of the parking lot
at work.
How about a little space in the glove compartment of your car to keep a box of
raisins as an emergency snack, or a little space on the bathroom mirror to post
your written plan or an inspiring thought or picture? Create a little 60-second
space of time for a quiet prayer of gratitude and a little space in a notebook
to plan two or three nutritious meals for the next week or to jot down an
inspiring quote. How about a little space of time for an overdue phone visit
with a friend or family member instead of standing over the sink with the ice
cream container?
Little 60-second spaces are everywhere! Theyre sparkling jewels that are
waiting to be discovered and cherished today.
Nowhere or now here? No one can create success for us. Stop, look and listen.
Then act!
11.
Heres a workout that will burn fat and calories without you breaking a sweat
or even leaving your seat at the dinner table! This exercise is painless, simple
and effective, takes less than 60 seconds and can be done in any location.
Lets start the workout with music and warm-ups. Ready? Okay! The perky
music is playing. With arms relaxed at your side, quietly inhale, count to 10,
now exhale.
Slowly (but rmly) turn your head to the left until it almost reaches your
left shoulder. Without pausing and while keeping the head level, pivot your
head to the right toward your right shoulder. Good! Good! Keep breathing!
Keep smiling and continue the movement by rotating the head back to the left
shoulder. Keep that chin level and rm!
Alternate head turns right and left two to three times more at a moderate
speed while speaking out loud the words: No, thank you. Arms and hands
stay relaxed at your side and away from the table and food.
Build strength by repeating several times each day until natural reexes and
muscles are strengthened. Desired tness level will sharply increase while
weight decreases.
Youre looking great, so keep it up! Keep smiling! Keep breathing! Youre
doing it! It feels so good to turn food down. Arent you proud of yourself?
How long has it been since youve seen George C. Scott in the movie Patton?
Whoa, friend. Theres a leader! Imagine him telling us how to lose weight!
12.
One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
How do you think hed respond to this true situation with two women? Both
have lost 70 pounds and started their healthy eating plan on January 1. (I have
changed their names.)
Sarah lost her 70 pounds in one year. She started her healthy eating plan the
rst week of January and had reached her goal by Christmas. I dont think
there was one week when she didnt lose at least a little. No plateaus. She
worked very hard. She is thrilled, healthy, strong and beautiful!
Jeanne lost her rst 50 pounds by June. Then it took nearly one more full
year (with the same tremendous, consistent commitment) to lose the next 20
pounds. There were lots and lots of discouraging weigh-ins with her friend
who continued to lose at a steady pace. Now that she has nally reached her
goal, she is also thrilled, healthy, strong and beautiful.
How do you think General Patton would rank their success? 100% successful!
Im sure youd agree with that. Perhaps wed rank Jeannes success at a 110%
for her dogged determination.
Hear ye, hear ye! Speed is not the issue when it comes to changing our weight.
Nor is comparing ourselves to others who are also committed to losing. Well
be eating/exercising right for the rest of our lives, so why the rush or need to
compare?
What is the same for all is our need to accept and embrace two things: 1)
ourselves where we are; and 2) wise eating as a constant need in our lives to
be faced one day, one meal and one 60-second choice at a time.
We can do it! No matter how long it takes.
Special Note: Non-scale victories are all the challenging things we accomplish
that may not show up immediately at the scale, (e.g., journaling, exercising,
getting enough veggies, saying No to food-pushers, etc.) Read more about
them in the next message.
13.
11. The good Lord gave you a body that can stand anything.
Its your mind you have to convince.
(Vince Lombardi)
Special Note: If you dont have a copy of my free e-booklet, Write Away the
14.
One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
Pounds, its a great place to start. Another wonderful resource: Write Yourself
Thin by Toni Lynn Allawatt. Learn more about both at my website.
15.
of the mirror for giving speeches at school. If you can say it to yourself in the
mirror, you can say it in front of anyone.) Youll be planting the seeds for 60second choices and actions today that bring your future, one day at a time.
I guarantee that as you progress, others will be inspired. Many will want to
mirror your success, extend compliments, and ask questions. Youll answer
with great things like, Thanks for the kind words. Yes, its challenging, but its
worth it. No more excuses for me! or Yes, I still have cookies for breakfast,
but just once in a great while and only one instead of three, or I exercise
at a gym thats right around the corner from my ofce. It has to be easy or it
doesnt get done, or Once I started spending a little more time cooking and
made sure their favorites werent left out, my family was more supportive,
or...you ll in the blanks.
Cherish both mirrors and what they reect! You are beautiful both today as
you make the 60-second choices to become the healthy person within, and in
the future when your success becomes somebodys favorite inspiration. Who
knows? It might be someone that means the world to you.
Empowerment: Although I can change no one but myself, I can inspire them
with my own healthy choices and success. I actively envision my future health
and success.
(From the musical, Bye Bye Birdie by Charles Strouse and Lee Adams)
My mother-in-law was a joy to everyone who was blessed to spend time with
her. She struggled with her weight on and off throughout her life, starting
at birth where she came in at nearly 11 pounds. Delivering this huge baby
left her mother bedridden. She gave the job of naming the baby to both the
grandmothers. They were delighted and promptly chose their own names
Caroline and Elizabethand she was called Carlie from moment one. Her
mother soon recovered, and the party began.
From the time she was a little girl, she had a way of making everything and
everyone feel special. Her musical laughter brightened any day. She was
famous for always wearing lipstick, perfume and prettythough usually
inexpensivejewelry on even the lowliest, the rainiest or dreariest of days. She
offered spearmint avored breath mints to one and all several times a day.
16.
One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
Everyone dressed up a bit more for any occasion where Carlie Allen might
be, simply because thats what you did. As a result, gatherings with her were
exceptionally fun and special, as things usually are when everyone goes to a
little extra effort to look their best.
Although her mind faded as she reached her 80s, her kindness, beauty and
friendliness did not. She graciously accepted moving to a lovely nursing home
near our home when the time came. With her still radiant smile, shed often
stroll the halls using one hand to steer her wheeled walker and the other to
regally wave to the nurses and residents like a beauty queen on a oat in a
parade. We made sure she had pretty colored outts, some earrings and some
lipstick to wear to the very end.
She died on a raw, blustery, January day six years ago during a nap after lunch.
We buried her in a sparkling white dress and new, matching earrings. She had
a roll of breath mints tucked in one hand and her favorite perfume in the other.
Im quite sure it was squeals of laughter we heard from the other side during
her funeral as she was welcomed home.
What a legacy she left. One of the most important lessons: Getting xed up is
easy and important! It brings out everyones best self.
So often we think we need something special to justify putting on a bit
of make-up, fresh lipstick and to do something cute with our hair. In a selflimiting way we sometimes even hold back until the scale presents the right
number before we add a soft scarf or fun necklace and earrings to what were
wearing around the house or to the store. Its almost as if we have to deserve
the pretty things. Nonsense!
Carlie taught me by example that when we dress up a bit, no matter our mood,
our weight, the circumstances or the weather, we are instantly prettier both
inside and out. We treat ourselves and those around us differently. All because
of a little 60-second effort to put on a little lipstick, some costume jewelry and
a spritz of cologne.
Funny, these items will never be found on an eating plan, yet have everything
to do with creating health and peace, dont you agree?
How I miss her! Im off to get a tissue and a pair of earrings and some perfume.
How about you?
17.
Empowerment: Every day is a good day for being my prettiest. I deserve and
have time to make myself attractive, no matter what the scale, my mood or the
weather might say.
Carlie, this beautiful mother-in-law of mine, spent her last two years just 10
minutes away from us in a gracious nursing home decorated in soothing jade
greens and soft, rosy pinks. On our way to her second oor room, we often
passed the recreation center with its prominent and cheery bulletin board that
was updated each day.
Our son, Cooper, a rst and second grader during her last two years here
on earth, practiced his reading from the bulletin board each time we visited.
Hed sound out the words while we waited for the elevator. For example, hed
read: Today is Tuesday. The weather is cold. The season is winter. You are in
Virginia.
One day as we waited and Cooper read, I quipped to one of the workers at the
elevator, Life goes so fastI could use something like that bulletin board in
my own home!
I know, she replied. It actually has an important function at facilities like
this. Its called Reality Therapy and helps the residents know where they
are.
Bells went off for me. Reality therapy. Hmmm. Each day. Written reminders
updated regularly to help us know where we are and what comes next. While
old age and dementia may not be a part of our lives, our healthy eating and
goals are often forgotten as easily as if they were. Maybe we do need reality
therapy!
How about taking 60 seconds to write a few statements on an index card or
Post-it Note, then put them where we can see them often (at the kitchen sink,
bathroom mirror, computer, etc.) for our own reality therapy bulletin boards?
Heres a few to get us started:
18.
One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
Empowerment: As the saying goes, You gotta name it to claim it. I specically
identify achievements, challenges and goals to dene my reality.
My dear friend and walking partner moved to South America last summer. In
the throes and stress of selling her house and making an international move,
I gave her my standard advice for coping with something as short-term as a
dreaded dentist appointment or long-term like moving to another country.
Just think, Debby! I said as we walked one morning, By this time next year
youll be looking back on this all and thinking I made it! (For shorter term
stress, I use by this time tomorrow, this time next week or this time next
month. While the challenge is usually over much sooner, its neat to use the
exact date as a comparing point.)
Somehow things always resolve and work out so we can look back on them
with a sigh of relief. This quote (mentally forwarding you beyond a difcult
point) is a good non-food coping strategy for all kinds of stress. Heres a
chuckle to get your thoughts projected in the right direction:
A school teacher noticed one of her rst-graders diligently sticking out his
stomach throughout the morning and nally called him up to her desk to ask
if there was something wrong.
Well, teacher, I woke up this morning with a stomachache. My mom said if I
stick it out til lunchtime Ill probably be okay. So Im sticking it out!
19.
I hope youre laughing! You know the chorus of the Hokey Pokey? where
everybody sings Thats what its all about? Well, what if sticking it out
with your healthy eating changes is what its all about? Not in terms of getting
overly hungry or obsessed (or depressed), but in terms of cheerfully nding
something to do rather than something to eat when you nd yourself grazing.
Simply get out of the kitchen or away from the food. Sneak a peek at your
motivating photo.
Heres another 60-second trick: Its called drink of water and think. The next
time an old habit nds you with something in your hands, heading to your
mouth, that you know youll be sad about later, get a tall 16-ounce glass of
water. While slowly drinking it, think to yourself: In just two days tomorrow
will be yesterday. I do not trade what I want most for what I want at the
moment.
Another excellent 60-second strategy is to literally keep track of your most
challenging times each day on a wall calendar or in your food journal. Chances
are that youll see a pattern. These difcult times are usually fairly regular,
and probably not more than two to three hours total. Now that you know
what to predict, its much easier to project yourself past them as you work out
a strategy.
The little girl inside us may demand cookies, chips and candy bars today, but,
were the moms! We can discipline that precious child to stick it out and steer
away from the wrong foods today toward the right weight to receive strength,
energy and joy both today and tomorrow.
Six months later Debby came back to visit on a business trip with her husband.
Things are settled and wonderful. Shes hoping their assignment will last for
at least ve years.
See? Moms are right! Things do work out when you stick it out!
20.
One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
16. People are born with two eyes, but only one tongue in order
that they should see twice as much as they say.
(Anon.)
Very true and I think Ill add this too, We are born with two eyes and often
see twice as much as we need to eat.
Wouldnt it be great if we could close one eye to the vast quantities and
overwhelming varieties of food around us? I think it would be much easier to
focus on our healthy eating plan.
Heres some food for thought. Until the late 40s, Americans had maybe 6-8
or 10 choices of cooked and cold cereal. Now, a common American grocery
store has 270 feet (90 yardsthink of that on a football eld) of eight-feet tall
shelves lined top to bottom with cereal alone. Then move into the galaxy of
snack and junk food choices, with new ones being created and advertised
continually. Now consider how average portion sizes have grown over the
years. No wonder were in trouble! Even food banks report large contributions
of candy and snack food, no doubt a reection of how things have changed.
We cannot go back in time, either in the history of food production or with
what the scale and snug clothes are personally telling us. However, its a 60second choice to close one eye to oversized portions/non-nutritious junk food
while leaving the other open to see the healthy choices that are just as visible
when we want to acknowledge their presence.
An eye closed to too much food is an eye open to exciting self-improvements.
Its a happy way to live. Heres to winking at the world with a healthy
lifestyle!
cheerfully accept the fact that in order to lose weight, my share is limited.
Whats unlimited are my choices.
21.
18. Either you reach a higher point today, or you exercise your
strength in order to be able to climb higher tomorrow.
(Friedrich Nietzche)
One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
It took a cute mom I know four years to lose her 45 pounds. She started her
plan when her baby was four months old. She reached her goal just after he
turned four years old.
Yes, it took four whole years. Time and again she could have quit when the
scale refused to budge. Like me, she is very short (barely ve feet), so although
wed like to eat as much as everybody else, our bodies just dont need that
much food. Everyone has their own challenges.
When I asked her how shed kept at it for so long without quitting she replied,
I just watched my baby growing. Each days developments didnt seem that
signicant, but they added up. So, I just started telling myself that I could do
baby steps now, and maybe Id be able to do more tomorrow. I decided that
quitting was not in my vocabulary. The one thing I could always do was drink
my water and take the stairs.
What a thrill! Her story reminds me of comparing weight loss to a craft project.
Some are completed all at once, while others take quite a bit longer. The beauty
and pride at its completion is virtually the same. The important thing is for it
not to be one of those projects that become entirely abandoned.
One day at a time and move on!
Id never heard of the meowies until I got married. One Sunday evening I
watched my new husband searching through the fridge and cupboards for
something to eat, then around our cute newlywed home for something to do.
Ive got a bad case of the meowies! he said as he nibbled on some leftovers
from dinner and then some brownies while glancing through the Sunday
newspaper that hed already nished hours earlier.
What are the meowies? I politely asked.
23.
Well, its knowing you want something, but not knowing what! Kind of like a
cat thats arching its back and circling your legskeeping you frozen in one
spot while it meows its head off. Its an empty spot you dont know how to
ll!
This was an A-ha! moment for me. Id had bouts of the meowies all my life!
I had often temporarily cured them with eating fudge sauce from the bottle
while standing at the kitchen sink. Or, with leftover cookie dough eaten while
standing at the refrigerator door, or picking icing off a cake from the pan while
standing at the counter, or, or....
For those of us who ll any void with food because we dont know what we
want, the meowies can be very, very dangerous.
A minor case of the meowies can be a bad few hours or days, which may lead
to a denite detour in a healthy eating plan. Recovery is challenging, but not
impossible.
A deeply-rooted major case of the meowies, however, may very well be the
heart-and-soul reason for why we can lose weight, but only so much before
we hit a brick wall. They also explain the yo-yo syndrome of losing weight
only to gain it back.
Its a powerful step forward when we recognize the meowies for what they
are (i.e., that even at a healthy weight, life is life, work is work, and families are
families). When losing weight doesnt change things we thought it would, we
slide back to the familiar comfort zone of food and old habits as good answers
and quick relief from the hum-drum days, disappointments and problems.
If we dont know what we really, really want, we let other circumstances decide
for us. If this rings a bell for you, I suggest reading a powerful article posted on
my website at this link: www.MyWeightLossFriend.com/you_gotta_know_what_
you_want.html. I hope youll take time to read it now to help you understand
this important thought.
Whether your meowies are major or minor, heres a favorite recipe to keep
them in check while you solve the deeper issues. Try two or three of these rst
before eating another thing the next time the meowies strike! They help me
every time.
24.
One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
Empowerment: Empty spaces and voids are a normal part of every life. Since
food will not ll these places, I open my mind to other options and move forward
with forgiveness, service, love and activity.
Id made a terrible mistake. My 12 year old was home from school with a sore
throat, and Id left him home alone while I ran scheduled errands for an hour
or so. This was before we all carried cell phones and I returned to nd him
distressed and most anxious to meet me at the door. While I was gone, a nasty
daytime talk show had snagged him with a sick and shocking family story far
beyond anything hed seen in our home or his sweet life.
Mom? Dont those people have anything else to do or talk about?
Now there was a true question. It was also a wonderful opportunity to talk
about making choices, accepting their consequences and the lack of choices
when the consequences of certain choices start rolling in.
25.
Have you ever noticed the lopsided percentage of overweight people who
share their sad stories on these shows? To me, thats a true symptom of more
problems than the ones theyre actually talking about.
And the true answer? Thus saith Dr. Phil: Its all about the big P-R. Personal
Responsibility. It all boils down to truly loving and controlling the one person
you can changeyourself!
Oh, how much more possible it is to both inspire and to let go of dear ones
when we feel good about ourselves and our own self-control challenges!
Unlike many talk show participants, we do have good things to do and to talk
about! Were going to do them today for ourselves (and in an indirect way for
those we love) with wise food choices, exercise, forgiveness and a smile.
21. Part of the happiness of life consists not in ghting battles, but in
avoiding them. A masterly retreat is in itself a victory.
(Norman Vincent Peale)
My husband has a friend from work who frequently entertains him with tales
of her niece, Anna Lee, aged 7 1/2. Unfortunately, little Anna Lee has gotten
uncharacteristically physically aggressive at school. When Bobs friend called
her on the phone last week and asked how school was going, she responded
with pride, Really good! I didnt choke anybody this week! Well, thats
good!
I laughed and laughed when Bob shared this because it reminded me of us.
While our challenges may seem like no big deal to those who dont struggle
with food and weight issues, its very real and very difcult for us. These
small retreats are really, really good and add up.
What are your 60-second victories over the past little while? Even if they are
just small steps of progress and seem a little obvious, count em up! Write
em down. Like Anna Lee, choose to feel good and congratulate yourself, at
whatever level.
26.
One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
The good Lord knows theres a higher level and were working toward that
too. In the meantime, whatever action weve taken today is positive, a step in
the right direction and worth counting.
God bless little Anna Lee for being able to cherish baby steps of progress and
God bless us to do the same.
Empowerment: Every victory counts! One step in the right direction leads to the
next and the next. I am happy to take each and every one with pride and care.
The eye-popping weight loss success stories in magazines like Shape, Womens
World and Weight Watchers are exciting to read. As interesting to me as the
before and after pictures are the expressions of peace in their faces and
stories.
How do people lose 10, 20, 50 or 100+ pounds and nd this peace? The same
way we are, by lovingly accepting themselves, changing their eating and
establishing new health habits with the philosophy that if we always do what
weve always done, well always get what weve always had.
Easier said than donedont we all know! Heres a 60-second trick to either
snap us into focus or take us to the next level. Be brave. Write out the word
HABIT on a piece of paper. Post it where you can see it. Read through the
thoughts below and let it work in your subconscious for several hours or a day
or so. Then spend some quiet time behind a locked door very, very soon with a
pencil and ve sheets of paper. Write one letter on the top of each page:
H-A-B-I-T
H: HOLD up a mirror. Make a list of the unproductive health and
eating habits that are slowing down your weight loss. Remember that
inconsistency is a habit too!
A: ADD several weeks, several months or several years of continuing
ACTION with this bad habit to ASSESS the consequences. With this
visualization in your head:
27.
T: Dene how youll TRACK it for THIRTY Days. Maybe its a chart
or a calendar. Maybe its a log on the computer. Remember that
without some written commitments, its not a goal, its just a wish.
When we get into the habit of changing habits, we become the masters rather
than the servants. Bravo! We can do it!
Do you really believe that powerful message? I do. So does Suze Orman, the
popular personal nancial expert. Have you seen her on TV or her books at
stores? Hard not to! Shes very popular.
What doesnt show, but makes her so authentic, is that her dad ran a roadside
fried chicken stand to provide for his family. She got herself to college, but was
working as a waitress when, through a crazy series of events, she somehow
landed a job in the world of high nance on Wall Street. (Probably to ll a
quota for women employees, she believes.)
Utterly terried but determined, she went to work with the big guys. Just
listen to how she battled down the fear and stress of transforming herself from
small-town waitress to big-time, successful Wall Street broker:
28.
One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
She spent a few minutes each morning writing down the words I am a
successful Wall Street broker 20 times in a notebook. Did you hear that?
Twenty times. She did this every morning, calling out to success, until it
answered back. And did it ever. Her books, her name and her TV show on
PBS are obvious indicators.
We can do the same thing to create our own success. Paper? Pen? Sixty
seconds? What could cost less and what have we got to lose? Only the pounds
and stress that not taking action brings. Quick! Grab a notebook. Write down
todays date at the top and number from 1-20. Then write:
I am successfully and healthfully losing weight and loving life. Establishing
a healthy weight is attainable, and Im excited!
Then do it again tomorrow. And the next day.
Thanks, Suze. Youve taught us more than money management!
24. Its not how many hours you put in, but how
much you put into the hours.
(Anon.)
My teenaged son, Cooper, was recently ill with an awful stomach virus.
Funny, no matter how big they are, theyre still your babies when theyre sick.
As I sat beside him quietly on the couch, sweet memories of when he was
much younger came to my mind.
He was a big Harry Potter fan and had carefully saved his newspaper money
to be able to buy the third of the books on the rst day it was released several
years ago. He was so excited when he nally got it that I was extremely
surprised to nd him later that day reading another book.
When I asked him why, he replied, Oh, mom. Ive waited so long for it that I
cant rush it. If I read it too fast itll be over too soon, so Im just going to read
some of it every day and make it last as long as I can.
29.
I love that American Express commercial with that commanding voice at the
end, Dont leave home without it! We can do the same for ourselvesnot
with a credit card, but with a snack and water bottle.
To not become overly hungry when were away from home is an essential
habit to both losing weight and keeping it off. We need to take a lesson from
our favorite Boy Scout, Be Prepared. When we carry something small to
eat as a matter of course, were far more equipped to deal with temptations.
Good 60-second choices in addition to the absolutely necessary water bottle,
are a small energy bar or snack-size can of sodium-free V-8, some crackers, a
piece of fruit, a bag of crunchy vegetables or a small box of raisins. Popping a
bag of fat-free microwave popcorn to enjoy in the car on the way home from
work can save you from the disaster of eating everything in sight when you
rst walk in after a long day.
30.
One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
I know us. I know me. When something throws our day off, its easiest to
grab for something to eat as an automatic distraction, stress relief or solution.
Good news. Were changing! Were going to take 60 seconds and start asking
questions instead of eating as a rst response. Its as easy as 123. Here
we go!
1. What needs lling?
2. What needs emptying?
3. And what needs scratching?
Is it your tummy or your need for company (or something to do) that needs
lling? Is it too much on your agenda that needs to be emptied or a Ben &
Jerrys carton that needs to be emptied straight down the sink? And where do
you itch? Where do you need a good, deep scratch?
In other words, what are you really hungry for? Have a big drink of water and
then analyze what youre missing. Are you hungry? Is it really food? If not, go
nd something else.
If it is something to eat, thats okay too! Deprivation is the most fattening thing
around, so make sure you work the most important and personally satisfying
foods into your plan. But gure it out! What do you really want? Think,
honey, think! Something with a citrus kick? Warm and gooey comfort food?
Something sweet and creamy, smooth and cold? A good, salty crunch?
A small portion served in a pre-portioned bag or container is a wonderful
solution and so is nding a substitute. There are low-cal, fat-free choices and
recipes for every craving. Choose wisely, enjoy to the max, brush your teeth
and move on.
31.
Heres another good 60-second trick for success. Once again, just ask and
think, honey, think:
T:
H:
I:
N:
K:
Will we ever tire of Peter Pan movies? Whether its the animated Disney
classic, Dustin Hoffman in Hook, or the more recent Finding Neverland, theres
something so fascinating and satisfying about Peter, Wendy, Captain Hook
and the Lost Boys. We recently saw an updated Peter Pan movie. Not to be
compared with the animated Disney classic, it was still most enjoyable with
talented children performers. The scene where Peter tries to attach his shadow
with a needle and thread was especially charming.
Almost as awkward to attach as a shadow and just as important are the thoughts
and actions required for permanent weight loss success. For example, coping
with a sweet tooth. This is a big deal for me. My best strategy comes from a
very special person who has lost and keeps off over 100 pounds.
Its simple! she says. Let one day of the week be your Sweets Day. For me
its Sunday. Just tell yourself (and anyone who wonders) Sunday is my day
for treats. I let myself think about brownies and decide that if I still want them
by Sunday, Ill make a batch of real ones, with frosting and nuts. I enjoy one,
and maybe another small treat or two, then move on into the new week.
While awkward at rstlike Peters clumsy efforts to sew on his shadowit
32.
One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
soon became a habit for me. I let enough people know that this was my
way, and they believed me! A wonderful thing happened. As I lled myself
with nutritious and building foods, my body kindly responded with a
decreased demand for addicting sweets and carbs. A treat or two on Sunday
is enough.
I knew Id arrived when my daughter Kelly, now 12, recently saved a favorite
treat for me from a party shed attended. There it was on my desk with a little
note that said For you, mom! Eat it on Sunday. It felt so good to know this
is how she sees her moms eating habits. Shes discovered how much better
she feels herself without a lot of sugar and often tells people when treats come
around, No, thanks! Its a sugar-free week for me.
It will happen this way for you too. Before you know it, admiration, respect,
self-discipline and weight-loss success are everywhere you are. Just like a
natural shadow!
Sorry, Peter. Were with Wendy and my Kelly. Were going to grow up after
all.
Ahoy, matie! Whos calling your name today from the shores of your former
eating? Is it a favorite candy bar, fries or soda? Childrens cereal? Bagged
chips or buttered bread? Wrapped snack cakes or over-sized hamburgers?
Now, where are these voices calling from? Our own kitchen cupboards, the
grocery store shelves or the kitchen at work? Whoever they are or wherever
theyre calling from, we know them and their voices well. They know us, too.
I believe they even know and call us by our nicknames because weve spent
so much time together.
33.
Sometimes the voices begging for our return arent imaginary, but very, very
real. They are often the voices of our family, friends, neighbors and co-workers
who dont want us to change or rock the boat. Sometimes the voices are loud
and sometimes theyre soft. More often than not the voice is our very own,
especially when were tired, discouraged or overwhelmed.
Press into the wind! Courage! No turning back today! By recognizing the
voices for what they are, we can sail forward by being accountable to our
highest selves and visualizing our future health and appearance. Here are
some quick strategies for silencing those voices from the past. We sail into
success when we:
Consciously and respectfully manage real-life food pushers with answers
like Thanks, but not right now. Maybe later (meaning never). Better yet, ask
for their loving, supportive help in a kind, non-threatening way.
Stay full with a balanced diet. Foods rich in ber and nutrients (e.g., veggies
and fruit), but low in calories help make us happy and strong voyagers.
Get enough sleepenough said.
Keep a food journal. Journals are lifejackets to be worn at all times. There will
still be room for food of the past in small portions.
Drink 6-8 glasses of water. Surrounded by water, we cannot neglect how
much our bodies need it today.
Listen! From the new land of weight loss success, new voices are calling and
welcoming us now. Its going to be worth it!
29. You can do anything you want, but not everything you want.
(Terri Jensen)
One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
distance. One day I found myself needing her artistic talents for my own large
assignment involving several hundred people.
This was before computer graphics were readily available and all I needed was
one special master certicate to duplicate for the participants. Her lettering
was beautiful, so I gathered my courage and called her.
Hi! You dont know me, but Ive admired you and your talents and hope you
can help me out.
As I explained the project, which was really very little for someone of her
abilities, she was very sweet with me and then replied, Oh, Id love to. Its just
the kind of project I enjoy most! Im so attered that you would ask. However,
Ive promised my husband and girls that I wont take on anything new this
month, and I need to honor that commitment rst. Im so sorry.
And that was the end of the conversation. She was so darling, it would have
been impossible to feel offended or put-off.
I got my certicate from another source and the entire project turned out well.
Later on, I was blessed with the chance to get to know her well and learned
even more from her. It was a sad day when she moved. Recently as I was
cleaning and sorting, there was a handout (adorable, of course) from a class on
self-management shed taught that included the quote above. There it was! The
secret of her personal success (and wonderful relationships) was her ability to
prioritize and say no in a kind, gracious and effective way.
The commitment youve made to honor your relationship to yourself (and
your body) is a priority that takes time. Write down exercise times and treat
them like appointments. Schedule 15 minutes to plan meals and snacks for
several days. Grocery shopping and meal preparation takes time. Schedule it!
Got the picture?
Opportunities abound to make 60-second choices that create health and weight
loss. Some require a yes and some require a no. When we remember our rst
commitment, its easy! Doesnt it feel great to be in control of ourselves and
our lives?
35.
Jesus mentioned the poor always being with us. Im quite sure of a few others
as well: bills, taxes, dishes, laundry and managing our weight. Im equally
sure I drove my mom nuts as a child. From the time I could comfortably read
the newspaper in about second or third grade, I devoured the daily newspaper
columnists: Dear Abby, Ann Landersand especially Heloise, the queen of
housekeeping tips. When I turned 12, one of her books was a favorite birthday
present. Weird, I know, but true! Forty years later, her never-ending stream
of cheery hints to keep homes in tip-top order still inspires and entertains me.
How I wish I was a straight-A student in Heloises Better to Keep Up Than
Catch Up school of thought. The merits are undeniable when it comes to
housekeeping, dishes, laundryand losing weight!
How can we apply this principle to eating challenges? With little 60-second
health laws I call The Keep-Ups.
The Keep-Ups
Drink six glasses of water.
Take your multi-vitamin.
Climb the stairs at home half a dozen times when theres not time to
exercise.
Always carry some low-cal salad dressing to use while eating out.
Order rst at a restaurant to avoid changing your mind to what
others choose.
Decide on which days and which events youll eat sugarperiod.
Post your weekly weigh-in where you can see it as a constant
reminder.
Sauces and salad dressing on the sidealways.
Two fruits a day is plenty. Fill the strive-for-ve requirement with
veggies.
36.
One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
I have a Snoopy poster that means a lot to me. There is old Snoopy himself,
bigger than life and happily dancing with his eyes closed. The background
is a rainbow done in bright tropical colors and the caption reads Theres
something about me I really, really like!
I love it! This poster is an inspiration and a tool for me.
All of us have events in our youth that dene who we are. For me it was ages
12-18 with a genetic problem that left me without my top front teeth. (My
story, All I Want for High School is My Four Front Teeth, is written on my
website.)
As an adult, I have had many opportunities to speak to teenage girls about that
experience and the importance of self-discovery and self-esteem. After I talk,
we get out the poster of Snoopy to inspire us, pass out a matching worksheet,
and get to work with pencil and paper.
One of the written exercises is to list three to four things about their bodies that
they really, really like. You can imagine the chattering and moaning as they
immediately vocalize what they do not like about their bodies. Nevertheless,
I put on some sweet music and softly encourage them to listen to their hearts
and then to start writing.
Could you do the same? Maybe its beautiful eyes, great nails, obedient hair,
pretty feet or a super smile. Think of Snoopy dancing and get happy about
yourself. Surely there are three or four things to name!
37.
Come on! Do it! Make a list of three to four physical assets you really, really
like and make the most of them today. You neednt lose another pound to take
60 seconds and dress up what youve already got. Appreciating and accepting
what has always been ours is an important part of weight loss success and
allows us to think positively about our bodies.
Its a 60-second choice to be aware and appreciative. Its a choice to make the
most of what weve already got.
One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
dialogues of our own 24/7 conversations, there are injuries real and imagined,
good and bad messages, false and true perspectivesall created endlessly in
our minds as we sort out our relationship to the world and people around us.
Some internal conversations are beautiful friends with voices that nurture
every love-based need we have. Others are fear-based, contentious devils that
effectively drain personal peace, progress and a healthy eating plan.
How to stop the destructive ones? Replace them. Computers can multi-task,
but human minds can only think one thought at a time.
When the negative inner-dialog starts, replace it immediately with whispering
a positive thought, counting blessings, repeating a quote, an empowerment,
mantra or a song. (This is the purpose of the CD that comes with this book.) If
it seems overly simple, I challenge you to give it a try. Can you think two
thoughts at the same time? No!
Here are the words to a song that will help you conquer the stomach churning
demons of fear and inner contention. Create the right voices to support wiseeating choices, and were on our way for another few steps forward. God bless
Rodgers & Hammerstein for this memorable classic:
Whistle a Happy Tune
(Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein)
Whenever I feel afraid, I hold myself erect
And whistle a happy tune
So no one will suspect
Im afraid
While shivering in my shoes,
I strike a careless pose
And whistle a happy tune
So no one will suppose
Im afraid
The result of this deception is very plain to tell
For when I fool the people Im with,
I fool myself as well
So I whistle a happy tune and every single time
The happiness in the tune
Convinces me that Im not afraid
39.
In case you dont have a six year old around to provide a daily riddle (almost
as important as a daily vitamin), heres one for you:
Riddle: When Im up, youre down and when Im down, youre up. What am I?
Answer: The bathroom scale.
Ah, the perils of a daily morning date with the scale. Although I abandoned
the ritual years ago, diamonds are forever and so is this memory: Standing
totally naked on an 18-inch square box (not unlike an exotic dancer?!?), each
morning I did a little dance as I shifted my weight from the front, to the back,
to the see-saw side.
Not pleased, Id start again. Hop on, pausebend at the waistpeer down,
then step off to the left. Hop on, pausebend at the waistpeer down, then
step off to the right. Precisely setting the dial knob to 0 one last time, Id try
one more time and bend at the knees to get closer. Like an old Crazy-8 ball, the
answer, though milky as it emerged, would nally, indisputably, undeniably
be mine to live with for the day.
And the verdict is:
A) The scale is DOWN. Party! Weight Loss Success! Celebrate with
donuts! or
B) The scale is UP. Funeral! Weight loss failure! Console with donuts!
Body weight uctuates far too much on a daily basis to provide any real
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One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
Empowerment: The scale is a merely a tool to be used once a week. It does not
determine either the level of my success or the happiness of my day.
When was the last time you spent time with identical twins? Fascinating, arent
they? Many are the complexities and fantasies of twinsand who doesnt still
get a kick out of the truly entertaining Parent Trap movies?
Well, believe it or not we all have twins in our lives! There names are Excuse
and Reason. While they may appear the same, they are not at all the same.
Here are some typical responses at weigh-in time:
Weve had nothing but company all week.
The kids are out of school .
The boss brought in treats.
Too many social gatherings.
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One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
Empowerment: There will often be too much food served. I am not required to
eat it. I stop when I am full and use all my tricks.
I have a tiny garden out my back kitchen window that I really put some love
and work into several years ago. Im excited each spring to see it come to life.
It was just an ugly, root-lled slope where nothing would grow. I removed
much of the clay, added some topsoil, enriched the whole slope and got a
43.
terric upper-body workout over several days. Not knowing what, if anything
would grow, I packed it with seeds of all kinds. It looked a lot better that
summer, but it has been through the following years that the treat has come.
I never know whats coming up! Last spring there were delightful wildower
blooms of crimson and golden orangewho knows what they are, but theyre
charming. Ill take them! Especially since they came, or so it seemed, from
nowhere.
Nowhere? Nothing comes from nowhere. Whether we consciously know it
or not, every lovely bloom is planned and planted long before it is seen. It is
no different with managing our weight. Future health conditions are being
created right now. By thinking, imagining and planning ahead, we create
health for ourselves and our future in 60-second increments throughout each
passing hour. Good for us!
Take 60 seconds and ip your calendar forward three months. Pencil in an
anticipated, realistic weight loss (not more than one to two pounds per week)
and projected dress or jean size. Then do it for the next three months. And the
next. God schedules beautiful, miracle-lled seasons several times a year and
so can we.
Unlike nature, we dont even need it to be spring to plant the seeds of health
and success, so plant lots and lots! We want, need and deserve every healthy
blessing that will grow.
While waiting at the light of a busy intersection recently, there was a big
delivery truck parked in front of the convenience store to my right. It was
parked at such an angle with another large vehicle beside it that all I could
read were the words Food for the Fun of It above the cab. I couldnt see
the rest of the truck until the light changed and I could move forward. Was it
beer? Soda? Candy? I wasnt far offit was potato chips.
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One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
Later I logged onto their website which was done in party colors. Would you
believe they have a Chip of the Month Club? and a March Madness Party
Pack basket? Im asking you, whos having the fun here? Is it us after weve
eaten too much and are paying the priceor them laughing at us for making
their fortunes by winning the bet that we cant eat just one.
Step aside you worthless old junk food. The fun comes in knowing youre at
your best. The fun comes in the pride of accomplishment. The fun comes when
you can play on the oor with your little ones. The fun comes when, well, you
ll in the blank! For me, the fun comes in knowing that true fun doesnt have
that much to do with food at all.
Empowerment: I decide whats fun. For me, fun is self-control and right foods
in right amounts at right times.
So much of the pleasure in losing weight and gaining health is not at the
scales or in a dress size. There is enormous satisfaction in hearing the small,
pleasurable thoughts and voices of a fresh, new reality that actually starts
within several hours, days and weeks of smart eating. Truly theres much
more to both lose and gain right now than just pounds.
Try these authentic pleasures on for size (from successful women who are
slowly winning the game) then nd some of your own today.
A 70-calorie Gala apple tastes better than a whole slice of apple pie.
Carrying laundry baskets doesnt leave my heart pounding anymore.
I crave crisp salads. Who would have suspected??!! Its awesome!
My headaches are denitely going away.
My doctor is so impressed! It feels so good to please him/her.
45.
Empowerment: There are many ways to determine success. The scale is only
one. I make a practice of noticing every little step forward.
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One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
39. A truly great man never puts away the simplicity of a child.
(Chinese Proverb)
Bob and I recently had a weekend holiday. The airports and ights were
remarkably crowded for our late evening ights. Its always fascinating to see
how many people now insist on bringing their bulky carry-on. This reminds
me of our own recent past where it seemed easier to haul the excess weight
with us rather than to spend the time and energy to get it where it safely
belongsoff our bodies and in the past.
Some very fussy children at the airport made me wish that wed all been at
the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport where some obvious needs are
addressed in a delightful way. A couple of years ago I had a four hour layover
there. I took a long brisk walk to pass the time, stretch my legs and burn some
calories. In the middle of countless arrival/departure gates was a playground.
Yes! A playground.
Enclosed within a three foot high fence of plywood painted to look like clouds
and sky was a childrens play airport. Two little girls were happily climbing a
12-foot tall air trafc control tower to see the world below. A stationary trainlike luggage carrier with a real steering wheel was serious business to three
little boys. The open cross-section of an airplane with a cockpit and attached
emergency exit slide was clearly great fun to several other children. Happy
toddlers rode the airplanes of a tiny merry-go-round and two babies crawled
on colorful mats. Relieved parents visited and relaxed with each other on
comfortable couches while they all (children and adults) made new friends.
How obvious is the need. How obvious is the solution!
Back to us. Though busy schedules, excuses, mind games and procrastination
provide a tangled maze of delays and stress, the answer to most healthy eating
dilemmas is as easy to nd as putting up a little playground at the airport for
children.
Take 60 seconds now and choose just one obvious thing that can be simply
changed in an instant. For example:
Mindless eating: Declare no more than two acceptable eating places in your
home and ofce: (e.g., at home: the kitchen table and the dining room table; at
work: your desk and the employee kitchen). This virtually eliminates snacking
47.
while watching TV, grazing and nibbling while preparing meals, eating from
ofce-mates candy bowls, etc. Let others know about your zones and let them
do whatever they will with their own lives.
Walking around with food: Use the above and/or decide that the only food that
travels with you while youre on the go is ice water or zero-calorie herb tea.
When we decide its simple, it becomes simple. Maybe not easy, but simple
and we can do it.
Did you read the story several years ago about the woman receiving a $7.4
million settlement after suffering a stroke and brain damage from taking the
drug ephedrine that was in a diet supplement?
Is there a price to be put on a healthy mind and body? The sadness and expense
on all levels for this kind of loss is staggering. To be honest, I think weve all
been there at one time or another in our desire to lose weight quickly, whether
weve actually taken drugs or not. Its a safe bet to say that there will always
be gimmicky and enticing advertising for quick weight loss. When we reach
the point of understanding that those unbelievable ads with articial photos
are worth more in laughs than anything else, we know were making progress.
Its a happy day when we nally accept that losing ve pounds a month is a
very respectable step toward health and reject the notion that fast weight loss
is permanent and good.
A funny co-worker once shared with me, My doctor says I have ve pounds
to losenine times. Now theres good advice. Those big numbers are just too
daunting.
We cannot say it often enough: No matter how much we may have to lose,
an average body weight loss of not more than one to two pounds per week is
plenty and that truth is worth $7.4 million to us. (An important consideration
48.
One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
is to divide the pounds lost by the number of weeks on the program. That
makes the small losses less disappointing and the larger losses more realistic.)
Take 60 seconds and do the numbers. Five pounds a month is 60 pounds in a
year. Whats so slow about that?
We can do it without drugs, without gimmicks. Say it loud and clear! Make it a
ashing, neon sign inside your forehead to see every time you close your eyes,
I have ve pounds to lose, and I can handle that!
Empowerment: I have ve pounds to lose. When that is gone, Ill then move on.
41. The sun with all those planets revolving around it and
dependent on it can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if
it has nothing else to do in the universe.
(Galileo)
telephone and waiting on hold or chatting with a friend. Try deep squats,
lunges or bicep curls with contracted muscles for starters. Another good idea
is to keep a stretchy cord in your kitchen or in the car for a quickie upperbody workout.
Its within our power to re up like the sun and decide to cheerfully and
consciously adapt what we must do within each 24 hours into what we are
already doing.
Through the long months and days of spring and summer, a bunch of grapes
slowly forms, ripens and is harvested. The visible reality of our own weight
loss success will happen in exactly the same way. Isnt it delicious?
I have a friend named Eleanor. Although she is now dead, she speaks to me
quite often. We may never have met, yet her priceless example is a cozy quilt
I use to guide and comfort myself on difcult days. Her own life was never
easy, but she valued it as a gift and gave of herself until the day she died. I owe
much of my own peace and self-acceptance (hard come by for nearly all of us
for a thousand different reasons) to her. I am speaking of Eleanor Roosevelt,
the much admired wife of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt who led us
through World War II.
Finding peace with our physical bodies and weight involves so much more
than losing weight. So very often the peace we seek through weight loss slowly
begins to come when we nally begin to nd and respect ourselves as our own
best friendsno matter what the scale says.
Eleanor struggled as we all do with her appearance, marriage, family and life
itself. She wrote a great deal to gure things out. True wisdom and insight
often come this way. Her challenging, painful personal experiences became
abundant, rich fruit on the vine for a bountiful harvest for us to feast upon
through her books and writings. The very writing itself is an important part
50.
One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
of self-discovery and we can follow her example of this by writing our own
journals.
Thank you, Eleanor! Though long dead, today you are helping us become our
own best friends.
For the past two years I have served as the nursery leader at my church. I love
the children, and I love the toys. One of their favorites is one from my own
childhood, a good old jack-in-the-box. The tinny music box and explosion of
a happy clown face is guaranteed fun. Faster and faster, again and again, out
springs the perpetually smiling Jack.
To tell you the truth, as much as I get a kick out of him, Ive always felt kind
of sorry for himconstantly pressed into that little box, always dependent on
someone else to let him out. I was quite surprised with Jacks answers when I
interviewed him recently at the church nursery.
Carolyn: Jack, how do you feel about living in a box?
Jack: Ive come to terms, its all in your perspective. My box is my home and
is actually a safe and controlled environment that really works for me. I safely
get out often enough, and Ive learned to smile and be happy whether Im
alone in my cozy little box or out in the open.
Carolyn: Have you ever felt squashed or wanted to run away from your life?
Jack: Of course, dont we all? However, since I dont have legs, that is not an
option. As for feeling squashed, each of us is born with limitations that either
defeat us or bring us to life. Its Gods gift.
Carolyn: You always seem so happy. What advice can you give?
51.
Jack: Trust your inner springs and listen for the music. It always comes. Its
always there.
Carolyn: Thank you, Jack.
Now I turn the question back to us. What is your perspective of your healthy
eating plan? Is it a conning box or a safe environment to bring health and
miles of smiles?
Its a 60-second choice to listen for the happy music. Success is ready to pop,
so bring on the delicious veggies! Bring on the fresh, crisp salads! Water is
refreshing and wonderful! Exercise is fun!
Empowerment: I now accept that healthy eating, limited portions and regular
exercise are not a conning box, but a happy way to live and the perfect way
to play well in the game of life.
One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
service spent nearly 20 yearsdid you read that? Nearly 20 years perfecting the
bonding that goes with the now popular peel n stick stamps. Yup. Nearly 20
years of sticking to it to nd the right stick-to-it glue.
Theres a message here for each of us, so here is my favorite Stick To It
poem. Take 60 seconds to jot it down and memorize it as a mantra:
Stick To It!
(Author Unknown)
Stick to your goal til it sticks to you
Stick to your goal like paper to glue
Beginners are many, though nishers are few
So stick to your goal til it sticks to you!
Heres a 60-second trick to get health goals to stick for the next several days.
List three to four goals for the next several days on an index card or in a small
notebook. Make three to four columns for the next three to four days beside
the list and put it in your calendar or where you can see it often. Check off each
item for each day.
I love how self-esteem soars in direct relation to being on top of what were
putting in our mouths. Thats why I always say that a successful weight loss
program is felt within 24 hours after starting. Learning to take control of our
time, appetites and circumstances lifts us up to where were supposed to be in
more ways than one (e.g., our clothes t and feel better because our spirits t
and feel better too).
Wouldnt it be marvelous to be able to sustain this continually? Since no
one I know is scheduled to y off in a state of perfection with the angels
anytime soon, its a blessing to have some quick pick-me-ups to pull out for
emergencies. If you dont need this today, mark this page to keep the following
soul-aerobic exercise handy for the next time the blues and the blahs start to
drift in. Before starting, roll your head clockwise 10 times. Then reverse and
53.
roll counter clockwise 10 times. Take a deep breath. Hold for a count of 5
and release. Repeat this breathing once or twice, then close your eyes for this
mental exercise and go!
1. LOOK IN AND RELEASE food and overeating as a source of stress
and pain relief. No need to spend a long time. In your mind and heart, just say,
Food has never xed anything other than being hungry.
2. LOOK OUT AND RESPOND to a higher need. Whether its a bit of
quiet service or listening to some uplifting music while you clean or work
on a hobby, let your soul and hands respond to life outside yourself rather
than to your physical appetite.
3. LOOK UP AND REJOICE in the beauty of life around you. Whether your
weight, food choices or dear ones in your life are where youd like them
to be or not, there is still perfection all around. Enjoy the majesty of a
sunset, the mystery of how the stars appear, or the marvels of flowers
and babies to recognize that there are miracles in store and divinity
within us.
Look in, look out, and look up! Its as easy as 1-2-3 to snap foods, moods and
attitudes into place.
blues and the blahs. I am learning to breathe deeply, then: 1) Look in and
release; 2) Look out and respond; 3) Look up and rejoice.
Special Note: I adapted the look exercise from Christian author Charles
Swindol.
46. Are you singing the songs you were sent to sing?
(Joe Sabah)
One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
the candles and turn up the music! These are memories worth remembering
for our family.
Whether its Christmas in August or December, its tradition to listen to the
entire Carpenters Christmas album from beginning to end as we eat around
the candle-lit table. Their music brings so much joy and love into a room and
into our lives. It still breaks my heart to think of the many songs Karen never
got to sing, the many songs that well never get to hear.
Karen Carpenter was in the height of her non-stop popularity by her early
20s and won 3 Grammys, 8 Gold albums, 10 Gold singles, and 5 Platinum
albums before she died at age 33 from long-term complications with Anorexia
Nervosa. The music she made was so terric that she created a record for the
most top ve hits in one year in the very rst year she was in the recording
business.
And yet, with the world bowing at her feet, she could never accept her body
shape or the family genetics that put her in a bigger-boned category than other
young singers and celebrities. Anorexia and an obsession with achieving an
unrealistic body shape and weight ended her life at age 33. She was very,
very far from The Top of the World when she died over 20 years ago in
1983. Everyone I knew cried when they heard the news. Our family personally
misses her again every Christmas.
Well, there will only be one Karen Carpenter. Her untimely death brings to
light the curse of unrealistic desires and expectations for mortal bodies. While
our own issues may or may not be as extreme, we can ask ourselves this 60second question right now:
Am I singing the song I was meant to sing? Are thoughts about my weight
and body the harmony or the melody for my life?
Be of good cheer! Even as theres only one Karen Carpenter, theres only one of
each of us! When we eat to nourish our bodies and cheerfully accept whatever
package the Lord has bestowed us with, then we can sing and sing.
Empowerment: The beauties of nature come in all shapes and sizes. I now
gratefully accept the shape I was given and honor the body I am blessed with.
I now move on to the more important songs I am meant to sing.
55.
Our family has found a great tool for guring out a lot of thingsthe 1-10
scale. Instead of saying, Do you want to do this, that or the other? well ask
On a scale of 1-10, how much do you want to do this, that or the other? For
so many things, a yes or no just doesnt work. This strategy prevents a
whole lot of miscommunication and eliminates many frustrating moments.
A scale of 1-10 can measure lots of things, including danger zones that sabotage
healthy eating. Ive determined that a No. 10 danger zone (with 10 being
most dangerous) is when Im procrastinating tasks. Its not that Im hungry;
Id just rather prowl around the kitchen eating than get organized and down
to business. Cleaning up after a meal is another No. 10 for me. So is placing
leftover goodies on the front seat of the car when returning home from an
event.
To avoid eating in my danger zones, Im aggressively challenging myself to
listen to my hunger, watch the clock and to schedule meals and snacks three
to four hours apart so that when I do eat, theres a real reason. As one of my
friends says, When hunger isnt the question, then food is not the answer!
How do you know when youre really hungry? Heres a 1-10 scale. The time
to eat is the mid-range, 4-7, when were hungry but still in control. The low
1-3 numbers are dangerous because we eat too much too fast. The upper 8-10
range is dangerous because were eating on a destructive emotional level.
The 1-10 Scale of Hunger:
1. Starving, dizzy, headache-y
2. Ravenous, irritable, headache is starting
3. Stomach pangs and growling
4. Slightly hungry, mouth feels stale
5. Neutral, its okay to wait a bit longer
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One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
I know a lovely mother of three busy teenagers who has reached her goal and
has lost just over 20 pounds. She looks fabulous, her doctor is thrilled and she
is the envy of so many, but shes quite disappointed. Why? Because she had
truly hoped to lose at least another 5-10 pounds. To be honest, its not her goal,
but her bodys goal.
Her weight loss journey has been extremely slow and often discouraging. In
frustration she hired a personal trainer to help rev things up a notch. This
has helped her in more ways than youd think. As important as assisting in
toning and strengthening her body, the trainer has been able to persuade her
to accept her body type. Her last visit to her doctor conrmed that she was at
goal. He convinced her to see that since her cholesterol and blood pressure are
in excellent shape, her weight is within a healthy range (though at the very
high end) and that everything else is equally good, shes at goal!
57.
She had very much wanted to weigh less and wear a smaller size. However,
with the help of her trainer, her doctor and her loving family, she is doing the
most important exercise and change of allgratefully accepting herself and
her hard-won success.
The last time I saw her she was accompanied by a proud daughter on each
side. She was wearing slim black slacks and a beautifully tting, snug knit top
that showed off her curves. Her glowing smile said even more. Does it get any
better? I dont think so!
Gratitude is the beginning. Life is beautiful! So are we!
We may have focused too much on the how-to and not enough on the why.
Martha Stewart speaking to her loyal employees as she returned from prison
in March, 2005.
No matter how you feel about her or how many times youve laughed or
shared a Martha Stewart joke, shes an undeniable presence. When her prison
sentence was over she had learned a great deal and wisely chose to apply
those lessons. From this experience came a deeper compassion for why we
need to nurture and care for each other. This love has become a much more
authentic inspiration for the next step of how to entertain and decorate. She
and her products will not go away, for her work is sincere and comes from
the heart.
Bravo, my dear! God bless you! These are my sentiments exactly for weight
management, too. Oh, how the how nds its way, when the why comes rst!
When we focus on the why we need/want to lose weight rather than
get caught up in the how, a healthy lifestyle can easily be created into
something as comfortable, appealing and beautiful as an Ethan Allen room
with everything purchased at affordable prices from K-Mart.
Why do we want to lose weight? Easy! To get healthy and happy. To set an
example for our families. To make life easier. The list goes on and on.
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One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
The how can be just as simple. While theres a wonderful place for acquiring
knowledge, support and skills at expensive weight loss meetings, exercise at
the gym from personal trainers, deluxe kitchen tools and organic food from
special stores, theres an equally important place for weight loss success at the
neighborhood grocery store, common library, discount stores, thrift-stores,
pawnshops, your garage and the dollar store.
FOOD: What day do the newspaper ads come out? Gear your menu around
the ads and the coupons. Shop primarily the outer perimeter of the store.
Avoid the inner aisles where expensive snacks and processed foods are found.
Whole grain, unprocessed cereal is the least expensive and the best for us. Plain
old frozen veggies in a little box or bag are also inexpensive and extremely
nutritious. Start an herb garden in pots in your kitchen window for the best
avor boosters ever.
COOKBOOKS: The best cookbooks in the world are at your library. Whether
we check them out or buy them at a library sale, theres a wealth of happy,
healthy cooking for next to nothing. Secondhand stores often have great
cookbooks too.
SHOES: Theres nothing like new shoes to make you feel happy. We go out of
our way to wear them. We need athletic shoes that were excited about! WalMart, Target or K-Mart will do for shoes that t and support well. They can
affordably be replaced when the soles wear out, which is much faster than the
rest of the shoe, as you may have noticed now that youre exercising regularly!
Happy Bonus: Youve got a new pair of shoes to feel excited about again.
CLOTHING: Ditto the above information about shoes. Exercising is a lot
more appealing with something cute to wear.
BRAS: Side-step the expense of super-duper expensive support bras by
simply wearing two at once while you exercise.
EXERCISE CLASSES and GYMS: If the gym is impractical, bring the personal
trainer into your living room. A variety of exercise videos or DVDs makes
exercising novel and fun. New ones purchased from Ross discount stores are
always in the $5 range. Get a complete library of these at your local thrift store
or pawn shop for $2 to $3 each. I still enjoy exercising with Richard Simmons
Sweating to the Oldies with my 50-something peers. This tape was purchased for
59.
less than $3 at a thrift shop years ago. It feels great to be among hair-dos and hips
that look a lot like mine. eBay is a great place to shop for these items as well.
EXERCISE EQUIPMENT: Rowing machines, treadmills and stationary bikes
are always in rich supply at a thrift store, yard sale or newspaper classieds.
If it isnt your favorite, sell it for what you paid for it and try something
new. Make your own hand weights with soup cans or by lling gallon-sized
containers with water and weighing the lled containers. Jump ropes are as
good as free. Never forget that walking, one of the best exercises of all, is a
true freebie.
COOKING EQUIPMENT: While Williams Sonoma has its place, so does
spending $5-10 at a dollar store for measuring cups and fun cooking utensils.
New tools make cooking more appealing and become an excuse to play around
in your kitchen. Get some cute new dishes that will make your own meals
more attractive and interesting. By saving your money in this way, youll soon
be able to buy excellent non-stick pots and pans.
KNIVES: Although I have expensive knives, my favorites are the Miracle
Blade Knives ordered over the Internet for $39.95. Details are at my website.
Well, Marthayoure better than ever and so are we.
Empowerment: All the resources and help I need to lose weight and gain peace
are coming to me now. Taking care of my health is fun and affordable.
I got a wonderful phone call from a dear friend not too long ago. Carolyn,
she said, Im so excited and my news doesnt feel real until I share it! She
had just received early acceptance into a nursing school with very limited
enrollment. This is especially rewarding because she is in her 40s and has
worked full-time for many years at an unsatisfying job while taking college
and nursing prep classes at night.
So many things with big question marks for years have all resolved themselves
in the past several months! she exclaimed.
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One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
Although when you think about it, she added reectively, Ive been
working at these issues in a quiet way for a long, long time. My efforts just
didnt show until now.
Sound familiar? When thoughts of my efforts just dont show so forget it
create false justication for the return of unhealthy eating habits, take heart
and take a deep breath.
Heres something to remember the next time it feels like nothings happening:
A pound of muscle is about the size and rmness of a baseball while a pound of fat is
three times that size and appears like wiggly Jell-O. Wow! More than once in my
weight loss coaching, Ive watched women ght back the tears for weeks on
end as the scale refused to budge, even while they were losing inches and dress
sizes. Soon enough, it all evens out. When this happens, its more important
than ever to use your clothing as your progress guide. Now thats comfort
food for thought!
Take 60 seconds and prepare for frustrating weigh-ins or a plateau by
memorizing todays quote, Standing still does not mean going nowhere.
Guess what? By simply not giving up were moving forward at this very
moment whether or not a single thing shows on the scale.
Empowerment: Progress does not always show. That does not mean it isnt
happening.
Remember the last time you walked across the room balancing a book on
top of your head? You were probably at a party or learning the blessings of
posture at an etiquette class a long time ago. Whether it slipped off a time or
two before you reached the goal line or whether you came in rst or last was
secondary to the fun of being involved and completing the challenge.
Try it again now while you read this. Come on! Imagine the book on your head
and see what naturally happens: The shoulders push back, the neck lifts, the
spine straightens, the upper body centers itself over the hips, the chin points
forward and most importantly of allthe eyes brighten and focus straight ahead
on the goal across the room while distractions to either side are ignored.
61.
Our weight loss goals are no different. The winning posture and stride are always
there when the rules are in place, the goal is marked and the distractions
ignored. The best part? No penalties for slipping as long as you catch yourself
ASAP and just keep walkingjust keep moving toward your goal.
Put that written short-term goal where you can see it every day. Now, ready,
set, go!
Empowerment: Head up! Eyes forward. I tune out distractions while carefully
moving forward.
One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
63.
Denition time!
Hoover: (noun) the rst suction sweeper contraption (also known as a
household vacuum) created in 1907 by a night-time janitor aficted with
asthma to solve the problem of dust in his face as he swept.
Hoover: (verb) to eat everything in sight not nailed to a surface.
Oh, how we know hoovering. Hoovering is a part of us. Weve hoovered
before and its possible we may hoover again. Not too often, not for too long
and not like before is our constant prayer. Yes, we know hoovering.
Accepting, acknowledging and withdrawing from the literal suction power
of food when we are either bored or emotionally extended is a daily/hourly
victory that is not always won. No funerals are necessary, however, for defeat
is not death.
The trick? To accept both victory and defeat as temporary, for the battle to eat
wisely is one that never ends. When defeated by hoovering, we simply unplug
the cord and put the vacuum back in the closet again. Its not a big deal. We
simply get going again.
Got the closet door locked tight on that vacuum? Good! Grab your journal and
your sneakers and make something positive happen.
Empowerment: Food has lost its power to suck me in. If I slip, I do not wallow in
self-pity or defeat. I simply unplug, take a deep breath and get going again.
55. The person who seeks all their applause from outside
has their happiness in anothers keeping.
(Claudius Claudianus, Ancient Egyptian Latin Poet)
One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
We do just that, however, when we fall prey to those around us who do not
notice our weight loss success and efforts, those who do not care or those who
are too jealous to say a thing. Others may have comments or remarks that are
insensitive and uncalled for. These reactions and conversations can tarnish
our focus. At critical moments, we need an independent I.D. to identify who
we are.
Make a healthy achievement personal I.D. now. On a small card, list your
weight loss achievements. Put the date when you started on the top and
list both the things you can see (sizes/pounds) and things you cannot
(new habits/new food preferences/new attitudes). Fold it up and tuck
it behind your drivers license and keep it updated. Youll be happy you
did.
Some things (and people) never change. And some things (and people like us) do.
I have no idea how to pronounce it or cook it, but I bought this crazy vegetable
at the grocery store, and Im going on the Internet to nd out what to do with
it! said my buddy Janet with a lilt in her voice.
She was down over 50 pounds and looked fabulous in brightly colored
spandex running pants and a tted sports top. Although there was no denying
an extended plateau and extreme frustration with the last stubborn 10-15
pounds, Janet was as resilient as an Olympic athlete.
Ive gotten to this point twice in the past, she conded. But I gained it all
back and then some. This time Im keeping a daily self-discovery journal as well
as a food journal, so Ill never have to lose this weight again. Its working!
Her journal revealed many secrets, including why she had run out of steam
in the past before reaching her goal. Plain and simple: The healthy eating
honeymoon was over, and she was bored. Her journal revealed this need for
65.
a sharper try angle. She needed some instant personal success that could
easily come from setting and meeting smaller goals.
Would you believe that simple goals like trying new vegetables once a week
and new scrapbooks along with a folding table for organizing family photos in
the evening instead of snacking while watching TV did the trick? Ha! Success!
Its all in a 60-second choice to choose something new.
66.
One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
It had been a beautiful summer day. Our family was walking to the
community pool for an evening swim when we were stopped en route by
our neighbors, three-year-old Danny and his mom, dad and big sister. They
had been planning on a pizza supper at the pool and an evening swim, but
were now returning home because the pool had been closed for the evening
due to a chemical problem. We were all disappointed. Danny was especially
upset and crying.
As his mom and I visited for a minute, Danny, in three-year-old fury, headed
straight for his moms beautiful bed of marigolds and started to stomp on
them for all he was worth.
Instead of scolding, I watched with admiration as she kindly, but rmly, said,
Honey, its okay to be mad and sad. Were all very disappointed that we cant
have pizza at the pool tonight. But its not okay to stomp on the owers. They
take too long to grow and are too special.
She then suggested jumping up and down 20 times in the driveway or to let
her watch him run as fast as he could back and forth to the corner, ride his big
wheel or jump on the trampoline.
She then hugged him and clearly repeated her message, Its okay to be upset.
But it doesnt mean we can break or ruin things. He listened to her and took
a few moments to collect his dignity, and then we all watched him safely
discharge his anger by riding on his big wheel.
Wow! What a different world this would be if we were all taught to respect
negative feelings as acceptable and then taught how to deal with them in a
constructive way.
67.
I shared this story with some women a few days later. Within a day or so, I
received an e-mail from Jeannette, whose mom had died suddenly several
months earlier. Her eating was out of control, and she was very concerned.
As you shared this story, she wrote, I knew that I was as mad, upset and
disappointed as that little boy. I cried again, then washed my face, looked
myself in the mirror and said Its okay to be sad and mad. Its not okay to
regain all the weight youve worked so hard to lose.
It was a new stage of healing and weight management. She took on Dannys
mothers suggestion of coping through energetic physical exercise and started
taking power walks in the evening, either by herself or with anyone whod
go with her. She signed up for an aerobics class and made it a point to spend
more time with people who lifted her spirit.
While there are surely more levels to understanding overeating than this,
perhaps this acceptancethat negative feelings are okay and actually of
valueis an important step forward.
Jeannette, Danny and his moms marigolds survived a difcult time and so
will we!
Empowerment: Its okay to be mad. Its okay to be sad. Its NOT okay to ruin
something important, like my healthy eating, when Im upset.
One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
cranberry red Pontiac Grand Am with all the bells and whistles) and decorated
her adorable new apartment with her dearest treasures. She is happy, she is
healthy and she is busy. The challenges of a lifetime are water under the bridge
as she joyfully lives and serves each day.
One of the few remaining frustrations of her life has been the Internetit
having been added as one of lifes major components after shed learned basic
computer word processing and e-mail. Now shes even learning that!
My darling sister, Susan, came and left three days later. By then mom was
hooked up on the fastest speed available and cruising the Internet with much
more condence. She was bouncing from site to site, cutting and pasting like
a pro and had joined an e-greeting card website to send birthday cards to her
many grandchildren and great grandchildren.
From one day to the next, it is time for us too. Time to refresh our yearning for
health and tness, time to learn whatever skills are required, time to earn the
rewards of wise choices and patience.
The clock is ticking! Take 60 seconds to adopt and incorporate a health principle
from a magazine or other information source you know will make a difference
for you. Yearn, learn and earn!
Empowerment: I yearn for health and energy! I learn about how to attain
health and energy! I earn health and energy!
Latin, English, Algebra and Physics. He was poor in athletics and went out
for only one sport (golf) and did not make the team. The cartoons he drew
for his high school yearbook were rejected. The red-headed beauty he loved
and wanted to marry also rejected him and chose to marry a muscle-bound
reman instead.
And look what he achieved, what he created and the legacy of joy he left. God
bless the man who made us laugh and who never gave up.
The world does not come to an end when a healthy eating plan takes a
temporary holiday. Losing or gaining makes you neither a good person nor
a bad one. Planning for the inevitability of short-term eating detours is an
important part of long-term weight loss success.
Start from where you are and move forward now. Rats! No more excuses!
One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
If not this week/month/year, then next. Furthermore, at this time there are so
many overweight and obese people around, it is no longer as conspicuous as
it used to be.
Often it is not until we feel a separate, heavy weight in its entirety that we
recognize the difculties of carrying our own extra body weight. If you havent
done this convincing 60-second trick, go to the grocery store and lift a 25 pound
bag of dog food. Go the second mile at home and load four, ve-pound bags
of sugar or our into a backpack and carry it around on your back for a couple
of hours. I guarantee youll be surprised. CAUTION: No guilt, no despair,
no tears with this exercise. We subscribe only to optimism, opportunity and
persistence, so be sure to do the follow-up below:
If youre even ve pounds on your way, ip this exercise into some personal
congratulations. Put the amount of weight youve lost (once again in ve
pound bags) into a backpack or box and carry that around. When you put it
down, give yourself a great big hug because you really have lost that much
weight. Be proud of yourself!
My special friend and reader Karen is down over 100 pounds, with a goal of
losing 125 pounds. Early on, she decided that a 25 pound bag of kitty litter
would be an additional, consistent standard for measuring her success besides
her weekly weigh-in. I have loved getting her notes, Im down three kitty
litter bagsonly two more to go! or I carried around a bag of kitty litter for
a while today. Boy! Im so proud of myself for sticking with my plan.
Heres one more. The next time youre at the grocery store, go to the meat
section and pick up some chicken, hamburger or a roastsomething eshy.
Look at the weight on the package, feel it in your hands and picture how
much youve lost. Now thats exciting! Make it a 60-second habit to regularly
feel the weight and see the volume of even just ve pounds of margarine
sticks, hamburger or meat to literally see and feel whats happening with your
weight.
When we lovingly box-in and alter a wishful I want to lose weight into the
nuts n bolts I need to lose weight were on our way. Almost immediately the
mental wheels start turning to establish a plan and alter troublesome foods
and behaviors from too much trouble to change into too important not to
change!
71.
If youre not getting the results you need from your plan, take 60 seconds. Go
back and review the instructions on your eating plan. What ne points have
you missed? In your heart are the honest answers. What are you doing that
just requires more patience and perseverance? What are you not doing and
making excuses about?
Well, Kellys bookcase is completed and makes a real difference in her room.
Its a reality. All the nuts and bolts were there just like they are to build our
own health now.
Empowerment: I have all the nuts and bolts I need to assemble better health. I
am actively putting it together.
62. Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you
have and only you can determine how it will be spent.
Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.
(Carl Sandburg)
My son, Cooper, and I often stop for a treat or snack after his music lesson. As
if there isnt already a feast of bad choices at our favorite drive-thru (as well as
a few healthy itemshooray!) theres now yet another poor choice to be made
at the cashiers window with a new sign that reads:
Eat What You WantPay How You Want! There are pictures of all the
major credit cards along with the menu selections. I dont know about you,
but this spells T-R-O-U-B-L-E right here in River City to me.
Had you ever thought that the result of years and months and days of poor
food choices and not enough exercise are like eating on credit? Weve eaten
what we wantedeven if we couldnt afford it calorie-wise or health-wise.
Now were dealing with the accumulated and very tangible debt in terms of
credits (extra pounds) and debits (energy, health and well-being).
As a result, we live 24/7 with the big time debts of both overspending and
overeating. The only difference is that theres not a written bank statement
each month for our health. Maybe it would help if there were.
But then again, a statement and easy access is readily available! Just call it The
First Bank of Me and visit it often. Although its not wise to check balances on
the bathroom scale more than once a week for the most accurate accounting,
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One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
you can make regular, healthy deposits in your food journal and other journals
throughout the day, every day, at the First Bank of Me.
You can even get an actual checkbook register to carry and use as a deposit
book for noting all the little, but signicant, improvements youre experiencing
day by day.
Can we get out of debt? Oh, yes! The answer is a budget. Well just live on the
allotted cash (i.e., limited calories) for each day. Are there special occasions
when we can still charge just a bit? Of course, since this is a long-term banking
plan.
Kathleen (name changed) is a special education teacher who keeps off her 25+
pound loss by counting both calories and fat grams. She also trains for and
runs in marathons, a passion she indulges to support her healthy eating plan.
She has also picked up a strategy from her teaching that is extremely helpful.
I was having difculty with a special education student. His therapist
suggested a technique of STOP (stop what youre doing); FOLD (fold your
ands); FOCUS (eye contact on the teacher/ears listening). Its a great technique
for teaching, and Ive found it very good for my entire class. They are so proud
of gaining control over themselves with this technique. I love it too!
73.
Empowerment: The need, goals and ability to lose weight are alive within me.
I take the time to focus and stay on task.
Ive seen some very amusing t-shirts recently. With a sense of respect to the
importance of humor and irony, what do you think of these two? Shop til you
drop...Eat til you pop! and Drop the chocolate and no one gets hurt.
Of course there are all the old t-shirt jokes that are pretty stale by now with
weight loss messages, the Im on a seafood dietI eat whatever I see. etc.
With perfect understanding for the life-essential need to laugh with and at
ourselves, I keep having this thought, As a man thinketh, so is he (James
Allen). Jokes like the ones printed on these shirts send a dangerous, bingestarting subliminal message that over-indulgence is fun and that chocolate is
more important than almost anything else.
Whether we are fully aware of it or not, we act on our subconscious thoughts.
In the case of these t-shirts, the destructive actions have been literally pasted on
those who wear them. Our subconscious selves are extremely sensitive servants
who take things very literally. The inner self is not capable of discerning that
were just joking or being sarcastic. They will believe whatever we tell them,
so statements and jokes like these send black-and-white communication that
portion control and healthy eating are boring and foolish.
This, of course, is not true! Once we get the sugars and nasty fats out of our
systems, our miraculous organs clap for joy. They get to function as they
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One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
were meant to. Our stomach and digestive systems process, nourish, cleanse
and digest with efciency as they get the ber and nutrients to do their job.
Without added salt, sugar and articial ingredients, our taste buds leap into
activity. We can soon enjoy natural avors that are incredibly delicious. One of
my readers told me that after a month with no sugar, she could literally taste
the natural sugars in all her vegetables, even lettuce! Another reader shared
that the cavities that had plagued her as an adult ended when she started to
eat healthfully.
Its all in what we decide. My one-cup serving of strawberries and yogurt were
more delicious than ice cream last night. I told myself it was so, and it was.
If youre not having these experiences yet, you will soon. Just tell yourself
that healthy food is delicious food that makes you happy and youre on your
way.
Now, what do you think about this for a t-shirt, I used to eat my rewards. Now
the reward is self-respect. Its worth it. Vividly imagine yourself wearing that
shirt tucked into a pair of slim-tting slacks or jeans and watch out, everybody!
Its going to happen.
20 minutes away from downtown Washington, D.C.) decided that they also
wanted the exact same Yoshino cherry trees to line their streets and bloom
each spring. They bought and planted thousands of the baby trees while their
homes, the neighborhood and their own families were very young.
Fast forward to the present. In late March and early April, blocks and blocks
of this Maryland neighborhood, called Kenwood, are lined with the mature
cherry trees in full bloom. It feels like walking through a winter, snowy
fairyland of pale, pink blossoms, blossoms and more blossoms everywhere.
While they are in bloom, residents of the neighborhood invite and greet
thousands of visitors who slowly drive or walk along the streets. Dazzled
guests are bathed in the beauty of the cherry tree blossoms and the detailed
gardens surrounding many of the homes. They take pictures, buy lemonade
from the childrens corner stands and enjoy picnics beside the gurgling stream
that ows through the center of the neighborhood. They adopt the trees and
peace as if it were their own for just a few hours.
My eyes ll with tears just thinking about our own special afternoons there
with Bob, my mother and our children, knowing that it must be a glimpse into
the celestial neighborhoods of heaven where God lives. Its easy to imagine
the angels themselves enjoying the sights and a healthy picnic.
Needless to say, something like this doesnt happen without a detailed plan
created many years ago, nor is it maintained without a long-term schedule that
is reviewed and acted upon regularly. Residents who buy into the community
know what theyre getting into and sign a contract. Old or sick trees are
removed and new ones are planted regularly to prepare for the future. Is the
plan and continual effort worth it? Oh, yes. Oh, yes!
Back to us. Creating healthy lifestyles and t bodies is no different! While
we may wish that we had started long ago and were enjoying the shade and
blooms, nature is kind. Things will start to grow today too, which makes right
now the perfect time to get going and get planting.
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One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
Zig Zigler, author of the best-selling book, See You at the Top, is a famous
and wealthy motivator who changed his own life when he wrote this book.
He now changes countless other lives with his books, videos and tapes on
motivation and self-improvement.
It takes one to know one is the starting point here, because dear Zig knew
that no one would take his books and subject matter seriously if he were
overweight and out of shape, which he was.
He spent his youth and early adulthood calling himself Fat Boy. It was not
without a good reason. Born in the South and raised on ice cream and fried
chicken, he was, in very deed, a fat boy. How could he lead others to personal
success when he couldnt manage himself? With this epiphany, he realized
that changing the very real and powerful Fat Boy self-denition was almost
more important than changing what he ate.
He knew he needed more than an excellent eating and exercise plan. He
needed something visual to make the invisible, internal change. He found a
magazine underwear ad of an attractive man at a realistic, healthy weight. He
clipped it out and taped it on his bathroom mirror with a photo of his own face
covering the models. With a program, diligent exercise and a perfect mental
image he was on his way and lost 35 pounds in six months.
His day-by-day weight loss success fueled the discipline necessary to write his
rst book, which opened the doors to the success he now enjoys. God bless his
healthy, happy heart! Hes made a difference in my life.
Want to see someone else whos making a difference to me and many others?
Its my friend and dear reader Holly, who has lost and keeps off 128 pounds!
Holly is the mother of four very young children. You can see her pictures and
read her stories from the Success Stories link at www.MyWeightLossFriend.
com.
When Holly realized she was in the prison of too-much Holly, barely able to
get off the couch and care for her children, she started a long-term healthy
eating program. Her husband was stationed in Iraq, and she was unable to
77.
leave her young children, so she exercised with videos on TV and started
visualizing success. (Her favorites are Leslie Sansones Walk Away The Pounds.)
She maintains a delightful daily blog and has posted very clear pictures and
word images of what shes all about.
Now its our turn. We dont have to be famous authors or create a website
to do something simple to get out of jail free. Just clip out a magazine ada
healthy weight, please, nothing too unrealistic. Replace the models face with
a photo of your own and get that subconscious to work!
Its going to happen! We can get out of jail any and every time we choose to.
I wished Id had a camera, but sometimes the best camera of all is the one right
in your heart. It was a beautiful day. After several hours indoors, I left my work
at the community center and was welcomed by a sun-drenched afternoon. The
small park that surrounds the building was impossibly green and lush with
new grass ourishing after several days of rain. It sloped to a small meadow
that had been generously kissed with newly-opened golden dandelions.
Two sweet little girls, no more than three or four years old, were quietly
kneeling there making dandelion bouquets. Their mother, engrossed in a
book, was at the top of the gentle slope. More than a Kodak moment, this was
a bit of heaven to peek in on.
Quick as a camera lens snapping, the picture changed as the older of the two
ran to her mother with the bouquet in her outstretched hands. Knowing how I
love to read and hate to be interrupted, I watched to see this mothers response.
I was in for a treat. With a smile of joy, this lovely mother put down her book,
reached for the bouquet of weeds as if they were long-stemmed roses, then
smelled them as if they were exquisite perfume. The child curled up in her
mothers lap, and the two of them shared a private, magic moment in the early
afternoon sunshine.
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One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
Empowerment: I accept and embrace my need to lose weight and gain health
as a positive opportunity. Now is a perfect moment. I peacefully move forward
from the present.
Bob and I recently sat down and watched a DVD of Gone With The Wind. Kelly
came home from babysitting just before the end of the rst half. Intrigued with
how we could be so enthralled, she opped down and tried to gure out what
was going on.
As Scarlett stood against the sunset and deed the world around her in her
famous quote, Kelly rolled her eyes in pre-teen pretend anguish and left the
room muttering, Whatever! Little did she know how much shed have in
common with Scarlett within just a day or so.
You see, Kelly has gured out that she follows my side of the family genetics
for weight. Over a year ago she consciously decided on her own that she
wanted to eat right for many reasons. Shes learning to read labels and very
much enjoys the healthy things that are best for all Gods children and doing
a good job of avoiding the junk. Without knowing it, her body has gotten very
accustomed to this.
79.
The very next day she went to a movie with a friend where they bought a
big tub of popcorn, soda and some candy. She came home just miserable,
nauseated and wanting to throw-up. I knew in an instant that her digestive
system simply could not handle this kind of eating any longer.
An hour or so later, she was able to get rid of it and felt much better. The
second round, even more severe than the rst, hit a couple of hours later. As
I washed her face with a cool cloth she uttered Scarletts immortal words in a
healthy eating context that will stick with me forever:
Mom, Ill never eat movie popcorn again! Im quite sure she wont. Nor will I.
To carry it one step further, years ago, a favorite weight loss meeting lecturer
shared that after losing 50 pounds, she and her husband celebrated with a
fast-food fried chicken n xins dinner. She was sick for the next several days
with a digestive system that no longer knew what to do with fried chicken and
greasy biscuits.
Yes, indeed, things can and do change! Ill bet youve got your own experiences
with foods that you no longer enjoy or digest comfortably. If this hasnt
happened yet, I promise it will! Those donuts will be heavy and slimy, real
mayonnaise will stick to the roof of your mouth, 2% milk will be as thick
as a quilt in your mouth and heavy, fried food will leave you in a pitiful
condition.
With God as my witness, I believe this and know we can do whatever is required
to serve and respect our bodies today! God bless Scarlett, Kelly and us!
unhealthy foods that do not nourish (other than small portions for special
occasions.)
69. Its not what you are that holds you back;
its what you think you are not.
(Dennis Waitley)
Our three teenagers recently sang in a church youth music recital where
I accompanied them. I spread out my ve sheets of music across the music
holder of the grand piano as they gathered around the podium in the front of
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One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
the chapel and we started. The rst few chords were in place and Kellys sweet
voice had started when disaster struck. The rst sheet of music quietly drifted
off the piano onto the oor at my left. The kids couldnt see me, but I was in
trouble! I did not have the music memorized and had to stop. Aaaarrrrr
ggggghhhh! How embarrassing for all of us.
A saint and good friend who has lost and keeps off 30+ pounds quietly slipped
up and held my music in place. We started again and as the song progressed,
another piece of music slipped off on the other side. She actually got down on
her hands and knees and crawled around the piano to get it off the oor so
she wouldnt distract the audience. God bless her heart! Well, the whole thing
took me back to a bad, bad day in high school.
I was in the middle of my adventures as a teenager with no front teeth. (If
you havent read the story, you can see it on my website on the Meet Me
link. The story is All I Want for High School Is My Four Front Teeth.) I was a
chubby, odd little mist and felt very much entitled to my feelings of life being
unfair.
I had been feeling extra sorry for myself all day. That evening there was a
piano recital at my teachers house. I was in no mood to go, but there was no
backing out of it. I have no recollection of what I played or how well I did, but
I do remember the lesson I learned that night.
I was busy nursing my resentful feelings when another student (with front
teeth and a nice gure, I noticed jealously) started her piece. Her music book
would not stay open. Again and again she tried to get it to open at while still
playing, but the music book would not cooperate.
A little voice inside of me said Go up and help her! Youre so close! Just slide onto
the bench and hold it open for her!
But I wasnt brave enough and besides, Id had a very bad day and was doing
enough just to simply be there, I justied to myself. At last a girl that I had
never seen before got up from the other side of the room to help.
To my surprise, she was disabled. On bent legs and braces, she made her way
to the piano and quietly held the music in place for the other student to nish.
There was a quiet, remarkable glow about her that I remember to this day.
81.
I was so ashamed. The sad look on my moms face only deepened the hurt. I
could have done it. My pity party had taken over common decency and my
ability to do what I could do that night. Ive never forgotten it and have shed
a tear or two just putting it all into writing on paper as an adult.
Back to us: How often do our feelings of Poor Me! or Ive done enough
and no one should expect more! take over literally getting off our chairs and
doing the decent, honorable, helpful thing for our weight and health.
If you hear that whining voice insisting that you cant do more, its time to put
a wet blanket on it and just get out of the chair. Its really not that hard. Were
sitting right there beside that girl who truly needs our help.
Todays the day and nows the time to progress with simple 60-second things
like enjoying the broccoli instead of the cupcake, taking a quick walk instead
of watching another TV show, choosing two big glasses of water instead of a
handful of candy or leaving the room instead of picking at the frosting while
no ones looking.
We can do it or not. Doggone if there isnt always a 60-second choice!
Have you noticed that when stress goes up, so does our weight? I guess there
are a few lucky people who stop eating when they are stressed, but not me or
anyone in my immediate circle.
For many years, I renewed healthy eating in January. I did well through midMay, and then lost my grip for the rest of the year. Id regain what Id lost and
start all over the next January. Why?
Heres a clue. Between about ve weeks from mid-May until mid-June our
immediate family celebrates four birthdays (May 15, 17, 19 and 26), Mothers
Day, Fathers Day, Memorial Day and innumerable baseball games for our
teenaged baseball fanatic, Spencer. There are end-of-school-year projects,
82.
One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
concerts, recitals and festivities for four children. One year we upped things
a notch with both our daughter Emilys high school graduation and a trip to
Utah for our oldest sons college graduation. Whew! I know you have periods
like this too.
How to cope when life is too much? The Optimist Creed to the rescue! Last
May our family printed a copy. We talked about it, and then signed the bottom
as a family pact to rise above our demanding May-June schedules without
getting crabby. We posted it on the refrigerator, and I do believe it made a
signicant difference.
Although you may be familiar with it, its inspiring concepts never fail to give
me a refreshing lift. I hope you feel the same. Here it is for the next time you
need an anchor.
The Optimist Creed
Promise Yourself:
To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
To make all your friends feel that there is something worthwhile in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
To think only of the best, to work only for the
best and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success
of others as you are about your own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to
the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful expression at all times and give a
smile to every living creature you meet.
To give so much time to improving yourself that you
have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear,
and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world,
not in loud word, but in great deeds.
To live in the faith that the whole world is on your side,
so long as you are true to the best that is in you.
83.
One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
when I strengthen myself. I claim the liberty and freedom that come from
being healthy and t.
With her melodic southern drawl and an animated sparkle in her eye, my
friend had me in hysterics with her tale about the German chocolate birthday
cake shed recently served at a family party.
I declare! That cake taught me a lesson that money could never buy! It was
gorgeous, I repeat, a gorgeous creation! I couldnt bear to say goodbye to it,
although my daughter was brave enough to take home only one piece for their
little family to share later. So, I pretended I was going to give it all away to my
neighbors. What a little bber I am.
Now, Im a widow and live alone. Would yall believe me if I said that this
cake sweet-talked and sang me love songs for the next three days? Kept me up
at night, yes sir it did!
At last, I decided to have a piece, but to enjoy it like a lady. I got out a pretty
plate, poured myself a glass of skim milk and went to slice myself a piece.
Imagine my surprise when that big ol cake was too stale to cut. I threw it all
in the trash and laughed myself silly!
When she nished with a sigh, she emphatically added, I do hope I have
learned to say goodbye to the guests and the leftovers at the same time!
Well, thats a darling story, and she came out the victor over the cake. Good for
her! We can skip the drama with an easy 60-second strategy to keep ourselves
moving in the right direction:
85.
Come on, admit it. How many of your pillows still have the Do Not Remove
Under Penalty of Law tag stitched rmly in place?
I know most of mine do. Somehow those tags are as sacred as the location for
the bank lockbox key. Hogwash! Look carefully at the tag. Under the command
Do Not Remove youll see Except By Consumer in small print.
What could possibly happen by simply snipping the useless thing right off?
Do we really need to see it every night and every time we change the sheets?
Mind you, were very grateful that the materials used are new, and well be
careful when using it with our babies. Washing instructions do have their
place.
However, were the consumer, and it is not a crime to remove the tag. By the
same token, it is not a crime to eat a sandwich with mustard instead of mayo,
and with baby carrots for crunch instead of chips. It is not a crime to enjoy a
movie with a couple of 30-calorie lollipops instead of buttered popcorn, and
it is not a crime to eat sugar-free ice cream in the evening instead of Ben &
Jerrys, no matter what anyone else is eating.
Most importantly, it is not a crime to schedule and take the time required to
care for little old number one: Y-O-U!
86.
One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
One of the best parts about losing weight, conded my friend who was
down almost 50 pounds is being able to face my doctor! Ive been putting off
routine tests for several years because I didnt want to hear a lecture about my
weight. I still have quite a ways to go, but Im headed in the right direction
and I know the doctor will be pleased.
Oh, its a relief to know that the scale, even if its not where you want it to be
quite yet, is moving in the right direction and that youre in control.
How many routine, but lifesaving, exams are missed simply because of the
dreaded weigh-in with a stone-faced nurse and a doctor who make you feel
like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar? Theyve often got weight to
lose themselves, yet there we all are. Not fun.
Courage! Regardless of what your weight is today, get out your calendar. How
long has it been? When are you due? As you read this, hear the bells going off
and call now. If nothing else, you can tell your doctor youve started a new
program, that youre headed in the right direction and determined to keep on
walking. For all you know, there may be a medical condition that is slowing
your weight loss progress down that your doctor can help you with.
Take 60 seconds and just do it!
87.
Look! giggled my daughter Kelly to her friend sitting with her in the backseat
of the car. Its a bride and groom on a motorcycle!
They were caught in a terrible t of giggles, trying to out-do each other with
ridiculous jokes. Kellys friend and I rolled our eyes as she insisted it was true.
Really! Just look behind us!
Sure enough, the sound of motorcycles behind us as we came to a stop light
made us turn around and look. Six large motorcycles driven by a formallydressed bridal party of groomsmen revved their engines impressively. Sitting
behind her new husband on the last motorcycle was the glowing bride,
resplendent in a lacy full-length wedding gown and veil. Strapped securely
on top of the veil was a heavy-duty black motorcycle helmet. The others were
wearing their helmets too. Important things, those helmets.
The surrounding drivers did our best to wish them well, honking horns and
calling congratulations from open windows until the light changed. Then,
with white lace billowing on the afternoon breeze, there were smiles for miles
for all of us as we each went our own way.
There are miles of smiles ahead of us (and weight loss success too) when we
dutifully wear our healthy eating helmets by preparing for the unknown in our
own busy days. Its a trick to keep those engines revved up and to recognize
that our own gas tanks need premium fuel 24/7, no matter the cost.
Whats our best protective helmet? The knowledge that today counts and is
a new beginning. Strapping the knowledge into place with a planned menu
(even for just three to four days out of the week), a snack in your purse or car
(to prevent hunger/stress binges) and a freezer meal or two for emergencies
is also a good start. So is a scheduled time for exercise and a back-up plan for
emergencies.
One of my favorite safety helmets is to repeat a mantra during my most
difcult hours (from 3:00 p.m. to dinner time) I can lose weight, I am losing
weight, I will lose weight is a good one.
Well, got your healthy eating helmet strapped on tight and ready to go? Me too!
88.
One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
strap on a symbolic safety helmet and repeat to myself I can lose weight, I am
losing weight, I will lose weight to actively protect my choices.
Have you ever wondered, like me, if there will ever be any end to what we
must do to get healthy and stay healthy? Or, how does Monday and beginning
again roll around so fast? Or, perhaps that losing weight and maintaining
our loss feels like were busy little hamsters running around in circles with the
same cycle to repeat again and again?
Well, maybe we are like busy little hamsters. And whats wrong with that
if one healthy choice leads to another and another? And one pound or inch
lost leads to another and another? And one new habit leads to another and
another?
Take 60 seconds and memorize this little poem as a reminder that to receive
health for ourselves, we must rst give health to ourselves.
Circles of Creation
(by Carolyn Allen)
The earth with all its beauties
The sun up in the sky
The clock with hands that circle
As every hour goes by.
The foods that build or weaken
The thoughts that go or stay
The health for my tomorrow
Is mine to choose today.
We can do it! One day, one pound, one 60-second choice at a time!
90.
One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
As I stood there sweating, my mouth fell open, and I felt like throwing one of
my hand weights at the TV screen. A little research on the nutrition for these
cakes shows them at 310 calories and 45 grams of fat per serving (about 4-6
small bites). This is hardly a smile. Its a very fattening, very deceitful little
monster. What a travesty!
Heres my opinion: The media is possessed by continually feeding us
informational stories about obesity while accepting sponsorship from the very
companies who count on our bad habits to keep them in business. I think this
is an offensive conict of interest and immediately red an e-mail to my local
TV station.
When I cooled down, I reminded myself of the best way to proceed. Sticking
with my healthy eating plan and reaching for the best helping hand Ive got
the one at the end of my own arm. Now thats a smile.
Empowerment: My own best helping hand is always right where I need itat
the end of my own arm.
Have you read a Mary Higgins Clark mystery recently? This popular and
prolic author has been publishing best-sellers for years, and I have enjoyed
many of them. Her recorded books have kept me company on road trips and
throughout many a household project. When you read the book jackets for
successful people like this, you just think Wow! Shes got it made! What would
it be like?
Thats how I felt until I read her autobiography called Kitchen Privileges. Out
spills the story of how her father died when she was only 10, leaving her,
her mother and two brothers. She married young and submitted more than
40 stories over six long years before anything was published. Her own rst
husband died leaving her with ve young children to raise alone. Her rst
book was a total failure. (Read more at www.MaryHigginsClark.com.)
91.
Now we know why we love her characters and stories. They are real because
she is real. Her source for the quote above is the lengthy period (with little
publishing success) when she, as a young widow with ve kids, got up at 5:00
a.m. each morning to write at the kitchen table while her children slept.
While it is not easy to lose weight, it is easy to treasure her quote and to picture
our efforts as the rst valiant ame of a roaring campre. Stoop down and get
close. Tell the naysayers to move back. Careful, not too much kindling. There,
put your hand around your goal and blow gently. Protect it from the wind and
give success a chance. Do what you must, but dont let it go out! There! Its
catching. Its going to be okay.
One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
Just joking! Seriously, how about this little prayer to whisper many times a
day with our beautiful 60- second choices?
My Prayer For Health and Strength
As this food now leaves my hand
Help me Lord to live my plan
As I eat this may I nd
Physical strength and peace of mind
Thank you!
Amen.
Ive got a feeling well be reciting new blessings as the pounds disappear!
Empowerment: Each bite is a blessing. I stop, give thanks and truly savor each
and every taste and morsel.
80. Only actions give life strength; only moderation gives it charm.
(Jean Paul Richter)
Oh, honey! said my mom with love and concern in her voice. I was 16 or 17,
in tears and embarrassed after a clumsy telephone conversation with a cute
boy I had a crush on. I wasnt really dating and just didnt know how to talk
to guys. I always said too much, too loud, too fast.
Compare the display windows of a ne jewelry store and the Dollar Store,
she continued with a hug. The jewelry store puts out only a few lovely things
to entice you in, while the dollar store continually displays everything. Youre
a jewel! Learn to hold back, she said reassuringly. It will only make you
more interesting.
It was a hard lesson to learn. Most lessons in moderation are.
Welcome to the charm school of health and tness! We know the twice-blessed
charm we wantthe charm of our bodies looking their best and the charm
of our health being at its best. How to get it is easily dened: Moderation
in portions (measure at home so youll be familiar and skilled at eye-balling
correct sizes when youre out) and moderation in selection (choose foods as
close to nature as possible. Shop the perimeter of the store. Leave the highly
processed and rened foods alone).
93.
I recently watched a TV program where several women shared how they had
overcome incredible odds to both lose their weight and change their personal
circumstances. One of the women had lost over 100 pounds and her thought is
now engraved on my heart. She said, Just like we exchange the foods we eat,
we can exchange the words we use. One of the most empowering exchanges is
to honestly use the word unwilling instead of I cant.
For example, honestly admitting to ourselves Im unwilling to keep a food
journal today instead of saying I cant keep a food journal today brings
integrity and progress.
This is an excellent thought. To carry it one step further, heres the follow-up
question to ask: Honey, why are you unwilling? When we use affectionate
terms with ourselves, were going to get somewhere and open even more
doors. Maybe the answer is as easy as getting yourself better organized and
efcient. Maybe it goes much deeper. The point is that you dont need all your
inner answers to go ahead with your healthy weight loss plan. Just be willing
and do it!
Heres a 60-second safety net for the next time youre ready to say I cant.
Simply stop and say HALT! Then ask yourself: Am I:
H:
A:
L:
T:
Hungry?
Angry?
Lonely? or
Tired?
One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
Are you ready? Whether theyre weeds or evasions, out they go! One by one
well dig the darn things out by their long, hairy roots and laugh as the victory
pile continues to grow, no matter how slow.
garden growing. I do not pay attention to false alarm weeds and enjoy my
gardening today.
Remember the old song Happiness Is from the old Broadway musical, Youre
a Good Man, Charlie Brown? Everything from nding a pencil and coming home
at the end of the day to having a friend to sing with is canonized in this tender
little tune.
Eating is in there too: pizza with sausage, two kinds of ice cream and sharing a
sandwich. A careful analysis of the lyrics reveals that food is but a small part of
overall happiness. Theres a much bigger emphasis on learning, relationships
and activities. Hmmmm! This is delicious food for thought.
Will losing weight make you happy? Now theres a loaded question! Why
not take todays quote to heart and check out the success stories at my own
website, www.MyWeightLossFriend.com, or www.GettingtoGoal.com, or my
absolute favorite for inspiring stories of women who have lost 100, 200 and
even more than 300 pounds at www.WWFamilyforum.com. Is it just me or do
the smiles and pictures exude a peace and happiness that is never found in a
box of cookies?
For you and me, happiness is weight loss success, loosening pants and the
great satisfaction of turning down the donuts one day after another. We need
this, we deserve this and we can have this through one 60-second choice at a
time.
96.
One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
When was the last time you were forced to be polite to an unwanted guest?
Thats a miserable experience, common to us all at one time or another.
Often the extra pounds have been sticking around for so long that they consider
themselves to be a welcome part of your life. This is a bit far-fetched of course,
but the weight really is easily compared to a really obnoxious guest who never
takes a subtle hint or leaves on its own. Yup, one of those unwanted guests
that keeps the whole household in a stied uproar.
Its a huge step forward when we accept the fact that weve been too nice for
too long. Its time to assertively say goodbye.
Spend 60 seconds in the bathroom in front of the mirror. Summon your power
and your rage to say, Enough! You must go now! Say it out loud and with
feeling to those unwanted pounds. When temptations arise later in the day,
say it again. Feel the emotion that you felt when you were alone in front of the
mirror.
To clarify it even further in your heart and mind, spend a few minutes and
write a letter to those pounds. With the sound of Gloria Gaynor singing I
Will Survive in your head, write something like, This is goodbye. Youre not
welcome any more. Ill do what is required to get you out the door. Thanks for
the lessons, the memories...now, goodbye! Ive got all my love to give, Ive got
all my life to live. So, go! I will survive! I will survive!
Then continue your letter with This is what Im going to do without you
(and make a list). This is what Im going to wear without you (and make a
list). This is why I must say farewell (and make a list).
Put this letter in an envelope with a copy of your motivating photo. Open and
read it when your plan and progress get fuzzy.
Okay! Weve said goodbye! Now its time to envision and focus on saying
hello to the very welcome, very healthy you whos walking through the door
even as you read this.
97.
With a hug and a smile say Hello, honey! Welcome! Let the good times begin!
Ive been waiting, Im ready and Im ever-so-glad youre here for good!
Then quickly review your eating plan for the day, embrace those nutritious
foods, water and exercise and youre on your way again. Bring on the good
times!
85. When you chip a teacup, dont throw out the set.
(Anon.)
Years ago, a dear college roommate and her husband (Jane and Steve) had a
three-year military assignment in Europe. There was no need for a car, so they
dutifully saved what they would have spent on normal auto expenses for the
whole three years. Several months before returning to the U.S., they ordered the
family van of their dreams and paid cash for it. We picked them up at the airport
and drove them the next day to get their beautiful new van. They had three
young sons, all under the age of six. Needless to say, there were many stern
warnings to be careful and absolutely no food was allowed in the new van.
We had several fun days together before they headed off to their new
assignment and traveled everywhere with all our kids in their new van. We
returned home well after bedtime one night and as Steve lifted his sleeping
four-year-old son to his shoulder, there was no mistaking that thered been an
accident. Hed wet his little pants on the seat of the new van. (This was before
car seats were required for older children.)
I was ready for a big reaction, but instead watched Steve in amazement. He
winked at Jane and said, Well, now we can enjoy the van! And they did.
Back to us and a healthy eating lifestyle. Perfection? Not us! Way too much
stress.
Consistency and nding success in small, 60-second ways? Enjoying what
weve got and how hard weve worked to get this far? Absolutely.
One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
Im sure your days and weekends are much like mine, not enough hours
in the day to do what needs to be done. My husband has a cute mantra for
overwhelming days, It always gets done, and we always have fun. Often
the rst thing that gets tossed out when life gets hectic and we get tired are
the behaviors, convictions and positive self-talk that keep healthy habits front
and center. When schedules, stress or personal challenges hit the fan, were
like kids playing the board game of Chutes and Ladders. Right when we were
going to win, we roll the wrong number and nd ourselves sliding down,
down, down.
Spend 60 seconds now and make a note to remember the following examples
to change your choices on your next overwhelming day:
Negative Self-Conversation: (Self Sabotage)
I dont have time to sit down for a low-fat meal/snack. Ill just eat as I
work.
I dont have salad or healthy xings in the fridge. Ill just order pizza
or pick-up Chinese on my way home.
I dont have the discipline to lose weight. Whats one brownie? Ill
just enjoy it now.
No one but me notices or cares about what I eat, my weight or how I
look. Why bother?
I dont have the energy to exercise. Its been such a long day that Ill
just relax tonight.
Eating always makes me feel better. I need something right now.
99.
Wait a minute! Theres an angel knocking at the door asking you to take 60
seconds and go back for some self-correcting positive self-conversation.
Here we go:
Positive Self-Conversation (Self-Afrmation):
When I dont feel I have time to sit down for a meal/snack, I
remember the high price for meals on the run. I have a drink or low-cal
snack to tide me over and remind myself that there is nothing that
cannot wait for 10 minutes while I eat properly.
When I havent had time to get to the store, I buy a grilled chicken
salad at the fast-food drive-thru (with non-fat dressing) to eat with
some tomato soup or vegetarian chili from a can for an easy meal after
a long day.
When I dont have the energy to exercise, I bring ice water to the
TV. I chair-walk* during the show, then do my abs workout during the
commercials.
Although I feel I dont have discipline, I do have a healthy eating
plan and goal. I have a treat often enough so that there is no need for
feeling guilty or deprived.
Self-mastery always makes me feel better. I need it right now, so
Ill put on some pretty hand lotion and straighten a drawer instead of
eat.
See? Theres always a choice to move life forward.
Empowerment: Theres a silver lining in every cloud when I make the effort to
nd it. Success comes to me as I ip negative thoughts into positive action.
*Special Note: How to Chair-Walk: Dont get out of your chair! (But do sit on
a hard seat.) Leave the TV on and sit straight up. Alternately lift each leg as if
youre walking. Youll bring your target heart rate up and this qualies as true
exercise. This is an excellent way to exercise with leg, hip and knee injuries or
weaknesses since you do not have to put any weight on your joints.
100.
One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
87. Ones task is not to turn the world upside down, but to do what is
necessary at the given place and with due consideration of reality.
(Anon.)
I think Im speaking for all of us when I say that eating the right stuff with lots
of ber works! It doubles up on function by both lling us up and by being
nutritious. A baked potato and broccoli with a cup of skim milk keeps me
going for hours. The same holds true with raisin bran, oatmeal, sweet potatoes,
legumes and lean proteins. Think to yourself delicious, nutritious, makes me
feel ambitious while eating and youre even further down the road.
Cookies and candy? I just want more. Now. And some more. Now. The cycle
is very difcult to break. Since it doesnt provide any nutrition, its denitely
what Joanie would have left behind as not being worthy of the space it takes.
While there will always be a place for sweets and treats, its important to
internalize that their value is that of wallpaper or an extra set of china
decorative and nice, but not essential for basic functioning. We save them for
special times with special people. Theyre precious because theyre limited. We
keep the portions small because theres literally not a lot of room for them.
Well, well just remember Joanie packing for Japan and my boss getting her
kids off to school with what we choose to eat todayand count it all as a very
good thing.
Special Note: That special family in New York City relaxed their eating
somewhat on the weekends. This was a great lesson too.
Seven months pregnant and just getting out of the shower on a steamy summer
morning, I heard my four year old crying hysterically from the sidewalk out
front. Its bad! Its really, really, really bad! Helllpppp! he wailed.
Fearing the worst but slowed down by my enormous tummy and swollen
ankles, I frantically wrapped myself in a towel and threw on my husbands
large robe. I clumsily waddled down the stairs and out the front door.
102.
One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
There he stood, bare-footed, completely frozen with fear and utterly terried
as a huge, brownish-grayish slug made its way across one little bare foot,
leaving moist trail marks as it slid along. I got a stick and icked the slimy
offender off, then comforted my cute little guy with a juice pop and hugs until
he nally calmed down.
Later in the day I said, Honey, slugs are pretty slow. And youre a really fast
guy. Why didnt you just move your foot before he got on it?
This was, of course, a poor question with no good answers. There simply are
no answers for letting a slug immobilize you. What there are good answers
for is recognizing that a slug is a slug and the time to get rid of it is now.
Icky things like slugs are a part of life and part of taming the scale. Dont think
about them, just do them. Dont like crunches? Quick! Do 25 when you get
out of bed. Dont like all that water? Quick! Drink 16 ounces before breakfast,
16 more before and after lunch, then another 16 before dinner. Youre done.
Dont like journaling? Come on! It takes 60 seconds or less and the benets
far outweigh the challenge. Bad habits creeping back? Quick! Flick em back
where they belong!
Whats your little slug lingering from yesterday or the day before? Name it
now and ick it off! After all, were way faster and smarter than slugs.
Empowerment: Identify your current slug and say the following empowerment
three times in a row with a smile: Slug, go away. I do not delay. Slug go
away. I take action today.
Special Note: Are you getting your multi-vitamin each day? No? Its such an
easy slug to deal with. We need our vitamins!
What if your life depended on it? Losing weight that is. Without minimizing
the well-documented physical life threats of true obesity (being more than
20% above ideal body weight), there are often other genuine drawbacks to
the quality of our lives and relationships when we feel second-best because
of our weight.
103.
90. You are who you are. Not who you used to be.
(Anon.)
A number of years ago I became friends with an extremely attractive and dynamic
104.
One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
young woman. She and her married daughter were successfully maintaining
losses of well over 35 pounds each. Toned and t, with an outrageous sense of
humor, she was remarkable and she knew it. Whenever she was asked how she
was doing, her response was Im fabulous, thank you!
As we got to know each other better, she shared how she had used the word
fabulous to help with losing her weight through increased self-esteem. She
had been intrigued by the advice of a popular self-help guru who suggested
greeting yourself in the mirror each morning with the words, Hello,
fabulous!
She was open and took the instruction to heart. Each morning she obediently
and sincerely said, Good morning, fabulous! to herself in the mirror. She
even put up a cute little sign to remind her. At that moment each morning she
recommitted to eating wisely for the next 24 hours. Since she was fabulous,
she deserved nothing but fabulous treatment, which meant smart eating
for health and beauty. Although she felt foolish for the rst few days, it soon
became a habit, then a personal quality. Before too long, her dream was quickly
becoming a fabulous, physical reality.
It takes less than 60 seconds to post an index card that says I am fabulous on
the bathroom mirror to greet you in the morning. Each time you see it, say it
loud and clear, I am fabulous!
Truer words were never spoken and they will make a powerful difference in
your choices now. Doesnt it feel good to lift yourself?
Where are your thoughts and eating behaviors today? In a rut or in a groove?
Delighted? Or bored? One of the most important lifestyle changes were
making is to regularly dene where were at and where were headed.
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Bob and I had taken our kids on a little weekend getaway. As a mother and
one who loves to observe other mothers, I was delighted to watch a doting
mom and her own little boy at the charming motel restaurant.
What would you like? the waitress asked this little guy who was all dressed
up in a white shirt, tie and slicked back hairunusual attire for a Saturday
morning.
Ummm, some cereal and some fruit and some milk, he shyly answered.
What?! No jelly donuts? No wafes and syrup? No biscuits n gravy n
sausage? she asked in mock surprise. No, thanks, he politely responded.
His mother beamed and nodded.
As their conversation with the waitress unfolded, it turned out that they
had traveled to West Virginia from South Carolina. The little boys beloved
Grandpa had died unexpectedly four days before, leaving a tangled web of
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heartbreaking and difcult circumstances. He was six and it was his rst
funeral. A long day lay ahead, with many uncertainties for all.
Oh, baby, said his mother in her soothing Southern drawl as the waitress
returned with his Raisin Bran and a banana, Those are really good choices.
Look at you! Look how many of your food groups are here already and its
only breakfast. Youve got a milk and a cereal and a fruit/vegetable. Im so
proud of you. Those good choices are going to really help you today.
With his moms affection, approval and something decent in his tummy, the
day ahead with its questions and a sad agenda could be securely faced.
My heart and thoughts went out to them, then drifted to us on our own sad
days. So often on these difcult days, we use and expect food to provide
instant protection, instant comfort, instant distraction and instant pain relief
from the feelings that life brings.
The truth is, of course, that food can never protect or comfort us, for it is simply
food, not medicine or God. Here are some specics for why food will never
help on any real level:
1. The hurt will still be there after the food has been eaten.
2. Eating lls your stomach, not your heart or your life.
3. After overeating, there are now three problems: a) the one you ate
to run from; b) your physical discomfort; and c) the guilt/frustration
and disappointment with yourself for turning to food again.
4. No matter how much you eat or for how long, the feelings and
reality will always come back.
5. Food and eating will never make illness, rejection, sadness,
loneliness or fears of any kind go away.
You know what? Even with that information, were still little kids needing
that voice of approval and support for difcult days, as well as nutritious food
to help us cope. It doesnt matter whether or not your mom provided the right
words for you in times of need. As adults we can become our own moms to
provide direction and affection. Its a 60-second choice to choose foods that
build on difcult days and then to step back and say, Oh, baby! Im so proud of
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you! Those are really good choices that are going to help you today. And they will.
I was taught a powerful lesson a number of years ago by a vivacious 15-yearold babysitter for my young children.
She had been diagnosed with juvenile diabetes before she was 10 and gave
herself insulin injections every day. She had beautifully come to terms with
her bodys lifelong limitations. She had the cutest gure, the loveliest skin and
radiated an enchanting tranquility that was far beyond her years.
One day I complimented her on how adorable she always looked and asked
if her dietary restrictions were hard to live with. I have never forgotten her
reply:
I know it sounds weird, but Im almost glad for my condition. I know what
I can eat and what I cant. Its an easy excuse for staying away from the foods
that are not really good for anybody. I dont stress about my weight like lots
of my friends. Maybe what theyre eating tastes good, but thats all. Im not
unhappy.
Voila! What a dear she was and so are we. Heres to taking 60 seconds to
simply change the view.
94. When a man has not a good reason for doing a thing,
he has one good reason for letting it alone.
(Sir Walter Scott)
How many times have you looked back over unplanned eating and thought to
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yourself Now why did I eat that? I wasnt hungry, it didnt taste that good, it
was not that satisfying, it wasnt in my plan for today and no one would have
cared if Id passed it up. What was my reason?
For me, the reason more often than not turns out to be in the word bite
itself:
B:
I:
T:
E:
Because
Its
There, you
Eat!
Whether its the bread basket at a restaurant, unexpected snacks from the boss
or a plate of cookies from a neighbor, there is no law that you must eat anything
you hadnt planned on. Much of learning to manage our weight arrives in
the gift-wrapped box called being accountable for unexpected bites of all
kinds.
Quick! Take 60 seconds to get away from the bad bites or choose something
else to bite (e.g., sugarless gum, a cinnamon mint or some crunchy veggies).
Take a quick glance at your motivating photo. Next, get a big drink of water.
After that, get your hands busy. Get a friend on the phone. Start a load of
laundry or do some ling. Get out the door for a walk. It doesnt matter what.
Just get going and do something positive that doesnt involve food!
In other words, dont give up what you want most for what you want at the
moment. After all, weve got a better life to live and thats a good reason!
eating.
95. Victory is won not in miles, but in inches. Win a little now,
hold your ground, and later win a little more.
(Anon.)
The guide replied, You do not understand sir. This city is so perfectly given
up to wickedness, corruption, degradation and abomination of every kind
that it requires but one little devil to keep them all in subjection.
Traveling on a little further, he came to a rugged path and saw an old man trying
to get up the hillside, surrounded by seven great, big, coarse-looking devils.
Why, said the traveler, this must be a tremendously wicked old man! Only
see how many devils there are around him.
This, replied the guide is the only righteous man in the country. There are
seven of the biggest devils trying to turn him out of his path. Even all together,
they cannot do it.
Well, what do you think? Are we frequently surrounded by devils in the form
of foods we dont need? People who dont help? Temptations and conicts to
minimize the priority of creating and maintaining personal health? Yes. Is it
challenging? Absolutely. However, were surrounded by other thing as well.
With each sunrise we are blessed with the miracle of a new day and our own
ability to choose to change. In addition, besides the devils, there are precious
angels dancing about us continually. Although we cannot see them, they are
clapping and cheering for us to make choices that will bless not only our own
health, but the lives of those who are dear to us who will directly benet from
us at our best.
Devils, be gone! You cannot bother us because there is no one and nothing
that can rob us of our progress and the power to choose foods, moods and
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my owners are moving. Please take me home before the trash men come!!
Wow! said Linda. Do you need this? I dont.
Me neither, I replied. But somebody must. We walked on. My mind went
to townwho could use this? Not anybody I could think of right off the bat,
but I couldnt let it just go! The clock was ticking because the trash men would
be there in less than an hour! I felt like I was on a TV game show and in my
mind I heard the theme music start.
We got home, and Linda asked if Id like her to drive me back and help get it.
Nahtoo much work. Ive got enough stuff in my garage. I said, trying to
convince myself not to play. I heard the studio audience groan and the emcee
say, Carolyn, are you sure?
As Linda went in her front door, the intensity increased. I simply couldnt
leave it to be crushed in the trash truck, could I? The clock ticked louder and
the studio audience started to cheer as I dashed into the house for my purse
and car keys. While the studio audience applauded, I hopped in the van, drove
over, loaded it up by myself, came home, plugged it in to make sure it worked
and popped an ad on www.craigslist.org, an online free classied ad service
that is both local and nationwide. It all took about 15 minutes. The ad started
to run immediately. Whew! I was breathless. The studio audience went wild!
By 5:00 that afternoon, I had sold it for $20 to a lovely elementary school
science teacher for her classroom. She was thrilled. Me too! Theres something
about an unexpected $20 bill in my pocket that speaks to me in very loving
tones.
Im not the only one who makes money while walking. Another walking
partner had exactly the same experience with a discarded high chair in
beautiful condition that she sold for $25. My husband found a $100 bill
while out exercising. No kidding! He turned it into the police, who returned
it to him as unclaimed property three months later. We had a ball with that
one.
Here are some more good things (besides money) to nd while youre walking:
1. A visit with a friend
2. Stress relief
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Empowerment: Good things are coming to me now! Especially good things are
coming as I walk and exercise!
Female dogs need 61 days to produce puppies while goats need 151. Humans
need 265 days, while the poor mama elephant is pregnant for 645 days, a full
year beyond our own nine months. Mice need a mere 19 days, squirrels 44.
Not surprisingly, rhinos (380 days) and giraffes (425 days) require much more
time than smaller animals.
Our Question Today: How long will it take to lose your weight?
Our Answer Today: As long as it takes!
Heres a true story about my friend Karen who has lost 100 pounds. I hope
youll cherish it as I do and hold her example in your heart as you make smart
60-second choices.
Shortly after the one-year anniversary of starting her plan (at about 85 pounds
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and in the early fall) her doctor announced that her left knee needed to be
replaced. The surgery was scheduled for the rst of December.
Not only was she overwhelmed, frustrated and discouraged with the news
of the mandatory surgery, she also faced the pressure of his request to lose as
much more as she possibly could before the surgery. He restricted her exercise
to avoid stressing the knee, which made her situation even more challenging.
Rather than head for the donuts, chips and ice cream, she doubled up on
exercising her mental attitude and became even more vigilant about following
her plan. She plodded on and in November she reached 100 pounds. Both she
and her doctor were thrilled.
The surgery was performed the rst week of December, at about the same
time the holiday goodies started arriving. Shed spent time preparing in every
way, however, and did the best she could.
When January came, things should have been perking up for her. Instead, an
infection set in that required more medication. She caught bronchitis, then
cold sores broke out around and inside her mouth.
Throughout this time, the scale headed north, despite carefully following her
plan. She and her doctor knew it was from the medication, so she chose to
ignore the numbers, remaining as determined and as optimistic as possible as
her 100-pound victory receded into the background.
Nearly three months after the surgery, the scale nally started to head back
down. She is looking forward to getting back to her pre-surgery weight. A
promising new job, a new quilting project and her family and beloved pets are
occupying her thoughts. She is still frustrated about not moving more quickly
toward her goal, but knows that it is still there and the old way of turning to
food will not x a thing.
Recently a new acquaintance learned that she had lost a great deal of weight.
His enthusiasm and admiration helped her take a fresh look at her success and
the reality that she has not quit, and will never quit. Ninety pounds is still a
remarkable accomplishment and she will reach her goal. Its just a matter of
time.
With Karen to inspire us, we can do it too. Heres to our wise 60-second choices.
Bring them on! Were in this for as long as it takes.
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History is always a wonderful teacher. Take a trip back in time to help you
embrace your own eating and health challenges.
The year was 1826. In cities across America and even Europe you might have
seen an ad that read, Laborers Wanted! Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Company
Seeks 500 men. Wages of $8-12 per month. Room/Board. Meat three times a
day. Plenty of bread and vegetables. Reasonable allowance of whiskey.
Sound interesting? It was. The C&O Canal, a major transportation system in
Maryland and Washington, D.C. for nearly 100 years, was soon to be born.
The advertisement attracted workers to help make it all happen.
Novels have been written about its history and construction, but heres a
Readers Digest condensed version. As a young man in the 1750s, George
Washington envisioned the C&O canal, as its name suggests, to be a major
water system connecting the Chesapeake Bay to the Ohio River. He pictured
nearly 400 miles of a smooth running canal that would efciently transport
goods and people through the newly expanding country from Maryland to
Ohio.
It would take 75 years to turn his dream into a working plan. When work
nally commenced, continuous setbacks of every kind slowed the work to
a snails pace. Rough terrain, problems with acquiring a right-of-way, labor
shortages, and too little capital consistently delayed the work. The project
took a full 22 years to complete, although the most extreme challenges shut
down work entirely for several years. At 184.5 miles, it was nally nished
in 1850 at half of its projected length of nearly 400 miles. The original plans for
it to reach much further west were eliminated by the progress of the railroad
system while the canal was being built. Even so, the C&O Canal changed the
way this region in Maryland and the District of Columbia functioned and
transported goods for nearly 100 years.
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It no longer operates, but there are beautiful parks and historical spots along
its winding course. Several of those spots are right here where I live and we
have visited them often. Way fun!
There are two lessons here. First, any progress with your health and weight is
signicant and helpful. Five pounds matter and so do 10. If you dont believe
me, ask your doctor or someone who is on blood pressure medication.
Second, we each have a personal C&O. What am I talking about? Challenges
and maintaining a burning need to overcome them! Whats yours? Stress
eating? Portion control? Lack of desire? A particular food or diet soda? Family
members who sabotage your plan? How will you overcome it? With a vision,
working plan, perseverance and time!
Dene your goal with a vision (like George Washington did) and dene how
youll overcome it , then all we have to do is keep on digging! I guarantee itll
be worth it and that todays contribution matters, no matter how small.
Nothing worth having happens without challenges and overcoming them.
Heres to a C&O day!
Our school district has a big yellow school bus that is painted with the most
adorable childrens graphics that say Safety First! Its a traveling classroom
to educate sixth grade students about after-school safety when they are home
alone. I had an opportunity to tour it and was tickled with so many things.
The seats had been removed to create a wonderful learning center, with little
curtains at the window, computers, games, bulletin boards and more. I was
especially delighted by a giant poster in the Safety Bus that said:
When you have a problem: 1) Talk it out; 2) Leave; 3) Be with trusted friends;
4) Call an adult.
Bells starting ringing for little old me because I need home alone safety skills in
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the eating department. To be honest, theres danger not only when Im home
alone, but also when Im tired and when everybody else is casually eating
large portions of unhealthy foods that will always call my name.
Like sixth graders who are growing up and moving on, were also maturing
and getting smart about our health and weight. I have adapted the Safety Bus
poster to help us get healthy and stay that way:
1. Talk it outwith someone special, or even yourself using the think
technique. (Once again, its T- take a step back; H- Are you hungry
or is this a habit? I- is it worth how youll feel about it at weigh-in?
N- now is the time to act; and K- know the foods that are trouble
starters.)
2. Leavethe house, the room, the kitchen, the table, if necessary, even
the people.
3. Be with trusted friendswe arent the rst to need a different
group to hang with as we change our habits and our lives. (For those
we cannot leave, we say a little prayer for both them and ourselves.)
When theres not a friend to be with, let your journal or some exercise
be your safety buddy.
4. Call an adultI love this. Were supposed to be the adults, but I have
to admit, when my eating is out of control, its denitely a maturity
and an adult accountability issue! Its even childrens food like candy,
packaged cookies and sugared cereal that gets me into trouble. Do call
a friend or a partner, look at your motivating photo or read something
inspiring if a friend is not available.
With emergency strategies in place, our safety is in the bag. We can do it!
Empowerment: Since accidents are often possible, I plan ahead. Im a doer and
a planner.
True Confessions: My appetite has no off switch. Whether its lingering at the
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Oh, we can do it! It feels so good to isolate that switch, turn it off and take control.
I love this quote. It comforts and directs me when life gets too big, which is
more often for most of us than we want to admit. Little 60-second things like
drinking enough water add up to great success when it comes to health and
weight management.
Did you know that 66% of the human body and 70% of the earths surface
consist of water? How very comparable those two statistics are. I think both
Mother Theresa and Mother Earth are telling us something important!
When you think about it, its such a little thing and such a gift of love for
our bodies to drink at least six glasses of water each day. Clear, fresh water
to drink in great supply is a great and mysterious gift from Mother Earth.
The mysteries of our own physical inner workings are equally mysterious
and marvelous. Well leave the details and scientic explanations for another
time and simply embrace the truth that each body function and organ requires
water to do its job properly.
Go get a big drink! Show great love for yourself by doing this one simple
60-second thing. As you drink it, know that with each replenishing swallow
you are loved and will always have everything you need. Picture each organ
responding to the water like owers in a garden being watered after a long,
hot afternoon...revived and refreshed, at their best and restored once again.
Doing little things with great love. What a great thought for getting healthy!
Empowerment: Its a little act of love to drink the water I need. I count on
water to refresh my body and spirit often.
Special Note: For a wonderful guide to healing through water, you may be
interested in Water: for Health, for Healing for Life by F. Batmangheldj, M.D.
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Part II
The Journal
Life renews for body and soul
When thoughts are clothed in ink;
Mysteries are solved and dragons slain
As words with paper link.
(Carolyn Allen)
Oh, the great why of it all. Even when we know how to lose weight and there
are no medical complications to hold us back, the why is probably the biggest
challenge of creating lasting success. Keeping a journal is a wonderful tool to
release the past and to establish success for the present and future.
Getting Started: Do you know the denition of a dream? Its a wish thats not
written down. Achieving health and tness is yours alone. No one can lose weight
for you. No one will put the right food in appropriate amounts in your mouth. No
one will put on your athletic shoes and get your workout started. Only you can
light the candle within and keep it glowing. To understand whats going on inside
your heart and head is almost more important than whats going on inside your
stomach and body. To do this, you need a journal to put thoughts and feelings into
words.
The good news: youre ready or you wouldnt be reading this now! A wonderful
resource for self-discovery through journal writing to lose weight is Toni Allawatts
book, Write Yourself Thin.
In the meantime, use these pages to write down small, short-term goals after
reading the messages. Hourly and daily goals count. You may also want to jot
down thoughts and feelings after reading the messages. Even writing down key
words or phrases will trigger your heart and plant the seeds of action.
You may want to get a pretty journal for more space, or create a document on your
computer to add to each day.
Grab a pen and go for it and get ready for your loveliest personal adventure ever.
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8. The difference between nowhere and now here is just a little space.
(Anon.)
Empowerment: I make it a habit to take 60 seconds to center my thoughts
and actions.
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11. The good Lord gave you a body that can stand anything.
Its your mind you have to convince.
(Vince Lombardi)
Empowerment: I have the courage to challenge my inner self by starting a
journal.
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16. People are born with two eyes, but only one tongue in order that
they should see twice as much as they say.
(Anon.)
Empowerment: Although an overabundance of food may surround me, I
cheerfully accept the fact that in order to lose weight my share is limited.
Whats unlimited are my choices.
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18. Either you reach a higher point today, or you exercise your
strength in order to be able to climb higher tomorrow.
(Friedrich Nietzche)
Empowerment: I cannot do this all at once. The secret of success is constancy
to purpose and persistence, not perfection.
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24. Its not how many hours you put in, but
how much you put into the hours.
(Anon.)
Empowerment: I am learning to make things last and to savor every taste.
My imagination is a wonderful weight loss tool that I depend on.
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29. You can do anything you want, but not everything you want.
(Terri Jensen)
Empowerment: I say yes to success when I kindly say no to activities
and people that are not top priority.
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41. The sun with all those planets revolving around it and
dependent on it can still ripen a bunch of grapes
as if it has nothing else to do in the universe.
(Galileo)
Empowerment: I am creative in nding ways to double up my weight loss
activities with my necessary chores.
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46. Are you singing the songs you were sent to sing?
(Joe Sabah)
Empowerment: The beauties of nature come in all shapes and sizes. I now
gratefully accept the shape I was given and honor the body I am blessed
with. I now move on to the more important songs I am meant to sing.
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54. When we have accepted the worst, we have nothing more to lose.
And that automatically means we have everything to gain.
(Dale Carnegie)
Empowerment: Food has lost its power to suck me in. If I slip, I do not
wallow in self pity or defeat. I simply unplug, take a deep breath and get
going again.
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55. The person who seeks all their applause from outside has
their happiness in anothers keeping.
(Claudius Claudianus, Ancient Egyptian Latin Poet)
Empowerment: I create my own happiness. While encouragement and
compliments are nice, they are not necessary for my success.
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62. Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have
and only you can determine how it will be spent.
Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.
(Carl Sandburg)
Empowerment: My extra weight is a debt that I am paying off one day at a
time. I look forward to being debt free. I live on cash, and I am saving and
earning interest for my future.
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69. Its not what you are that holds you back;
its what you think you are not.
(Dennis Waitley)
Empowerment: I serve others and myself by releasing self-pity. I have
positive things to do and take action now.
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80. Only actions give life strength; only moderation gives it charm.
(Jean Paul Richter)
Empowerment: Less is more. Less is more. Less is more.
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85. When you chip a teacup, dont throw out the set.
(Anon.)
Empowerment: I am peacefully learning to accept imperfection and
exibility as an important part of my long-term healthy eating lifestyle. I
immediately make up for detours with extra exercise or by reducing calories
for a day or so, or a combination of the two.
86. To be upset over what you dont have is to waste what you do have.
(Ken S. Keyes, Jr.)
Empowerment: Theres a silver lining in every cloud when I make the effort
to nd it. Success comes to me as I ip negative thoughts into positive action.
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89. What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters
compared to what lies within us.
(Ralph Waldo Emerson)
Empowerment: Both my physical and emotional well-being literally depend
on my healthy choices.
90. You are who you are. Not who you used to be.
(Anon.)
Empowerment: Since God allows U-turns, so do I. Powerful self-talk
literally changes my identity. I am fabulous and remind myself of that fact
many times today.
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94. When a man has not a good reason for doing a thing,
he has one good reason for letting it alone.
(Sir Walter Scott)
Empowerment: My health is mine to create. I choose not to waste it on
unplanned eating.
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95. Victory is won not in miles, but in inches. Win a little now,
hold your ground, and later win a little more.
(Anon.)
Empowerment: I will always be surrounded by challenges that threaten my
determination and my progress to achieve excellent health. I see these devils
for what they are and move past them with clear vision and a smile.
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Part III
The Pocket Power Cards
Great things come in little packages! Using the pocket power cards will enable
you to sustain the emotional lift of the stories and empowerment statements.
They are a fun and easy way to create and maintain a healthy new identity
and permanent lifestyle change. These cards can be ordered from www.
MyWeightLossFriend.com.
The pocket power cards are also a wonderful way to encourage those around
you who also want to improve their health. You may share the thoughts in
your own community weight loss meetings, give several to a friend, enclose
in a greeting card, post on a work bulletin board or place in the lunch bag or
pocket of a family member.
How To Use The Pocket Power Cards
After reading each story and writing in the journal, take the matching pocket
power card and read the empowerment statement out loud to yourself several
times. You will immediately be strengthened with new determination to make
small, wise choices. You may want to take this one step further by standing in
front of a mirror and repeating the empowerment out loud to your reection.
Say it rmly and with conviction. As you hear your own voice, your mind and
heart will hear the commands, accept the new you and learn to obediently
follow the statements as a happy way to live.
You may want to get a little notebook and write down each empowerment
several times to further unleash your personal power, as Suze Orman did in
Inspiration No. 23.
Next, carry these little cards with you as a reinforcement and reminder.
Tuck them into your purse, wallet or a pocket to glance at during the day.
Post them on a mirror, a wall calendar, the fridge or at your computer. Use
them as bookmarks or in your personal journal or calendar. As choices and
temptations present themselves throughout the day, the little cards will serve
as loyal friends to remind you of your own power and what you want most,
(self-mastery and a healthy weight), not what you want at the moment.
It is also helpful to go through them as a stack, like ash cards. You will soon
have them memorized. Once the cards are memorized, it is extremely helpful
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Part IV
Making the Most of Your
60 Seconds to Weight Loss Success CD
Special Note: Its very important that you read these pages before listening to
the CD for the rst time. This CD can be ordered from www.MyWeightLossFriend.
com.
Did you know that every time you mentally or audibly say I cant lose weight,
or Nothing works for me, or Im a failure! that those very messages are
encoded on your subconscious mind? You have literally told yourself not to
lose weight and that nothing worksand thats exactly what happens. Just as
you are now choosing to change food choices to gain health and peace, it is
just as important that you change your thought and inner-dialog choices. This
CD will help you change negative words and the consequences they bring into
positive actions that make a difference in your health and weight.
The three to ve minute tracks on the 18 tracks include recorded empowerment
statements, meditations and uplifting thoughts and stories that will give you
something new to think and something new to say to yourself. The statements
will provide both your conscious and subconscious with the ability to
reprogram your eating behaviors and habits. The lovely music will soothe and
lift your spirits. Each statement is repeated three times for you to memorize
and incorporate into your life.
This CD is meant to be played over and over again while driving, working in
the kitchen, doing quiet work at the computer, during morning and evening
grooming times, etc. You may want to put a CD player beside your bed.
Listening to these messages is especially powerful while going to sleep and
during the rst stages of waking up when your subconscious is the most open
to new instructions. (See the story of Dana on the previous page.)
Please make sure you read the following article to have a better understanding
of the importance of repeating these empowerment (or afrmation) statements
many, many times.
173.
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One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
Afrmations (or empowerment statements) are sentences that are repeated often
during the day, and which sink into the subconscious mind, thereby releasing
its enormous power to materialize the intention of the words and phrases in
the outside world. This does not mean that every word you utter will bring
results. In order to trigger the subconscious mind into action, the words have
to be said with attention, intention and feeling.
Afrmations have to be phrased in positive words in order to obtain positive
results. Consider the following two sentences:
1. I am not weak anymore.
2. I am strong and powerful.
Though both sentences seem to express the same idea, but in different words,
the rst one is a negative sentence. It creates in the mind a mental image of
weakness. This is wrong wording. The second sentence awakens in the mind
a mental image of strength.
It is not enough to say an afrmation a few times and then expect your life to
change. More than this is necessary. It is important to afrm with attention, as
well as with strong desire, faith and persistence. It is also important to choose
the right afrmation for any specic situation. You need to feel comfortable
with it; otherwise the afrmation may not work or may bring you something
that you do not really want.
Afrmations can be used together with creative visualization, to strengthen it,
and they can be used separately, on their own. They are of special importance
for people who nd it difcult to visualize. In this case they serve as a
substitution to creative visualization.
Instead of repeating negative and useless words and phrases in the mind, you
can choose positive words and phrases to help you build the life you want. By
choosing your thoughts and words you exercise control over your life.
Article printed with permission of Remez Sasson. Check out his website at
www.successconsciousness.com.
175.
1. Introduction
2. Sunday: Chapter One
My body is a miracle. It is a blessing to care for and
nourish it with healthy foods.
It is my right and my joy to achieve a healthy weight. I now expect and
receive the blessings of tness and abundant health.
I am attracting all the sources and help I need to lose
weight and live a healthy, energetic life.
When I think about my body, I think positively.
What I focus on expands. I focus on my weight loss success.
I bless those who are already at a healthy weight and
picture myself standing with them.
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One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
3. Monday: Renewal
When I think about my ability to lose weight and achieve health,
I think positively and get excited!
Health, vitality and peace surround and ow through me.
I was born to succeed.
I am actively improving my health and weight.
I release all negative thoughts regarding my
body and past dieting failures.
I am in tune with God. He gives me the power to master
my appetite, procrastination and bad habits.
I abide in His eternal peace and health.
God gives me powerful ideas and the burning desire
to continue on my journey.
Day by day, in every way I am achieving a healthy weight.
I can lose weight, I am losing weight, I will lose weight.
4. Tuesday: Renewal
I am accountable. It is a pleasure to keep track of
what I eat throughout the day.
All the strength and time I need to eat right and exercise
are owing to me today.
God rewards those who persevere. I persevere.
I am divinely blessed with a wonderful body, mind and spirit.
I accept only thoughts that heal, bless and inspire my mind and body.
Nothing tastes as good as thin feels.
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5. Wednesday: In My Heart
Ive replaced every worry with positive empowerments for the
blessings of health and permanent weight loss.
My best helping hand is the one at the end of my own arm.
What I choose to think about is as important as what I choose to eat.
I see never-ending energy, health and terric feelings
about how I look and feel.
My favorite foods are within my healthy eating plan to enjoy.
My feelings of guilt and regret are gone, melted like an ice cube.
God is the source of all of my supply. He wants me
to be healthy and happy now.
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One-Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life
179.
*Use this music and time to create a vivid and detailed movie of yourself
making wise choices in difcult circumstances, achieving your goals and
living your goals at a wonderful, realistic weight, like Dana did on page 172.
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Additional Resources
Here are some of my favorite books. All are available through Amazon.com,
or through the authors websites. For more helpful resources, please check out
my website. Im always adding new books.
Psycho-Cybernetics, by Maxwell Maltz, M.D. When this plastic surgeons
patients couldnt see the facial improvements he had made, he knew that the
most important changes had to be made internally from the mind and heart.
Its no different with us and our weight! This is an old classic from the early
70s but as true today as it was then. This book is extremely valuable for both
losing weight and permanently keeping it off.
Write Yourself Thin, by Toni Allawatt. I treasure this book and its unique
approach to understanding why we overeat. After struggling for a lifetime,
the author lost and keeps off 45 pounds. Her success started with a notebook
and paper. The case studies and writercises to help you discover and release
the thin person within are excellent.
The Quest for Peace, Love and a 24 Waist, by Deborah Low. Her subtitle on the
back says it all; Happiness is not found in a 24 waist, nor in the number you
see between your toes. Lots of case studies make it very interesting.
Feelings Buried Alive Never Die, by Karol Truman. My well-worn copy is proof
of my genuine affection and appreciation for this book. The author presents
a very useful strategy to resolve many physical illnesses (including obesity)
by discovering and healing the emotional roots of the problem. Check out her
website at www.healingfeelings.com.
I Dont Have To Make Everything All Better, by Joy and Gary Lundberg. In a
marvelous way that Ill never quite understand, this book effectively gives
you the tools for embracing your own life by letting everyone else go. Your
loved ones will only love you more for the relationships youll create with this
dynamic book. While its not about weight loss, youll get to the heart of a lot
of things that have probably been feeding overeating. Their website is www.
garyjoylundberg.com.
All books by author Geneen Roth. She is a much-quoted, much-read, and
excellent resource for coming to grips with emotional eating. Check out her
website and her many books at www.geneenroth.com.
181.
All books by author by Dr. Joyce Vedral. The author is now in her 60s and
started her successful career after losing weight and getting back into shape as
a middle-aged woman. Her videos and books for toning and sculpting your
body through light hand weights are very helpful. Check out her website at
www.joycevedral.com.
Passing For Thin, Losing Half My Weight and Finding Myself, by Frances Kuffel.
This is the fascinating, detailed personal story of a woman who had been
overweight her entire life, then lost 150+ pounds with a healthy eating plan
and community meetings.
Thin Within, by Judy Halliday, R.N. and Arthur Halliday, M.D. The authors
present more excellent insights into emotional eating.
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