Rosa Smith-Montanaro blog
Rosa Smith-Montanaro is your virtual weight loss and wellness coach. She is the author of Mind Over Platter®: Train Your Brain to Think Thin and the award-winning creator of www.MindOverPlatter.com. Rosa is a certified Success Coach with an expertise in weight management and the mind/body connection. She is also certified at the Master level in Hypnosis, Neuro Linguistics Programming (NLP), Thought Field Therapy
TM (TFT), Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), Herbal Specialist and Humanistic Neuro Linguistic Psychology. Rosa teaches seminars throughout the country on the mind/body connection and how to create a life that is a reflection of your values. Rosa and her husband live in Greece and have three children. She welcomes you to blog with her and discover how you can create a healthier, happier and balanced life. Rosa can be reached at MindOverPlatter@aol.com.
One decision can make a big difference
People often asked me if I could pick one thing to tell people that will help them lose weight what would it be? I would tell not to make their goal losing weight, make it eating healthy. If the only reason you are eating healthy is to lose weight, you will give up when you don't see results. But if you want to live a long healthy life, you will eat healthy as a way to accomplish this, one benefit will be losing weight. This is ONE very important distinction that will serve you well in life. When you feel discouraged about your weight, remind yourself that you are choosing to eat healthy because it will allow you to live a long healthy high quality life.
The power of one
What one thing that if you change it will make a major difference in your life? Is it walking daily? Not eating at night? Replacing ice cream with sugar free pudding or soda with water? What little habit can you replace, not for a day or week but for a way of life? Pick one and only one.
Are your friends making you fat?
In yesterday's addition in the Democrat and Chronicle there was a story on how many people gain weight due to having overweight friends and family. As I was driving I heard Kimberly and Beck on The Breakfast Buzz discussing the story. I decided to call in and give my opinion. If you would like to hear the whole discussion they have it online:
http://www.thebreakfastbuzz.com/AudioArchive.aspx entitled
America's Weight Problems. Tell me what you think, do you find it hard to lose weight when your friends and family
are overweight?
Learn from your set backs
Thinking Thin Thought: "Within me is unlimited potential, I won't know what I am capable of unless I push past my comfort zone."
Push yourself past your comfort zone, the worse thing that will happen is that you will not get the results you hoped for. But you will have learned something and as long as you bounce back and try again, you will become stronger and wiser.
Before I lost weight, I would overeat to deal with my emotions. When I decided to change my eating habits, I gave up this habit, it was hard, I had to step out of my comfort zone a number of times to find another way. I liked my food for comfort ritual, so I would often resort back to it. Once I snapped out of it, I'd put it behind me and thought about what I could do differently in the future. I now find comfort in bubble baths, time with friends, getting a pedicure, walking, etc.
In what ways have you pushed past your comfort zone?
Tame that gremlin.
I am developing a workshop on igniting the law of attraction to help people break through to getting more of what they want in their lives. What fascinates me is how so many people are unconsciously preoccupied with all the reasons they will fail. As a result of such intense attention they create exactly what it is that they do not want.
The best results come from reframing failure into learning experiences which are now benefiting you. This will free up your unconscious mind to preoccupy on why you are destined for success. The fun part for me as a coach, is in helping people identify and clear those hidden gremlins.
I love the gremlins, they start off so cute and well meaning and end up causing all kinds of anxiety. Once you flush them out they are easy to manage. What type of gremlins have you discovered or noticed with the people around you?
Give up dieting?
Thinking Thin Thought:
"My future success will be based on my current attempts"
How many times are you willing to fail until you decide to give up? My clients often say that they want to give up, they are tired of being on a diet. I then suggest they stop dieting and find a way of eating that will help them to create a healthy body. This could take months even years to accomplish, but it is not measured purely by weight loss. Some days will be easier than others but in the long run you will be ahead and most likely a few pounds lighter.
Failing Forward
I am reading a book called "Failing Forward", the author John Maxwell states that if you are going to be successful in life it is common to have failed a number of times prior. The difference between someone who achieves their outcome and someone who does not is how they define and respond to "failure". When I wanted to lose weight, I felt like a failure more than I felt successful. It wasn't until AFTER I decided that I was in this for the long haul and would start to love and appreciate my body that I actually found a way of eating that helped me lose weight.
Look for reasons to be happy.
I'd like to offer you a thought for the day, I call them Thinking Thin, repeat them to yourself throughout the day to rewire your brain to break the all or nothing mindset.
Thinking Thin Thought:
I will not look for reason to be offended today, I will instead become aware of invitations to realize how happy I am."
How do you "do" happiness?
Happiness is an inside job. You can create a happy state of mind by putting your attention on something that makes you smile. Give it a try, ask yourself when was the last time you felt happy. Then decide to recall that memory, it really is that simple.
Happy people are not always overweight
Think about the stereo types what you have heard your life, jolly people are overweight or she got married and put on weight because she is happy. I am proposing that you adapt a new belief: happiness does not have to be connected to your weight.
Bring happiness on the journey
Even though you may not be exactly where you would like to be when it comes to your weight, you can still be happy. Too many people put off feeling happy until they reach a goal. The problem is that once you reach the goal, you immediately come up with another one. Change the way you eat, exercise to get into shape, just do not suspend happiness. Pick today to be happy and move forward from this powerful place.
The more possibilities for success that you notice, the faster you will notice success showing up in your life.
References rewire your brain
Thinking Thin Thought:
"The world is filled with inspirational people who have lost weight and kept it off, if they can do it, I certainly can."
Once I decided to look for success stories, I found them everywhere. People I hadn't seen for years would reappear in my life looking great. I would read a magazine and there would be a story about a mother of three who started a workout routine and now won a body building competition. I started to think, "how could I not be successful?" There references literally rewire your brain for success.
What references have you found that motivate you?
Thinking Thin Thought:
"I am a powerful and limitless person with the ability to live a healthy, happy and
prosperous life."
You will create a reality that reflects your beliefs. Do you believe in yourself? Do you believe in your ability to change the course of your life? Do you believe you can have what you truely desire? I hope you do, I know that you are amazing and have unlimited potential. I don't think, I know. I have seen hundreds of people overcome limitations and you are no different.
Every time someone tells you they lost weight, get excited, if they can do it you can. When a friend gets a promotion, get excited, if they can do it you can. When someone you know falls in love, be happy for them, if they found love you can too.
The more you affirm that when someone recieves something good, it is evidence of your probability of receiving equal to or better, the deeper this new belief is ingrained in your brain.
When looking for references that support your goals, dreams and desires, you may have to identify what you need to believe is true for you to be successful. Think about your goal and pretend it is true for you, notice your self talk. If it is negative, stop listening to those messages and begin to look for evidence that supports a positive and successful outcome. This may mean looking around at others and seeking inspirational stories to build your belief that it is possible to accomplish your desired outcome.
Do this until you have dozens of references of success, when you think about your goal and you feel excited and certain that in time it will be yours then you have strong references.
Your belief system determines what type of life you create for yourself. What you pursue in life is based on what you believe you are able to accomplish. What you settle for is based on what you believe is limiting you.
When you decide you want something is out of your comfort zone, you may not believe it is possible to attain it. You may have heard messages growing up telling you that it was not possible to have what you said you wanted. When I wanted to lose weight, I didn't think I could return to my ideal weight because I had children. My mother gained weight after having children and I thought it would be true for me. I had to look for examples of women who had children and an attractive body. I found this just by looking for it. Before I knew it I had plenty of references of women who had children and wore the same size they did before becoming pregnant. Now I believe it is true and I weight what I did 20 plus years ago.
Think about what you want and look for references for it to be true.
Surviving summer cookouts
A holiday week in the summer would not be complete without a barbecue. This does not have to be a reason to get off track. Grill your favorite protein, watch the marinades, they can get you into trouble, and carefully pick your side dishes. Grill some vegetables, have them instead of mac salad. Think about it, grilled protein, tossed salad, grilled vegetables and an impact (starchy) carb is PLENTY of food.
Salads with impact carbs are what you need to watch, potato, pasta, coleslaw, so many to choose from. Pick one impact carb to have with your meal, either: bread, pasta, potato, corn or dessert. If you pick one and only one, you will not gain weight.
Replace feasting with grazing
I am back with more ideas for coasting through the holiday week without losing or gaining weight. Replace feasting with grazing.
Pick rather than eat meals, I know it sounds simple...most gatherings have food to pick on all day then a big meal. By the time you eat the meal you have had a days worth of calories. Start a tradition to just pick all day. My sisters and I love to do this for the holidays. We don't sit down to a large dinner, we serve foods that we pick on through the time we are together. It is actually fun and we spend the time enjoying each others company.
What to serve? Shrimp cocktail, cheese assortment, chicken on a stick, veggies and dip, taco dip with whole grain chips, roast beef, tomatoes and mozzarella salad, thinly sliced baguette, quiche, kabobs, hummus and pita, fruit salad, etc
Try it and you will find that you are not feeling stuffed by the end of the day and you had a great time!
Alternatives to manage your sweet tooth
Tips for surviving summer holidays:
Desserts usually get people in trouble. They add too many calories and spike your blood sugar which will increase your craving for more sugar based calories. When you do eat something sweet, have some protein prior to stabilize your blood sugar. Low sugar desserts are better than low fat, you will be satisfied with less without compromising taste.
Simple alternatives:
Sugar free jello and pudding
Fresh fruit with real whipped cream
Share a dessert with a friend, only eat half of it
Strawberries dipped in dark chocolate
Yogurt with granola and blueberries
Peanut butter and apples
Dry roasted nuts with semi sweet chocolate
stay tuned...more ideas are on the way!
Coasting through the holiday week without gaining or losing weight.
The summer usually brings temptation to eat and drink more fruity, sugary and creamy treats than we realize. I make the goal to NOT lose weight or gain weight during such challenging times. If you can coast through a holiday week without gaining or losing weight, you are a success in my book.
This will require a plan, know what you are going to snack on INSTEAD of the foods that cause you to gain weight. One simple change is replacing beverages that are loaded with calories with a low calorie mock up. Instead of margaritas or daiquiri's, have a flavored vodka and diet soda. If you like fruity, tropical punch type drinks, try crystal light, iced green tea or herbal tea or even mix your favorite juice with club soda. Freeze some berries and use them to sweeten your beverage naturally. If you are addicted to frappacinos, try sugar free flavoring in your iced coffee and add low fat milk, this will save you about 400 calories.
I will come back tomorrow with more ideas, what kinds of foods, meals or snacks would you like to replace? Go ahead, pick my brain.
