The Truth about Getting "There"

Weight loss before and after photos are inspiring – especially if you feel hopeless and skeptical that you can lose weight for good. However, what’s missing and misleading about the photos and the way most weight loss stories are told is that they focus on “the What” – what they weighed before, what they ate to lose weight, and what they weigh now.

That’s interesting and useful information but it doesn’t address the depth of difficulty most people face on the hero/heroine’s journey of losing weight for the last...

Embody Your Feminine Superpowers

There are always good reasons for seemingly rebellious behavior.

But rather than understand the good reasons behind common and normal human experiences on the weight loss path such as self-sabotage, resistance, noncompliance, denial, avoidance, and rebellion most people try to harness all their willpower and “just do it.”

They try, in vein, to overpower the rebellious part of themselves that doesn’t want to follow food rules, the nurturing part that tries to console them with food during hard days and hard feelings, and the impulsive part...

Peaceful, Pleasurable Eating in the Flow

After years of frustration and pain trying to lose weight only to gain more back, most of those who begin Taking Their True Shape® want peace with food and their body more than anything else. Many good things begin from that hard-won place because it’s the doorway to freedom with food, enjoying your body, and a whole new life.

If you too have arrived at wanting peace with food, congratulations! Now it’s time to learn a new way of relating to yourself, your body, your hungers, and food.

If you’re not quite there, no problem. As...

Is a Paradox of Possibilities

Have you ever wanted to lose 30 pounds in 30 days? I, and most of my clients certainly have at some point in our lives.

The desire for rapid weight loss is most likely to arise when you feel some kind of desperation. It could be from:

• fear of judgment or embarrassment of how you’ll be perceived at an upcoming event (wedding, trip, reunion, first meeting, etc.),
• shame or frustration of seeing a larger number on the scale or growing out of all the clothes in your closet,
• anxiety or confrontation of receiving a food-related diagnosis from your doctor...

Does this sound familiar?

You have a dream and you set a goal to make it reality. Maybe it's to lose 50 pounds, improve your relationship, build your savings account up to $5,000, or to focus on your spiritual growth (or anything else you desire). But every time you make progress a negative voice pipes up in the back of your mind casting doubt on your ability to succeed.

So you slip up and watch your heartfelt goal float away.

It's so frustrating.

And, if you know my personal story, you know I've dedicated my career to making sure you know it doesn't have to be this way. 

That's why I...

This is one of my go-to meals because it's so quick and pleasurable. It rarely takes me more than 10 minutes to make, but allow 15 if you're not a whirlwind – throw it together, clean later – cook like me. (Ridiculous cooking demonstration videos coming soon.) I often substitute jumbo shrimp or roasted chicken for the protein. All are equally yum!

Makes 2 servings

Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
Cook Time: 4-6 minutes
Total Time: 9-16 minutes

Ingredients

Salmon
2 skinless (4 oz) fillets of wild salmon (TJ’s frozen wild coho)
2 T + ¼ tsp organic extra virgin olive oil (1/4 tsp...

by Jan Henrikson

Jan's story (below) of her experience with Dr. Ocean's class was published in Chicken Soup for the Dieter’s Soul in 2007. Jan has added her 2017 update.

It wasn’t yet 7:00 in the morning and already I was chain-eating lime chili tortilla chips. I stood at the kitchen counter, emotionally hung-over from yet another fight with my boyfriend. I was crunching the anger, salting the wounds. Crunching and salting with bites of chocolate for good measure. I couldn’t stop. Even the tortilla chip bag had a wickedly furious crinkle. I couldn’t eat fast enough...

Walking in beach sand at 300-pounds made me pant, sweat, and curse my excess flesh. But that is another lifetime now.

Over 20 years ago a miracle happened. After weighing over 300-pounds twice, I lost 150- pounds for the last time and became one of the one-half percent of people who lose more than 100-pounds and keep it off for more than five years without surgery.

Every single day I feel grateful for the freedom to do little things I was once unable to do – cross my legs, slip through turnstiles, spring up from the floor, fit in airplane seats, ride roller coasters, and stroll on the...

My first memory of compulsive eating happened when I was about 7. My mom, my little brother, and I had just gotten home from grocery shopping. My brother and I were happily watching “Kimba the White Lion” on black and white TV with snacks while Mom put  away groceries and started dinner.

A short time later, I heard a gasp coming from the kitchen, “Becky!” Did you eat that whole box of Pizza Spins?!”

I remember the flush of shame filling my face along with my own shock at the truth of the matter.

The box was just about empty and I didn’t remember...