Shift Weekly: Forget Wall Street--"Occupy Yourself" in 2012

Dear Shifters,

Happy New Year!  I hope that you brought the new baby 2012 in with a healthy BANG!!!  As you are trying to wrap your mind around writing 2012 on everything instead of 2011 I thought I would just remind you not to get too caught up in starting the New Year with overwhelming expectations and ideas of being perfect on a diet now that 2012 has rolled around.  Showing up for yourself and mastering the way you use your mind in order to meet your weight goals is something that you can always do—whether it is the “new” year or not. 

So in this week’s coaching session I invite you to create a New Year’s Revolution rather than a Resolution.  Really shake things up from your core—Forget “Occupy Wall Street”—start an OCCUPY YOURSELF REVOLUTION with power and see how 2012 can Shift for you!

Now is the chance to SAVE BIG on using the Shift Weight Mastery’s processes for creating real and positive changes in your relationship with food, exercise, your body and yourself.  Resolve to really be good to yourself and your body this year!

SAVE $100 The Shift 30 Day Weight Mastery Process-January 21st (All Day Intensive) (sign up by January 7^th)

SAVE$50 The RE Shift 30 day Weight Mastery-January 21st Process (All Day Intensive) (sign up by January 7^th )

Save 10% Shift Monday Phone Support and Saturday Shift Support Classes (Los Angeles) See dates and times at the bottom of the newsletter.

OCCUPY YOURSELF--Resolution vs. REVOLUTION!!!

Have you ever wondered why New Year’s resolutions sadly go the way of the fad diet--gone and forgotten within a few weeks???  Because resolutions, like goals, only engage the conscious 12% of our brain--the analytic willpower part of us.  If anything resolutions are Inner Critic run affairs soon to be dumped by the Inner Rebel and forgotten before the first box of Valentine candy ends up on our desks.

Here are some common resolutions--

I will quit smoking
I want to stop eating crap
I will start exercising
I will yell at my kids less
I will cut down on my drinking
I will stop spending so much money!

Blah, blah, blah. Quite a motley crew huh? I can hear your subconscious yawning from here. Resolutions do not engage the better part of us--the bigger part of us--the subconscious imagination. HOWEVER, A VISION DOES. 

This year I challenge you to create a vision so big for yourself that it begins a REVOLUTION in your neural pathways. Where does a vision begin?  It begins in your imagination.  Our imagination is in our subconscious mind—the big 88% of our mind.  When we just resolve to change something by saying it—that resolution goes nowhere—because you are only engaging your 12% conscious self.  When we can see and feel the change we want to create—(as we do when we create a vision) that is when we turn on the Inner Revolution—“Occupy Yourself” mechanism by engaging 100% of our fabulous mind.

For example:
Resolution: I drink too much.  I will cut down on my drinking

Okay so maybe you are drinking a couple of drinks every night and it is keeping you from releasing weight, or keeping you from getting up early to exercise or making you feel dependent on something outside of you. So how do you create a pathway to a more sober—clean-headed lifestyle?  By creating a vision that is specific, realistic and seemingly adventurous or challenging enough to be seductive to all of yourself—not just the virtuous New Year’s self.

1--Be specific--this may be a “by when?” or “how many?”--in this case with cutting down on drinking the vision could be “I see myself enjoying drinking less on a weekly basis”-and the specific vision could be-“How much am I drinking at this point?  Is it a drink a night?  Is it only on weekends?  I can see myself keeping my drinking to 2 drinks on Friday and Saturday and abstain during the week and feeling really clear headed and vibrant—pouring myself a nice hot cup of tea and relaxing when I get home from work—waking up feeling refreshed in the morning?” 

Now you are working with yourself.  Now you are engaging the vision by asking questions, giving yourself a choice and really seeing the change—not just saying it.  Now you are creating loving boundaries.  Now your chances of creating a real New Year’s REVOLUTION just increased 100%!!  The more specific you are, the more you engage your imagination and problem solving ability.  Be specific and then be real.

2--Be real with yourself--set goals that resonate with all parts of you. Forget the “should”—this word is banned from the creating process. “I shouldn't drink at all!”  “I should abstain on weekends!”  You'll know when you are not being real with yourself  because you will hear your Inner Rebel somewhere in the background laughing his or her head off. "Hahahaha! No drinking on the weekends!  Yeah right--nice try buddy get back to me when you mean business!"  Create a vision that feels comfortable and not like you are going to have to push a square peg into a round hole.

3-Create adventure--make your vision sexy!  What is drinking less going to mean to you in the long run other than drinking less? Is the challenge of creating an internal buzz from your own connectedness to yourself and others rather than relying upon a glass of wine to do the work for you a challenge that your neural pathways could get tipsy over?  Or is the vision of you leaner and cleaner because you cut the extra 800 calories that the 6 glasses of wine over the course of the week was adding to your waistline?  Yeah baby---I feel a revolution coming on!!!

Here are some sexy REVOLUTIONS to try on rather than the sad resolutions stated above

Becoming a non-smoker will allow me to find way more healthy and productive ways of self-soothing--which will give me more confidence--a feeling that I can do anything!!!

I deserve to put more green things in my body--it deserves healthy food full of life--the more alive and whole foods I put into my body the more alive and whole it will feel!!!

I desire to really connect with my kids-- imagine communicating effectively with my children--imagine truly having g a family based on the word team.  I desire to be a model for them--I will respect myself and them so that they can do the same.

I am more conscious with my money observing how, why and when I choose to spend it will offer me a great insight into my own sense of worth.  I long to feel worthy--once I separate myself from money I can really begin to tap into my true value.

So as you are making those 2012 wish lists--do yourself a favor and "Shift" from resolution to REVOLUTION!!  “Occupy Yourself” and may all of your revolutions create amazing Shifts in your lives, the community, our nation and the world at large!!  Start with yourself and make a Shift and see how the world changes because of it.

Alone we diet—together we SHIFT!

Happy New Year 2012!!!

Oxox Rita

NEW! Saturday Support Series Twelve in 12 (Release 12 lbs by 2012)—

Back by popular demand!!! 

This winter’s series is focused on releasing 12 pounds by April 1^st.  What are the behaviors and mindsets that it is going to take? We are going to keep you focused and supported over these 6 sessions spaced out over 12 weeks between January and April to release 12 pounds (or what ever your short term goal is) even through the dark winter months.  Please join us.

Saturdays 10-11:30: 1/14, 1/28, 2/11, 2/25, 3/10, 3/24

Cost: $137 for series (price includes 12 by 12 Course CD)—big savings!! Save 10%--sign up by January 7th

Per session: $25

Monday Night Phone Support Series

Join us every other Monday night over the winter for our Monday night phone series.  Call in and get support and/or just listen in.  Hypnosis included.

Mondays 7:30-8:30 pm on:  1/9, 1/23, 2/6, 2/20, 3/5, 3/24

Cost $97

Save big when you sign up for both Monday and Saturday Classes together $157!!

Shift Weekly:The Morning After

Hi Shifters and Happy Post Holiday Monday!

I am out of town and so this will be brief.  I just wanted to say I hope that you had a Happy Holiday and if you woke up feeling “what the heck happened?” the morning after the holiday-- here is the 1-2-3 to get back on track from the eating frenzy (if for any crazy reason you got involved in it).

The week between Christmas and New Year can be the most challenging of all—so gear up and get strong and get shifting out of the holiday Fat Thinking by…

1.    Forgiving yourself

2.    Creating a vision for New Years

3.    Creating a plan of action

4.    Moving your body every day in some way

5.    Cutting the carbs to a few servings (quality carbs only) and up your protein!

6.    Save the date for the Shift or Re-Shift January 21^st (discounts before January 1—so hurry!)

More details on getting on track here in the holiday video posted here if you haven’t had a chance to it view yet.

Holiday Coaching Video 

Have a great week!

Oxox Rita

Shift TV: 4 Holiday Survival Mind Tips/Have Yourself a Merry Little Portion

January 21st: The next Shift 30 Day Weight Mastery Process begins Saturday from 9-5 ! Discounts for early birds are ending December 31. Sign up now and save $100 and get special CD pack—323 988 4574 or ritasfl@aol.com

Click for Shift TV

SHIFT TV: 4 Cognitive Tips for Weight Release During the Holidays (only 6 minutes)

Shift Weekly:  Have Yourself a Merry Little Portion

Dear Shifters,

I don’t know about you but the holidays have come blasting into my life at full force.  My kids are not only counting the days but the hours until Christmas Eve and Santa’s arrival.  They are amped!  The great thing about this year is that they are 6 and 9 and able to fully appreciate and participate in everything about the season.  Last night we did one of our family traditions which was to make gingerbread cookies (80 caloriess each BTWJ)

Serving Size Mania

Every holiday season I pull out my mother’s big huge thick notebooks full of recipes from newspapers and recipe cards that she had collected over the years.  I have 6 such thick recipe books of hers that look more like Wizard’s spell books because they are so voluminous.  During the holiday season I pull the books out and leaf through them—they remind me of her and her zest for baking at this season.  Yesterday I noticed a very curious thing.  I pulled out a recipe for gingerbread that was very similar to a recipe I had seen in a modern cookbook in my cupboard.  I took the 2 recipes one from my mother’s book written in 1957 and the one in the modern cookbook—they had the same ingredients, same size pan to bake the cake in.  The only difference was the 2009 recipe served 8 people and the 1957 recipe served 24!!!

New!! RESHIFT! January 21^st 30 Day Re-Shifting Weight Mastery Process-runs in tandem with the Shift—same exciting synergy—but a more advanced process.  Come and get your mojo back after the holidays and continue releasing pounds masterfully.  Limited to 10 participants. Contact me asap for more info.

Yes our ideas of sizes and serving have changed dramatically over the years and so have our expectations of how much food we need in order to “be done”. The holiday season is a time when we go to parties and events and often our eyes are bigger than our stomachs.  When we go through the holidays the added stimulus of people, music and holiday cheer (or lack thereof) often tune us out to our shut off valve of when we have had enough.  Especially nowadays when serving sizes are so large and disproportionate to our body’s true need for calories it is going to serve you to be able to distinguish hunger from other feelings and to be able to stop when you have had enough—otherwise the tendency for the scale to creep up over the next few weeks will sneak in. 

Click for Shift TV

Hunger Tool

Let me give you the holiday gift of the hunger number tool. It may just be the least fattening gift you get all holiday season (I have already received a few boxes of Sees Nuts and Chews—AND I AM A WEIGHT RELEASE COACH!)

The hunger number scale goes from 0-10 zero is starving—stomach growling maybe even light headed—very empty—and 10 is thanksgiving (or holiday season) stuffed full.

Take a moment now to tune into your stomach.  Put your hand on your stomach and take a Shift breath.  On a scale from one to ten where are you?

As I mentioned zero is starving. 1 is hungry and need to eat now 2 is hungry –1-2 is the best time to begin eating  3-4 is satisfied—and very light—this means the hunger feelings have disappeared and you are lightly satisfied. 5-6 is satisfied but not full—6 is usually where you want to stop eating.  This is where naturally thin people stop eating.  I have a friend who is naturally slender—I see her push the plate away and do this sort of little magical wave over her food—it means she is done and she doesn’t touch the food again.  It is sort of her own personal shut off valve.  What can be your shut off valve?

For me, as for many masters of long term permanent weight release, I come from the clean your plate club.  So when I am at home and even at holiday parties and events—I try to put only the amount of food and calories that my body requires for me at that time.  I just don’t tempt myself with more.  When dining out—I will usually ask for a second plate and put the food amount I need on the clean plate and have them bag up the rest or offer it around to others at the table.

Begin to think of what you can do when you reach that 5-6 which feels like you can get up from the table and feel fed but feel no physical discomfort at all.

Now 7-8 that feels a little uncomfortable—that is definitely full and 9-10 is discomfort full the kind of full where you eat everything and then have to unfasten your pants and go lay down full—it’s the kind of full where you groan—I can’t believe I ate the whole thing—I know you know that feeling—I certainly do—but I also know that I never want to feel that full again—how about you?  So use your hunger number as you are eating. 

When you start eating gage where you are at—the  as you begin eating note when you reach a 3-4 stop and tune into your stomach—at this point you can remind yourself that you only need a few more bites of food to take you to a 5 or 6 and then you will be done.  Think ahead to finish—even if you are with people it only takes a second to tune in.  We eat up to 50% more food when we are with others so tune in to your stomach and prepare to finish at that 5-6.

If you take anything from the hunger number tools take this—protect your zero.  What does that mean??Many people who struggle with weight will wait until they are at zero to eat—they either try to not eat early on and then end up too hungry and eat too much or they get too busy and don’t think about food until it’s too late.  Both ways work against you as when we reach a zero once you do start eating it is very hard to stop eating. This happens a lot at holiday events.  People starve themselves before a party and then eat far too much.

Protect Your Zero

So  Protect your 0!—Never get too hungry—a huge part of weight management is blood sugar management—if you keep yourself fed with steady blood sugar levels throughout the day—you rarely get hungry.  This is an essential tool is keeping your calories within your daily budget easily and effortlessly.  So never get to zero-plan ahead—bring some quality protein and or fiber based snacks with you.  Keep a bag of apple in your car.  Think of how you can protect your zero before heading into that holiday party.

Protecting my zero is so important that I will eat a bit before going out to eat—this way if it takes a long time to be seated or be served I am not ravenous when I order and therefore order too much—and then eat too much.  Eating ahead also allows me to sit with the bread or chips basket and have some power over it—often the main reason people overeat bread or chips is they are simply too hungry.  Do yourself a favor—protect your zero at all times. And have yourself a merry little portion this holiday season!!

SHIFT TV: 4 Cognitive Tips for Weight Release during the Holidays (only 6 minutes)

Click for Shift TV

Oxox Rita

Please add your Holiday tips below in comments and like us on Facebook!  Forward to a friend who might like some holiday tips as well.

Shift Weekly: 7Up or 7 Down—Where will your weight go this holiday season?

Dear Shifters—

Did you know that the average weight gain over the holiday season is around 7 pounds?  YIKES!! That’s not a pretty statistic.  Imagine getting on the scale January 2^nd and seeing your weight 7lbs heavier than it is now.  Imagine how your clothes will feel?  Do you wish that for yourself?—I think not!  I do not want you to see that either my dear Shifters.  Remember, alone we diet and together we Shift?  Well alone we also gain the holiday weight but together we can Shift through the holidays and avoid being part of that upward trend and instead either maintain or continue to weight release weight through the holidays.  Sound good?  So over the next few weeks I am going to be offering some tough coaching for your Inner Coach.  That’s right--- tough!!!  Think of prize fighters going into a boxing ring.  You need your coach to be strong and their voice load and tough over the noisy crowd of both your Inner Rebel and Critic and the noise of our cultural pull to push food and eat excess food during this season.  We are going to win do you hear me?!  This is how…(see coaching below after reading these special offers)

The next Shift Weight Mastery Process is January 21st—sign up now for the $100 DISCOUNT before January 1—contact Rita @ ritasfl@aol.com

Re-Shift Process--  Regroup and Refocus with this 30 day process that includes going though the Shift day intensive on January 21—join before January 1 and receive $50 off the already low price—c’mon you know you want to!  Contact Rita @ ritasfl@aol.com

Round 1

The first few rounds of a boxing match the boxers have energy, they are strong, they throw some good punches.  Maybe that’s where you are now at the beginning of the season—the parties and company and dinners out are ahead of you and so is all the excess sugary, fatty and salty food..  That’s where a lot of my clients are when we head into the month. “I’ll be fine, “they say, ”it won’t be a challenge this year—I feel good.”  However feeling good and hoping to do well do not mean anything once you hit round 2.  So don’t be a victim of “feeling good” about the holidays--have an iron clad vision of where you commit to be January 1^st.  That’s right feeling good means nothing to your brain and neither do hope or try—how many clients come back after the holidays saying—“I don’t know what the heck happened—I thought I was going to do good but it all went wrong—very wrong !!  I’ll tell you what went wrong—they didn’t have a vision that lit the way through to New Years.

Round 1—create a vision linked to an absolute commitment energizes your brain into action.  See it, believe it and go for it—before heading into round 2.

Round 2

This is where the onslaught of holiday food begins to become overwhelming, this is where the stress, and the shopping and the parties and the obligations begin to wear you down.  Once again, think about Rocky Balboa in the ring—he’s been taking some hits, not feeling so on top of the world.  In fact he’s beginning to get a little overwhelmed, he’s losing balance spinning a little.  In his head now he’s not so sure he’s going to win—this is a lot harder than he thought.  This is when his coach pulls him into the corner and begins to talk tough—he says hey!  You are not going to be a victim here so do not think like a victim—you came here to win!  Feel it Rocky—feel it—you can do it you can make it happen—you didn’t come this far to fall down.  Rocky gets re energized because his coach just aligned him back to his vision.

Round 2: Align yourself with your vision and don’t allow limiting beliefs to get in your way.  You have your vision—how are you going to walk into that party and eat within your calorie needs for weight release and have a good time but not eat any more?  You have to align yourself with the vision of leaving that party feeling good about the party and about yourself.  Do not give yourself the same disempowered excuses that keep you struggling with weight and keep you being mad at yourself after you leave the party.  Excuses like—that party was hard because there was so much food, my relatives were stressing me out, I didn’t have time to plan ahead…..YAWN!!  Aren’t you tired of buying into the same old crappy sayings you say to yourself year after year??  Win this year and bring your coach to the party—give yourself the best holiday gift you can give yourself—a feeling of pride that you showed up for yourself. One way you can do this is by using your hypnosis CDS—not as coasters for the eggnog and brandy drinks you serve your friends—really listen to them—the hypnosis will cut through the negative chatter in your mind and re-align yourself with yourself—don’t just say “I gotta listen to those CDS”---DO IT!!!!

MORE COACHING ROUNDS ON NEXT WEEK’S HOLIDAY COACHING VIDEO!!!

Please give your holiday tips below in the comments box below and help your fellow Shifters—Shift!

OKAY, NOW WHAT DO YOU WANT?

Please help me help you make 2012 your best year ever—this is a link to a short survey that will let you tell me what you need for continued success in the form of products and services.  Thanks!

Click here for SURVEY

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: The Shift Online Community and Calorie and Exercise Tracker is coming in JANUARY 2012!!!—now you will be able to interact with other Shifters—form groups and post your food to others easily within the privacy of the Shift community—I am so excited about this and I hope you are too.

BIGGER OPPORTUNITY—Become a part of the Shift-in-a-Box Pre-Launch Test group and save $80 off the cost of the Shift in a Box.  We will be starting a 30 day Shift in a Box Weight Mastery Process with the new and Improved Shift in a Box in January—I am only selling 25 “boxes” at a reduced rate to this first tester group who will agree for the reduced price to fill out a poll about their experience and help us make this a world class product.

Please let me know if you are interested in being a tester or interested in purchasing one for someone for the holidays at ritasfl@aol.com

Okay and have a great week—listen to that powerful Inner Coach

Oxox Rita