Shift Weekly: Ghouls and “Gateways”

 Save Sunday December 4^th from 5-7pm for the Shift Holiday Show and Happy Hour

The Next Shift 30-Day Weight Mastery Process begins January 21st—

The Shift-in-a-Box will be available soon!!!

Dear Shifters,

Here we are on Halloween and the amount of sugar whirling around out there in the universe is mind blowing.  In fact it’s more than mind blowing, it’s mind warping.  Actually, let’s call a spade a spade—it’s just plain mind altering—and can lead to tailspins into addictive eating patterns. 

I would love for us all to have a great Halloween that embraces the ghouls but leaves the “gateway” foods at the door and far away from our easily addicted brains and bodies.

What are “gateway foods”?  Remember the term “gateway” drugs?—which referred simply to the idea that by starting with using a softer drug (like marijuana) would eventually lead the user to taking harder drugs (like crack cocaine).  A friend of mine gave me the name “gateway” foods.  She got it from a friend of hers who at a party turned down a glass of Sangria claiming it was a “gateway” food to eating much more of many other fattening foods there at the party—like potato chips and cake. If she stayed away from the “gateway” food she would stay away from the other stuff too.  It makes perfect sense!!

For instance for me a “gateway food” is a Margarita—drinking a Margarita always leads to eating a bowl of chips and way too much cheesy nonsense and more Margaritas when eating out at a Mexican Food restaurant. If I stay away from the Margarita the chips and cheese are usually a non-issue for me.  So for me it’s bye bye Margaritaville.

As many of you know, during Halloween, my “gateway food” is candy corn.  If I eat so much as a couple of innocent little candy corns—something in me happens both in my mind and body and I turn into a non-discerning-- all types of candy eating—especially tootsie roll and candy corn sucking Vampire sugar monster.  However, if I stay away from the candy corn I can eat a piece or two of the other stuff and am usually fine.  That is how candy corn warps me—and is my “gateway’ so I stay far from the gate.

What are your “gateway” Halloween candies and how will you keep them from the gate of your mouth this year??

If you do get seduced this week--let’s take a look at how we get addicted to certain gakky foods and how our Inner Coach can use certain strategies to move us out of that addiction cycle. 

Many people who struggle with weight feel addicted to food.  We can become fixated on food both mentally and physically and emotionally.

Mentally we habitually seek out certain foods at certain places and at certain times of the day.  The brain comes to expect the food and becomes agitated when it doesn’t get it.

Emotionally we come to rely upon particular foods to comfort ourselves during stress or emotions.  Usually these foods are more refined, fattening, and comfort foods.

And physically because sugar, fat, alcohol and salt and even cheese and dairy products can create addictive neural patterns in the brain similar to heroin addiction.  People who struggle with their weight tend to be more sensitive and become “hooked” more easily to foods containing these ingredients. These foods are often what we call “gateway foods”.

You don’t have to be owned by your relationship to food.  Here are some weight master’s strategies to start putting you back in the driver’s seat.

1- Eat More fiber, whole foods and protein: In order to physically “unhook” addictive eating it will serve you to create a food plan that is low in sugar, salt, fat and refined floury foods and high in fiber, fruits and vegetables and lean protein.

2--Know your refined food/ sugar and starchy carbohydrate “set point”:  As I mentioned earlier--every “body” is different and can tolerate a certain level of starchy or refined sugars and carbohydrates before they start feeling “hooked”—it will be your mission to discover what your set point is and to make sure that you stay under that point on a daily basis. For many this is about 2-3 servings a day.'

3-Tune into your body after eating refined food—some foods have worse impact than others (think “gateway food”) and for many the rule of thumb is to avoid eating gak on an empty stomach as that sets off raised blood sugar levels but also creates a bigger impact on the brain—and it starts looking around for more gak.  It is best to eat gak (if and when you do) with other food.

4-Think of refined starches and gak like cocktails—only to be had after 5pm!  The earlier in the day we eat refined food the earlier we begin wanting more!!!

5-Learn trigger times and emotional triggers for compulsive eating and use your Inner Coach to come up with other ways of comforting yourself other than food.

6-Find healthier alternatives for those times that you have gotten used to reaching for the more “addictive” foods.

7—Take steps for addiction prevention.

Addiction Intervention

Remember long term permanent weight release is not about being perfect—it is about embracing imperfection and consistently finding solves and strategies that allow us to stay connected to ourselves and moving forward –“showing up for ourselves” rather than hitting the “eject” button on ourselves and our weight release when we get off course.  There are times during our journey to weight mastery that we will find ourselves eating a “gateway food” and getting “hooked” which will lead to more gakky food and the addictive cycle—it happens—so be prepared. 

Take action as quickly as possible and engage in the following strategies and you will become unhooked in no time:

 First take a break from all starchy and refined carbohydrates for three days (or limit to one).

 Next up your protein intake—this will stabilize your blood sugar and stunt the false hunger that is being caused by your out of whack blood sugar levels.

 And up your intake of vegetables and whole food—the more healthfully you eat the less your body craves the junk.

 Drink water which flushes it all from your system.

 And move your body and exercise.

Note:  Starchy Carbohydrates can range from whole grain bread to the most refined sugary candy and alcohol.  Even though starchy carbohydrates from whole foods give you more nourishment than candy and donuts and more refined carbs—some people have a low tolerance level and can overeat even these “healthier” foods. Part of your Shift Process “loving scientist” project is finding out what amount is right for you.

Have a great Halloween—embrace the ghouls and avoid the “gateway” foods!

oxoxRita

Shift Weekly: Shift Mastery Success- Valentino Agundez

Save the date for:

The Shift Weight Mastery Holiday Show and Happy Hour—Sunday December 4^th from 5-7 pm Club 705 Hermosa Beach—

Come to get strategies and hypnosis to stay healthy over the holidays, play Holiday Calorie Bingo, and hear holiday eating stories! All proceeds to benefit our non-profit SHIFT KIDS.

Dear Shifters,

I recently had the opportunity to interview Valentino Agundez who has released 40 lbs since the June 2011 Shift.  What I love about Valentino is her ability to articulate her “turning point”—that moment when she realizes that if she was going to be successful at weight release—she was going to need to come at it with a surrender to really make a Shift in the thinking that was keeping her struggling with weight in the first place.

Valentino is a full-time working mom who had “no time” to exercise or to take care of herself.  Since she made the Shift she has been exercising an hour or more many days of the week and taking the time to pack healthy food to take to her job so she has healthy options there.  Funny how you find the time when you start showing up for yourself and making your health a number one priority!

If you want to be inspired and hear a great attitude to adopt for success—please tune in and be inspired by Valentino’s story of how she released 18 lbs during her Shift 30 day Weight Mastery Process and 40 lbs to date.

Click here for Valentino's inspiring interview

The next Shift Weight Mastery Process begins January 21, 2012—sign up now and receives discounts and bonuses!

Have an inspired and Shifted week!

Oxox Rita

Shift Weekly: I Smell Shift and Candy

Dear Shifters,

The familiar scent of candy corn is hanging heavy in the air which signals to me that it is time to focus on Shifting through this upcoming Halloween season.  Do you have a plan for Halloween success?

In my experience as a hypnotherapist and weight release expert I have seen many people head into the Halloween season with the intention to “be good” only to succumb to the massive amounts of treats that one finds everywhere.  By the time the Halloween season is over many a person with good intentions to start is found emerging from a lost couple of weeks spent in a sugar induced daze.  I know from my own personal experience how tricky this season can be.

TRICKY TREATS

When I struggled with my weight Halloween was always a disaster.  I would head into the Halloween season with the firm resolve to be perfect and avoid eating candy altogether.  I would hold out for awhile, trying to be “good” on whatever diet I was on at the time, but then somewhere somehow some candy corn (which is one of my top 5 trigger foods) would cross my path and I would eat some and would turn into a sugar sucking vampire both physically and mentally.

Physically I turned sugar sucking vampire because my trigger candy, usually eaten on an empty stomach, triggered me to eat more and more—even when I got physically full.  This kind of eating, called “hyper eating” is when we feel compelled to continue eating even when we are full and it is usually triggered by eating foods that are full of sugar, fat.  “Hyper eating” is a term coined by Dr. David Kessler in his book “The End of Overeating” is excessive eating “driven by motivational forces that we find difficult to control”—ie. zombie-like behavior.

Mentally I turned into a sugar sucking vampire because I had created the perfect mental storm to fail because I was stuck in the “fat thinking” all or nothing, good or bad, on or off a diet head that took my power away.  I had made the decision to be “good” over Halloween and not eat one single piece of candy.

 Therefore, once I had been “bad” by eating a bit of candy my Inner Rebel immediately kicked into overeating-disconnecting from self seduction mode with inner speak that sounded something like this, “ah go on, you already blew it you might as well eat the whole bag of candy corn.” Then after I had polished off that bag of candy the inner speak went something like this “now that you did that, you might as well bust into the Whoppers as well.  It’s only Halloween once a year—get through the season kid and then you can be good.  It’s too hard to diet right now…are you crazy?  What were you thinking?  Now pass me that Tootsie roll!”  This kind of thinking lead to excessive eating, feeling bad about myself, and basically missing any of the fun of Halloween.

MASTERING HALLOWEEN

When I made my own Shift and engaged my Inner Coach in approaching the Halloween season in a loving scientist sort of way—finding a solution and strategy that would allow me to glide through Halloween enjoying some candy and all of the fun of the season without falling into sugar sucking zombie mode-- I realized that success over the Halloween season was not going to be defined by my not eating any candy at all.  Instead, success was going to be defined by my setting myself up to win, both mentally and physically, before the season—to have a plan—and to follow through. 

I have outlined the key strategies here so that, if you wish to join me in Shifting through the Halloween season together, we can enjoy the treat of showing up for ourselves and truly having fun rather than becoming a victim of it

1)      Staying connected with your Inner Coach.

People who have struggled with weight, released weight and kept it off over time have developed a way of communicating with themselves powerfully in the area of managing their weight.  This powerful connection to this “Inner Coach” allows them to survey possible problem areas, think the situation through and plan for success. This is what the Shift program gives you—the ability to Shift out of the all or nothing—good or bad thinking that is unconsciously leading us to disconnecting from ourselves, over eating, feeling bad and starting all over again, and again, and again. 

You can stay connected with you Inner Coach and stay powerful and conscious by thinking this Halloween season through and asking yourself these leading questions:

a. How do I want to feel in my body the day after Halloween?  Do I want to feel healthy , light and vibrant?  Or weighed down, heavy, sticky and sugar zombie out?  What do I need to do to achieve this light feeling??

b. How much candy do I need to have a good time?  What kind of other Halloween treats are important to me? How can I make them work within my calorie budget for weight release and maintenance?

c. How can I track my caloric intake over the season?  I know that when I track I can see that even if I ate a handful of sweet tarts I am not “bad” and can still be on track for releasing weight this day so that I don’t have to “jump ship” and start my diet tomorrow or worse yet when Halloween is over (that would be truly ghoulish!!)

d. How can I have fun in ways other than eating sugar this Halloween season?  Can I create a fabulous costume?  Can I carve an amazing pumpkin?  Can I make a point to walk everyday and look at all the fun yard decorations that people have put up?

e. Who can support me this Halloween season in sticking with my vision?  What friend or family member can I engage in keeping my trigger candies far away?  Can I get others in my neighborhood to think about healthy treats to give the kids this year??  Can I find a walking buddy for Halloween who had a similar goal?

2)Knowing trigger foods and avoiding them while allowing yourself a reasonable amount of non-trigger candy at times and places that do not hook you mentally or physically.

I have developed a “blended” strategy with regards to Halloween candy.  This “blended” idea was inspired by my daughter about 5 years ago when she refused to wear a singular Halloween costume.  No she did not want to be just a princess, or just a zombie, or just a mermaid—no she wanted to be a mermaid-vampire-zombie-princess!  She wanted to blend them together into something authentic to her taste that worked for her.

My blended approach is something similar.  I am not setting out to be singlarly good or bad-- all or nothing--on or off—I am thinking Halloween through, staying away from trigger candies that I know will set me into vampire mode but allowing for a few treats that I can savor and enjoy but stay present and on track with my weight maintenance goals.  I have listed my “no fly zone” candy list and then the list of treats that I may indulge in within moderation.  As a side note I find that  any candy for me is best eaten not on an empty stomach when it is more likely to trigger “hyper eating”—but after a meal or small snack that has included some protein.

CANDIES THAT INDUCE SUGAR SUCKING VAMPIRE ZOMBIE ON STEROIDS ME

-Candy corn

-tootsie rolls

-Anything like a jelly bean or gummy

-WHOPPERS

-caramels

APPROVED SHIFT FRIENDLY CANDIES THAT WORK WELL FOR ME

-minature candy bars

-lollp pops

-mints

-Mike and ikes

-Sugar free Gum

3) Stimulus Control, Stimulus Control, Stimulus Control

My son pointed to the pile of bags of candy corn the other day as we were in Target.  “Oh look candy corn can we get some??”  I immediately dodged the question and diverted his attention to the pile of bagged spider webs and pushed the cart quickly past.

Where does Halloween candy lurk in your life?  In your office?  In your home?  In your friends or families homes?  Think ahead to where you might be challenged this season and do your best to remove (or better yet, not even bring home) any tempting treats.  It’s easy for the Inner Rebel to say, “it’s for the trick or treaters”.  But really do you need to be buying the type of candy that is going to challenge you?  Why not buy candy that you dislike or better yet, do everyone a favor and give non-food treats or sugar free gum?

Stimulus control is a huge component of weight management—it is the silver bullet that you can shoot into the heart of the sugar sucking vampire.  Win the battle this year.  Be your own hero and practice stimulus control.

I hope these ideas and strategies to keep both your mind and body healthy, happy and powerful this Halloween season.  Click to see Hungry Girl Halloween candy suggestions

I smell Shift and Candy!!

Oxox Rita

Shift Weekly: Weight Mastery Success Story: Jane Wolfe

Hi Shifters,

October is bringing shorter days, crisper weather and changing appetites.  The change in the seasons brings a change in needs for the types of foods that satisfy us both consciously and unconsciously.  The salad days of summer no longer satisfy and so it is important to change up some of our staple foods and bring the more comforting flavors and textures of autumn foods to the table.  If we don’t satisfy this unconscious need we may find ourselves eating more or worse yet getting bored and falling off track.

Pumpkin is a low calorie autumn vegetable that lends itself to a lot of different recipes both sweet and savory.  Check out this link to the Hungry-Girl site where you will discover a lot of different pumpkin recipes and ideas that may inspire your autumn taste palate and unconscious need for something comforting and hearty.

CLICK HERE FOR PUMPKIN RECIPES 

Speaking of recipes—how about a Shift recipe for success?  Jane Wolfe has released over 40 pounds with the Shift Weight Mastery process.  Last year she shared some keys to her success in this article on CalorieCounter.com.

Read about Jane's success here

Jane is a huge believer in keeping her food interesting.  She often seeks out new ideas and recipes online.  Last year she was the hostess of a Shift-in-a-Box home party and laid out an amazing spread of low-calorie fun and tasty dishes for her guests.

I am excited to share the Shift Mastery Series Radio interview I did with Jane not long ago where she talks about how she released 40 pounds with both the Shift Seminar Process and the Shift in a Box Process and how she kept a positive mind set and kept things interesting for her weight release with different food and exercise routines.

Jane had recently moved to Portland Oregon and is really discovering the need for more cold weather comfort foods!  We will miss you Jane—keep Shifting in the Pacific Northwest!!

CLICK HERE FOR JANE WOLFE WEIGHT RELEASE INTERVIEW

Have a great week Shifters and give yourself some time to think about how to add some autumn flavors to your table.

oxoxRita

COMING SOON—the Shift-in-a-Box Weight Mastery Process and Shift Weight Release Parties!

The next Shift Weight Mastery Process will begin Saturday January 21, 2012

Shift Weekly: May I "Shift" Your Order??

When I started working with clients as a hypnotherapist and weight release coach, one of the most interesting things that struck me is how hesitant, dare I say even scared, that many people of asking waiters for what they need when dining out.

We live in an eat-out society where most of us spend a few meals a week sending a waiter to the kitchen with an order for some food that we are going to eat.  Many offerings on many restaurant menus, served as is, will be covered in fat or fried in grease or will be too big or too starchy—just too darn unhealthy and caloric to be put in front of us in our vulnerable and hungry state at a restaurant table.  Even “salads” can be as caloric as a Big Mac unless we ask for them to be presented in a more shifter-friendly way. Studies show that we tend to eat as much as 70% more when we are eating out with other people. So it makes sense that if we are going to achieve and maintain long term permanent weight release that we should feel comfortable enough to ask the waiter, or waitperson, for what we need.

Why Do We Fear the Waiter?

So why is it so hard to ask the waiter for what we need?  Is it our social need to be nice?  To not make waves?  To go with the flow?  Is it that we don’t want to seem difficult or needy?  Are we afraid that the people sitting with us will think less of us or make comments?  Are we afraid that the waiter will say no?  Or refuse to serve us?  Do they remind us of mom?  Or frighten us with their powerful “you better be nice to me or I will spit in your food” stare?  Are we afraid that the waiter will take our order to the chef and they will stand there cursing our name for being such a high maintenance diva?

Whatever your particular fear I would like to give you some coaching based on my work as a cognitive weight release coach but also on my years of working as a waitress.   That’s right you see I have no fear of waiters.  I know them inside and out.  I put myself through school as a waitress in one of the fastest paced, Italian restaurants in Greenwich Village and worked with some of the most hardened waitresses and waiters on the planet.  When I lived in NYC the meaner you were as a waiter the more tips you made.  New Yorkers expected surly service and the more you gave the more you money got. 

There were two older Brooklyn Italian waitresses at Emilio’s restaurant where I worked in Manhattan. Paula and Maria took me under their wings and showed me how to get the upper edge in the server/client relationship.  These ladies were classic, they would sit at a table in the restaurant, in plain view either eating their own meal or smoking cigarettes and when a customer would sit down they would take about 5 minutes just to get up and get them a menu.  When they did get up and give out a menu it was with no sense of urgency, even if there was a line of customers out the door, they would sashay over to the customer (cigarette dangling—this was the mid 80’s folks), throw a menu at them and sashay back to their table, plop down and continue reading the paper or whatever.  They would generally look as deadpan as possible when they eventually got around to take the order (cigarette still dangling), and then almost grudgingly throw a basket of bread at them, and then when the order came up in the kitchen they would take their time to finish putting on their make-up and walk, with the most leisurely stroll possible, over to the kitchen to pick up the order (cigarette still dangling!!!) and plop the food down in front of the customer.  Let me tell you, these ladies had it down like a fine art and they made huge amounts of money—the slower they moved and the more ash they got on you and your food—the more money they made. 

Fortunately, the world is a bit different these days.  The emphasis on waiter surliness has been replaced by a focus on customer service.  Nowadays, especially here in LA, customer is king. So why wouldn’t you ask for what you need? 

Let’s break the server/customer experience down and see if we can’t make some Shifts.

SHIFT the Waiter

First there is the waiter greeting, maybe bringing you some bread.  Greet the waiter nicely because chances are you are going to be asking them to do something for you.  Look them in the eye, acknowledge their humanness.  Make a connection, then make a request—“could you please take the bread away”.  That’s right, Shift the waiter with your smile.

SHIFT the Menu

Secondly, when the waiter brings the menu look at it like it was a grocery shopping list and that all the elements listed  on the menu are items that could be put together to create your own dish. That’s right, Shift the menu.  I look at dishes on the menus as mere suggestions of what the chef (or kitchen) can create.  Why do I think this?  Because I have been in the kitchen, I know the chef is bored and throwing the same old stuff together, I know that all the ingredients are hanging out in the kitchen ready to be assembled my way, and I also know that when a waiter brings in a special order—often the chef or cook (unless it is super busy) is pleased to have something to create that is different than what they usually slop on the plate.

SHIFT your Order

Here is a tip—when ordering, ask for what you want rather than what you don’t want.  It’s easier to say “could you please put this and that and this and that together for me” instead of “I want this salad but hold the this and substitute the that and put these things on the side”—it’s the Shift between seeming creative and high maintenance.

My favorite go to is to order fresh greens with some steamed or grilled veggies on top with grilled chicken or fish (I ask for a small amount of protein) and then a sauce (BBQ, dressing, salsa, marinara) or dressing on the side.  This order usually is about 300 calories (without the sauce) and I have never been turned down or sneered at or laughed at—I actually have had waiters say to me “wow that sounds good” or serve the food and have many people wish they had ordered what I have ordered.

Do not be afraid to have the waiter bring you half the meal and wrap the rest to go.  Really, they can and will do that.  Even Maria and Paula did that without too much fuss.  Okay sure, you might have found a little cigarette ash in your doggy bag, but hey, now you don’t have to worry about eating those leftovers at midnight.

Start Shifting your Waiter Relationship Today

Bottom line is this: waiters are people, too—do not fear them—befriend them. Your waiter

is your messenger to the chef, the butter wielding maniac in the kitchen.  Often servers are struggling with their own weight issues and so can relate and will go out of their way to accommodate your needs.

Practice using the following requests before dining out so that you will feel prepared.

• “May I have that sauce/dressing on the side?”

• “Can you split that entrée in the kitchen and box half for me to

take home?”

• “May I have that poached instead of fried?”

• “I would love a bowl of steamed veggies with just a touch of pasta and then the marinara—instaed of all pasta”

• “May I have a 3 oz cut of the steak instead of 8 oz?”

• “May I have a child size portion of that?”

See now that didn't hurt at all, did it?  In fact, don't you feel down right empowered?  Make mine a double serving of empowerment with a side of showing up for yourself.  Hmmm Hmmm Hmmm doesn't that taste good?

How is that for a tip???

Happy Ordering! Happy Shifting!

Oxox Rita