The Space Between Here and There

Have you ever thought about the space between here -- and there?  The beat of time between the tick and tock of the clock (assuming you still have a mechanical clock).  The silence between spoken words?

For example, you are sitting in front of your computer, reading the electronic pulses that form on the screen.  Your eyes (and brain) interpret those impulses as letters that form words, sentences and meaning.  As you sit in front of your computer, your eyes are physically about two feet away from the screen (unless you are extremely near-sighted but that doesn't change my analogy).  What occupies that space between your physical body and the computer screen? 

That is the space between "here" and "there." 

It is empty space, just because a physical object does not occupy it? Or is it full of something else that we can't decipher with our five senses?

Those questions are the subject of a new book called Dance With the Divine.  A fictional story about a teenager who was lost in her small world of misery, anger and loneliness, until she discovered that her world was actually much bigger and more wondrous than she ever imagined.  Once Haven discovered that other world, her life tilted on its axis and she stepped into the space between her past and her future.

You will not find Dance With the Divine in the bookstores.  It only exists in the digital world - from Amazon as a Kindle book.  Don't worry - if you don't own a Kindle, you can still read the story on your pc by downloading the program "Kindle for PC."  ! Do a search on Amazon for Dance With the Divine then enjoy a new way of looking at your life!

You have only to step into the space between here --- and there, to find what you have longed for since birth.  To know Who You Really Are and to live as that person.  Only then will your own dance with the Divine begin!

Snacking and Weight Loss

Can you snack and still maintain your weight?  Yes!  But you have to chose wisely and understand what nutrition your body needs every 2-3 hours.  

Aside from being popular sources of energy, snacks play an important role in our weight-loss program. Specifically, snacking gives the body an energy boost when needed, and is also beneficial for weight control. Research shows that snacking lowers both total and LDL (or "bad" cholesterol).

When you are in the weight-loss phase of your Medifast plan, your snacks will be your Medifast Meals. You will eat 5 small meals a day and one Lean & Green meal, so you are getting all the energy you need from these sources.

When you are on weight maintenance, healthy snacking is essential to keeping your metabolism going and your energy up. Good snacks include: fruits, vegetables, low-fat yogurts, crackers with low-fat cheese, cereals and small handfuls of raisins and nuts.

Here are some guidelines on how to maximize the health benefits of your snacks:

• Select a snack with a combination of protein, carbohydrates and fat.
• Pick a snack that is a good source of vitamins and minerals that you wouldn’t otherwise get from foods.
• To help control your weight, choose snacks that are less than 200 calories.
• Eat every two to three hours.   

Maintenance of your ideal weight does not have to be hard or difficult.  Good choices, made throughout the day, are essential to maintaining your healthy weight, feeling good and having lots of energy!

To learn more about Medifast and the 5 & 1 Plan, please visit Emoowered Weigh

Coincidence or a Wink?

Recently, I came across a small, compact book about Christian living in the most unlikely place - a Dollar General store!  They carry books from Thomas Nelson, the big Christian publisher.  The copyrights may be several years old, but the wisdom that flows from these pages is timeless.

My current read is a book by Squire Rushnell called "When God Winks at You."  He has collected stories over the years about coincidences, that he believes are really winks from God.  In Squire's opinion (and mine), God is just waiting for you to ask him for help, so He can let you know He is thinking about you.

As Squire says, "Every time you receive what some call a coincidence or an answered prayer, it's a direct and personal message of reassurance from God to you - what I call a godwink."

Has that ever happened to you? Something so unbelievable that it can't be explained except by calling it a "godwink."  (Let me know so I can write about it!)

This book is full of amazing stories that will leave you breathless in wonder.  After reading "When God Winks at You," you will be filled with the desire to look for all the "godwinks" in your life that happen right before your eyes!

God's Window

When I was young, my mother used to tell me a story about God, looking out of heaven's window.  He would stand at the window and just watch all that went on the world he created.  But she would always remind me that God could also look inside of what he created - into my heart and see my true intentions.

So if I misbehaved (which rarely occurred, because I was God's perfect child...) God could see instantly if I was truly sorry for hitting my brother or taking an extra piece of cake. 

As an adult, this image of God standing at His window has shifted and aligned with new realizations about my life, my purpose and how I may serve Him. The childhood version made God seem too remote and uncaring. Instead of God standing passively at His window as my mother described, I now see myself and my relationship with Him in a different light.

Or through a different window pane, if you will.

The Universe is constantly changing, creating, growing and dying.  The cells in your body change every minute of every day.  Each breath you take causes a chain reaction of change in your body as oxygen is delivered to your cells and carbon dioxide is removed.  You could say that each moment in time is a new creation - it has never occurred before and it will never be the exact same again.

Since we live in a Universe that is always creating something new and different, I realized that God must like change. Why else would He have created what he did? He could have just as easily made a static world, where nothing ever grows, evolves, dies and is reborn.  But He didn't...so that leads us to the next logical step.

If I am a creation of God, then I must be part of the change that He likes to experience! But how does God experience life in this three dimensional world that I live in? That is when I had my break-through moment. 

I am the window through which God sees this world!

God sees this world through my eyes, hears the cacophony of sounds through my ears, and tastes the flavors and textures of life through my tongue and skin.  I am the window pane through which He experiences this world!

But wait - what if I have let my windows become caked over with guilt, shame, regret or anger?  What if I my focus on the past or the future affects the clarity of the glass?  What if my emotional pain has dirtied the window pane through which God sees the world?  Is that really the way I want Him to see the world?

I control my thoughts and the direction of my focus and attention.  If I spend too much time remembering a painful event or waiting for something to happen in the future so I can be happy, my glass is not clear.  Only my focus on the present moment, with all of its gifts of love and wonder, will I keep the view open.

My awareness of this moment creates the transparency God needs!

I am the window for God to see my world.  When I stay in the moment of Now, He can see through me. I can hear His guidance and feel His love, because I am in the moment with Him. 

How clean are your windows?

Structural Tension

Do you know what Structural Tension is?  Sounds like a complicated, scientific term but it really is a simple concept.  This concept comes from Robert Fritz, author of Your Life as Art.  Dr. Wayne Andersen has also incorporated Structural Tension as one of his 8 Habits of Health.  

Structural Tension is based on a basic law of nature - any tension between two things seeks resolution.  Think of a rubber band stretched between your hands.  The farther you pull it apart, the more stress is caused.  One of two things will eventually happen - the rubber band will break and the tension released, or the rubber band shoots off into the air!

With this process, you are the creator of your life, not the victim.  You decide the vision of your future reality, complete with all the details.  If you want to lose weight and regain your health, for example, you might include your target weight, your waist measurement and clothing size.  Make it realistic, authentic and set a time line or deadline to accomplish your vision.

Once you create the vision, then you have to assess your current reality.  What is your current weight, waist measurement and clothing size.  The discrepancy between your current and future reality creates the "tension" that has to be resolved.

After you have completed these steps, imagine what steps or decisions you would have to make differently on a daily basis to reach your vision.  Start a walking program? Start on Medifast? Don't eat before bed? Whatever it is, use these new daily choices to advance toward your goal.

Structural Tension is explained in more detail in the Habits of Health recorded call.  Please dial 512-505-6863 to listen in - it takes less than 30 minutes but the information could change your life!

Living well, beautifully!

For more information on Medifast and the Take Shape for Life program, please visit Empowered Weigh

It is Just Like Riding a Bicycle

Remember the thrill of discovering your first "Big Kid" bicycle under the Christmas tree when you were six or seven years old?  Even though you were still in your pajamas, you couldn't wait to take it outside and feel the wind in your hair.  Oh, the adventures you would have on your magic carpet of two-wheels...

There was only one small problem.  You had never ridden without the training wheels before!

Your parents gently explained that you would learn how to ride without the extra support.  You wanted to believe them, you knew they had your best interests at heart, but still, there was that kernel of doubt in your heart. 

Because YOU had not experienced it yourself.

No one can give you their own experience of something.  They can describe it in rich detail, with all the emotion possible, but it still does not give you that same sensation as when you experience it for yourself.

This concept applies to everything.  I may have been a great student in school and know all of the tricks to studying, but until you spend the time to learn the material and study, you won't experience the thrill of receiving your first "A".  I can explain and show you on video how to ski down a slope, but until you actually feel your muscles tightened against the pull of gravity, and learn to pivot your hips as you make your turns, skiing won't be real to you.

Losing weight and creating health with Medifast is no different.  You can read all of the stories of the millions of people who have lost weight and feel great, but it won't penetrate your awareness.  You can taste the food and read the material on why it works, but you will always find an excuse not to go on the program. 

That is how your mind works - you don't like change, you don't want to learn something new and you certainly don't want to eat food out of a box, or because you are a Vegan and this contains egg product, or its just not the right time, or you have too many other things in your life right now... The list of excuses goes on and on!  And your waistline continues to grow and grow.

When is a good time to take control of your health?  After you have had the heart attack or your cholesterol is so high that the Doctor shakes her head every time she sees you?  Why wait for your external world to either be perfect or to suddenly face an extreme health crisis?

Did you wait for the perfect time to learn how to fly free on your bicycle?  No - of course not!  The vision of yourself on the back of the bike with a big grin on your face was strong enough to push you right past any excuses or fears.  You may have been tenative at first as your feet turned the pedals, but once you realized that you were RIDING YOUR BIKE, you soared with the clouds.

The Magic of Medifast has to be experienced to be understood and believed. Once you see the extra weight and fat melt away, you will also be a believer.  But no one can turn you into a believer without you first going on the program and experiencing the profound changes yourself.

It really isn't a hard thing to do, just visit Empowered Weigh or call me when you are ready to fly!

Living well, beautifully!

Kathy Eriksen
Certified Health Coach
Take Shape for Life

Can Freedom be Found Eating Out of a Box?

A potential Take Shape for Life client made a comment that has stuck with me ever since.  After showing her the program and having her taste some of the products, she turned to me and said, slightly exasperated, "I just don't know if I can eat out of a box!" 

It took me back for a second, because I had already experienced the benefits of this program and the profound changes it made in my life.  I mumbled something about "There is so much more to it than that" and we quickly parted.

I now have a much better answer to her statement that I would love to share with you (and her, if she is reading this post).  So here goes...

We are here as God's children, experiencing our lives through the lens of our physical selves.  When our bodies are out of balance, overweight, tired, listless and not thriving, it affects the lens through which we see ourselves and our world.  The way to a joyful and loving life is so simple -- take action steps to feel better physically and your emotions will follow!

It boils down to a very basic issue - do you believe you are worthy of feeling better, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually? Do you love yourself as a child of God? Or are you caught up in a self-imposed world of anger, frustration, doubt and fear?  It is your choice - either way. 

Only you can lift the veil that covers your "lens" and clear the fog that surrounds you.  Only you can make the decision to step forward, arms raised and say, "I want to discover the real me!"  No one else can do it for you.  The answer does not lie in the external world, despite the messages we receive from car and clothing advertisers, fast food restaurants and cruise lines.  The answer lies within, and your body is the entry door to discover your real hunger.

As Geneen Roth said in her best selling book, Women, Food & God, "It's never been true, not anywhere at any time, that the value of a soul, of a human spirit, is dependent on a number on a scale.  We are unrepeatable beings of light and space and water who need these physical vehicles to get around.  When we start defining ourselves by that which can be measured or weighed, something deep within us rebels."

The flip side of Ms. Roth's statement is that when we allow our physical bodies to be more in alignment with our spiritual selves, life works on all levels. 

And that is the secret I discovered after I lost 18 pounds on Medifast.  Because my body is lean and trim, I feel lighter and freer to express myself authentically.  Self-imposed thoughts of "I don't want to go to that swim party and wear a bathing suit," have been replaced by "Wonder who's having a swim party this weekend?"  Discouraging comments that I used to make to myself when my pants were too tight have morphed into the joy of finding clothes that now fit in my closet.  The sense of freedom I feel in my new body has expanded my world view. 

As my waist size shrank and the excess fat melted away, my spiritual size grew proportionally.

So, my friend, thank you for making your comment about "eating out of the box."  It made me look harder at my own "box."  As my body as gotten smaller, I have grown bigger.   My "box" of negative thinking has dissolved in the radiant light of Myself. 

Eating out of a box?  It is the best thing that has ever happened to me!

You Can Be Free: The Greatest Contest of All

You Can Be Free: The Greatest Contest of All: "Imagine that you just won the following contest: Each morning your bank would deposit $86,400 in your private bank account for your own use..."

The Greatest Contest of All

Imagine that you just won the following contest:

 
Each morning your bank would deposit $86,400 in your private bank account for your own use.   This prize has rules – actually two sets of rules.  
 
The first set of rules: 
1) Everything that you did not spend during each day would be automatically taken away from you. 
 
 2)  You may not transfer money into some other account. You can only spend it. 
 
 3) Each morning upon awakening, the bank opens your account with another $86,400.00 for that day. 
 
The second set of rules: 
1) The bank can end the game without warning.  At any time it can say, "It's over, the game is over!"  
 
 2) It can close the account in an instant and you will not receive a new one. 
 
What would you personally do? You would buy anything and everything you wanted, right? Not only for yourself, but for all the people in your life, right? Maybe even for people you don't know, because you couldn't possibly spend it all on yourself and the people in your life, right? You would try to spend every single cent, and use it all up every day, right? 
 
Actually, this game is a reality, but not with money! 
 
Each of us is in possession of such a magical bank. We just don't seem to see it.  
 
 The MAGICAL BANK is TIME! 
 
Each morning we awaken and receive 86,400 seconds as a gift of life, and when the day is done, any remaining time is gone and NOT credited to us. What we haven't lived up to that day is lost forever. Yesterday is forever gone.  
 
Each morning the account is refilled, but the magical bank can dissolve our account at any time....WITHOUT WARNING.  
 
SO, what will YOU do with your 86,400 seconds? Think about that, and always think of this: Enjoy every second of your life, because time races by so much quicker than we think. Take good care of yourself, and enjoy life. Live each day to the fullest, be kind to one another, and be forgiving. Harbor a positive attitude and always be the first to smile.

Here's wishing you a wonderful, beautiful day, each and every day!!!      
 

K. Dawn Byrd, Author: Register to win Kathryn Eriksen's "Walk with the Master"

K. Dawn Byrd, Author: Register to win Kathryn Eriksen's "Walk with the Master"

Our Hearts Beat Together

My brother turns 60 years old today!  He is the first born and is leading the way into the next stage of life.  Yesterday, Charlie's girlfriend threw him a party, and here is what he said...

Always the mathematician, computer scientist and the most analytical person I know, Charlie used a profound image that resonated with me.  He calculated the number of heartbeats he has experienced since birth, then used that as a connection to the people most important in his life.  His "shared heartbeats" included everyone in the family, his girlfriend and friends. 

It got me thinking about the heartbeats we have shared with those we love...good or bad, rich or poor, the haves and the have-nots, we all have something in common. 

Our hearts beat together. 

It is how you use the energy created from your heartbeat that creates your life.  The choices you make, the paths you follow, can all be traced back to one single source -- your heartbeat.  As long as your heart beats, you have choices.  To see the good or bad in any situation.  To hear the melody of the song bird or focus on the intrusive noise of the modern world.  To taste joy in every moment or bitterness.  To touch the lives of others with love or to withdraw into yourself.  To smell the wonder of an approaching rainstorm or to turn away.

Our hearts beat together. Right now, in this moment.  Not in the past, not in the future, but right now.

Listen to your heart beat.  Thank it for its faithful service.  Enjoy the vitality it creates for you. And chose wisely how you spend the currency of energy your heart has created - just for you!

The Cross in Our Bodies

A friend forwarded this story to me and I had to comment on it.  It is told by a medical doctor who made the connection between his scientific knowledge and religious beliefs. After you read the story, please scroll down to my thoughts...and please share yours as well!

A couple of days ago I was running (I use that term very loosely) on my treadmill, watching a DVD sermon by Louie Giglio... And I was BLOWN AWAY!  I want to share what I learned.... 

He (Louie) was talking about how inconceivably BIG our God is... How He spoke the universe into being... How He breathes stars out of His mouth that are huge raging balls of fire..  Etc. Etc. Then He went on to speak of how this star-breathing, universe creating God ALSO knitted our human bodies together with amazing detail and wonder.

 

At this point I am LOVING it (fascinating from a medical standpoint, you know.) . And I was remembering how I was constantly amazed during medical school as I learned more and more about God's handiwork. I remember so many times thinking..'How can ANYONE deny that a Creator did all of this???

 Louie went on to talk about how we can trust that the God who created all this, also has the power to hold it all together when things seem to be falling apart...how our loving Creator is also our sustainer.

And then I lost my breath. And it wasn't because I was running my treadmill, either!!! 

It was because he started talking about laminin. I knew about laminin.. Here is how Wikipedia  describes them: "Laminins are a family of proteins that are an integral part of the structural scaffolding of basement membranes in almost every animal tissue" 

You see.... Laminins are what hold us together... LITERALLY.

 

They are cell adhesion molecules. They are what holds one cell of our bodies to the next cell. Without them, we would literally fall apart. And I knew all this already. But what I didn't know is what they LOOKED LIKE..

But now I do.  And I have thought about it a thousand times since... Here is what the structure of laminin looks like... AND THIS IS NOT a 'Christian portrayal' of it.... If you look up laminin in any scientific/medical piece of literature, this is what you will see....

 

Now tell me that our God is not the coolest!!!  Amazing.  The glue that holds us together.... ALL of us..... Is in the shape of the cross. 

 

Immediately Colossians 1:15-17 comes to mind.

           "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For by him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible And invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or Authorities; All things were created by him and for him.  He is before all things, and in him all things hold together."                        ---Colossians 1:15-17 

Call me crazy. I just think that is very, very, very cool.. Thousands of years before the world knew anything about laminin, Paul penned those words. And now we see that from a very literal standpoint, we are held together... One cell to another.... By the cross. 

You would never in a quadrillion years convince me that is anything other than the mark of a Creator who knew EXACTLY what laminin 'glue' would look like long before Adam breathed his first breath!!  

 

What I found when I googled laminin !!!!!!!!!!! 

          

Isn't that amazing?  God made the world so perfectly that He included as one of the building blocks the shape of the cross!  Skeptics may disagree and just say it was coincidence, but out of all the shapes God could have chosen, he decided on the cross.  

We are all truly children of God, safe in His arms and in His love.  Live your life from the inside out and show God to your world.  Imagine if everyone did this for even 1 minute a day? How much would the world change for the better???

Please feel free to pass this on, link to this blog or share with your friends. Let's spread the scientific evidence of God's love!

Living well, beautifully!

The Doorway to Yourself is Your Body

There is a tendency to connect your body - its shape, size, mass and physicality - to your self worth. We hear adages such as "You are what you eat," and we believe that thin people are happier, healthier and enjoy themselves more.  Striking images of fashion models with impossibly thin, sleek bodies bombard our conscious awareness from the time we can first assimilate these messages. 

Have you ever stopped to question these messages?  Or look behind the curtain to see who is pulling the levers?  The Wizard of Oz turned out to be a wise old man who knew that people respond to images of authority.  The Lion, Scarecrow and Tin Man already knew the answers to their perceived lack (courage, brains and a heart) but they had to be shown the way by someone they believed knew more than they did. They searched outside of themselves for a solution, but only found it when the Wizard pointed them back inward.

The one place where the Lion, Scarecrow and Tin Man failed to look for answers was inside themselves!

How well do you know YOU? When was the last time you felt a connection to something bigger than yourself (and I am not talking about eating a Double Pounder!)  There is a spiritual YOU that is waiting to be expressed in this material world.  If you don't believe me, try this simple experiment.

Do you like the number on the scale or does it ignite the Voice inside your head that tells you that you are not lovable because you are overweight?  Take a deep breath the next time you are about to step on the scale and get centered in yourself.  Tell yourself that you are going to watch your reaction to the number, just as an experiment.  Listen as an attached observer to the messages that the Voice immediately sends.  Notice their tone, their energy, whether the messages are critical and derisive or supportive and loving.

Did you experience a slight disconnect from your reaction and you?  If you did, that is great!  It means that you have just tasted the possibility that you are not the number on your bathroom scale.  YOU are so much bigger than that! 

YOU are a spiritual being living a physical experience.  YOU are perfect in your wholeness, completeness and worthiness.  YOU chose to live here on earth, at this particular moment in history, with the family, friends and circumstances you have already experienced. 

"But I don't know myself that way!" you cry in desperation and hopelessness.  "I have read books, gone to seminars, meditated and attended retreats. But nothing works!"

And that is where you use your body to find your way back to YOU!

When YOU step back from your physical self and just look, what do YOU see?  If you are overweight, obese or even morbidly obese, YOU might see an unhappy, judgmental person who uses food to comfort and calm unnamed fears.  Layer upon layer of fat cells have been piled up in an attempt to bury those fears.  But the fears are still there, bubbling just beneath the surface. And it is that fear that you are avoiding through food that had kept you from being YOU.

How do you stop this cycle of self-destructive eating patterns long enough so you can discover who YOU are?   What can you do to stop the endless struggle between your will power and the fears that cause you to overeat?  Are you doomed to lead an unhappy life because you can't seem to control what goes into your mouth?

There is a simple, effective way to end the struggle with weight.  You eat six portion controlled meals a day, provide your body with the correct balance of protein, carbohydrates and minimal sugar, and you will lose weight. It is a simple formula that works with your body's energy and fat storage system.  You no longer fight your body or its cravings, because you feed it what it needs to thrive.  And the fat just melts away, because your body no longer needs to store fat from the excess calories you gave it before.

As the weight and fat layers melt away, the real YOU will emerge. YOU will seek expression, love and joy in your life and your entire perspective will change. YOU will finally be living from YOUR purpose, not allowing outside forces or messages to direct your actions.  YOU will have come home to YOU. 

On the road back to discover YOU, the number on the scale becomes just a number, not a definition of your self-worth.  The Yellow Brick Road truly does lead you home! 

To learn more about this amazing, life-changing program, please visit Empowered Weigh.  Or contact me!

Living well, beautifully!

Kathy Eriksen
Certified Health Coach
Take Shape for Life
Empowered Weigh

You Have Got to Read this Book!

Have you heard about the latest book by Geneen Roth called Women Food and God?  I just finished it and I am still assimilating all of its wisdom, insights and spiritual messages. 

The premise of the book is that you are what you eat.  Whatever you tend to eat, where you eat it, and the triggers that caused you to eat it are all clues to your relationship with others, yourself and God.  Your relationship with food is an exact mirror of your feelings about love, fear, anger and God.

I was skeptical at first, but after reading about Ms. Roth's retreat students, thinking about her examples of when she cut off parts of herself because of pain, I became a believer.  Gently, by use of metaphor and stories, she leads you to that place you knew of all along -- your bigger self.

Not the physical self that may have become large from poor eating habits.  But your bigger self - the one you were born with and the one you are meant to show to the world.  That part of you that knows you are bigger than your pain, or your loneliness or your depression, and she waits for you to see her. 

Ms. Roth has walked the path of obsessive compulsive eating.  Since she was a teenager, she has lost and gained over one thousand pounds!  It was only when she was on the verge of suicide that she did something totally radical:  she dropped the struggle, ended the war with herself, and began trusting her body and questioning her beliefs.  The beauty of the process that Ms. Roth experienced shines on every page of this book.

Let me leave you with this quote from the book.  If it resonates with you, then please buy and read this book (You can order it from Amazon for $13.00).  If this statement does nothing for you, then don't bother.  Here goes:

"It has never been true, not anywhere at any time, that the value of a soul, of a human spirit, is dependent on a number on a scale.  We are unrepeatable beings of light and space and water who need these physical vehilces to get around.  When we state defining ourselves by that which can be measured or weighed, something deep within us rebels. 

"We don't want to eat hot fudge sundaes as much as we want our lives to BE hot fudge sundaes.  We want to come home to ourselves.  We want to know wonder and delight and passion, and if instead we've given up on ourselves, if we've vacated our longings, if we've left possibility behind, we will feel an emptiness we can't name.  We will feel as if something is missing because something is missing - the connection to the source of all sweetness, all love, all power, all peace, all joy, all stillness.  Since we had it once - we were born with it - it can't help but haunt us.  It is as if our cells remember that home is a jeweled palace but we've been living as beggars for so long that we are no longer certain if the palace was a dream.  And if it was a dream, then at least we can eat the memory of it."  -- Geneen Roth, Women Food and God

Living well, beautifully!

My New Life

My new life is unbelievably full of joy and love (which is so much better than that bloated,full feeling I had when I was 12 pounds heavier). The naysayers in the crowd are probably rolling their eyes right now, so allow me to explain.

When I mastered my body, I discovered that I changed more than just my clothes size. My entire perspective has cracked wide open and life's possibilities are flowing thru me. I see everyday as one of possibility and hope, instead of simply a repeat of the day before. Each encounter I have is infused with new enthusiasm and I feel joy radiating from me.

All this from a diet program???

First, Take Shape for Life is definitely NOT a diet program! It teaches how to set goals, focus on your values and structure your life around what is important to you. As the fat melts away from your body, your mind also sheds unwanted thinking patterns.

It is a transformation of the body and mind!

If you ready to claim your life and start living healthy, call me, send me a text or email. I can help you!

Go to www.davideriksen.tsfl.com to learn more.

Living well, beautifully!

The End or Is It Just the Beginning?

Day 23 - Monday, July 5, 2010
Day 24 - Tuesday, July 6, 2010

We were out of town and did not have internet, so I had to combine both of these posts.  This is the end of my weight loss journey, but it really is the beginning of a new way of living.

I almost reached my weight loss goal. I guess its true what they say - the last ten pounds are the hardest!  I am happiest about the inches I lost from my stomach and waist!  I truly feel as if I am ten years younger, because I know I look better in my clothes (I have been wearing items that I thought I would never wear again). And that confidence in my appearance shows in everything I do, including sharing my thoughts in this blog.

I am far from being discouraged, because I now know how to eat healthy, prepare simple but delicious meals and feel so much better!  The difference, of course, was following the 5 and 1 Plan.

Why does that work so well?  Because our bodies are designed to be fed in small increments throughout the day.  We need protein, carbohydrates and small amounts of fat and sugar spread over 6 meals, so our blood sugar does not spike, but remains constant.  My body knew that it was being fed properly, timely and well, so it gave up its fat stores.  And the extra weight around my stomach just seemed to melt away!

I have found myself again!  She never left, but she was covered up by my negative thinking ("You're over 50 - you're not supposed to look good!")  And now that I have rediscovered my enthusiasm for living well, I am focusing on other areas of my life that need attention (my desk, for example).  The ripple effect of losing the inches and weight continues to spread throughout my life.

I will leave it to a poet and philosopher to sum it up:

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters to what lies within us." Ralph Waldo Emerson

Rediscover what lies within you.  Take the time to be gentle with yourself. Find out who you are. And if excess weight stands in your way, take action now to place your body back in its natural rhythm.

Live well, beautifully!

To learn more about the Take Shape for Life program, please visit Empowered Way

Declare Your Freedom From...

Day 22 - Sunday, July 4, 2010

Happy Fourth of July!  I always love this holiday, because it represents such a leap of faith into the unknown.  No other country was formed the way the United States was - with a group of men who decided to try a different form of government that they created.  It had never happened before, and will probably never happen again.  (If you want to really appreciate how difficult it was for the Founding Fathers to take the steps necessary to break away from England, watch the movie, "1776.") 

Today is another day to declare you freedom -- from your limiting beliefs, self-judgment and criticism about what you ate over the weekend.  Take a minute to write down those thoughts, just to bring them out into the open.  Then think about whether you will change your behavior just because of the harsh criticism you level at yourself at the slightest opportunity.  If the answer is, "probably not," isn't it time to try something different?

Did you know that the more energy you put into something, the stronger it gets?  Think about how often you judge your eating habits as "bad," "unhealthy," "stupid," or "weak."  Whenever you focus on these negative thoughts, you reinforce them and you have just set yourself up for failure.  You will never win the game of negative self-talk vs. willpower...because they are both sides of the same coin.

Instead, focus on positive behavior and ignore the negative self-talk and the ongoing contest it has with your willpower.  Declare your freedom from the tyranny of self-loathing and step into a new world, one you have never tried before.

Wouldn't you rather get the weight off fast, easily and safely, while you are learning new eating habits? You see results in pounds and inches lost, have no contest with your willpower and know that you are eating healthy.  You ignore the judgmental voice in your head, and after a while, you will notice that the volume has been turned way down!  You are free from your old habits, therefore you are free from the judgmental voice.

How do you step into this new world of freedom?

Start on Medifast today.  Eating 5 Medifast meals and one "lean and green" meal means you eat 6 times a day.  You control your energy intake and manage your insulin pump, so you no longer crave highly processed, high-glycemic foods (soft drinks, candy bars, bagels, etc.)  You no longer want those things, so you don't have a contest with your willpower and your desires. 

The best part is that you are free to focus on other things in your life.  The energy you once directed towards self-criticism can now be focused on more positive aspects of your life, like the clothes that were stuck way back in your closet that you can now wear!

There is no better day than the Fourth of July to declare your freedom - from yourself!


Freedom never tasted so sweet!

To learn more about the Take Shape for Life program, which uses Medifast meals, go to
Empowered Way

Living well, beautifully!

Weight Loss is the Biggest Gain of all

Day 21 - July 3, 2010

Three weeks have flown by! As my body and eating habits have changed, I spend much less time and energy thinking about when I am going to "get in shape" or "start yoga." I am no longer obsessed with future action plans that will make me feel better -- I feel better right now!

And that gives me all the power I need to create my life, right now, in this moment.

How did eating portion controlled meal replacements rock my world?  What is it about eating healthy that I missed before now?

There are many reasons that Medifast meals work so well, but I have distilled three main points from my own experience:

• Medifast meals feed your body what it needs, so it is not overloaded with sugar and carbohydrates. Your body receives the nutrition, protein, fats and carbohydrates it needs, in the proper proportions, to allow the cells to do their job - process the food into energy, instead of fat storage.
• Behavorial and eating changes are supported by physical evidence. When your body switches from fat storage to energy burning, physical changes take place rapidly and become very noticeable. Others in your life compliment you on your appearance, which only reinforces the new changes and increased motivation to continue. 
• Cravings and poor eating are no longer an option.  When my body switched from fat storage to fat burning, there was a more subtle consequence that took me days to recognize.  Cravings for sugar and carbohydrates simply disappeared into the ether!  I never would have believed it, until I went back to my childhood haunt several weeks ago.  This is the place where I ALWAYS over indulged, ate poorly and did not care, because it was the lake.  I always gave myself permission at the lake to eat whatever I wanted, which was pretty much anything that was not tied down.  And I would always be unhappy with myself after we returned home...until now.  When we returned to the lake several weeks ago, the same cookies, soft drinks, chips and salsa were set out.  BUT I DID NOT WANT ANY OF IT.  There was no contest of will power or self-talk...I just did not want to eat it.  So I skipped that food and stayed with my Medifast meals and a delicious lean and green meal of grilled chicken and vegetables.  And I was free from the emotional habits I had formed many years ago in childhood!

If I were to sum up the effects I have experienced over the last three weeks while on Medifast, it would be this:   I am free from my emotional eating habits to eat healthy, live well and thrive.

The Take Shape for Life Convention is only 5 days away! I am so glad I took the leap of faith and jumped into this program, because now I understand its power.  And I can look Dr. Andersen (the founder of the TSFL Program and the guru) in the eye and say, "Thank you for creating TSFL - it has changed my life!"

To learn more about Take Shape for Life and Medifast meals, please visit Empowered Way or send me an email!

Living well, beautifully!

How Can I Survive?

Day 20 - July 2, 2010

It's the start of the 4th of July weekend!  Fun, fireworks...and lots of food.  How can I survive?

What I have learned over the past 3 weeks are the following:

• I now have a different vision of myself as healthy, vibrant and alive. If a poor food choice is available to me, I don't even give it a second glance because my vision is stronger than the temporary temptation.
• I feel so much better - like I can take on the world!  I never expected to experience such a strong sense of commitment, and it is to myself.  This way of eating feeds me, both body and soul.
• My cravings for sugar and carbohydrates are gone, caput, dissolved.  I never realized I wanted the Cranberry Limeade from Sonic because I had to keep my blood sugar levels elevated...I did not see that my desire for cookies was the same thing.  To be free of cravings is a marvelous thing!
• When I see other people eating lots of carbohydrates, sugar and fat, I just want to tell them that they are slowly killing their bodies.  When they stay on the merry-go-round of processed foods, sugar and carbohydrates, they continue to feed the furnace of stoking their glucose levels, and storing the excess energy as fat.  There is absolutely a better way --- 

That is all for now. We are off to the lake, for fireworks, fun, and food!  I will survive and thrive!

Happy 4th of July - be safe!

Living well, beautifully.
Go to Empowered Way to learn more about Take Shape for Life.

A Lost Kitten and a Leap of Faith

Day 19 - July 1, 2010

What does a lost kitten have to do with a leap of faith?  More than you might think!

We came home from Colorado to a yowling kitten, stuck just over our heads in one of the pecan trees.  He looked terrified, lonely, and hungry, because his world had just changed.  His source of comfort and love was no longer there (his mama) and all he had for protection was his ability to climb a tree.  When I stood under the tree and crooned to him, he took one long look, then jumped into my arms.  Talk about a leap of faith!

When I started the Take Shape for Life program, I felt as if I had left the known and familiar world of many food choices, mindless eating and a "just enjoy the moment" type of attitude.   The problem with my eating habits before this program is that...I never knew I had a problem!  I ate healthy (sort of), I only gained 1-3 pounds a year (but they had all added up around my waist), and I was in good shape for a 51 year old woman (I turned a blind eye to the flabby arms and legs). 

So what does my lack of insight into the state of my health have to do with a lost kitten? 

For the kitten, being chased into the tree was a life changing experience.  He trusted his instincts and leap forward into a new life.  For me, having successfully been on the Take Shape for Life Program for 19 days has also been a life changing experience.  The layers of self-denial have been peeled away and I now see the exact direction I was heading before I took my leap of faith.  I was heading towards being overweight, unhealthy, tired and living a mediocre life.  Basically, the epitome of middle age.

But now that I have discovered that I can lose fat while eating healthy, that I have more energy than when I was in my 40's, and I look great in a bathing suit, I feel like I have created a whole new life!  None of this would have happened if I had not taken the leap of faith and tried the Take Shape for Life program. 

I will never forget the courage it took for that kitten to leap off that branch right into my arms.  I will never forget the moment when I decided to just "do it" and start on this program.  Both were life changing decisions with profound consequences. 

Are you ready to get started on your new life?  Go to Empowered Way to learn more about the Take Shape for Life program.  Or send me an email or message on FaceBook!

Oh, btw, does anyone want to give a beautiful, courageous kitten a loving home?

I did it! Be Sure to Read to the End...

Day 18 - June 30, 2010

We arrived home late yesterday afternoon and discovered that the Texas heat was only in the 90's.  Maybe we brought some of Colorado back with us!

For me, vacation usually means a suspension of my normal eating habits, and indulging in foods that I normally would not eat (dessert at dinner, for example).  But I made a great discovery on this trip - I did not want those high calorie food items!  My cravings for carbohydrates and sugar are gone, because I have shifted from fat storage to fat burning.  Because I no longer crave those items, it was easy to tell the waitress that "we did not have room for dessert"!

I have had time to assess my choices while on vacation and I realized several things.  When you are on the Take Shape for Life program, please feel free to refer back to this list for guidance and support:

1. It is essential to plan for the time spent traveling.  I tend to eat mindlessly while I am sitting in the car or on an airplane, mostly because I am bored.  The food choices at a gas station, convenience store or even in the airport are not conducive to healthy eating! (I challenge you to find a protein snack at a gas station, that does not contain high fructose corn syrup.)  Before you leave on your trip, make sure you have enough Medifast snacks (cheese puffs, pretzels, etc.)  That way, even if you overeat on those snacks, you are not taking in high carbohydrates or high fructose corn syrup... you are only consuming about 100 calories per bag!
2. Make snacks that you can take with you.  We discovered that our usual snack of a brownie in the afternoon is difficult to enjoy when you are miles from a microwave!  If I had thought about it ahead of time, I would have made several brownies for the trip to snack on while the miles flew under the tires.  Other snacks I could have made would have been cookies made out of oatmeal, and pudding chilled and stored in a small cooler.
3. Bring a microwavable bowl with you.  The hotels we stayed in had microwaves in the room, but there were no microwavable bowls available to make soup or oatmeal.  It would have been so much easier to make a quick Medifast meal, but I forgot the bowl!
4. Eating out was easier than I expected.  Usually, we ate our "lean and green meal" at dinner time.  I had to be creative in my food selection, because several of the restaurants did not offer much in the way of low calorie, high protein meals.  But if you know what to look for, you can find it!  For example, we went to a steak place in Dumas, Texas. They offered fried catfish, but they were happy to grill it.  Simple, and very delicious!  
5. You can still do your exercise program.  We set a goal of hiking every day. Of course, that was easy to accomplish because we were in Colorado! But even when we spent the night in Dumas (definitely NOT Colorado), we still walked.  It is just a matter of your intention.

Hopefully, these tips are helpful to you in maintaining a healthy diet while away from home. Now that I know what I need while traveling, I will be much more prepared next time.

I saved the best part of this post for the last...

I braved the scale this morning, just to see what the damage was.  GUESS WHAT!!!  I have lost 8 pounds!!!  But the best part is that I have lost inches - I can now wear clothes that I thought I would never wear again.  I feel great in a pair of shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt, because I have lost a significant amount of skin (i.e., fat) in my arms and legs! I was on the verge of getting "Granny arms" but now that is history. WHOOOHOOOO!  I feel like I am 40 years old again - how is that for a fringe benefit?

If  you are feeling tired, sluggish and think you are getting old, there is a solution.  Get on the Take Shape for Life Program, learn the Habits of Health, and turn your  body into a fat burning machine.  You will feel like you have found the Fountain of Youth!

To get started, please visit EmpoweredWay.com or send me an email.

Living well, beautifully!

This one will be short!

We have been enjoying Colorado, seeing L and having a great time on vacation. The burning question of the hour is how did I do integrating Medifast into our trip?

When you are traveling in the car, be sure you have the snacks, such as the Cheese Puffs or pretzels. It is hard to make brownies when you don't have access microwave!

Try to stay in a room with a microwave. It makes it so much easier to enjoy the oatmeal or soup...

Eating out can be challenging but fun. Since I rediscoveredy taste buds on thus program, regular food is delicious! But I also notice the salt, salt, salt! Did I tell you about the salt??? It is unbelievable how much restaurants use this one simple seasoning.

Hope these few tips are helpful to you on your travels. Please forgive any typos in this entry...my iPhone is tricky to type in the spelling correctly!

Living well, beautifully!

Remember-go to www. Davideriksen.tsfl.com to get started!

Can A Diet Stay Alive on Vacation?

Day 12 - June 24, 2010

We are packing the car and heading to Colorado -- ROAD TRIP! 

Those two words bring back lots of memories of being stuck in the back seat with my brother, pinching and poking each other because we were bored.  The license plate game had worn out about 200 miles ago, and the car windows no longer looked out on a magical world.  Everything just seemed to be colored in the same shade of gray. 

Boredom must be that color...

Fast forward to my adult life, and the words "road trip" carry an entirely different meaning.  "Freedom," "fun," and "adventure" are just a few of the words that come to my mind when I plan a road trip. 

Freedom from everyday responsibilities.  Fun to explore and see new people and places.  Adventure, because you never know what might be around the next corner!

I do have to admit, however, that this road trip is slightly different.  I have never gone on vacation before when I was on a "diet" or "watching my weight."  Will I be able to incorporate the five Medifast meals into our daily schedule and still eat healthy?

I promise I will continue this blog during the next five days, assuming I have access to a wi-fi connection. I also promise that I will report the good, the bad and the ugly while we are on this trip!

So stayed tuned, dear ones, for more stories from the wonderful world of Medifast!

Living well, beautifully!

To learn more about the Take Shape for Life Program and Medifast, please visit Empowered Weigh

Waist Not, Want Not

Day 10 - June 23, 2010

For the faithful readers of this blog series, you have probably wondered why I have not posted my daily weight.  I have never been one to wait with baited breath while the digital numbers flash and then appear on the scale.  Too much like a verdict, in my opinion!  Much better to wait and weigh in once a week.  (Take Shape for Life recommends following the same regimen you had before you started the program).

So, after ten days of eating healthy, I figured it was finally time to find out the results - how much weight have I lost?

Well, today I discovered something unusual.  The weight loss was not quite what I expected (4 pounds) but I can tell that I have lost inches.  My clothes fit better, I feel slimmer and more fit.  What I was most thrilled about is that the rolls of fat around my waist have all but disappeared!

How could this be?

Dr. A's Habits of Health explained what has happened to my body.  The Take Shape for Life program is designed to use food intake as a stable energy source, a process that taps into 2 core principles of how our body stores energy:

• Controlling your energy intake (i.e., food energy)
• Managing your insulin pump

The simple answer to why I have not lost pounds but I have lost inches is that my body on Medifast has turned into a fat burning machine! Because I am eating 6 small meals a day, my body does not go into starvation mode and horde calories.  Since I am only eating low-glycemic food (which is much closer to the ancient diet followed by our ancestors 10,000 years ago), my blood sugar is controlled and the insulin pump turned off.  The end result is that my body has begun to turn loose of the fat it had stored up.

Contrast the Medifast lifestyle with how I was eating before.  My diet was full of highly processed, high-glycemic foods (soft drinks, candy bars, etc.) that caused my blood sugar to dramatically rise.  The insulin level also rose, which caused the blood sugar to drop below normal.   An alarm would go off in my brain that caused cravings for anything sweet and full of calories.  This pattern continued through out the day as my blood sugar would spike, decline, then spike again.

The end result of maintaining elevated insulin levels is that my body was constantly using glucose for fuel, instead of both glucose and fat.  And when ingested fat is not used for fuel - guess where it goes? It gets laid down in fat cells and I became a fat storage factory!

What would you rather be - a fat storage warehouse or a fat burning machine? 

If your answer is that you want to become a fat burning machine, then join me!  For more information, go to Empowered Weigh.  And be sure to send me an email or call me if you are ready to get started.

Living well, beautifully!

 

The Playful Search for Beauty

Day 9 - June 22, 2010

I have always been fascinated by people who have lived more than a century - one hundred years of breathing, thinking and eating!  What choices did they make that kept them healthy, vibrant and alive? Can I duplicate those same decisions with any accuracy?  What is their secret - good genetics or something else?

I am not talking about the Fountain of Youth, that magical, mysterious spot on earth where only a privileged few can drink the elixer of eternity.  No, what I have always found compelling are those ordinary people who live extraordinary lives, moment after moment, and who wake up one day to realize, "I am 100 years old!"  Their age comes as a complete surprise because they have lived their lives for another purpose entirely.

One woman who just came to my attention that falls into this category is Eva Zeisel, the famous Hungarian designer and artist.  You can meet Eva in a short video on her website at EvaZeiselOriginals.com  When you hear her speak and watch her work at her design table, you would never guess that she was 93 years old in that video.  Eva is now 103 years old, and she is still designing her art pieces! 

Eva lived through 16 months of imprisonment by Stalin, just because she was an artist.  She was a vagabond, drawn to the artistic centers of the world like a moth to a flame.  But she never compromised on her passion for creating something that was beautiful to look at and to hold.  In each piece of art, she gave a piece of herself.  As one person described Eva's work, "She always had a playful search for beauty."

What does a 103 year old artist's playful search for beauty have to do with you?

Your life is a work of art and you are the sculptor.  The passions, interests and talents that God gave to you are unique and only you can bring them out into the physical world.  Do you know what those passions, interests and talents are?  If not, then begin your search immediately! (to find your passions is the content of an entirely different article).  If you do know, then what are you doing on a daily basis to bring them out for the world to share?

Take a moment and assess your life.  What is holding you back? Is it a dead-end job, an unhappy marriage, excess weight?  Whatever form the limitation has taken in your life, isn't it time to live from a well-spring of inspiration and wonder? What would it be like to devote every minute of your day to a "playful search of beauty?"

Eva's wisdom is worth noting. "The past has no cumulative effect," she says.  "It is there, it is gone. It left memories...but you live in the present moment."


Have you ever heard messages from your past that have influenced your current behavior?  For example, if a friend said something that hurt your feelings, did you immediately hear a distant voice from the past saying that you are "stupid," "an idiot," or "not worthy"?  If you are nodding right now, then you have some inner work to do!  Discovering the past messages that are driving your present behavior is the main key to changing your eating habits and living healthy.  And the start of living in the moment.


Eva Zeisel is a woman who has lived her life in the present moment.  She cautions that "One has to be careful that the present moment is not destroyed by disharmony or unkindness or ugliness.  The present moment is very important." 

The playful search for beauty is accomplished in the present moment.  With each breath, you create your life.  With each thought, you shape your life.  And with each bite of food, you shape your body.

To learn more about how you can lose weight safely, effectively and permanently, please visit EmpoweredWeigh.com

Living well, beautifully!

One Small Victory

Day 8 - June 21, 2010

I have discovered that as I clear up my mindless food habits, I now want to clear up other areas of my life. 

For example, there is a room in our house that is filled with stuff.  Mountains of boxes, toys, old clothes - you get the picture.  Every day I would walk by that room and think, "I really have to get in there and clean all that stuff up."  And of course, every day, I would keep walking right on by.

Well, today was different!

I decided to start on one small corner of the room, and managed to get it organized!  A small victory but one that made me feel good.  And I intend to continue this clean up, just as I am getting rid of my excess weight and limiting food habits.

You never know where you will end on your journey! But the important thing is to just start...

To learn more about the Take Shape for Life Program, please visit Empowered Weigh

I Walked Through the Minefields and Didn't Get Blown Up!

Day 7 - June 20, 2010

This post is going up in the evening instead of the morning, because we spent the weekend at the lake with family.  There was no internet service, just a lot of fun in the sun, visiting and great food.  And you know what?  I glided through the minefields, did not trip up once and I am still sailing on the Medifast sea of weight loss!

This program is easy to incorporate into your life.  You just have to prepare and plan ahead.  We brought our own meals, then made a request to the chef for a simple, grilled chicken breast with vegetables.  Everyone ate the same thing, and loved it!

Just goes to show that you don't have to wait for that "perfect" block of time to start eating healthy.  It can be started at any time and incorporated into anyone's schedule.  For example, if you travel, the shakes and Crunch Bars are perfect traveling companions (be sure to put them inside a plastic baggy so they won't get on your clothes!  The Puddings also work great for travelers - just add water, stir and enjoy!

What about for someone who has to eat out a lot for business?  When you know you have that dinner that day, you just make sure that you eat your 5 Medifast meals at regular intervals during the rest of the day.  At the restaurant, look for to see if they offer a Weight Watchers Menu.  If not, then choose as if you were making a Lean and Green meal - grilled chicken breast with steamed vegetables, white fish with little or no sauce (especially not butter!), a lean cut of pork or turkey - again with no sauce. 

Here is another tip: ask for the sauce to be placed on the side, so your main entree is not covered with it.  Then you can dip your fork into the sauce, then take a small bit of food and you have all the flavor you need (without all the calories!). There are a lot more tips like this one that help you navigate the waters of temptation, still enjoy the social or business aspect of the meal and allow you to stay within your Medifast Universe of food choices.

As for my weekend, when I usually would be munching on chips and salsa that I really did not want, I went for another Medifast meal or fixed green tea with ice.  Since I was no longer involved in mindless eating, I discovered that I could actually look at it objectively.  My bigger goal of losing weight was much more compelling than a few seconds of salsa gratification!

And I must say, I looked great in my bathing suit!

To learn more about this life altering program, please visit Empowered Weigh. 

Living well, beautifully!

Your Body is Shaped By Your Beliefs

Day 6 - Saturday, June 19, 2010

"To change your body, you must first understand that which is shaping it.  Not fight it.  Not force it.  Not deprive it.  Not shame it."    ---Geneen Roth, Women, Food & God

I discovered this wonderful gem of a book because of Oprah.  I was curious about the connection the author makes between food and spirituality, so I ordered it off Amazon.  I happened to start reading it just as I started on this journey to lose 15 pounds in 24 days, so I thought it might be worthwhile commenting on the connections between the two processes.

The book's premise is that whatever shows up on your plate during the day speaks volumes about your beliefs, because those beliefs shape your body.  So you have to discover, look at and accept those limiting beliefs to finally be free of any food addictions or to stop using food for comfort.

When I first read that, I didn't believe it, at least not from my experience.  "My beliefs don't determine why I eat the way I do," I thought to myself.  "I make deliberate choices about food - and sometimes I deliberately make bad choices because that is what I want!" 

One of my choices was a mid-afternoon snack.  Sometimes yogurt, more often cookies, around 3:00 or 3:30 every afternoon, I am usually scrounging around the kitchen looking for something to eat.  I felt entitled to have that snack, even if it was laden with sugar and fat. Then I started on Medifast, and of course, unhealthy choices were put on the shelf.  But what happened next is the fascinating part.

I still wanted those cookies or brownies in mid-afternoon!

But why did I still want them?  Was it just a habit I had slid into without thinking, or was there something else?

It is those kinds of inquiries that Ms. Roth encourages to discover why you are eating the types and kinds of food you enjoy.   When you start digging around in your beliefs, you begin to discover some amazing truths about yourself.

I know I did!  After deliberately choosing to skip the cookies for a Crunch Bar, I sat down and thought about what feelings or associations I had attached to that particular food choice.  Why did I always want a snack in the mid-afternoon? And why was it usually something sweet? 

You may have already guessed the answer, but of course it was tied to coming home from grade school and sitting down with a snack.  The relief that school was over (I was not a popular kid), the knowledge that I could relax and not worry about someone picking on me had been transferred to that snack!

Of course, I no longer have bullies pick on me (at least, that I am aware of!) and I have become a completely different person.  But I am amazed that an ancient belief I held about myself when I was 10 years old (I need food to give me comfort) was still running in my sub-conscious and affecting my behavior!  It was not a destructive belief; it was not hurting anyone; it just was not true for me anymore.  And because I never took it out and looked at it to see if it was still true, that belief was triggering my physical action of eating 2 cookies or 1 brownie at 3:00 p.m. every day.

Now I am on a hunt to discover what else has been lurking in my belief system that propels me to make unhealthy food choices.  And the best time to discover those beliefs is while I am eating portion controlled meal replacements from Medifast.  These meals create a new universe of food choices, all of which are healthy.  As long as I choose within that universe, my old beliefs can be exposed. I am freed to look at the behavior that is run by old, outdated beliefs. The best part is that I can look behind that behavior and see what emotions are attached to it!

As Ms. Roth states in her book:

"[W]e all have a hunger that's hard to name.  A lot of the people who come to my retreats have never named it before, or else they've named it in church, but they can't actually see the connection between what they're doing with food and this yearning.  I call it "the flame" that they have: They yearn for big answers to live a big life.  But they have to start with the most basic fears."

I have started to look at my most basic fear (rejection) and accept it.  Acceptance causes it to dissolve into the illusion it always was. And now I am free of that fear and can move on to the next one. 

Don't believe me?  Why don't you try it and see what comes up for you?  I would love to hear about your journey as well (either spiritual, emotional or weight loss), so please add a comment to this blog.

Thank you for acting as my listening board so I can express these ideas, processes and discoveries!

Living well, beautifully!

Kathryn Eriksen