We have all heard the expressions “He is out of his mind” or “She is not in her right mind!” ”
When it comes to how we respond to food, these sayings have special significance.
Let me explain: Within all of us, live two natures. Two competing forces. We have the mind that is attached to our Human-ness, operating from our ego with our fears, our hurts, our kid with soul-tears. It’s the false self that we project to the world-a self that smiles and pretends everything is fine, while inside we are filled with hurt and fear and looking for something outside ourselves to fix us.
Our other mind is attached to our “Being-ness” i.e. God, Creator, Universe, Christ, mystery, breath, or whatever other name we choose to call our higher selves.
When you connect to your Being-ness are you in your true mind. When we choose to live connected to this source, we soar, feeling joy and happiness.
When we are not in our right minds we are connected to our human-ness; our ego, our addiction. Our ego steps out when we got knocked by something; someone judging us, being unkind or mean. We get scared and our ego wants nothing more than to seek out something outside our selves to soothe the feelings that frighten us.
If we don’t choose to connect to our Being-ness, we think food is a solution to our tiredness, loneliness or what ever other feeling we are trying to escape. In this state, we are much too tolerant of mind wandering. Our ego clamors in our heads until the incessant chatter leads to a cycle of circular thinking that tells us “Gotta get out of right here, right now.”Our own best thinking says “Food will fix it!”
I use the example of a two year old, happily playing outside in the dirt. Young children will pick up dirt and put in their mouths because they are not yet in their right mind. He/she hasn’t learned yet that dirt is not for eating! Just as we would say to the two year old “Stop-it!” we have to learn to say “Stop it” ourselves when our ego tells us that food is the answer.
If I came to you and said that I had some heroin that I wanted to share with you, “really good stuff”, you would look at me like I was crazy and say “No way! I don’t do heroin!” Right? Are you nuts, are you out of your mind!”
When we are in our ‘right minds” this is the same reaction that we will have when it comes to food. We will look at that donut, cake, pie or cookie and say “No way!”
When we are in our right minds we have the power to rechoose ourselves and to stay connected to our Being-ness. The more we make this choice we will discover that it feels easy and effortless to choose ourselves instead of cancelling ourselves out with a plate of pasta. It’s pretty easy not to do heroin or eat dirt, isn’t it? Once we learn to connect to God, it will be just as easy when it comes to the food.
You just have to take the first step. It will take some “white-knuckling” for awhile but soon you will find yourself exclaiming adamantly “No way- I’m not eating _____ (fill in the blank!).
Will you re-choose YOU today and start living in your “right mind?”
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Waste-it or Waist-it!!~
Waste-it or Waist-it!!~
Yesterday I looked in the fridge and I was hit by an epiphany. Here it is! Food isn’t oxygen!
I can’t waste food. I don’t care how much or how long, I know I’m, going to have a need for that Mexican food I took home in a doggie bag this past weekend. P.S. there is no “doggie”! So what if there are only 4 bites left. Let’s face facts. If I don’t let go of it—it won’t let go of me! Pitch-it. Share it or wear it. Waste-it or Waist-it! Come up with your own pithy metaphor if you have to, just don’t horde. Food is meant to be eaten in a healthy way. Healthy mentally, physically and spiritually. It’s not priceless treasure you’re storing in bank vault. It will only be stored on your belly or thighs. Throw the food out so you can become the YOU that’s been wanting to come out for years!
Re-Choose YOU!
Blessings,
~Cherie
Yesterday I looked in the fridge and I was hit by an epiphany. Here it is! Food isn’t oxygen!
I can’t waste food. I don’t care how much or how long, I know I’m, going to have a need for that Mexican food I took home in a doggie bag this past weekend. P.S. there is no “doggie”! So what if there are only 4 bites left. Let’s face facts. If I don’t let go of it—it won’t let go of me! Pitch-it. Share it or wear it. Waste-it or Waist-it! Come up with your own pithy metaphor if you have to, just don’t horde. Food is meant to be eaten in a healthy way. Healthy mentally, physically and spiritually. It’s not priceless treasure you’re storing in bank vault. It will only be stored on your belly or thighs. Throw the food out so you can become the YOU that’s been wanting to come out for years!
Re-Choose YOU!
Blessings,
~Cherie
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
It’s not the Tortoise and the Hare~ Losing and Cruising to weight loss!
It’s not the Tortoise and the Hare~ Losing and Cruising to weight loss!
Everyone puts themselves into two categories when it comes to life and losing weight. And they are always represented by two distinct animals; the Tortoise and the Hare.
The Hare by definition comes out like a blazing comet but once it’s into the race it burns itself out! It doesn’t strategize. No preparing for what it takes to get through the obstacles of the long haul. This is the center of every race, both literally and in the race to shed pounds. It never gets across the finish line. It never completes the race. Does it sound like a diet you’ve tried? It does to me!
Then there is good old Mr. Tortoise. Methodical, consistent, not very exciting and not very dynamic. Kind of similar to losing the weight you’ve always wanted to loose over the last 10 years. Whether they are 10 pounds or 70 pounds. The slow moving method the tortoise emphasizes is the stereotypical experience everyone has after those first few days on a diet. When the excitement of making a new choice and putting together a couple of clean days and finally shedding that initial water weight fades away. We’re left with the monotony of day in and day out. One step at a time. Or, if we’re the hare after those early glory days have pasted we’re exhausted, cranky, stressed, and around 5:00pm on that fateful day when we can’t handle it any more we’re munching on that first bite that leads to the next binge.
Ok. Let’s stop here. Throw out the 2 prong fast/slow approach to life represented by these two species. Let’s try something different. Let’s pick a new animal. An animal that represents YOU! One that feels and speaks for yourself. And only yourself. Because you claim it. For me it’s a mountain loin. Why? First I look at my body frame. Not heavy or thin. I look at my frame. The way I am built. No matter how much I lose I am never going to be a gazelle or a giraffe. What do I see in a mountain lion? Smaller than the other big cats but immense strength compacted into it’s body. Quick, it bursts on it’s pry or to ward off an enemy at the blink of an eye. But it can take hours of methodical concentration to hunt, stalk and neutralize it’s prey. It can run up hill at 45 mph and it can stand motionless watching, observing, and calculating.
Bottom line it’s not a tortoise or a hare. It’s a little bit of both with a grey area in between that makes it unique. Think about it. Go out and find Your animal. Find what is unique about it—and find what is unique about YOU! Re-choose YOU! Let me know what YOU come up with!
Have a great week!
~Cherie
Everyone puts themselves into two categories when it comes to life and losing weight. And they are always represented by two distinct animals; the Tortoise and the Hare.
The Hare by definition comes out like a blazing comet but once it’s into the race it burns itself out! It doesn’t strategize. No preparing for what it takes to get through the obstacles of the long haul. This is the center of every race, both literally and in the race to shed pounds. It never gets across the finish line. It never completes the race. Does it sound like a diet you’ve tried? It does to me!
Then there is good old Mr. Tortoise. Methodical, consistent, not very exciting and not very dynamic. Kind of similar to losing the weight you’ve always wanted to loose over the last 10 years. Whether they are 10 pounds or 70 pounds. The slow moving method the tortoise emphasizes is the stereotypical experience everyone has after those first few days on a diet. When the excitement of making a new choice and putting together a couple of clean days and finally shedding that initial water weight fades away. We’re left with the monotony of day in and day out. One step at a time. Or, if we’re the hare after those early glory days have pasted we’re exhausted, cranky, stressed, and around 5:00pm on that fateful day when we can’t handle it any more we’re munching on that first bite that leads to the next binge.
Ok. Let’s stop here. Throw out the 2 prong fast/slow approach to life represented by these two species. Let’s try something different. Let’s pick a new animal. An animal that represents YOU! One that feels and speaks for yourself. And only yourself. Because you claim it. For me it’s a mountain loin. Why? First I look at my body frame. Not heavy or thin. I look at my frame. The way I am built. No matter how much I lose I am never going to be a gazelle or a giraffe. What do I see in a mountain lion? Smaller than the other big cats but immense strength compacted into it’s body. Quick, it bursts on it’s pry or to ward off an enemy at the blink of an eye. But it can take hours of methodical concentration to hunt, stalk and neutralize it’s prey. It can run up hill at 45 mph and it can stand motionless watching, observing, and calculating.
Bottom line it’s not a tortoise or a hare. It’s a little bit of both with a grey area in between that makes it unique. Think about it. Go out and find Your animal. Find what is unique about it—and find what is unique about YOU! Re-choose YOU! Let me know what YOU come up with!
Have a great week!
~Cherie
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
JUST STOP IT!
In my last workshop, I played a short video clip that I found on YouTube with Bob Newhart. He portrays a therapist who practices a very unique form of therapy. So simple in fact that he guarantees the session will only last five minutes. Aside from being hilarious, the clip offers a very simple response to the spinning that we, as emotional over-eaters are prone to do.
Simple isn’t it? When our minds become clouded with thoughts that send us into a tailspin, stop for a moment. Take your mental flyswatter and swat that thought! Just get rid of that thought because when it’s on the plate, it’s way too late!!!
Say it two or three or a dozen times—whatever it takes to interrupt the spinning and get you back on course. It’s like a pot of boiling water. When the water threatens to boil over, you can stir it, or better yet, turn the heat down and the water will start to simmer down.
You can find the clip at http://bit.ly/aSrW60. Take a moment to watch it. Maybe even keep the link handy so that you can watch it during a spin cycle. At the very least, you’ll have a good laugh just when you need it most.
Have a blessed day my friends!
~Cherie
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
The Life of an Eagle
THE EAGLE
The eagle has the longest life-span of it’s' species. It can live up to 70 years. But to reach this age, the eagle must make a hard decision in it’s' 40's. Its' long and flexible talons can no longer grab prey which serves as food. Its' long and sharp beak becomes bent. Its' old-aged and heavy wings, due to their thick feathers, become stuck to its' chest and make it difficult to fly.
Then, the eagle is left with only two options: die or go through a painful process of CHANGE, which lasts 150 days. The process requires that the eagle fly to a mountain top and sit on its' nest. There the eagle knocks it's beak against a rock until it falls out. After plucking it out, the eagle will wait for a new beak to grow back and then it will pluck out its' talons. When its new talons grow back, the eagle starts plucking its' old-aged feathers out. And after five months, the eagle takes its famous flight of rebirth and lives for ...30 more years.
THE BUZZARD
If you put a buzzard in a pen that is 6 feet by 8 feet and is entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of 10 to 12 feet. Without space to run, as is its habit, it will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top.
THE BAT:
The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkable nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt, painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.
THE BUMBLEBEE:
A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom.. It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.
PEOPLE:
In many ways, we are like the buzzard, the bat, and the bumblebee. We struggle about with all our problems and frustrations, never realizing that all we have to do is look up! That's the answer, the escape route and the solution to any problem! Just look up.
Sorrow looks back, Worry looks around, but faith looks up!
If you put a buzzard in a pen that is 6 feet by 8 feet and is entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of 10 to 12 feet. Without space to run, as is its habit, it will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top.
THE BAT:
The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkable nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt, painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.
THE BUMBLEBEE:
A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom.. It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.
PEOPLE:
In many ways, we are like the buzzard, the bat, and the bumblebee. We struggle about with all our problems and frustrations, never realizing that all we have to do is look up! That's the answer, the escape route and the solution to any problem! Just look up.
Sorrow looks back, Worry looks around, but faith looks up!
Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
THE DONKEY AND THE WELL
One day a farmer’s donkey fell into a well. The donkey cried and cried while the farmer tried to think what to do. The farmer said to himself, the donkey is old and the well needs to be covered up anyway.
The farmer asked his friends to come over and help him cover the donkey. They each helped to shovel dirt into the well. At first the donkey cried. Then after a little while he stopped. The farmer looked into the well. As every shovel of dirt hit the donkey’s back he shook it off and took a step up. As the farmer and his friends went on shoveling dirt into the well the donkey shook it off and took another step up. Pretty soon the donkey stepped up out of the well and freely walked off.
Lesson 1 of the story: Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a steppingstone. We can get out of the deepest wells by never giving up!
I hope you have a blessed day and that you're taking those steps to Choosing YOU!
~Cherie
I hope you have a blessed day and that you're taking those steps to Choosing YOU!
~Cherie
Monday, March 22, 2010
Spring Awakening!
Sunday was the first day of spring and what a wonderful God given day it was! Spring is such an empowering time as new life begins all around us in nature. And what a delightful way to begin anew inside each of us. How can you use this time to re-connect to the Being-ness inside of you? How can the life affirming changes happening all around you right now help you to take that first step towards losing the weight and obtaining and maintaining your ideal body? Remember, a flower doesn't bloom all at once. A tiny bud appears and through careful nurturing and tenderness, it opens it petals and blossoms forth up and out into the sunshine. Look to your village to help support you. Look to your Being-ness to help guide and nurture you. Here's a few quotes I like:
And from Anais Nin:
Happy Spring!!!
...there is no rose garden without manure!
We can let our lives be directed by the same force that makes roses bloom--or we can do it ourselves!
And from Anais Nin:
There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud
was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
A new post tomorrow: The Donkey and the Well—A Fable.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Past, Present and Future
I’ve always been taught to live in the moment. Why? If God gave me the ability to go into the future using my imagination, and the past though memories, then those must be some really good tools for life. Are we really meant to live only in the past, the present or the future? Why do we have to choose just one? I think all three are wonderful assets we human-beings have! I like to live in all three! I know we are multidimensional but to remain totally in the now?? Why sometimes it’s a living nightmare! To not live at all in the past—what about all those grand memories, the laughter, the love? To not live in the future I could not plan the next now WOW!
You’ve heard this before right? "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift, that's why they call it the present." To me they are all gifts, all presents if we use them properly. That is the key. Spending too much time and energy in any one area will just drive you crazy but remember at one time “history” and “tomorrow” were and will be the “present.” We need to really make use of all our human-being gifts, not just the ones we’re comfortable with.
I do believe we need the past to guide our future and our present to feel and create the contrast of our hearts desire for our next future now Wow!
I know I need the past to create the contrast of what I want and what I don’t want. When I was 260lbs busting out of a size 24 I focused on the end result! The future! And that future became my now next Wow! Size 6!! For over 20years!
During my workshop, When It's On The Plate, It's Way Too Late! ~Flipping Your Thoughts to Weight Loss, I have everyone do a “Get out of the nightmare and into the fun!” writing exercise. It’s a great tool to help you identify where you’re at and where you want to be. If you would like a copy of this self directed writing exercise e-mail me at Cherie@CoachCherie.com and request workshop form “Get out of the nightmare and into the fun!”
Where are you right now?
You’ve heard this before right? "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift, that's why they call it the present." To me they are all gifts, all presents if we use them properly. That is the key. Spending too much time and energy in any one area will just drive you crazy but remember at one time “history” and “tomorrow” were and will be the “present.” We need to really make use of all our human-being gifts, not just the ones we’re comfortable with.
I do believe we need the past to guide our future and our present to feel and create the contrast of our hearts desire for our next future now Wow!
I know I need the past to create the contrast of what I want and what I don’t want. When I was 260lbs busting out of a size 24 I focused on the end result! The future! And that future became my now next Wow! Size 6!! For over 20years!
During my workshop, When It's On The Plate, It's Way Too Late! ~Flipping Your Thoughts to Weight Loss, I have everyone do a “Get out of the nightmare and into the fun!” writing exercise. It’s a great tool to help you identify where you’re at and where you want to be. If you would like a copy of this self directed writing exercise e-mail me at Cherie@CoachCherie.com and request workshop form “Get out of the nightmare and into the fun!”
Where are you right now?
Monday, March 8, 2010
Success!
I want to thank everyone who attended my workshop on Saturday! You inspire me with your hard work and commitment to YOU!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
The Person in the Mirror
I was recently working with a group of people who were struggling with emotional overeating. One woman who was part of the group had recently lost her son to a long illness. The stress was visible on her face and her body. At one point, after some time, I held up a mirror and said, “Look in the mirror and say I want to get to know me.” She said, “ I can’t.” The tears flowed.
“I know exactly how you feel,” I said. We find it so difficult to just look at ourselves, to look into our eyes. When we do, we see all the fears and anxieties surrounding our lives. But that’s exactly when you need to pick up that mirror and look straight in your eyes. We all need to pick up the mirror and say “I want to get to know you. I don’t want to fight anymore. I really want to be there for you. I’m here for you. You’re not alone. You can do whatever you want to do. You must answer all your heart’s desires. You’re right where you’re meant to be.”
To become is to release; release which allows your being-ness to come through. You can start to find the love for you. And believe me, it’s life changing when you do.
The password to peace is thank you. Whatever happens in your life, think of it as a pathway for growth and give thanks.
Today, look in the mirror and say, “Hello. I’m here for me.”
“I know exactly how you feel,” I said. We find it so difficult to just look at ourselves, to look into our eyes. When we do, we see all the fears and anxieties surrounding our lives. But that’s exactly when you need to pick up that mirror and look straight in your eyes. We all need to pick up the mirror and say “I want to get to know you. I don’t want to fight anymore. I really want to be there for you. I’m here for you. You’re not alone. You can do whatever you want to do. You must answer all your heart’s desires. You’re right where you’re meant to be.”
To become is to release; release which allows your being-ness to come through. You can start to find the love for you. And believe me, it’s life changing when you do.
The password to peace is thank you. Whatever happens in your life, think of it as a pathway for growth and give thanks.
Today, look in the mirror and say, “Hello. I’m here for me.”
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
The Life of an Eagle
This is such a powerful story that I just wanted to share it with you. Sometimes when we think that life has dealt us a tough hand, all it really is, is the time to give birth to our truest, most powerful selves. It’s not a do-over or second chance. It is the blooming and growing into our most powerful selves.
I hope you enjoy this little story. I wish I could give a heartfelt thanks to the author but he or she is unknown to me.
I hope you enjoy this little story. I wish I could give a heartfelt thanks to the author but he or she is unknown to me.
The Life of an Eagle
The eagle has the longest lifespan of its species. It can live up to 70 years. But to reach this age, the eagle must make a hard decision in its 40's. Its long and flexible talons can no longer grab prey, which serves as food. Its long and sharp beak becomes bent. Its old-aged and heavy wings, due to their thick feathers, become stuck to its chest and make it difficult to fly.
The eagle is left with only two options: die or go through a painful process of CHANGE, which lasts 150 days. The process requires that the eagle fly to a mountaintop and sit on its nest. There the eagle knocks its beak against a rock until it falls out. The eagle will then wait for a new beak to grow back and when it does, the eagle will pluck out its talons. When its new talons grow back, the eagle starts plucking out its old feathers to allow them to grow back healthy. And after five months, the eagle takes its famous flight of rebirth and lives for ...30 more years.
I look forward to seeing you at my workshop March 6th so together we can make the radical decision to re-choose the life we were meant to live!
The eagle is left with only two options: die or go through a painful process of CHANGE, which lasts 150 days. The process requires that the eagle fly to a mountaintop and sit on its nest. There the eagle knocks its beak against a rock until it falls out. The eagle will then wait for a new beak to grow back and when it does, the eagle will pluck out its talons. When its new talons grow back, the eagle starts plucking out its old feathers to allow them to grow back healthy. And after five months, the eagle takes its famous flight of rebirth and lives for ...30 more years.
I look forward to seeing you at my workshop March 6th so together we can make the radical decision to re-choose the life we were meant to live!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
It Takes a Village
When we’re confronted with addiction challenges, oftentimes we feel we must do it alone. Whether it’s shame, embarrassment or any other reason, we approach our healing like a lone hiker climbing to the top of the highest peak. The path to recovery looms above us seemingly unattainable.
Let me tell you right now that recovery TAKES A VILLAGE!
I can tell you from experience that my recovery has taken a village i.e.; seminars, workshops, 12-steps, therapist, self help book, cd’s, coaches, church, gym, nutritionist, commercial weight loss programs, doctor, lawyer, Indian chiefs! Anything that helped close the gap between me and God, so I am not stuffing the gap with food. Without my village there is no way I could have gone from Obesity Survivor to Obesity Thriver and from Cancer Survivor to Cancer Thriver. How else could I have maintained my healthy body weight and undergone 5 cancer-related surgeries this past year and not put on a hundred pounds! Thank God for the village I have built up around me. I am just a villager surrounded by an extended family of caring and helpful people. The very first step in creating your village is simply reaching out.
So today ask yourself, who’s in my village?
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
March 6 Workshop! "When It's On The Plate It's Way Too Late!"
I’m so excited about my newest workshop that I wanted to share it with you!
When It's On The Plate, It's Way Too Late! ~Flipping Your Thoughts to Weight Loss!
I have such a passion for helping people who are seeking freedom from the food and who want to regain the power of choice.
Here's a little info below in case you know of anyone who could benefit from attending;
When It's On The Plate, It's Way Too Late! ~Flipping Your Thoughts to Weight Loss!
Saturday March 6, 2010 in Studio City. $20
This workshop with Tele-series is a hands on how to win the battle emotional eaters suffer--I teach people how-to-stop canceling themselves out. Take their power back in the moment, make peace with ourselves and our emotions, and stop allowing our insecurities and emotions to hi-jack our lives by ending up face down in a plate of food. Stop repeating the past; diets that don’t work, relapses that continue to hammer close the lid on our dreams. I teach you the techniques that keep you connected to your power of choice and you will discover and experience that learning and being trained in this technique has plucked your pocket for your compulsion to emotionally overeat. You will find that the drive to emotionally overeat has faded to the background and the real you is now living up and out front!! What a thrill it is to live this way!!!
Hope you will come to the workshop and sign-up also for the tele-series that follows. (The introductory rate of $20.00 per person is a no-brainer. It would be like working with me when I first started my coaching practice!)
Please register at the link below and please help me help others by keeping this email and flyer circulating to those people that you think could benefit from my experience.
When It's On The Plate, It's Way Too Late! ~Flipping Your Thoughts to Weight Loss!
Saturday March 6, 2010 in Studio City
Register Now~
coachcherie.com/events.php
Hope to see YOU there! Let's stay in touch on Facebook and Twitter!
Blessings always to YOU!
~Cherie
P.S. Please help me help others by keeping this email circulating to those people that you think could benefit from my experience.
When It's On The Plate, It's Way Too Late! ~Flipping Your Thoughts to Weight Loss!
I have such a passion for helping people who are seeking freedom from the food and who want to regain the power of choice.
Here's a little info below in case you know of anyone who could benefit from attending;
When It's On The Plate, It's Way Too Late! ~Flipping Your Thoughts to Weight Loss!
Saturday March 6, 2010 in Studio City. $20
This workshop with Tele-series is a hands on how to win the battle emotional eaters suffer--I teach people how-to-stop canceling themselves out. Take their power back in the moment, make peace with ourselves and our emotions, and stop allowing our insecurities and emotions to hi-jack our lives by ending up face down in a plate of food. Stop repeating the past; diets that don’t work, relapses that continue to hammer close the lid on our dreams. I teach you the techniques that keep you connected to your power of choice and you will discover and experience that learning and being trained in this technique has plucked your pocket for your compulsion to emotionally overeat. You will find that the drive to emotionally overeat has faded to the background and the real you is now living up and out front!! What a thrill it is to live this way!!!
Hope you will come to the workshop and sign-up also for the tele-series that follows. (The introductory rate of $20.00 per person is a no-brainer. It would be like working with me when I first started my coaching practice!)
Please register at the link below and please help me help others by keeping this email and flyer circulating to those people that you think could benefit from my experience.
When It's On The Plate, It's Way Too Late! ~Flipping Your Thoughts to Weight Loss!
Saturday March 6, 2010 in Studio City
Register Now~
coachcherie.com/events.php
Hope to see YOU there! Let's stay in touch on Facebook and Twitter!
Blessings always to YOU!
~Cherie
P.S. Please help me help others by keeping this email circulating to those people that you think could benefit from my experience.
If It’s Okay With You, It’s Okay With Everybody!
I want you to take a moment and think about the above statement. What does that mean to you? For me, it means, that I must take care of myself first. For example, say we have a disagreement. If I'm in a bad place emotionally, I can't relate to you honestly. Feelings on both sides spiral out of control. But if I stop and process what's happening with my emotions, then regardless of what the issue is, I am able to discuss it clearly and succinctly. If I'm coming from a calm place, chances are, you will as well. So, it's important to take care of you and your emotions first.
How can you do that on a daily basis? What kind of activity can you do every day that will set the tone for the day and help you choose you?
Every morning I practice what I call, “8 minutes to a mindful day.” And it involves Reading, Writing and Arithmetic.
Reading: Read books that help to open the lines of communication. Whatever it is that helps guide you on a path to open and honest dialogue with yourself and the people around you, read it—whether it be a paragraph, a page or a chapter.
Writing: Writing or journaling helps to link your head to your heart. It purges your mind of yesterday and of tomorrow to allow you to be in the moment. Writing helps to keep us from beginning our day stomping all over the newness and freshness of the now “new you”—the you of today and today only. Writing helps us begin everyday anew.
Arithmetic: Do the math.
2:00 Read
2:00 Write
2:00 Plan your food style to match your life style
2:00 Walk
These 8 minutes can equal 8 pounds up or down. These 8 minutes dedicated to you can set you on a path of manifesting your heart’s desire.
You must come first. Your first choice of the day must be you. Your second choice of the day must be you. Ask yourself “what am I thinking?” “What is my emotional status?” If your day doesn’t start out well, it certainly won’t end well. You must go back and re-choose you and your intent. You cannot cancel yourself out and expect to win. Because when we cancel ourselves out, we take ourselves out of the race. We’ve chosen to believe the lie that we will really win! Win their love, win their acceptance, their acknowledgements, their criticisms.
If we choose to open and widen the gap during the day, we will choose to close the gap the only way we know how. The hole left there by the choices we’ve made to cancel ourselves out will be filled with food. Food has become the only true comfort and release we have chosen to give ourselves. But if you start the day with 8 minutes, just 8 minutes, and own that you have the power of choice, you can choose the day you want today and everyday.
Keep re-choosing you!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Flipping Your Thoughts
I want___________ equals the first thought.
They/Them (Thought, Having, Emotional, Madness) say ___________. This equals the second thought.
Let me explain. I tell myself I want love in my life. That’s the first thought. But T.H.E.M. comes along and says no; you don’t deserve love. That’s the second thought. A thought that is having/experiencing emotional madness.
If we stay focused on the second thought, then we go into “Circular Thought Thinking.” You know that voice that chatters on and on—spinning—inside of our brain. Sometimes it gets so loud, I’m sure everyone can hear it. So in order to stop those thoughts, the feelings, the fear, we have to eat. We eat to stop the cycle of feelings those thoughts have stirred up inside of us.
We wouldn’t emotionally overeat if we weren’t afraid of our thoughts. Just writing this makes me want to get up from my desk and do something to stop thinking. I’m so afraid of my thoughts the very question makes me want to bolt.
But if I’m afraid of my own thoughts, does that mean I’m afraid of me? You? God? Life?
I know I must deny this urge in me. I tell myself to settle down. Just sit and be with me.
When we’re in this space, we have to learn to flip the thought. Pry it loose with a spatula and get up under it carefully. Need help? Grab a spoon and scoop it out. Treat it gently so it doesn’t break apart. Get yourself into a position where you can hold on to your intention. Focus on the end result.
I know that when I betray myself, my thoughts, I have to eat. And eat. And eat. My message to you is to guard your thoughts and their results. Guard your thoughts like your money. Like your life. Like your loved ones. It’s that important.
The most fundamental law is that of cause and effect. As emotional overeater’s we’re told that it’s the food we put in our mouths that causes the weight gain. It’s our body that creates the problem. But the body can’t create anything without the mind. The cause is the 95% that is on the plate in our mind; the other 5% is the plate of food sitting on the table. It’s T.H.E.M. that leads us to seek out the nearest fast food restaurant or convenience store to quiet the pot of boiling thoughts inside.
Tell T.H.E.M. that you want your power back; you refuse to let your emotions be hijacked anymore.
Next week: When it’s Okay With You, It’s Okay With Everybody
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Looks Right and Feels Wrong versus Looks Wrong and Feels Right
I want to go back to a concept that I wrote about earlier. For those of us who are waging war with emotional overeating or other addiction, it’s usually because we’ve spent a lifetime living from our human-ness rather than our being-ness. Why is that?
As I mentioned, it’s very easy to teach a child not to trust their feelings, to trust that what they’re feeling is real and true. Children hear from their parents, their teachers, even their peers that they’re not good enough, or not as pretty as the other little girl, not as smart as your brother. We’re taught that the feelings and fears we’re having, whether they’re coming from a specific source or not, is false and not real. So as adults, we naturally won’t trust that what we’re feeling is real and in need. Our inner voice pops up and repeats all those hurtful things we heard as a child. We trust what other people say and we seek validation from them. We learn to please She, He, It, Them. I know when I’m tethered to She, He, It and Them, then they have all the power. And they have the power to make me feel good about myself--and feel bad about myself. And when I give them the power, I turn to stuffing myself with three pizzas and 6-8 candy bars.
When I work with people, I ask them: “Do you do what feels wrong and looks right or what looks right and feels wrong?” As children, we’re reinforced to do what looks right and feels wrong. Play the part everyone else wants you to play. But deep inside you know it just doesn’t feel right.
When those feelings arise ask yourself, should I go with what looks right and feels wrong? Or should I live from that gut feeling where my power emanates—from my being-ness. It may look right but you know inside it feels wrong. And you know sure as the sun shines that society will tell you, “go with what looks right.”
But what about when it “looks wrong and feels right?” “Do I trust my feelings or what others say?” I say trust what your heart and soul says. Stop the chatter and re-connect to your being-ness. Ask yourself who’s having this conversation here? Who has to live with the decisions I make?
Intense training negates instinct and because of the intense training we received as children, we negate our inner, true feelings. Learning to live from our being-ness requires re-training.
So rather than turning to the food, take the risk and go inside and feel what you’re feeling. And know that if you feel one little uncomfortable feeling and you don’t die, you can experience another painful feeling and know that you’re not going to die. Starting with baby steps you can begin to build a healthy foundation from which to live.
The battle is won or lost in our minds, not on the plate. Lose the mental weight to lose the physical weight. Go with what feels right.
Next week: Flipping Your Thoughts
Monday, January 18, 2010
When You Feel Like You Need a Break…Stop and Take Stock
I feel like a rest...but I can’t. I’m too busy so I keep going and going and going and all I can think about is eating!! I say no and I keep working. BUT I keep thinking about eating.
I’m conflicted. What I really need is a break! And I know if I don’t take a break I will break down and eat. So, I don't take a break—I keep going.
I really don’t trust myself. I know that if I stop I will re-start my work or what ever I approach compulsively.
I stop.
I breathe.
I choose to re-connect to me, to my being-ness.
I will stop now and come back in 15 minutes just to prove to you and me that I can give myself what I need and that this is a break—a little rest that will bring the emotional relief that the food used to give to me. My brain will now automatically release those lovely opioids and dopamine that my body, mind and spirit need RIGHT NOW!
See, I am now back and refreshed ready to have my proper lunch and not a binge! Yippee!
When you feel like you need a break, stop and take stock.
Step One
Repeat after me: 95% of why we eat/drink/take drugs/gamble is in our mind. The other 5% is in that pizza, doughnut, burrito…you get the point.
Step Two
Now step back. Re-choose a different path right this minute and take stock.
I know I did. Can YOU relate?
Next week: What Looks Right and Feels Wrong versus What Looks Wrong and Feels Right!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
The Power to Re-choose...Re-choosing YOU!
Choosing you. It seems simple doesn’t it? It seems it should be as simple as breathing. But it can be one of the most difficult things we can do in our lives. As I’ve mentioned before, as children we’re taught not to trust our feelings, our intuitions, and ourselves. We say, it looks right but feels wrong. And those feelings are stuffed down and ignored. We cancel ourselves out. So we eat to ease the pain, to unwind, to feel normal.
So what stops people from making the decision to re-choose themselves and stop the cycle of overeating? When I was 260lbs busting out of a size 24 there was a disconnect between me and me, i.e. my being-ness. I was canceling myself out. The pain of not eating made me so miserable. But, what if, when we’re anxious and overwhelmed and we feel the need to eat, we stop and ask, “What do I really need at this moment.” “Will this take me towards my intention, my heart’s desire?” When I take the time to ask myself what do I really need, the answer is always there. It’s quiet but nevertheless, it’s there. When we focus on the end result, we can get through anything. By focusing on this and consciously re-choosing ourselves, we can create a better life for ourselves and everyone around us. When we put down the fork and pick ourselves up and connect to our being-ness the “gap” is fulfilled in a way that food could never fill.
Reconnecting with our being-ness enables us to make the choices that are necessary to lose the weight and keep it off. But how do we physically re-choose ourselves in the moments we feel compelled to eat those two pizzas and six to eight candy bars? Stop. Just stop. Re-choose the moment. Take time to think, to breathe. Do I need to take a walk? Listen to music? Dance? Pray? Meditate? Do I need to rest? Take tiny steps towards the goal of re-choosing you. Maybe this time, it’s two pizzas and one candy bar. As we keep re-choosing ourselves and making those little changes, we gain more confidence to make more changes.
I lost my first 20 pounds by just eating three meals a day—three gigantic meals a day—with life in between that was tough enough at 260 pounds. But by re-choosing and taking small steps I was able to make big changes
Choosing you is a choice you have to make everyday. Re-connect to your being-ness and re-choose you to live the life you’ve always envisioned!
Next week: Dishing it up…What’s your food plan?
So what stops people from making the decision to re-choose themselves and stop the cycle of overeating? When I was 260lbs busting out of a size 24 there was a disconnect between me and me, i.e. my being-ness. I was canceling myself out. The pain of not eating made me so miserable. But, what if, when we’re anxious and overwhelmed and we feel the need to eat, we stop and ask, “What do I really need at this moment.” “Will this take me towards my intention, my heart’s desire?” When I take the time to ask myself what do I really need, the answer is always there. It’s quiet but nevertheless, it’s there. When we focus on the end result, we can get through anything. By focusing on this and consciously re-choosing ourselves, we can create a better life for ourselves and everyone around us. When we put down the fork and pick ourselves up and connect to our being-ness the “gap” is fulfilled in a way that food could never fill.
Reconnecting with our being-ness enables us to make the choices that are necessary to lose the weight and keep it off. But how do we physically re-choose ourselves in the moments we feel compelled to eat those two pizzas and six to eight candy bars? Stop. Just stop. Re-choose the moment. Take time to think, to breathe. Do I need to take a walk? Listen to music? Dance? Pray? Meditate? Do I need to rest? Take tiny steps towards the goal of re-choosing you. Maybe this time, it’s two pizzas and one candy bar. As we keep re-choosing ourselves and making those little changes, we gain more confidence to make more changes.
I lost my first 20 pounds by just eating three meals a day—three gigantic meals a day—with life in between that was tough enough at 260 pounds. But by re-choosing and taking small steps I was able to make big changes
Choosing you is a choice you have to make everyday. Re-connect to your being-ness and re-choose you to live the life you’ve always envisioned!
Next week: Dishing it up…What’s your food plan?
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
The Power to Re-choose...Put the Fork Down and Pick Yourself Up!
Please Please Please don’t do it again! No more New Year’s resolutions!! Stop doing that to your self! You don’t deserve it! So don’t do it! Re-Choose YOU!!!!
It is a proven statistical fact (Per David Kessler former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration) that foods high in fat, salt and sugar alter the brain's chemistry in ways that compel people to overeat. These foods stimulate the brain to release dopamine, the neurotransmitter associated with the pleasure center. In time, the brain gets wired so that the dopamine pathways light up at the mere suggestion of these foods, such as driving past a fast-food restaurant, and the urge to eat grows insistent. Once the food is eaten, the brain releases opioids, which bring emotional relief. Together, dopamine and opioids create a pathway that can activate every time a person is reminded about the particular food. This happens regardless of whether or not the person is hungry. Lay's Potato Chips -- "Betcha can't eat just one" -- is scientifically accurate.
In the past, much of the scientific research around overeating has been physiology, i.e., “what's going on in our body." Science is now beginning to place their focus on what's going on in our brain and its reaction to food. I am here to say it is our EMOTIONS and THOUGHTS that get us to make the choice that will affect our physiology and brain chemistry! This new approach in science is so very important and serves as a wonderful answer to why, why why am I fat!? Asking why is important but “why?” can only take you so far. For me, why never helped with how! How do I not throw myself away today? How do I not disconnect from me and put the fork down? When I was 260lbs busting out of a size 24, why, why, why was never a solution! I knew 2 pizzas and 6-8 candy bars were making me fat but I just could not stop eating! When I embraced how, how, how do I live my life without the food and excess weight I really started to move down the scale and have loved living in my size 6 body for over 20 years (in spite of all life’s trials and tribulations!)
In conclusion let me restate my theme—my mantra. You will hear it again and again because it shed my 100+ pounds 20 years ago and has kept it off since. What is it? 95% of why you’re fat is created in your mind! You heard me right. The other 5% is solely the type of food you choose to put into your mouth! Thoughts+emotions=Action. 2+2=4. Simple math. Without the plus sign you won’t get an equation.
In other words, change your thoughts and your body will follow!
Next week: The Power to Re-choose…Re-choosing YOU!
***
It is a proven statistical fact (Per David Kessler former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration) that foods high in fat, salt and sugar alter the brain's chemistry in ways that compel people to overeat. These foods stimulate the brain to release dopamine, the neurotransmitter associated with the pleasure center. In time, the brain gets wired so that the dopamine pathways light up at the mere suggestion of these foods, such as driving past a fast-food restaurant, and the urge to eat grows insistent. Once the food is eaten, the brain releases opioids, which bring emotional relief. Together, dopamine and opioids create a pathway that can activate every time a person is reminded about the particular food. This happens regardless of whether or not the person is hungry. Lay's Potato Chips -- "Betcha can't eat just one" -- is scientifically accurate.
In the past, much of the scientific research around overeating has been physiology, i.e., “what's going on in our body." Science is now beginning to place their focus on what's going on in our brain and its reaction to food. I am here to say it is our EMOTIONS and THOUGHTS that get us to make the choice that will affect our physiology and brain chemistry! This new approach in science is so very important and serves as a wonderful answer to why, why why am I fat!? Asking why is important but “why?” can only take you so far. For me, why never helped with how! How do I not throw myself away today? How do I not disconnect from me and put the fork down? When I was 260lbs busting out of a size 24, why, why, why was never a solution! I knew 2 pizzas and 6-8 candy bars were making me fat but I just could not stop eating! When I embraced how, how, how do I live my life without the food and excess weight I really started to move down the scale and have loved living in my size 6 body for over 20 years (in spite of all life’s trials and tribulations!)
In conclusion let me restate my theme—my mantra. You will hear it again and again because it shed my 100+ pounds 20 years ago and has kept it off since. What is it? 95% of why you’re fat is created in your mind! You heard me right. The other 5% is solely the type of food you choose to put into your mouth! Thoughts+emotions=Action. 2+2=4. Simple math. Without the plus sign you won’t get an equation.
In other words, change your thoughts and your body will follow!
Next week: The Power to Re-choose…Re-choosing YOU!
***
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