Close Kept Secrets to Weight Loss

Lesson #8

Life is extraordinary filled with wonderful people to show up to teach us things. Mitzi, a special friend from high school, sent me a book, The Game of Life and How to Play It, when I was struggling with a sickness years ago. The author speaks about the law of attraction, which I have written about previously. In addition, she writes, “No man is your enemy, no man is your friend, every man is your teacher.” When you look at life this way, it becomes so simple. Rather than be offended by what a person is saying to you, think a new thought. What is this person teaching me? What can I learn from this person? This book changed my life as it showed me how I could change my thoughts. I had always functioned from a foundation of worry and fear. Worry and fear are lower vibrational energies and then I attracted lower energies. Today, I see things entirely different as a result of changing my thoughts, and am so grateful for this transformation. I am now attracting higher vibrational energies and am amazed who is showing up for me!

What I would like you to do is write down the top five people in your life. Don’t try and analyze this—just write down those people that first pop into your mind. Now, write down the lessons they are teaching you. This might be a challenge if there is conflict with any of them. I once read that your true soul mates are the people who challenge you to be better.

You have been given many great gifts. You are to share your talents with the world. By remaining stuck in your weight issues, you are ripping off the world of what you came to this earth to do. Recently, I worked with a personal coach who said these exact words to me….that if I wasn’t sharing my talents, I was ripping off the world of all that God intended for me. This really made a powerful impact. Everything you are today is because of your thoughts and your decisions that you have made as a result of those thoughts. In the book, If You Think You Can, the word decision comes from the Latin root meaning “to cut off from.” “There comes a time in every person’s life when making a decision is truly necessary. A decision where you thought so deeply in what you want that there is no option for turning back.”

Make the decision today to gain your power back and lose the weight. The answers are within you. Keep focused on your goal. Surround yourself with people who will support your decision and release those who won’t. Give up the lifestyle that supported your weight gain. See the weight as a gift to you so that you will be conscious in becoming all you can be. We all get off track and the weight becomes a reminder that you want something different, something more meaningful. Again, it’s very simple. To quote Wayne Dyer, “Surround yourself with the conditions you want to produce.”

Who are the people you are going to surround yourself?

Who are the people you are going to have limited contact?

Who are the people you are going to let go?

Just to let you know what is coming up in January. I’ll be offering a teleconference call to help you outline your goals for 2005. The only cost to you is the price of the phone call. I’m so excited to be able to talk to you—I’m shakin’ my booty right now in anticipation.

Remember that you are already whole and complete just as God created you. You’re peeling back the layers to discover the beauty that already exists—you only need to see it. Quick, grab a mirror or go stand in front of the mirror and repeat after me. Put energy into these words and smile while you’re saying them.

I am the most beautiful person on this earth!

I am a wonderful child of God!

I am powerful!

I am God’s gift to the world!

I am my ideal weight!

I love myself!

Thank you for being you!

Love and hugs,

This article gives pertinent information about Dukan Diet and its side-effects

mediaimage
Pierre Dukan, a French doctor and nutritionist, challenged with the case of obesity started to look for alternative ways in curing the illness. After 20 years of thorough research he published in the year 2000, a book called, “Je ne sais pas maigrir” or translated as, “I don’t know how to get slimmer.” It gained the best-seller in France after a year it has been published.
It was made a hit in UK when Kate Middleton, now the duchess of Cambridge, tried the Dukan Diet before her marriage to the beloved Prince William, she reportedly claimed a loss of two dress sizes. It also allegedly claimed to help five million French. The book is also gaining fame in the US in the year 2011 when actress/singer, Jennifer Lopez, lost pounds after her pregnancy by following this diet.
Dukan Diet: What is it? How does this work?
Dukan Diet is similar to the famous Atkins diet. Atkins and Dukan are much alike in terms of non-intake of carbs initially and do not require portion control or counting calorie consumptions. In Atkins, it requires net carbohydrate intakes and unlike Dukan, it suggests a daily intake of oats, increase water consumption and 20 minutes of everyday brisk walking. Dukan Diet adopts four phases namely: Attack, Cruise, Consolidation and Stabilization.
Four Phases of the Dukan Diet
Attack: In this starter phase, the dieter is only allowed take protein rich foods that are exquisitely low in fat. Dr. Dukan provided 72-item list of foods to be eaten, it excludes pork, lamb, poultry products and cheeses. Food should always be cooked but without adding any fat to it, it best to cook in grilling or roasting. It also requires you to eat 1 ½ tbsp. oat bran & 1.5 liters of water per day. This phase should be followed around 2-7 days or more. Results from this initial phase within 5 days may result in 4-7 lbs. loss. This phase promotes quick loss of weight since it is strictly based on a protein-only diet.
Cruise: Cruise, the second to the fourth phase of the Dukan diet scheme. During this phase dieters who were only allowed to eat protein-only foods can now alternate a 28-items of non-starchy vegetables. They may take attack phase diet for today and take non-starchy veggie diet for tomorrow, and so this phase must go on by alternating these two types of diet each day. This phase may last long enough as much as you want by reaching your desired weight and assuring 2 pounds per week loss.
Consolidation: As one achieves the desired weight, one has to go the next phase called Consolidation, this is the maintenance phase of this diet scheme where you have to prevent putting back excess pounds. The plan in this phase is less strict compared to the first two phases. During this phase you are permitted to eat protein-only and veggie diet along with a piece of low-sugar fruit, 2 slices of whole grain bread and a portion of hard cheese. In this phase you are allowed to have 1-2 serving of starchy foods and one celebration meal per week. The phase of consolidation does not expect to loss off pounds but rather it is steadily the maintenance process.
Stabilization: Stabilization is the final phase and a life-long phase of the diet scheme. In here maintenance of the life-changing diet may be a challenging and tempting. During this portion of the scheme, one is already permitted to allow any food intake that a person wants and by also sticking to the diet rule in the consolidation phase. As Pierre Dukan suggest, that staying on the phase 1 rule once a week and eat whatever you like for the rest of the week lowers the chances of regaining weight.
Pros and Cons of Dukan Diet
Pros: The fast results of this diet scheme is beneficially rewarding and motivating. It allows you to have protein and veggie meal plan diets and does not require you to count off your calorie intakes.
Cons: It is highly restrictive and can exclude healthy foods. Dieters can experience side-effects such as symptoms of headaches, nausea, lethargy, irritable and loss of concentration. Dieters may acquire halitosis (bad breath), metallic tasting mouth and strong smell in their urines. For those people who have problems with their kidneys and liver are not advised to follow this diet plan. It is not also recommended for pregnant and nursing mothers.

Views and Opinions by Health Experts on the Dukan Diet
There are lots of critics in this diet plan. Due to the restrictive type scheme of this diet, some fruits, grains and nuts which are healthy and have high amounts of vitamins and minerals that are vital to the nutrition of the body are eliminated. Keri Gans of American Dietetic Association, said that the lost amount of multivitamins that should be acquired from those restricted foods are not compensated in the Dukan diet. Experts have also criticized that experiencing such side-effects may not be healthy at all.

If you’re on the chubby side, you’re likely to have mixed feelings about the endless round of partying that characterizes the holiday season. While you enjoy the food and the company, the thought of all the extra pounds you’re putting on is almost enough to make you lose your appetite. The most you can do is promise yourself to go on a diet as one of your New Year’s resolutions. Well, here’s one diet that is easy to follow.
Here’s the first step: Make a list of the food you normally eat on a regular basis, including weekends. Be honest – if you have ice cream every day, put it in there. The list should be what you typically eat. Get a food calculator or log on to a website that can give you the calorie content of practically every kind of food, and add up the calories. Seeing in black and white the quantity and quality of what you have been feeding yourself, you’ll get a clear picture of why you have been packing the pounds. You have to face up to the fact that you will only gain more and more weight if you continue eating the way you do.
Next, get rid of all fatty and sugary foods you have in the house – chocolates, junk foods, etc. Why leave yourself open to temptation? You may have to ask your spouse or significant other to cooperate by not bringing such kinds of food into the house.
The point has been belabored enough: you gain weight when you consume more calories than you burn. But even more important than reducing food intake is eating the right kinds of food. Your new diet should consist mainly of fresh fruits and vegetables, starchy foods, and just a little fat. Natural simple carbohydrates, also called sugars, are the best carbs to include in the diet if you’re trying to lose weight. These are found mainly in fruits: apples, oranges, grapefruit, melon, peach, kiwi, blackberries, etc. You can eat as much fruits and veggies as you like because they are low in calories. Stick to a basic salad of fresh greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, or some other veggies drizzled with a little olive oil.
Starches, also called complex carbohydrates, take the body longer to break down. This results in a slower and more sustained release of energy. Taken in their natural form, complex carbs contribute to appetite control and long-term good health.
Plain oatmeal with skimmed milk is an excellent choice for breakfast. If you find that bland or unappetizing, flavor it with some cinnamon. Boiled or poached egg is good too. No more bacon, ham, sausage, and other fatty and processed meat products. Instead, opt for healthy sources of protein: fish, yogurt, beans, lentils, chicken or turkey, etc. As for fast foods, they’re an absolute no-no. You should also give up your coffee habit. This could be quite a tall order, so do it gradually. And if you’d been adding sugar and creamer, skip those extra calories by drinking coffee black.
The good news is that with this diet plan, exercise is optional; you’ll still lose weight with this plan. Of course, you’ll lose weight faster if you exercise. Just follow the diet plan and walk for 30 minutes a day. The results will amaze you!