Shift Weekly:Proust Proves 3-Bite Rule 100 Years Ago

Join us for our Online Saturday Meeting this Saturday!

"Create your Weight Release Mindset Zone"
(and stay there through the holidays)

This Saturday our class will be exploring:

-the 3 common assumptions people make heading into the holidays that lead to weight gain
-the 2 key steps to insure your successful weight release through the holidays
-the 1 powerful attitude that allows you to come out of this season a winner--and better equiped to handle all of the holiday seasons to come.

9-10:15 Saturday November 3rd-- only 15 dollars
Click onto link to sign up for this single online class!

http://www.shiftweightmastery.com/satclass.html

Hey Shifters,

“Look at this, Marcel Proust was writing about the three bite rule long before you were honey.” My husband, the professor of English said.  He showed me the following passage I’m about to share with you.

The French Novelist, in his book series, Remembrance of Things Past, certainly did write about the interesting mouth phenomenon that happens—what we at Shift call the 3-Bite Rule-- as you take the first bites of something delicious. In his writing he elegantly proves that if you truly pay attention, the sensation of each bite diminishes to the point of being able to stop having gotten all the “mouth fun” out of the thing you were eating after a mere 3 bites.

This is what Proust wrote, describing drinking tea and eating a French sponge cookie/cake called a Madeleine—notice how his mouth goes through a whole array of experiences…brilliant!

BITE ONE: I raised to my lips a spoonful of the tea in which I had soaked a morsel of the cake. No sooner had the warm liquid mixed with the crumbs touched my palate than a shudder ran through me and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary thing that was happening to me. An exquisite pleasure had invaded my senses, something isolated, detached, with no suggestion of its origin. And at once the vicissitudes of life had become indifferent to me, its disasters innocuous, its brevity illusory - this new sensation having had on me the effect which love has of filling me with a precious essence; or rather this essence was not in me it was me. I had ceased now to feel mediocre, contingent, mortal. Whence could it have come to me, this all-powerful joy? I sensed that it was connected with the taste of the tea and the cake, but that it infinitely transcended those savours, could, no, indeed, be of the same nature. Whence did it come? What did it mean? How could I seize and apprehend it? (Whoa, I would be on to my third cookie in the time he takes to describe just one bite!)

BITE TWO: I drink a second mouthful, in which I find nothing more than in the first…(see the mouth party is calming down)

BITE THREE-- then a third, which gives me rather less than the second. It is time to stop; the potion is losing it magic. (See three bites and you’re out!!) It is plain that the truth I am seeking lies not in the cup but in myself. The drink has called it into being, but does not know it, and can only repeat indefinitely, with a progressive diminution of strength, the same message which I cannot interpret, though I hope at least to be able to call it forth again and to find it there presently, intact and at my disposal, for my final enlightenment. I put down the cup and examine my own mind. It alone can discover the truth.

Well said Marcel, I couldn’t have put it better myself!  So there you have the 3-bite rule written by a French Novelist over 100 years ago! 

Enjoy applying the 3-bite rule this week as you head through the last few days of Halloween candy—that’s all you need is 3 bites and get rid of the rest.  Or better yet skip buying candy altogether and just give out copies of this passage to kids as they come to the door.

Happy Halloween I may just decide to go as Marcel Proust!  Or maybe I’ll go as the MadeleineJ

Oxox Rita

 

PS.

Join us for our Online Saturday Meeting this Saturday!

"Create your Weight Release Mindset Zone"
(and stay there through the holidays)

This Saturday our class will be exploring:

-the 3 common assumptions people make heading into the holidays that lead to weight gain
-the 2 key steps to insure your successful weight release through the holidays
-the 1 powerful attitude that allows you to come out of this season a winner--and better equiped to handle all of the holiday seasons to come.

9-10:15 Saturday November 3rd-- only 15 dollars
Click onto link to sign up for this single online class!

http://www.shiftweightmastery.com/satclass.html

 

Shift Weekly:Candy "Crack" Corn

SHIFT Halloween Special: Free Shipping and 30%off the following Hypnosis Sessions in the Shift Store

-Mastering Sugar and other Refined Foods
-Just One Bite or None at All—Mastering your relationship with chocolate and other sweets
-Lights Out on Night Eating
To receive 30% off just write “Zombie” in the coupon box at check out

ORDER HERE http://www.shiftweightmastery.com/ShopTheShift-CoachingHypnosisCDs.html

SPECIAL !!!-Shift thru Halloween Package Deal—All 3 above sessions for $47 FREE SHIPPING
ORDER HERE Halloween Package Deal

 

Candy “Crack” Corn

Dear Shifters,

Sugar was called “Crack” when it became a rare and coveted delicacy in 16^th century France.  Even back then sugar was thought of as a drug, known for its powerful addictive potential.

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 like the French did—it’s just plain mind altering—and can lead to tailspins into addictive eating patterns. 

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, sangria, she would stay away from the other stuff too.  It makes perfect sense!!

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

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—candy “crack” corn addict. However, if I stay away from the candy corn I can eat a piece or two of the other types of candy and am usually fine.  That is how candy corn warps me—and is my “gateway”-- so I stay far from the gate.

Make Sure The Gate Stays Shut

How can our Inner Coach can use certain strategies to keep us out of that addiction cycle? Here are some weight master’s strategies to keep you of Halloween Candy REBAB

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”:  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 foods and sugar—some foods have worse impact than others (think “gateway food”) and for many the rule of thumb is to avoid eating Halloween Candy 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 sugar.  It is best to eat sugar (if and when you do) with other food.

4-Think of refined starches and sugar 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

Halloween Candy 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.  If during this Halloween season you find yourself eating a “gateway food or candy” and getting “hooked” at least 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 Shifted and Healthy Halloween!

 oxoxRita

SHIFT Halloween Special: Free Shipping and 30%off the following Hypnosis Sessions in the Shift Store

-Mastering Sugar and other Refined Foods
-Just One Bite or None at All—Mastering your relationship with chocolate and other sweets
-Lights Out on Night Eating
To receive 30% off just write “Zombie” in the coupon box at check out

ORDER HERE http://www.shiftweightmastery.com/ShopTheShift-CoachingHypnosisCDs.html

SPECIAL !!!-Shift thru Halloween Package Deal—All 3 above sessions for $47 FREE SHIPPING
ORDER HERE Halloween Package Deal

 

Shift Weekly: Sugar Sucking Vampire Zombies

 
SHIFT Halloween Special: Free Shipping and 30%off the following Hypnosis Sessions in the Shift Store
-Mastering Sugar and other Refined Foods
-Just One Bite or None at All—Mastering your relationship with chocolate and other sweets
-Lights Out on Night Eating
To receive 30% off just write “Zombie” in the coupon box at check out

ORDER HERE http://www.shiftweightmastery.com/ShopTheShift-CoachingHypnosisCDs.html

SPECIAL !!!-Shift thru Halloween Package Deal—All 3 above sessions for $47 FREE SHIPPING
ORDER HERE Halloween Package Deal

Dear Shifters,

Hang all the garlic you want and make sure your windows are shut and perhaps that will help against the scary creatures of the night, but this Halloween’s biggest threat maybe lurking within your own home, inside your own head in fact!  Shifters, this week it’s time for an inside Halloween sugar sucking zombie prevention job.

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 zombie both physically and mentally.

Physically I turned into a 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 and fat.  “Hyper eating”,  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 zombie because I had created the perfect mental storm to fail because I was stuck in the “fat thinking”, that 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 chimed in 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 your 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 singularly 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

-Fun size candy bars
-Lolli pops
-Mints
-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. Powerful enough to ward off the sugar sucking vampire zombie.

Oxox Rita
Halloween Special: Free Shipping and 30%off the following Hypnosis Sessions in the Shift Store

-Mastering Sugar and other Refined Foods

-Just One Bite or None at All—Mastering you relationship with chocolate and other sweets

-Lights Out on Night Eating

To receive 30% off just write “Zombie” in the coupon box at check out

ORDER HERE http://www.shiftweightmastery.com/ShopTheShift-CoachingHypnosisCDs.html

Halloween Package Deal--all 3 above sessions 47

 ORDER HERE  Halloween Package Deal

 

Shift Weekly:Sleeveless in Seattle

NEW!! Upcoming Saturday Online Class Support Series beginning this Saturday—October 13^th we are focusing on  Super Charging Your Drive to Achieve Your Ideal Weight—check out the link below.  Class starts at 9am and will be recorded so you can listen later if you had to miss it.

http://www.shiftweightmastery.com/satclass.html

Share Shift Weekly with your friends----forward and remind them to subscribe at www.ShiftWeightMastery.com

Hi Shifters—

I just got back from a weekend in Seattle where I attended my 30th High School Reunion. What a wonderful time it was and it so great to really connect with old friends—(that term "old friend", at 30 years past high school, now has a double meaning). I was lucky too because the weather was gorgeous, which it often is not, so I was able to wear the sleeveless dress that I had brought (see photo of me with 2 of my dearest friends from High School--Mike and Melissa).

 

 

 Why is going sleeveless in Seattle at my 30th reunion such a big deal? Let me explain…

 As many of you know I struggled with my weight all through high school and this struggle led to low self esteem, body image issues and being trapped in the yo-yo diet syndrome--fun times at Roosevelt High!! As my weight struggle continued past graduation I developed this little compulsive tick that often accompanies body image issues called "body checking" or “appearance checking”. This is the compulsion to check a certain part of your body in the mirror or in reflections (example store windows) many times over the course of the day.

 For years I was obsessed with my arms--I thought my arms were way too big and flabby and whenever I would go sleeveless I would have to check my arms in a mirror constantly to make sure they were "okay" or "acceptable". Of course in reality my arms were acceptable but obviously my relationship with myself in relation to my arms was horrible. Maybe some of you can relate as "body checking" is quite a common compulsion.

 So, getting back to my reunion and going Sleeveless in Seattle. I spoke with a lot of old friends at the reunion and we agreed that the first few reunions were a lot about externals--looking good, proving that you are "making it", that you have succeeded.  Also, in addition to showing off to others, we were looking for our own approval based on what we believed we "should" be in the world. Kind of like a dog chasing his tail--you try and try, going round and round to please yourself against unrealistic standards and only end up biting yourself in your own butt!

 I missed my 10 year reunion because I was stuck in my weight struggle and didn't want to go. I missed out on connecting with my fellow classmates because I thought they would judge me harshly and think I was a loser. Little did I realize that the harshest judge was the one sitting in my own heart and that I was a loser, but not because of how I looked, but because I was missing the essential key to happiness—a healthy relationship with myself.

When I made my own SHIFT not long after my 10 year reunion, one of the ways I healed my relationship with myself was to end my body checking compulsion.  Stopping this compulsion took a real conscious effort but it was a gift that I decided to give to myself now that I was getting healthy both in body and in mind.

 Here is the 3 step cognitive technique I used to break the habit of body checking—if you suffer from this—give it a try:

 1)    If the urge to check your body part comes up--TAKE A BREATH--The breath  creates a break in the pattern long enough for your voice of reason (what I call "the Inner Coach") to step in.

2)     Label the urge. "Oh there is that urge to go check my arms in the mirror to make sure they are alright". Labeling the urge repositions the thought in your mind not as reality but as an observation of a thought--thereby weakening the thought's power over you.

3)    Reframe yourself to yourself: What this step requires is that you focus yourself on what you want to create and start imaging that as already coming true.  If you can conceive it and believe it, you can achieve it. 

 For example “Oh there is that urge to check my arms but now I am a person who accepts their arms for what they are and loves them and therefore I don’t need to look at them right now.

You may need to keep repeating this exercise many times before you break the habit, but eventually you will and you will feel very free!

 Enjoy this coming week and enjoy going sleeveless in whatever you do.

 Oxox Rita

 P.S.  Please consider joining us for the upcoming Saturday Online Class Support Series beginning this Saturday—we are focusing on  how to Super Charge Your Drive to Achieve Your Ideal Weight—check out the link below.

http://www.shiftweightmastery.com/satclass.html