Living With the Lights On

Because I Care About You This is the perfect week to start practicing this thought: “Because I Care About You!” I have been trying this for the last few days. We have had some extra things come up and they included foods that were not on my plan. I picked up a small bite of a brownie and this thought came to me, “Because I Care About You.” That thought triggered the feeling of compassion, love, and honor. Those feelings led me to the action of placing the bite of brownie in the trash can. The Result - overcoming love. It is such a powerful feeling. I recommend it. Have fun trying this thought in as many areas as you can think of. Some of those areas might include these... Writing a 24-hour plan, Following through with your plan, Getting sufficient water, Getting sufficient sleep, Stopping eating when you reach +2, Focusing on conversations rather than food, What other areas can you think of? Enjoy the feeling you c...

Your Thoughts About Food and Why They Matter What do you think about food? Are there certain foods you think about with longing? Are there certain foods you don't give much thought to at all? I would like to challenge you, as we reach the end of November, to begin noticing what you think about your food. Why?  Because our thoughts will create emotions.   Some of those emotions might be "urgent", "desire", "longing", "guilt", "shame".  Other emotions might include "confident", "peace", "kindness", self-control", "victorious", "loving".   Which of these emotions do you want to feel most when you are making choices about how to nourish your body? Your emotions will trigger your actions.  As you begin noticing your thoughts, you may see thoughts like these: " I want that." " That looks so good." " I need that." ...

Three Keys to Remember Guardrails keep us on the path we want to be on.   When we stay on the path we want to be on, we get to where we want to go.  The  three "Guardrails" or keys are these: Make sure your plan is doable and repeatable.  When we create doable plans that are not highly restrictive,  we have the chance to show ourselves we will follow through and we will keep following through.  Eating when we are hungry and stopping when we are full is not crazy.  Eating when we are not hungry is what is crazy! The way we talk to ourselves and the way we think about ourselves makes a difference.  When we honor ourselves and speak with gentleness we want to repeat the actions we are taking.  When we beat up on ourselves, and tell ourselves we are not good enough, we work against ourselves and limit ourselves. For as he thinks within himself, so is he.- Prov 23:7 Start with these guardrail keys and see how far th...

This Holiday Season Focus on the Gifts Wait! Before you close this, hear me out.  I know for some who are managing their eating and food choices, this time of year can feel so challenging. You've been working so hard to plan and follow-through, but you know that when the feasting begins, it seems impossible to honor your commitment to your well-being. This is where filling up is most helpful.   Fill up your mind on the gifts.   The gift I am noticing more and more is the gift of faith.   Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace  you have been saved,  through faith —and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— Can we un-give gifts that have been given to us?  Is it possible? No! The thing that is our part is to notice the gifts.  Focus on the gifts.  Start with a few; Grace for each day. Faith to believe. Fruit to nourish us in our Spirit. But  the   f...

Is it About Vanity OR Is it About Dignity? What is the difference? Which is the best reason to lose weight?  I can't answer that for you.  Only you can.   Both of these are available right now. Which of these do you want most?  Which one of these has longterm benefits?  Which of these are available right now? What does each of these nouns mean to you?  Which of these would you want most for your child?  Which of these do you admire in others?   The reason I ask all these questions is that asking ourselves good questions helps us see what we are thinking .   When we see what we are thinking, we know why we are feeling the emotions we are feeling . When we are aware of our emotions, we then know why we are acting like we act. When we see how we are acting, we understand why we have the results we have.  I work with Christ-followers who want to change the way they act around food....

    Are You Interested in Taking a Break from Sugar?  That is a great question to ask ourselves. Another great question is - What place does food have in your life?   Now, notice your thoughts.  Does your mind immediately go to judging and beating up on yourself when you answer those questions?  OR Does your mind go to clenching your fists and gritting your teeth, not wanting to give up your favorite foods? Neither one of these reactions is "bad" or "wrong".  I'm guessing they are reactions you've had in the past.  Just notice them without judging them.  They are thoughts you have practiced. My work as a life and weight coach is not to demonize sugar. My work is to give accurate information that explains the results sugar has inside our bodies.   My clients get to decide for themselves if they want to take a break from sugar.   They get to observe the re...

Freedom with Food What would it be like to have true freedom with food?  How do we get there?  Let's begin by defining what freedom is.   I am borrowing David Jeremiah's definition from his series "Everything you Need" : " Freedom is the length of a cord from a given stake. " Doctor Jeremiah gives the example of the freedom their children had playing in the back yard.  They could go anywhere they wanted inside the fence line.  He and his wife knew the kids were safe.  The kids knew they were safe.  All they had to do was enjoy the freedom in the backyard.   So does freedom come with safe boundaries? I believe it does. A big part of freedom is safety.  That is one of the reasons I am convinced that a 24-hour plan is the key to freedom with food.   I have seen it in my own experience and in the experience of my clients.   The marketing around us would argue that having a p...