Tips. The Get Skinny Kind.

Because little tips are just the kind of direction you are looking for…

Here are 5 Get Skinny tips for your weight loss pleasure.

1. Don’t diet. The longer that you diet, the tighter your body clings to your extra weight. This makes losing weight incrediblydifficult (which is why you’re reading this and not thin from that last diet you tried). You’re body still thinks that you live in a cave, so restricting your food and increasing physical exercise (i.e., going on a diet) triggers your body’s ancient survival instincts to keep weight on at all costs. This helped your ancestors survive when food was scarce, but little does your body know that you’re living in the world’s fattest nation and simply trying to squeeze into smaller pants.

2. Follow your appetite. Instead of dieting, eat only when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full and you will lose any extra weight. The key is to eat when you just begin to feel hungry and stop eating when you’re lightly full. This is how “naturally thin” people eat. With frequent fuelings, your cave-dwelling body is satisfied that there is no threat of famine or predator, and it will happily release your extra pounds.

3. Feelings are not for eating. There’s never a good reason to eat when you’re not experiencing hunger. When you’re torso deep in the refrigerator and don’t know how you got there — but the chocolate pudding has mysteriously disappeared — the culprit is usually your feelings. Overeating is a great distraction from your stress, loneliness or any other uncomfortable emotion. But if you want to lose weight, feel your feelings instead of eating through them. Put down that pudding spoon — no emotion is so awful that it’s worth a lifetime of weight struggle.

4. Eat foods that you love every day — seriously. I lied in #2 — there is one time when you can eat when you’re not hungry. Because making any food “off limits” leads to pigging out (remember the chocolate pudding incident?), don’t deprive yourself of foods that you love. Instead, make 10% of what you eat each day food that you truly enjoy, whether or not you’re hungry at the time. The only rule is that you must enjoy every bite, and stop eating the second you stop enjoying (or your 10% is up — whatever comes first).

5. Do the bare minimum. There’s a name for people who exercise strenuously 5 to 6 times per week — it’s “injured.” Skip the boot camps and create a weekly exercise baseline that you can keep no matter what is going on in your life.  My baseline is moderate exercise for 30 minutes, 3 times per week. I often do more than that, but I never do less. Commit to doing your baseline, and you’ll stay trim and toned all year-round.

Tuesday Styles: Change your style, you change your life.

On Tuesdays, I talk about style. Because, seriously, it’s SUCH an accessible way for us to make significant improvement in our lives.

• By “significant improvements” I mean stuff like, you can feel happier, have good things happening and change your relationships all of it just by tinkering with with your forgotten little style nodule.

(And when I am talking about your “style“, I mean what you’re wearing, what your digs look like, how your work space is looking…)

It’s your style! It matters.

I said some things the other day. (I meant them.)

Not to be all Stacy on What Not to Wear,* but what you wear is an expression of who you are to other people and, MORE IMPORTANTLY, to yourself.

*because she’s kind of a bitch on that show

You may shave your head or have pink hair.

You may want to wear all black and put a duck on your shoulder. It all sends a message, to YOU and to the big, bodacious world.

Because how you express yourself (outwardly, through your style) is a microcosm of how you live and what you believe you deserve to have.

Kind of heavy, but, it’s true. So true!

It’s LIFE OR DEATH!

Well, not exactly that. (there’s no death)

• But you cannot change your life without changing your style, and vice versa.

Your style is a powerful metaphor for your life. In the words of ye old Martha Beck who studies (in her words — I love this) “how to cope, how to be happy and how to manifest your purpose” (and trained me to teach you how to do those things), and who also has a schmancy Harvard PhD in sociology :

Every time you make a choice about which objects you bring into your space, where to put them, or whether to remove them, you’re following psychological directives that also shape every other aspect of your life. If you feel overwhelmed by tasks and people, your home will be overcrowded with objects. If you care more about your children than about yourself, you’ll take better care of their space than you do of your own.  If you have a lot of secrets the physical manifestation of those secrets will be stowed — usually in a grubby, hidden or suffocating bundle — somewhere in your house.

Holy smokes, Dr. Martha. I feel like you’ve been to my house, and can read my mind.

But, Dr. M, why does changing my space — like, cleaning out the crap I have hidden behind my bedroom door, say – change my life?

It’s because of BUTTERFLIES.

OH!

Wait — huh?

No, wait — it’s because of the Butterfly Effect.

Huh?

You know, the Butterfly Effect, which you may know as a movie you didn’t bother seeing with Ashton Kutcher in it, but is actually a concept, based on a story written wayyyyy back in 1952 (which is why you’ve never read it).

A man goes back to the age of the dinosaurs, and steps on a butterfly. He returns to the future, and insects (not people) rule the modern world. This small change, extrapolated over eons, makes an enormous change.

If you start to pay attention, you’ll find that if you make a change to your style, or your living space, however small, it will send you down a slightly different path that you can’t see at first, but puts you in a VERY different place in the future.

Like an orange wall and a cactus.

I believe my decision not to marry this not-right-for-me person years ago is because I changed HIS living space (where I spent most of my time).

We were talking marriage and thinking dates.  Heavy.

Then, as a “fun surprise”, I painted one of his enormous walls bright orange and bought him a cactus while he was out one day (I’m a very fast painter).

With the apartment so happy, I could see, after about 3 months of the slightly different path, that we were… not. And, I picked up by bucket and paint brush and found a new wall to paint.

And that wall got me onto the slightly different path that leads to this career! (But that’s another story for another post.)

There’s also the awesome action component.

To make a small change, you have to take a small action. And that action is empowering — because that action is really what puts you on the new and better path.

And that new and better path changes your life. Which means, you just proved to yourself you can change your life with your actions.

Rock on.

And the change your patterns component.

If your space is different or you present yourself in a different way, it changes your patterns throughout the day, ever so slightly.

Your patterns shifting means they shift throughout your life… and who knows how many lives you touch with that!

The bottom line is that little tiny visual changes make big, lasting improvements in your existence. They feel good when you do them, they don’t take much effort at the time and you get to enjoy the fruits of a changed loom.

Um, life.

In the comments, please tell me:

– if you’ve every changed your home or style in any way that’s affected your life;

– did you see The Butterfly Effect, the movie, and was it like the book;

– something about your current style — good, bad or… edible. Or something.

Last spot! And it’s going, going….

Just in case you’ve been debating about whether or not to take the Last Weight Loss Class You’ll ever need…

Rest easy knowing that TOMORROW, you’ll start the end your weight loss struggle and preoccupation with food.

THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE. (How dramatic.)

But, seriously, there is one spot left, and it will most likely get filled by the end of the work day. Snap it up now, and you’ll learn how to eat only when you’re hungry, enjoy food, and stop struggling with your weight for good.

The class is going to be awesome. It’s based on (1) what worked for me, (2) a clinically proven program and (3) the work of a couple other ridiculously cool and normal colleagues of mine.

(Later you feel like the class ends up not being your thing, you can get a full refund — because I know how it feels to buy something and it’s not really right for you.  It’s a win-win for you!)

It’s Tuesdays @ 7pm EST February 23 to March 30. You dial in from anywhere you are in the world. If you miss a class, it’s no biggie. Classes are recorded and emailed to you. Because — stuff comes up sometimes!

So read all about it. Then, sign up HERE! SOLD OUT!

Sign up here for the stellar waiting list for the next class (and you’ll also get SNEAKY, sneaky discounts on it)

Who knows when I’ll do this class again, and summer is coming! (I know, the summer thing is a cheap shot… but, brother, if you’re anything like me, summer coming matters.)

Come join me, and lose weight for the last time.

Your power is in your intention (you always have one!)

There’s this thing that you have. You may not know that you have it — I certainly didn’t know it existed until 2004.

This thing that you have is the culprit for all of the stuff in your life.

This thing is called your intention.

The first time I heard that behind everything I do and every decision that I make, I had an intention, it kind of blew my mind — especially when I was told that I can consciously set my intention and that will get me what I want.

I remember sitting on my couch in my apartment in Austin, Texas. I was watching Oprah. She was talking to Gary Zukav about his book, The Seat of the Soul.*

*I bought and read this book after this show, and after my waxing lady also recommended it a few weeks later… I seriously thought it was totally nuts at the time — like, creepy and crazy. I couldn’t finish it. I reread it a few years ago, and it’s seriously now one of my favorite books.

Oprah said (and, I paraphrase):

You write a lot about intention. I learned from you that I always have an intention. Every time my staff and I decide to do something on the show, I ask them, ‘What is our intention in having this guest on the show or focusing on this topic?’ Our intention behind every choice needs to be the right intention, otherwise we don’t do it.

This concept, intention, just jumped up and grabbed me at that moment, even though I had a hard time deciphering what my intentions were in… anything. I thought, okay, I’m going to try this out. What was my intention in going to law school?

I couldn’t answer that question. I had no idea what my intention was in going to law school, in taking a job in New York, in dating my boyfriend — anything.

Now, after having intention explained to me 6 different ways till Sunday and letting my brain hurt as I wrap my mind around the idea, I can tell you what my intention is — and confirm that my intentions created my result.

• My intention in going to law school: To put off admitting to myself that what I really wanted to do (basically, this) and develop a skill that had an existing marketplace where I could sell it.
  [RESULT: I put off the soul search that brought me here, and I easily found a job (those were different times... )]

That may all make total sense to you, or you may feel really confused (if you’re like me).

But, not to worry! I’ve thought up two more ways to explain this that and show you how to identify your intention — and then, how to choose it. .

Because the problem with the concept of intention is that it’s really fluffy. Intention is a very abstract idea that is hard to understand, and often misunderstood.

But, because your intention is a very, very powerful, way to create exactly what you want, try to stay with me here. Maybe it’s easy for you to grasp this idea right off of the bat, but I found that it’s an idea that I had to digest for a while before I “got” it.

Then, it took some effort to be able to identify what my own intention was behind the stuff I would do.

EASY EXPLANATION #1: Your intention is like the muscles in your body.

(I was going to say, “your intention is like your pancreas,” until I realized I don’t really know what the pancreas does…? Something with sugar in your body, maybe?)

Your body is covered in muscles — it always has been. Your muscles enable you to walk, stand, run and make feeble efforts at dancing (whatever, I think you’re an awesome hip hop dancer).

But, you didn’t always know about your muscles. Even though they’ve been working for you since you were born, you didn’t always know that there were thingies that were making all of that movement.

When you learned to walk, you didn’t know your ABC’s, let alone human biology, but you not knowing that it was your leg muscles causing you to take that first step didn’t change the fact that it was your leg muscles that picked up one magnificent, velcro kitten sneaker and put back down onto the carpet, safe and sound.

Now that you move all over the place, you can even choose which muscles you want to use to do stuff. You can walk starting with your right leg (using your right leg muscles) or step with your left leg first (using your left leg muscles).

You can be even more selective than that about which muscles you use. If you’re very aware of your own body, you can stand up initiating with the back of your legs (your hamstrings) or initiating with the front of your legs (your quads).

You can make the exact same movement (standing up), but using different muscles depending on which ones you choose.

Not everyone has that high degree of body awareness. It takes time to be able to feel what muscles you use and become aware of what muscles are making what movements.

It’s a sophisticated level of self-awareness to be in touch with your body this way, and it takes time and effort to be able to get in touch with yourself in this way (it’s worth it).

Your muscles are like your intention. Even if you’re not aware that you have them, they are still doing their jobs. But, when you become aware that they are there, and can identify them, you now have the power to choose which ones to use to get the results you want to get.

So, just like your muscles have always been making your movements, your intention has always been making the results of your decisions.

You don’t have to be aware of your intention or your muscles for them to be there and do their jobs — they are both just a part of you whether or not you are aware of it.

And, just like with your muscles, you can put effort and focus into becoming aware of what your intention is behind a decision. And, eventually, you can readily identify exactly what your intention is or what muscle you’re using, and ultimately, choose the intention/muscle you want to use.

EASY EXPLANATION #2: Here’s a nifty formula.

Maybe you’re thinking, I am loving how much this makes sense! But, if you’re like me, you’re probably looking quizzically at your computer screen with zero light bulbs flicking on, and about ready to quit this brain teaser of a blog post.

Don’t sweat it. Here’s the second way to think about what intention is:

Decision (with intention) = result

That formula is saying that your decision, coupled with your intention, produces the result that you get.

I’ll fill in a decision that I made this morning, and the result that I got, and then we’ll deduce my intention from that.

Formula: Decision (with intention) = result

Dance cardio with Tracy Anderson (intention?) = Thankful and energized for the day.

I’m aware of my intentions behind my actions at this point, so I can easily tell you what my intention was — to give myself a fun way to keep my heart healthy. What we have is this:

Formula: Decision (with intention) = result

Dance cardio with Tracy Anderson (intention: to give myself a fun way to keep my heart healthy) = Thankful and energized for the day.

But what if, instead, my intention had been, to burn as many calories as possible to lose weight?

That same decision, but with a different intention, produces a different result.

Formula: Decision (with intention) = result

Dance cardio with Tracy Anderson (intention: to burn as many calories as possible to lose weight) = Tired, depleted.

Does that make sense? We just saw:

1. I can make the SAME decision, couple it with a DIFFERENT intention, and get a DIFFERENT result altogether, and
2. When trying to figure out your intention could be, you can plug in your decision and the result into the equation, mull it over, and figure out what your intention was that brought about the result.

An example of #1 is like when you eat a sandwich with the intention to fill your empty belly, versus when you eat a sandwich because you’re mad at your stupid boss and looking for a distraction.  The result (either feeling satisfied and ready to hit road, OR mad at yourself and totally distracted) is different depending on what your intention was.

Look at results that you’re not happy with in your life, trace it back to your intention (real culprit for results!)

Are you happy with your weight? With your career? With your relationships? With your mental health?

If not, these are results that you can input along with the decision that you made, and trace back to your intention — because it’s the REAL culprit behind the results you’re living with.

For example, let’s say that you’re in a job you are miserable doing.

Take this job (intention?) = Utter misery in stupid job.

Ask yourself, why did you decided to take this job? Let’s just say it was because it would make your parents proud and it was prestigious. That was your intention behind taking the job.

Take this job (make parents proud and impress other people) = Utter misery in stupid job.

This is very, very interesting and useful information to see. You have just learned that when your intention, or reason, behind a decision is to make other people happy and impress other people, you will be miserable. Wow.

Your intention always, always, always is the real culprit behind the results you’re getting.

Intention can’t NOT work.

In the words of Creativity coach Christine Kane, intention can’t NOT work. It always produces the results you get.

This means that when you:

1. become conscious of your intentions, and
2. choose your intentions,

you are consciously creating results.

I have to say, even though this has been 100% true in my life, I’m STILL skeptical! It just sounds too magical or something.

Like, really, I can just set my intention and no matter what else happens in the world, it will manifest into exactly what it is set to?

Doesn’t that just sound like it has to be wrong?

And, yet, in my life, this has always been proven true.

And, it happens faster when you remind yourself of the intention you chose a lot. Like, every day.

Here’s an intention-creation experiment for you to play with, if you dare.

• First, think about something you really, really want in your life. (find work you love? find joy? be in a healthy relationship?) Reach for the stars here, and don’t be scared to be specific.**

** Mine currently is, “Create a thriving life — booming business, healthy and honest relationships, in a house with a gorgeous garden in the back, minutes from my contemporary office space filled with many intelligent, lovely employees and full of delicious dinners and cooking and laughter”. A mouthful! And every time I read my intention, I fall in love with it all over again.

• Now, write it down on post-it or notecard. Go on — do it now, because your day will get busy and you’ll forget and never really do this. It’s really, really worth doing.
• Finally, put it on your bathroom mirror, and every morning when you get up, say it out loud.

You’re going to feel extremely uncool doing this last step. But, you can either be cool or you can get what you really, really want.

Wherever you are with this idea right now — understand what intention is or totally baffled by whatever the hell I’m trying to explain (because you don’t know what it is) — is the perfect place for you to be. I know that much for sure.

And, you can write out your intention, in the intention-creation experiment, even if you don’t exactly get what I’m talking about.

Play with this whole intention idea, mull it over. You may not have heard it from the Oprah, like I did, but now you’ve heard it… and you can’t un-ring that bell. I suspect some very weird stuff may start happening in your life – weird-good (well, that is, depending on your intention).

2 spots left! End the annoying fixation on losing weight (and actually BE SKINNY)

Tuesdays @ 7pm EST, from February 23 to March 30

The last weight loss class you’ll ever need is almost sold out! Again!

And, the discounted price ($169) ends tonight (then, it’s $199). Sign up now, before it’s sold out.

Also: I love this teaching class.

I love the results people get, I love that YOU love the results that you get.

The very, very short description of the class is that you learn how to eat when you’re hungry, stop when you’re full, and not really even have to think about it. The ultimate outcome is you being naturally thin and free to live your life.

The class for you if you’re sick of obsessing over what you’re eating and losing weight — and still not losing weight and keeping it off.

Anyway, you can read more about it here – I really just wanted to tell you that the class starts a week from tomorrow, and there are only 2 spots left — AND, the discount ends tonight!!!

I absolutely believe in you – you can be at your naturally thin weight and be free from obsessing over thinness and food.

Come join the class. If it ends up not really being your thing, you can always get a refund (see ridiculously sincere guarantee by scrolling down).

Got any last minute questions? Leave them in the comments! I’ll respond ASAP.

Happy Tuesday, tiger.

Tuesday Styles #8: 10 ways to change your mood (by changing your look)

It’s Tuesday! And you’re here because you know that your style matters.

• We have a ritual of checking in with what we are wearing (and why), and what’s going on with our living and work digs because it tells us something about what’s going on with us –
• and, THEN, we can then feel better INSTANTLY by making some little changes to our wardrobe or our bedding or whatever.

Instant gratification! Hip hip hooray.

10 ways to change your mood by changing your LOOK.

You may be thinking, “Uh, I have a look??”

The answer is: yes, darling. You definitely have a look. And changing how you present yourself can make you feel good.

(more…)

Friday. #13: Get SHUCKED UP edition.

It’s that time of the week! Our checking in ritual.

Check out the explanatory metaphor about why we do rituals here.

And also, the hard stuff is the raw material for the cool stuff that happens in our lives. It’s annoying, but true. So, here, we attempt to not ignore the hard stuff, because that would mean a lot less cool stuff coming through.

So, we talk about it. And, think about it. And sometimes we even do something about it (but, we never have to).

Hard stuff.

This week I had not that much hard stuff, which is weird because February is usually a walking-through-quicksand hard month (dark; cold; Hallmark holiday). How refreshing!

Sometimes, not really being in control of anything (ever) feels hard.

Because we, none of us, are really in control of our lives. Sometimes this feels like a scary thought, that you’re not really in control of your career or where you end up. In a sense you are in control, because you can choose what you want in your life, and if you reallllllly mean it, that will happen — but in a much bigger sense, anything could happen, and that’s something you don’t get a say in.

Like how everyone at Lehman Bros. thought they had very safe, boring jobs until they were all fired. Stuff like that.

It can be scary, UNTIL  you feel the relief of the fact that everything is not really up to you. There’s a flow to be gone with.

For instance: Doing what you love for a living is the ultimate “I’m not really in control” concession. Apparently, to succeed, you have to work really, really hard, but stay open to where the flow is.

It’s kind of like following a messy puppy that meanders around and doesn’t pay any attention to your itinerary for it.

You buy this soft, cozy dog bed for the puppy. But the puppy will not be sleeping there. Like when you plan for X to happen, and you try and try and try and it’s just not really happening! You throw up your hands! You shake your fist!

THEN, all of a sudden, angels come down from the heavens and something really cool happens that you never thought of.

It’s really cool to watch and that this is my life, but sometimes hard for me to stay loose with it and just allow it all to happen. You know what I mean?

I kind of need a place to live.

And I am not sure what this place will be like, where it will be located, or how I will find it (or how it will find me).

RED ALERT! New section.

Let’s peruse last week’s hard/cool stuff and see where we are at with some of it.

Creativity block. I had a major one last week about a program I thought I should do… but, somehow, another program happened from popular demand. So, that’s that! Works for me (for now).

Ultimate fighting! And, GOLF! Both waltzed into my life last week, both are awesome. Except, I somehow now have a GOLF COACH who wants me to go to the driving range 3 times a week. Officially, let’s make that 2 times, otherwise I’m not going to go at all.

Staying centered instead of REALLY EXCITED then. Withdrawn. I’m working on doing this, still. I think it might be the secret to the universe. I’ll let you know.

Cool stuff.

I am doing my oh-so-favorite class!!!

And, in just 2 days, it’s almost full!!! This class happened so organically.

Last summer, I noticed that people were telling me that I was “naturally thin” (soooooo not true). I thought,

I think my friends might like to hear how I worked through my food issues and preoccupations about weight and dropped down to my right size.

And, they did! And the info and interest has just grown from there. Read about it here.  You can be one of the last 3 to get in! I’d so love to have you.

• Because, I want you to be happy. That’s the whole point of my job, that I have learned how to work through stuff so that you’re on track, and happy.

Which means that you don’t need to obsess over losing weight to be thin (in fact, obsessing is what is keeping you from losing weight… SO ANNOYING, right?!)

I made a new friend!

She is awesome. I was kind of needing to make a no-nonsense friend like her.

She has three kids under the age of 4 and talks about how she doesn’t even like one of them (I love that!). She isn’t trying to pretend she has it all together.

And that reminds me…. I’ll tell you a little secret: NO ONE HAS IT ALL TOGETHER.

If they say they do, they are hiding something and lying to you.

Valentines Day is so much fun stupid.

I mean, I would NEVER like a dumb, made up holiday like that!*

*I’ve always secretly liked it. Something that I’m embarrassed to admit! I like getting flowers and jewelry and my favorite chocolate (it’s cote d’or). I want to be taken to dinner and be asked to be your Valentine.

I’m learning more about how to do the business side of this thing I do… very helpful.

I’ve felt kind of stuck on the, how, exactly, do I do things like regularly put out a Noosletter that is interesting and helpful for you?  I’m getting the hang of that more.

This is a real-life example of totally sucking at something, working on it for a year, and now being “mediocre”.

My goal for the next two months is to be “slightly above mediocre”. This is taking a lot of patience, which I wasn’t aware that I had. Also cool!

I’m going to the OysterFest, snow or shine.

Because their tag line is:

“are you read to get SHUCKED UP!”

(just like that, with ALL CAPS, and no question mark )

And that’s my cool stuff and hard stuff this week!

You are so welcome here anytime. I appreciate having you around (just been meaning to tell you).

In the comments:

• Tell me some hard things for you this week
• Tell me about the cool stuff, too.
• Throw out some awesomely terrible tag lines.

Have a great weekend! See you next week. Hugs and keeeeeses!

Don’t quit your job. Change your life.

You’re in a job. You get a paycheck to pay for the home that you go sit in after work.

But, you don’t know what else you should be doing.

It’s easy to fall asleep in your own life.

It’s easy to take what you have, and think, that’s all there is.

Because, you feel fine. Your life is fine.

But there are things that you love to do, that you’ve forgotten about.

(more…)

Guerilla Weight Loss Tactics (that work!)

Lose weight (even when nothing else is working).

You struggle with your weight. You’re conscious of calories and how you look…. but you haven’t lost weight without gaining it back.

Why can’t you go through each day without thinking about how much you’re eating or what you look like, and just BE a skinny person??

Guerilla what?

Guerilla weight loss! It’s a class on Tuesdays @ 7pm, from February 23 to March 30 (6 weeks) (keep reading to learn all about it, or go ahead and sign up here) SOLD OUT!

Sign up here for the stellar waiting list for the next class

(and you’ll also get SNEAKY, sneaky discounts on it)

It’s the perfect cure for any weight struggle: this class teaches you how to lose weight and drop the food and body obsessions.

This is how it works: you learn how to only eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full without thinking about calories or portions — at all.

The conventional wisdom about losing weight is to restrict food and increase your exercise. This will only keep you fat.

You know  this is true because you wouldn’t be interested in this class if conventional wisdom, a.k.a. the diet industry, actually worked for you.

I guess, theoretically, the “best” case scenario (if you can even call it that?) in following conventional wisdom is becoming fairly thin, but mentally obsessed with what you’re eating and how you look almost every waking moment… sure, you’re thin-ish, but living like that is as miserable as it is unnecessary. (It’s wholly unnecessary.)

Even the “best” case scenario doesn’t last (I know, depressing, but I’m just telling you the truth). Our bodies are biologically programed to survive. This means your body interprets a scarcity of food (even if self-imposed) and increased physical demands as a red alert to put on weight and keep it on.

Mother Nature will always win this battle of wills with you, eventually. She is relentless and tireless. It’s why you’re here: the generations of your family have survived hardships this way.

But, fear not! There’s a better way!

Why not be skinny and psychologically free, too?? Get the best of both worlds: Happy, worry-free and skinny thighs.  It’s the new triple threat!

What kind of weight loss class?

Guerilla weight loss, of course!  You know, “guerilla”…

As in: “Tactics that are precise, strategic and unexpected” (yeah, that’s my personal definition, but doesn’t it soundright?):

• Precise: Drop the useless diets that never worked anyway. You learn only the the precise tools you need to be at your natural weight, to eat only when you’re hungry, and to be free to enjoy the rest of your skinny-person life (yay!).
• Strategic: Use sneaky, sneaky tricks. You follow the right strategy to get your body on your side. When you and your body are on the same team, you work with it, not against it. In turn, it cooperates with you and does what you want (like, oh, lose weight).
• Unexpected: RELAX to lose weight. You do the exact opposite of what you’ve always done (restricted and monitored food, over-exercised) because, as anyone who is naturally thin knows, you only get thin (and stay thin) by NOT trying to be thin. So unexpected!

I will not tell you what or how much to eat, or how to exercise. What I will teach you is how to be naturally thin.

It looks something like this:

• Stage 1: Learn to reconnect to your body. This enables you to be able to actually hear it when it’s hungry and stop before you’re stuffed.
• Stage 2: Learn why you disconnected in the first place. As a baby, you were totally in tune with your body — you ate when you were hungry and stopped when you were full. Whether or not you realize it right now, there is a reason you disconnected, and working through this means learning better ways (than eating until you’re chubby) to deal with uncomfortable emotions and situations.
• Stage 3: Learn how to deal with common pitfalls. Late night eating, overeating when alone, eating too much without realizing it and more… it all gets covered so you successfully change your unhelpful eating patterns.

Side note: “guerilla” does NOT mean “war”.

This is guerilla tactics, NOT “guerilla warfare”.

Because declaring a war on yourself never works, and is basically what you’ve been doing all these years. It’s okay, we’ve all done it (because it’s essentially what every diet tells you to do).

You know the kind head-on assault I’m talking about: you attempt to beat yourself thin with boot camps, starvation and cleanses (so miserable; Also: only make you fatter).

Eventually, you surrender due to exhaustion, or total pie-eating freak out, and all you’ve lost is money, energy and all of the healthy bacteria in your colon.

Why guerilla weight loss changes everything.

Because, aside from never having to wear your fat pants again, re-learning how and when to eat reconnects you to yourself, and that gives you all of these useful things:

• tools to accomplish, for real, anything else your heart desires
• an introduction to your intuitive abilities

• ability to mentally focus on stuff, stress-free
• increased physical energy
• loads more self-confidence
• more dates (just sayin’)

• access to your sense of purpose on the planet
• “Aha!” moments of understanding yourself and your emotions

Honestly, losing weight is more like a side effect to all of that great stuff that comes to you when you learn to listen to your body.

And, why me?

I’ve worked with nice people like you before, and they have gotten excellent results, like losing 13 pounds in the first 3 weeks, losing weight and not gaining it back and and nipping tiny weight gain in the bud when it seems to be creeping up out of nowhere.

I’m trained and certified to do this kind of work. I’ve been coaching people through this since since 2008.

I use tactics that are clinically proven (and, annoyingly, not available to the public anywhere else yet).

• By “clinically proven” I mean that Emory University’s Department of Psychology conducted many, many trials of these tactics and exercises on real people, and most of those people lost weight as a result.
• And by “not available to the public” I mean that a friend of mine is one of the psychologists involved in developing these tactics and has given me permission to use it. Otherwise, their work is not (yet – it probably will be one day) available to the general public in any format.

I also utilize the work done by a very famous weight loss coach, Brooke Castillo, and her most cutting edge work introduced to a small group of people in January at a retreat in Phoenix.

Most importantly, I’ve been where you are, and successfully figured it out. I’ve lost weight and my worked through my food issues and my emotional issues around food. I just live my happy life without feeling bad about how I look or struggling with my weight.

And my students see awesome results from this work all of the time.

Get in this class!

Space is limited! There are only 7 spots left (at the time of this post 2/9/2010) there are 2 spots left, 2/15/09. sorry sorry sorry!

This class always sells out. I like to keep it small. That way, everyone gets my attention and has a good, quality, best-ever kind of experience.

And I’m not a pressure-er (I hate, hate, hate being pressured), I only tell you that it sells out quickly so that you know that you probably won’t be able to wait until the last minute to sign up — maybe that will work out, who knows, but in the past it’s sold out in just a few days.

So, if you’re interested, go ahead and sign up…

Because, if you hate it, you get your money back.

I know what it feels like to buy something and not end up liking it, so if you take this class and it does nothing for you, you get a full refund.

Seriously.

This is a no questions asked, and no hard feelings kind of refund. We’ll still be cool, you can hang out on the blogand be my friend on Facebook/Twitter.

Delicious details.

First, no matter where in the world you live, you can join the class. You dial in from wherever you have a telephone.

Second, it’s on Tuesdays @ 7pm, from February 23 to March 30 (6 weeks). If you miss a class, that’s ok, too — it’s all recorded.

You get:

• Six classes, 50-minutes, taught by me
• Open Q&A after every class
• Class recordings emailed to you within 24 hours to download to your iTunes/iPod
• Homework that gets you really good results
• Tidy, doable exercises that make what you need to do simple
• Worksheets and outlines to guide you through new concepts
• Group of people that is going through exactly what you are (hooray, your people have found you!)
• Weekly emails with an little extra oomph to keep you motivated between classes
• Email access to me, that is unlimited, for any questions or anytime you need extra support

That’s a lot, but if you or I think of more ways to help you along, you get those, too.

Six hours of my time, alone, would normally cost you at least $650. And that’s if I have time in my schedule for new clients, which (for February, at least) I don’t.

And, no one has ever gotten the super-cool clinically proven tips (that kind of makes them priceless). Plus, all of the support by me and others, and helpful feedback, and tried-and-true exercises that are all pretty crucial to succeed in changing your way of thinking and patterns so you will permanently lose weight.

Not to mention that all of the money you’ve spent on personal trainers, diet books, diet foods and nutritionists over the years totals much, much more than that, and the emotional pain, the mental anguish and disappointment you’ve endured. Weight struggles are brutal.

So, when it just costs you $199 to be naturally thin, it’s staggeringly affordable.

And it gets better — if you sign up by next Tuesday, February 16th, the class is just $169. (sorry, no longer available!)

Just $199!

That’s total — even including tax, materials and unlimited good will from me. (Another reason this class will fill up FAST).

Click HERE to grab your spot now! SOLD OUT!

Sign up here for the stellar waiting list for the next class

(and you’ll also get SNEAKY, sneaky discounts on it)

I fully believe in this work, it’s been true in my life and I’ve seen it work over and over again for my students and friends. Everything I offer is high quality and I only do work that I have done with myself, and seen work with others too.

I’m so excited to get started!

Talk to you oh-so-soon,

Laurie

P.S. — If you are thinking this class may be something you are interested in, it’s a good idea to sign up, it has always sold out, and if you end up not liking it, you can get your money back with no hard feelings (though, I admit that has never happened — people have been thrilled with the class, but it’s really okay if you end up not being as thrilled, it doesn’t make you weird).

P.P.S. — Final word (promise): If you sign up for this class now, you know that you’ll be on your way to losing weight in the month of February, and by March, who knows how far along you’ll be? And, again, if you hate it, you can always undo this whole transaction. That’s all! I’m done now!

The Banquet of Heros

The Banquet of Heros.

The Banquet of Heros: the people, stuff and things to do that are worth knowing about.

These are my Heros. I sifted through a TON of crappy things for business, for health and for fun to find them.  I don’t profit at all from this (other than feeling good having shared good things with you).

ENJOY!

• …WEB DESIGN

You must obey this rule: Use Intuitive Designs whenever you need any work on your website. Or need to create a website. Or need cool people in your life that are funny, down to earth and supportive.

And, not in a boring way.

Naomi Niles and Koldo Barroso are very talented, very good communicators to people who may not be so tech- or web-savvy (like moi) and very responsive. I’ve never met more patient and understanding people, too. And trustworthy. I truly cannot say enough good things.

• …PHOTOGRAPHER

My favorite photographer (the one who did my pictures for my site) is Sergio.  He’s based in Phoenix. He’s amazing, he’ll travel for weddings, and he’ll make you look terrific.

If you live in Atlanta, Erin Jones is TERRIFIC (email me — laurie AT laurie gay DOT com for her inf0). She is very talented and really easy to work with. Plus, for one flat rate, you get all of your pictures — you don’t have to purchase the pictures in addition to her fee. Kids love her, too.

• …BLOGS TO READ.

My favorite blogs of late are as follows:

The Fluent Self. I have a big, fat internet crush on Havi that just won’t quit. She’s a very talented blogger (meaning, she has found the kind of content that permits her to sustain posting with almost daily frequency… and it’s all good stuff) and her message is divine. She’s really entertaining and bravely honest. She inspires a lot of what I do (like our Fridays?? That’s 100% something that Havi has done for years and that is where I got it).

She’s found her stride in what she does. Listen to what she says. (She’s @Havi)

Life in the Cubicle Examiner. This is for when you need someone to call out how boring your job is in a way that makes you laugh, not jump from the ledge. I just met this blog, but it’s GOOD. You know Dudley Dawson? He’s a funny dude. Read this article about how Big 4 consulting firm employees are modern day indentured servants. He started my favorite Facebook group. Of which I am not a member because I don’t join Facebook groups, but IF I DID…

Ittybiz. A blog that makes marketing for small businesses interesting (thank goodness), clear (because what the hell ismarketing? It could be soooo many things) and doable. People say that Naomi Dunford swears like a sailor, but in my experience, she just swears as much as people actually swear when they are not censoring themselves for other people. But do what she says, or she may cut you.

Rebecca Vandiver. If you’re a lawyer, you MUST read her blog. Even if you’re not a lawyer, just a discontented employee, read this. She finds all the cool lawyers and ex-lawyers that are happy practicing or happy that they left. She presents you options you’ve never thought of, and you’ll realize that you’re not trapped in your job, or out of luck if you’re laid off.

• …RECIPES

It’s almost criminal how great everyone out of Bon Apetit is. Recipes are tested well, often not too complicated and people love it.

I really like Ina Garten’s recipe’s too. She’s a neat lady with a cool story and adorable husband.

• …RESTAURANTS.

Check out my food blog for my current favorites in all of the cities I’ve been hanging out in.

• …FRIENDS ON TWITTER.

If you’re new to Twitter follow @Recodingjim and @estheribrown. They are funny, point to interesting information and things in the world, and you’ll meet some cool people through them.

• …EXERCISE.

1. PILATES.

You must, must MUST do Pilates! It changed my life. I will take a moment to convince you.

A lot of what I talk about is you getting in touch with yourself, and I mean this literally — gaining an internal awareness of what is going on in your body is the #1 rule to being Youified (To know what it is that is your right work, and be going it the way that is right for you).

Pilates is based on this self-awareness, even more so than Yoga (see below). Just try it!!! If you haven’t transformed your body and your perspective after 21 sessions (sounds like a lot? You know, for a transformation, it’s really not), I will bake you a batch of my special cookies and overnight them to you with an apology note.

NYC:

• Re:AB Pilates on Bleecker
• Any Pilates by Narween Otto will be great. She’s one super cool Aussie

ATLANTA:

For privates, go to Hadley at Core. She’s just got a knack for teaching Pilates in a way that you’ll “get”, plus (for now…) she’s affordable.

AUSTIN:

I can’t find the website for the place I love! Basically, it’s the Pilates studio in the back of Ballet Austin on Lamar Road. The woman who runs it is an ex-prima ballerina, and is so centered, down to earth and wise. Go here first.

I also like:

• Pilates360
• Mecca and
• Private sessions at Pure Austin.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA:

Go nowhere in this city except for Thinking Body. Cynthia has a strong background in physical therapy and has been in the fitness industry for decades.

2. YOGA.

NYC:

• Google Heather MacKenzie and go wherever she is teaching. Also, email me for her info. She’s AMAZING.
• I actually really like the yoga at Equinox (not their Pilates, though, or anything else).
• Again, Narween. She’s great!

ATLANTA:

I like Springs Yoga, and Ruth Ann is my favorite instructor.

[Hey, Atlanta! I'd love to recommend more Yoga spots, but EVERYWHERE I turn, there is hot yoga and nothing else, and hot yoga is just not my thing. Diversify and I'll try it all out. Thanks, ATL. I'll raise it.]

3. CARDIO.

ATLANTA: Go to Dance 101, and try out classes taught by Kevin, Apollo and Desiree. There may be other great teachers there (I haven’t tried them all) but I am a big fan of those three. The music is great, you’ll get a great work out and it’s for all levels. It’s just really fun.

(I don’t do cardio in any other city. I admit it.)

Those are all my Heros for today. Thanks to each of you! You make my life a better place. Love to you!