Dear Our Lady of Weight Loss ~ What do you do after you lose weight (almost 100 lbs), and then start gaining it back (almost 30 lbs. back)?  I am still working out, which is a good thing. How do I get my weight loss groove back???????? It was almost effortless before.  I so realize that weight is an emotional manifestation. ~ Brenda S.

Dear Brenda ~ Permanent weight removal vs. losing it and finding it again is a multi-layered process.  Here are a few tips that may help you shed ‘lite’ on the topic!  Good Luck!!! And DO, please keep us in your loop. and … YES, Kudos to you, Brenda, for keeping up with your exercise! Fabulous!!!  ~ Janice (dictated but not ready by Our Lady of Weight Loss)

Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
What your character, for it becomes your destiny.

Brenda wants to know how to get motivated and stay motivated; how to get her upward spiral in motion forever more.  I’m sure that speaks to many of us, yes?  

Here follow a few tips on how to get motivated on a daily basis as well as a few question coaching questions that are designed to ‘blow the fat cells out of your mind.‘ How to Get Your Upward Spiral in Motion …

1.  Stay Motivated? People have the misconception that once motivated it will last. To quote the great motivational speaker, Zig Ziglar, “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” Ask yourself each and every morning, “What will I do today to motivate myself?” A powerful question, indeed.

2. Consider Moving Toward. Rather than pushing away from not liking yourself, pushing away from being disgusted; how about creating a dazzlingly inspired vision of your future?  What are you moving toward?

I’ve shared this excerpt from my book – All Is Forgiven, Move On – before.  Because it is such an important aspect of permanent weight loss, I am going to share it again.

Have you ever watched an Olympic swimmer push off the side of the pool? It is quite amazing, isn’t it? The thrust, the power, their determination is enormous. Often the strength of this one solitary push can propel the Olympian right straight into the middle of the Olympic-sized pool.

When we decide to go on a ‘diet,’ we essentially push off from the side of the ‘pool of discontent.’ We gather a vast amount of energy from not liking ourselves, being disgusted, and ashamed of how we look. We don’t like ourselves. No, we sure don’t.

Sometimes this energy takes us half way to our goal weight. Sometimes all the way … 10, 20, 30, 100, 200 pounds lost. Then what?

Unlike the Olympic swimmer who has a plan; who is moving toward her big win; who sees herself as a champion and knows with every cell and fiber of her being that she is the victor, we only know ourselves to be losers. We are basing this attempt on past attempts to lose, which have failed.

It is easy to get lost if you don’t know where you are going. If you want to be victorious at the game of Permanent Fat Removal, then you need to have a compelling future. You need to know where you are going; what you want; what removing those pounds means. The diet and exercise plans do not live alone. This is a holistic event. It’s about your life, not your fat.

The number of lessons, here, are numerous.
What are you moving toward? What does your compelling future look like?

3.  What Are You Thinking? We have approximately 70,000 thoughts per day. There are 86,400 seconds per day, which means that we have a thought ever 1.2 seconds.  Many of these thoughts, if not most, are repetitive and tend toward negativity.  It is the nature of mind.  It is important to get hip to your thoughts and ask yourself, “How do I know that thought is true?  Where did this belief come from?”

4.  Actions Follow Thoughts. Your actions spring from your thoughts.  Think about it!   When you are about to take an action that is clearly not in alignment with your goals, stop and do your best to remember the thought that preceded the action.   In so doing, you have an opportunity to change your thought and your action.

5.  It’s NOT about the FAT; It’s about YOUR LIFE. Your excess weight is merely a symptom of something that is out of balance; that needs to change.  What in your life is out of balance?  What are your fat cells saying to you?  Might they keep multiplying, because you are not listening?

How ‘loud’ does it have to get before you make a meaningful change?  How loud does it have to get before you explore your beliefs, your thoughts, and get honest with yourself about what is going on?

What is it that your fat cells want you to change?

Spread the word … NOT the icing,

Janice Taylor
wise * fun * utterly useful

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Facebook: www.facebook.com/OurLadyofWeightLoss ]]> http://www.janicetaylorliving.com/2011/05/chewing-the-fat-what-do-your-fat-cells-want-you-to-change/feed/ 0 http://www.janicetaylorliving.com/2011/02/stay-fat-tuesday-be-vague-create-wiggle-room-be-wishy-washy/ http://www.janicetaylorliving.com/2011/02/stay-fat-tuesday-be-vague-create-wiggle-room-be-wishy-washy/#comments Wed, 23 Feb 2011 15:47:14 +0000 jtaylor http://www.janicetaylorliving.com/?p=830 We have demonstrated that we can – individually and collectively – get fat and stay fat. We are very good at it. One of best our stay fat strategies is to be “vague.” We take a wishy-washy, white bread approach to weight loss.  We pretend. We toss in an “I’ll try” and a “maybe” or two. “I’m going to try and lose weight.” “Maybe I’ll exercise.” “Really, maybe!”

We create enough wiggle room to wiggle out way straight into a plate of fries or a hot fudge chocolate sundae.

We love vague, because there’s no commitment in it. We love vague because we are good at it! The less structure, the less planning, the better. The more unaware, the better.

Vague is easy.
We are comfortable with our fuzzy, formless, unspecific way of being. The only glitch in vague is that it keeps you exactly where you are. There’s no movement in vague. True enough, you are stuck in vague.

In order to move, to make progress, to manifest your hopes and dreams, action needs to be taken and there’s no place for vague in action. In fact, when taking action, you really need to be ’specific.’ Yes, specific!

Each and every time you decide that you are going to do something, get specific.
What’s your plan, specifically?
How are you going to accomplish what you want, specifically?

It’s your choice. Stay stuck in vague. It’s easy. And you do it so well. Or get specific and move on!

Weigh-in please. How are you going to move forward, get back on track, lick this habit … specifically?

Spread the word … NOT the icing!

Janice
wise * fun * utterly useful

What’s your eating style? What does your eating ’style’ say about you? Perhaps it’s time to take a look at our methodology and make some adjustments!!!

Our Lady of Weight Loss’s Top 11 Eating Styles – yes, I did say that there are 10, but here, today, Our Lady of Weight Loss, the patron saint of permanent fat removal is suggesting an 11th!

1. The Unconscious Eater: If you find yourself covered in cookie crumbs, and do not have any memory of eating cookies, you are an UNCONSCIOUS EATER. WAKE UP! Be in the here and now.

2. Gulp n’ Go: Are you always on the run, doing the ole’ GULP n’ GO? Sit down and take a moment. Please.

3. Food Architect: You are a FOOD ARCHITECT if you sculpt mountains of mashed potatoes, arrange broccoli in and around them like trees, and layer slices of meat until you’ve created a high-rise apartment building. While I admire your creativity, play with Legos instead!

4. Assembly-Line Eater: You are an ASSEMBLY-LINE EATER if you load-up another fork full while still chewing. Put the fork down in between bites.

5. Never Say, “No, Thank You.”: Do you have a NEVER SAY, “NO, THANK YOU” policy in place? Afraid you might offend someone? Time for a re-write.

6. If It’s FREE, It’s for ME: Do you exclaim, “IF IT’S FREE, IT’S FOR ME!” when you see free food tastings and samplings at the supermarket? Eat before food shopping and recommit to your goals before you head out.

7. Closet Eater: You are a CLOSET EATER if you keep a mini-fridge in your coat closet and visit it nightly. Come on out of the closet and join the rest of us. It’s safe out here.

8. Speed Eater: If your friends suggest that you challenge the Japanese world speed-eating champion who swallowed a total of 53 1/2 hot dogs, and their accompanying buns, in just 12 minutes, then you are a SPEED EATER. I’m gagging just thinking about it.

9. Beige-Eater: If potatoes, pasta and mac and cheese are your main stay, then you are a BEIGE-eater. Add red peppers, strawberries, green beans, and bright blueberries to your palate . . . NOW.

10. Fried: You are FRIED if you think ‘fried’ is a food group. Now you know better!

And now, on behalf of Our Lady of Weight Loss, I would like to introduce an 11th Style of Eating, coming to you at the 11th hour, so to speak.

11. Healthy, Plain n’ Simple: Just for a moment try on ‘Healthy’ as your eating style! How does it fit? Most people do not ingest enough vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals on a daily basis. Because our nutrient needs are not met, we lose control and cravings kick in.

Healthy isn’t complicated. In fact, it’s simple. All you need to do is eat more – more fruits and vegetables – more colorful plants. Not only will you lose weight; your health will also dramatically improve.

Here’s some food for thought!

2/3 of Americans are overweight
1/3 of Americans are classified as morbidly obese
50 percent of Americans die of heart attacks and strokes
28 million Americans suffer from the crippling pain of osteoarthritis
35 million Americans suffer from chronic headaches (source: Joel Fuhrman, M.D., author of Eat for Health)
Take one step toward health. Try on ‘healthy’. Eat more! Fruits and vegetables.
Slim down while you live it up!

Spread the healthy word … NOT the icing!
Janice

Even though I know that you know, even thought you’ve heard it before, I feel compelled to revisit ‘breakfast,’ because …

After forty years (yes 40!) of breakfast related studies that show without a doubt that kick-starting your day with breakfast is the healthy thing to do – for children and adults alike – people still say . . .

“Oh, I just don’t have the time for breakfast!”
Really? How much time does it take to down a bowl of cereal or a container of yogurt with a bit of fresh fruit? Or a hard-boiled egg, for that matter?

“I’m not hungry in the morning.”
What time do you eat dinner? 10 p.m.? Midnight?

“Skipping breakfast is a part of my diet plan.”
Studies show that eating breakfast will actually help you to reach and maintain your healthy weight.

“I don’t like breakfast.”
There’s no rule about what ‘breakfast food’ is or is not! You could eat lunch for breakfast or dinner for lunch or breakfast for dinner. Get creative.

Here’s why YOU should eat breakfast!
After eight to twelve hours of NOT eating (fasting!), your body is ready to and needs to refuel its glucose levels (a.k.a. blood sugar). Glucose is the main energy source for your brain, and it helps fuel your muscles that move you through your day. Those who skip breakfast often find themselves feeling tired, restless, irritable and scattered.

Whether in the process of removing those excess pounds or maintaining your healthy weight, breakfast is very important! It helps to curb your hunger and breakfast can help to prevent binge eating later in the day. At the end of the day, those who eat breakfast consume less calories, are thinner and tend to be healthier than those who do not eat breakfast.

And for you moms out there … kids who eat breakfast do better in school, are more alert and can concentrate better than the kids who skip the most important meal of the day!

Breakfast Ideas!

A breakfast that ranges between 250-350 calories can keep you sated for hours!

• Ready-to-eat whole grain cereal topped with fruit and yogurt.
• Whole-grain waffles topped with one tablespoon of peanut butter, fruit and or ricotta cheese.
• Whole-wheat pita stuffed with sliced hard-boiled eggs, lettuce and tomato.
Sardines (in mustard sauce, my fav) on whole-wheat crackers (or stuff that pita again!).
• Steel Cut Oatmeal topped with fresh fruit.
• Breakfast smooth (whirl up a milk, fruit and bran combo in your blender)
• Omelet (egg-white or otherwise) with copious amount of veggies, an orange on the side with a slice of whole wheat toast.

Your Health Matters!

Spread the word … NOT the icing,
Janice

Can’t stop yourself from reaching for those cookies? Well … It’s NOT that there’s something wrong with you; it’s NOT that you have no will power – maybe you’re just stressed.

When we feel threatened or stressed, our neuroendocrine system kicks into high gear and releases a series of hormones. One of these is Cortisol, which gives us the biochemical strength we need to fight or flee our stressors. Back in evolutionary times, this served us well. We needed to replenish our  bodies after a bout with a man-eating lion. It was a survival issue.

In modern times, most of our stress  comes to us in a less physical form from balancing our checkbooks, filling out college applications to making car payments. Yet, we are still hard-wired to release the same hunger-causing hormones as our loin-cloth wearing ancestors. The stress is still there, but the physical exertion isn’t.

We can’t help feeling hungry, but we can work at ways to feel less stressed, which will keep the food cravings in check.

Here are some ways to short circuit stress and weight gain.

1. Exercise: Still the best stress-buster in town.
2. Never Skip a Meal: Keep the blood sugar levels even.
3. Restful sleep: When we don’t get enough rest, Cortisol levels rise!
4. Relax: What activities make you feel relaxed and calm? Keep a list handy, in case you’re so stressed you can’t remember!
5. Breathe: Take a moment to stop everything and breathe!
6. Spiritual Break: Sit and center yourself. Take a spiritual break.
7. Drink Water: Hydrate thyself! And while you’re at it, avoid caffeine, cigarettes and alcohol: All three can cause Cortisol levels to rise.
8. Express Yourself: Feeling stressed? Say so. I feel stressed and then … let it go!

Spread the word … NOT the icing!
Janice

Sometimes when in ‘bulk eating’ mode, a big salad does the trick.

This week’s GET JIGGY JigSaw Weight Loss Puzzle was inspired by a major-league, big-time, eat all you want salad that I whipped up and served up last night.

If you’re in need of a bulk meal, go crazy! Rip up an entire head of lettuce, slice up a few juicy tomatoes, get your cukes peeled and diced, as you pay homage to Our Lady of Green Leaves.

Eat green!

Spread the word … NOT the icing!

Janice

I don’t know about you, but I just love a good, juicy diet tip that is NOT about what I can’t eat! Here, from Our Lady of Weight Loss, the patron saint of permanent fat removal, an easy way to weigh less!

Straight from the NO-Deprivation Zone – a DIET TIP that works:
Drink 16 ounces of water before each meal and you will (more than likely) lose another 4.5 pounds every three months.

Why?
Because you will more than likely feel full and eat less.

Not only will you lose weight, but you’ll be staying hydrated!

Spread the word …
NOT the icing!
Janice

Looking for a magic bullet? A miracle cure? Something that will add health to your life and help you lose that fat belly? Antioxidant Girl to the rescue.

If you’re looking for the ‘magic bullet,’ then you’ve come to the right place!!! Antioxidant Girl has created a list of foods that are ‘heavy’ in antioxidants, that help to reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer’s. And maybe even promote weight loss? You betcha!

What is an Antioxidant? An antioxidant is a molecule capable of slowing or preventing the oxidation of other molecules.

An antioxidant is a molecule that slows or prevents the process of oxidation of other molecules. Antioxidants protect the body’s cells from damage caused by free radicals.

What are Free Radicals? Free radicals are unstable molecules that are missing an electron and ’steal’ electrons from surrounding molecules. We are exposed to free radicals all the time. Sometimes through radiation, smoke ozone and nitrous oxide, x-rays, chemicals, pollutants and saturated fats; sometimes free radicals are produced by our bodies.

Can Antioxidants help us lose weight? For one thing, foods that are ‘heavy’ in antioxidants are some of the lowest-calorie foods that are the best for you! When you feed your body with nutrient dense foods, you are naturally more energetic, strong, focused and more empowered to live a healthy life.

Here follows the USDA’s Antioxidant scorecard! A list of foods that are high in antioxidants, stop free radicals in their tracks and can help you move toward health!

Blueberries (serving size: 1 cup)
Cranberries (1 cup)
Blackberries (1 cup)
Raspberries (1 cup)
Strawberries (1 cup)
Red Delicious Apple
Red Kidney Beans (1/2 cup, cooked)
Pecans (1 oz)
Pinto Beans (1/2 cup, cooked)
Sweet Cherries (1 cup)
Black Plum
Walnuts (1 oz)
Green Pear
Hazelnuts (1 oz)
Navel Orange
Red Cabbage (1/2 cup cooked)
Russet Potato (6 oz)
Pistachios (1 oz)
Green tea (1 cup)

Spread the word … NOT the icing!
Janice