A listener e-mailed me with a question as to how to apply “baby steps” to her weight struggle, here is her dilemma:

Hi Renee, I know you must be so busy with all your endeavors but I hope you will be able to answer this at some point. I love your podcasts and listen to them over and over and often! Although I haven’t lost a great deal of weight, I can see small, natural and easy changes in the way I eat and approach food in general. I am starting to feel ready to be more focused on my weight loss efforts (I would like to lose about 20 lbs that I have struggled with for most of my life)  and this is my question. I have finally understood that the way for me to truly accomplish anything lasting is to approach change in baby steps, adding one habit at a time. I am comfortable taking my time, making sure each change is truly a habit before I go on the next step. (BTW, the website Flylady has been life changing for me in learning how to take care of my home and myself. She starts by having you keep your kitchen sink clean and shiny. When you have that habit down you go on to the next, etc, etc,.) This probably sounds like a stupid question, but what should my baby steps be? I think the first one is setting my intention every day (and I love to listen to podcast #3 to start my day) but then somehow I got tripped up on where I should go from there. I seem to jump around from “sitting down when I eat” or eating 5 fruits/veggies per day, etc, etc, but I don’t feel secure in what the next step should be. I have had success with Weight Watchers before but it just doesn’t feel quite right now. Do you have any suggestions?

I can’t help myself.  Meet Chelsea my family’s newest member.  :)  Like Obama, we promised our kids a puppy as a bribe, in our case for participating in a reality TV show (kinda like the Obama kids did).

Here’s a great email from a listener:

Dear Renee,

Remember me? It’s the girl that lost 11 pounds in 11 days and I’ve only just begun!!!
Yep, Long time since I’ve emailed you last, but I continue to keep tabs on your podcast and you did it for me again!!! First let me say, to date, I’ve lost 35 pounds and went back home to Toronto, Ontario to see my family, and they were quite happy with the results!! I’m going back during the holidays and will be even more naturally slender than before!  Whooo hoooo!  Thank You Renee, you are my shining star!! To explain further:

I was sitting here listening to your Episode 51 AND IT HIT ME LIKE A LIGHTBULB SHINING AS BRIGHTER THAN THE BRIGHTEST STAR, IN AN INSTANT, I DIDN’T WORRY THIS TIME ABOUT ” THE HOW IT WILL HAPPEN” BUT JUST BY LETTING IT HAPPEN, ONE THING LEAD TO ANOTHER!! You were talking about how it is that there are times when you feel like your running like the Energizer Bunny…. whoo hooo!!!  and then there are times when you look at your watch, and dragging one foot in front of the other, oh man, when will this end???? Now I know why I do this too!!! When I’m listening to my favorite songs that make me feel soooooooo good, like I’m some kind of sex symbol (that may be stretching it a little! But it was fun saying it anyway) or a movie star that just won the Actors Guild Award, I RUN FASTER, BECAUSE I’M EXCITED ABOUT THAT FEELING I HAVE INSIDE, IT BOOSTS ME EVEN MORE AND WITHOUT EVEN TRYING,  IT JUST HAPPENS AND THE ENERGY IS THERE RIGHT UP FROM UNDERNEATH ME!! It’s true, it’s true, I know what you mean now……..   

Lisa Furlong

Thanks again Renee, 

xoxoxoxoxox 

You gave me the tools to learn how to live my dream, the more I attract when good things are happening to me everyday, just by feeling good!! 

Can it really be this easy?  You are the proof, that seeing is believing, with the message you send to us and help us live out our dreams as well….  

Thank You Renee

A listener wrote in to ask about an unusual response to the guided journies available on my site at http://mindforbody.hotdoodle.com/?section=377. 

“I’ve been listening for a several months and you can’t imagine how much you have helped me.  I was layed off 3 months ago and have not been able to find work yet.  The stress and emotional roller coaster would normally have caused me to turn to carbs and sugar to self-soothe. However, I have not done that and have actually started exercising regularly. 

I purchased all 3 downloads and have a strange “reaction” to them.  Right after listening to them, I have an intense craving for carbs/sugar.  Listening to your podcasts, I understand that I am blocking and trying to sabotage my change.  But I don’t know how to find the block and remove it.

The EFT helped me with my hunger issues - I was terrified of being hungry and understand now that it is just a feeling and I can control that feeling.

I’ve lost 13lbs and about 16 inches over the last couple of months and feel that I am on the edge of real change but can’t seem to take that final step. 

Any suggestions?”

Michelle

Here is my response…

Hi Michelle,

“I’m so glad you found the show and are benefitting from it. You may even want to use some of the techniques to manifest your next job.

The cravings after the journey’s suggest that part of you is objecting to change. Do the Sabotage journey again, with the intent to fully understand and appreciate the gifts from the craving part of you.  Also, reassure all of you that no change will happen without complete cooperation from all of you, and all can be done on a trial basis.

Another consideration- if there is trauma in your past that could be causing that reaction as well, and can be addressed through EFT or private work.”