Greetings Tushkateers!How is everyone this fine (gray if you're in NuYawk) Monday morning? I'm peachy keen myself, as I am still 'high' from teaching my workshop at Omega Institute of Holistic Studies, which was beyond AWESOME. Yes, the content of the workshop was mind-changing and fat-melting, and the setting couldn't be more healing and beautiful (upstate New York), but the people who attended - each and everyone - was inspiring and truly magnificent in their own way. A special SHOUT OUT and thank you to the Tushkateers who attended! As soon as I know the dates for next year's workshop, I'll let you know so you can start planning for it!!! FYI ... this week's Motivational Musings were written while there - stemming from the workshop. Enjoy!
Another reason to be Happy!!! I rented a Prius yesterday and drove to Long Island with kids and honey-husband to visit my mother. As I write that sentence, I see that there are 3 reasons to be happy - fun car ride, loving family, my mother liked my hair (why are all mother's focused on their kids' hair?). However, specifically I am speaking to the fact that I drove a Prius and got close to 50 miles to the gallon. I got the engine roaring and then coasted for miles n' miles on the highway. I only started driving again a few months ago, so what's old hat to some of you, is new and exciting to me!!!
More Happiness!!! Today starts The 21 Day Cure: Habits of Happiness. If you haven't signed up yet, please do! For less than a dollar a day you can be happy and lose weight. Geeze Louise, what a bargain!
And as a blogger and reader of Intent.com, I am posting 'happy intents' everyday and you can, too. Just go to Intent.com and you'll see what I mean! It's truly a fabulous site.
Enjoy this week's KICK!!! Spread the word ... NOT the icing,
There are two things that we do that make us miserable; that cause great suffering ... optional suffering. The first is to judge; the second is to have expectations. We are judging machines. I suspect that when you today pay attention to your thoughts and note each and every time you judge something (from ... the coffee is good - to- oh no, it's gray outside), you will find that there's a whole lotta' judging going on. ... Read On!
Bursting at the Seams? Stuffed to the Gills? When I asked my group at my weight loss workshop at Omega, "How do you know you are sated," they looked at me like I had three heads. ... Read On!
Yesterday, at the Our Lady of Weight Loss enLIGHTens workshop at Omega Institute of Holistic Studies, we not only discussed all that is weighing us down, stopping us from moving into our 'lite;' we bundled it up and offered it to Our Lady! We will continue to let go of old belief systems and that which no longer serves us well, as we envision our compelling futures. If you would like to follow along with us, feel free to write out what is weighing you down on paper, roll it up and tie it tight. Offer it to Our Lady of Weight Loss ... or - simply read today's Motivational Musing and comment below! ... Read On!
Day 1 of my workshop entitled "Our Lady of Weight Loss enLIGHTens" was fabulous! On the one hand, it feels like we just got here, on the other hand, it feels as if we've all known each other forever!!! We've had deep and meaningful discussions about weight loss, reinvention and transformation. We worked through a good many issues and at the end of the day, there were big smiles all around.
The good vibes from the smiles filled the room. The smile in it of itself was transformational! It got me to thinking about the importance of smiling. Did you know that ... Read On!
What IF weight loss were no longer an issue?
What WOULD you do with all that time and energy?
Greetings Tushkateers! I am writing to you 'live' from Omega Institute of Holistic Studies in Rhinebeck, NY, where my workshop "Our Lady of Weight Loss enLIGHTens" begins today! For five days, we are going to explore the Secrets of Permanent Fat Removal and imagine, envision and create a THINspirational life!
Please join along with us ... If you answer these 'OLofWL Coach Yourself Thin' questions, you can begin to loosen up the fat cells in your mind! ... Read On!
Weight Loss Counseling is a tax deduction!
I'd mentioned in the last KICK that Weight Loss Counseling is a tax deduction. A bunch of y'all wrote me, asking for more info. So ... here follows an excerpt from the IRS website. Needless to say, but I'll say it anyway - I am not an accountant. You definitely should check with your accountant to make sure all the 'i's are dotted and 't's crossed, and then write me for a free consult!
Here's what the IRS site said: You can include in medical expenses amounts you pay to lose weight if it is a treatment for a specific disease diagnosed by a physician (such as obesity, hypertension, or heart disease). This includes fees you pay for membership in a weight reduction group, weight loss counseling as well as fees for attendance at periodic meetings. You cannot include membership dues in a gym, health club, or spa as medical expenses, but you can include separate fees charged there for weight loss activities.
You cannot include the cost of diet food or beverages in medical expenses because the diet food and beverages substitute for what is normally consumed to satisfy nutritional needs. You can include the cost of special food in medical expenses only if: The food does not satisfy normal nutritional needs; the food alleviates or treats an illness, and the need for the food is substantiated by a physician. Interested in one-on-one coaching? Write me!
It's NOT About Your FAT; It's About Your LIFE!
EVOLVE! (Don't just improve.) Improve means to do something better. Evolve, however, means that you permanently and fundamentally change a part of who you are.
Janice partners with her clients to provide a thought-provoking process that inspires clients to facilitate positive change, enabling them to enhance the quality of their lives, maximize their potential and permanently remove that excess weight once and for all.
Dear OLofWL~ I have lost control. I have been and am on a binge bend. My cravings are out of control. I am more or less covered in crumbs, chips and chocolate a good deal of the time. HELP!!!! Thank you! ~ Binged Out Dear Binged Out ~ Needless to say, there is no 'magic answer,' and binge-eating can be complicated. I can't speak to the specifics of your situation, but I can tell you this ...
Bingeing is more about needing to control uncomfortable feelings than it is about being out of control with food. The less you swallow your feelings, stuff them down, and the more you give voice to them, the better. A good start: Find a safe place, a safe person with whom you can share the details of your life; your emotional landscape. Journaling can be a useful tool as well. Speak your truth. ~ OLofWL
Need to talk to a 'trained ear,' someone who can hear what you are saying and help you turn it around and get your upward spiral in motion? Write Janice, Life & Wellness Coach, for more information about her (telephone) coaching sessions and ask about her 4-week program.
It's not about your fat; it's about your life! I am inviting you to step out of your fat suit and into life!
Quote of the Week All that we are is the result of what we have thought. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him. ~ Buddha
Get Jiggy JigSaw Puzzle
Our Lady of Weight Loss says, "Get Jiggy and Jiggle Your Excess Away!"
Joke of the Week from Tushkateer
and Director of Jokes, Marsha Coleman
"If you are ever at a loss to support a flagging conversation, introduce the subject of eating." ~ Leigh Hunt
Righteous Recipe
Guacamole-My-Way ... On Saturday, we (husband, kids and I) stumbled into what I would call a cheap and greasy sports bar (Chevy's on Times Square) to watch the end of the World Cup match between the US and England. I ordered a round of diet cokes with lemon for all (big sport that I am), and the waiter caught an attitude ... "that's it??? You're gonna' sit at a table? Okay!!!" Okay ... I get it. He's got to make a living, and we are taking up valuable space ... so okay! We ordered "Guac My Way," which wasn't my way at all, but it did inspire me to make Guac MY Way when we got home and share the recipe with you! Enjoy!!!
Ingredients: 2 ripe avocados
1 plum tomato
1 jalapeno chile (seeded and finely chopped)
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1/3 cup chopped sweet onion (Vidalias are always good)
Salt to taste
Plain BAKED tortilla chips
Instructions: Place jalapeno, cilantro, onion, and salt in a large mortar, and grind away with the pestle. It's okay if the onions remain a bit chunky.
Cut the avocados in half. Twist in opposite directions to separate. Slip a spoon in, scoop the fruit out, and place it on a cutting board. Chop into chunks.
Cut tomato in half crosswise. Gently squeeze to get seeds out. Now add avocado and chopped tomato to onion mixture in the mortar. Mash. Spoon until mostly blended (some of the avocado chunks should remain intact.)
Serve immediately. Makes 12 tablespoon-sized servings.
What's your favorite recipe? Send to OLofWL and get a prize!
