Below are my list of top ten calorie free treats. These are suitable for any diet, whether you are a vegetarian, omnivore, lactose-intolerant, or even a gluten-free triathlete!

1) Massage

2) A walk in nature – the beach, a wooded trail, around a lake…

3) Good Conversation

4) Laughter

5) Spontaneous Dance Parties

6) Exercise

7) Spa treatments

A Good Book

9) Candle-lit, rose pedal, scented baths

10) Playing with dogs, cats, and/or kids

What are some of your favorite calorie-free treats?

I set this to post while I am away meditating. It seems appropriate, as meditation is an act of creating mindfulness.

Mindfulness is a key element in successfully maintaining weight loss, determining which foods work best for your body, and for staying healthy and balanced in all areas of life. With countless external cues creating an environment suited to overindulgence, vigorous attention to our body’s cues is perhaps the most effective tool for health available — and it costs nothing!

We can all agree that what we eat has a huge impact on our health and energy, but what is less commonly known is how what we eat affects our appetite, our moods, and our thoughts. With hectic, busy lifestyles, we are no longer aware of the impact that our food choices have on our level of functioning, and many have lost sight of what high level functioning feels like.

When we begin to pay attention, our entire world becomes possibility for change.

By noticing how the foods we eat affect our body, we empower ourselves to make different choices. One of the key things clients who work with VIBRANCE experience is a greater connection between food and body wellness, and a greater understanding of the language their unique body uses to communicate with them.
When we begin to make different choices based on how our body feels, we capitalize on the body’s ability to restore and heal itself and experience a greater sense of wellness and vitality.

In the arena of weight loss, mindfulness is mandatory for sustained success.

When I first started setting everything aside to enjoy my meal, I found it boring. Painfully so! I wanted to rush through my meal so I could get back to whatever seemed more pressing at the time.
Then I slowed down even more, focusing instead on the food that was in front of me — the gloss of the dressing on my spinach leaf, the sensation of biting into a crisp bite of apple or celery, the feel of different textures and tastes in my mouth as I chewed. I became aware I only chewed about 6 – 10 times before swallowing, so I tried to quadruple that and I found I needed to take smaller bites. Then I noticed I was full long before my plate was empty.

So I started putting less food on my plate…   You can see where this is going.

Multi-tasking is registered in the brain as stress; inducing a fight or flight response because the brain is divided between important duties.  The adrenaline kicks in to increase our attentiveness, but ultimately this has negative impact on our short term memory as well as our overall health and well-being.

When we multi-task while eating, we do not pick up on the very food cues that initiate digestion. The smell of food, even the thought of food starts our systems preparing for digestion and assimilation. Chewing begins the process of tearing down a meal and key enzymes located in saliva are responsible for digesting carbohydrate.  The sight of our meal cues the hormonal cascade that lets us know we are full 20 minutes after we begin eating.

When stressed or distracted, our digestive system takes a backseat. The body isn’t interested in extracting vitamins from an orange when it’s white-knuckling it through a stack of emails or preparation for a board meeting.  Consequently, digestion is impaired and stomach troubles,  fat storage, and blood lipids increase while the ability to detoxify, extract vitamins and minerals,  feel full and be satisfied decreases.
Simply sitting down, looking at your food, and paying attention to how it feels will make you feel more satisfied. Make it a habit and you’ll likely drop some weight, improve your digestion, and you may even find out you don’t actually like the convenience foods you’ve been eating all this time. (it’s happened before!)

Give it a try for one meal a day for the next 10 days and let me know what the effects are.  I’d love to hear back from you.

More information:

The Pitfalls of Multi-tasking

Why Being Mindful Matters

There is no arguing that the obesity epidemic in this country is caused by multiple factors. Among them is our increase in calories — mainly coming from refined sugars.
Candice Wong, a UCSF cardiovascular epidemiologist and a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association says, “The average American caloric intake has increased by about 150 to 300 (daily) calories in the last 30 years…it’s coming from processed foods, half of it from sugared beverages.”

While lack of movement is also a strong contributing factor, our sugar intake is finally getting addressed in a powerful way. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom recently suggested that San Francisco become the first city in the United States to charge retailer suppliers of sugary beverages.
Also, for the first time ever (and at least a decade behind, in my opinion) the American Heart Association has taken a stand and called for a cap on added sugar consumption — with recommendations that most women limit their intake of added sugars to only 100 calories a day and that men take in only 150 calories a day. (Added sugars are those that aren’t naturally found in foods like fruits and plain dairy products.)
For a majority of women, that equates to less than one 12-ounce can of soda; men could have the soda plus a very small chocolate chip cookie.

The biggest single contributor to added sugars is high fructose corn syrup, which became a big hit with manufacturers in the 70’s.  Back then,  Americans consumed about 9 teaspoons a day of fructose, according to a 2008 study. By the mid-1990s, consumption nearly doubled to 14 teaspoons a day. Today, the average American guzzles about 22 teaspoons of added sugar a day, mostly as fructose, according to the National Cancer Institute. Tragically, the young consume the most – teenage boys average about 34 teaspoons of sugar every day (that is over 2/3 cup of added sugar).

What does this mean?

High fructose corn syrup is extremely unhealthy, disrupting metabolism and cellular communication in a way that is believed to be linked to metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and diabetes. In a study of more than 6,000 people (the Framingham Heart Study), people who drank at least one soft drink daily had a higher risk for developing metabolic syndrome compared with people who did not often have a soft drink. The Nurse’s health study supports the negative effects of soda, demonstrating soda drinkers to average ten pounds heavier and be twice as likely  to develop diabetes over an 8 year time span.

Think diet soda is a better option? Think again. Diet soda drinkers tend to weigh more than regular soda drinkers, according to a study conducted at Perdue.

Unfortunately, even eschewing sodas doesn’t mean you’ll effortlessly keep sugars at bay.  Manufacturers cleverly slip sweeteners into all sorts of products you wouldn’t think of — crackers, spaghetti sauce, chips, sauces on frozen or packaged entrees, and almost anything they can get away with. The sweet taste is one that has a powerfully alluring effect on human beings, and food manufacturers make the most of this fact.  It truly is a case of “Buyer Beware” out there; label reading is an essential skill in navigating a grocery store these days.

Meanwhile, Mayor Newsom and others are looking at making it harder for us to get our hands on sugar. While suggested limits and taxes may be helpful, a nation addicted to sugar won’t be so easily dissuaded.

If obesity, diabetes, hypoglycemia, metabolic syndrome or other blood sugar diseases run in your family, it is important to begin to get savvy about your food labels to prevent a similar future. Make it a priority to eliminate high fructose corn syrup from your home, and be mindful that common dishes such as the pancakes and sweet and sour chicken you order will likely contain added sugars as well.  Become a sleuth at detecting hidden sugars and keep your intake of sweets down whenever possible.

Sources: Seattle P.I. October 12, 2009 (click the source for a list of the amount of calories from sugar in several food items)

I like to try new things.  A lot.
I’m a dabbler. If it holds up to my quality standards and seems like something my clients might benefit from, I’ll give it a try.

Right now I am playing with a lot of new products, which I will be talking about here in the coming months, but I wanted to share this one first.

NutriiVeda is a weight management shake that is based on Ayurvedic herbs and modern nutrition. At first I thought it probably wouldn’t be that much different than anything else. My experience had been that protein powders generally feel the same in your body (unless one has a food sensitivity) and it is really a matter of taste preference and quality assurance.

In this case, it’s a little different.

While the basis of NutriiVeda is whey protein (which research shows to be most beneficial to retaining muscle and providing highly absorbed amino acids), the most notable difference is the addition of seven plant botanicals which very effectively curb cravings and appetite.

I tried it. I can vouch for it.
I currently exercise between 7 and 10 hours a week, which means that I get hungry often. I eat about every 2-3 hours, be it a handful or trail mix or an all out meal. When I received my first jar of NutriiVeda and mixed it as directed (just the powder and unsweetened almond milk) I found that no thought of food crossed my mind until nearly 4 hours later.

People, this is unheard of.

That got me pretty excited. It exceeded my expectations, which is hard to do!
Not only this, but being sensitive to dairy I was a little wary of a whey based shake, even if it is listed as casein and lactose free. My digestive system handled it quite well and I have found it to be a tasty, quick snack during busy work hours that allows me to focus more on work and less on snack. I find my blood sugar stays balanced, I stay focused and am actually as productive as I am on caffeine, without the nasty side effects.

NutriiVeda also comes with a 12 week weight loss program that introduces the follower to the concepts of Ayurveda and eating for one’s dosha to find balance in the body (which is designed to facilitate weight loss).  What I love most about the program is it’s incorporation into MINDFULNESS as an essential component; journaling and meditation are key elements to this program. Beginning in January, VIBRANCE will be offering the 12 week program in a group format and include other concepts of healthy living and more detailed information on Ayurvedic eating.

I am considering keeping a supply of it on hand for clients to try.  In the meantime,  if you are interested in trying it out contact me and I can assist you in getting started. The product is currently available through distributors only (unless you live near the Chopra Center in Carlsbad, CA) so it is pretty hard to stumble upon unless you know someone (and you do!)

For more information on the product and to check out the NutriiVeda Diet Program, click here. Want to try it yourself? Click  “join” on the top right corner to give it a try!

People often believe that weight loss is going to be a effortless bonus to living a more cruelty-free, planet-conscious lifestyle.

For some, this is definitely the case. When I became a vegetarian at 13, I dropped about 10 pounds without any effort on my part. I did gain it back, but I was still a growing child. Whenever the diet is restricted in any way, the odds for increased weight loss tend to occur.

Others find it harder to lose weight on a vegetarian diet, or have difficulty feeling full, satisfied, and energetic.  The differences between individual metabolisms and genetics mean that each person needs a different dietary lifestyle to have the health, energy and body they desire. For some people, a vegetarian diet is not suited as a life-long choice and a transition back into a omnivorous lifestyle needs to be done with attention paid to physical health, ethical beliefs, and any emotional implications of such a transition (especially if vegetarianism is due to ethical or religious convictions).

If you are a vegetarian and find it difficult to lose weight, here are some tips that work and take YOUR needs into account:

1. Vary Your Protein Sources: Protein plays an important role in satiety and retaining muscle mass on a low calorie diet. As a vegetarian, it is easy to rely on soy deli slices, soy cheese, soy protein, and other forms of highly refined soy to keep your protein needs up. The problem with this is that soy is very difficult to digest, 90% of it is genetically engineered, and the rates of soy intolerance (especially among vegetarians) is rapidly rising. Mix it up by including hemp or rice protein, quorn, eggs and dairy (if tolerated) and whole beans (canned or boiled) to stay satisfied. A benefit to the beans is the fiber which, as you’ll see below, is also an asset for weight loss.
2. Up the Fiber: This post details the benefits and recommendations in using fiber for weight loss. Adding vegetables to every meal, psyllium husk or ground flax to your morning smoothie, and consuming whole and sprouted grains will keep you satisfied for much longer. If you consume bread, Ezekiel 4:9 ensures you receive maximum fiber and nutrition in every slice – naturally!
3. Practice Mindfulness: regardless of what is on your plate, knowing how hungry you are and when you actually feel satisfied is the biggest secret to sustained weight loss. This alone prevents overeating, mindless nibbling, and being lured into unnecessary snacks and extra portions due to cues in our environment. In addition to food education, much of the work with weight loss clients is learning tools to increase mindfulness and identify sources of food cravings.
4. Get support: I cannot say it enough — supportive atmospheres increase your likelihood of success, regardless of the endeavor you are undertaking! Join a group, hire a trainer or nutrition professional, team up with a coworker, enlist your family members, but do what you need to to have the camaraderie and support to make your goal a reality!

These tips apply to anyone, regardless of dietary choices. Losing weight needn’t require hours of counting points or calories, nor does it mean limiting yourself to canned shakes or dehydrated, freeze-died diet meals. Instead of further disconnecting from your food, re-connecting to your meal and to yourself is how sustained weight loss can be assured.  If you are struggling to lose weight and need additional support, check out my services to see if a package can work for you, or contact me to create a more customized option to suit you, no matter where you live!

A side effect of being a calorie-phobic society is the creation of zero calorie non-foods to give us what we crave (sweets) without adding to our caloric load. Since the cyclamates of the 50’s (banned in ‘69 in the US due to connections with cancer) the food manufacturing industry has been turning out one artificial sweetener after another, often with deliterious effects. Each new version is reported to have no known side effects…partially because testing has been skewed (if the industry sponsors the study, do you think they’ll publish unfavorable results?) and partially because a 12 week study cannot determine long-term effects.

Let’s look at the list….

Cyclamates – listed as GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) by the FDA in the 50’s, then pulled in ‘69 due to links of bladder and testicular cancer in lab animals.

Saccharin: actually the oldest artificial sweetener, it rose to popularity after the Cyclamate ban. Some studies also link it to cancer; while others claim it is safe. It is derived from coal tar, which is (insert sarcasm here) known to be a wonderful benefit to the human diet. It is still permitted to be sold in the USA, although it must carry a warning label demonstrating its link to cancers in lab animals. It is stored in pink packets.

Aspartame: aka Nutrasweet, often sold in the blue packets. Aspartame is made by combining 2 amino acids together using methanol. At temperatures of 86 degrees, the compound breaks down (which is why nutrasweet is not suitable for baking). The end effect is methanol floating in the system. Methanol is a precursor to formaldyhyde and formic acid (the toxin in fire ants). None of these products are ideal for conserving healthy living tissue.

The side effects of nutrasweet are common and widespread. In my practice I have seen it linked to headaches and blurred vision. A client who worked for a neurologist told me her boss had it banned from his office. Aspartame breaks down in the body and stays in fatty tissue, favoring storage in the eyes and brain. Most side effects are related to these areas of the body. No other compound approved by the FDA has received more complaints than Nutrasweet.  Dr. Mark Hyman notes that of the 166 safety studies conducted on aspartame, 74 were partially funded by interested industry parties and 92 were independently funded. 100% of industry sponsored studies concluded aspartame was safe, 92% of independent studies link aspartame to potentially cause adverse side effects.

Splenda (sucralose): The newest to join the market, Splenda is made from replacing some of the hydrogen atoms in the sugar molecule with chlorine. Initially it was determined to be unrecognizable by the body and not broken down. Newer research shows the body is able to partially break down and absorb sucralose. Given the track record of our food industry and artificial sweeteners, I’m not jumping on the Splenda bandwagon, and I reccommend my clients stay away as well. It’s too early to tell what the side effects will be, but I’m pretty certain they will begin showing up in 5 years or so. Some early studies are showing alterations in gut flora (in rats) and potential to trigger migraines in certain individuals.

The Bottom Line:

All artificial sweeteners are made form compounds that are NOT recognized as nourishment by the human body and most have pretty significant potential side effects. Studies published in the International Journal of Obesity and Behavioral Neuroscience indicate that consumption of artificial sweeteners may lead to increased caloric intake and weight gain – the exact opposite of what they are advertised to do! Certainly we can look around us and see the introduction of calorie-free sweeteners has not reduced our weight as a nation.  We are definitely more overweight than we were in the 70’s and 80’s and have more cancer, diabetes and heart disease as well. The evidence clearly indicates that artificial sweeteners are not the answer to our health issues.

Obesity Rates (by % of population) Increase from 1989 to 2008

There’s always a big push to lose weight for the summer, and then we engage in all sorts of activities which encourage weight to come back on — heavy BBQ’s, travel to new and exciting places, summer parties and celebrations all centered around lots and lots of food.

The unscheduled nature of summer interferes with routines which keep weight more easily managed, and often people notice a couple of extra pounds in preparation for the winter months.

Given that we don’t opt to hibernate, this extra weight isn’t necessary! Here are some of my top tips to avoid gaining weight when traveling and enjoying summer festivities:

1) Grill It! Use your grill for good, not evil. Instead of ribs and hot dogs, grill a variety of vegetables, chicken kabobs and use a cedar plank to grill fresh fish. Use exotic spice blends for flavor and BBQ sauce on the side to dip your chicken in if you are sensitive to sugars.

2) Bring a healthy dish to potlucks so you can ensure a healthy option is available. Others will appreciate it as well!

3) Crowd out caloric drinks with water: Summer slushies, cocktails, and blended coffee drinks can have as many calories as your main meal. Keep caloric drinks to a minimum, and when you do have one, have a tall glass of water (with lime for flavor) before and after you have your high-calorie beverage.

4) Plan you vacations to include healthy options and physical activity: If it’s very hot, exercise in the morning or evening – stroll the beach at sunset, play in water parks with the kids, hike in the shaded woods. Pack picnic lunches, utilize grocery stores for healthy snack options, and plan ahead whenever possible. I often research restaurants in locations I am visiting to get an idea of options available to me. For road trips, this post may be useful to you.

5) Keep tabs on yourself! Don’t turn a blind eye. If you are prone to overdoing it on vacation or during the summer, keep tabs on your size with a specific pair of pants or measuring tape. Some clients find it helpful to keep a food log in high-risk situations to keep them honest and accountable. Do what you need to without sacrificing the joys of the summer months!

If you have the winter workout blahs or have hit a weight loss plateau, there are some easy, effortless ways to boost your fat loss and calorie burn WITHOUT spending more time in the gym.

1) Add in some plyometics:
Plyometrics is a fun, easy way to get your heart pumping. These moves (jumping, skipping, leaping) bring out the kid in us, boost happy brain chemicals, and can double your calorie burn in a single workout. Aside from the direct increase in calorie-burn from added intensity, they foster use of different muscle fibers and “shock” the body into using more energy to create stronger muscles overall. This can allow you to exercise at a greater intensity and for longer periods of time much quicker. Caution to those with knee problems — utilize plyometrics only underthe supervision of a trained professional.
Some ideas:

During your daily walk, add 30 high-knee marching movements every 15 minutes. If running, skip for 30 seconds each mile or two.

Turn and move into a side squat slowly – 5-10 on each side – followed by 10 squat jumps (slight squat down, then use your arms to propel you as you jump forward) mid-workout.

Repeat as desired for even greater results.

2.) Add hills on your route: “Hills give you strength”, my running coach used to say. He is absolutely right! Driving your body uphill against gravity is a great way to boost your calorie-burn and sculpt your rear. It can be an easy way to add speed to your overall pace by building greater strength and resiliency and power to your legs. Add hills to 10-20% of your workout outside or bump the treadmill incline up 2% for 5-10 minutes of your workout. Continue to up the incline 1% per week to keep your body guessing.

3.) Add in some intervals: Interval training is simply doing short bursts of higher intensity in your workout. Fartleks are a great way to do this if you are a runner (race you to the stop sign!) ; if you walk as your primary form of cardiovascular exercise, you can toss ten 1-minute speed-walking sessions into a 30 minute brisk walk to double your calorie burn. This is also a fantastic way to break into jogging or running from walking. Jeff Galloway revolutionized injury-free running by making this method of walk-running popular.

These are just three, easy and funw ays to add variety and results to your existing fitness routine. If you have any existing or chronic injury, you will want to speak with a knowledgable fitness professional about the best way to boost your workouts for maximum results. As with any new endeavor, add the change in slowly (for one or two workouts a week) building up slowly to allow the body to adapt and prevent injuries.

Have any readers benefited from these methods? I know hill training was key to my Boston marathon qualifying time last May. How have some of these methods benefited you?

(This post is part of Food Renegade’s Fight Back Fridays, a day where bloggers come together and share their thoughts on returning to a more natural, wholesome diet. Check it out !)

The Fat Free Phenomenon has got to stop.

Seriously. As a nation, we have not gotten more svelte and lithe with the advent of Snackwell’s have we?

Instead, by consuming fat-free, sugar-free, reality-free food, we have grown larger and larger. We are hungrier and hungrier. Why is this?

(more…)

Fiber.

Long touted as essential for heart health, and more recently for digestive health, fiber is also an important ally in the battle of the bulge.

Fiber has a wonderful capacity to assist in appetite suppression. Which is more filling — consuming 8 oz. of freshly squeezed apple juice or the 3 apples it took to make that juice? When we juice, we discard the pulp (fiber) and consume the rest. That fiber is key to keeping us full and happy over the long term. It provides bulk, slows absorption and prevents blood sugar from skyrocketing, preventing strong hunger pangs after the inevitable crash.

Within the stomach lies signals that get triggered when the muscles of the stomach wall stretch, creating a cascade of messages that basically tell our body to stop being hungry. The longer something sits in the stomach, the longer time passes before we receive a signal to eat again. Complex foods which take a lot of time to break down last in the stomach longer. This is why whole foods are so important. They give your belly something to work on, where a refined food like Red Vines or white bread need little effort to get into the blood stream.

Want to see it for yourself? Take a piece of white bread and a piece of 100% whole wheat bread. Place each in a separate bowl of water and wait five minutes. The white bread will collapse in your hands. The whole wheat bread, although soggy, will remain more intact. Imagine what would happen if that water was 98.6 degrees and we added some stomach acid to it!

Aside from sustaining fullness, fiber also stops some calories from being absorbed. By decreasing the time food sits in the digestive tract, as well as binding to bits of food particles, fiber reduces the total caloric load absorbed by the body.

Fiber is actually quite easy to find. Current recommendations for fiber are 20 -35 grams per day. Most Americans get about 10-15 grams a day. Research shows that blood sugar management in diabetes is greater when fiber intake reaches 50 grams a day. For purposes of weight loss, I recommend my clients take in between 30 and 50 grams a day.

So, to recap:

• Fiber helps prevent heart disease,
• contributes to healthy digestive tracts,
• keeps you more full on less food,
• and keeps you fuller longer!
• Fiber inhibits a small percentage of calories from being absorbed,
• and minimizes blood sugar spikes, having a beneficial effect on diabetes and insulin levels.

Where is fiber found?

In whole plant foods! Think fruits, vegetables, whole grains such as brown rice, corn, quinoa, kamut berries, wild rice; beans, peas, and lentils, and starchy vegetables such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, and taro root.

Ground flax seed, psyllium husk and various brans (wheat/oat/rice) can be added to oatmeal, smoothies, or other foods to increase fiber intake and fullness.

What are some ways you can sneak more fiber into your day?

1) Say hello to your vegetables. Invite them over for dinner.
Vegetables are the most critical and most lacking food in the American diet. Plant life carries abundant sources of vitamins and minerals and are chock full of powerful cancer-preventing, heart-protective, inflammation-squelching antioxidants. They offer an abundance of nutrition for few calories, and are loaded with fiber to satisfy appetite for long periods of time. Enjoy them liberally – steamed, raw, stir-fried or roasted. Hold the cheese sauce!

2) Drink your water!
Our cells bathe in a sea of water. More than 65% of the human body is comprised of this element! Most of us walk around in a state of dehydration – especially if we partake in the coffee culture that permeates the Northwest.
Dehydration manifests itself in numerous symptoms other than thirst. Food cravings, hunger, poor concentration, headaches, muscle spasms, bladder issues, poor skin quality, overheating and fatigue during exercise are some of the symptoms that can be attributed to dehydration.
Don’t like the taste of water? Try adding slices of lemon, orange, lime, or cucumber to your water. Mint sprigs can be particularly refreshing in the summer.
Please note – there is no substitute. Calorie-free “flavored water” is not water. Water is water. Drink liberally until urine is clear. Repeat.

3) Eat Breakfast!
Studies show breakfast eaters have lower blood pressure and cholesterol, better concentration and moods, and are more likely to be height-weight proportionate than their fasting counterparts. Not eating breakfast is akin to letting your car idle all night and then trying to drive it from Seattle to Portland without fueling up. If you have no appetite in the morning, try a piece of fruit or 1/2 a yogurt to start. You’ll soon discover fewer cravings, greater energy, smaller evening meals and a rumbling tummy in the morning — all signs of a healthier metabolism!

This video of Peter Jennings comes from Dr. Mercola’s website. I’m not a huge fan of Mercola – he tends to be a bit in-your-face and extreme in making his point. However, this video is fantastic and offers an eye-opening connection between politics, food choices, and our nation’s health.

Click here!

Courtesy of Time Magazine, this quick slide show explores some common appetite stimulators:

Photo Essay: What Makes Your Eat More Food

This is the million dollar question — once weight is lost, how does one keep it off?
As a nation of yo-yo dieters, no price is too high to keep extra weight off forever. The industry would have us believe that the solution is in the next book, superfood, pill, or diet plan. Their livelihood depends on you believing you need something outside yourself – some magic potion or wise words – to keep the weight off for good.
The reality is this — the answer, in most cases, cannot be purchased. Put your checkbooks away.
Keeping weight off forever involves change between your ears, not change in your purse.

Susan Kayman and her cohorts set out to investigate the difference between formerly-obese women who relapsed and those who maintained their weight loss. The results were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Those who maintained their weight loss had mad skills. Not calorie counting skills, or kung-fu skills, but mad stress-coping skills.
Most people who are overweight have an unhealthy relationship with food. Food is one of the ways we can numb out, tune out, suppress rage and pain and console ourselves. For some of us, it was a behavior learned as a child when we had no power and no modeling of appropriate coping skills. As adults, it’s the easy way out. It’s legal, socially acceptable, easy to hide and even when we find out it no longer works we still don’t have a replacement. Food is always there, and goodness knows we are always being encouraged to partake.

In the study, those who maintained their weight responded to stress differently than those who relapsed and gained the weight back. Relapsers lacked skills to cope with their stress and were more likely to use avoidance or escape techniques to numb out. 90% would not directly confront their problems, and 70% ended up unconsciously consuming food to deal with their emotions. They were also less likely to exercise and seek outside support.

The maintainers had developed a different approach. A whopping 95% of maintainers confronted problems directly rather than avoiding them. They also utilized external support, remained conscious of their behaviors and developed their own strategies for dealing with stressors. No big surprise, most were also exercising. Their coping strategies were similar to the control group of women who had never been obese and included relaxation techniques, exercise, seeking professional help, social support or talking about their feelings with trusted friends.

You can be your most powerful advocate or you can be your own Judas. Everyone experiences challenges and stresses and everyone needs support and encouragement from time to time. When you hold your tongue, bury your opinion, and play nice you deny your very self. You say, “I don’t matter,” “I’m not important,” and “I am invisible.” The pain of silencing yourself can be suppressed, for a short time, with some Ben and Jerry’s or pretzels or wine. But it won’t go away completely until you reverse your silence, speak your voice, and make your Self known. It is a fundamental human desire to be known and acknowledged.

If weight is one of your struggles, I’d like you to focus this week on utilizing your voice. Speak up! It doesn’t have to be about the huge issues you have been stuffing down for years. It can be as simple as expressing where YOU want to have for dinner, asking a friend or coworker to go for a walk with you, saying no to a second helping of potato salad, or taking initiative with a problem you have been avoiding. Brainstorm solutions to stressors in your life rather than commiserating with those who just like to complain.
Be a bad girl, I dare you! Stop playing nice when it makes you feel anything less than sheer joy. Say no to those who step over you, share a controversial opinion to raise a few brows, and shock people around you by being direct. Share the feelings you have that you are most unlikely to share with a dear, trusted friend.

See what happens. Play with it. You can always change your mind later.

You can’t turn on the TV, drive down the road or go to a party without being confronted with America’s hottest obsession: weight. Diets are a billion-dollar industry; companies spend millions and millions luring you to try the latest diet (low carb, high protein, low fat, no fat, you name it) with promises that this will (finally!) be the solution—your shortcut to a thinner body. Advertising efforts also deeply affect our children, who develop distorted body images and are often on diets as early as 9 or 10 years of age.

Our culture touts diet pills, celebrity workouts, convenience foods, and trendy diets to help us achieve our desired weight, but these quick fix solutions have backfired. America’s populace has reached its highest weight in history. About half of Americans are overweight; one third are obese. Diets steer us away from our common sense and dip deeply into our pocketbooks while eliciting few, if any, lasting results.

Diets don’t work because each person is unique, with different needs based on gender, age, ancestry and lifestyle; how could one diet be right for everyone? Diets don’t work because they are extreme solutions. As in physics, if a pendulum swings to one extreme, it has to swing equally to the other. A diet might work for a short amount of time, but research shows that almost all diets result in a 10-pound gain once off the diet. Diets don’t work because they are too restrictive. People who fail on diet plans are not flawed and weak. Diets by nature require discipline and restriction at levels that are unsustainable by a healthy human body.

Most people are disconnected from why they gain weight, and see diet as the only culprit. For example, ignoring or discounting emotions is often the first thing to cause weight imbalances. In our fast paced world, we have lost sight of many aspects of life that truly nourish and balance our bodies, such as slowing down, eating a home-cooked meal, and spending quality time with loving people. Eating consciously and making simple lifestyle changes will create positive results and release you from the endless cycle of dieting.

Balance and a sustainable weight are your birthright. Given half a chance, your body will balance out by itself, but this is only possible by getting out of the diet mentality and listening to what you truly need. Imagine taking all of the outward energy you expend on diets, fads and gimmicks and turning it inward, so that you can listen to your heart and inner wisdom. There is no such thing as a quick fix; you already have everything you need within you. With careful thought and loving reflection, you can feed yourself wisely and purposefully and be completely nourished. Working with your body rather than against it will bring about increased energy, stabilized weight and sustainable health.

The brain is a neglected, yet critical part of the weight loss component. In my years of working with those who are seeking a smaller body size, the consistent difference between those who succeed and those who do not lie solely in attitude. Those who reap the greatest results are those with a determined set mind. They have made the decision that their body is not what they envision for themselves, and that it will be different. In their minds, the act is essentially complete – it is simply a matter of execution. There are no excuses, no room for doubt.

If you struggle with weight loss, and have been for some time, it may be helpful to take a close look at what is sabotaging you. What beliefs are you holding onto that thwart your innermost desires? Who in your life are you allowing to make decisions about your body size for you (such examples are giving into spouses’ sabotaging, allowing the needs of others to get in the way of your exercise time, etc.)? And what have you gained by keeping your weight high? How does it serve you?

Those last two questions often surprise people. But, barring metabolic disturbances, the bottom line is this – if you were not benefiting in some way from your body size, it would be different. For some, extra weight offers protection – from intimacy, rejection, attention. For others, it is rebellion against being controlled. This is often very painful to hear and realize, but it often provides a phenomenal breakthrough and allows real, lasting progress to begin.
Examining the benefits of keeping on weight, or the actions that keep you heavy, allow you to question whether they still serve a need and give you the opportunity to explore other options of meeting current needs.Being aware of these patterns give you great power to change and heal through difficulties that keep you stuck in a less than vibrant life.

Much of my work is helping those who struggle root out saboteurs and effectively maneuver through the obstacles of daily life. Many times these important questions have never been asked! They certainly are not addressed in most diet books! I encourage you to stop, look at your thoughts and beliefs, examine your external obstacles, and make the decision – a solid, firm resolve – to make your life better. You have the power within you to have the life you dream of!

Strategies to jump start stalled weight loss efforts

It happens to everyone – at some point along the weight loss journey the scale stops moving downward. It can be a time of great frustration and is often the point where people give up on themselves and return to poor eating habits. Understanding what can cause a plateau and learning strategies to move past it can allow everyone to survive what can be the toughest place to be when losing weight.
Plateaus can occur for a number of reason. Without going into much detail, here are some common causes:

The body is adjusting to a new weight and biological “reorganization” is causing a temporary lapse in progress.

You have been eating too little, and your metabolism has slowed, despite exercise.

First off, if it has only been a couple of weeks, PMS or bodily adaptation may be occurring. Take circumference measurements and if female, wait until your menstrual cycle has completed before coming to any conclusions.
If the scale still will not budge and you have not lost inches, try the following:

• Keep a food and exercise diary. Maybe there are things slipping in that are halting progress, or perhaps you are not working as hard with your activity routine.
• Shake things up a bit! Vary your fitness regime by adding a new activity or increasing the intensity of what you are currently doing.
• Vary your food intake by trying to change the ratio of carbs/fat/protein for a week or two. This can “shock” the system into action, but may not be the right choice for everyone. Attempt this only under supervision of a nutrition professional.
• Avoid extra salt and try increasing your water intake.
• Measure out your food to ensure you are guesstimating correctly.
• Eat every 2-3 hours to boost your metabolic rate and stabilize your blood sugar
• If you have been too restrictive, slowly begin to add calories to your diet to boost your metabolism. Believe it or not, eating more can sometimes cause you to lose weight!
• Get enough sleep! Sleep deprivation is a notorious saboteur.

Also, take a look at your expectations of yourself. Perhaps this time in your life is more stressful and less structured than last month. If this is the case, it may not be reasonable to expect yourself to continue to lose a pound or two a week. If this is the case, congratulate yourself on avoiding weight gain and just work to maintain your weight until life becomes a bit more manageable.
If you have tried these ideas and are still not seeing results, enlisting the help of a professional may be what you need. A nutrition consultant has a trained eye and can find saboteurs that may have gone unnoticed and a personal trainer may be able to up the ante and give you variation, stimulation, and tips to utilize your workout program to the fullest.