LOVE TO LIVE HEALTHY TRANSCRIPT

THE POWER OF YOUR WORDS –

Transforming Thoughts for Weight Loss Success

Speaker: JOSEPHINE FITZPATRICK

Hi everyone, welcome to the Love to Live Healthy show. I’m Josephine Fitzpatrick, and for the month of November, we are going to focus on the power of our words and how they affect all the success in our life. Words are really one of the most powerful tools we have and because of this, it’s important to recognize that words really matter. Honestly, I don’t think that many people take the time to really think about how powerful their words can be. Think about it, one positive or negative word from us to another person can affect their entire day, week and even month. Words have the power to inspire, motivate, comfort and heal, but we also know they have the power to cause harm, pain and damage. And honestly too often I hear people talking in a conversation without really thinking about the impact of what they’re actually saying. Words can impact yourself or others just by speaking them.

00:51

So let’s talk about how words can impact ourselves. For example, have you ever heard yourself saying this situation is just impossible, or I can’t lose weight, I can’t stay on program, I’ll try, but I can’t really do it. I’m always hungry. If you answered yes to any of those, then you have been sabotaging your success simply by how you speak. You know that your subconscious interprets what it hears very literally. Your mind and body will follow the direction of your words. So if you want more success in health and weight loss, you must begin with what you’re projecting into the world each time you open your mouth. 

01:37

You must think before you speak, because the words you use hold immense power. They have the power to fuel your confidence and ambition, but they also have the power to make you feel anxious and inadequate. They have the power to make you feel strong and give a great first impression, but they also have the power to have you quickly forgotten. They have the power to create opportunities, but they also have the power to shut them down. You know, did you ever hear the saying? The words you speak become the house you live in? Well, that saying is so true because the world literally mirrors yourself back to you. If you use positive language about yourself and your ability to meet challenges and achieve your goals, then that is what will show up for you externally. But also, if you continue to say things about yourself or your circumstances that sound hopeless or fearful, or about your constant anxiety or pessimism, then those words are what is going to shape your reality. And it’s not you just talking to you, your language also impacts how others perceive and relate to you. You know, if you often feel left out or spoken down to consider how your speech patterns are contributing to how others engage with you, using language like making excuses or second guessing your opinion before you even shared it can completely undermine you as a person. If you listen to any successful person, you will notice they use language that is positive, precise and action focused. 

03:13

It’s important to understand how the words we choose to speak and think have such a profound impact on our mindset, especially when it comes to our weight loss and overall health. Each word carries energy, shaping your perception and influencing your actions. When we describe ourselves or our journey using positive, empowering language, we set the stage for success. For example, instead of saying I can’t resist temptation, we can choose to say – I am learning to make healthier choices. And that little shift in words not only alters our own mindset but also redefines our relationship with food. Positive affirmations play a huge role in reshaping our internal dialogue. What we say to ourselves internally matters more than what we say to anyone else, and by consistently practicing affirmations such as I am capable of achieving my goals, or I love my body and I want to treat it with respect, saying those affirmations, we are reinforcing a mindset that actually aligns with our weight loss aspirations. Eventually, they help to break down our self-doubt and replace it with a sense of empowerment, making it easier to stay committed to our healthy journey. 

04:30

We also have to be very mindful of the language we use when we do have setbacks, because no one is perfect. You know, I believe that we should go into everything thinking 100% positive. We want to inspire ourselves to reach for the stars, but the bottom line is no one is perfect every day. So when you do have a setback, you have to watch your language so it only is a setback. For example, instead of saying a slip-up is a failure, instead you can say it’s a learning opportunity. Thinking something like I learned something valuable from that experience. Well, that helps you bounce back more effectively, see, by changing challenges into a constructive statement, helps empower ourselves to keep progressing rather than allowing that negativity to derail all our efforts. You know, if you say to yourself I’m a failure, I messed up, so now you go off the whole day. No, don’t do that. Instead, you turn it around and you make it constructive. Okay, I went off. I see what happened. I see what triggered me. I’m learning from it. I’m moving on back on my path. You know, if you think about it, weight loss is hard enough, but it’s even harder if we are talking ourselves down, if we are self-sabotaging our own thoughts. 

05:46

We all know firsthand the impact our words have on our mindset. It’s undeniable. We have all heard when a child grows up being verbally abused by a parent or by any elder, hearing the same negative things over and over again you’re fat, you’re ugly, you’re stupid, you’re never going to be anything in life that child grows up with no confidence and believes what they heard. But when a child grows up with constant reassuring how amazing they are, how they can do anything they want to do when they grow up, they grow up confident and excited about their future. Words you are told from the time you were young can transform your mindset to believe what you have been told. That is how much power is in words. So by choosing language that uplifts us and inspires us, we can transform our thoughts. And in transforming our thoughts, that will help transform our actions. You know if we keep telling ourselves what we are capable of. We will eventually start doing it. The thought transforms the action, and embracing that power of positive words not only enhances our self-image but also pushes us towards our weight loss goals. 

06:48

And when I say language, the best language to help your mindset go from negative to positive is always going to be affirmations. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I send affirmations to my clients and I have them repeat them when they need them. They are life-changing when they are used correctly. You know we all hear about positive affirmations, but many of us do not realize there has actually been a lot of science behind the success of using them, because, when used correctly, positive affirmations are more than just simple phrases. They are powerful tools that can significantly influence our thoughts and behaviors, particularly in the use of weight loss. When we repeat positive statements about ourselves, we engage in a process known as cognitive restructuring, which allows us to challenge and change negative thought patterns. This is just another shift in mindset that can lead to healthier behaviors, and those healthier behaviors will contribute to our weight loss goals. By consciously choosing words that uplift and inspire us, we are constantly creating a healthier environment that will lead to the transformation and success we want. 

07:57

You know, when it comes to positive language, the brain is highly responsive. We don’t always remember or realize how amazing and smart our brains are. I’m sure I mentioned this before, but a Doctor once told me a long time ago that our mindset is so strong that we have the ability to heal ourselves from sickness, but we also have the ability to make ourselves sick. It’s all about what we think. When we affirm positive beliefs about ourselves, we activate pathways that reinforce those beliefs, making them more likely to manifest in our daily lives. By consistently practicing affirmations, we can actually retrain our brains to focus on our strengths rather than our weaknesses, giving us a more positive self-image. And that is what encourages those healthy lifestyle choices. And that is just the mental connections. Positive affirmations are also so important with emotional connections. When we recite affirmations that actually resonate with our true desires and values, we engage our emotions, which enhances the effectiveness of the practice. For instance, saying something like I am strong and capable of achieving my weight loss goals. That not only reinforces a positive self-image, but it also creates feelings of empowerment and motivation, and this emotional engagement can move you forward to take action, whether it’s choosing to stay on program, being more active or just living an overall healthier life. 

09:30

Even when it comes to stress, affirmations have proven so successful. Incorporating positive affirmations into your daily routines leads to reduced stress and increased resilience. And we know stress often plays a significant role in weight gain and difficulty losing weight, because we know stress triggers unhealthy eating habits and emotional eating. But by using affirmations to helps you create a mindset of calm and confidence, we can counteract that stress and its negative effects on our bodies. Saying something simple like I am in control of my results or I can make it through this difficult time, can be a game changer with your stress and trigger eating. 

10:10

You know the bottom line is with all I’ve just spoken about is that you have to be prepared. I say it all the time, I can never say it enough. You need to always be prepared with your food, of course, but also with your affirmations. You need to be prepared in every area of your life. Saying affirmations in the morning is great to set you up for the day, but also having them in your head or on your phone, ready for you to look at when you do have that moment of weakness or stress, is the key to keeping you on path. 

10:37

We have to remember embracing this practice is not just about losing pounds, but it’s about gaining a deeper understanding of ourselves, learning what we need, and when we need our affirmations, and being prepared to take a breath and a step back and say them to ourselves so that we can continue on our path and our journey toward a healthier and happier life. As we create more positive relationship with our words, we open up the door to limitless possibilities and profound personal growth in all areas of success and in all the goals we are working toward. 

Thank you for listening today. Next week, we will be talking more about specific affirmations, how to use them, how to use your words for real meaning, and some mantras that can help us all reach our goals. Please make sure to hit the follow button so you can get access to our next podcast as soon as it comes out next week. I’m wishing everyone a happy, healthy, positive week – and always, always, let your faith be bigger than your fears. Much love to you all. 

~LOVE TO LIVE HEALTHY WITH JOSEPHINE FITZPATRICK

00:32 – SPEAKER: JOSEPHINE 

Hi everyone, welcome to the Love to Live Healthy Show. I’m Josephine Fitzpatrick. Today’s episode is we want to lose, we want to maintain, but we do not want to gain. That is our Mantra for July. I have to start by telling you this past weekend was awesome with all the clients and their weight loss. The numbers are pretty amazing. We had so many clients losing weight and reaching numbers they never thought they would see. Super, super exciting, I love it. I can see, hear and feel the excitement in the clients, it makes me so happy. Everyone is working so hard, everyone is in such a hardcore state of mind and they are reaching new goals and seeing numbers they have not seen in years. 

01:07

And what I love so much and many of you know this we have thousands of clients on program from Long Island, New York City and across the country, and for most of you, the Innovation Program is not a diet, it’s a way of life and, honestly, that’s because I’ve had so many of you for over a decade. You either stay with me and you live this program consistently or you come back every time you need a tweak and sometimes, yes, it’s more than a tweak, right, but you always know you get right back to your healthy life and program and you get right back to your happy, healthy weight and I love love that you do that, you live it and you love the way it makes you feel, and we know there is no better feeling. It’s truly one of the best things about the program. It’s a way of life. You know in your heart and experience that, no matter what is going on in your life it could be your kids graduating, moving them into college, it could be vacations and just too much indulging, or even sickness that maybe someone in your family or yourself had to get through, whatever it is that threw you off your game, whatever you did, that got you sidetracked, took you off your path, you know 100% in the back of your head, and in your heart, when you are ready to come back and commit again, the program is here and it always works amazing for you. And, trust me, this happens all the time. 

02:25

I just recently had a client who came back to me for the fourth time. She lost her weight the first, second and third time. Listen, we’re talking over 15 years she’s been with me, so over that time, yes, it’s easy to gain 10 pounds here or there, but every time she came back she would go right back on program and she lost it again. Now, this time, she came back and I haven’t seen her in four years and unfortunately she was now in remission from a rare cancer. She was on all sorts of drugs and she was just mentally devastated because, yes, of course she’s so happy she’s in remission and she’s doing great, but she gained 25 pounds through it all, you know, like as if going through cancer isn’t enough. Gaining weight from all the medication just makes you feel that much worse. She was convinced that she was not going to lose the weight and she would never get her body back. I actually spoke to her doctor frequently, so we worked with the medicine and not against it. And, to be totally honest with you, what was really amazing is this 54-year-old woman lost her 25 pounds in less time than some of my clients who are not even on medication. So always remember, nothing is impossible if you want it enough. She is now back to her happy place and she’s back to living the program and she’s doing amazing. All of this is what makes it a real life program and not a diet. 

03:44

Another thing that’s pretty exciting this year is this June and July we have had more new clients sign up than ever before. This time of year, usually in the summer months most people will wait to start the new program until September, you know, after vacation, and social celebrations that take place all summer. But this year, for some reason, we’ve had record-breaking sign-ups for this time of year, which, of course, I absolutely love. I love to help people, but what that really tells me is it doesn’t matter, it’s summer. They want to feel good and they are ready to put the work in to make it happen. And, as many of you know, this time of year you have to give it that extra hard work so you get the very best results every single week. 

04:24

Summer’s not easy, summer’s social, but it’s also very motivating. You’re in less clothes, everyone’s in a bathing suit, you’re going to the beaches, vacations. You know it’s always all about the way you look at something that will determine your actions toward it. Don’t look at it hard. Look at it as it’s very motivating. Summer’s motivating to lose weight. I also think a lot of new signups is because results are proof of what you can accomplish if you have the right tools. 

04:57

I mean, we just came off 4th of July and everyone is doing fantastic. But we also have our own methods we keep creating and I think that’s really important. We know the importance of incorporating the detox into your week, especially when you have some extra events or dinners taking place. We know the importance of eating less and doing the fasting and how much it really does make a difference and balances out the week for when we do incorporate all the extra summers drinking and snacking. It’s actually why I think everyone is doing so well this summer and this time of year, because you have options to go to and you can enjoy and eat your extra meals and have your extra drinks, but you can balance out your week and your weight loss with your detox days and your fasting days. These are all tools that have been proven to work and when you experience it firsthand, that is what makes all the difference in how you approach your summer and what you actually want out of it, because now you know what’s possible and that is so exciting. It’s so exciting to think I’m going to enjoy my summer and still lose weight or even just stay in a great place. And for those of you who have literally just started, it will all come together for you and you will love your new life. 

06:07

Just remember consistency is key because whether you’re doing the Innovation, the Detox or the Fasting, or the combination of all three, which most of you are, the bottom line is you are always doing something that is moving you forward to where you want to be. Our summer mantra is we are happy to lose or maintain, but we do not want to gain. And when you are prepared for your day and your week, that is when you will get the best results. And remember, being prepared means even being prepared for your cheats. When you know you’re going to go off program at dinner, do the detox during the day. When you know you’re going on vacation, do the fasting, but maybe just don’t worry so much about having exact on-program meals. Just make sure you’re sticking to the fasting. All of these things is what is helping everyone maintain on the days that are not weight loss days, and it’s been truly amazing. The results have been truly amazing and I want that for all of you. So when I say it’s important to be prepared, I mean prepared for it all the on and the off days. Remember, health and weight loss is something you should not mind working hard at because it’s for your health, both mentally and physically. 

07:14

My clients love to send me pictures and I absolutely love when they do. And I can’t begin to describe the changes in clients when they feel good about themselves. They get to enjoy delicious food, they are enjoying vacation, but they also get to do it in a body that they love. I see it in the pictures how they’re so happy, how it gives them that extra bounce in their step and extra bounce in their personality. They’re excited to enjoy, but they are also excited to eat. And there’s no better feeling than when you can enjoy your delicious meal, maybe have a couple of drinks and feel good in your body. And you do that because you’re doing all the right things. I see it in the pictures. It’s sheer happiness that is beaming from healthy, hydrated skin. 

07:56

Listen, when it’s mid-July and everyone’s losing weight. That is amazing, it’s exciting. It’s exciting to be feeling great and doing the right things for not only for your weight but for your health. Yes, some days are harder than others, but it’s always worth it, because when you can enjoy the most is when you feel great. So if you want to enjoy the vacations, you want to enjoy the extra meals, the snacks, the extra drinks throughout the week, you must stay on program because you can enjoy and lose weight, and when you do both, that is when you feel great. Do you ever notice, when you feel great, how contagious it is? Everyone wants to be a part of that. Everyone wants to be a part of that great feeling. 

08:39

There’s so much sadness in the world today. You have to make sure you appreciate and enjoy every bit of happiness that comes your way. Most important is to make sure you are creating your own happiness every day. That’s what you do on program. You do the right things, you lose weight, you feel great, you enjoy your food, you enjoy your snacks, you enjoy your drinks, and it gives you happiness that you have a hundred percent control over. My last thought for you on this beautiful summer day is, it’s hard, yes, weight loss is hard, life is hard, but it’s all so worth it. 

09:09

Will you feel hungry? Yes, you will feel hungry, but think about it. You feel hungry even on the days you are overeating. So at least when you have a little hunger, you know it’s because you are losing weight and getting results from it. We always have to remember the less you eat, the less you want, so you will eventually get used to eating less. 

09:27

But give yourself a chance without giving in. The clients that have done amazing and continue to do amazing know how tough it is. When it gets tough, they remind themselves how much they want this and how important it is to them. If you want it, then don’t let anything or anyone get in your way. Don’t look back and wish you did better last week, because it doesn’t matter that time has passed and the only thing you can do right now is stop making excuses and move on to a better day today, tomorrow and week ahead. Don’t waste your time and don’t waste your energy looking back. Only look forward, because that is what you have control over. Don’t let another week go by without doing the right thing, because it will only add up and the longer you delay it, the harder it will be. If you do it now focus on a better today then tomorrow will be easier and by next week you will feel amazing and in control. 

10:24

If you want to feel great, happy, lighter and enjoy your summer, feeling inspired, motivated and in control, then commit to yourself, commit to the program, and you will be so happy you did Remember. You don’t have to be perfect. We just want to either lose or maintain. You just don’t want to gain. That’s what summer’s about. This is not something you can just wish for. It’s something you have to work for. I hope this helps and I hope everyone has the most happy, healthy week full of love. Hugs from me to all of you. 

00:33 – Speaker 2

Hi everyone, welcome to the Love to Live Healthy show. I’m Josephine Fitzpatrick and I’m recording from beautiful Fire Island. Today’s topic is being prepared for the 4th of July weekend and, regardless if you’re home or on vacation, I want you to take a moment and remember how hard you work to get to where you are and whether you were at goal or not, think about how good you feel going into this holiday weekend. 

So many of you are feeling beyond amazing, better than you have felt in years. I get the text messages every day that make me so happy. I get the pleasure of seeing you in studio and feel through your text how excited and good you feel when you are on program and feel amazing in your body when you’re doing all the right things. But that’s what this holiday weekend is about how quickly that can change, because I also see and feel when you are not doing the right things and don’t feel good when you are off program. It affects everything about you and everything around you. 

The point is, I know sometimes both feel like struggles. It’s a struggle to stay on program, but it’s also a struggle to be off program. What you have to think about is which is worse? I see the clients who go off program for many reasons. It could be a holiday weekend, it could be the struggle of peer pressure, their own emotional eating or just simply the temptations of life and family. But when they go off program, as many of you know and have experienced yourself, it doesn’t take long at all to not only gain back what you lost but even more than you lost, and the feeling of not having control is the worst feeling. So while in the moment you feel like going off might feel so good, I promise you, within a short time you will wish you were back on and never went off. 

Being on program is a struggle for sure, especially around holiday weekends, but you have to remember how, while you are struggling, you are also feeling so much better, lighter, healthier, thinner, in control, just overall happier. 

02:23

What I want to remind you before this holiday weekend is, if you are not mindful how fast everything can change. You have to have a plan and be prepared for your weekend. There is always a choice and you have to make the one you can live with and be happy with, not just in the moment, but also when the holiday weekend is over. I want you to focus on how you feel, but also what you want. 

This weekend, focus on the control, the accomplishments and the scale. I want you to think about these things because after this weekend, you still have a whole summer to get through and enjoy. So you must go into the weekend mindful and planning, because the results will determine how your summer is going to be. Of course, I want you to plan your good days, but you must plan your cheat days too. I have clients texting me restaurants they’re texting me if they should do detox on a cheat day so they can balance out the day. That’s planning. You have to know what you’re doing before you do it, even on your cheat days. When you can plan your cheat meals in advance, it helps you determine what you are doing each day and that will put you in a positive mindset to keep yourself in a good place and on program, and that’s what we want. 

03:30

We have talked about mindset this year and how important it is. It always comes down to a decision, and not just a decision, but following through with that decision. Do you want to maintain your current weight or continue losing? Decide and manifest it by focusing on the outcome you want, whether it be from the day, the week, the month or the whole summer. One of the biggest things about manifestation and accomplishing your goals is you have to know what you want in order to actually accomplish it and be successful at it. 

03:58

July 4th weekend is four days long and we want to either lose or maintain, but gaining should never be an option. If you want to maintain for the holiday weekend, you will eat on program all day and you will pick two to three meals throughout the weekend. So say, thursday, friday and Saturday, or Friday, saturday and Sunday it’s one cheat meal and the rest of the day on program. Of course, if you only need two out of the three, that’s even better. Every clean on program day you can incorporate is just going to get you back faster to your number. Remember it’s cheat meal, cheat desserts, or cheat drinks. Whatever you do is up to you, but try to keep your days 100%. Only choose one each day. 

04:35

A good thought to have is to treat meals like appetizers and have taste instead of full meals. Sometimes when you do this, you get to enjoy more but actually eat less. Regardless of however you decide to enjoy your cheats – Monday you get right back on to a solid week of 110% week. And if you want to get back to that number even faster, You do the five-hour or the detox for five days straight.  

If you don’t want to maintain this weekend and want to continue losing it’s very simple. You stay on your program you have been doing and you eat on program six days and you only have your one cheat meal. 

05:06

It’s not as hard as you think. If you plan and prepare, you can go into any barbecue, any restaurant any holiday weekend, have a clean meal, fruit for desserts, drinks for your snacks. You can do it if you really want to, but you have to know what you want and that’s what you have to follow through with. Sometimes we make things so much harder than they have to be. If you don’t want the results of maintaining or cheating, then stay on program. If you are okay with maintaining, then follow the maintenance. 

05:33

We’ve talked about choosing your hard and being responsible for your results, and this is one of the times that will make a big difference. If you are amazing this weekend, you will wake up Monday feeling really good and continue to go into the summer feeling in control and amazing, continuing on your weight loss path. If you decide to maintain and are happy with your choice, do the right thing and get right back on 100% Monday, then, after a full week, you will be thrilled to be back to your pre-holiday weight. 

But remember there’s always temptation. You have to go into any holiday week with a plan and a positive mindset because if you don’t, you will cheat your way through this weekend and come Sunday you will be miserable with the outcome. Monday morning you will not fit in any of your clothes and you will take it out on everyone around you and nothing you can do will change the outcome. 

06:18

We always talk about planning and how important it is. What is even more important is being happy with the outcome and happy with your decision. So if you want to continue to lose this weekend, that’s awesome. Be happy doing it, but don’t make everyone miserable around you because you can’t eat what everyone else is eating. If you want to stay on program and continue to lose weight, make your choice to stay on and own it, embrace it, love it and enjoy it. If you want to maintain, be happy about it and enjoy what you can indulge in and have fun. 

06:46

But again, have a plan. If you go into the weekend with a plan and you stick to it, that is a successful weekend, and that is what should make you super happy and proud of yourself. There are all kinds of control, Maintain, losing, even cheating. Plan for them, prepare for them and follow through with them and you will have a very successful and happy holiday weekend. 

This 4th of July Weekend, celebrate life, celebrate freedom and enjoy the love you have in your life this weekend. Always love who you are and what you choose.

I hope this helps and I’m wishing everyone a happy, healthy and safe holiday weekend. Hugs and love from me to all of you. 

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

INNOVATION WEIGHT LOSS

AND HEALTHY MARKET

8025 JERICHO TPKE

WOODBURY, NY 11779

516 802-5055

Innovationweightloss.com

00:00 – Speaker 1 – JOSEPHINE

Hi everyone, welcome to the Love to Live Healthy podcast. I’m Josephine Fitzpatrick. Today’s topic is summer advice that might be life-changing for you. We know summer has begun and the kids are done with school. Many have already left for camp. For many work has ended for the summer months, and for others it’s just slowed down to a summer speed. 

00:20

It’s a time we always promise ourselves that we’re going to do all the right things that we put on hold in the fall and spring, when things were so much busier. We tell ourselves all year that in the summer we’re going to exercise more, eat healthier, plan, prepare, follow through. We want to do all the right things to get ourselves feeling the very best we can, but many times what really happens is the complete opposite. We let a sense of freedom take us over. Freedom from our regular daily schedules, freedom from the pressures of the year that we’ve now replaced with summer parties, barbecue, long delicious weekends and trips around the world. Vacation time that we never want to end. 

Listen, losing weight in the summer is not easy. It’s definitely something clients struggle with, but what I can tell you is losing weight in the summer is a lot easier than the feeling of gaining weight in the summer. Between being very social and a lot less clothes on, you don’t want to gain through the summer. You will not only feel it, but you will see it even faster. While I want you to think about it, I don’t want you to go into the summer so strict, because sometimes that can really backfire. Remember to lose weight in the summer doesn’t mean you have to be perfect every week from now until September. It just means that the more weeks you can have that are back on track, the better you will feel and the better the end result will be. Trust me, I see firsthand the clients who are on program right now how much better they feel when they are in control. Again, it doesn’t mean you have to be perfect. It just means you have to be mindful when you are not perfect. 

Right now, we have so many clients who are doing all the right things. They feel really good about themselves, even on the days they are not perfect or when they had an extra cheat. You know why? Because they plan for it. Like I said, as long as you have a plan for, even on your extra cheat days, it’s going to make all the difference. You can give yourself a million excuses, but you are always in the driver’s seat and you are the one who will control where you go. Will you gain? It’s up to you. Will you lose or maintain? Totally up to you. 

02:22

There are difficulties that arise in everyone’s life, whether they are positive parties or negative problems. What is most important is dealing with them, because if you let the food control the feelings or let the food control the atmosphere you are in, you will end up unhappy with your actions. Think about this you can enjoy everything that has to do with summer without gaining weight. You just have to plan for it. But you know whether it’s summer, winter, spring or fall, you can’t eat and drink out of control and it not affect your weight. So you have to decide what do you want out of the summer? Do you want to be in control, enjoy and feel good, or do you want to feel out of control, bloated and covering up because you don’t feel good? Start by asking yourself this question. Think about how you want to feel come July, August, September. Every action you do today affects your tomorrow. 

03:14

I’m going to give you some summer tips that I think will be life-changing for you if you follow them. First three you have heard from me multiple times because they really work. 1. Get through the good days with two meals and one snack. It’s going to make such a big difference in your weight loss and in your good days. If you can do it in the five hours, that’s great, but if you can’t just follow the two meals and one snack for amazing days. 2. Do a detox before and after the more challenging days. It will really help reset your body and at least get you back to maintaining so you’re not gaining. 3. Always wait as long as you can to start your first meal. You don’t have to wake up and eat if you’re not hungry. 

Make the good days count. Most people gain between 7 and 10 pounds by September. That’s a lot of weight, especially if it’s on top of weight that you already needed to lose. Think smart, act smarter. 

04:06

MORE TIPS: If you want to look good, if you want to feel good, then you have to do good things for your body. Yes, exercising very important and the more you can incorporate it, the better you will feel. But eating less and staying on program is what’s going to make you feel amazing and make that scale stay where you want it to be. It’s what gives you that feeling that you are in control and doing the right things for your body and mind. While it’s a much harder concept to follow in the summer, there are days you will feel amazing and follow it, and those are the days you need to make count. Choose your battles. If you know you are going to have long weekends, whether you’re out east or you’re on a boat or on a beach, then you need to try and be 110% Monday through Thursday. 

04:49

If you want to lose weight this summer but you don’t want to be super strict, then be amazing on the days you can be and on the days that are more challenging, try and be mindful, even if you’re cheating. You don’t want big cheat days to be consecutive and you don’t want to be cheating a little every day. The days that you can be amazing, they have to be amazing. Eat minimal that is on your plan. On the days you need the extra snacks because you’re out, you’re on vacation, you’re social then have them, but try to make them on-program snacks. My point is the great days will help and will count in your overall summer. You may not see the weight loss every week, but you’ll see it by the end of the month, instead of losing one to two pounds every week in July, you might lose two pounds by the end of July and two pounds by the end of August, and both are much better than gaining 10 by September. 

05:34

If you already made the decision that you want summer to be less about dieting and more about enjoying, then you need to change your focus. Many clients will look to just maintain through the summer and get back on program in September, and that is totally fine and may give you the mental break you need. But in order to do this, you need to still be mindful every day about what your choices are. Instead of focusing on losing, focus on not gaining. Some clients will cheat a couple of days one week and then be 110% the following week. Others will be amazing Monday through Thursday and cheat Friday, Saturday and Sunday. 

06:08

Try and make changes where you can, even on the days you are not 100%. If you want extra drinks, give up your snacks. If you want extra snacks, then make your meals smaller. Try and make even the smallest positive changes on the days you are off program. This way, even though you’re having more cheat days, the changes will not necessarily help you lose, but that’s okay, because what they’re doing is helping you from gaining. 

By the end of the summer days and summer months, we have to accept what we have done. While it’s great to party, drink and indulge and vacation, if you continuously overdo it, you will be left with results that I can assure you will not be worth how you feel or what you were doing. So stay mindful and think before you act, because just like every bad choice will make a negative difference, every good choice will make a positive one. 

I hope this helps. I’m wishing everyone a beautiful week full of love, hugs and kisses from me to all of you.

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

INNOVATION WEIGHT LOSS & HEALTHY MARKET

8025 Jericho Tpke

Woodbury, NY 11797

516802-5055

www.innovationweightloss.com

Josephine (Host)

Hi everyone, welcome to the Love to Live Healthy show. I’m Josephine Fitzpatrick. Today we have a very special guest, one of our success stories, Shari Rauch. Let’s see, I’m going to bring her in. Hi Shari, can you hear me?

Shari (Guest)

Yes, I can hear you. Hi.

Josephine (Host)

Hi. Welcome. One of the absolute things I love is that about your story is it’s the second time you did this. You had success the first time, lost all your weight and it was years ago how long ago was that? 

Shari (Guest)

2015. 

Josephine (Host)

And then, of course, with everything, life, age, pandemics, name it, you gained weight and you came back. I guess it was like in the summer, right this past June,

Shari-(Guest)

June, yes

Josephine-(Host)

Okay yes, and what I love and I think is so inspiring and this is what I told you, I wanted to share so much with our audience is you were a one pound a week weight loss and sometimes you weren’t even a pound. 

Let’s talk about first, how much did you lose so far? 

Shari-(Guest)

25 pounds

Josephine-(Host)

Wow. That’s amazing. It’s a lot of weight. It’s insane, especially doing it like that. But if you think about it, did we ever have a two pound week? I think once or twice, right?

Shari (Guest)

Yes In the beginning there were a couple of times I would lose two and a half maybe, but that was the most I ever got in one week. 

Josephine (Host)

That’s what I thought. And, honestly though, look at like you now. Like, if you look back and if you would have given up because it wasn’t a lot of loss each week, you would have just regained the weight and ended up starting all over again.  

This is what I tell people all the time if you stop and then you just regain what you lost, it’s the hampster wheel you never get anywhere and just keep starting over. 

What I loved about you, you had that mindset. No matter what and I tell you this all the time when, there were weeks you came and worked hard and lost nothing and you were disappointed. Of course you’re trying so hard, but I never looked at you and said she’s going to give up, You were just so mentally in this. 

Shari (Guest)

And it took me quite a while to get myself mentally to that point. I mean, obviously, the weight starting with pandemic years was creeping on, creeping on, then pre-menopausal and hormones and so many things, just all compounding one after the other, making it, you know, all this weight gain coming on and I hit rock bottom and I said finally, like all right, like this is it, I can’t take it anymore and I’m going to do this. But before that I wasn’t mentally ready and I knew like I probably would have given up. The only time I ever weighed that much is when I had two babies in my belly. I was pregnant with the twins. 

Josephine (Host)

Wow, that’s so funny, but that’s so inspiring. If you look back, do you feel like it took as long as it did? I mean June? What are we in January, so Basically, it’s not even what. Seven months. 

Shari (Guest)

I feel like it’s been like slow and steady, but I feel so much better now getting to this point it was worth it, you know, every bit, of every little bit each week it was so worth it. 

Josephine (Host)

I just did a podcast with someone else and I was talking about you in the beginning. You didn’t really have that much exercise either. You started that more towards, like the middle to the end, right? 

Shari (Guest)

Yeah, and I’m trying. And you know, to be honest, I am not a big exercise person, I don’t love it, I kind of hate it. But I force myself and I mean I’m better in the warmer weather, in the summer I love to walk and that’s my big thing, but not in the winter, now I’m getting on the peloton and I’m like forcing myself to get up, you know, early in the morning and do it, even though I don’t like it, but I do feel better after I do it. So I’m really trying to push myself for more exercise. 

I wish I had that exercise bug. I just don’t. And the first time I did the plan, you know, it was really with almost no exercise and the weight came off a lot easier. And now I feel like I really need to try to incorporate more exercise along with the eating to make it work at this stage of my life, you know, hormonally and everything else, where I am, and I’m not working in the city anymore, so I’m a lot more sedentary where I used to commute every day. So I’m just in generally not moving as much as I used to.

Josephine (Host)

Right and that is important. I see you buying all new clothes, when I bump into you at RAGS and you look so happy and amazing. 

I do want to talk about the five hour and detox, because I think what’s really great to tell people is how much you basically bounced back a lot between the detox and the five hour. 

Shari (Guest)

Yeah, I’ve been doing both. I think I like the five hour better. I did a mix of the detox and five hour this week, a couple of days and I kind of felt like I was a little bit hungrier than usual, where I think I’m not feeling as hungry when I do the five hour. I have that little like hunger pang like in the morning and I get past it and then once I eat my muffin for lunch like I’m full and I’m good till dinner, but having the detox drink and then the muffin for lunch. I don’t know, I think I was feeling a little hungrier this week or maybe it was in my head. 

Josephine (Host)

You were supposed to feel a little hungry. I was trying to confuse your body a little bit just because we are down to those last 5 pounds, you know. So that’s when I like what I called it the doubling down, Like sometimes just confusing your body a little bit. So if a little bit hungrier, that’s probably a good thing. Another thing to mention is you started with just the regular innovation and sometimes we still throw it in, especially on the weekend,

Shari (Guest)

 I know, in the beginning we did more of the regular innovation and then we switched over to the five hour, which I really like doing the five hour. I feel like it just works very well for me. I’m not finding it that hard to stick to. 

Josephine (Host)

Yeah, and I felt like, even when you didn’t lose you always said you felt lighter. 

Shari (Guest)

Yeah, sometimes the scale just didn’t move, but I felt lighter for sure. 

Josephine (Host)

What’s great about that is too, is sometimes it just takes that scale a little extra time, another day. We just don’t see it, but you felt it and a lot of time mentally you need that, you know. 

Shari (Guest)

I mean, it definitely stinks when the scale doesn’t move, but it helps when you feel lighter.

(Both laughing)

Josephine (Host)

I know it stinks for both of us, trust me. Well, it’s great. You’re doing amazing, you look amazing. I can’t even believe It’s 25 pounds. 

So this is a great question. Okay, last question. It’s 25 pounds, and because I saw you go through this, and it was a lot meaning a pound a week, and you just kept at it, and some weeks, no pounds, and you still kept at it. You were so mentally strong. I was so proud of you through the whole thing. If you look back now, though, if somebody said to you when you first started, it’s gonna take seven months, but you’re gonna lose 25 pounds, what would you have thought? 

Shari (Guest)

I, it’s a good question. I mean, I think, just mentally, I was at the point where, like, I have to get this weight off and no matter what it takes. So if it’s seven months, then it’s seven months and that’s what it’s gonna be. But as long as I was seeing progress most weeks which most weeks I did it was worth it. 

Josephine (Host)

I really feel that to look back on like seven months, it sounds long, but it really wasn’t long. The days and weeks go so fast. And look at you now. You’re like a different person and in the middle of it, at any time had you given up, which I knew you wouldn’t it’s not even a question, but for other people, when they feel like it’s slow and they give up they never get to where they want to be. I think it’s important to realize when you don’t give up and put the time in look at where you got too. You are amazing and you look amazing. 

Shari (Guest)

Yes, 100%. I feel like a new person. I was at the point I was miserable. I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror, I didn’t want to put clothes on. I was just happy being in sweatpants, because then I didn’t have to feel how tight all my pants were and buying bigger sizes. It was, it was awful. And I just finally like hit the bottom and I said, okay, like I have to do something. I had started coming back and buying the food, but like I knew what I needed to do. I needed to start sitting with you being accountable every week and like really taking it seriously. 

Josephine (Host)

The last question what if somebody’s looking right now and they’re apprehensive about doing it or they’re scared about doing this? What is your best advice to them? 

Shari (Guest)

My best advice would be just do it. You just have to tell yourself mentally I’m ready to do this, I’m gonna do it and whatever it takes, and you just stick to it. You got to stick to your plan, you got to hold yourself accountable and you’ll see the results. 

You can’t be picking at this or picking at that, and, believe me, I do that sometimes. It’s not easy when I have two teenage boys and they’re eating all this fattening stuff around me and I definitely pick at this, pick at that, and that’s why I like the summer better when they weren’t around, and there was not a bad thing in my house, so it was a lot easier to stay on track but definitely hard with temptations around. But I always try to plan the best I can.

You know, if I have to go to a restaurant, I’m looking at the menu. I’m asking what can I eat? Like this is going to be hard, but you do everything to just try to stick to the plan and see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

Josephine (Host)

Yes, see the results, and yes, see the cheat day at the end of the week. 

Shari (Guest)

By the time that meal comes, it’s like if I eat one thing on cheat day I’m so full. 

Josephine (Host)

Yes, exactly, which is the whole point. Like, mentally you want it but you can’t even physically do it, because your stomach shrunk and you get so full so fast, which is good. 

You are amazing. I am so appreciative of you being on. I know this is not really your thing, but you did it and you’re inspiring so many people. You look gorgeous Every time. I see you every Saturday, which I’ll see you tomorrow morning I am amazed by the progress and everything you’ve done and all the work you put in to get to where you are, so I’m really proud of you. 

 Shari (Guest)

Thank you so much. You’re the best, I couldn’t do it without you my therapy sessions every Saturday morning and getting me through when I just don’t feel good or got to get over something or stressed out so you’ve helped me get there. Without you I couldn’t do it.  

Josephine (Host)

Thank you so much I really appreciate that. I really do. I love you. You’re so great. Thank you, 

Shari Rauch 25lbs lighter, You’re an inspiration to so many people you don’t even know. One pound a week and you kept at it and seven months later you’re 25 pounds lighter. You look amazing. So proud of you. Thank you so much for being on our podcast and thank you all for listening today to our Love to Live Healthy podcast. I’m wishing everyone a happy, healthy week. Hugs and love from me to all of you. 

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick