Are You in Your Right Mind?

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?”

Losing weight for vanity is fuel for the ego. Losing weight to gain & strengthen your connection to God will have true lasting effect.

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

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

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

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!

 Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly.

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