Inspiration Leads to Success by Barbara Toomer

One thing I’ve learned about dieting, weight loss and healthy lifestyle is the most successful people are the ones who find inspiration in others. It really doesn’t matter what program a person follows as long as they find inspiration and motivation. Weight Watchers is a tremendously successful program because of their success stories. We find someone with whom to identify and say, “If they can do it, so can I.” And often the “Success Story” will champion others to do well in the battle for better health.

I was inspired by my husband although he’s never had a weight problem. He embraces health and wellness as a way of life. He is physically active and constantly challenging himself to do more with his body, to care for it nutritionally and to keep his mind and spirit free of stress. He is my inspiration.

My sister, Julie, says I am her inspiration. She is doing a fantastic job losing weight after the birth of her daughter in April. I’m so proud of her and humbled she would give me credit for being her inspiration. Julie joined Weight Watchers after realizing a different national program didn’t fit her family lifestyle. She is succeeding with Weight Watchers – it fits her needs. She is inspired and motivated and found a program that works for her.

Julie in turn inspired our mom, Janet, to join Weight Watchers and mom reports she is down 3.4 pounds in just two weeks of following the program. Way to Go, Mom! In a letter today Mom wrote, “I love you both and glad to have you as my cheerleaders with this "get healthy" program. Thanks to Julie for getting me excited about it and for the motivation to get me started. I will be forever grateful for you. Also thanks to Barbara for showing me that the weight can come off and be maintained for years. I am praying that I will be as successful as both of you.”

Imagine the chain reaction if we all inspire just one person to live a healthier life.  ¶ 1:40 PM 0 comments

  12 Things You Can Learn From A Two-Year Old By Nancy Hill

I think if you asked any child about the adults around them, they'd probably say we're a little wacky and seem to be stressed out a lot of the time. Here are a few simple things they can teach us…

1. Nap when you're tired.

2. Eat when you're hungry.

3. Don't starve yourself, it makes you tired and cranky. Eat little bits often to keep fueled up.

4. Stubbornly refuse to eat even one more bite once you're full. If you're full after a few bites, gleefully throw the rest away.

5. Leave the table with a satisfied, full belly and an eagerness to dive back into your delicious life.

6. Be picky and only eat foods you love. If it doesn't taste great to you, clamp those lips shut and refuse to eat until something better is found.

7. Be in awe over how amazing and wonderful your body is. Notice how it moves, hugs, plays, loves, heals, and enjoys life.

8. Run, jump, skip, play. Move your body because it's so much fun and it feels good. Be amazed at all the incredible physical things your body can do.

9. Wear clothes that are comfy and that make you feel good.

10. Appreciate the people around you for who they are rather than for how they look.

11. Hang out with fun, friendly people and stay away from mean, critical ones.

12. Feel great about yourself because, well, why wouldn't you?

If you don't have a two-year old around right now, seek one out and watch them for a day. Their simple enjoyment of life, and their absolute respect for their own bodies is something to aspire to.

©2005 Nancy Hill has helped thousands get free of the dieting nightmare with her ebook, "Undieting - 11 Simple Steps to Reclaim Your Body and Your Life." Sign up now for the free 7-day email course at Undieting Free Course and discover how to get your life back.

Feel free to reprint this article, just use the whole article with the resource box attached.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/  ¶ 10:44 AM 0 comments

  Eating Food Just to Be Rid of It Kathryn Martyn from over at OneMoreBite-Weightloss.com presents a great look at eating food to get rid of it. I see myself doing this many times.

Eating Food Just to Be Rid of It
By Kathryn Martyn, M.NLP

What to Do with the Leftovers?

Okay, tell me if you've ever done this: It's Monday late afternoon. You decided yesterday that starting today you were going to 1) eat right, and 2) start to get regular exercise, and 3) give up all your bad habits. So, you're picking things up around the house and starting to notice all the little bits and pieces of leftovers from the past weekend. Namely, cookies here, and small bits of candy there. In my house today I noticed I had three large shortbread cookies (I'm overly fond of shortbread cookies with icing), several bags of the candy that resemble real rocks which I keep saying I want to put in a jar, but I haven't found just the right jar (for display, you know), and the leftovers from the latest summer picnic, which in my case is about five pounds of fruit salad - not bad in itself, but I can only eat so much fruit salad.


And Then There's the Wine


Of course, I had to buy some wine at a tasting on Saturday (I always buy it, don't know why I think those wine tasting's are such a great deal - they always entice me to buy), and now there's an open bottle waiting.


So, my thoughts are, "Do I eat this, or not?" "Do I throw it away and WASTE it?" "Oh, my, dear no. That's not a good idea," I think. Oh, I just remembered there is also an entire plate of large cinnamon rolls (Cinnabon style) I made Friday night. They'll be stale soon. That's not good. It'd be such a shame to throw them all away, and I only ate one.


And so it goes. Do I talk myself into eating up the last remnants of the weekend, thus going into Tuesday and possibly Wednesday with the taste of weekend indulgence still on my lips, or do I decide, really decide, I've had enough? It's time to eat better, like I just said, last night. Remember last night? It seems so long ago now ...


What if We Just Start Tomorrow?


It's interesting how easily we talk ourselves right out of what we had decided yesterday was such a good idea. So what's wrong with just starting tomorrow? What's wrong is that tomorrow never comes. It's always today, right now. You'll never reach that elusive tomorrow. Yes, the date on the calendar changes, but you, standing where you are, right here, right now, are still here, in the present. You can't live in the past, nor can you live in the future. You can only live in the moment.


Decide Right Now: What Do you Want?


So if you want to decide, then decide right now. What do you want, really want for yourself? Do you want to continue to indulge yourself at every turn, or do you want to exercise just a bit more discipline and see if you can get into better shape? It's not about what you'll miss out on, it's about what you will gain. Better health, more energy, endurance. You'll feel better, you'll look better. It's all about what you'll gain, but in the immediate moment, it's so easy to think only of right now. Yes, but right now this would taste so good, wouldn't it, and there's always tomorrow.


I've found that when I make a mental shift, a real shift, not just a decision but a true change in my thinking, then I follow through, and not until then. All the times I try to talk myself into doing things that I don't really want to do, are not successful. Probably they're not successful because I don't really want to do them.


How do you get yourself motivated and stay that way? I start with a list. List all the reasons you want to lose some weight. Think in terms of a mini goal of five or 10 pounds. Make it a one month goal, not a lifetime goal. It's fine to have long-term goals, but if you really want to learn to change for good, then you need to make it something you can live with. Incorporate real change into your lifestyle and you can indulge at a holiday party without it making any difference; without it throwing you off the deep end. When you go on vacation you'll come back maybe a couple pounds heavier, but it won't matter. You'll have eaten what you wanted, you'll have had a wonderful time, and not stressed yourself over whether you're gaining weight.


Why I want to lose Weight



What's my first mini-goal? (1 week to 1 month)
What's my longer-term goal? (1 month to 1 year)
How strict must I be for this to work? (Pre-planned or legalized deviations works very well for many people)
Sometimes, especially if you use a plan that incorporates "legalized cheating" then you'll end up with some leftover food. Get used to getting rid of it. Give it away, throw it away, it really doesn't matter. You're not doing yourself any favor by eating all the leftovers. So what if the cinnamon rolls go stale? I ate one didn't I? I enjoyed it totally too. Others also ate some cinnamon rolls, and even if no one had any, did I make them to eat them all, or did I make them because I was in the mood to make cinnamon rolls? Does eating them all myself make any sense at all?


Sometimes I feel a little guilty making goodies and then giving them away because I think I'm not making it any easier for others to stick to their plans, but then I remember what I do in that situation, and I have to assume others are adult about how they decide to take care of themselves too. If I decide I'm going to eat in a more healthful manner, and someone brings something unexpected, it's not difficult in most all circumstances to simply say, "No, thanks. I already ate," or take some on a plate for later.


Since I don't go on "restrictive" diets, then I can incorporate pretty much anything into my day's food plan. I just eat it, when I'm hungry. I find it so much easier to base my eating on whether I'm hungry, than on whether something is there. Just because unexpected people show up, doesn't mean you use them, does it? Honestly, do you think anyone is upset when you leave a bit more for them? I don't think so.


The Case of the Missing Wedding Cake


When I was a teenager my mother remarried and I offered to buy the wedding cake. I had an ulterior motive though. My favorite bakery, Beaverton Bakery, was where I intended to get the cake, and I knew by ordering far more than would be necessary there'd be lots and lots of leftovers for me to gorge myself silly on after the festivities. Ha.


What happened instead is a blur. I don't know really what happened to the cake but I do know I not only didn't get any leftovers, I never even had a piece at the wedding. I tend to get caught up in the people and don't usually eat at parties, so I paid it no attention, and much to my dismay someone else had bundled it up before I got there to do so. Alas, I was never to taste that cake at all. Such a disappointment - it must have been, I still remember it now and that's been more than 24 years ago now! LOL.


Food memories stick with me for a very long time. That day is my prime example of how I would not have minded one little bit if more people had said, "No thanks, I just ate," and passed on the cake. I just wish I'd been a little more alert in setting aside a hunk for later.

Kathryn Martyn, Master NLP Practitioner, EFT counselor, author of Changing Beliefs, Your First Step to Permanent Weight Loss, and owner of OneMoreBite-Weightloss.com


Get the Daily Bites: Inspirational Mini Lessons Using EFT and NLP for Ending the Struggle with Weight Loss.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/  ¶ 4:34 AM 1 comments

  Shout-Out: Crackin' the Deuce Want to laugh, cry and be inspired by some of the best diet writing on the blogsphere? Hop over to crackin' the deuce and prepare to enjoy your stay. Jenwa, the talented author writes "This might be about my life, my loves, my weight loss, my politics, my raising teenagers, or it might be about something else about me. Or not." Don't miss it - she's fabulous.  ¶ 2:06 PM 0 comments

  Exercise Resistance! - The Secret Barriers that Prevent Weight Loss Greg Ryan presents a good overview on how we use "resentment, fear of failure, comparisons are barriers you build up only to at some point sabotaging your desire to feel good and get in better shape." I fall in to some of these categories, do you?


By Greg Rryan

Getting started on an exercise program is one thing. Staying
on it is the bigger challenge. We have all been there.
New Years Eve comes around and wham! Instant motivation! It
is only a small percentage however that sticks with it. Why?
When you hear the term exercise resistance you of course
think of strength training with weights, don't you? Well,
it can also mean something else.

The phrase, "Exercise Resistance" or ER was coined in the
mid 90's. It means, a conscious or unconscious block against
participating in a regular active program. Studies show that
some people have barriers built up from past experiences
that give them a negative mindset toward exercise and food.
This prevents a person from starting or following through
on a fitness or diet program. This is more of an emotional
feeling that controls a behavior more than anything.

"I thought the golden years were supposed to be filled with
relaxing things to do, not more activities I usually put off
before?" Have you ever just resented having to exercise now
that you are older? "Why should I start exercising? I will
not follow through-never have. It will be just another
failure of mine?" Or how about not starting to exercise
because you have a fear of failure? My favorite; "why does
Jane look like she does and I have to work so hard at it? It
does not seem fair!" Have you ever compare yourself to your
youth or your best friend?

Each one of them; resentment, fear of failure, comparisons
are barriers you build up only to at some point sabotaging
your desire to feel good and get in better shape.

The answer to overcome these barriers is three fold. First,
figure out HOW you are motivated. Second, WHERE your
desires come from. And third, come to an understanding that
these barriers are only illusions you have fabricated in
your mind. THEY ARE NOT REAL! The bottom line is, until you
work on your approach to weight loss and fitness, the
numbers on the charts will not stick.

Greg Ryan is a well known author of the Changing from the
"INSIDE OUT", Through real behavior, smarter eating and
effective exercising, book series. Discover the five step
common sense way to lose weight. A formula the medical
and fitness industry DO NOT want you to know about!
Click here for FREE Mini Course ==> http://www.resolutions.bz

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/  ¶ 1:20 PM 0 comments