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The first of the year always brings energy to weight loss. The gyms get busier. Stores stock diet products and push them in our face. Advertising proliferates.

Now comes the news that Jenny Craig has a new spokeswoman, Carrie Fisher.

This news really hit me hard. It made me very sad.

carriefisher

I wasn’t sad because we’ve got yet another famous face attempting to glamourize temporary weight loss. I wasn’t sad because we are once again NOT TALKING about sustainable change. I wasn’t even sad because we have to watch another public “slim down” and rebound.

The fact that our society spends untold amounts of energy circling the real reasons for our addictive behavior and instead plays bullshit games with destructive dieting is always sad to me.

I was really affected by this because I think Carrie Fisher is a remarkably talented woman.

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This week, manufacturers of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) announced a “marketing makeover” when they made public their intention to rename the product, which has recently been the target of moms, health advocates and doctors.

I often feel like many of our news sources are mere PR fronts, spewing out traditional viewpoints. My own local newspaper’s story (albeit one picked up from a newswire source) left much to be desired from my viewpoint.

I wrote a letter to the editor but they wrote back saying it was too long! Apparently every viewpoint should be only 200 words! Hmmm! That’s an easy way to limit discussion isn’t it? Especially on a story dating back to 1966.

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I’m all about living consciously – making decisions with full attention to the moment I’m living in, as well as the way that moment is connected to the future.

When I finally saw the connection between my momentary urges for foodication (medicating through food) and the ultimate result in my body, I changed my weight permanently.

I’m focused on a lifestyle that ends the lease on weight loss and OWNS it instead. I emphasize making my own decisions instead of going with the crowd. I don’t like being a “sheeple.”

I’m convinced accepting the norm, programmed by the media, advertising and fashion industries, means lots of excess weight and fat in our lives.

Soda Consumption is Directly Connected to U.S. Obesity Epidemic

Soda Consumption is Directly Connected to U.S. Obesity Epidemic

Case in Point: McDonald’s new Sweet Iced Tea commercial where the woman has been sipping tea so long, she’s developed a tan line across her chin.

Yowza!

My first reaction was: “that’s the stupidest commercial I ever saw!”

No one would drink that much, right?

But…

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What the world calls “weight loss” is a temporary condition based on a diet, not on real life. As I discovered, we pay for temporary weight loss with deprivation, excessive exercise, and, most importantly, we pay with the body’s precious metabolism. Then, we’re forced to give back the “weight loss” when we can’t support the payments anymore.

I call this “renting weight loss.” It’s prevalent in our society, and heartbreaking.

As I lost over 70 lbs. (and sustained that loss for 10 years), I learned a few things. Speaking at my 10th year celebration forced me to think about all my lessons from an overview perspective. It looked like this:

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YellowGirlFruit

It’s the middle of January and, in one form or another, many of us are fighting with our food.

As New Year’s Resolutions fade and sputter and maybe even get thrown to the wind, it’s easy to fall into a real struggle with food. Most diets set us up for struggle. They make some foods “good” (which doesn’t line up with what our mind says is “good”), and some “bad.”

But even an old pro like me has a momentary brain fart around food.

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Tomorrow is always a sad day for me. Even though it comes right after Christmas, it’s been a sad day for me for the past 15 years.

During the decades I spent overweight, fat had a big impact on my life. My appearance kept me from enjoying many activities, made me feel shy and awkward with people, and impacted my relationships.

I hid whenever possible. I dressed in black and stayed in the background. I hoped no one would notice me in crowds or at events. I grew very uncomfortable whenever attention came my way because of my size. You can imagine the horror I felt when my sister Paula asked me to be in her wedding party. It was 1991 and I was at a “medium” weight, having regained some 60 lbs after a 3-year hiatus from sugar and white flour. The weight had returned, as it always did, with a vengeance.

I was even more horrified when I saw the dresses she had picked out!

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Here in Madison, WI, we’re experiencing the winter’s first big snow. Imagine my surprise when I was driving through the near white-out conditions and noticed a woman standing outside an office building, without a coat, casually smoking a cigarette.

snow

“Wow!” I thought. She must really need that cigarette!” It was so interesting to see her complete lack of embarrassment as she demonstrated her addiction in spite of the frozen conditions.

My addiction was always food. I thought, “Would I stand in the snow to eat a brownie if you couldn’t eat them indoors?”

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