One-derland

In the U.S., there is a fairy tale called Alice in Wonderland. It is about a girl who follows a mysterious white rabbit down a rabbit hole only to discover a magical imaginary land. But there is another One-derland – one characterized by a play on words and spelling. This One-derland is the land where… when a person weighs themselves, the number on the scale starts with a 1. I don’t know where this expression first came from or what its significance is, however, I do know if you talk to someone who is over 200 pounds and carrying around extra weight, once they lose that weight and the scale reads 199, they will joyfully proclaim they have reached “One-derland.” Continue reading “One-derland”

Jen’s Favorite Things

Oprah Winfrey is a popular American TV personality, who built a multimillion dollar media business. During the 90s, she hosted a mid-afternoon TV talk show called, The Oprah Winfrey Show. At some point during the span of the show, Oprah started doing a segment called, “Oprah’s Favorite Things.” During one Christmas-themed show, she shared her favorite things and then gave one of each to her studio audience as a gift for being at the show (much to their delight and surprise).  Continue reading “Jen’s Favorite Things”

Finding Clues to Solving the Puzzle

Last December for my company’s annual Christmas party, I coordinated a staff outing to participate in an escape room called Mastermind Escape Games. An escape room is a party themed room with puzzles and clues where a story unfolds as you proceed from one task to the next. The premise is that teams of 2 to 10 people are “locked” in the room and by solving the puzzles they can “escape.” It is a 1-hour timed activity and those who breakout within the hour – WIN. Continue reading “Finding Clues to Solving the Puzzle”

A perfect (and unexpected) fit

Old Navy sent me an email advertisement about a sale on $15 jeans. I had a pair of Old Navy jeans which I found at a clothing exchange and really liked. The sale gave me an excuse to go buy a couple of new pairs of jeans, since, earlier that day, I had realized that the ones I had were too big. At the time, I was wearing an American size 16W jeans. Continue reading “A perfect (and unexpected) fit”

The Journey Home and a New Beginning…

As I was returning home, after completing Instantaneous Transformation Costa Rica 2018, I realized I had a choice. You see, a lot had happened for me during the 2-week leadership, communication and listening immersion course. When I arrived, I weighed 330 pounds. And when I left, I didn’t have a scale, so I can’t tell you what number I weighed. But, while I was there, I brought awareness to some behaviors I had that kept the weight in place. Once I saw those behaviors and quit judging myself for being the way I was (including the weight I was), I felt lighter and freer.  Continue reading “The Journey Home and a New Beginning…”

Moving on up…

In January 2018, I participated in a two-week immersion course called Instantaneous Transformation Costa Rica, hosted by Ariel and Shya Kane. The course took place on a beautiful, lush resort called Sueño Azul, in one of the national rainforests. When I arrived for the first week, I was assigned a room I would call home (room 26) and I subsequently “moved in.” On the following Saturday, after the first week concluded and we were getting ready for the second week, I was assigned a new room (room 53) to call home. Continue reading “Moving on up…”

The 5 Pillars to Weight Loss

Over this past year, I have learned there are 5 pillars which contribute to successful weight loss and what number “pops” up on the scale. The obvious two, diet and exercise, are the pillars most people, including myself, tend to focus on when setting a weight loss goal. However, the other three pillars: stress management, sleep and water intake are just as important. Continue reading “The 5 Pillars to Weight Loss”

Out with the Old and In with the New…

As the New Year begins, it’s normal to reminisce about the happenings of the previous year to decide if the past year was a good one or not. Here are a few of my highlights and lowlights for 2018: Continue reading “Out with the Old and In with the New…”

What “diet” are you following?

As of Friday, I have lost 100 pounds since January. Throughout the year, people have recognized I have lost weight and their number one question to me is: what diet are you following? I tell them, and they ask me follow up questions, so they can learn more about what I’m eating. I can see the wheels in their minds turning, taking in the information I’m giving them as they consider trying what I’m doing to lose the extra weight they think they should lose. I can see on their faces the look of: “if I try that, maybe I’ll lose this weight,” like what I’m offering is a silver bullet or a quick fix. What I often try to explain is, ironically, I don’t believe I have lost 100 pounds because of the specific diet I’m following. Granted, I have shifted the way I eat, what I eat, when I eat and how much I eat. But it’s not a “diet” which has made me successful in shedding the pounds. Continue reading “What “diet” are you following?”