The mind ... a very powerful tool!

Gosh it's been a long time since I've been able to post anything on my blog ... life just seems to have gotten in the way.  And, I must admit, I have battled a bit with inspiration for a blog too.  However, recently I was browsing the Internet and on one of the sites I visited, I gained access to an audio clip.  The speaker was discussing goals and why we find it so hard to set a goal and stick to it ... the point of which I found very interesting.

The upshot of the whole clip was that when we set goals, they aren't always in line with our core values.  We consciously set goals that don't match our subconscious desires.  What I found so fascinating was when he discussed a lady TV presenter.  She had come to interview him for her show and they had sat chatting after.  And during the chat she mentioned to him that she was battling to lose some weight.  She had tried it all (sound familiar?) and while it would be effective in the beginning, after a while the weight would all come back.  What was she doing wrong, and could he help her?  His response was, "Well, what benefit do you get from being overweight?"  I was completely taken aback by this question.  I mean, for heaven's sake, who of us benefit from being overweight!  Right?  Apparently wrong.  As they continued their talk it emerged that her sister was very domineering and was always trying to control her life ... her response ... "my sister can't control my diet"!  And as they went along it emerged that her entire family was overweight and so she felt "out" when spending time with her family after any significant weight loss.  Subconsciously, it made her unhappy to feel "out" and so she would revert to old eating habits and regain any weight she'd lost ... so, ultimately, her subconscious mind was ruling her actions.  So, in order to be successful we need to do a bit of soul searching to get to the root of the problem before we can make any improvements.  Why do we continue to do what we do everyday?  What benefits do we get from being overweight?  What is subconsciously holding back from achieving the weight loss we want so badly?

Our mind is the most powerful tool we have.  We can do anything, achieve anything as long as our mindset is right and our values, both conscious and subconscious, are honoured.  I have some soul searching to do ... how about you?

The Slender Goddess, :)

Cape Town

And so the quest for my inner Slender Goddess continues ...

Well, there are only 6 days left in this first month of this New Year ... hard to believe but true.  I have definitely come to the conclusion that time speeds up as you get older.  The days are just flying by, and it still feels like I don't have enough time in a day to do all that is needed.

However, one thing I am doing is sticking to my decision that this is the year to let go of all the negative ideas I have about dieting and embrace all the positive ideas about eating more sensibly.  I cannot tell you that it has been easy ... it hasn't.  I have 32 years worth of weight propaganda and negativity that I have to sort through, dust off, discard or re-organise in the dusty archives of my mind.  But I can, with pride, say that so far I'm hanging in there.  I have promised to be kinder to myself, just as you should be to yourself, and am practising that everyday ... or at least trying to do so every day.  As every woman since Eve has had, I had my "dreaded time" recently.  There is nothing and no one safe, during this time, in my search for chocolate ... it is seriously ugly should anyone or anything get between me and a chocolate bar.  So this month I went about it in the spirit of my new mind set.  I bought a smaller chocolate and savoured it for a good 45 minutes ... and all was well in my world again.  Usually I pick up as much as 2kg (± 4lbs) during this time ... this time?  Just 200g (± 1/2lbs) ... woooohoooo ... success!  So it would appear that (yet again) I owe my (very smart) husband a heartfelt "Thank You" for opening my eyes to this new way of being.

My journey is a long one but I WILL be successful in my quest for my inner Slender Goddess.  After all, this is my year to ACHIEVE.

How goes your journey?  If you need support, a shoulder to lean on or just an ear to listen ... feel free to contact me.  No one should have to travel this journey alone.

The Slender Goddess :)

Cape Town

Words ... are they important?

One of my most favourite people posted in her blog recently about words and, with it being a new year and all, what yours for the year would be (http://zenith-thinking.blogspot.com/2012/01/year-of-word.html).  That got me thinking about what my word for the year would be ... and I decided it would be "achieve".  There are so many things that I want to achieve in this lifetime!

So, while pondering my word for the year, I started thinking laterally about words, what words mean, what words mean personally, and so on.  And it refreshed my memory ... my (very smart) husband and I are great believers in the power of words.  Without realising it, or really thinking about it, words are very powerful.  You can do so many things with words.  And how we think and speak has an impact on what happens in our lives.  Henry Ford is quoted as saying "If you think you can, you're right.  And, if you think you can't, you're right."

With that sentiment, and my word for the year, in mind, I implore you to guard your words in thought and speech.  Not just in terms of other people but ourselves as well.

When you have had a bad week, trying your best to cope with life in general and, losing weight in particular ... guard your words and thoughts.  As Dr John de Martini says, "What you think and speak about, you bring about" so stay positive ... tomorrow WILL be a better day.

Be kind to yourselves, and remember, "You are worthy, and deserve to be loved"!

The Slender Goddess :)
Cape Town

To eat or not to eat ...

Poor Shakespeare ... I wonder if he realised how many different ways his famous quote would be misused?  In this particular instance it works for me.

I know that my eating habits aren't always the best and so I've begun to work on them in the last week and a half.  Whenever you think of "dieting" you always think of bland, unexciting food that nobody wants to eat.  But not so anymore.  I have discovered a new TV chef ... Ellie Krieger.  I was scrolling through the viewing schedule recently and came across her listing ... Healthy Appetite ... so I decided to give it a try.  What did I have to lose, right?  And I'm so glad I did.  What lovely recipes she has.  So, whoever said eating right meant eating bland ... how wrong you were!!!

If you're looking for some inspiration to keep your momentum going check Ellie out on http://www.foodnetworktv.com/search/healthy-keyword/ellie-krieger-chef ... I promise it'll be worth your while.

Here's to a terrific, and healthy, weekend.

The Slender Goddess :)

Cape Town

Great expectations

It's hard to believe that the first week of the new year is over.  So, how have you fared with your new year's resolution to lose weight?  I have managed, so far, to stick to my guns ... so to speak.  I have made small changes and am working hard on changing my mindset from a "cheat" mentality to a "reward" mentality.  So far, so good.  And it is paying dividends.

Today was weigh-day.  So, armed with my newly improved outlook, I got on the scale.  Happily, my scale tells me I am 4kg (9 pounds) down since the beginning of last week ... yaaaay!!!

With my much improved outlook, I am going into the new week positively ... good, bad or indifferent, what will be will be ... and all will be well.

So what is your plan of action for the new week?


The Slender Goddess :)
Cape Town

Embracing a new mind set

In my last post I mentioned my (very smart) husband's philosophy on "falling off the wagon" ... Don't look at it as cheating, look at it as a reward.  While embarrassed that I have rewarded myself so soon, I must confess, I am super chuffed with myself.  My son passed matric yesterday and we took him out to lunch to celebrate.  And, even though, I ate things I should not have eaten I didn't just throw the towel in and say "Well bugger it.  I've messed up so now I'll have to quit".  That is precisely what I would have done in the past.  This time, however, I stuck to my guns and I am feeling very good about myself today as a result and am now looking forward to Monday as I will be weighing myself to see the results of my week's hard work.

So, it would appear that you can teach an old dog new tricks and I can change my mindset.

Hope all is going well with you in your endeavours.

The Slender Goddess :)

Cape Town

My journey to find my inner Slender Goddess

Day 3 has dawned bright and beautiful.  So far things are going well. This year I've decided to try doing things a little differently to all the other gazillions of times.  As my husband says, "It's all about your mindset.  Instead of thinking of it as a diet, think of it as a different way of eating.  And on days when the craving gets to much, have a little and don't feel guilty about it.  Think of it as a reward for all your hard work rather than as cheating."  My husband is a smart man!  The problem is, that's exactly it.  I always feel guilty about food.  Whether I'm eating healthily or eating junk food I feel guilty about eating it the minute I start to feel full.  I guess that's years of conditioning because when you're fat people automatically assume you eat too much.

However, as I embark on my journey to find my inner Slender Goddess I have embraced the fact that my husband is right and am now working on changing my mindset.  I am truly lucky to have such a wonderful man by my side who supports me in all that I do.

Best of luck to all of you on your own journey to find your inner Slender Goddess.

The Slender Goddess :)

Cape Town