January, 2005 

What Do You Have To Lose? provides information, articles, tips and resources to get you back to your center—the place where a slimmer, healthier you is just waiting to emerge. The foundation of our approach is Holistic. Because our bodies are affected by a variety of factors, internal and external, this e-zine offers suggestions for our many aspects.

If you're like most people reading this e-zine, you've tried many, if not all, of the popular diet plans.  You've probably had some success, and, like most, as soon as you stray the weight returns.  Or, equally as disheartening, you're able to stay on the current fad diet of the day, and you feel deprived, hungry, dissatisfied, and unhappy. 

Within each of us lives an intelligence that will always guide us to choices that give us radiant health at all levels, as well as emotional harmony and joyful living.  Seldom do we access that wise place within us.  Perhaps that's because little is being taught about it.  In fact, our culture seems to discourage looking to our "inner intelligence" for answers and guidance in favor of making a science out of everything.  We're often encouraged to give responsibility for our health, weight, lives, and life's challenges to some "expert" outside of ourselves.  Don't get me wrong.  There's plenty of value in hearing different perspectives and there's a lot we can learn from those with more training and experience than ourselves.  Ultimately, however, it's our responsibility to sift through all the information, align our intellect with our "inner" guidance, and decide what's best for us. 

Be Your Own Weight Loss Guru gives you the tools to access the answers you already have.  This approach to weight issues is about learning to listen to the messages your body, mind, emotions and spirit are giving you.  Yes, there are new concepts to learn and implement.  However, once put into practice, you can use these tools in any problem area of your life.  This program is flexible, fun, inspiring, motivating, and will bring out the best in you.  Following a rigid diet plan is bondage.  Be Your Own Weight Loss Guru is ultimately about gaining the freedom to have all your choices bring you the results you say you want.

Natural Weight Loss™ Be Your Own Weight Loss Guru Live Classes (Pittsburgh).    There is a half-day Introductory Workshop on Saturday, January 29 from 9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. and  7-Session Workshop beginning February 12.  Click here for details.

Participants in the 7-SessionWorkshop will receive Natural Weight Loss Guidebook. Ample handouts given in the Intro Workshop.

If you’re looking for holistic strategies  to bring you radiant health and easy weight loss, harmonious emotions, and a clear, focused, positive mind, this workshop  is for you.  Excess weight has many gifts for you; the sooner you discover them, the more quickly you’ll lose the weight.

For more details and to register for the live Pittsburgh Workshop, click here.

 UNDERSTANDING CRAVINGS

It's a New Year and this time you've resolved to lose weight, "be good", and eat healthfully, only to ruin your resolve by giving into your cravings for some unhealthy and/or fattening food.  Often there are good reasons for these cravings.

Our body has an intelligence and is always trying to regain and maintain equilibrium.  Cravings are one way our body communicates its needs to us.  The trick is to accurately interpret the messages behind the cravings.  The following are not comprehensive lists, and are intended to give you some insight into how you can put an end to your inner struggle with excessive cravings without using will-power and sacrifice. 

Causes of Sweet Cravings (coffee & alcohol too)

Have you noticed that sugar, alcohol and coffee can make you feel briefly elated and energized?  Have you observed that shortly after the elation you feel tired, spaced out, confused, forgetful, worried, overly sensitive, emotional, and prone to procrastination and helplessness?  Here are a few causes of these cravings:

• Diets high in animal protein.
• Skipping Meals.
• Lack of Complex Carbohydrates (whole grain brown rice, barley, millet, etc.)
• Lack of sufficient vegetables (3 cups a day of 7 different vegetables is the bare minimum).
• Salty foods.
• An overscheduled lifestyle -- too much activity relative to relaxation.
• Sweets make you crave more sweets.
• Artificial sweeteners are 200x sweeter than sugar and keep your sweet taste alive.

Causes of Salty Cravings (animal food too)

Animal foods and salt, when eaten excessively, can cause you to feel impatient, frustrated, stubborn, resentful, heavy, stuck, insensitive, compulsive, controlling, angry, even violent.   Cravings are often caused by:

• Sugar
• Artificial Sweeteners
• Coffee,
• Alcohol
• Excessive oil and fat
• Too much fruit in some cases

Sugar, alcohol and coffee cause the body to lose minerals.  Your cravings for salt and meat may be your body's way of letting you know you need more minerals or less sugar, alcohol and/or coffee.

Cravings for High Fat

High salt diets cause a craving for fats.  When you reduce salt, especially the highly refined commercial salts, fat cravings diminish.  Salt (and other minerals) require fat for proper metabolism.  Cravings for fat can be a craving for warmth.  Fat keeps us warm in the cold months.  Eating a lot of cooling foods such as icy cold foods and beverages, raw foods, fruit juice, frozen yogurt, ice cream, and fruits can create cravings for warming fats.

What Are You Really Craving?

We eat for many reasons and most of them have nothing to do with true physical hunger.  Often we are trying to fill a void left by a lifestyle that is not nourishing or feeding our needs.  Do you have enough sweetness; i.e., joy, fun, laughter, relaxation in your life?  If not, chances are you're trying to get those basic needs met with sweet foods.  Do you express your emotions in healthy, assertive ways?  Cravings for high-fat foods are often a means of calming, even numbing, negative emotional states. 

Many Natural Weight Loss participants have said what they're really craving are security, confidence, opportunities for emotional expression, healthier relationships, and more fulfillment and passion from life.  What is it that you're really wanting?  Usually it's not the food.

Unmet needs cause cravings.  Perhaps it's a need for more sleep, quiet alone time, a more active social life, or connection with healthy, positive, like-minded people.  Participants in my Natural Weight Loss Workshops have surprisingly and easily come up with long lists of unmet needs.  This is both enlightening and unfortunate.  How can you take steps to have your basic needs met in healthy ways?

Cravings for constant eating may be your body's way of trying to get energy.  In this case it's important to eliminate the cause of your fatigue.

The modern American diet is filled with highly refined and processed foods (some of them I wouldn't even categorize as food).  The problem is many, many nutrients and much of the food's energy is lost in the processing.  Consequently, even though you've eaten and feel satisfied or full, you still find yourself looking for something to eat.  Your constant cravings may be for wholesome, unrefined, unprocessed, unchemicalized, drug-free foods.  What's the quality of the health of the food you eat?

If you're willing to do the "inner" work, you'll find that it's not that difficult to satisfy cravings in healthy (sometimes non-food) ways. 

The "Inner" work is an important aspect of my Natural Weight Loss Workshop.

Spiritually we are all perfect.  Our ability to master our weight,  health, and happiness comes from aligning with that Higher part of us that knows how we can accomplish anything. 

When negative emotional states are present we do not hear the voice of our Inner Guidance.  Everything from criticism, guilt and doubt to anger, blame, and resentment close the door not only to Inner Guidance, but also to health and happiness.  These "heavy" emotions create a "heavy" body and weaken our connection to the divinity within each of us.  They can serve as a reminder to us that we're out of sync with ourselves, and lead us back to harmony (if we're paying attention).

Being peaceful is, at the level of our Soul, our natural state.  Trusting in our "Inner Intelligence" to lead us through life in joyful and healthy ways leads to self-love and self-respect.  When we're in this state, no problems exist.

My upcoming Meditation Workshop (click here) and Practical Spirituality Workshop (click here) are designed to help you gain and maintain inner harmony, help you find the shortest path to your goals, and create peaceful, joyful living.

Please read the Fall Issue for more tips on building a relationship a love and respect with yourself.  Click here.

"Anxiety and depression are lifting and that wasn't even why I came to see you. Not only am I lighter (I lost 7 lbs. since I saw you 3 weeks ago), but I feel lighter mentally and emotionally.  In addition, my energy has improved significantly.  Your approach to weight loss truly is "holistic".  I am practicing your "attitudinal" techniques and am really noticing the connections between my mental state and my weight.  You've given me many useful tools.  I'm only sorry I waited so long to schedule with you."  B.M.  Erie, PA

Natural Weight Loss e-Course, allows learning at your own pace, in the convenience of your own home, any time of day or night.  Designed for the busy lifestyle. For details, click here.   Meditation Workshop will be held February 5, from 2 - 5 p.m.  Click here for details.   Practical Spirituality, (formerly Inner Fitness), begins February 16 .  Click here for details. 

Programs are customized based on your health condition, constitutional strengths and weaknesses, age, and lifestyle. You will be guided  toward clarity in your thinking,  removing obstacles and making changes necessary to reach your goals.   You'll learn creative problem solving, and have accountability in an environment where you are fully listened to in a non-judgmental way.

My favorite green products are Vitamineral Greens and Spirulina.  These are organic and helpful for blood sugar imbalances, obesity, overeating; and building and enriching the blood  Click here for details and ordering.
Astra Diet Tea reduces appetite and improves digestion and assimilation and is an invigorating energy tonic.  Helpful for many digestive problems.  Not a stimulant, diuretic or laxative.  Call 412.421.7760 to order.  $6.00/16 teabags.