TRICKY TREATS--Advice and Tips for Mastering Halloween

Upcoming Shift Stuff

GET SLIM FOR 2014!:
THE 30 Day SHIFT PRE-HOLIDAY WEIGHT RELEASE PROCESS
Beginning November 6th and ending December 11^th Shift will be running a online and home-based weight mastery process.  Using the Shift-in-a-Box Process of powerful coaching and hypnosis sessions and online and community support this process will get you focused and on track, releasing weight before the holiday season but giving you also the power to continue releasing through the holidays and into the New Year!

Interested?  Please email back “Interested” and we will get you the details.
Are you a current Shift-in-a-Box Owner? Email back “owner interested” If you want details to get in on the action!

TRICKY TREATS
(I hope this coaching session on how to stay out of the sugar fog and in a powerful mental and physical place during Halloween serves you!  You will also find a link to Hungry Girls Low Cal Candy Options in this session)

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. 

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

THANK YOU HUNGRY GIRL

Lynn Bettencourt from Hungry Girl was kind enough to send a link of Halloween Candy with a breakdown of calories emphasizing lower calorie choices.  Click on the link.

http://s3.amazonaws.com/hungry-girl/uploads/File/HGHALLOWEENCANDYGUIDE2011.pdf

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.

I smell Shift and Candy!!

Oxox Rita
GET SLIM FOR 2014!
THE 30 Day SHIFT PRE-HOLIDAY WEIGHT RELEASE PROCESS
Beginning October 30^th and ending December 4^th Shift will be running a online and home-based weight mastery process.  Using the Shift-in-a-Box Process of powerful coaching and hypnosis sessions and online and community support this process will get you focused and on track, releasing weight before the holiday season but giving you also the power to continue releasing through the holidays and into the New Year!

Interested?  Please email back “Interested” and we will get you the details.

Are you a current Shift-in-a-Box Owner? Email

 

 

Time to Get Thin! Time Management Teleseminar this Wednesday at 6pm

TIME TO GET THIN!F.REE TELESEMINAR WITH
TIME MANAGEMENT EXPERT
BIBI GOLDSTEIN

-Have trouble fitting in time to exercise?
-Do you lack the time needed to eat healthfully?
-Do you end the day and have no time left for self care? -Have you gotten in the habit of putting off what will give you the best results for weight release?

On this Wednesday night October 16th at 6pm PST
Guest Expert Bibi Goldstein and I will discuss how to better manage your time for your weight goals.

Want to join the f.ree teleseminar?Hit reply and say "I'm in!"
You will be sent the call info and reminder.
Do you find yourself in a constant battle with the clock?

Join us and learn how to use 3 simple tools to effectively manage your time, your tasks and help you to answer questions like:

• Where does the time go?

• Where do I start to prioritize my to-do list?

• How do I make time for myself?

Want to join the f.ree teleseminar?
Hit reply and say "I'm in!"
Hope you can make it! ox Rita

ABOUT BIBI:  Bibi Goldstein of Buying Time, LLC is determined to get everyone she can to feel the freedom that comes with delegating. Providing support through virtual assistance, organizing and personal assistance, Bibi wanted to be a full service resource for all areas of need for any individual, but with an emphasis on entrepreneurs or small business owners. Bibi is an author, a speaker and holds regular workshops on the subject of time management.

SHIFT MONTHLY:BACK IN REHAB

October 2013 Shift Monthly Shift Monthly is a monthly coaching session written by clinical hypnotherapist and cognitive weight expert Rita Black dedicated to exploring how to implement “thin thinking” in order to achieve long term permanent Weight Mastery. Each month we focus on a different theme of Weight Mastery.  www.shiftweightmastery.com   October Theme: Re-Habiting Your Relationship with Refined Carbohydrates

COMING UP: OCTOBER 30^TH—SHIFT 30 DAY HOME STUDY PROCESS BEGINS—with a CARB REHAB FOCUS!!  Get your mind re-set to release weight this holiday season.  Starting October 30^th if you currently own a Shift-in-a-Box or take advantage of this month’s special offer to become an owner, you can participate in this 30-Day Home Based Shift Process with additional CARB REHAB tele-series and support. 

Interested? Hit reply and say “Interested” and I will send you the HOME STUDY/CARB RE-HAB PROCESS INFO LINK.

BACK IN RE-HAB

Good news!  Checking into rehab these days is no longer shown as a sign of weakness it is the “in thing” to do!  I would love to take this opportunity to take advantage and use the month of October and RE-HABITIUALIZE your relationship with sugar and refined carbohydrates into a powerful one so that you are ready for the upcoming holiday “Festival of Carbs” that happens every year like clockwork—beginning with Halloween!

Did you know that the consumption of High Fructose Corn Syrup is up 10705% in the last 25 years??  Did you know that 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.

The holiday season can create a tough time to navigate the onslaught of perpetual sugar/carb pitfalls so creating powerful habits now can keep you out of the mind-body carbohydrate addiction cycle.

THE MIND-BODY CARBYHDRATE ADDICTION CYCLE
When we consume too many refined sugars and carbohydrates it throws both our mind and body out of whack.  Our bodies are not built to eat high levels of carbohydrates so over time consuming to many can throw off hormonal function, exhaust our adrenal glands, over tax the pancreas and liver, and make us prone to insulin resistance.  It also just makes us feel addicted and we lose our power and become what I call a CARB EATING ZOMBIE.

Body Addiction: Our blood sugar levels spike and drop with excess sugar consumption.  When we experience a blood sugar drop we then feel tired or hungry or light headed or all three.  What is our impulse to do to fix this unpleasant state?  Eat more sugar of course and the process starts all over again.

Mind Addiction: Our mind also becomes imbalanced with excess sugar and carbohydrate consumption because our pleasure/reward centers are tickled when we eat too much.  The mind says “oooh that feels good let’s keep doing that—let me get some more”.  We continue to eat the sugar overriding our signals of homeostasis (stop eating I have had enough calories) and eat too much. 
Over time our mind’s amino acid balance is thrown out of whack and this also causes us to feel “addicted” as we seek more carbs to restore the balance.  What we should be doing is restoring balance with the amino acids in protein.

CHECKING INTO REHAB

How can our Inner Coach use certain strategies to keep us out of that addiction cycle? Here are some weight master’s CARB RE-HABITING strategies to put into place today.  Remember it’s consistency not perfection that is going to keep you on your journey to long term permanent weight release.
1- Eat More fiber, whole foods and protein: In order to physically “unhook” addictive eating it will serve you to make sure you are getting enough high in fiber fruits and vegetables (5-10 servings) and lean protein( 50 grams) and

2--Know your refined sugar and starchy carbohydrate “ceiling”:  Ever heard of the glass ceiling—well there is a daily carb ceiling too.  Every “body” is different and can tolerate a certain level of starchy or refined sugars and carbohydrates on average on a daily basis.  If you are consistently consuming more you start feeling “hooked”—it will be your mission to discover what your ceiling is and to make sure that you stay under that ceiling on a daily basis. For many this is about 2-3 servings or less than 150 grams of carbohydrates a day.

3-Tune into your body after eating refined foods and sugar—some foods have worse impact than others and for many the rule of thumb is to avoid eating sugar on an empty stomach because 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. Find healthier alternatives for those times that you have gotten used to reaching for the more “addictive” foods.

-Sit and grant yourself permission just to close your eyes for 5 minutes.
-Take a walk.
-Call a friend.
-Sit down and write your feelings or just sit with them and let them move through you—they won’t eat you alive (and you won’t be eating them!)

Addiction Intervention Steps
If during this sugar filled holiday season you find yourself eating too many carbohydrates and getting “hooked” do not fear—you can bounce back quickly and escape the grip of “addiction”, learn the lesson and move on.  Take action as quickly as possible and engage in the following strategies and you will become unhooked in no time:

1)    Forgive yourself:  Hey, life happens and this world is full of sugar and junk—the idea isn’t to be perfect, the idea is to learn the lesson and move on.  If you beat yourself up—you lose the lesson.  if you learn the lesson next time you don’t have to fall prey to the same old useless habit—this is what re-hab is all about.

2)     First take a break from all starchy and refined carbohydrates for three days (or limit to one).
3)    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.  Up your intake to at least 70 grams of protein for the next 3 days).
4)    And up your intake of vegetables and whole food—the more healthfully you eat the less your body craves the junk
5)    Drink water which flushes it all from your system.
6)    Try supplementing with L-Glutamine—a natural occurring amino acid (you can get it at Whole Foods inexpensively) that will help cut carb cravings.
7)    And move your body and exercise.  In fact, take action on this step as soon as you can.  It immediately makes you feel better about yourself.  Even if you only walk around your block—just do it!!!
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.

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.  The more you put yourself in Carb Rehab—the more power you have.

Have a great Shifted and October!

oxoxRita
COMING UP: OCTOBER 30^TH—SHIFT 30 DAY HOME STUDY PROCESS BEGINS—with a CARB REHAB FOCUS!!  Get your mind re-set to release weight this holiday season.  Starting October 30^th if you currently own a Shift-in-a-Box or take advantage of this month’s special offer to become an owner, you can participate in this 30-Day Home Based Shift Process with additional CARB REHAB tele-series and support. 

Interested? Hit reply and say “Interested” and I will send you the HOME STUDY/CARB RE-HAB PROCESS INFO LINK.