4 Tips for a Slim Holiday Season
I know that Christmas is fast approaching. This is a struggle for many people who
imagine a thinner silhouette. I have a few tips up my sleeve to help you get through
the next couple of weeks with out destroying your fun!
#1 DON’T CUT OUT THE COMFORT FOOD.
Often the first things to go when “on a diet” is the comfort food.
With Eat, Shrink & Be Happy, you’re not on a diet. BUT you may be tempted to cut out all chocolate, sugar, potatoes and bread. DON’T DO IT!
In my own experience, the moment I tell myself, “Kim, you know you said you wouldn’t eat that,” that is ALL I can think about. It occupies my entire mind space. Then what happens? … I end up sitting down and eating an entire bag of crackers and brie!
Don’t fall into that trap! There is nothing that will test your will power and your
sanity more, than cutting out comfort food.
Try this instead: Don’t cut it out. Allow yourself to eat whatever you want, but
pay attention to every bite. Notice the flavor and texture and enjoy every bit of
it. You’ll notice you eat a lot less because you are aware when you’re satisfied and you
just naturally stop eating.
#2 NOTICE WHEN YOU’RE HUNGRY. BUT if you’re going to eat it anyway:
“I’m not hungry but I’m going to eat this anyway.”
Another corner-stone of my action guide is to constantly check in and see
whether you’re hungry or not. Sometimes you aren’t hungry, but have a
craving anyway. Decide that you’re going to eat it. Say it out loud. (Go
into the bathroom so people don’t think you’re nuts) and repeat:
“I’m not hungry but I’m going to eat this anyway.”
Then promise yourself that you’re going to enjoy every last bit. AND
promise yourself you will not feel guilty afterward. This doesn’t work if you eat it
and then beat yourself up. That will just cause more emotional cravings.
#3 PRESENTATION IS KEY.
Something that looks beautiful and has a beautiful name is going to
taste better. It is also going to make you feel more satisfied.
Think of 2 restaurants: A fast food chain, they name their signature
hamburger….a hamburger.
Now think of a really fancy restaurant.
They might also have a hamburger, with the very same ingredients
(basically) and it is called something like a “Texan’s Choice Sirloin
Beef Steak Burger”.
What makes your mouth water more? What do you think will satisfy
you more? Yep. The fancy one.
So if you are hosting the holiday meal, come up with some interesting
names for some of your dishes. (Think “Gourmet Frenched Green Bean
Casserole, and 12 Whole Grain, Cranberry and Almond Stuffing.
You guests will be wowed (they will think you put more work into it
and they’ll think it tastes better) and you will be satisfied with less, because
you have tricked your brain into thinking it’s better quality.
#4 20% RULE
This is probably the easiest to do (in theory). You can eat 20% more
or less and your stomach doesn’t notice. They have actually done
studies on this.
This is great news now that you know it. SO put 20% less on your plate
than you think you will want to eat. (You might try to hold back 1 scoop of
mashed potatoes, and 2 pieces of turkey instead of 3).
Don’t try to put 50% less. You will notice, then you’ll go back for seconds
and the point of this is wasted. 20% will do. Then eat it, savoring it.
Set the intention to eat only until you are no longer hungry and enjoy
every second!
Hopefully those tips will have you thinking in a more relaxed way. Have
a plan in mind to tackle the next couple of weeks. The holidays don’t
have to be a struggle for you!
Remember that you are fabulous exactly as you are right now. And
that you’re doing the best you can. Your perfect body is the one you’re in.
In 6 months she might weigh less, but she will still be the same person.
Relax. Use a smaller plate, a taller glass and enjoy every minute of
these wonderful days!
Interested in more tips for surviving the holiday food-fest? Check out the Eat, Shrink, and Be Happy Action Guide. Not a diet book, it will help you to accept yourself, love yourself and lose weight while you admire the wonderful women in the mirror!
Want to use this in your eZine or on your blog? That’s fine as long as you don’t alter it in any way and include the following:
Kimberly Englot is the Authentic-Life Coach, & CEO of Authentic Self Personal Development. Her VIP Coaching and group programs will teach you to discover your authentic self and be free to change careers, find relationships, lose weight and pursue greatness! Clear away 6 years of “baggage” in 6 weeks with The Master LIFE Cleanse.
Happiness and Self Acceptance
I have my Authentic Self show this afternoon. The show, “Eat Shrink and Be Happy” is roughly based on the action guide I wrote, but it’s not really about weight loss (the action guide or the Authentic Self show). It’s deeper that that. I wonderful colleague of mine talked about “weight acceptance”, I put it in terms of self esteem, self love and self acceptance. It’s a guide to happiness: body mind and spirit! I’m talking about how to be happy no matter what while answering some questions that people have been sending me regarding authentic weight loss.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
When you’re unhappy with your outer appearance how can you get to a place of happiness in your whole life? One simple tip to remember: you are not your thoughts. You don’t need to believe everything your mind tells you. It’s your mind causing you pain. It’s telling you you’re not skinny enough, that you shouldn’t have eaten that brownie and that you should now feel guilty because of it. Its your mind that is getting upset over the number on the scale.
Here’s the thing, you’re not any of those things! You are not the number on the scale, the brownie or the guilt. You don’t have to look in the mirror with loathing — all of those things are a complete illusion. I know right you’re thinking I’m crazy. You might be swearing at me, thinking I’m just some skinny brat who has no idea what she’s talking about. That’s fine, you can take your anger out on me…but that will not change a thing.
Thoughts are the ONLY reason you are struggling in life. Whether it’s general unhappiness, dissatisfying career or relationships, or physical ailments, your thoughts are bringing you more unhappiness than is necessary. What if you decided that today you’re going to just be happy? What if you decided to look in the mirror and list the things you love about yourself rather than what you hate? What if you decided to show your body some gratitude and go for a walk instead of watching tv until you went to bed? What if instead of complaining you made a list of things you were grateful for? I bet that after 3 weeks of doing this, you’d notice a difference in how you feel. Something crazy happens when you stop believing all of your thoughts…your perspective changes. When your perspective changes, so do your circumstances. It takes time and effort, but that one little tip is the thing that is going to make the biggest difference in your entire life. Like a muscle or any new task you want to learn, exercise and practice makes perfect!
Try it. Let me know how it goes. And if you want to believe that I’m just some crazy person, that’s okay too, everything in life is a choice.
If you decide to change your thoughts, start by listening to Authentic Self: Eat Shrink and Be Happy at 3:30 PT / 6:30 ET today, or listen to the archives later. Also grab your own free copy of my Authentic Weight Loss Report, at http://www.kimberlyenglot.com/weightlossreport before Friday! As of August 28, 2009 at 11:59 ET this free report is disappearing for good. Grab yours today!
Take Time Out [Authentic Self newsletter]
Good Morning!
I am having trouble with my autoresponder, so this week’s newsletter is blog-style! Think of it as a sneak-peak for those of you who aren’t subscribers yet!
As most of you know, I’ve been working very hard on my newest project Authentic Weight Loss and the action guide: Eat, Shrink & Be Happy. I get really inspired, excited and enthusiastic and often forget to stop and take a breather. To be honest, I usually need to take a bit of a vaction after I finish a project, just to recover! I’m not complaining at all, but yesterday I chat with an awesome friend made me realize exactly what I was doing — rushing!
This is completely obvious to me….now! But I have been so caught up in everything the last couple of weeks that I didn’t realize it. My friend, Michelle Gabriel (http://www.michelle-gabriel.com) is a Law of Attraction and Consciousnes expert. We had a 20 minute chat yesterday that had me feeling relaxed and at ease in no time. She taught me a couple of exercises and I want to share what I learned with you.
- Even when you’re excited and inspired, take time out to chill once in a while. There is no rush; Everything happens when it is supposed to.
- There is no such thing as time, only right now and God/the Universe is always perfect (and therefore you are perfect too).
- You actually cancel out some of your authenticity by rushing and pushing. It needs time to catch up with you!
- Your authentic self can shine through (and much brighter) when you are relaxed and at peace.
I actually got this idea from another great in the field of consciousness (it was either Joe Vitale or James Ray…I can’t remember):
When you are in a hurry, you are coming from a place of fear. Basically to rush, or to hurry along means that you are afraid of missing out.
In my enthusiasm I got too caught up and started to miss out on life, it was only 2 weeks, but still! I got swept away with the…”I’ll enjoy it when…” myth and complete took myself out of the present moment!
Take time out today, from whatever you are doing, no matter how important you think it is and just be. Just enjoy your surroundings. Take in your environment and do a body check with how you’re feeling.
Programs and Events
If you still haven’t grabbed a copy of my free Authentic Weight Loss report, get it now at http://www.kimberlyenglot.com/weightlossreport. You get free tools and techniques for losing weight…they are simple and any one can do it. You just need to be willing to try something different and to work on your mind, body and spirit to obtain lasting weight loss.
There was no Authentic Life radio show this week, but you can catch all of the archived shows at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/authentic-life. I’ve had several wonderful comments regarding the last 2 shows on The Tiredness Experiment (using the Law of Attraction to boost your energy levels) and my 7 Principles to an Extraordinary Life! Next week’s topic is still up in the air because I have had to do some guest-interview shifting. Look for something along the lines of Weight Loss and the Law of Attraction. 4:30 MT/6:30 ET on Wednesday.
The Master Life Cleanse product is up and ready. I’ve made some improvements and added a few things. If your life is full of obligations, expectations…if you are living someone elses’ life check it out: http://www.themasterlifecleanse.com. Detox your life, purge negativity and open up for happiness, health and wealth to flow in!
Thought of the Week:
“Sometimes it’s important to work for that pot of gold. But other times it’s essential to take time off and to make sure that your most important decision in the day simply consists of choosing which color to slide down on the rainbow.”
Douglas Pagels
In authenticity,
kimberly englot
Weight Loss & The Law Of Attraction
What’s the “Secret” to weight loss?
Unfortunately according to the Law of Attraction, the more you focus on needing to lose weight, the more weight you need to lose. Until you are okay with your body as it is, you’re going to struggle with your weight. That is how the Law of Attraction works.
You might be saying, “But how am I supposed to lose 30 lbs if I don’t focus on losing weight?” or “I don’t like myself right now, I’ll like myself when…” There is a key phrase in that last thought, I will like myself when… The thing about the LOA is that if you constantly aim to like yourself when, you will never like yourself. You need to lose the weight in your mind first. If you don’t do that, you’ll never be satisfied with yourself, and will always feel like something is missing.
Once you lose the weight in your mind, and start to feel good about who you are, you will lose the weight off your body. You won’t need to follow strict diets, continuously read about weight loss tips or quick ways to lose inches. You will automatically make better choices and because you’re finally happy you won’t eat when you are bored, angy or loney. Your self esteem will increase. You will want to move and “exercise” because it feels good.
You have to learn to love yourself first. Weight loss is that simple. (I didn’t claim it was easy).
You can learn more about how to do that if you go to http://www.kimberlyenglot.com/weightlossreport and download your free 10 page report.
Authentic Weight Loss. Be the perfect-sized YOU!
It’s a marvelous Monday morning and the wheels in my head are really turning! I was speaking with a client yesterday and her own break throughs actually released a pile of energy and creativity in me…I love how that happens, anyway…
I was thinking about the area of weight loss and how it’s a billion dollar industry. I was also thinking about my own weight. I will be perfectly honest and say that I am not overweight. I could probably afford to loose 10 lbs according the the BMI chart (don’t get me started) but I have finally reached a place where I am okay with my body as it is.
I have, though, been on the other side, where I was considered over-weight. At one point several years ago (a very low point) I worked at a weight loss clinic where they told me I was fat and needed to lose weight if I wanted to keep working there. Funny thing is that I only weighed 5 lbs more that what I weigh now.
What did this do? Well besides destroying my self esteem, I became obsessive and attracted more weight (gotta love how that LOA works!). I gained almost 25lbs in 8 months because of that atmosphere (which I was only in for 10 weeks. I couldn’t work for a place that destroyed self-esteem like that). But the results of working in an environment that focused on what is wrong with people was hard to leave behind. I went from being a perfectly normal, non-fat woman, to being considered dangerously over-weight.
My doc was worried and we worked together to get it under control. My secret? Eat when I’m hungry. That’s all it was. The weight came off easily. Took about 6 months to lose all of it. But that’s what I did.
It’s amazing what happens when you look at your life, get off autopilot and start participating! Now I no longer have a weight issue. I’m not perfect. I feel envious looking at magazine and watching TV, but I’m okay with myself. I can gain 5 lbs and not freak out because I know I can easily lose it. Because I live my life authentically, as as consciously as possible, I have automatically become the perfect-sized me!
I don’t stress about it, and (gotta love that LOA!) now I am a good weight for me!
Look for an article in the next week on how to do this.
