You may have heard my mission statement: To end the weight struggle and replace it with…
You may have also noticed that I change what we are replacing it with frequently - freedom, fun, love, light, etc.

Now I’d like to know what you would like to replace your weight struggle with. Post a comment and let me know!

Love and Light,

Renee

We all know drinking plenty of water is a great thing to do, and helps us be and stay slim and healthy. And bottled water has been a great boon to water drinking. We can now chose a bottle of water over a soda or juice.

But what about all those plastic bottles, that will long outlive us in the landfill, and are made from petroleum? Not good.

So I was delighted to learn about IOWL’s new sponsor, Primo Water. Primo let’s us feel good twice - by drinking great tasting water, and by knowing that the bottle is biodegradble, made from corn. Very cool.

Of course, use your refillable bottle whenever you can (I do), but when you want or need bottled water why not chose the brand that’s doing the right thing?

If you would like to learn more about Primo, a company that’s making money by doing good, Primo’s CEO, David Burke, will be interviewed on Personal Life Media shows “Green Talk Radio” and “Living Green” www.personallifemedia.com.

Enjoy!

So many of the Yahoo Group members (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/insideoutweightloss/join) asked for logo wear, that we’ve created it courtesy of Cafe Press. 

Here’s the link: http://www.cafepress.com/personallife/5355464

Imagine wearing the inspiring Inside Out Weight Loss butterfly logo on a T-shirt, using the canvas tote for groceries, or writing your Success Journal in your IOWL journal.  It could be a great reminder to stay positive and focus on what’s important.

http://www.cafepress.com/personallife/5355464

Let me know what you think!

Take care,

Renee

And the links to subscribe to the #1 Weight Loss Podcast on iTunes!!!

There is a new type of weight loss surgery currently being researched that targets the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve plays an important role in telling people when they’re hungry and when they’re full. With this new treatment, an electrical device, similar to a pace maker, is surgically implanted under the skin in the chest. This device emits electrical impulses designed to block the vagal nerve impulses and thereby making people feel less hungry, more full. The surgery has been tested in Europe, and shows promise.

But like other forms of bariatric surgery (and most diets as a matter of fact), initial results are pretty spectacular, while long term results are much less so. In the case of this surgery, patients lose between 20 and 50 % of their excess weight in the first six months, but gained about 50% of that weight back.

So what do I think of this surgery? For some, this could be a good partial solution. Certainly less invasive is better, and this surgery is less invasive than lap-band surgery and other bariatric surgeries. Furthermore, when someone has a large amount of weight to lose, and has tried everything without success, surgery can help.

However (you knew I’d get to the however, didn’t you?), in my experience eating for hunger is rarely the problem. In fact, you may have heard me say that hunger is a very good thing. It’s our body’s way of telling us how much nourishment we need. When our metabolic rate changes due to exertion or lack of exertion, our appetite lets us know. When we have had a big meal and don’t need to eat, our appetite goes down. It’s really a very tidy system.

Of course, that’s the way it’s supposed to work. Some people with weight problems never feel hunger at all. When I have new clients keep a hunger diary, some feel no hunger, ever, either because they eat enough that they never get hungry, or because they have trained themselves to not feel their bodies. My first job, then, is to help them feel again.

So what do I think about VBLOC surgery? The clinical results tell us it helps some, so I believe it. Patients should expect to lose and then regain some of what they lose (we know the cycle). VBLOC, like other bariatric surgeries is at best a partial solution. I also have to admit I find the notion of tinkering with a nerve as important as the vagus never scary.  My common sense tells me we can’t possibly understand all it does.

The other part of the solution involves addressing the reasons we are overweight to begin with. What are we getting from overeating and being overweight that is worth so much to us that we are willing to compromise our health and our enjoyment of life to get it? Whatever it is, it’s a big deal, and can’t be surgically removed. Basically, the other part of the solutions is the Inside Out Weight Loss job.

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Ever wonder where all those pounds go that people lose? Top weight loss coach Renee Stephens certainly did.  Stephens has helped thousands lose tens of thousands of pounds.  “I thought, wow, I’m responsible for so many displaced pounds, really homeless pounds. I feel responsible for their welfare. I just can’t go on turning them loose to fend for themselves when some of them are completely incapable of making it on their own.”

According to Stephens, these “lost” pounds just don’t have the life skills necessary to make it in the world.  They have been completely dependent on their host for so many years. It’s like taking a duck whose been living at the zoo pond and expecting it to quack out of that controlled environment. Sure, some could find a nice pond in the park where bread crumbs come easy, but others won’t.  It’s the same with these lost pounds.

Homeless advocates are hailing the cause. “Finally, someone is taking responsibility for these lost pounds.  They get forgotten because they are unseen, but that doesn’t mean that we can just let them go” said Susie Snozzle, president of the Home for Homeless Causes in San Francisco.

Stephens and Snozzle have teamed up to create the Home for Homeless Pounds, a San Francisco based non-profit dedicated to providing temporary shelter and teaching life skills to the lost pounds.  “We can actually accommodate a huge number of lost pounds in our facility, because they don’t take up any space. In fact, we’re not even sure they are here, but the important thing is that we are here for them” said Snozzle.

PS Today is April 1st