Fresh Start, an Apology and Some Advice

WOW!  It's been over a year since I last wrote.  My, how things have changed in the world!

I saw an excellent post on Facebook recently about 2020 bringing about the 1918 Pandemic, 1929 Depression and 1968 Race Riots back all at once.  These three things at once have definitely tested our resourcefulness and fortitude during the the past few months.  Even more so, we have certainly discovered where many of our fellow Americans sit in regards to discrimination and loyalty, through their words and/or actions.  We've been tested physically, mentally, financially and emotionally.

Someone needs to fix 2020....... TOUT DE SUITE!   We can start here....

I've been itching to get back to blogging for the past few months, but the things that matter the most  to me right now are some hot topics that are better left to "bigger actions and stronger forums".  Not some blog that will only invite people to take sides and argue points.  The "keyboard warriors" are gonna have to look elsewhere.  Instead, I implore you to use your energy to take action.  Didn't your mama tell you.....

Read that one again.  It's a gooder.

And while you're at it, stop hoarding paper goods!  I swear one of the toilet paper companies started the need to hoard TP, because I can't understand what the logic was behind this worldwide need to stockpile the stuff.

Cough medicine, I get.   But virus wasn't causing the runs....the trots....the flyarrhea....the loose juice.....the flying jimmies....the stinkle tinkle....the joggins.....or my own personal favorite, the bubblins.

(note: I just found a page full of slang words for diarrhea, and I couldn't stop myself.  It was word vomit.  😉. Sorry, Mom)

Anyway...... 

Being a rather light and airy blog, I'm taking it back to its roots.  This blog began as a "mommy blog",  became a "diet blog" and ended up being something more along the lines of a "total-health quest blog".  We are going to continue with that, okay?

Before I proceed, I have an apology to make to some previous readers, if they are still here.

When I began blogging about Lydia Wente's program, I neglected to mention that it's not a low-cost  program.  It's an investment.  And I totally understand that many people cannot afford to make larger investments, especially now.  

Truth be told, I couldn't either.  I had to get financial support to do the program.  

The deciding factor for me what that I could not live one more moment with the eating disorder.  The need for help was a much larger component in choice to enroll.   I was fortunate enough to be able to get the money to pay for her help.  And I am forever grateful to Lydia Wente for changing and saving my life.  I will always support what she does and I will always recommend her program to people.

I do want to apologize to anyone who felt that my posts misled them in any way due to the financial cost.  Everything I posted was factual and sincere.  However, I didn't consider that some people may have felt as though omitting the price of the program led to them pursuing an option that they never would have pursued had they been given that information.  I will say with 100% certainty that I never thought of the price because to me, personally, it was invaluable.  I just wanted to share my success.

I did the program over 2 years ago, so I have no idea what the cost is now.  If you would like to get more information on this, I would recommend asking Lydia personally.   She offers a number of ways to receive financial assistance if you are interested.

What I would like to do is make another recommendation for more affordable options if Lydia's program isn't an option for you.  Since completing her program, I've worked with two other people who have taken "the new me" and taught me how to build on that foundation.  They are STILL teaching me, actually!  And they are two of my favorite people.

The first person I went to was Summer Innanen.  OMG, I love her!  I read her book and decided that she was the girl for me.  She is relatable, sensitive, funny, insightful, and she says it like it is.  There are so many options at so many financial levels for women who are aiming for help with disordered eating AND Body Positive Living (a/k/a loving yourself right now!).  Plus, she is accessible.  You're not a number or a payment.  

Through conversations, Summer helped me find that I deserve more that I thought I did, why I felt I didn't deserve it and how to give it to myself.  I'm going to include the link to her website and her book below.  Check her out!  

The link to Summer's website summerinnanen.com

The link to Summer's book - Free For Kindle Unlimited Members!!

After Summer, I realized that I had no idea how to eat like a normal person.  I had no idea how to eat and exercise.  I wasn't a gym person.  I ate cereal, loaded ham sandwiches and pizza. Diet food was gone from my life, so what in the hell was I supposed to eat????  I had injuries that needed to be considered when choosing how to exercise, and the only plans I saw were either for already fit people or people who wanted to do a boot camp.

Ummmmm.....nope.

I searched the internet thoroughly and I needed help.  I felt like there was no one for me.  I needed someone who really cared, could teach me how to eat like a normal person and could also teach me how to exercise and not hurt myself.  

The second person I went to was Trish English, the owner of O.N.E Optimal Nutrition Exercise.   All of that stuff I mentioned above?  She does that.   And if you DO like the gym and know how to eat, she will STILL teach you stuff you didn't know to make your life even better.  I say LIFE because she doesn't just focus on your body.  She focuses on the ENTIRE thing.  Mind, body, soul.  As a yoga teacher, kick box instructor and personal trainer who spent a verrrrrrrrry long time studying the science of how  nutrition affects your body, she's got it all.  

Since starting with Trish, I've learned how to eat like a normal, healthy person, I've learned that working out can be fun and easy, and I've learned to take care of myself as a human being.  And, again, she is an accessible person!  She responds to emails personally and thoughtfully, she replies to her Facebook  page quickly and she'll even talk to you on the phone or in person.  She will commit to you as much as you commit to her.  I'll post links to her website, Facebook and Instagram pages below.

O.N.E. Facebook Page

O.N.E. Instagram Page

O.N.E Program Webpage

I'm still with her.  I’m still learning.  She's my inspiration for health, fitness, parenting and general "good-personedness".

And yes, she's affordable.  

Okay!  So, with all of that being said, if you have any questions, please reach out.  And I'll be back.  For my birthday this year, I decided I want to work on Self Care more than ever.  Hope you'll join me

xoxo,

Vicki

p.s. Just to reiterate.......

Sweet Freedom - Part One - I Found Help

Yay, me!!!

Earlier this month, I completed Lydia Wente's Beat The Binge program, and HOT DAMN.... I am  PSYCHED!

Lydia recently invited me to do an "exit interview" after graduating the program and I was quite honored to be a part of it.  God knows that after dealing my wackiness on a daily basis for 8 weeks, I should do anything she asks of me.  

The fact is that the whole process was amazing.   And I had..... get this..... an incredible time!  Yup.  I said ‘incredible’, and I mean it!

Granted, there were some tough moments as I tried to find answers to overcoming my eating disorder, but when the answers came, they always left me wanting more.  Every step was even more exciting and educating, leading me to WANT to search for more answers.  It never once felt tedious or boring.   This was self-discovery at its finest AND most enjoyable.

And if I had a dollar for every "Ah-HA!" moment that I had, I'd be a happy camper.  I always love a good "Ah-HA!" moment.

There is nothing else out there that even compares to Lydia's program.  Lydia is so knowledgeable and just brilliant in her field.  An extra bonus is that she has such a warm heart and fun personality! Here we are discussing my experience with the Beat The Binge program:

(IF YOU DO NOT SEE A VIDEO ABOVE, CLICK HERE)

If you know anyone who might benefit from Lydia's program, please share this post or her video via social media or email.... or whatever it is that you do to pass on interesting info!  

Truthfully,  there are probably many people in our lives who WOULD benefit from this but we just don't know it.  No one knew how much I needed Lydia's help until I discovered it myself.  I would have been so grateful if someone had pointed me in her direction much earlier.

Please share.  You may be doing an enormous favor for someone you care about!

Many blessings,

Vicki

xoxox

PS.  Part Two of my finding freedom is coming verrrrrrrrry soon.  Like, tomorrow!

This ABSOLUTELY is NOT a paid endorsement for the Brain Over Binge Program!!  Just the facts....according to me (and hundreds of others 😉)

Insane DIet News

It's the diet news that's nuts.....not a diet based on insanity, just in case you were confused by the title 😉.

Actually.....can you imagine that?  "A diet that will make you insane!  But we promise you'll lose weight!"  I can't even fathom how many people would actually consider it..... cuz trust me when I say that there are people who would.

I had to pause there and think that one through.  Was there any point in my life where I would actually agree to go temporarily insane in order to lose weight?  And the answer was YES.  I'm very sad for that version of Me.  Desperate times, people.  Desperate times.

Anywho!  (Don't you just love people who say that?)

I've completed my sixth week on Lydia Wente's Beat the Binge program and I'm just so pleased with the entire process.  My next post will explain how life changing it was for me in greater detail, but as of now I can tell you that I have NOT binged in over six weeks.  It's the first time in over 20 years.  I feel informed, educated, enlightened, supported, loved (yes, LOVED!) and free!

As I said, LIFE CHANGING.

But I'm getting ahead of myself here.  I wanted to touch on two other topics today before I get into the subject of my progress.  I want to be a little bit closer to the end of the program before I share that information, but trust me, it's coming!

First, a few people reached out to me about their confusion over whether overeating is the same as binging.  It's not.  To help you understand the difference, I made the quick video below:

Click here if you don't see a video above

Part of the freedom I've gained is due to the acceptance of the previously alluded-to diet news.  I think you'll find this as interesting as I did:

Click here if you don't see a video above

So, what do you think?  I imagine there are a number of people who refuse to accept that diets don't work, or that there isn't a magic pill/drink/program out there to take our weight loss woes away.  That's completely understandable as many of us  (and I say US because it was my way of thinking for 30 years as well) have put all of our hope into this one belief.  It's our only salvation if we "ever want to find true happiness and the ability to love our bodies".   That one diet/drink/program/pill is our Holy Grail!  If not for that, what hope do we have???!

While we are busy spending money on trying everything that the diet industry is trying to shove down our throats (pun totally intended), the answer sits before us every moment of every day.  And it's FREE.  No joke.  FREE.

As the diet industry pushes us over the edge of insanity, urging us to spend every waking moment planning and counting and buying helpful weight loss aids, inner peace and freedom stares back at us in the mirror.  Unfortunately, most of us don't believe that this is even possible.  In our minds, if we can't lose weight WITH the help of "science", how can we possibly do with WITHOUT?

The reality is that the true science is within us, but we keep messing with it.  The "fake science" (not related to Trump's "fake news"), has tricked us into believing that we need their extra help, when the truth is that every time we take their extra help, we get further and further from our goal.

So, what am I getting at?

Our bodies know how to do "this" already.  With the exception of some of us with medical issues, our bodies are built to keep us alive and healthy and in shape.  The science behind the human body will help you with balancing your weight as long as you treat it well.   We need to stop putting crappy food and metabolism- destroying substances into our bodies and let it do its job!  Like a good employee, if you treat your body well, you will get good results!

Put good, healthy food in your body and it will run with peak performance.  Stop with the "something better"!  Every time you use "something better", you are pushing your body further from optimal performance and creating a longer recovery period when you finally figure all of this all out.

But you CAN do it.  Give your body a chance to undo all of the "mystery miracles" that you've tried to enhance it, let your body regulate itself and do its job.  It's very capable if you let just treat it well.

This next video is great!  It's one of my favorites.  I've been dying to share Lydia's video about what happens to your body after you stop restricting (i.e. dieting) or bingeing.  If it doesn't click the first time, watch it again.  After all, it's under 5 minutes and she's very entertaining! :-)

Click here if you don't see a video above

If you are like me and spent numerous years binge eating and dieting your way through life, PLEASE click here for Lydia's 5 Elements to End Binge Eating FREE Masterclass.  She's so amazing and I just absolutely adore her.  (More about that next time 😄)

Here are a few other interesting links that I thought you might enjoy......

Why Diets Don't Work....And What Does from Psychology Today

13 Experts Explain Why Diets Don't Work from BuzzFeed

A Neuroscientist Tackles 'Why Diets Make Us Fat' from NPR

Please click here if you don't see a video above

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Many blessings,
Vicki

Sharing A Spring Secret

Howdy partners!  It's been awhile.  I hope you're enjoying this slightly chilly transition into Spring.  I think Mother Nature is done asking us to "hold her beer" so she can show off with her dazzling displays of bombagenesis and whatnot.  Finally.....’tis time for blooming, everyone!

The great thing about Spring is that it's a fresh beginning for the Earth.  Everything that grows gets to come out and reveal itself in all of its glory.

I'm having a Personal Spring of my own.

I was quite nervous about this post.  No, quite isn't the word.  I was SERIOUSLY FREAKING NERVOUS about this post.  Yeah, that's more accurate.  (And the caps are totally necessary.)

I had a physical setback in the form of a broken bone at the beginning of February.  For 40+ years, I've avoided any physical injury that might seriously interfere with my life.  Mental drama, sure!  Physical trauma, not so much.

The funny thing about physical trauma is that in the true fashion of misery, it loves company.... in the form of mental drama.  Being unable to do every day things like brush my hair or put on a bra or cut up vegetables or even open a can of pet food wreaked havoc on my brain.  For someone who prides themselves on being independent and able to take on the world, all of this sent me into a fit of depression.

(Side note:  Nothing is worse than needing your husband to help you with personal feminine items, just in case you were wondering what the worst part could have been.  It was humbling and mortifying, to say the least.)

So, there I was in my deep depression, needing assistance, and randomly bursting into a pity party at any moment when I had an awakening.  A Personal Spring of sorts.

The situation revealed that my preferred method of coping with stress was not normal.  It was far from normal and it was spiraling out of control.  For 20+ years, I developed and perfected a coping mechanism that no one knew about.

How did I do this for so long and not realize it was a problem, not a solution?!  When had my extreme behavior become normalized in my mind?!  Had I gone too far to turn back?!

I was so good at keeping my behavior a secret that no one knew.  No one.  Not my family.  Not my dearest friends.  Not even my pets!  (Cuz pets are people too, you know.  They see crap; they just don't tell anyone.) (I know....it's not normal.)

Unable to cope with the reality of my situation, I knew I had to tell someone because, clearly, I wasn't able to help myself.  I didn't even see myself as "messed up" until 20 years had passed!  So, I swallowed my shame and embarrassment and pride and told my husband.  And he encouraged me to tell my mom as well.  And before I knew it, I had stopped running in circles and began moving forward in a straight line.

You know, I bet it was the dizziness from running in circles for 20 years that had me thinking everything was normal!  I am blond, you know.

So, in conclusion, let me introduce you to my Personal Spring.   (Click here if you do not see a video below)

Links to the sources in the video are below.... scroll down!

There ya have it!  All the deets.

That scared the bejeezus out of me.  All of the thoughts and fears I had of being judged or wondering if my friends would treat me differently were pushed aside when I asked my mom, "What do you think about me putting this out there?"

Her answer?  "We need to share things like this.  Maya Angelou did it when she put out I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings about the hardships she went through and she made a difference.  So, why wouldn't you talk about this?"  My mother made me feel like I was as important as Maya Angelou, y'all!  How freaking awesome is she at being a mom?!  Damn, I'm lucky!

I also feel compelled to add this statement in reference to this post and other previous blog posts:

(Click here if you don't see a video below)

With that, I'm going to leave you with something beautiful.  If you are a woman, take a moment to read through this and see the beauty in it... because it's about all of us.  Really.  Feel Phenomenal!

Love,
Vicki
xoxoxo


LINKS:
Lydia Wente's site: http://www.lydiawente.com
Lydia's YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/user/Lydiapher (start with the video marked [#1])
Summer Innanen's book: https://tinyurl.com/ycdxxw9l
Wendy Hendry's book: https://tinyurl.com/y7yvuckz

If you clickity click on the banner below, it will seem like nothing happened, but it did!  You can close the window as soon as it opens if you like.  T'anks peeps!