Archives 2012

… is the do-this-then-that guide you’ve been asking (and, patiently waiting) for – to really bust your cravings, once and for all.

IGNITE YOUR THINNER SPARKLE is full of love and wisdom.

And, my seven favourite kick-your-cravings-in-the-pants techniques, all in hand-holding detail.

I wrote this guide to be encouraging. Really encouraging. Like cheer-you-on with flouncy pom poms and a choreographed routine, encouraging.

It’s for every one of you who’s tired of food being the boss of you.

It’s for you, if you’re tired of making weight-related resolutions, year after year…after year.

If you’re fed-up counting calories and you dread weigh-ins, this guide offers something a bit, whoops, I mean, a lot different.

No, food and exercise aren’t mentioned.

Not because they aren’t important (duh – clearly, they are). But you’re smart – you already know the Eat Less, Move More formula.

Your challenge is in applying the formula in your day-to-day. As in, doing what you already know.

As in, sure, you know dark chocolate is jam-packed with antioxidants, but how do you stop yourself from inhaling the entire block? Every day.

Perhaps, it’s a specific food that derails you.

Maybe, it’s overeating in general.

Either way, IGNITE YOUR THINNER SPARKLE has your back.

If you know you’ve had enough of being bossed around, and you’re ready to conquer your cravings, once and for all, she’s for you.

Get your sparkle on, right here.

Love etc, Avril x

“We are the most obese, addicted, in debt, and medicated adult cohort in US history,”

reports Brené Brown, Ph.D and research professor at the University of Houston, in her TedTalk.

In her lecture, she illustrates how our ability to be vulnerable is directly reflected in the state of our lives (overweight, addicted, in debt or medicated)

She’s spent the past 10 years studying vulnerability, courage, worthiness, and shame.

It’s a curious topic.

And, has some interesting implications for those of us on the weight loss journey.

Brown eloquently describes how we “numb” our way through life. We eat, drink, spend or medicate ourselves – anything to avoid uncomfortable feelings.

No surprises so far.

What is surprising from her research is this: when we numb one thing, we numb everything.

Apparently, we can’t selectively numb.

We can’t take the ‘bad’ stuff: fear, unworthiness, self-doubt, anger, jealousy, guilt,  shame, and say, “Well, I don’t want to feel those emotions”, so I’ll drink a bottle of pinot noir and eat three boxes of Oreos.

(Well, actually, you can do that. Lots of people do. I know I did.)

But, there are implications. Implications that explain why we’re such an unhappy cohort.

Because, when you numb the ‘bad’ stuff, you also numb the ‘good’ stuff.

When we overeat, we numb our capacity for joy, love, courage, passion, laughter, connection, gratitude, contentment, happiness, peace and excitement.

Numb one, you numb ‘em all.

And, we create a vicious cycle.

We start by feeling stressed and vulnerable…

…so we numb…we feel flat, miserable…we feel even more stressed and vulnerable…

…so we numb some more…

And on it goes.

“Thing is”, says Brown, “to live is to be vulnerable.”

Somehow, somewhere we’ve forgotten this truth.

Aside from the obvious numbing strategies of overeating, maxing credit cards, self-medicating – we’ve also created less obvious life-sapping strategies to ‘protect’ us from feeling vulnerable.

Like, we invest a ridiculous amount of energy making everything that’s uncertain, certain. We buy guarantees, schedule our lives to the last nano-second and over-analyse e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g.

Or, we become perfectionists. We tell ourselves that if we do everything perfectly, no one will criticise us, and, well, we won’t be vulnerable. Exhausting, though, isn’t it?

Or, we blame. Ourselves, other people, or the world at large. It’s all the same. Sure, when we blame we discharge our pain and discomfort (and avoid being vulnerable), but how happy are we… reeeally?

We pretend.

We deny.

We hide.

We’re tremendously creative at avoiding vulnerability, aren’t we?!

So, what’s a girl to do?

Brown encourages us to embrace our vulnerability.

Numbing ourselves isn’t working. We’re not a bunch of happy campers.

She shares that, “Paradoxically, what makes people vulnerable also makes them beautiful.”

Because “Vulnerability is the birthplace of joy, creativity, belonging and love.”

So, how do we embrace the V-Word and be whole-hearted?

Be kind to yourself.

Be authentic and real.

Love with your whole heart. Even though there’s no guarantee your love will be returned.

Be seen. Deeply seen.

Practice gratitude.

Believe you’re enough. Now. (Right now). As you are.

When you come from a place that says, “I’m enough”, we stop screaming and start listening, we’re kinder and gentler to those around us and we’re kinder and gentler on ourselves.

You can see Brown’s lecture here. You’ll be pleased you did.

(Whole-hearted) love etc, Avril

Did you know that 92% of New Year’s resolutions fail?

By the third week of January, a whopping 80% have crashed and burned.

Clarifying stuff.

So, darling, time to check in with you.

“How’s your 2012 resolution going?”

Are you one of the 8% who’s lost weight and feelin’ great? You are? Hat’s off to you, whoop whoop!

Or, are you among the frustrated majority?

Mentally hiding in the corner with your tail between your legs. Disappointment and despair at your ‘lack of willpower’, roosting in your tummy.

“Failed again,” you tell yourself.

Come away from the corner, sweetheart.

Today’s your lucky day.

Why?

…because one of my resolutions was to create a book to help women keep their NY’s promises.

She’s created.

She’s with the midwife, her every comma being scanned, every word proofed.

She’s called Ignite Your Thinner Sparkle: 7 Clever Techniques to Conquer Cravings, Be Confident Around Food + Control Your Weight. To get your hot little hands on your own copy, go here.

She’s lovely.

She is dedicated to every woman who’s tired of the deja vous-ness of weight-related resolutions, year after year.

She is for every woman who knows deep down dieting isn’t the answer. And, while you know exercise is brilliant for the body, soul and endorphins, it’s dawning on you that it’s the mental muscle you need to stretch.

She contains my seven favourite techniques, in step-by-step, do-this, then-that detail.

They’re the ones I’ve found through a tonne of research and, trial and error (from personal experience and working with clients) to be the most beneficial for conquering cravings.

If you’re tired of food being the boss (a nasty one at that), she’s for you.

If you know, (not think or believe), but know – with every fibre of your being – that you’ve had enough and you’re ready to conquer your cravings, once and for all, she’s for you.

She’ll be right here, for you, 10th May.

Love etc, Avril

Go on – admit it.

How many sodas have you had today?

If you can hand-on-heart say ‘none’, then this article isn’t for you. You’re good to go, hon.

But if soda’s your crutch – for the sake of your health and weight loss – I encourage (implore) you to stay seated.

And, if you said, “IT’S NOT MY CRUTCH!!!” you darling, definitely need to hang about.

It seems like every other day a new study warns of another potential health risk linked to soft drinks. Here’s today’s : Mum’s Death Blamed On Coke.

The research is breathtakingly compelling. Both regular and diet sodas have been linked to obesity, elevated blood pressure, kidney damage, and certain cancers.

Specifically though, let’s talk about weight loss.

The Lancet, the British medical journal, published an independent, peer-reviewed study that demonstrated a strong link between soft drink consumption and obesity. They found that 12-year-olds who regularly drank soft drinks were significantly more likely to be overweight than those who didn’t.

Just one can of soft drink per day can add as much as 15 pounds to your weight over the course of a single year. A single year!

Here’s why you should think, long and hard, before reaching for ‘the real thing’.

(The team at coke are good marketers. They’d also have us believe we can ‘Open Happiness’. I mean, come on!)

Nutritionally-speaking soda has zero nourishment for your body. Zip.

Not only does it contain no nutrients, it has anti-nutrients. The worst of these being high fructose corn syrup. HFCS was added into soft drinks in the 1980s, and it’s thought the prevalence of childhood obesity stems from this shift.

HFCS does some nasty things inside you. For example, it interferes with your production of leptin, which is an issue if you want to lose weight, because it’s leptin that sends the “I’m full” signal to your brain. When you consume soda, your brain no longer receives the message and that’s why you crave more food.

I see this in the women I coach. Most of my clients get a significant portion of their daily hydration from soft drinks.

As one client puts is, “I get stressed, I reach for a coke. I want some chocolate, I reach for a coke, I don’t feel satisfied so I reach for a third can, and then have the chocolate anyway. And then another coke, of course.”

Diet coke.

If you’re high-fiving yourself because you’re a ‘diet coke girl’, un-high-five yourself. Some of my heaviest clients drink copious quantities of diet coke.

For many women ‘calorie-free’ equals ‘guilt free’. Our bodies, it seems, would disagree.

Upgrade your fuel.

My plan isn’t to nag you into changing your soda habit.

My cunning plan is to give you the facts. You’re a big girl now so you can decide for yourself exactly how you want to hydrate your one and only, miraculous body.

Once upon a time, a can of diet coke lived permanently in my hand. Then I learned the facts and I knew deep down I should quit. I didn’t want to – no one wants to give up a crutch.

If you are serious about your health and if you’re serious about losing weight I encourage you to stop drinking soda for 21 days.

No tantrums. No sulking. No sneaking. Just do it. What’s 21 short days out of your lovely, long life? And notice how your grateful body responds.

Moderation is key.

I live in the same world you do. Sometimes nothing beats a rum and coke with friends as you watch the sun set. Pure magic.

But honey, there’s a world of difference between drinking the occasional soft drink and main-lining cans of the stuff every day to “get your fix”.

Love etc, Avril

Nobody likes rules.

Especially food rules.

“Eat this, not that.”

Snore.

If you’ve been reading me for a while now you’ll know I don’t often talk about what, when or how to eat.

If we’re really honest, we already know what, when and how.

The missing ingredient is the why. When you’ve sussed why you overeat, the entire weight loss puzzle just clicks.

You default to your body’s natural, healthy happy-weight blueprint, the one you were born with. (Your body has such wisdom, hon).

However…

…today, I am going to focus on the what to eat. I’m thrilled to share with you five foods I’ve recently included on my table.

All of the foods are well-documented for their weight loss abilities.

But awesomely, I’ve noticed a surge in my energy levels and, best of all, that bloated time-of-the-month-feeling, has completely evaporated.

Yay.

I encourage you to try them on. And to notice how your body responds to them. Imagine feeling so good you’ll gladly add them to your table too.

They are:

(1 + 2) Drink water with lemon juice OR apple cider vinegar.

I drink a glass of water with a squeeze of lemon or apple cider vinegar 15 minutes before all my main meals (especially breakfast).

Both of these act like a wakeup call to your stomach, signalling, “Listen up down there, food incoming!” and stomach acid is produced.

In the ‘olden days’ when meals took hours to prepare, we didn’t require lemon juice or ACV because our stomachs started producing stomach acid (which aides digestion) from the aroma of simmering food.

But these days, we often eat on the run or consume swiftly prepared meals (think, microwave or take-out) so our stomach has little notice of incoming food and isn’t prepared with stomach acid when it does arrive.

3. Cinnamon – the super spice?

Taste isn’t the only reason to love cinnamon. In Chinese medicine and Ayurveda it’s long been revered as a superpower spice.

Cinnamon contains a natural chemical called cinnamaldehyde which increases the amount of progesterone we produce. This is GREAT news for us women.

Progesterone is a beautiful thing. It’s a powerful anti-aniexty agent, an anti-depressant and is essential for fat burning.

Adding a couple of dashes to your porridge in the morning or a stick of it in your morning coffee is all it takes.

Now, this said, I’m absolutely not advocating you start guzzling cinnamon. It has been found to be toxic in large doses.

4. Eat liquorice (that’s licorice to our American friends)

Turns out my dad was right. He’s as healthy as an ox – and has always loved liquorice.

Liquorice root is one of the most popular herbs in the world. The ancient Greeks, Egyptians and Chinese all recognised its medicinal qualities.

It has all sorts of healing properties, but for us women who are looking our improve health and lose weight, liquorice is GREAT for the adrenal glands. (More on the importance of adrenal glands on weight loss in a future post).

For now, all you need to know is healthy adrenals = happy weight.

Just so we’re clear here….I’m not giving you permission to eat the entire packet, okay! A couple of pieces a day (I eat it as a pudding) and notice how your body responds.

5. Reach for the green.

Strong, black and first thing in the morning (I adore coffee). Morning tea, lunch, later in the day with friends. You get the picture. I really adore coffee.

But my body didn’t adore the biochemical reaction from coffee.

Caffeine from coffee triggers adrenaline (a short term stress hormone), which signals to every fibre of your body “uh-oh, warning, flight/flight response”.

It signals UNSAFE.

When we feel unsafe, we bolt….

…usually, to the fridge, the pantry or the vending machine.

Whenever we feel unsafe (physically, emotionally, mentally) we store fat. In caveman days it helped us survive.

So, I’ve have replaced all except my morning coffee with green tea.

Yup, I’ll not lie to you; it was a stretch for the first four days.

S-T-R-E-E-E-T-C-H!!!!!

Now though, my energy levels are so consistently vital, and my tummy is ‘bloat-free’ so it’s easy (really, it is) to reach past the coffee pot.

Need more proof to reach for the green?

Specifically, it helps you lose weight by speeding up your metabolic rate.

A recent study in the USA of overweight chaps found that, with no other changes to their diet or exercise regimes, drinking green tea three times a day burned up 200 extra calories a day. The green tea drinkers also found that their energy levels were greatly increased.

And because it’s jam-packed with antioxidants it helps your liver too. Nice one.

So there you have it.

Five foods you can add your table.

Add ’em and see how you feel.

Your body is talking to you.

It has wisdom to share.

Start listening.

I leave you with a love note from Buddha.

“Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.”

Love etc, Avril

PS: Clearly, if you have something ‘deeper’ going on, adding these foods (or any specific foods) isn’t going to shift the weight.

If you know you have an emotional eating thing happening – email me so we can work this out together. If you need help finding the solutions, that’s what I’m here for.