As we travel through the last two weeks before the Holiday Break  many of you are very much on your healthy weight loss path and others are still struggling a little to get to where you want to be.  Wherever you are today and moving into this week I want you to be positive and confident about what you can achieve and why you want to do it.  Don’t only focus on your number — instead focus on staying on program, having the control that makes you happy, and how much it all makes you feel good.

FOCUS:  With so many holiday parties and gatherings before vacation if you are struggling focus on doing the very best you can because at the end of the day maintaining is better than gaining.

FOCUS:  Even being on program between holiday parties is better than being off program all together.  Just keep reminding yourself if you weren’t on program and weren’t watching and being mindful where would you be.  That’s a scary thought for many.  But knowing that you may not be doing your very best but doing the best you can right now is what matters and what will keep you from gaining — and sometimes that is enough.

What’s the point? — The holiday is in less than two weeks and I have so many parties in between what is the point of trying right now?  The point is very simple you are either going to go in a happy positive place where you at the very least feeling  de-bloated or a place that you feel out of control and very uncomfortable — choose your hard!

FOCUS:  You can still lose a couple of pounds before you leave but even more important you will leave and start the holiday feeling lighter and in control over your day and that can really make the difference in how you feel, act and enjoy  your holiday, vacation and everyone that loves you.

FOCUS:  Don’t worry about where you weight is today — don’t even think about it.  Just follow your program and you will feel better tomorrow.  Whether you are leaving in one week or two — if you stay on program and keep moving forward everyday  you will feel better and better.  Whether you are staying home or going on vacation — feeling lighter and in control is where you want to be and how you want to feel.

The Journey — Something I think is important to share is how important your journey is.  I know I say it all the time but it’s very easy to get caught up in feeling sorry for yourself and bad about the mistakes and choices you make. But the Innovation journey of weight loss is based around real life. That’s why we have a cheat day.  So we don’t beat ourself up when we want to enjoy something we love.  We have to remember we are not always going to be amazing every single second of every day.  But what I want you to focus on is how happy you are on the journey to feeling your best.  Every step you take in the direction of eating clean and losing weight is one more step to feeling great both mentally and physically.   And while you are taking those steps — (slow or fast – turtle or shark) — keep the focus on all the happiness in your life —and start with the Happiness of the Holiday Season and being around those you love.

A Positive Mind Gives You A Positive Life

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

HAPPY HOLIDAYS:  The holidays are here and many are getting ready to celebrate and others vacate. Whatever you are doing or where you are going, I want you to keep in mind some very important things. As you know I always say planning is a big part of your success. The best way to plan is to do it the day before so you know what you are doing and/or where you are eating the day of. If you know that your lunch and dinner will be too far apart make sure to have a snack in between. In order to have a snack you need to have access to one. You don’t want to get to the point of being over hungry because then you will lose control and not be able to come back from it. This is a very difficult time of year for weight loss and you can make it less difficult if you plan accordingly.

With Christmas less than a week away it may be tempting to just throw all the rules out the window and give in to the holiday’s temptations. Delicious appetizers and extravagant meals followed by decadent desserts. It’s something many people look forward to all year long. But do you really have to put your weight loss plan on hold in order to fully enjoy the holiday? You probably have plenty of excuses to keep yourself from exercising or eating healthy: “I’m too busy with Christmas preparations to fit exercise in to my day”, “I want to relax in my time off from work/school”, “I’ve been really good recently I deserve to eat whatever I want”, and so on. But does it ever really feel satisfying when you give in to temptation? We tend to tell ourselves that we have to go overboard in order to really do a holiday right. But there is also reward in doing something, no matter how small, that makes you proud of yourself when the holiday ends. Think of it not as missing out on something, but more like making a smarter decision that will be even more satisfying.

With two of the biggest holidays this month, it can seem impossible to stick to your weight loss plan in December. Traditional and seasonal foods are so important to the meaning of both Christmas and Hanukkah but there are a couple ways you can make your holiday meals healthier without feeling like you are missing out on any of the celebration.

  

This is the time of year when warm, hearty foods can bring comfort and good feelings in the cold months. You may even associate this time of the year with certain foods, like casseroles during the holidays. You can’t imagine a November without turkey or a December without a special feast. The same can be said for more day-to-day wants and needs that food may fulfill. When you’re stressed do you reach for treats or snacks? When you’re bored do you open the pantry? When you’ve completed a difficult task do you crave your favorite food? Ask yourself – are you living to eat, or eating to live? When you live to eat, you indulge in foods that make you feel comfortable, relieve your stress or boredom, or reward an accomplishment. You eat something because of how you feel emotionally instead of the physical hunger you feel when your body needs fuel. On the other hand, when you eat to live you provide your body with nourishment that fuels and supports your health.