Thinking About Losing Weight » thinkandlose

Diet Rock Bottom – No Way to Go But Up

Susan — Fri, 07 May 2010 23:14:04 +0000

When we come to that point where we understand once and for all that dieting just makes us gain weight, then we can quit living our lives as a fat person and release the thin person inside.

Marna Goldstein Thrall has discovered this truth and shares the first steps to learning to accept and love ourselves and letting go of the fat self-image we have held on to for so many years.

Have you ever just browsed or searched YouTube for videos about losing weight? Better yet narrow down that search to “think and lose weight” and you will bypass all those sales pitches for diet pills and exercise equipment. Sure you will find people trying to sell you their programs on how to lose weight without diets, by self-hypnosis or private coaching but if you can look beyond the sale pitch, these videos themselves are a great resource. You don’t have to go sign up for anything or buy a set of CDs. Just tune into one or two of these videos and you will pick up a new technique or boost in your self-image right from the free Youtube video.

It’s kind of like going to the public library or spending the morning in Barnes and Noble reading the books there. They are free to view and your don’t have to buy a thing.

You are also free to pick and choose what you like and don’t like. Take what you want and apply it to your life. Ignore the rest. You don’t have to agree with everyone and you certainly don’t have to follow every bit of advise your given. Find that one gem and feels right to you and go with it.

Tomorrow, next week or next month when you feel like your enthusiasm for life is waning again, go back for another treasure to move on with.

I like this video, Marna presents a simple easy to grasp picture of a life changing concept.

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New Year, New Start, New Program

Susan — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 05:50:14 +0000

We are finally settled here in San Felipe and I can no longer offer my travels and lack of roots as an excuse for doing or not doing what I need to be doing.

This morning my sister-in-law and I started a new exercise program… it’s the 5 Day Workout program, which I picked up at Costco a few weeks ago. Amazon doesn’t carry it so I can’t give you a link for it here.

Having only gone through the first day, I can’t offer much of a review except to state that the first day was tougher than I was ready for.

I also started back through my I Can Make You Thin DVDs. This I can give you a link to to the book and intro CD. McKenna now has an online program you can join for $10/month. For some odd reason, McKenna doesn’t offer the opportunity for me to be an affiliate in the US even though he does for folks in the UK. But I like the program so I would recommend it even though I don’t make money if you sign up. I don’t personally belong to the web program anymore, I signed for a while when the membership included the DVD program. I like going back through the self-hypnosis recordings periodically.

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Day 80 and Little Embarrased

Susan — Tue, 12 May 2009 21:32:59 +0000

I recently received a letter from Lucy of DailyBread365.com asking if I would be interested in writing an update of my progress since starting with DB365. As you can see from the title of this article I have been receiving the DB pages for nearly three months I must admit that I have very little progress to report in the weight loss arena, in fact this morning I got on the scale and discovered a ten pound gain since my last weigh-in at the doctors a few weeks ago. However, let me qualify that statement a bit. First I don’t normally weigh myself anymore. As noted the earlier weigh-in had been mandatory at my annual exam. The second had been also mandatory, following surgery yesterday for the removal of my gall bladder. I’m chalking up the drastic jump to the three or four bags of saline they had pumped into me in the last 24 hours.

However, in spite of my denial and self-justification, I must admit my progress has not been spectacular. I can’t blame Lucy’s lovely program either as I have been pretty successful at ignoring the daily emails offering me very sound advise and tempting recipes. I must apologize to Lucy because even though the recipes always look enticing … cooking isn’t my thing and I usually just breeze right past them. I do occasionally (at least once a week) take time to read the articles and I almost always agree with Lucy’s guidance, I just don’t always apply them.

I do love receiving them though. They are like a friendly reminder from a good friend who only has my best interest at heart and I need that nudge here and there to keep on track. So sorry Lucy that I don’t have better news to report but thank you for being there to point me in the right direction again, and again, and again. Once of these days going the down the right road will get to be a habit and maybe I quit straying off the path entirely.

Visual Aids to Thinking Thin

Susan — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 21:26:59 +0000

Today in Lucy Prideaux‘s lessons I was instructed to visualize and draw the steps to increasing my metabolism. I am no artist but I’ll give it a shot any way. The instructions say to picture a flame (your metabolism) buring in your stomach and surround it with the five steps you need to keep it burning strongly. They are:

Balanced meals
Avoid carbohydrates
Avoid large meals
Exercise before breakfast
Resistance training (my wording)
I added a sixth item…a reminder to SLOW down and enjoy my food

Photos are courtesy of Freefoto.com

Duh!!! Now That Explains It!

Susan — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 21:27:59 +0000

You know that moment when the picture goes from a incomprehensible blur to crystal clear? Day 43 in Lucy-Ann’s 365 day program says it is a recap so I obviously should have read this fact before but today the words suddenly became clear and made sense. Lucy writes:

As we age, our diets need to become LESS energy-dense and MORE “nutrient-dense”.

For the last two decades I have been fighting with nature, arguing with myself and wondering why is it I seem to eat so much less than when I was younger and yet in that 20 years I have crept up over 50 pounds, in spite of trying numerous diets and exercise regimens. I’d whine about the injustice and beat myself up mentally that I was such a failure. Today when I read Lucy’s explanation a light went on. For the first two decades of my life my body was growing and thus needed fuel to support that growth. The third decade I was caring for a small child so I needed the energy to keep up with her and her friends. I was eating to fuel the life style of a child in my adult body. Suddenly, in my forth decade, my life slowed down. I settled into an office job, no longer waiting tables, running Keno or caring for the sick. I sat for at least 8 hours a day. My recreation became less active too. I now had time to read books and watch a movie all the way through in one sitting. So why is it such a mystery to me that I need less fuel to do so much less? The challenge now to is pay more attention to my body’s needs and the signals it is sending. Why did it never occur to me that maybe acid reflux or GERD, as the TV ads call it, is really my body saying I am overfilling the tank? It’s kind of like the excess gas bouncing out of the gas tank when I try to top off the tank and put just a WEE bit more than the automatic shut off suggests. Since reading and listening to Paul McKenna’s NLP program I have learned to recognize that “automatic shut off” signal when my body gives it. It was pretty quiet at first. Even now I can blow past it if I’m chatting with the family or friends when I’m eating a meal. If I let myself get distracted, I find I am no longer taking time to chew slowly and taste my food. I am again just gobbing it down and by the time I “hear” myself say “enough” I am more than full, I am stuffed and uncomfortable. Later, the indigestion is back. So once again I pick up the MP3 player and go back to Paul’s recording to remind myself of the basics and my goal to be a healthier thinner senior citizen in my last decades. I do want my “golden years’ to be a little more Blanche and a little less Dorothy, although all my adventurous enthusiasm will certainly be focused on my darlin’ husband, Chuck.

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Get Simple Steps For Weight Loss

Susan — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 21:27:59 +0000

Get Simple Steps For Weight Loss By Bela W<

Simple Steps for Weight Loss #1: Set Realistic Goals

Don’t discourage yourself by setting unrealistic weight loss goals before you even start your weight loss program. If you ask yourself some simple questions then you will be able to lead your efforts into the right direction: What are you looking to achieve with this weight loss program? How much weight do you want to lose in a day, a week and a month? Try to keep in mind that each small goal you achieve will push you closer towards your final destination. But if you set unrealistic goals, then you will only be sabotaging and frustrating yourself to the point that you won’t be celebrating the results you are achieving. Don’t push for results too fast.

Simple Steps for Weight Loss # 2: Nutrition

It’s time to get rid of the secret stashes of food including the sodas, candy and any other form of high content sugars. Try to remember back to those times when you were a kid and you weren’t allowed to have junk food and sugar; well that doesn’t change now that you’re an adult! Make a new list of the foods you need to incorporate into your kitchen. Fresh vegetables, fruits, healthy snacks, lean meats, low fat dairy and whole grain breads/pasta all should be included. Simple Steps for Weight Loss # 3: Reward Yourself

Why not treat yourself to a new CD, sweater, book or other reward when you significantly make progress towards your fitness goal. But remember that this reward shouldn’t be an unhealthy food indulge of some form – a big hot fudge sundae is a no-no.

Simple Steps for Weight Loss # 4: Eat Breakfast

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Your body cannot function properly if it’s starving; your metabolism will need a kick start in order to keep you burning calories throughout the day. Eating breakfast will not only improve your performance at school or work, but it will prevent you from overeating at your next meal where you will most likely make unhealthy choices.

Simple Steps for Weight Loss # 5: Exercise

No weight loss program can be successful without a good exercise program. But remember to start at a pace that’s right for your body. Too many people jump into a super intensive workout regimen that only leads to either injuries or discouragement. If you’re just starting out then try going out for a 30 minute walk after dinner each day or every other day. Fitness equipment is also great for the home since it will be convenience at your fingertips. But gyms are great too and they offer a wide variety of classes where you can meet people with similar fitness goals.

Simple Steps for Weight Loss # 6: Sleep

Getting a good night sleep is overlooked by many but it’s incredibly important for weight loss. Since lean muscle is what we’re all after, you need to be able to give your body and muscles a good 7 to 8 hours of recovery time to mend and repair body tissues.

Simple Steps for Weight Loss # 7: Rest and Relaxation

Try to incorporate a day off in your weekly workout schedule and treat it as a reward for yourself too. If you worked your butt of during the week then you deserve a day to rest and relax.

By following these seven simple steps, you will start seeing results and come that much closer to your weight loss goals. Be consistent and make them part of your daily lifestyle to see lasting results.

You can read more about simple steps for weight loss: Click Here for More Info!

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Cutting Calories Without Counting Calories

Susan — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 21:28:59 +0000

Cutting Calories Without County Calories By Susan Young The one rule I set for myself at the beginning of this journey was NO MORE DIETS! Here I am starting week three with the gals at DailyBread365 and the topic of today’s thought (Day 22) is cutting calories! I almost skipped it entirely but knowing Lucy’s dedication a healthy lifestyle, I jumped in and gave the article a closer look. Sure enough, Lucy is not advocating getting on the merry-go-round scale or measuring and weighing each bite of food. She is merely reaffirming common tenants that some types of food contain higher caloric content and are more easily converted to fat storage. Today’s “lesson” touches briefly on the difference between essential and non-essential fats, refined or processed foods, and the dangers of filling up on empty calories. Good information to recall, even when you are NOT dieting, like me. If you have read my previous posts you will know that I am working on changing my whole life experience. I am using self-hypnosis books, tapes and videos to reprogram myself to see food and exercise in a different light. I have spent a lifetime using food as a substitute for other things I thought were missing in my life. Food was love. Food was affirmation. Food was comfort. Food was entertainment. Now, I have come to realize that food is fuel. Fuel to accomplish the tasks I need and choose to do each day. Another pattern of thinking that I am working on changing is my attitude about exercise. As a child, young adult, and middle age women, I saw exercise as work, punishment, torture, the enemy, or something other people did. Now, I am learning to find health and well-being as rewarding incentives to exercise. I am learning to appreciate the improved mobility and strength that are the results of a few hours a week of activity. I’m not all the way there, where ever there might be but I am progressing nicely along the path to a healthier, stronger and fitter body and lifestyle.

Thank You Anita…

Susan — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 06:50:35 +0000

Eating intuitively

Susan — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 17:58:09 +0000

Eating intuitively
By: Susan Young

Ever hear the words “Clean your plate, there are starving children in China….”? I find it odd that even though I only lived with my mother for 19 years, those words resounded in my head for over 50, along with other gems like “Waste not, want not”, “a little bite won’t hurt you” and “it’s just baby fat, you’ll outgrow it.”

I could never fathom how my cleaning my plate would help the children in China get a full stomach. Being somewhat of a smart aleck, at some point I ventured the suggestion that we could overnight the leftovers on dry ice. Mom was not amused.

Day 6 of DailyBread365 and here I am several decades later, learning to turn off that voice in my head (sorry Mom) and discovering what it means to eat intuitively. Simply put, eating intuitively is learning to listen to my body, not the voice in my head, and paying attention to the signals it sends out.

Eat when I’m hungry.

Stop when I’m satisfied.

The words are not totally new to me. I heard them first from Paul McKenna in I Can Make You Thin. Learning to implement this new lifestyle takes a bit of effort. I find old habits don’t go away overnight. I still find myself eating because I am bored, restless or anxious, not hungry.

I am finding the daily encouragement and insights found at DailyBread365 are a great help. It is nice to have ‘good voices’ available to replace those old voices I have lived with all my life and Lucy’s podcasts are a treat. It’s a bit funny though talking to myself in an British accent!
.

Getting & Staying Fit Over 40 For All of Us

Susan — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 21:22:18 +0000

Getting and Staying Fit Over 40 For All of Us

By Dwayne Whiting

Contrary to what many people say, 40 is not “over the hill.” As a matter of fact, it is simply a new beginning, which is why it is important to get fit and stay fit in order to lead a high quality of life. Fortunately, getting fit isn’t too difficult as long as you have focus and you keep telling yourself that getting fit is an important part of your life. You have to get your mind in shape, know what type of exercises you need to do, and know what to eat. When you put all of these things together, you have an incredible combination that will help you get fit and stay fit over 40.

Your mind

Your mind can be your best friend, but it can also be your biggest enemy. This is because it will tell you, “But you’re not the same as you were twenty years ago.” It will also tell you that you’re getting old and that getting fat is just a part of life. Don’t listen to that nonsense. What you want to listen to is the fact that you can have a body that looks wonderful for your age, that 40 is not old, and that getting fat is not a part of life. Look at all of these fabulous looking celebrities over the age of 40 who are just now having children. They look amazing! Yes, they have personal trainers and there is a lot of makeup, but they could probably manage to look that amazing even with a good diet and regular exercise.

So it is important for you to create an “I can” frame of mind. You may feel like you have a bit of an internal conflict going on between the voice that says you’re old and the one that says you have another 40 years on you. Don’t let that get you down. Know that you’re amazing and tell yourself that.

Your diet

It is true that your metabolism is not what it used to be. This is simply a fact of life. It does mean that you won’t burn fat the way you used to, but that just means that you need to alter the way you eat. You will simply eat a diet that is high in fruits and vegetables, low fat dairy, fiber, and lean meats. In other words, you’ll be eating the diet that humans were meant to eat. We weren’t meant for all of these junk foods that we eat and many of the artificial foods that find their way into our systems. Just be mindful of what you eat and how much of it you eat.

Once you have established your healthy diet, it is very important that you stick to it. By sticking to it, you can continue to work on your excellent physique and you will feel a lot better about yourself. When you’ve been eating junk foods for so long, you may feel like your body has literally gone through a detox. It simply feels cleaner.

Exercise

Exercise is very important when you are over 40. Many individuals say they get bored with exercise, but it is a must. By exercising, you are able to keep your body trim. If you’ve ever hear the term “the middle-age spread.” This is usually the weight gain that is associated with being over 40. You don’t have to fall victim to “the spread” if you don’t want to. All you have to do is exercise and keep it up. There is plenty of exciting exercise programs you can get involved in.

Perhaps you may enjoy going to your local gym and taking some kickboxing classes. You may even like yoga. You might be surprised what you can get into. There are aerobic classes that incorporate some very fun and exciting dances and so much more. You’ll notice that exercise will make you feel younger than ever.

So adjust your state of mind, eat a healthy diet, and exercise regularly. Once you get started, keep it up. If you keep it up, you will keep yourself in fantastic shape well beyond 40. This is important for both your appearance and for your overall health.

Go to http://www.HowToGetFitOver40.com The evidence is in for fitness. Regular exercise has been associated with more health benefits than anything else known to man. Studies show that it reduces the risk of some cancers, increases longevity, helps achieve and maintain weight loss, enhances mood, lowers blood pressure, and even improves arthritis. In short, exercise keeps you healthy and makes you look and feel better. Why go to http://www.HowToGetFitOver40.com not make this the time to start getting in shape.

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