Feeling incredibly blessed...

• For my off the charts fabulous "Lori Health and Wellness Team" (amazing program director/lead, trainers, mentor, and friends)
• That I get to meet new people and pay it forward every day
• For my awesome workout this morning with Sandra Swami at Balance for Life
• To be back on track 100% and dropping weight again...focused like a laser beam on the goal
• To have what feels like unstoppable positive momentum in my life all around
• For the opportunity to thank and celebrate with friends in one of my favorite spot on earth - Bluefin Bay on Lake Superior May 12, 2012
• And so much more!

The mind is a powerful thing

It's official. I am struggling with all aspects of my program and have been for nearly two weeks. Nutritional slips, missed workouts, and frankly I am just not as focused as I have been during the past 13 months. The truth is, I was on a roll and feeling so positive that I didn't expect to falter in the home stretch. I didn't think it could happen to me. Boy was I wrong! The mind is a powerful thing.

Yesterday, in an effort to get myself back on track I had a great conversation with O'Neal Hampton -- my inspiration, mentor and coach. In talking with O'Neal, I quickly learned that I am not alone in letting my mind wander and my plan slip as I come into the home stretch of reaching my goal (20-25 lbs to go). Thus, this blog to help me and anyone facing similar challenges.

My story starts here...
On Thursday, January 12, 2012, I was lucky enough to go to sunny southern California for a mini-vacation to visit some dear relatives. My goal on vacations has always been to stay as close to program as I can while enjoying the trip -- namely the native foods and wine in moderation. My vacation goal is to have my weight stay flat. Often, I increase activity to compensate for more variation in my nutritional plan. (Who doesn't love long power walks along the ocean or climbing mountains in National Parks?!) This strategy has worked for me 6-8 times in the last year.

But this time, not only was I was staying in someone else's home and not in control of the meal schedule or menu, I was also allowing my mind to wander into thoughts of life in maintenance mode. I wondered if I would be able to self-select the right foods on a daily basis and in moderation? Or, would I slip too easily back into the old patterns that got me here? What about my training schedule? How will I pay it forward when I reach my goal? What will I do to keep my program strong and alive in my daily life? ...

For me, the combination of both jumping ahead to wonder/worry about what it would be like to live in maintenance and allowing some slippage while on vacation, began a period of real struggle. I gained weight on vacation and vowed to get it off this last week. But the slippage continued and I gained more...not for lack of energy or enthusiasm...but almost subconsciously.

I did everything I thought I was supposed to do to get myself re-focused and back on track. I blogged about it. I started each new day with the very best of intentions and focused on the basics of my plan, and I even asked for help. I consulted with program director Leif Anderson, and my friend and counterpart on this journey Shari Cummelin. I told everyone around me on a business trip that I needed their help in that moment to stay the course. And yet, I continued to struggle. I found that after one slip the mind began to wonder to thoughts of old - justifying the next. Yikes! A very slippery slope. Did those old voices and patterns resurface just to test me or to teach me something?

How many of us have tried to lose weight before only to fall back into old patterns and fail? The more I slipped, the more I worried, and then the more I slipped and the more I worried, the stronger and louder those old voices became. Mind you, it was only a few days of this cycle but it felt like weeks. How could this happen when I started the new year so close to goal and feeling so strong?

Letting my mind wander, controlled the direction
So, yesterday, I reached out to my mentor O'Neal Hampton inquiring if he had been here or if I was just completely nuts (topic for debate another time!!) I was relieved to learn that indeed I am not alone (and maybe I am not nuts!). According to O'Neal who walked this path before me, it is fairly common as you get closer to goal to let your mind wander (and worry) about life after goal. O'Neal said it happened to him and to many of his fellow Biggest Loser contestants right before the finale.

Letting the mind worry about the future takes the focus OFF reaching the goal. In each and every case, what got us here - this close to goal - was a positive, laser beam focus on the goal and a lot of hard work. Indeed, this is what's needed in the home stretch. It is perhaps even more important in the final phase as the well-intentioned voices around you start to echo "you're there;" "you look great," and "where you are is good enough why would you want to lose even more? Don't get too thin..."

By letting my mind wander to a place of concern about things that are not real yet and may never be, I was taking the focus off the goal. On top of that, my concern about the slippage on my plan became all encompassing. I was focused on negative instead of the positive -- my amazing 180 lb loss thus far and the prize at the end - an at-goal weight, beautiful Lori! I have come this far only by focusing like a laser beam on getting the weight off and getting to goal...one day, one meal...one pound at a time.

Totally, makes sense, right? Thank you O'Neal. I am excited to be refocused, re-energized and 100+%  focused only on my goal. When I reach that goal and determine with my team that I am ready for maintenance. Then, and only then, wonder and plan and focus on what's next. Right now I have ONE job and ONE focus - getting the weight off. And I know that I CAN and WILL reach it - and very, very soon.

Embracing the journey - the good and the struggles
To be honest, I wouldn't trade this period of struggle for the world. For it is in this place that I have yet again rediscovered that I am not perfect, but rather human. I am strong. I am determined. And I not alone. I have the most amazing back up team ready and willing and able to help me get there. It is in this place that I am gently reminded to stay positively focused on the goal...like a laser beam until I am safely home. To learn to forgive myself and get right back on the horse when I mess up. To learn to trust myself and others.

The lessons are many. My heart is full. To the excavation team and outfielders who back me up when I fire a bad pitch or one gets by me - I THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. On this day, my gratitude goes to O'Neal Hampton, Leif Anderson, Sandra Swami, and Shari Blair Cummelin.

Let's rock it! I am back and 100+% in the game and ready to go. Can't wait to see what happens next.

Hugs.
Lori

Bumps in the road...back to basics

I have been on a short vacation and traveling for work this week and, consequently, I am struggling to hold my program. My resolve to stay the course and work the plan has waned and I have slipped.

While I sort through what all of that is about, I know in my heart that I am a woman of strength and this journey will inevitably have bumps in the road. It's what I do when I hit those bumps that matters most. Today, I am reminded that I need to get back to basics. It's that simple.

I lost 180 lbs this past year by:

• Following the nutritional plan laid out for me and not cheating around the edges (and if I do cheat, getting right back on the plan with the next meal...no excuses!)
• Drinking enough water (turns out when you don't get the water in, it shows in the results)
• Making sure I am: 1) Getting to the gym, and 2) Working hard and pushing myself with each workout
• Taking my vitamins and supplements every day
• Ensuring that I take the time to write, talk and ask for help/support when and where I need it (I am so lucky to have a whole "Lori Team" - I need to reach out)
• Remembering that I am not perfect and I will falter. (It's what I do when that happens that matters most)
• Keeping myself at the CENTER of the equation each and every day and not letting that overall goal slip in any way, shape or form.

I am writing this as much for me as for those of you reading this blog who may be experiencing similar slips or bumps in the road. The bumps in the road are real and we must embrace and learn from them...right? These are my basics. Yours might mirror this or be totally different. But for me, the reminder to go back to the basics...to what I know to be true...and to what works - this is the reminder I needed today. Perhaps we all do from time to time.

What is getting in the way?
These past couple of weeks have provided me a glimpse of what maintenance will look and feel like, and I would be kidding myself if I didn't say it worries me. For more than a year, I have succeeded by executing the weight loss program laid out by Leif Anderson and have gotten in the zone of weight loss. I have consistently executed the plan week after week. I am so proud of my progress and my ability to get back to basics when things start to slip and slide.

But maintenance is a different type of "zone." Its greyer around the edges and thus it seems easier to let things slip. As I get closer to my ultimate goal - the weight is coming off slower and, in fact, I only see progress without hard work, concentrated effort and precision. It's a lot tougher. Plus, people are beginning to say things like: "You're already there;" "Why do you want to lose more weight, you look great?;" "If you stop now, you will still be successful." And to some degree the big pressure is off because certainly if I stopped now and maintained a -180 lb weight loss, you could argue that I am successful. I fit in normal size clothes; I feel good; my attitude is positive and upbeat; and my happiness quotient is way up. Plus, I can do so much more physically and psychologically; I am not afraid anymore; I believe I can do anything...

It's true. The fear is gone and I believe I can do anything! So to those well-intentioned friends and family, and to myself, I say: "HELL NO! I am NOT there yet!" I am reaching that ultimate goal of another -25 lbs. And when I get there, will evaluate if that is indeed where I want/need to be. There is simply no question that I am going to go all the way and feel even better, look even better, and be the true and total inspiration to others that I know I can be.

For me, 3/4 of the way is not good enough. I must go all the way. Why? Because I can do it? I want to do it? I need to do it. Something has unleashed in me and there is no stopping me now. For as happy and as healthy as I am now, I see only the mission accomplished. My eye is on the prize.

So for today, I will get back to basics. I will do what I know works. One meal, one decision, one day at a time. And I hope, my passion will inspire those of you struggling or fussing about the edges to do the same. We deserve this. We can do it! And wow, does it feel good just to put it out there. No stopping now.

For me, 25 lbs. My shorter-term goal is my new "hot" little red dress by my birthday. Valentines Day - February 14, 2012. Three weeks to get in that dress that I will sport at my birthday party. I can't wait.

Let's go!

All you can do...

...is change yourself, but sometimes that changes everything!

Feeling very, very, very blessed that I stopped trying to change everyone and everything else and focused on me. Look what happened?! It can change everything.

Putting yourself in the equation, creating your life

A week ago Sunday (just in time for the New Year), Marcia Hyatt - a dear friend, leadership and life coach - posed the question on her weekly radio show "What do I want to create?"

Marcia tosses these provocative questions into the universe (often inspired by a quotation) to get you to think and challenge yourself for a better life. I LOVE this question and the accompanying quote:

"Now is the only time. How we relate to it creates the future. In other words, if we're going to be more cheerful in the future, it's because of our aspiration and exertion to be cheerful in the present. What we do accumulates; the future is the result of what we do right now." ~Pema Chodren

What immediately came to mind for me, after achieving a year-end weight loss goal that puts me awfully close to my ultimate goal weight, was the success I've had this past year staying SOLELY focused on what I wanted to create.

My goal was to create a life with Lori in the equation - the center of the equation. And I can proudly say that my success in 2011 -- both personally and professionally - was achieved because every decision I made was framed with that goal in mind. Seriously, I think I get an A!

How did I do it? I lived intentionally. I planned. I executed. I worked hard. And I had lots of help and support.

First, I defined what it meant to have Lori in the center of the equation. For me, it was about prioritizing my nutrition and fitness program first...above all else...always. It included getting enough sleep, limiting my work hours so I had life balance, asking for help when I needed it, and more.

Establishing this framework/plan at the beginning of the year was key. I created a detailed picture of what it looked like to have Lori in the equation, which included establishing non-negotiables. This gave me a platform that I could go back to whenever I was in doubt about a decision. Sometimes the decisions were big and tough and it wasn't obvious. In those times, I sought counsel to sort it out and we always came back to what was best for Lori and what would keep the focus on me - the goal.

Those of you that know me, know that until about a year ago I wasn't even in the equation of my life. Nope. Not there at all! I was all about building a business and serving clients, volunteering and helping others, being there for friends and family...doing everything for and about every one else. In part, this is my nature. My personality type (ENFJ) is focused on people and helping others. But in large part, this phenomenon manifested because I was trying to fill a hole/void in me and prove my worth to the outer world by doing things.

Because I don't do anything half hearted, I focused so aggressively on others that my personal well being completely fell by the way side. I was working 18-hour days consistently to get it all done and manage all of the balls in the air. And by doing this, I was slowly killing myself. Eating to stuff emotion and deal with stress, not moving out of an office chair in 12-18 hours a day, and  losing hope with each passing day of a different life.

At the time, I thought I was relatively happy. Not ecstatic but okay. But as I reflected last night with a colleague who was in the trenches with me - I realized NOT at all! My natural upbeat disposition turned "glass half empty." Everything was more difficult and drama filled. I cried a lot. And the very relationships I was sacrificing myself for, well, they suffered. Not to mention what I was doing to my health! Pretty depressing when I think about it now. But I can say that at the time I was not fully and consciously aware of what I was doing. And I certainly didn't know what I wanted to create for Lori.

I tell you this and tie it to the question - what do I want to create? - because, for me, the most important step of making a change in my life, was indeed answering that question and deciding that BAR NOTHING I was going to tackle it. One day at a time. Day after day after day.

And it has worked...brilliantly. The really cool thing is that as I continue to put myself first and focus on my overall health and happiness, everything else around me is better. My work. My relationships. My fun. And, so many opportunities have presented themselves because I am now attracting them. Of course, the best part, my worth comes from inside me not what I do for others or to hold the world up! (Wow. Sigh. Smile. Big Step.)

Short term sacrifices for long term gain. 
How many times have we heard the phrase: "Short term sacrifice for long term gain?" For me, thousands. And most often I have been annoyed by it. Well, short term sacrifice is exactly what I've had to do these past months to achieve the longer-term goal. And again, as much as I hate to admit it, it totally works. Better yet - it is not as hard as we make it out to be in our heads! It's just a mindset.

Example. As I get closer to my goal weight the program is getting a bit tougher. Less food, more working out, for lower weight loss numbers each week... At our Marketing that Matters Christmas party this past year, I was excited to celebrate our business success with the now 15 amazing people that work with me! I so wanted to toast my new colleagues with my favorite glass of wine to celebrate. But, my eye was on the big goal, as well as a shorter-term, year-end weight loss milestone. My program director and coach, Leif Anderson, had worked to prime my body for this loss. So, after checking in with him to confirm that drinking at my holiday party would screw it up, I sacrificed that glass of wine.

Yes, indeed, I toasted my team with water and ate a grilled chicken skewer while they indulged on great holiday party food and drank my favorite wine and had a ball (on my tab!). The thing is, I had a ball, too. Because inside I felt amazing that I could choose me and make my goal the priority verses indulging in that moment. This is not something I often did in the past. The truth is, there will be other Christmas parties. This time I made the sacrifice/choice with my goal of creating a life with Lori in the equation...long term as the prize. And it was the right choice.

If I can do it. So can you!
These past couple of weeks I have had the absolute pleasure of talking to, and working with, so many people - some friends and some strangers - who have asked for help. Several have similar challenges about how to put themselves in the equation (perhaps not to my extreme). It has been a joy to share my story and listen to theirs. I love paying it forward and helping people. But now, helping people is helping me. There is something very powerful in sharing your story with others who have the same struggles and helping them take that first step. That first critical step. That, my friends, is the hardest part.

So to those reading this who might have similar struggles or find something in my story in which they resonate, I say this: you can and will do it. If I can go from a place of no hope and a sedentary lifestyle where the focus was on everything and everyone but me -- to a balanced, centered and healthy Lori. Well, you can do it, too. And when you do, you will be soooooo happy and fulfilled! Beyond your wildest dreams. I promise.

My advice: Tackle Marcia's question. Think about what you want to create? Don't be afraid to ask for help. Reach out. Plan. And then go...like a laser beam focused on that goal/plan. Take one moment, one decision, one day at a time. And before you know it, you will see success...and it will feed you...and you, too, will create something truly amazing!

At next year's Marketing that Matters Christmas party, I will raise that glass of my favorite wine and toast to me, to my team, to you and to the lives we all want to create.

What do you want to create in 2012...and beyond? I am so excited about what's next I can hardly contain myself!

Happy and healthy new year to all.

Lori

P.S. Check out Marcia Hyatt at www.marciahyatt.com and her really cool book, "What have I Mythed."

Celebrating today...just another day on the journey.

Today we celebrate a new beginning. A new year...a new day...a fresh start. That's a good thing, and I embrace it!

When it comes to living a healthier lifestyle, today also represents a new beginning. A lot of people ate their way through the holidays and have resolved in the new year to start fresh and get back in shape. Gyms will be crowded and trainers busy as many new years resolution exercise programs begin today. I have been there. And to those in this camp, I applaud you and wish you resolve and determination to meet your goals.

I am feeling particularly blessed that what I am doing today is simply staying the course. Doing exactly what I have been doing the past 365+ days that has worked so brilliantly. With a very grateful heart, I thank those who have been, and will remain, in the trenches with me. At the top of the list...

A BIG THANK YOU to Leif Anderson of Adonis Personal Training for the customized nutritional and fitness program and ongoing coaching/consulting. And, to my Twin Cities trainer extraordinaire Sandra Swami from Balance for Life Fitness Center who trains me, corrects my form, and helps keep me accountable day-to-day. I feel blessed to work with the best. Lucky for me/us, today is just another day on the path to "reaching my full potential!" :-) I could not be more grateful. For me, this is a first. And it feels good.

Happy New Year. I can't wait to see what happens next -- both for me and for those of you starting anew today.

Hugs,
Lori