Sunday, September 30, 2012

Shift Weekly: Bored to Tears!


 
Tonight!!! October 1—Join us for a no cost Shift TELESEMINAR—The 5 Keys to Consistent Weight Release and Maintenance at 6pm PST—email me back and say “I’m In!” and I will get you the call in info—please forward to family and friends—it is free for them as well.

Shift  Online Saturday Classes start October 13th—6 exciting online classes throughout the autumn that will keep you releasing weight and achieving weight mastery through the holidays.  Sign up now and get 2 free CDs.  Click here to read more:
http://www.shiftweightmastery.com/satclass.html

Dear Shifters,
One year my family went on a road trip to Southern California from Seattle.  My younger sister who was  6 at the time was a picky eater and decided that all she was going to eat was blue colored cream of mushroom soup for the ENTIRE TRIP.  This was the only thing she wanted.  This is the only thing she had been eating for the last few weeks anyways.  My mother, frustrated with trying to get her to eat anything else, decided to let her have her way.

“Why are you spoiling her?” I protested.  My mother winked, “don’t worry, she’ll get sick of it and I’ll never have to color that damn soup blue again”  She brought  along a box of Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup and blue food color to make for my sister on a hot plate while the rest of us ate normal road food on our trip. 

My sister seemed to love the soup and never tire of it.   Breakfast, lunch and dinner every day the same lumpy bowl of Campbell’s colored baby blue. I remember the day, somewhere near the middle of the 7th day of eating the blue glop every meal that I looked over at my sister staring at her bowl of blue for breakfast, while the rest of us were eating cereal and she began to cry, and cry, and cry.  “I am so bored of my blue soup!  I never want to eat blue soup again!  Can I please have some cereal?”  From that day on my sister never ate blue soup..or any cream based soup again. 

I just read some research that mentioned that one classic reason that people fall off the wagon with their “diet” is that they get bored with eating the same thing day in and day out.  Often when we diet we are given a specific group of foods or meals or “meal drinks” and must be compliant with them over time—we will get bored and go looking for some "fun" outside the confines of the diet.  Then we feel guilty and are sure it is because we lack willpower, which makes us eat even more.  You don’t lack willpower!  You have just fallen into the blue cream of mushroom soup syndrome. 

Sometimes eating the same thing works for awhile, it makes things easy, but beware of the early signals of boredom.  Often it is the urge to eat more or a feeling of not being satisfied even though you have just eaten.

The good news is that now, as a SHIFTER, the whole world of food is your oyster and that if you are currently bored to tears with what you are eating you need to SHAKE IT UP and make some changes in what you are eating.
I also know that as the seasons change—so does our taste palate. Many times a salad that you were eating every day during the summer for lunch, just doesn’t cut the mustard now that it’s October.  Don’t blame the salad—Shift what you are eating!  It’s time to realign yourself with your changing food needs.

Try thinking about it this coming week.  Think of some autumn dishes that you ate as a kid.  What tastes and textures appeal to you?  Can you create a healthy version?  Check out www.Hungry-Girl.com   often she has some low calorie versions of favorite comfort foods.

Go shopping with the idea of not buying the same old stuff but with the idea of experimenting.  I am attaching Hungry Girl's shopping list below--this is also a great place to get recipe ideas for the autumn.  Here also is some sound coaching on grocery shopping too because I deal with so many clients who despair about it. 
Why do they get so overwhelmed??

1)    They get into the store and are overwhelmed and don’t know what to buy.

2)    They get bamboozled either by the stores’ or products’ seductive labeling that they buy stuff that turns out to be not that good for them or not taste that good—a waste of money and calories!

3)    They go to the store not knowing what they need and end of letting their Inner Rebel do the shopping for them and come home with a lot of trigger food items that now they either have to exert willpower over (not fun) or they end up compulsively or mindlessly eating and then feel bad (doubly not fun!).

What is going on in the examples above is that the client is being driven EXTERNALLY and not INTERNALLY.  They are entering the grocery store without an INNER plan for so that they fall victim to the overwhelming stimulus of the grocery store and get overwhelmed.

Successful shopping begins with an INTERNAL strategy system that is created by engaging with your Inner Coach.  Let’s head down the aisle together in that grocery store in your mind. Shopping can be an overwhelming task when you are not prepared and are doing it last minute—especially when you are hungry and/ or don’t have a plan. Here are some dos and don’ts that masters have learned over the years.

Do: Make a habit of shopping a couple of specific times during the week. What will help you is to keep the time and days consistent so it literally becomes a habit.  Tune into what things you need to purchase at those specific times. Usually one shop will be you big one for the week and the other to supplement fresh fruits and vegetables and milk and other supplies that run low.

Don’t: Shop last minute—especially on an empty stomach.  Your brain is in a stressed state when you are hungry-not a great time to make sound and healthy decisions.

Do: Make a list based on ideas of meals you are going to eat that week.  Take a moment and really ask yourself the question—how do I want to feed myself these next few days?  What kind of fruits and vegetables do I need?  What kind of whole grains and lean proteins will you need?  Make a list and think which areas of the store you need to shop in and which you don’t—this will give you a feeling of confidence when you enter the store.

Don’t: Go to the store unprepared with a list and “hope” you’ll get inspired. This will be a disaster—stores are notorious for marketing gakky food items to unprepared shoppers—go in with a plan—keep your eyes peeled for new low cal products and closed to the gak—as the song says just walk on by… this is important—really see yourself passing by the ice-cream aisle in your mind ahead of time so that it will be much easier to do once you are there.

Do: Shop for fruits and veggies first and gak last. In fact avoid gak aisles all together and just shop the perimeter of the store only going down the aisle for a specific item.

Don’t: Put trigger foods or gak in your cart for other people that you “think” you can handle having around.  Guess what --9 times out of 10 it more will end up in you and less in them.

Do: Stock up on frozen veggies and easy precooked, pre portioned protein sources.  That way

Don’t: Think eating healthfully is expensive—in the long run it always costs less to be healthy and eat healthy than unhealthfully. Remember the time you spend feeling bloated stuffed and lacking in energy because of the foods you eat or the money spent on medications for being overweight or the hours of time lost sitting in doctor’s offices is really a bigger cost isn’t it?  You can’t put a price tag on feeling healthy and vibrant or you family feeling fit and nourished.  Many shifters have told me they save money eating more healthfully.

Just avoid the “blue soup” aisle!!!
Happy autumn shopping!  Happy Shifting!!

Oxox Rita

Tonight!!! October 1—Join us for a no cost Shift TELESEMINAR—The 5 Keys to Consistent Weight Release and Maintenance at 6pm PST—email me back and say “I’m In!” and I will get you the call in info—please forward to family and friends—it is free for them as well.
Shift  Online Saturday Classes start October 13th—6 exciting online classes throughout the fall that will keep you releasing weight and achieving weight mastery through the holidays.  Sign up now and get 2 free CDs.  Click here to read more:


 

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