The Following Reviews what Wanting to Lose Weight Really Means:

• You revolve your life around things you think you "need" to do, like following the latest diet, counting fat grams, reading food labels, weighing food, exercising, taking pills, or even preparing for surgery. Not only do these tasks take lots of your energy, but they also steer you away from doing things that give you pleasure and you thoroughly enjoy.

• Your thoughts focus on what you think you "should" look like. This leaves little room for accepting and loving yourself the way you are.

• You spend time comparing yourself with others or yesterday's weight with today's. Comparison results in either feeling superior or inferior, neither of which is very pleasant.

• You put many things in your life on hold until you are satisfied with your looks. Waiting to lose weight delays happiness now.

• You're self-absorbed, focusing on "How can I bring attention to myself?" This leads you away from focusing on expressing love, and "What can I give?"

• You might buy into the latest research and peer pressure, not letting your intuition or gut instincts be the decision maker.

 
Now, take a moment and look deep inside. Don't you really want to be released from sacrifice, guilty feelings, and the constant obsession about food? Wouldn't it be nice to not fret over what to eat, when, and how much? Or no longer fear what food might do to you if you eat it? Essentially, wouldn't you rather be happy?
 
We have to get to the point that we are so exhausted from changing our behavior and waiting for that perfect figure, that we become willing to change the way we think. The first step is to exchange what we want from losing weight to wanting to be happy. And only when that happens, do we allow ourselves to stop fighting the uphill battle, and begin to find peace.
 
If you need help with changing your relationship with food, contact Vickie Champion for a complimentary coaching and consulting session.

A Nothing Is Impossible™ for Weight Loss participant struggled with a painful relationship with food ever since she can remember. "It seems like the holidays intensify the battle," She said in one of our group coaching sessions. "I try to keep away from forbidden foods, but feel deprived when I do. When I can't resist, I feel guilty."

Many of us wrestle with these same issues. After a month and a half of this escalating torture, we resolve that this craziness has got to cease. Somehow we've got to get a grip and stop this food frenzy.

Then, like every year in the past, we begin to fix the pain in our relationship with food by trying to restrain ourselves even more. We buckle down harder and enforce our will-power, by limiting what we eat, how much we eat or when we eat it. This is trying to control the pain in our relationship with food, not end it.

Approach the food problem differently. Instead of controlling the problem, release it. Learn to let go of the constant battle between sacrifice and guilt. Mediation techniques can release us from the pain in this relationship.
 

Here are some weight loss suggestions:

SLOW DOWN WHEN EATING
We often believe SPEED is everything. The faster we can put it down, the quicker we can get some more. It's like we're on automatic pilot, not noticing much about the event at all. This is true, especially when we find ourselves bingeing on our favorite chocolate ice cream. The amount and speed are a lot more important than the experience.

Instead, Try to Slow Down Enough to Enjoy the Event. Consider These:

• Take time to relax before eating.

• Take a drink between bites.

• Chew the food completely.

 
CHANGING FOCUS
How many times have we thought about everything else but what we're doing at the moment. Eating is no exception. We catch ourselves concentrating on how to solve the drama of the day, judging what others should be doing, or even plotting what we will eat for our next meal.

The object is to enjoy the moment, the experience of eating. In other words, concentrate on eating when you're eating. Some ideas to get in the "moment" are:

• Eliminate distractions, such as the TV.

• Make an effort to taste every bite, noticing how each food tastes different. Some might be bitter, sweet, bland, or spicy.

• Focus on one bite at a time. Notice the combination on your fork or the size of the bite.

 
WATCHING THOSE THOUGHTS
When we place importance on controlling the pain with food and not releasing it, we put very little attention to our thoughts. In order to get rid of this nagging misery, we have to look at what we're thinking. Many times we keep painful problems in order to punish ourselves, to vent anger, or numb what's really troubling us.

Some Meditation Techniques for Releasing the Pain Include:

• Begin to recognize the thoughts right before going to the refrigerator, while eating, and immediately after. Don't judge them, just recognize what they are and let them pass through.

• Then, as soon as possible, return to focusing on being in the moment. This could include concentrating on preparing the food with love, enjoying the event of eating, or noticing how a full stomach feels.

 
OCCUPYING THE MIND WITH AFFIRMATIONS
Most of us don't realize that our thinking is the source of all our pain. Every thought causes an effect.
After letting those limiting thoughts pass through, we can replace them with thoughts that are unlimited and loving.
Some recommendations for weight loss affirmations might be:

• I now prepare and eat my food with love.
• Love fills me up, not food.
• I no longer punish myself with food.

These simple meditation techniques improve our relationship with food by enriching our eating experience and increasing our spiritual awareness.
 
If you need help with changing your relationship with food, contact Vickie Champion for a complimentary coaching and consulting session.

• Look forward to seeing or talking with your partner.

• Laugh and act playful together.

• Feel completely relaxed in their presence.

• Often make eye contact.

• Don’t depend on what your partner says or does to be happier.

• Both have learned to give and receive affection.

• Enjoyalone time with your partner.

• Feel sexy.

• Are not afraid to spend time apart.

• Take time to express heartfelt “thank you’s.”

• Make it a practice to follow your inner guidance or intuition.

• Go beyond small talk sharing your fears, ideas, and dreams.

• Feel connected and satisfied with the relationship.

• Have gone beyond misunderstandings.

• Like the person you have become in the relationship.

• Hardly ever use your partner as a topic of conversation with others.

• Realize that good relationships don’t require sacrifice and compromises are not necessary and can actually break down the relationship.

• Have no problem forgiving and sometimes even forgetting it ever happened.

• Lose track of time when you are together.

• Focus on giving and receiving when making love.

• Make it a habit to focus on the things going right in the relationship, not the  problems. What we focus on expands.

 
Maybe you selected one or two or even a dozen ways to improve your relationship from the above list.  And maybe you also picked up on what many of these good relationship signs have in common.  Did you? It’s that we can have a profound impact on the joy and love we give and get from our relationships simply by shifting our perspective and taking little actions to support that.
 
If you need help on how to have a good relationship, contact Vickie Champion for a complimentary coaching and consulting session.

Here Are Some Helpful Weight Loss Affirmations to Use...

• I have no use for excess weight any longer.

• I prepare and eat my food with love.

• Every day, I'm getting happier and healthier.

• I now use food for healing myself, not hurting myself.

• I no longer center my life around food.

• Today, I let nothing stress me out.

• By taking time to love myself, I no longer delay my happiness.

• Today, I focus on being happy, not eating.

• As I forgive, weight disappears.

• I love the way I look.

• I now use food as a vehicle of love.

• It's easy for me to eat healthy.

• I now enjoy exercising.

• The more I move my body, the better I feel.

• Today, I let loving thoughts fill my mind.

• Losing weight is easy for me.

• I no longer use my body to keep love away.

• I am ready. My time is now to end this weight problem.

• I love and accept myself just the way I am.

• I no longer use food to punish myself.

• No one has ever hurt me in anyway. My body is proof of that.

• Health is a decision. I choose it now.

• I no longer eat to stuff down what bothers me.

• I have nothing to gain by attacking my appearance.

• I no longer attack myself and others by eating.

• I now ask God to fill me up, not food.

If you can think of others, let me know.

Other related blogs on affirmations are…

What are Affirmations?
The Advantages of Doing Affirmations
Ineffective Way to do an Affirmation

 
If you need help using affirmations, contact Vickie Champion for a complimentary coaching and consulting session.

The basic idea is to repeat an affirmation or a mantra until we start believing it. Then it becomes a natural part of who we are.
 

Some of the Many Benefits of Doing Weight Loss Affirmations...

• Give us faster and longer lasting results.

• Help us achieve our weight loss goals.

• Build our confidence and self-esteem.

• Helps us stay focused on our weight loss goals.

• Are effective in replacing unhealthy habits and developing better ones.

• Can release the need for a quick fix.

• Remove our guilt and regrets.

• Bring an end to the need to blame everyone and everything for our weight problems.

• Keep us motivated.

• Help us relieve day-to-day stress.

• Make unpleasant tasks like cooking less painful.

• Provide us time to appreciate what we did do that day, instead of focusing on what we didn't do.

• Eliminate the desire to complain.

• Get rid of our fear.

• Keep our life in balance.

 
Never underestimate the power of affirmations. As you get in the habit of using them, you will see affirmations as a strong ally in losing and maintaining your weight loss, and then inspire you to go for even the biggest, craziest, reach-for-the-moon dreams.
 
Other related blogs on affirmations are…

What are Affirmations?
The Advantages of Doing Affirmations
Ineffective Way to do an Affirmation

 
If you need help using affirmations, contact Vickie Champion for a complimentary coaching and consulting session.

Here are some not-so-obvious hints you have a bad relationship…

When you…

• Have a habit of blaming each other for one thing or another.

• Feel guilty and apologize at least once a month.

• Stay crazy busy most of the time.

• Repeatedly take things too seriously.

• Feel lonely and unconnected.

• Want your partner to appreciate you more.

• Find your friends and family avoid being around you and/or your partner.

• Have little disagreements here and there.

• Want to spend more and more time apart.

• Fear telling the truth about some things.

• Can list at least more cons than pros about your partner.

• Have excuses to stay with your partner, like for the sake of the kids or for financial reasons.

• No longer feel good about yourself.

• Have tried to make your partner “everything.”

• Don’t have much in common anymore.

• Change your looks, behaviors, and dreams just to please your partner.

• Go along with your partners decisions because it’s easier.

• Are defensive.

• Stay with them because they say they “I love you.”

• Don’t like the person you have become.

• Make problems with your partner a topic of conversation with your friends.

• Have loved ones suggesting you hire a life coach or get couples therapy.

• Find yourself compromising more than not.

• Feel trapped.

• Lack the willingness to forgive some things.

• Stop paying attention to how you feel.

• At timesdread seeing or talking to them.

• Make conscious sacrifices for the sake of the relationship.

• Feel you would be happier if your partner spoke or acted differently.

• Do things just to please your partner.

• Find yourself resenting other couples’ relationships.

• Don’t feel like it’s a 50/50 partnership.

• Let your partner hurt your feelings.

• Have gained weight, or picked up an unhealthy habit to relieve stress.

If you can identify with some of these bad relationship signs it doesn’t mean your relationship is doomed. Or that you necessarily have a heap of self improvement work ahead of you. Sometimes you can change your relationships simply by changing the way you think. Truly!  And it can be done without making sacrifices or changing who you are.
 
If you need help on how to improve your relationship, contact Vickie Champion for a complimentary coaching and consulting session.

• Put expressing “I love you” on auto-pilot, saying it at least once a day.

• Over-apologize or expect your partner to.

• Bring up past mistakes.

• Strongly believe that a good relationship requires you to make sacrifices and compromises.

• Are too available.

• Never have an opinion on anything.

• Think about your body size, shape or the amount of wrinkles when making love.

• Hide the truth so you won’t hurt their feelings.

• Change your looks and behaviors only to please your partner.

• Let them make your decisions for you.

• Focus on what they are doing wrong and their faults.

• Stop communicating and expressing your thoughts and feelings.

• Spend more money than you have.

• Believe if your partner looked or acted differently you would be happier.

• Don’t take time to have fun and laugh together.

• Let days go by without saying a kind word or making a loving gesture.

• Expect your partner to fill a void in your life.

• Stop looking your partner in the eyes whenever possible.

• Take them for granted.

• Don’t practice tough love ever and allow them to remain in an unhealthy comfort zone.

• Ignore that your core values are not aligned.

• Try to numb yourself and pay very little attention to how you are feeling about anything.

• Tell white lies because you are afraid of your partner’s reaction.

• Stop listening, or better yet, get such busy lives you just pass in the night.

• Are together too much, excluding friends and family.

• Believe the inability to get along with your partners friends and family has no effect on your relationship.

• Take your partners comments personally and make it a habit to be defensive about them.

• Complain to anybody who will listen about your partner.

• Confide only to your friends and family, excluding your partner entirely.

• Micro-manage your partner.

• Require your partner be faithful, but refuse to meet their sexual needs.

• Criticize your looks and actions daily.

 
Good relationships are joyful, comforting, inspiring, nurturing and a thousand other uplifting nouns.  And relationships -- good or bad -- help us grow. If you identified with some of these relationship-ruining habits you’re not perfect. That’s OK. But you may want to choose one or two areas to examine and even attempt to change so your relationship can strengthen and grow.
 
If you are ready to stop ruining your relationships, contact Vickie Champion for a complimentary coaching and consulting session.

The Biggest Signs You Could Feel Sexier

When you…

• Think of yourself as not sexy at all.

• Believe feel sexy is for those few people who are good looking.

• Place feeling sexy as not that important to you.

• Define sexy as wearing short tight dresses, heavy makeup, and showing lots of cleavage.

Other Hints You Could Feel Sexier

When you…

• Wear clothes that fit instead of clothes that are flattering.

• Neglect self-care such as grooming, exercise, conscious eating, adequate sleep, quiet contemplation, and time for relaxation.

• Fail to make the effort to stay in shape.

• Have a hard time making eye contact with others.

• Are critical about your appearance.

• Feel intimidated around others.

• Avoid giving yourself praise or “atta girls” for anything.

• Feel insecure about your body, abilities, or knowledge.

• Wonder why you get very little respect.

• Avoid trying new things and making changes.

• Judge others’ appearances.

• Take things too seriously and forget to smile or laugh.

 
Sexy is not just a way to sell sports cars and brands of beer.  It’s the sparkle, it’s the juice, it’s the feel-the-fear-and-do-it anyway zest of life.  If you read this and found yourself falling short of zesty sexiness, I challenge you to adopt a change in behavior in at least one point this week. Bring the sexy back into your life! 
 
If you need help on how to feel sexier, contact Vickie Champion for a complimentary coaching and consulting session.
 

Someone who…

• Is comfortable in her own skin.

• Wears clothes that flatter her, not hide her.

• Is OK with not being perfect.

• Focuses on what she has, not what she doesn’t.

• Is confident and fearless.

• Pays more attention to how she moves rather than what she moves.

• Is not afraid to look ridiculous or silly.

• Smiles and laughs easily.

• Isn’t condescending.

• Has an enthusiastic personality.

• Is approachable.

• Doesn’t neglect self-care such as grooming, exercise, conscious eating, adequate sleep, quiet contemplation, and time for relaxation.

• Is kind.

• Makes eye contact.

• Is honest with themselves and others.

• Gives others their space but stays within reach.

• Is interesting.

• Melts your heart.

• Knows how to work a room.

 
Sexy is not a bad word. But it’s a word that deserves to be redefined because feeling sexy is a state of being that is powerful if we embrace its fullness. Feeling sexy is worth aspiring to. Just take care not to short change it or yourself.

If you are ready to improve your self-image, contact Vickie Champion for a complimentary coaching and consulting session.