As tempting as that sounds, here are 3 reminders for the day after the “Holiday of Heart-Shaped Chocolate”

1.     Day is done.  Accept what may have happened yesterday and start fresh today.  Get rid of the candy.  Don't buy more.  Environmental control is everything. 

2.     Remember, accept the love and kind intention and ditch the sugar.  (See this previous blog for...

Mini Math Review:

Eating 3500 calories over the needs of your body will result in a gain of one pound of fat.  

Similarly, eating 3500 fewer calories than your body uses will result in the loss of a pound of fat.

As an example, 700 calories a week for 5 weeks is 3500 calories.  That is 100 calories a day for 5 weeks.

So, 100 extra calories a day is a one-pound gain while consuming 100 calories fewer a day, consistently, will be a one-pound loss at the...

Another note-worthy book on the bedside pile that I got to finish last week was Rework by Jason Fried and David Hansson.  It’s a collection of essays around business and productivity.

The page I dog-eared included this quote: 

“When you are high on inspiration, you can get two weeks of work done in twenty-four hours.  Inspiration is a time machine that way.”

Have you ever experienced that? 

When you are ready, really...

My body is doing a great job of fighting off a cold. 

I’ve helped by taking it very easy this week. 

That meant one thing—time to devote to finishing the books piled up on my bedside table.

Being in the middle of several books at once is relatively new for me.  I used to be of the mindset that once you start a book you finish it, darn it, and that’s that.

Even if I was struggling to get through it, I would not allow myself...

This week marks a milestone. 

It’s the first time, since we moved over 2 years ago, that I parked my car in the garage. 

Yay!

I (finally) spent the long weekend opening, moving, tossing, recycling, donating, organizing and placing all the things that have been living in the boxes in the garage.

And there were a lot.  (Enough that a car now fits in the place boxes used to be!)

Monday night, I would open the garage door just to see...

If someone asked me to name what I teach in one word, the answer might surprise you.

It’s not “Maintenance” or “Prevention” or even “Weight Loss” (ok, that’s two words). 

What I ultimately teach is Compassion. 

Self-compassion, more specifically. 

In the almost 2 decades I’ve been working with people to lose and keep off weight, it has become increasingly clear that self-compassion is the...

My wish for you and your family is a New Year filled with health, love and especially laughter!

Back next week with some Insights to Keep the Pounds Away in 2018 . . .

January 1st can be a great time for reflection and goal setting. 

Really anytime can be. 

Birthdays are a good one.  Beginning of any month.  The start of a season.  Monday.

No matter the day, the feeling is the same—renewal and hope.

I love those feelings.  Clean slate.  The whole year/month/day ahead of you. 

Possibility. 

Many of us want to act on that feeling—let’s get stuff...

Is it just me, or is this year’s Holiday Season particularly egregious when it comes to the amount of refined sugary treats around?

I know Holiday time is bound to have sweets, but really . . .

Here’s what I’ve been reminded about concerning the white, processed, powdery substance:

1. Sugar is addictive—and I don’t mean kinda like addictive, I mean in every sense of the word addictive.  Not everyone is susceptible (like alcohol),...

This time of year always reminds me of a story:

There was a wise, kind King, beloved by his subjects, who was about to retire.

(OK, so when I first heard this in the late 1970’s, the King wanted to marry off his daughter to the suitor of his choice. I’ve tweaked the story a bit to keep the good and eliminate the misogynistic. ) 

He had no children and loved his kingdom, so he wanted to leave it in good hands. 

He devised a contest, and...