visualization vacation

[Dr. Nili Marcia]

How is your visualization going? I‘ve put several post it notes in strategic places that say Take a Visualization Vacation! They are reminding me to have fun fantasizing which in turn will assist me in reaching my goals.

What makes these especially "juicy" is using all your senses to create the delightful image...

A favorite image of mine is of raising my arms and having a beautiful red silky dress with a sleeveless, form fitting top and swirling skirt fall over my body, fitting just perfectly and me looking totally gorgeous in it. I see myself in the mirror as I (so easily!) zip the back of the dress, and I twirl around enjoying the dress and how I look and feel in it. I feel the silky fabric as it falls over me, so soft and smooth. My perfume—a treat I haven’t allowed myself in years—smells wonderful on my skin. I say to myself “You look wonderful! What a great job you did in getting to this day!” I feel proud and happy—and energetic as my now strong muscles carry me easily where ever I want to go. Right now where I am going is out to dinner and dancing with someone very special! I can’t wait to feel his arms around me while we dance… mmmmm, what a picture!

Oooh, I think I’ll add some very beautiful sexy underwear to my little scene, just before the dress falls over my body…

Do you have a favorite visualization vacation? If not, how about creating one? It’s delicious, I promise, to see and hear and feel your results come alive…

I’ve shown you mine :) How about showing us yours?!

PS. I had thought of July 5th, last week, as the start to my program but the dietitian had weighed me when I had an introductory visit 2 weeks ago so today's official weigh in at the nutrition/diet counseling and support group showed a two week total loss—of 4.1 kilo or 9 pounds. Boy was I pleased!

In fact I was thrilled with this until she said the initial loss is mostly muscle and fluids. Who wants to lose muscle?!? Muscle is what burns the fat. Ah well… She said fat begins to come off about two weeks after beginning to diet. That's now and I am R E A D Y!

[Cathy]

OK I had three good days last week and then a really rough night friday night Saturday a little beating myself up hard to get completely back on track because I have had so many years of this negitivity over the food that now when I deviate from my food plan I go right down in the dumps. Today I am really back on track. I was a complete yoyo I lost 4 lbs in three days and then I gained them back in a day and a half anyway. I am back to where I started and I just can't give up. I am very thankful for this web site and your willingness to do this with us. Together hopefully we can do what we can't do alone. I really do want to ge this weight off and to be healthy and feel good about myself again. Its been a long time. I find myself isolating and not wanting to go places or do thigs because of the way I look. I was starting to get back into the tapping but of course once I picked up the food I di d nothing but watch TV. Cathy

[Susannah Rose]

I have a lovely shop locally called 'aftershock' and they have lovely dresses and tops.
I cant quite zip them up, but it feels within reach.
It would be great to have a new drss from there for a family do in June.
Mum is 80 and has booked a restaurant for family to gather..note the presence of food again..we have even been asked to choose our meal well in advance.
I think it might be a good idea to go and look at those dresses tomorrow, and pick out my birthday frock, then visualise it as mine, fitting me perfectly, feeling a million dollars in it, hearing the zip zip up and feeling that satisfaction, and maybe even smugness!!!!
I think I will go for a morning walk on wednesday, then on the way back, call into aftershock and pick my frock.
It wont work to buy the frock now, that wont act as an incentive, but the image of walking into the restaurant looking and feeling supremely lovely is an incentive, oh yes, I have just remembered another event, mid may, where I would like to look lovely too, I am meeting someone for the first time, and EFT guy who lives in US and is running an EFT evening round the corner, and I helped him set it up..yes, another carrot!!

good luck with your red dress, heels and dancing dreams too

[Lisa]

Hi Dr. Marcia,

I just read your vacation visualization to get an idea and it's so funny - but what you wrote is almost exactly what mine is! I had my 20th high school reunion this past November and kept saying to all the few I was back in touch with that I'm was _not_ going unless I could fit into a slinky little red dress and wear strappy red heels and knock 'em dead with how I looked now. *laughing* I still have dreams of that slinky red dress and being able to spin in heels (versus fall flat on my face, like I've done in heels *laughing*) and go out dancing and again like you - just have that special man there looking adoringly at me. That image is so clear in my mind. I look fabulous, I feel fabulous and just thinking about it makes this huge smile grow on my face. My hair is perfect, I no longer need my glasses. My skin feels like silk and the man I'm with can't stop saying how soft my skin is and how great I smell. :-) Hard to keep reminding me I'm getting thin for me, not for someone else when that "guy" is a part of my vision. *chuckle*

[Dr. Nili Marcia]

Hi Sylvia,

My diet plan is not totally clear even to me yet(!) That's because I decided to follow the advice of the dietitian at the gym and the weekly support program I am in with her and she has only given me the basic outline so far.

This is:
to eat 6 times a day,
greatly reduce fats,
eat meals of carbs and protein together, (which I don't agree with but since I decided to go along with her program I am following this guideline too.)
to eat high quality carbs like whole grain bread and brown rice and high quality protein like fish and lean meat,
to focus on fruits and vegetables,
to eat as many vegetable servings as I like and
to eat carbs within the hour before exercising and
to eat carbs + protein within an hour after exercising.

Meanwhile a fellow doctor and friend wrote me the following which might be useful:
I have been doing the Michael Thurmond 6 week total body makeover after meeting a new patient who has lost 75 pounds in 7 months by doing it. She is still just under 300 pounds. She has inspired me. I have been following it... basically eating 2-3 oz protein and either 1/2 cup of fresh fruit or 1 cup fresh vegetables 6 times a day and lots of water. I have lost 10 pounds in 2 weeks and am truly never hungry. Next is to get my buns out on the street and walk regularly.

Sylvia, only you can decide if you are ready to be firm with yourself about food. You might not be ready. In that case, tap on that. "Even though I can't (and / or don't want to, refuse, etc) deny myself sweets because candy is all that is sweet in my life since _____ died, I deeply and completely love and accept myself.

One tip I can give you which helped me is get all the unhelpful things out of the house and don't bring them back in!

If you think you "must" have them for visitors tap on making excuses. Your guests probably all want to lose weight themselves. Offer them fruit or with whole wheat crackers with vegetable strips and dip based on yogurt with spices you add. You don't have to explain or excuse yourself either!

If you think you must have things in the house for grandkids—remember they too need to eat healthy! If you still want special things for them,keep what you feel is mandatory in a high cupboard or awkward to get to place so you will not have an easy time pulling "their" stuff out for your self. And serve them fruit and vegis as well!!

Another tip: if you decide you are not ready to part with your sugary sweets yet that is OK. Sylvia—it is OK! Don't beat yourself up! Here's what can help: decide on a portion size which will be less than you have been eating but enough to give some satisfaction.

Put the portion in a dish and put the rest away—preferably in a place that is hard to get to. Make yourself have to do a little work to get them—that little extra effort gives you time to decide if you REALLY want them now. You can tell yourself than you can have them later or tomorrow. As you have less and less candy you will find it easier to replace the candy sweets with memory sweets, children and grandchildren sweets or friend sweets.

Tap before having the candy. "Even though I am not yet ready to stop eating this chocolate I deeply and completely love and accept myself and it is OK to eat this."

Tap 2 or 3 rounds and go drink a glass of water. Perhaps you will still want to eat them. That's fine. Perhaps you can put off eating them for an hour. Perhaps they won't attract you so much. Let me know what happens!

Another tip: there is nothing wrong with you for crying! Don't get down on yourself for that either! Try tapping while you are crying, no words need be said. Tap on any point or points you choose. You can knock both fists against your chest as you cry.

Remember the classical idea of "beating your breast" in sorrow? It works!

You can bang the side of your hand against the edge of a table. You can do both sides of the eye points. Just tap on some point or points and cry, cry, cry.

You can also speak or yell while crying and tapping: I miss you! I'm so lonely with out you. Why did you have to go?!! And so on. Just let it out and tap at the same time.

Finally, you are welcome, Sylvia. I am glad to be able to help. You make that possible by bravely sharing your feelings and your actions. That's a big deal. Good for you! I'm glad for you that you are making efforts to heal. You are taking action. Yes, that's sometimes one small step and a fall down. Who cares?! You are moving forward and deserve to be proud of yourself!

All blessings and keep me posted!
Nili

[Dr. Nili Marcia]

Hi Sylvia,

My heart goes out to you! I will answer you in some detail later today.

Best wishes,
Nili

[sylvia jacob]

Nili, can I ask what your diet plan is? I started 're'-tapping again last night, & again this morning. I guess I ate less today, but it was all the wrong stuff. A lot of fruit, but then a big cup of chocolate, caramel sugary snacks. I still feel like a huge part of my insides was ripped out since my husband died last Aug. Food (& tears) is what I turn to in order to assuage this terrible lonliness & grief. I will keep on tapping. I hope that, over time, it'll work. And I hope you won't get sick of hearing this kind of "down' message from me. One-on-one with my family & friends is very hard to do. They just want to cheer me up -- quickly.
My very good friend, Bernita W. -- who introduced me to your blog -- is one who doesn't do that. but because of my background, I find it very hard to really let down, even with her. Many times, when I'm by myself, I cry & wail for over an hour. Once it starts, I can't seem to stop it. There's something about the computer that makes it easy to share these feelings. Thank you
Congratulations on your 9 lb. loss. You have to go thru that "empty" loss first. I've done it before. :-)
Many thanks to you for starting this blog. Did you have any idea that you would strike chords for
so many other needs for 'loss'?
Sylvia

[Dr. Nili Marcia]

I can't wait to read it! Big smile!!

[sue tiritilli]

Congratulations Nili on both your extremely wonderful visualization and your 9 pound release! Who cares where it comes from for now? You are doing all the best things. I'm going to revamp my visualization to include much more details than I have previously now that you have shared yours, I have many more ideas. I'll let you know when I have it completed. The details you revealed made me realize that I have more resistance and need to replay this session.
Keep moving forward!
Sue