Shift Weekly: The “Con” Artist

Hi Shifters,

Shift Kids Organization Run February 5^th—come run or walk to help raise money for Shift Kids 7:30 am in Redondo Beach— right now we are raising money for the Shift Kid’s Website for kids and their parents—to have a resource  for support and information to fight childhood obesity.  If you can’t make it and want to donate anyways please click this link and you can donate to Shift kids via Pay Pal or credit card—any amount makes a difference. Thanks! 

http://shiftweightmastery.com/ShiftKids.html  (all donations are tax deductable)

This week, in honor of the movie “The Artist” that has just been nominated for an Academy Award, I will reflect briefly on the “The Con Artist” that lives within each person who struggles with their weight.   You know the one I am talking about?  The voice within that keeps us from truly being successful in the long run with weight release because this Con Artist is so good at “the con” that he or she convinces us that what they are saying is actually the truth instead of a bunch of fearful or resigned beliefs that have been repeated over and over again like a very bad commercial until we buy it hook, line and sinker.  The sad thing is, is that the Con Artist keeps us from connecting to the more powerful voice within ourselves that can lead us to long term permanent weight release.

In order to achieve your weight goals in the long run, I invite you to develop the habit recognizing this “Con Artist” at work and stopping them before they stop you.

1)    Notice the Con

The Con Artist may be clever but not too original.  The way we con and dis-empower ourselves, fortunately sounds pretty much the same all the time so it is easy to tune in, hear the con and recognize—“hey I am conning myself”.  Here are some examples this master of disguises may use:

The Resigned Con

-“What’s the use—I am always going to be overweight.”

-“It’s too much work for too little return.  I am too lazy to try”

-“Nobody else cares, why should I?”

The Seductive Con

-“Go on, life is too short, you can start again tomorrow.”

-“Why do they get to eat that and you don’t.  It doesn’t seem fair does it?”

-“Focusing on your weight is so boring and a little vain.  Relax, just have fun!”

-“You bought it, you may as well eat it.”

-“It’s free food, you can’t pass up free food…”

The Overwhelmed Con

-“I don’t have time!”

-“I don’t have the right stuff to wear”

“Nobody supports me—it’s too hard!”

Sometime, like the nominated movie, this Con Artist is silent and we might not hear the con but we feel it because we feel bad—anxious, guilty, out of line with ourselves.  At this point take a breath and ask yourself—“what is the con going on here?” and guess what—that silent movie quickly turns into a talkie!

2)    Catch the Con

Once you have recognized the con, take a breath, and separate yourself out from the “Con Artist”.  You are not the “Con Artist” but you have just developed this inner voice over time to protect you in some way.  The problem is that the con is not protecting you anymore—it’s hurting you and keeping you from your weight release goals and full potential.  Catching the “con artist” may look something like this:

Shift Breath: “Hey I hear you –you think we don’t have time to be healthy, that’s a good one con artist, but actually it takes more time to be unhealthy--think of how much time I spend worrying about my weight, how I look, my health—it takes less time to be healthy than unhealthy!”

3)    Shift or Cure the Con

What you want to do now is creating a dialog with the limiting belief and reframing its power in your mind—moving it from the old place of “overwhelm” into the place of “problem to be solved”.

“So maybe I feel right now that I don’t have time, but I know my health and weight release is a priority.  I am going to have to re-look at my time and figure out a way to make time for what is important.  I see that in the past this con has kept me from taking this step—but now I see the opportunity to begin taking steps in the right direction.  I will find more time.”

Every time you do this you begin poking holes in the power of the con artist within you and begin moving yourself closer to being a powerful master of weight release.

Okay Shifters!  I hope this brief coaching session has served you.  This year, instead of the award going to the “con Artist” have the award for best Shift go to your inner problem solver instead—the Inner Coach!

oxoxRita

http://shiftweightmastery.com/ShiftKids.html  (all donations are tax deductable)

Shift Weekly: "Are You Ready to Love Yourself Down the Scale?" QUIZ

Dear Shifters,

If you struggle with "Night Eating" and are available this coming Saturday the 28th, please join us for the Shift Saturday Support group from 10-11:30--the focus will be to curb the urge to be an "eater of the night".  The cost is $25 for the session and it is in my conference room on floor 21 of the Wilshire office.  Please call or email to reserve your seat.

Happy Monday!  I hope you had a great weekend.  Thank you for creating a great January Shift (and ReShift) those of you who participated. 

Two weekends ago a dear friend treated my daughter and myself for a weekend away--boy was that a great time--fun, relaxing, and much a needed treat.  I have to admit, as a full-time working mom one of my most guilty pleasures is sitting poolside with trashy magazines like People and US--once I get absorbed in their utter fluffiness I find it almost hard to put down (I binge on trashy magazines!--oh well, better than eating crap or smoking which is what I would have been doing instead 18 years ago). Please find my Shift version of the Cosmo Quiz below (have fun and imagine you are poolside while taking it).

 The “Are You Ready to Love yourself Down the Scale?” Quiz

Please answer the following multiple choice questions.

1) I will give myself permission to be proud of myself:

a. After I have lost 10 lbs.

b. When I reach my ideal weight.

c. Today—no matter what the number on the scale reads.

2) I have struggled with my weight because:

a. I am deeply flawed both mentally and physically.

b. I have no self control—I love to eat and drink—life is a par-tay!  Dieting is hard!

 c. I have always looked for the answers outside of myself instead of trusting that I hold the key that would unlock the answers and free me from the struggle once and for all.  I am ready to take back my power from the old beliefs and behaviors that have kept me struggling.  I see now that they are not me. I have the infinite potential to be my own best weight release coach and to coach myself powerfully down the scale and keep myself there because I am finally making the necessary Shift from within me.

3) In order for me to reach my ideal weight I will need to:

a. Starve myself and exercise excessively.

b. Take diet drugs, have a lobotomy, and have my mouth wired shut.

c. Learn to show up for myself and connect with my wise Inner Coach who can lead me down the scale in a masterful way.  I know I can learn a way of staying within my body’s energy needs for weight release and maintenance that honors me and my lifestyle and my taste and food preferences.  I also know that this is something that I am creating internally and laying a powerful foundation for—so the changes can be lasting.

4) What is required for you to maintain long term permanent weight release?

a. Being perfect all the time.

b. Cloistering myself away in a tower isolated from friends, families, parties, social gatherings, restaurants, and anything fun for the rest of my life.

c. Consistently showing up for myself, connecting to my Inner Coach with a powerful vision and engaging in the 9 Skills (the mindset and skill set of weight mastery).

5) What is the best part of your journey to weight release??

a. Getting thin—is there anything else that is important??

b. When it is over and I can eat again!!!

c. Learning to truly take care of myself from the inside out.  Knowing that there is no better feeling than staying connected to myself and accepting myself every step along the way.  Learning lessons about myself and my relationship to food and exercise and even myself and then learning new strategies that help me feel more effective and confident in those areas where I used to have so much pain and struggle.  Being aligned with myself, my health goals, and my life goals and knowing I am always moving forward powerfully on my journey to mastery even on days when things don’t go as well as I had planned.   Feeling masterful in an area of my life that I never thought I would feel masterful.  Feeling SHIFTED!!!

If your answers are mostly “ a”:

 -Right now you are listening more to your Inner Critic than your Inner Coach.  You probably feel that the only way to lose weight is to be perfect and deprive yourself.  There is a part of you that doesn’t trust you or your ability to lose weight on your own.  In order to love yourself down the scale you will need to realize that this harsh voice is not you but one that has been created over time by your weight struggle.  The more you get conscious of this aspect of yourself, separate from it, and begin to listen to the voice of your Inner Coach the more you can really attain power and freedom and love yourself every pound down the scale.  Go for it, you are worth it!!!

If your answers are mostly “b”

-You have been falling victim to the wild, rebellious and resigned Inner Rebel.  This is the part of you who really believes that losing weight is a sacrifice because you have to give up all of life’s pleasures and fun.  Your Inner Rebel is invested in the limiting beliefs that food is the answer for most of life’s problems and that comfort and fun = food, food, food, and probably fatty, salty, sweet food at that.  What a great relief it will be for your Inner Rebel when you start having fun and living life to the fullest without stuffing yourself, your feelings, or problems with food.  What a great joy it will be to realize that life’s greatest pleasures come from truly nourishing yourself from the inside out with soothing thoughts and healthy habits as well as great food.  Your Inner Rebel just needs to have the guidance from your Inner Coach to get things Shifting in the right direction.  Let’s get that Shifting Par-tay started, eh, Inner Rebel??

If your answers are mostly “c”

-Congratulations, you are already connecting powerfully with your Inner Coach!  As you continue your journey to long term weight release you will enjoy the rewards of finally taking your power back from limiting thoughts and behaviors that kept you in the painful weight struggle.  Now you can show up for yourself and love yourself every pound down the scale and finally own your weight release once and for all.

Have a Shifted Week!

oxox Rita

Shift Weekly: Do You Have a Dream?

Dear Shifters,

Happy Martin Luther King Day!  I am including one of my favorite coaching about dreams in honor of the great man.  Have a great day and don’t forget to have a dream. (Read below)

BTW The Shift Weight Mastery Process and Re-Shift (coming up this Saturday) are almost full.  Please let me know if you are still interested or remind those friends and family that are interested to get in touch with me so that we can get them started. 323 988 4574.  Thanks!!

Do You Have Dream?  Don’t Wait for it to Come True

Is there life after we reach our goal weight?

Is it better, dreamier, more fulfilling?

Do the heavens open up and size 4 angels float down and strum harps the moment the digital scale readout lets you know---YOU’VE WON!  You’re skinny!  You’re one of us!  You’re in the in club!  You’ve made to that place where life is sweeter, the clothes fit righter, the sex is better, the jobs are more interesting, and people are always nice to you. 

Hmm…that ideal scenario depends a lot on how, and who you are, when you get there.

As I have mentioned, before I made my shift my weight often neared or was even less than what I weigh now as I dieted and deprived myself for years. But I was far from a success—I was miserable and I still hated myself and had zero trust in myself as a person who had any skills to maintain whatever weight loss I had achieved.  In fact, whenever I hit my “goal”, I got scared.  The diet was over, the obsessive goal attained—now what?  I have to live with myself? Yikes! I can’t do that! Even though I was skinny Inner Critic and Inner Rebel ran my show—where was the real Rita in all of this mess? Who the hell knew!  Talk about inner oppression!

All of a sudden I got very hungry and that void that I had been filling with icky diet food hollered out for cake and hamburgers and whatever was fattening.  “Don’t even think about anything with a vegetable in it!”—the void would spew at me.  Fill me up or else!  And I did, rather than have to face the life I avoided while trying to get skinny—I would comply eagerly—even though my heart was breaking knowing I would get on the scale tomorrow and the trip back up the digital readout would have begun yet again.

I have, in my years in the weight release business, worked with some poster children for other weight loss plans. These “success stories” lost all the weight they wanted to on

Lindora, Micheal Thurman, Slim Fast, Jenny Craig etc.  They even had their pictures

plastered over the papers and advertisements for these programs. When they came to me, these pictures of the thin them were a mere memory—the weight had come back once the plan had been discarded or the weight loss goal achieved.

 One client brought such a picture in to me, an ad in the Times for one of these “programs” There he stood smiling from ear to ear in his “after” pose, all toned and skinny, the washboard abs rippling under his tight t-shirt.  He told me that the moment that photo session was over, he went out and began to eat himself back up the scale 50 pounds.  “I just didn’t know what else to do, a voice in me said, okay you’re done now, eat!—and so I did”. 

When our weight loss is only about reaching a number on a scale—we lose—but not in a good way.  We lose the opportunity to really live our lives and to learn how to love and trust ourselves so that when we do reach that day when our ideal weight appears on the scale, it is only a small part of a celebration that has been happening all along.  This celebration really began when you started your journey to weight mastery and finally began connecting to your true wants and needs.

The journey to long-term permanent weight loss isn’t about “before and after”--it’s about NOW—about loving yourself now.  Showing up for yourself--NOW.  Staying connected to yourself--NOW.  Living the life of your dreams--NOW.  Not letting some number on a scale give you permission to be okay or pretty or sexy or loveable or smart.  Your key to releasing the weight permanently is giving yourself the permission slip--NOW. 

So that when you do reach your ideal weight it will be a story more similar to a client of mine named Laura.  Laura struggled with her weight all of her life.  She had dieted and been successful a number of times but the success was short lived—she always gained it back.  Her life had been pretty dedicated to losing weight, so much so, that she had few true friends and other than work, not much of a life.

When we started working together I asked her what her dream was she told me she wanted to study art in Italy for a summer.  I asked her why she never pursued this dream.  She said she never felt like she looked good enough—in her fantasy when she went to Italy she was thin. So then I asked her, if she was thin right now what would be stopping her from going right this very second and signing up.  “Well I am not good at languages-my Italian sucks”, she replied.  “I am shy and kind of scared to go there all by myself.”  “So it really is more than your weight?” I asked.   “Yeah,” she replied, “I guess I use my weight as an excuse to not put myself out there.” “Maybe part of your weight release is to learn Italian and join an Art Club,” I suggested.”  Laura balked at the idea—“I have to be thin first then I’ll do that.”  I pressed her—“but if you do these things now as you are releasing the weight you will build your confidence and expand your life--you would be loving yourself down the scale by living your dream NOW.”  She got the point and began to take it to heart.

Now Laura was one of those people who would starve all day and eat all night.  As we worked out a food plan that served her, she began to find ways of working living her dream in with her weight release which also helped her avoid night eating—problem solving at it’s best!.  She joined an art club on Tuesdays and worked out 4 nights a week—something that she always considered a chore—but now looked forward to because she had the idea to listen to Italian lessons on her Ipod!  She found that the trance state of exercise made her brain more receptive to learning.  As she released weight, her Italian got better and her social network increased.  As she grew thinner her confidence increased and she finally made her dream a reality and signed up for her summer abroad.

The day she stepped on the scale in my office she was in a hurry because she had to get to the passport office before it closed.  She glanced at her ideal weight on the scale and said, “I thought it might be that—gotta go! And thanks—I’ll send you a postcard from Rome and it won’t have any meat sauce stains on it! Ciao!”  She had become so alive in her life that the number on the scale was a mere afterthought.  Even after her return to the states, Laura continued to live large without the large and was able to maintain her weight release.  She told me that living her dream even before reaching her weight ideal was key for her.  She learned that fat or thin, she was worthy and capable of living a full life—so that making it “all about being thin” didn’t frighten her, nor did she make the number on the scale the reason to give herself permission to love herself.

I am not saying you have to learn a language or learn to paint in order to lose weight.   But the opportunity is yours to use this weight release journey to really step into your dreams by focusing on what you truly want out of life and to really honor yourself by making that a part of your journey down the scale.

Thank you for all being a part of my dream come true.

Happy Dreaming,

Happy Shifting

Oxox Rita

Shift Weekly: Long-Term Weight Success Leaves Clues

Dear Shifters,

January is probably the most busy season in  the weight loss industry.  I probably don’t need to tell you why as you have probably experienced the “starting over” syndrome yourself in January many times.  My friend lamented that it is hard to get in her gym classes in January because of all the “resolutioners” in their new spiffy matching work-out outfits.  She also noted that these “resolutioners” all disappear by March!

When we Shift there is no starting over because everything that happens to us on our journey to weight mastery is a lesson that will help us becomes more masterful in the long run.  We lose the lessons when we keep starting over—what a shame!

My coaching for this week is—never start over—commit to yourself and your weight release for life and steer clear of the “resolutioner” syndrome.  This week I am sharing with you long-term success clues from two Shifters who have now been maintaining weight for a long time.  I hope their strategies for long-term success serve you (see below these Shift offers).

Only 2 places left for the January 21^st REShift—please let me know if you are interested ASAP.

Only 10 places left for the January 21^st Shift Weight Mastery Process.  If you are new to Shift and wonder what it is all about email me back and we can set up a time to speak.

Saturday Support and Monday Night Phone Classes are currently enrolling.

Cheri Johnson has been Shifting for 2 and a half years and maintaining for almost an overall 80 lb weight release for almost a year.  Here are some of her insights to long term success.

Rita,

I just wanted you to know how wonderful this last year and a half of Shifting with you has been for me. I have released 80 lbs overall (the last 20+ with the Shift) and the last don't feel like I ever deprived myself, starved myself, white knuckled it, nothing! I got to eat what I wanted, when I wanted, how I wanted just by staying within my gas tank for releasing weight.

I wanted to lose weight via the slow track, my motto being 'slow and steady wins the race', and there was no pressure for me to lose it quickly (which in my case usually involved a strict diet followed by an all out binge resulting in more weight gain than lost after said 'diet'!)

So here I am, Shifting two and year a half years later—keeping an 80lb weight release under my belt and I have never felt healthier or happier in my life when it comes to food. I know this is something I can and will be doing for the rest of my life--becoming a master at long term permanent weight release.
I thank you so much for all you do--Rita, you really are Shifting the world one person at a time.
Alone we diet, together we Shift!!! Thank you sooo much.
 

I would say what has worked for me so far:

1) Focus on your vision--what is more important, the food, or the
vision? Sometimes the food is/was, but I really have a strong vision
of what I want to look and feel like, and I keep it in my mind at all times. But I'm not perfect as you'll see if you look back at my food, nor do I want to be perfect. I want to be Shifting and healthy, and I feel I am. This, for me, is forever. It's a process, and we are loving scientists. TRULY
looking at it like that also works for me.

2) I write my food down every day and send it no matter what. Do I
forget sometimes? Yes. But I find I do so much better when I write it
down IMMEDIATELY after I eat it. Otherwise I do and often will forget
if I don't write it down right away. I also like to save my calories
for later in the day--I don't like having no calories left at the end
of the day, so I try to save the most calories for night time.

3) Exercise

4) Listen to the hypnosis CDs every night before bed

5)Ask for help.

6) Keep shifting!!! I knew this change was for LIFE, so I was happy on the 'slow
track' because I knew slow and steady would win the race, and I was
right. I can't "do" diets any more, so I found (and am continuing to
find) what works for me. Consistency over time, not perfection or
quick results. I know this is weight that is OFF cause it took me that
long to pack it on, and it took me that long to release it.

7) Be easy with yourself. We're only human.

8) I've experimented with cutting out as much bread as I used to eat
and I swear that had something to do with it.

Erin E. has been maintaining her weight release since 2008.  Her are her clues--

Hi Rita-

I got to my goal weight in May 2008 (I lost 26 pounds), and I have been working on maintenance since then. 

The 5 most important things that have helped me on my path to weight loss/maintenance are:

1. I gave up on the idea that I will be perfect all the time.  I have stopped making myself believe that everyone else in my life expects me to be perfect....because they don't.

I am, by nature, a perfectionist, and in other areas of my life it has been very helpful (my career is a good example of where this has served me well).  Naturally, I figured that if this behavior worked so well in other areas, it would work for weight management.  I was wrong - I just kept hitting that wall.  The irony is that allowing myself to be LESS of a perfectionist is probably the best thing I have done along the way.  Allowing for the inevitable "mistakes", instead of seeing every little slip-up as a complete and utter failure has been the most helpful thing for me.  I view the "mistakes" as opportunities to learn and I keep going.  I try not to dwell on past "bad" behavior.  In fact, I try not to view any given behavior as "bad".

2.  I have learned what my "red flags" are.

In the past, I have lost weight and gotten to goal weight and then I seemingly wake up one day and I am 20 pounds heavier.  I have battled those same pounds my whole life.  My problem was that I didn't observe my behavior well enough to understand that I was off the right path until I was really headed in the wrong direction.  Now, I pay attention to 3 things and if I am not doing them consistently, then I know something is going on.  For me, the three things I pay attention to are:  Am I writing down what I eat every day?  Did I go to my favorite class at the gym on Saturday?  Did I go to Church on Sunday?  Of course, these will be different for everyone, but if I answer "yes" to these questions, I am doing well.  If I can't answer "yes", then I spend some time thinking about why I missed doing one of these things and I commit to doing them the next week.  Conversely (and this is an example of how things can come full circle), for me, what I look like on the outside is directly related to how I feel on the inside (i.e. how happy/content I am).  My weight is a "red flag" for me of how I am doing emotionally and spiritually.

3. I have a "weigh-in" day and I record it.

I need to weigh myself at least once a week.  Some people say they "go by their clothes".  That doesn't work for me.  I can be up 10 pounds, and I would still be saying that my jeans fit great.  It is not that I don't trust myself, but as they say, "numbers  don't lie".

4. Track what my daily food intake and calories.

This is a big one for me. I get out of control really fast with food if I don't record it.  I exercise and I believe it is really important to a healthy lifestyle, but the fact is that you can do A LOT more damage on the food side in A LOT less time. It takes me about 5 minutes to eat 500 calories (takes about an hour of intense exercise to burn that off).  I have made peace with the fact that I will have to track my food and count calories in some way for the rest of my life.  For me, it is a small price to pay.

5.  Getting to goal weight is the BEGINNING of the journey. Not the end.

This is my most recently learned lesson.  All those "thin" people that I see all the time, it turns out that most of them are working just as hard (if not harder) than I am to maintain their figure.  It doesn't come easy to very many people - for some reason, I take a great deal of comfort in that fact.

Thanks Erin and Cheri for your inspiration and insights!!!  Have a shifted week everyone! No starting over!!!:)

Oxox Rita

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.