Hi everyone, welcome to the Love to Live Healthy show. I’m Josephine Fitzpatrick. Today’s episode is Feeling Overwhelmed. It’s summer and we are all feeling overwhelmed right now. 

00:43

Life can often feel like a series of challenges, so you’re not alone if you feel stretched, thin and exhausted. You know, between work, family, social schedules, let’s not forget taking care of your mental and physical health, which, for an overwhelmed person, will always take a backseat when we have busy schedules. And you know, when we feel this overwhelmed, that’s when that little voice, that little anxiety whispers in your ear. You’re dropping the ball, you’re letting people down, you’re just not good enough, you’re not strong enough to get through this. But you are strong enough and good enough. But sometimes It helps just to know that overwhelmed feeling is only temporary. I tell you all the time you’re so much stronger than life’s challenges, even if it seems impossible at the moment. I can’t tell you how often I will have a client come into my office that is just overwhelmed in their life and they don’t connect it with why they can’t stay on program. They will say things like what is wrong with me? Why can’t I do this? And I have to tell them. You have to just continue to take it, one day at a time when you feel overwhelmed in your life. It’s going to affect you trying to take care of yourself. It always does. You know our lives are full of responsibilities, right, like I said before, work-related, family commitments, social obligations. And then you put summer on top of it, when we expect to get so much done and we’re not getting it done because we’re busy doing everything else. You know we get drained. It’s like having the browser tabs open on your computer. Eventually it’s going to crash or your batteries run out and you can’t find your charger. Everything in that moment of time just feels so hard. 

02:18

To give you a great example I have a client who is doing amazing on program. She was doing amazing for the longest time and then she had some really hard challenges go on in her life. It just completely threw her off. She just couldn’t get back mentally on program and with the school year ending and kids going to camp, and she had social vacations planned, to her It all felt like a waste of time to even try. But to me, I know her better, which, honestly, a lot of times I know my clients better than they know themselves and they don’t realize that and it’s because I’m looking at them from a completely different mindset. I know they can do it even when they don’t think they can. So every week she would come in and she started feeling like coming in week after week was even more frustrating. You know all the challenges she went through was so difficult. She kept thinking Is it really even worth coming in? She was maintaining or gaining a pound here and there and it was so frustrating for her she just couldn’t bring herself to be a hundred percent back on program. 

03:12

But let me point out one thing that I was very happy about she knew she wasn’t being a hundred percent and I can’t tell you how important that is. When someone is trying to move forward, you have to be honest with yourself. You know that’s what living in your truth is. It’s like AA. You have to admit you’re not doing the right things in order to stop doing them. You have to admit you’re not doing the right things in order to move forward. So for me, I was so proud of her for coming in and admitting I’m not 100%. I know why I’m maintaining or gaining, but of course that doesn’t make it better, doesn’t make it feel better. It doesn’t make it less frustrating just because she knew she wasn’t being a hundred percent. It still felt just as frustrating. For me it meant that she was being honest with herself and eventually, because she was being honest with herself, it would work. 

04:00

She would get back to that mindset and, sure enough, after a couple of weeks she kept coming in and all of a sudden she lost. And then she lost again, and then she lost again and she was back. She was back mentally. She had control back. And you know it was so uplifting and important, because when she was coming in every week when she wasn’t 100% and wasn’t losing she was contemplating stop coming and she would say should I keep coming and I was like you have to because if you don’t what is the alternative? The alternative is you gain every week and you never get to your low again. So it was really a great feeling when she started seeing and losing every week and now, two weeks ago, she was at her new low. I mean, that’s amazing. She never felt better. It was more than just the weight loss it was feeling so accomplished she did it. 

04:47

The point is when she was coming in even when it was frustrating It kept her mindful, knowing she was coming in kept her in control even when she wasn’t 100%. That’s a big part of it. Like she didn’t go crazy, she didn’t go off the rails. She knew, okay, I gained a pound, but it would have been five if she wasn’t coming. So being mindful is really important when you know you don’t have that 100% control yet, and I can’t tell you how many times this happens with clients, because we will not always be in that mindset to do it. We will not always be in the mindset to be 100%, but if we keep working at it, I promise you it will all click, it will all happen, and I have so many clients to prove that it does happen. 

05:21

So keep moving forward, because we have to remember we live in such a hard world today. Okay, it doesn’t help at all that the modern world constantly bombards us with images of successful people. You know, through social media, tv ads, even peer comparisons. You know it’s sometimes so unrealistic, the standards, and it can lead you to a sense of inadequacy and the feeling that we’re not doing enough, which that’s what pushes us into the state of being overwhelmed to begin with. So the bottom line or lesson that I’m trying to get across to you today is no matter how overwhelmed you feel when it comes to losing weight or taking care of your health, the best thing you can do is keep doing things to move you forward, especially this time of year, when you’re feeling extra challenged. 

06:05

I want you to try practicing some of these helpful tips. One, breathe when you feel overwhelmed. Breathe and think before you grab so many times we grab for something to take our thoughts away from the present, or we grab because we were just mindlessly eating. Either way, breathe and ask yourself what am I doing right now? Do I really want this? Am I even hungry for it? Or am I trying to distract my thoughts from where they presently are? Always be honest with yourself. Only you can control your results, because you are the only one who will be honest with the answers. Two, write your food down for the day, Good or bad. Write it down so you know what keeps triggering you when you go off. Maybe it’s the time of day, maybe it’s when you’re tired, maybe it’s when you’re bored or stressed. Write it down so you can reflect back to what it is, and you can get out of that concept of all or nothing. It’s going to be life-changing for you If you go off for one thing get right back on, don’t waste the whole day. 

07:11

Someone said to me yesterday I was having a really stressful morning at work and I ended up having a bagel. What should I do for the rest of the day? I said continue on with your day, have the rest of your meals, have your snack and move on. What’s done is done. You can’t change that. But don’t make it worse by having the whole day off. Just get right back on program. Finish the day strong, because it will make the next day so much easier and it really did. She got right back on, she finished the day strong and the next day was even so much easier for her mentally to continue. 

07:40

Another good one is to seek a change of scenery. Sometimes just changing your surrounding, even if it’s just moving to a different room, can really provide a fresh perspective. Go for a walk, take a step out in your backyard, feel the ground, go play tag, go do laundry, do something that is different from where you are currently struggling. Just change your scenery when you’re feeling overwhelmed. It really will make a difference. Five, and my favorite always practice gratitude for what you do have right now. I can’t tell you how the attitude of gratitude is one of the best things you can do with helping yourself when you feel overwhelmed. It brings us back to a sense of I have so much and although I may not be where I want to be, I’m in a good place and will work hard to get to where I want to be. We have to remember this is all an ongoing process of growth, understanding and consistent effort by you for yourself. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it. For your mental and physical health it’s so worth it, I promise you. 

08:39

By using these tips in your life, you will find yourself better equipped to handle the feelings of being overwhelmed, and you will develop a healthier mindset in which you can approach life’s challenges. I say it all the time life is hard, but it’s also fun, loving, happy, exciting. Embrace it all. Keep moving forward. It’s the very best thing you can do and it’s the most important thing that will help you get to where you want to be. I hope this helps. I’m wishing everyone a very happy, healthy week full of love. Hugs from me to all of you. 

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

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