If the rain would stop I would walk! I've been doing fantastic, walking, eating well, smaller amounts, things are looser clothes wise but most of all things are well health wise.

I'm starting to trust my body to adjust itself and the self hypnosis is a great way to keep a focus on that trust.

My writing is absolutely taking off. I'm over 50,000 words with my novel and it's really coming together. It's hard to say if it's the hypnosis or the satisfaction of doing what I love for a couple of hours a day but I'm very balanced and focused these days and that's a great thing.

I still drink a lot of water each day and tea at night. I've taken to forgiving myself if I eat a cookie or a piece of pie and moving on. I am not bing-y and I am not really thinking about food at all. It's good.

Good healthy food, exercise, work that satisfies the soul and self-awareness and appreciation...all part of the recipe for success!

Namaste





My Writing Blog

I have come across two challenges that are starting on September 28 and thought I would share them with you.

The first is this walking challenge from an ivillage link. I'm going to give it a try. I try to walk daily but as the weather changes I find myself less and less inclined to do so. I am hoping to walk all winter this year but I hate being in the cold so it's challenging. Come along and join me on this one!

This second one is of particular interest. I came across this "diet" and entered the contest. This one isn't about weightloss specifically, it's about eating right for whatever ails you. I did the quiz and I won the book(Yay me) so when it comes I'm going to try to follow along with my results which basically said I'm hormonally imbalanced.

The quiz tests you and from that you find out your imbalances. Then you adjust your diet accordingly based on the results to give you the opportunity to eat foods to balance your system. I'm gonna test this one out. I am perimenopausal and it's a roller coaster most days. I am writing this at 6:22am having gotten up at 4:30. I have been awake since 3am. I'm hoping to fix up my sleep patterns and reestablish my energy for the day by doing so. I'm hoping diet will fix this.

And of course I continue on with the hypnosis weekly to keep me motivated. It works, it really works!

Breeze



My Writing Blog

Television adds pounds. I know it does because I'm on television now. I recently became a reporter for a new television news magazine and I'm starting to realise how tiny many of the people who are on television must actually be when they appear of normal weight.

We had a launch party for the new program yesterday and we viewed the show. I was surprised that I looked so much bigger than I thought I was but reassured when other, very small people, also looked larger on the screen. It's all an illusion.

But it got me thinking about body image and how that affects us. Much of how we think of our own body is as much an illusion as the size magnification of people on the small screen!

Many of us have a very confused idea of what is a good body weight. The media's skewed images on television and on magazine covers cause us to think we are overweight when we are not. The judgement of society supports that by the constant bombardment of the messages that you aren't good enough if you don't look the way the media has told you you should. It's not wonder we're confused!

I've come a long way. I looked at myself on the television and while I acknowledged that I looked bigger than I would have liked, I really, deep down, don't care. What I had to say, the work I had to do, the way I spoke, the story I presented, was the most important thing.

People get stuck on the journey because while on the journey you are not at the place you think you should be. The key to not getting stuck is to not focus on the weight or the body but on the feelings and the actions you are taking to a healthier body size.

HHypnosis Update

I've been using hypnosis and it really has taken my focus off of eating. I get hungry now before I eat and I am not overeating. I am walking more but that might have more to do with the weather being suitable for my favourite activity. I can feel in my clothes that I have lost some weight and I feel happy about that. I don't use a scale so I can't share the amount but it's definitely working.

I highly suggest using the weight loss mp3 on Hypnotransformations to get started. The owner of that site has agreed to guest blog for me in the future. Watch for her post!




My Writing Blog

My first update is a non-update. I've decided to put off my challenge until the kids start school(tomorrow) for the simple reason that I was swamped and didn't make time to listen to the download more than once. I want to follow the procedure exactly to maximize the benefits. So starting tonight I will be back on track.

That said, even listening once seems to set me in a different mood towards food and eating. My problem these days is a lack of motivation to exercise. I've always been super active and I've gone completely backwards this summer, having no inclination to do much more than a 20 minute walk. Aside from my two dragon boat practices a week I've been pretty much sedentary. That has translated into a plateau of sorts but I'm not worried except for the wellness aspect of regular activity.

I've got exciting things happening with this blog. I've invited Kym at Hypnotransformations to guest blog for me and she's kindly accepted. And I've also invited a local nutritionist and raw-food specialist, Nancy Telfer, who also is a EFT practitioner to guest blog on each subject. Check out her website!So interspersed between my updates will be posts from each of these fascinating women on their wellness specialties!

And remember the walking challenge starting on September 28th! I'm going to start that and I'm hoping some of you will join up and follow me on that journey! I really need to move beyond my 20 minute dog walking excursions!

Namaste friends!




My Writing Blog

It is time to put things to the test. I've written in the past about how it's our subconscious thoughts that keep us from doing the things we have to do, from having a healthy relationship with food, that causes us to have our compulsions to eat more than we actually need.

We were raised by parents who were either raised in or directly influenced by a generation affected by the great depression. Finish your plate meant this might be your last meal. The suffering and deprivation of that time placed a scar on the psyche of that generation that has manifested into this generation of plenty in the form of excess and obesity.

The trick is to reprogram the subconscious and in all my research into this part of the understanding, two things stand out. They are EFT and Hypnosis.

A few months back I purchased a download from Hypnotransformations and started using it. I felt as though I was having some success however a computer crash caused me to lose the download. The computer was restored and a new account created however I couldn't find it in the iTunes library. A few days ago though, while cleaning out some old files...I found it!

So here starts a new chapter in this blog. The journey using hypnosis to fix my relationship with food. I will record all of my observations on here as time goes on excluding my weight. Through a lot of work I've not weighed myself in over a year. But I have a whole closet of too-tight clothes that will be the test.

So last night I listened to the hypnosis download for the first time. Today? I feel good. Let's see how this goes. I will be inviting the creator of the hypnosis Mp3 that I'm using, Kim at Hypnotransformations to guest post here at some time. Please follow along as I work through her program.





My Writing Blog

I know there is a question on everybody's mind. The big question. Are you losing any weight? I should answer this for you but there is the rub. I don't know. I don't weigh. I know I'm doing all the things I should be doing. I'm listening to my weight loss hypnosis download regularly, I'm walking weather permitting, I am cooking fresh food and eating a lot of raw. I have not had a binge on anything baked although I have had these things occasionally. I've eaten ice cream but not too much and every day I feel better and better. So the answer to the big question is still, I don't know. And even more important, I'm not all that concerned about it which is an amazing shift. I am no longer preoccupied with the idea. I've let go of the need I have to lose the weight. I do feel like I'm slimmer. My clothes are starting to fit and I know my silhouette is trimmer. So that's it. No weigh ins for me, no updates, no numbers to report. All I can report is a decrease in my obsession with weight and food and an increase in my zest for life.


Affirmation: I am happier, I am healthier, I am grateful.

Namaste

Last night I had a yoga class. This morning I did sun salutations. It's an amazing practice. During yoga we had a short discussion about holistic medicine vs. western medicine which treats disease and focuses on one aspect without taking into consideration the whole person.

The example was a study of Vitamin D. It said that children born in September tended to have stronger bones because their mothers often had more natural vitamin d having gone through summer and gotten vitamin D from the sun. This makes sense, unless you use sunscreen which then blocks the vitamin D. The holistic approach would be to make sure that everybody has a way of achieving the benefits of the sun no matter what time of year. The western way would be to recommend supplementation of the diet with vitamin D for everybody across the board although some might not necessarily need it. And to use sunscreen to block the sun's rays and then add artificial vitamin D.

I'm all about the holistic approach. I believe all systems of the body work in coordination with the others and that all elements of the person, mind, body and spirit also work with each other and to maintain a balance of these aspects of a person, if we are working to fix something, everything must be considered.

I consider weight loss to be a perfect example of where the focus is on one thing, the body. But a person who is out of balance in one area is also likely out of balance in another. I know that most people who are feeling the emotional results of an unhealthy body need to focus on the emotional aspects at the same time they focus on the physical. Fixing the physical will not fix the emotional because often it's the other way around, the emotional aspect is the cause and the physical issues are a manifestation of spiritual and emotional imbalance.

So the fix is to allign yourself so that you are working on all of the aspects of you at the same time. I'm doing yoga for the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of the practice. I'm looking for a sport to participate in because my spirit enjoys physical play. I like to run for meditative reasons as well as physical. Everything is connected.

So to go into a weight loss program where the focus is almost entirely physical, eat less, move more(good advice yet they don't stand alone) is not likely to work. There needs to be a complete holistic approach that shifts the paradigm from working on a specific problem to working on the whole human.

Affirmation: I am a whole person. My body needs strengthening as does my mind and spirit. As I work on all three together I feel all things balancing and trust that the healthy coordination of all of the systems and aspects of me will be the best approach to my imbalanced eating.

For free yoga classes join Yoga Today

Namaste

Now that I seem to have cravings and compulsive eating coming under control it's time to start thinking about what I'm eating. I am not going to weigh, measure or limit myself however I do think I am doing myself a huge injustice if I don't take this opportunity to use some common knowledge to take advantage of this new information that seems to be coming to me.

First of all, I am drinking a lot of water. I am thirsty a lot and I'm going with that. I'm not sure if I'm thirstier than I ever was or if I used to mistake some of my thirst for hunger. Either way, it's water I want now and that's what I'm giving my body.

Diet is everything. What you put into your body is very important. I believe, personally, because it makes sense to me, that optimum nutrition comes from eating food as close to the source state as possible. Food at its source is raw. I think that most of our diet should consist of raw foods. Nuts, vegetables, fruit, anything that has not been processed in any way should make up the bulk of our diet. It is my goal to eat raw food with every meal and snack. Salad at lunch and dinner and fruit with snacks is an easy and culturally normal way to go. Alternatives include green smoothies and cold, uncooked soups. There are lots of raw foods that find its place in a diet that is mostly raw.

The most basic processed foods are those that are cooked. I will eat cooked foods. I have in the past tried to eat raw but the feelings of deprivation were too much and it's not natural to me. When I cook it will be local green vegetables, soups, casseroles and such.

Other processed foods, pasta, cereals, baked goods will drop to the bottom of the list, even those without added preservative to avoid excess refined flour and sugar. Occasional indulgences are fine but I don't need this every day. But occasionally I want some sweets and I'll have some. I will have ice cream on a hot day if I wish. I won't deprive myself again of things I love.

Junk food has to be very rare. I've never been a big junk food junky. I am very proud that the one junk food treat I over indulged in for years, diet pop, has been permanently removed from my diet for the past 6 months. That is proof right there you can do anything you want if you want it bad enough and then do it.

So it's time to clean it all up now. I think I have a good basic set of tools and with some expert shopping, some prioritizing, I will see great changes in the immediate future.

Affirmation: One day at a time, one moment at a time I am seeing success in my attitude towards food. I require, I deserve the best for my body and I am gaining the tools required to provide this to myself.


Namaste

There was a movie called Death Becomes Her that was out a few years back that starred Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn, Isabella Rossellini and Bruce Willis. In the movie Meryl Streep drinks a potion and after she has finished the bottle the Isabella Rossellini character who gives it to her says "And now a warning" to which Meryl Streep replies"Now a warning?" Well, I feel a bit like Meryl Streep today, without the academy awards and the large bank account.

I've been using the hypnosis download and I love it. I know it's working, I see signs. I just don't spend every waking moment thinking about food or what I'm going to eat, I have a very laid back attitude and except for the "noticing" that I do for this blog I have spent very little time thinking about diet, exercise, weight or body image. I feel like right now I'm pretty close to normal and I have complete trust.

So why the warning? Well one thing I'm noticing is how emotional I am. Resentments are near the surface and I'm ready to burst into flames at a moments notice. I'm an emotional eater. Now that I don't have my crutch, cookies, suddenly I have to actually deal with my emotions and I have no practice. I feel a little bad because I've definitely been less patient lately and my family has born the brunt of it. I'm sure I am not doing any long term damage but they have to be noticing.

The remedy is simple. Now I have to learn to deal with my emotions instead of burying them. I have to be careful not to find another unhealthy crutch. This time is very familiar, it reminds me of how I felt when I quit smoking many years ago. Suddenly I was a different person. Cookies fixed it that time but it was an unhealthy fix.

I've been meditating and noticing and I'll likely get a second hypnosis CD to help deal with the stress of life a little differently. I also plan to continue with the yoga practice I have begun. There can only be good benefits from that.

All in all, so far, this is a positive experience. I still can't tell you what the hypnosis download actually says. I never remember. No matter how much I try I drift off, even sitting up. And I wake up at the end. Maybe that's a normal part of the practice. Meanwhile if you decide to go forward with something like this keep in mind that you may need to adjust your emotions accordingly and learn new ways to cope beyond the Ben and Gerry's.

Affirmation: Today I go forward with trust that the path I've chosen is a good and positive one. All the signs point that way.

Namaste

Hypnosis is a very well established form of therapy for a variety of things. As I said yesterday I downloaded an Mp3 from Hypnotransformations(store link in my sidebar) and have started using it. I have not actually listened to the entire download however. I keep falling asleep. According to the instructions that came with it that's OK because the subconscious is always listening and well, I believe that to be true.

So yesterday it was sunny. I thought I would "listen" rather than try to "practice" so I went outside and laid on my back porch swing with my iPod as my daughter played around. I'm not sure what happened but I was very relaxed. The beginning of the cd was so relaxing I assume I fell asleep. Good thing my mother in law was here to watch the kids! I woke up feeling absolutely wonderful but I have no memory of any suggestions with regard to weight loss etc. Just incredible relaxation along the lines of a guided meditation. About 20 minutes after I woke up I suddenly was overcome with an incredible thirst, a dry mouth and I drank a lot of water.

Last night I decided to try it in bed with no interruptions. I did hear some of the suggestions regarding food and lo and behold one that suggested that I would be thirsty when I finished the hypnosis. So that explainss why I was so thirsty the first time! That suggestion must have taken!

I am optimistic that this will be a great tool for me to use along this journey. I'm excited to keep doing this twice a week at least and the instructions add that you can do it more if you wish. I think I'll do more.

So, about strawberries. For years I ate strawberries. I love them. Then in my early thirties every time I ate them I got hives. It was crazy. The more I ate, the more I got. So I stopped eating them although occasionally I'd have a sample and I'd get hives again. In the past two or three years though suddenly they didn't' have any affect on me, I could eat them again. So I did and no hives. Yay! Then this spring, once again the strawberries are causing me to have hives. Last night I had strawberries with frozen yogurt for dessert and yep, bumps on my legs.

So no more strawberries although I may try some from the local U-pick to see if that might make a difference. I'm wondering if the local strawberries are different and OK for me.

If not I'll miss them. I really like strawberries.

Affirmation: I am on a good path. The signs are all around me that this is the way I should go. I will continue positively on this journey to wellness and well being.

In researching the non-diet methods of coming to a positive relationship with food I've come across two methods which seem to be effective in reprogramming the subconscious thoughts that lead to failure within diet. The two methods, both of which have been mentioned as valuable tools by Dr. Bruce Lipton in his book The Biology of Belief are EFT and Hypnosis. I've signed up for a newsletter to learn more about EFT but I thought I would try hypnosis first since it's a familiar methodology.

I started looking for hypnotherapists and found that they were very expensive. I've searched the Internet and I've asked friends. I hadn't made a decision on which cd to buy when someone commented on my blog here yesterday and yes, of course, she had a hypnosis blog and an etsy store where she sold her own Cd's and even better for me mp3 downloads! My iPod is my best friend so I immediately ordered a download from her.

Her voice on the mp3 is wonderfully soothing and I cannot wait to listen to it and use it the way it's meant to be used.

I've added a link to the store on my sidebar. I do not get any profit from this store I just wanted people who are on this journey to have access to as many tools as possible!

Affirmation: I will use all the tools available to continue to know that I can have a healthy and fit life and a healthy relationship with food.