One of the things I recommend as I work with clients desiring permanent weight loss is a steady diet of kindness toward ourselves. In this blog I wanted to share one idea for treating yourself with added kindness.

Let go of the thought that you will feel better when your conditions change. Your well-being won’t be found in some future time or occurrence as conditions are continually changing. One thing you can do NOW is to guide your thoughts toward something that feels better to you at this moment.  Every time you make that choice you empower yourself. When you wait for conditions to change to feel better, you disempower yourself. Here is a question that can help you begin to guide your thoughts, “what is the kindest choice I can make toward myself right now?” What would your answer be, now?

With love, Jackie

A client of mine sent me a smoothie recipe from Kris Carr. I have adapted that recipe to be higher in fiber and lower in carbs for my own purposes. It is packed with good nutrients and tastes great. I find this smoothie to be a great hunger killer mid afternoon. It can also be a quick substitute for any meal. Should you find yourself hungry in the evening, just cut the amount of avocado and raspberries in half and skip the honey or agave, or substitute it with a tiny bit of artificial sweetener. It takes about 10 minutes to make and that includes cleaning up!

INGREDIENTS

1 CUP FRESH SPINACH OR CURLEY LEAF KALE (I find curly leaf kale tastes better than the other types, but any type is fine)

1 CUP FRESH OR FROZEN RASPBERRIES

1 CUP UNSWEETENED ALMOND MILK

1/4-1/2 AVOCADO (ALTERNATIVE-1-2 TBSP UNSWEETENED PEANUT BUTTER)

JUICE FROM 1/2 FRESH LEMON (ALTERNATIVE-1 TBSP LEMON JUICE)

1-3 TSP AGAVE, HONEY OR STEVIA

1/2-1 CUP COLD WATER

1 CUP ICE (OPTIONAL-ADDS THICKNESS & VOLUME)

Put it all in a blender except for the ice, and blend until well mixed. Add ice and blend until smooth. I put it in a giant glass and it looks like a milkshake. YUM! (From my personal experience, the lemon and a little bit of sweetener are critical to the “deliciousness” of this smoothie)

*Approximate nutritional information- Calories– 250, Carbohydrates–24 g, Protein–4 g, Fat–12.5 g, Fiber–14 g

With Love, Jackie

Disclaimer: I am not an expert in addiction medicine. I’m a registered nurse that has been working in the field of permanent weight loss for the last six years. The work I do now is the result of my own personal experience. I was addicted to food, and as a result, I was overweight since my teens. For decades, with temporary success, I had tried everything I knew to try to turn my weight issue around but I was unsuccessful. I felt trapped and depressed. In my late 40s and early 50s I finally figured out a permanent and peaceful way to lose and maintain a healthy weight. I found a way out of my addiction to food.

Having a more fit and slender body was certainly wonderful, just as I thought it would be, but one other thing I lost was just as meaningful and I had no idea it even existed. This may sound dramatic but it is truly the way I felt. Being released from the compulsion to eat was just as remarkable as finally being at a healthy weight. I had previously felt enslaved to a food habit that I was unable to break for decades. The word “enslaved” is aptly defined as losing your freedom of choice. I mean really, would I ever have freely chosen to be overweight?

So now, I find myself wanting very much to help others who are struggling. Below is a powerful little practice that I would offer to anyone who is addicted as I was.

When a craving hits

-Stop for a moment

-Put your full attention on the feeling the craving is creating in your body. 

            -Where do you feel it? 

            -What does it feel like? (Details please)

-Take two or three deep breath‘s while allowing yourself to feel the powerful pull of the craving

-Observe the craving and its power over you

-Go ahead and make your choice without judgment or criticism. You may choose the object of your addiction or you may chose differently, but you will now be choosing consciously. 

-How does that feel?

-Repeat as needed whenever the craving returns

It is your conscious choice that can begin to turn things around. You are taking your power back no matter how small, and that is what matters.

It is my heartfelt wish for you to live a life full of love in all of its forms, i.e. fun, friendships, abundance, kindness etc… This was not possible for me as long as I was dealing with an addiction. You are a worthy and lovable human being. How do you want to live your life, trapped or free?

With love, Jackie