Mentality of a Stall

I've been assisting people on their weight loss journeys now for several months since I lost 100lbs. One thing that I have seen on a regular recurring basis is the question about what to do when you hit a stall. People as me all the time... did you? What did you do? Let's face it. The reality is that we ALL will hit stalls in our journeys. Whether it is 1 day or 5 or 7. It happens. This is part of dieting that we have to accept. Our bodies have to take a break and re-adjust. The key is - what do you do when you stall? This is the question of the ages I guess. But probably one of the hardest that those who are actively dieting have the hardest time with.

In the past... if I would hit a stall I would eventually give up and quit my diet. But why? Did I feel it wasn't working for me anymore? If a stall is inevitable at one point or another then why did I give up? Handling a stall is really a 2 part process as far as I can see.

1) It is the opportunity to re-evaluate what I am doing. Have I changed anything in the last week that could be cause for upset within my losing process? Many times I would be able to look back over my food diary and pinpoint where I had changed things up which in turn caused my loss speed to slow down. This is how I learned some very important lessons about not messing with what works!

2) A choice has to be made between 2 REAL FACTS. I can do one of 2 things. That's it. No other options! I can either stick to my plan, or I can go off of it and give up. WHAT?! Give up is an option? It is the only other option. You either stick to your program or you don't. It's that simple. So then you have to determine what happens with each option.

As far as I can see that part is simple too. If you stick to your program you WILL lose again. You cannot sustain a low cal/carb/fat diet and NOT lose. It's simple math! If you need to maintain 3500 calories to maintain 1 lbs and you are consuming less than that, then you will lose! If you go off of your program.... you will gain. Period. End of story. Most people when they go off of plan due to a stall simply return to their previous eating habits. It was these eating habits that got us fat in the first place, so what is the point of returning to them?

We then complain that this plan or that one didn't work for us because WE made the choice to go off. This is the crucial time when really we need to buckle down, re-evaluate and if it truly is a stall, get tough. Show your body that you WILL NOT give in to it's pitiful cries for comfort foods. You know what is best for you.. not those fat cells that are withering away - screaming the whole time.... "I'm melting... I'm melting" OK Wicked Witch fat... it's your time... now scoot!

Membership Explosion! and Inspiration

Well it's been 2 full weeks since the magazine debut. And what a time it has been. I never in my wildest dreams expected such an incredible response. I guess in my head I knew that millions of people would be reading about the program and seeing my face every time the went to the grocery store, but it never really sunk in until I saw the membership at Kimkins EXPLODE!! Holy Cow! Our cozy little community jumped from around 3000 in membership to over 24000!!! That's over 21K new members in the last 2 weeks!

I have received countless emails and notes informing me that they have joined because they found my story in the magazine inspirational. Each one special and touching in their own way. Every day I sit in amazement reading my messages and emails in awe. Can it really be true that the Lord has used me to touch so many? And how many more will still find inspiration in my story? Well, I'm here to say, if anything, these people have inspired me.

Part of what makes maintenance so hard I think is not seeing the scale going down every day. When we get into the losing mode, sometimes it's hard to watch the scale remain still and realize that it is perfectly normal for it to stay that way. Even fluxuate up and down 5 pounds or so. It can be an emotional roller-coaster. I find it very difficult sometimes not to want to see the scale shooting back down.. but I know in my heart that I am where I need to be so it doesn't need to go any further.

This is why I LOVE the Kimkins community. I posted on Friday that I was feeling down because my weight had fluxuated up due to being out of town at my sister's wedding. I am so touched that the supportive response that I got back from all my Kimkins friends.

In February of next year we will be cruising to Cozumel, Mexico! Please stop by and read all about it. I am so flattered that she has asked me to come along to help and even speak a little to our friends that attend with us. I'd love to meet you too so please come by, check it out, and sign up! It promises to be such a good time and I know personally for me, I cannot WAIT to meet some of these fantastic people that I have grown to know and love through this program.


Editor's Note: Please note that the Kimkins Diet has been proven to be a dangerous Very Low Calorie Diet. Please see my article HERE for further information regarding new developments about this program and my decision to step away.

Making Waves - Radio Waves that is!!!

I was contacted this evening by a radio talk show in Springfield Illinois. The host had read the article and wants to speak with me on a live radio interview tomorrow morning (6/4) at 10:10AM Central time (11:10 eastern, 8:10 Pacific and 9:10 mountain). I am so excited about this opportunity. The Lord is so good to me! I would love to have all my fellow Low Carb fans join me and listen in! The interview will be broadcast live over streaming audio so log on to hear it!!!!

The website is: www.wmay.com and just click on the listen live link at the top!!!

Wish me luck!!!!

I'M ON THE COVER OF A NATIONAL MAGAZINE!!!!!

I know that in my post a month or so ago I said that the entire process was sureal... but man oh man....

I received my pre-copy of Woman's World today and there grinning back at me with the biggest smile was.... ME!!!!

I still can't believe that I am on the cover of a NATIONAL magazine! Here is a preview of the cover (and yeah... you'll have to buy it to read the whole article). But thanks again to everyone that made this a reality. I never knew such a thing was even ever a possibility for me.

I give you.... Woman's World:




Editor's Note: Please note that the Kimkins Diet has been proven to be a dangerous Very Low Calorie Diet. Please see my article HERE for further information regarding new developments about this program and my decision to step away.

Book Review - The Thin Commandments (PART 1)

I've been saying for quite some time that I was going to begin writing about the book I've been reading "The Thin Commandments" by Dr Stephen Gullo. So here we go. This book is one of the most powerful that I have read regarding the psychology behind permanent weight loss. As I've been reading I have had the reaction over and over and over... "well duh!! NO WONDER I HAD TROUBLE!" In reading this book I have come to learn so much about myself, my eating habits, my ups and downs, and how to conquer the self-defeating habits that have plagued me for almost 30 years!!! Paring what I have learned throught my weight loss program and this book, I know that I will have success in my maintenance.

In the book Dr Gullo goes over 10 steps he says are key to overcoming the battle of the bulge. I will cover one commandement a post and insert my own experiences and thoughts as I learn.

The First Thin Commandment: Strategy Is Stronger Than Willpower

I cannot tell you how many times this has been my downfall. The old adage, those who fail to plan, plan to fail really is true. What I never realized is that it wasn't a lack of willpower like I'd accused myself of so many times, but a lack of strategy! WOW!!! I'm not a weak person afterall! Just an unprepared one! ;) LOL How often have you been sitting at home in the evening, watching TV or doing your evening routine and gotten the dreaded "munchies." For me, this was (is) a common occurance! The reason that we have such a hard time when those episodes hit is that we have failed to plan exactly what we are going to do when they come. It will inevitably arrive. You will get hungry, you will be tempted and you will get the cravings. But the key is what you do when those moments arrive.

By developing a planned out strategy for those times you can know exactly what to do and where to go with those cravings without stressing about caving or giving in to the craving! What a load off! "The realm of food is not a big world, but a small village." It is finite. We know what those foods that we crave taste like, we also know that it just doesn't work for us. The same scenarios will continue to come up over and over, but what the difference is THIS TIME is you know better, and have developed a strategy to overcome! "...successful weight control is not about doing what is 'normal' - it's about doing what works for you. You should not be concerned about the norm - that's the preoccupation of the insecure - but about what brings you the success you deserve."

There are a few points that Dr Gullo goes over that are key to developing your strategy (I will expound on these points in later installments.... stay tuned!!):

Food History - You have your own personal patterns that you have developed over your lifetime in regards to your own trigger foods. By recognizing what your triggers are and honoring your past food history, you can develop your own personalized plan in how to deal with those foods when the temptation arises.

Food Desensitizing - Techniques that defuse cravings are a powerful tool in order to develop and maintain a strategy.

Breaking through food "baby talk" - whooo boy. I could take an entire post to talk about this one. In childhood we learned unknowingly already how to talk down to ourselves and self-defeat when it comes to food. "I've been so good... I deserve it... But it's not fair... It's my treat..." Yadda, yadda, yadda.... can you hear the whining??? I love this quote from the book "Where food is concerned, even the most mature adults often act like children - like children who want their way no matter what, blocking out the negative consequences of their eating." Come to think of it... I will dedicate an entire post to this because this is so vital in my mind and one of the key reasons that people fail to keep the weight off once they reach goal.

Containment- There is a fantastic technique that I'll talk about later that will help us turn mess ups into learning experiences so we never again have to face the "I blew it" guilt.

There are so many other good points in this one chapter - my book is turning colors from all the highlighting that I'm doing!

I'll be going over so many other points that I don't have time to go into today, but I believe this is going to be a fascinating topic to continue ongoing discussion about. I'd like to leave with this last thought.... Thin is a lifestyle, not some arbitrary number on a scale. We must remember that even though we lose the weight, we never lose the vulnerability to those foods. Sooooo work on your strategy to overcome! Remember, you don't lack willpower, just planning!