That sounds like the lyrics to a church hymn, but you know what I’m finding out? When I’m listening and engaging my higher self, the world seems brighter and everything is more clear. Food is not fear, it is love and so much more enjoyable when I’m not eating it in excess. I’ve been cooking and baking up a storm, which is obvious from the looks of my kitchen, and I truly love it more than I ever have. And not only that, but I’m excited about life in a way that I never have been. I drank the kool-aid guys.

When I listen and follow what  I need and want in my life, I wake up clear and excited for the day. It feels like opening the windows on the first day of spring. Is anyone else experiencing this after reading Brain Over Binge? I’d love to hear about it.

Lately, I have the energy to do make things happen. Things that I normally get so overwhelmed with and just put on the back burner. One of my dreams has been to create and maintain a creative living blog, so I’ve been polishing off my Beautiful Layers blog these past couple of days. It’s hard to believe I’ve had that domain for seven years, and this one for six. What the what?

Other stuff that’s happening? I’m seriously thinking about returning to University to finish my degree in fine arts/ graphic design. After watching my bff Jas graduate with honors, I was seriously encouraged and inspired to finish my degree. I feel like I am in a different place now than I was when I first when to college. I also feel like I’m more capable of learning and studying new information without the whole rebellious streak. We’ll see.

Today I’m getting back into exercising after taking a week off due to a wonky back, which is now on the mend.

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Old habits die hard. I’m hearing this a lot, as well as replacing old habits with new habits. And finding it difficult to identify these bad habits is a process in and of itself. Sometimes I don’t even know it’s a habit, or that it’s keeping me from my goals.

A couple of days ago I went through the house and threw out food that could cause me to binge. I went through this whole mental process of thinking this is wasteful, I can handle small amounts, and is this really bad to have around? It’s hard for throw away perfectly good “food”, but I did anyway and I have another round to go. I have boxes of graham cracks leftover from gingerbread house building, and right now they aren’t tempting- I could care less about graham crackers, but I worry about what they could turn into. So I will give them away.

And now I’m thinking of tackling my sugar/brown sugar and flour reserves. I cook occasionally with sugar, but I know I can use honey instead. Not much can be done (of the overeating variety, for me) without sugar, so I will keep the flour. I’m actually having these thoughts, what could I easily turn into a dessert? If this can be a dessert, it should go. This is the thing with being able to bake, you can do it quickly and easily without much on hand.

Old habits for me, are thinking “I can handle this”, and in the moment I can, but eventually something will pop up and I’ll find myself making brownies in the microwave and wondering how that even happened. Steps A to B to eating are a blur to me and I’m left with brownie residue in a mug trying very hard to wash away the evidence.

I’m asking myself, how can I  replace these habits and old ways of thinking? It’s a challenge, it’s hard to question a behavior you’ve worked hard at protecting.

What habits are you trying to throw away?

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Thanksgiving Eating Tips

Thanksgiving and Christmas are my favorite eating days of the year, with Thanksgiving eating being the bigger one I think. Thanksgiving dinner is now only a couple of days away in Canada and the Turkeys and Hams have already been bought and are waiting to be eaten. This thanksgiving maybe you can be more careful about your eating and well being and I hope that looking at these tip will keep you feeling better the day after as you get to go on your post Thanksgiving day shopping spree.

Thanksgiving Eating Tips

1. Decide what you are going to eat each day in the morning before you start. Think about 3 meals and 3 snacks. No one says you can’t have a snack, then dinner a while later and then desert a while after that.

2. Get some exercise right after you get out of bed. This will help you focus on your fitness and make you aware of how your body feels that day.

4. Eat a small breakfast to set up a slow eating day. Maybe some All Bran or something else filling would be good.

5. Again you should have a fairly small lunch. Thanksgiving eating may be a big eating day but you still need to keep eating a few meals to keep your metabolism up and to make sure that you are not too hungry when dinner comes around.

6. Try to have some kind of snack a couple hours before dinner and then a walk. This is your first real chance to make a difference in your eating for the day that may normally be bad. Try making something interesting and out of season. I love fruit salad so you could always make a fruit salad and have it over low fat frozen yogurt.

7. Eat everything at dinner but only small portions of each food. For Thanksgiving eating it is not the amount of food that matters but the trying of all of the foods at the table. Remember you can have leftovers for days in small servings as well.

8. Go for another walk if the weather is good. The worst thing to me is that after having a great Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner there is no energy outlet so you end up just sitting and almost falling asleep from the tryptophan in the turkey (actually all those carbs and fat…) and then you don’t want to get up at all. Why not instead take a little walk around the neighborhood?

9. Dessert. If at all possible try to make a dessert yourself as then you can be sure how good or bad it is for you. My wife is always the designated dessert person for family get togethers as she makes Thanksgiving eating stuff that is not quite as bad for you but always different and always really great tasting. One of the favorites these days is angel food cake with strawberries and Cool Whip

10. Try to keep things interesting for the evening by having an interactive game to play or have the kids put on a play. What you want to do after dinner and dessert is keep away from the regular habit of snacking even though you are full.

Thanksgiving Eating to Remember

Thanksgiving is a day that people always associate with a lot of Thanksgiving eating food and what i have in mind is not to have you starve yourself on thanksgiving but instead just make sure that you have a great day and eat some healthy snacks to keep yourself from eating too much heavy food and to feel a bit better about yourself the next day.

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One question that I get emailed about more than almost anything else lately is “How can I get on the Biggest Loser?”

I know that many people are interested in the show, after 7 or 8 seasons now people have seen so many success stories on the Biggest Loser that they can’t help but think that there is no way that they can lose the weight they want to lose without getting on the biggest loser.

I for one don’t believe that at all, no matter if you want to lose 20 in one month or lose 100 pounds in a year there are always ways to lose the weight without going on a TV show. Really! Believe it.

How to get on the Biggest Loser

Ok, now after that if you really want to know how to get on the Biggest Loser I have a plan that won’t guarantee anything but I think will improve your chances to get on the Biggest Loser.

Just to let you know, you need to be a resident of the US to get in. no Canadians or others allowed

Before you get started go to the Biggest Loser Casting page.  Click here for entry rules and procedure.

First of all you have to fill out an application form at the NBC site and send in a video. As you can imagine there are quite a few people trying to get on the Biggest Loser and the only way that the people in the casting department can narrow down this huge list is by kicking people off the list or finding exceptional people. The only way that you can be chosen for the Biggest Loser is to have an impressive application and video, there is no other way to make an impression.

Biggest Loser Application Tips

The application is long, 9 pages in fact so print out a couple of copies. Make one rough copy with lots of notes and give yourself at least a couple of days to really lay out what is important and what will be qualities that set you apart from everyone else trying to get on the Biggest Loser.

After you have filled out all the notes then get another copy of the application and print all the answers very clearly in the space provided. Keep yoour answers very clear and direct, do not use any unnecessary words, this is one of only two ways to impress those judges.

Biggest Loser Video Tips

The video that you make is going to be the real way of setting yourself apart from all of the other people trying to get on the Biggest Loser TV Show. Try to have the best production quality that you can.

As far as the length of video make sure that it is not any longer than 10 minutes. As you can imagine there are a lot of videos to get through and the people casting the Biggest Loser are going to only want to spend a few minutes and if they have not been caught by you by then they will move on to the next tape.

Make sure that your video is fairly closeup, you do not want to be too far away from the camera and no one should have to strain to hear what you have to say.

Try to be very upbeat, not like you are crazy but on the other hand remember that they casters for the Biggest Loser are going to be looking for people that are fun and interesting to watch. If you are just heavy but will not draw in viewers than people will not want to tune into the show, so you will not be chosen.

Make sure you do wardrobe changes. Show the casting people on the Biggest Loser what you look like in a bathing suit, workout clothes, regular clothes and this way that will also get a feeling for what you are like.

Finally, let the viewers of your video know what you are like and why you should be on the show. Make sure that the video is vbery clear as to why you need to be on the show, your past successes and failures, your weight loss history and how you want ot make the change for you and the people around you.

Will you get on the Biggest Loser?

As you probably know that chances of getting on the Biggest Loser are slim but unlike a lottery they are going to pick 16 people every season so there is a chance if you present yourself well to actually get on the show.

Good Luck, if you do get on the Biggest Loser leave a comment and let us know.

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I’m more likely to complete a task when it’s in writing and I give myself the opportunity to check it off. What is it about calendars? Back when I did 14 weeks of Insanity, I felt like I had to do it because there was a calendar with a task and I needed to check it off. It adds pressure and makes me feel like I’m skipping out on myself when I miss an appointment.

My mid-September calendar has been so helpful this week. Granted, it’s only been a couple of days of check-offs, but it’s working in it’s own way. For example, I didn’t finish my Jillian workout until about 8pm last night. I was busy most of the day and really just wanted to settle in for the evening. But, the calendar hanging on the refrigerator was calling to me.  I could not end the day without checking exercise off my list. I’m restarting c25k again today and I’m excited because the weather is perfect. I’m restarting because 1) I want to participate in the 5k in Winston-Salem in December again and 2) I think I’ve been invited to do a 5k in Cincinnati in May. It’s time to prepare!

How do you stay accountable for exercise?

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Not gonna lie, even though I’m self-employed I still get excited for the weekend. I feel energized and motivated. There are (usually) no looming deadlines, it’s just a nice couple of days to relax and work at my own pace. With that said, I would like to bottle this feeling up and spread it throughout the week.

I also know that dinner out with my husband will happen along with a trip to David’s Bridal to get a jacket for the wedding I’m going to be in, in two weeks. Two weeks! I have some wedding prep to do, such as feet + nails, self-tan (my legs are scary white), and exercise daily. I miss posting my food here, so I will do that as well. I joined myfitnesspal.com and can be found under the user name “lorriebee” for daily food updates.

I am pushing my Wear it Well Spring course back another week. But, this is the last week. It’s going to be awesome and I want it to be even better than my fall course.

Happy Weekend!

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Cara Castronouva and Brett Hoebel

I know I am a couple of days late here but I watched the Biggest Loser last night and (hope this is not a spoiler for you) four people actually gained weight. A little horrified on this side of the TV that’s for sure.

OK So a quick update, I have been watching Biggest Loser this season, not the whole episodes but watching kinda while on the computer and yesterday afternoon I watched this weeks episode. So far this season has been interesting with two new coaches and lots of huge people working hard. One of hte things that I am really noticing this season is all the gameplay. Every season the gameplay seems to take over more of what the people are doing.

There are still two teams, the red team is being coached by Cara Castronouva and Brett Hoebel. The black team is being coached by Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper. So far it feels like even though the team with the newcomer coaches have a weight advantage (they are bigger) and the Bob and Jillian team still seem to be doing better.

Week 8 of Season 11 of The Biggest Loser

So this weeks weigh in was strange. There was a lot of people worried about their family members and early on Jennifer gained two pounds and was worried as her dad left last week to save her to stay in the game. While the rest of the people were losing just a bit. Jennifer from the red team was definitely scared because the worst weight loss or gain was getting kicked of and then the worst team would kick one person off.

In this case the second half of the weigh-in caved in. The black team had three people gain weight, all parents trying to make sure their kids would be able to stay. In the end Marci gained a pound, Jesse gained two pounds, and …. wait for this ….. Deni GAINED 8 POUNDS and although it was a lot over the top she called herself the Biggest Winner for keeping her daughter there for at least another week.

I know I can be confusing but the parents of the Black team tanked everything for their kids. I know that it seemed nice but I am sure the coaches are going to snap them back to reality next week.

My Take on This weeks Biggest Loser Episode

Deni – Biggest Winner?

So here is how I look at this show. The game play has got ot go on the Biggest Loser. This is irritating this game play and I know that I have railed about it a couple of times over the last couple of seasons but it really does ruin the show.

I get emails and comments on blog posts every week from people hoping that I could help them get on the Biggest Loser (I know no one there sorry) and all these people that are so desperate to get on have to look at these weigh ins and see people tanking a week for others must seem so unfair.

I do not have the answers but with people working out SIX hours a day and eating well you would hop that the show would be more hardcore on the pride of the weight loss and the climb into health instead of some crazy game play. I don’t have the answers but I wish I did, this show that I love so much seems to be turning into Survivor and it is not that kind of show with ruthless lying and deceit.

I sure hope that this was a one off episode of the Biggest Loser and that from here on in everyone buckles down to lose weight.

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Over the last couple of days I have been getting a lot emails regarding the fat loss 4 Idiots meal plans. Let’s get straight to the point:

Everyone that joins fat loss 4 idiots should know that this diet comes with an online menu generator that you can use to pick your favorite food choices and it automatically generates 11-day ready-made meal plans. You get to eat 4 meals a day, basically this diet doesn’t involve starving yourself like other diets require and you get 3 days off the diet every 11 days so you can satisfy your cravings.

Unlike most of the popular weight loss diets, fat loss 4 Idiots doesn’t require you to buy any expensive pre-packed foods or anything that results in spending lots of money. It’s not a low calorie diet, therefore you won’t be spending money on low calorie foods that are most likely to be expensive. You get to choose your favorite fat burning foods, that you can easily pick up at your local store as you would normally do.

Although everyone has different eating habits here are a few samples of a typical day diet with fat loss 4 idiots.

fat loss 4 Idiots Meal Plan: First Day

fat loss 4 idiots Meal Plan: Second Day

fat loss 4 Idiots Meal Plan: Third Day

The main reasons fat loss 4 idiots stands out from all the other weight loss diets you may have tried before: You don’t have to starve yourself, you get to eat foods that you enjoy and best of all you won’t walk away hungry.