How to Feel Thinner Immediately

I have tried all sorts of things through the years to be thinner, smaller, and more fit. As many as I’ve tried, there are still many more that I haven’t. The Thigh Master – never tried it. Suzanne Somers almost convinced me, but still managed not to. The Ab Roller – hmm. Nope. How about you? Have you jumped on band wagon after band wagon trying to feel thinner or be thinner? Most of us have. It’s the thing we’re supposed to do.

Now, hear me loud and clear. I’m all for taking care of yourself. In fact, I’m more committed to this endeavor than ever before. My life is a gift from God and I, increasingly, believe I have a responsibility to steward that gift well. I'm thankful for my body and I want to take care of it.  I haven’t always, but then I don’t know that I’ve ever thought about it quite that way before either. If I want to live long and live well, I am wise to care for this earthly dwelling and keep it strong, fit and able. After all, I don’t know what plans God may have for me that would require physical strength or fitness. I do know that I’ve neglected my body through the years and it’s cost me. My physical limitations made many things difficult and I was in a lot of pain as well. I’m sure it limited what I could say “Yes” to.

Back to the main point. Have you ever noticed how our perception of our bodies changes in direct proportion to the way we’re treating them? If I take a day and gorge out – eat junk, sit around, lie around – and even more so if that day extends to a week or a month, I’ve noticed that I feel fat. My actual weight doesn’t even have to change. I just perceive myself differently. Does that happen to you? I become hyper aware of my lack of fitness, my hip curves and my belly – and not in a good way. Of course, prolonged poor diet also makes one feel sluggish which doesn’t help. And it usually increases bloating. That doesn’t help my perception either. Before long, my attitude is suffering and I don’t like my reflection in the mirror. From there, a sort of spiral effect takes place and that spawns more of the unhealthy behavior that started the whole thing!

Here’s a trick. Really, I’ve found this works. I’ve tested it over and over and it really works. I stop the madness and start eating for my health. I make choices that give energy and are inarguably healthy by anyone’s standards. Instantly, I begin to feel better about myself. And almost magically, the negative impressions of myself begin to morph into good opinions. One day of good self-care with healthy thinking yields thoughts of feeling thinner and more energetic. I’ve noticed the same thing with exercise. Simply getting up from my chair and getting active instantly improves my emotional state and feelings about my body.

Yesterday, after days of increasing indulgence that eventually became detrimental versus fun ( i.e. eating when I wasn’t hungry, gorging on fattening treats even with a stomach ache), I felt awful. I felt less attractive. I felt disappointed in myself. I felt unhealthy. I finally decided enough was enough and reminded myself that I have the complete power to choose differently. My choices were mine and mine alone and I knew that I could turn that old train around. Furthermore, I knew I deserved it. I stopped the madness first by owning my decisions. I wrote a “Dear Diary” blog that I may share one day and admitted how unkindly I’d been treating myself. I accepted responsibility for my choices. Next, I made the plan to choose healthy food for dinner and get myself right back on my normal eating plan. I had a grilled meat dinner with steamed asparagus. Plain and simple. And do you know what? Instantly all of those bad feelings, even the physical ones went away. I immediately felt thinner and more importantly, I felt proud of my decision. This morning it was easy to make healthy choices.

Try it. Try making your next choice a choice that serves your best health. It’s not about “diet” or even “working out”. It’s about you and your value. It’s about self-care which starts with self-love. Only you can take care of yourself, sister. One decision at a time. One meal at a time. Your life is a gift. Are you treating it as such?

Tips on Feeling Thinner

1) Own your choices.

2) Accept responsibility.

3) Be thankful for your life and your body.

4) Stop the madness.

5) Make the next choice a healthy one.

6) Start now!

Decisions, Decisions – Breaking through the constipation of the mind

I’m sure I’m not the only one this happens to and I’m pretty sure it’s happened to you. If not, then terrific. Be thankful! The issue I’m talking about is that point where things just feel out of whack but you don’t know what to do. You want a change and don’t know how to get it. Or you know but are resisting the do. It’s that tension that lies in between one thing and your next best thing. What leads to this tension, this discord and how can you fix it? How can you find the confidence to take your next step?

Clarity

Lack of clarity impedes progress. You cannot get where you want to go when you don’t even know where you’re going. Gaining clarity gives focus and is a major contributor to action. Clarity of purpose. Clarity of identity. Clarity of end goals. Some people have more clarity around their issues than other people and make the leap seemingly effortlessly. They feel the discord, examine it, determine and action step and leap!  They have clarity. They know where they are going. They may be unclear as to the path but know the one they’re on won’t lead them to their desired destination so they leap off one path and onto another. They are fueled by the clarity of their mission. They trust themselves to work out the details later. Others of us lack that clarity and so we resist change. They say, “A confused mind does nothing.” If this is you, there are some things that can help lead to greater clarity and help you know what to do.

Self-Awareness

Self-awareness is a great tool for starting this process. Do you feel that sense of discord I mentioned? Are you experiencing a sense of being misfit for your situation? Do you sense a holy dissatisfaction? Are you misaligned with your goals and dreams? Do you feel burdened? Are you lacking joy? Is your ego constantly engaged but rarely your heart? A head/heart examination may be in order! Our logical mind wants safety, security, sameness. Our heart engages with passions and calling. Which one is in charge of your choices? Learning to be self-aware is powerful particularly in decision-making. When you learn to recognize the misalignment, you can begin to evaluate alternative paths. You must know where you’re going and rightly assess your positioning in terms of the desired result.

Commitment

Knowing what you are committed to is intensely valuable. Are you more committed to staying where you are (even if it’s “wrong”) or to your mission and purpose? Are you more committed to pleasing others or doing what’s best for you? Are you more committed to resisting change or personal growth? The truth is, staying where you are and doing what you’ve always done is rarely good for your personal development. Picture a stagnant stream. The stream used to flow freely and was vibrant. When it becomes dammed up, the stream just barely trickles through and the stagnant water becomes unhealthy, toxic. Another image that comes to mind is a roller coaster. It can move forward on its own momentum for a time but without a forward charge of some sort will eventually move backwards when the climb becomes steep. The point is no commitment to new action could leave you stagnant and eventually backsliding. When fully committed to the end destination, as best you see it now, you will be compelled to take action.

Values

Once you become aware of a misalignment and are committed to your destination and purpose, it’s time to identify what’s wrong. Your personal values may hold the key. Coaches can help with all of these areas but are particularly helpful in assisting your discovery and definition of your core values. If you are out of alignment in your core values, dissatisfaction is sure to reign and you will find yourself frustrated, aggravated and in a state of self-sabotage. Good news! It doesn’t have to stay that way! Gaining understanding around your actual core values (versus what you may be telling yourself they are) can move you towards a clear decision in an instant. This is one of my most effective and as a result, favorite coaching tools. Your brain will not let you be genuinely satisfied with things that do not align with your true values. Values win over logic every time.

Urgency

What if there is a deadline to your dreams? What if change is only possible in a certain time frame? What if – man! What if someone needs you on the next path and you refuse to leap? I recently had a coaching session with a woman dealing with making a major career change and walked her across an imagnary bridge. I urged her to look at the end of the bridge and see the people that she may be uniquely qualified to help. Refusing to go to them, to help them really isn’t even a possibility for this woman. If you add in a sense of time urgency, the willingness to go multiplies. None of us is guaranteed a long life. None of us have an infinite amount of time to complete our purpose. There are things that will not, do not wait for us to become “perfect” or “good enough”. We must leap into action now or risk missing work that is intended for us.

Trust

This cuts to the quick of the problem. It’s so often a trust issue. We don’t trust ourselves. We don’t trust God. We feel inadequate, incapable. This is where I often remind people that it is God who supplies us, equips us. In our weakness He is strong. We are not expected to be perfect. We are called to action when God is ready for us to act – not think about acting. I’m not suggesting reckless behavior but rather trust that we can do what we feel called to do. Nothing more, but also nothing less. To not act is to actually put full focus on ourselves. I believe it’s a type of self-deceit, a type of arrogance – that we even can do it ourselves. We cannot. However, each of us is fully qualified to do what God has called us to do in each moment. He has put a call on my heart to serve people through life-coaching. I trust Him to bring me those whom I’m able to serve now and at the same time, I continue to study and develop my skills so that I can serve others later. I trust myself to be able to carry out that which I’ve learned up to this point and discern where I need more advice and education. You, too, are enough to do what God wants you to do today. You can trust that.

I’m not suggesting this a complete list, but hopefully, it’s a start. If you’re experiencing a constant awareness of dissatisfaction, be honest with yourself. Get clear on your purpose and goals. Take a head/heart assessment. Examine what you’re actually committed to. Evaluate your core values. Apply a sense of urgency to the matter. Trust yourself enough to take action today. You can prepare for tomorrow.