Thanks everyone for your support last week. I stayed out of the grey areas I wrote about. I ate lots of meat. I balanced veggies to meat. One meal a day was meat only. I kicked my pace up a few notches on the treadmill. I feel great!

02/27/12 Wilmot, NH

My body is changing again. I can feel it in my clothes and I can see it in the mirror. I bought lingerie a size smaller than the ones I bought in November. I know this didn't happen in just one week; I had to have been on the cusp of dropping another size for a while.

I was away most of the weekend and I wasn't able to write as I had hoped. I see there are a few more questions, I'll do my best to respond to later this week. It's exciting to see more newcomers to this blog. Welcome everyone!

I pulled photos together to show my first year of weight loss and made a video. I've been hesitant to post it, but it shows the progress I made in Year One on this program, so I decided to add it tonight, with the promise that when I make Year Two, it will be better. I had creative ideas I wanted to do to this video, but I don't have the time, so here goes....

06/27/13 update: Sorry - I didn't use royalty free music in the video so it was removed by YouTube.

February 28, 2012

In answer to Linda's question, how can you tell when there is a new comment on a post: you may want to Follow by Email, which will provide you with updates to this blog via email.

To follow this blog by email, enter an email address in the Follow by Email option and then click the corresponding "Submit" button. My follow by email gadget is displayed under the list of followers on the left side of each page.

You'll receive an email message each day that includes the content of any new posts published on this blog that day, as well as links to the original posts, so that you may add comments or view additional content.

February 27, 2012

I was wondering if there was any need on this blog to have a link for things we have called Julie's office about, for example, I called to see what we could take for colds and sore throats, or I called to make sure we could have the taco seasoning mix. Is there a way to make a link and let people who have called her office with questions to make posts on that link? I always feel bad calling there, though they are wonderful and encourage me to call, but seems like maybe someone here would have the answer sometimes instead of bothering them.

Just a thought!
linda

February 26, 2012

I have a quick question: lo and behold I have a sore throat and am beginning to cough. GGRRRR! Don't have the time for this especially we have a brand new grandson born Feb 15th.

My question, what in the world can I take for a sore throat? or a cough drop? I am hoping to call the office tomorrow, but am hoping one of you will read this before and let me know. I would really like to take something NOW!!

February 19, 2012

This year on Valentine's Day, I was never tempted to indulge in (a box of) chocolates. It is through this program that I feel this way, because on my own, my life was like a box of chocolates.

Home made Valentine from one of my good friends.

Yes, those home-made sweets at the office called my name a few times. This program helps silence those voices. Besides, I had something better coming my way and I waited in anticipation for it to arrive at my house: a home-made Valentine card. During a recent vacation with an old friend, I talked about my new gadget that makes foamy milk for my coffee; hence the made-just-for-me Valentine.

Turning down those sweets at the office wasn't hard. There was no temptation or feelings of deprivation. This is the results of working this program with Julie. I knew if I was struggling, I was off-program; Julie takes the hard away. I wrote about this in yesterday's post.

While I contemplated over the hard time I was having, I discovered a key concept:

hard time = off-program

While it took some time to realize this, I never lost sight of the fact that there is an incredibly long list of foods I no longer have issues with because of this program.

Thanks VP and Karen, for your words of encouragement and suggestions about how to move forward. VP indicated she has had no issues with the foods I cannot have on Julie's program (I just don't have them in the house, and most of the time not have them when I eat out). This is true for me as well. Somehow I created a whole new list of problematic foods that never used to be an issue for me. Who knew I'd ever over-eat yogurt? Or crave dried green beans?

The plan I made last night aligns with Karen's suggestion, and it is exactly what I started today:  "only protein" for one of your meals for 3 days.

With February coming to an end, I want to acknowledge how sweet it is that my life is not driven by a sweet tooth.

Nothing sweet to the lips, Julie tells us, as her finger brushes across her lips to reinforce her message.

February 19, 2012

I have been going through one of those times when I feel frustrated that I'm not losing more weight. It's so easy to focus on wanting to lose weight faster. I remind myself this feeling comes and goes, and that sooner or later it will pass. "Focus on something else." I told myself." I turned my focus to the inside of my refrigerator.

The Refrigerator.

In our sessions with Julie," she reminds us we didn't gain this weight by going straight up on the scale and it won't come off by going straight down; there will be plateaus. Plateaus are a natural part of the process. Julie often asks us "what are you eating?" and from our answers, she helps us identify foods we are eating that are off program or that we're eating incorrectly. I wanted to know if what I'm eating is causing a plateau, so I pulled out my camera (iPhone) and opened my refrigerator for answers.

Inside my refrigerator, there are a handful of condiments on the top shelf. I don't overindulge in any of these items. I say that, but before I move on, I pause and ask myself: How much mayo do I add to my chicken, egg, or tuna salads? Am I eating too much fat? Too much fat can cause a plateau.

Milk, yogurt, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, tomato juice, broth, maple syrup.

Sometimes feel like I'm living in what I refer to as a "grey zone." I'm in a grey zone when I'm eating things that are on program, but the way I'm eating them is not correct. I suspect these grey zones (or grey areas) cause me to plateau.

That was the last quart of milk I bought. I have moved to the gallon size. I'm drinking hot coffee with frothed my milk at home and saving money (by not going to Dunkin Donuts) and cutting back on the fat from half and half. I recently asked about milk on this blog and Linda remembers Julie saying milk is the only 'free' food. That's good to know; especially since I've had more milk this month than all of last year. Thanks again Linda for your feedback. Half and half is allowed, but I prefer the taste of frothed whole milk.

Someone posted a comment about siggi's yogurt being on sale a few weeks ago and I immediately ran out and bought some. Wow-it's so flavorful! I remember when Julie said she loves siggi's blueberry yogurt - the room full of people nearly exploded at the mention of fruit! Julie smiled and then assured us siggi's yogurt is allowed. My favorite is ginger and peach.

Thanks to the person who responded to my question about yogurt (and cottage cheese) earlier this week:

• Yogurt must be eaten with protein and it should not be eaten more than twice a week.
• Cottage cheese must be eaten with protein.

This is what I enjoy about this blog - I hadn't eaten yogurt since last summer and siggi's was a great place to start. I was really on a roll eating yogurt alone (and loving it) a few times a day) without a protein. I'm glad to now have the facts straight on these two items.

A half empty bottle of maple syrup sits in the back of my refrigerator; it doesn't call my name. I need to give it away because it's been there over a year and I won't be eating that stuff for a long time. It's too expensive to throw out.

The top shelf also has a variety of tomato juices. Really-three bottles of tomato juice? I bought them months ago thinking I would make vodka drinks. This morning I threw out the bottle I opened in December; I only made one Bloody Mary. Tomato juice, like any other veggie we're allowed on this program, needs to be eaten with an equal amount meat. Tomato juice is not an issue for me. Neither is cat food.

Wow - I haven't even moved off the top shelf yet and I see lots of items contributing to my plateau!

Opening my cheese drawer, I see another grey area. Cheese is on program, providing we use it like a condiment. See that big package of Brie? That was the main event for my dinner one night. Yes, I ate the entire package by myself. Yes, I had veggies with the brie, but this was way too much cheese for one meal and I didn't have any protein with the cheese. "Danger, Will Robinson!"

Cheese is a definite grey area for me. Use it as a condiment!

I ate that small triangle of Parmesan cheese over a few days with pepperoni, bite-for-bite. The portions were off - cheese should be treated like a condiment--not in equal portions with meat. Before I started this program, I didn't eat much meat, so I asked about pepperoni in my first class. Yes, pepperoni is allowed, but Julie warned me to be careful because of the level of fats in pepperoni. This was one of my favorite combos during this year, but this should be more of a treat that I have from time to time instead of a lunch standard. This pepperoni-Parmesan combo is a definite way to slow down weight loss and cause a plateau.

My initial thought about the items on the door of my refrigerator was that none of them are problematic. Let's take a closer look. I use butter sparingly. Relish gets added as a condiment to my tuna salad. I use Marie's coleslaw dressing when I make my own coleslaw and I don't over dress it, but here's where I get into trouble with coleslaw: my protein-to-veggie portions are often out of balance. I need resolve this or stop eating coleslaw for a while. If our protein-to-veggie ratios are not balanced, we can plateau and over time lead to weight gain.

Left shelves: butter, relish, Marie's Coleslaw dressing, pickles.
Right shelves: salsa, coffee, water, Sky Vodka.

I always have protein with pickles and I finish the jar within a month of opening it, most of the time. Another aspect of this program is that Julie talks about what's in the foods we eat. One part of this discussion includes an analogy about potato chips, which goes something like this (it is a longer discussion than this):

When we were kids, potato chips used to go soft. Ever wonder why they no longer go soft? Preservatives. Products can be sold as "natural" and "without preservatives" if the preservatives are added to the packaging. After about 30 days of opening a jar, the preservatives they put on the lid begin to break down and leak into the food. 

There is one more grey area in my refrigerator, sitting on the bottom shelf of the door: vodka. Vodka is the only alcohol we're allowed and for a long time, I just didn't drink at all. I'm really not much of a drinker, mainly because of my Irish tendencies to sometimes break out in hives. It's no fun turning red in the face and feeling like I have hot flashes. I found I can enjoy one vodka with lemon on the rocks (sometimes with a splash of seltzer) without having an allergic reaction. A second one, not so much. I really like this drink when it's made with ginger infused vodka. This is where the grey area comes into play: Julie warned us to be careful of infused vodkas. I always assumed her warning referred to fruit infused flavors. Could my ginger infused vodka be one of the reasons I'm at a plateau?

Yes, ginger infused vodka may be contributing to my plateau. If I add up all of my grey areas, I see a lot of reasons why I have been at a plateau for so long. It also helps me understand why there are days when I feel like I've gained weight - I probably have!

I've been working on this piece since I took the photos inside my refrigerator, which was about five weeks ago. That was two weeks after my last session with Julie, which is when I started thinking about going back for another refresh. A refresh after just two weeks? I debated every few days about making the call. I thought a refresh was the answer; Julie could give me a reboot and I'd be on track again.

It just didn't seem right to go back in such a short amount of time. I also did not want to spend another three months at a plateau, or, worse, gaining weight. I decided working through this myself is key to my success; it is key to losing my weight off and key to keeping it off.

Last week, when talking with a friend about my refresh dilemma, I noticed my sentences began with "I'm having a hard time with..." and I knew right then and there that I was close to figuring out where I had gone off course. When I'm on program, I don't use phrases that begin with "I'm having a hard time with.." I had been off-program and didn't even know it.

Julie teaches us how get back on course when we've drifted by asking us "what are you eating?" Through my exploration to answer this question, I also discovered I've been getting "away with" eating foods incorrectly and a few foods not on program, because I have so much weight to lose. Julie warns us that we may get away with things off-program for a while, but it will catch up with us. It has caught up with me.

February 18, 2012

Anonymous posted this recipe and said: I wanted to share this recipe with you. I found it in the Costco cook book. I added the garlic and onions. Everyone loves it. It is legal and I eat it for breakfast too.

Spinach, Celery, and Sausage Soup

• 16 ounces any kind of sausage links
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 (14 ½ ounce) cans diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano
• 2 cups thinly sliced celery hearts with leaves
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 cups Metz fresh Cello bagged spinach leaves
• 4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
• 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil (optional)
• 1 onion chopped
• 2-3 garlic cloves chopped

1. Heat a large saucepan or soup pot over medium, heat. 
2. Remove casings from sausage; add sausage to the pan and cook, stirring to crumble, for 10 minutes, or until browned. 
3. Drain and return sausage to the pan.
4. Add broth, tomatoes, celery, and salt and pepper to taste to the pan; bring to a boil over high heat. 
5. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and stir in spinach until wilted. 
7. Sprinkle each serving with cheese and basil, if desired. 

Note: this recipe included pasta, but since we don't eat pasta during the weight loss phase, I removed it from the recipe along with the suggestion to serve with bread. 

-- Theresa

February 15, 2012

Linda posted this recipe and indicated: my friend Jen who is doing Julie's program, with UNBELIEVABLE success, told me about this recipe. It is good! 

Mock Chinese Fried Rice

Fake rice using grated cauliflower that makes a great side when craving rice or just something different.

Ingredients

• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 breast, bone and skin removed chicken
• 3 1/2 cups cauliflower, grated ( I put in food processor)
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 3 small green onions
• 3 tbsp soy sauce

Directions

1. In a wok or large flat skillet, heat enough oil to cover the bottom.
2. Fry minced garlic (or garlic powder) with finely diced white part of onions for approximately 1 minute.
3. Add grated cauliflower and fry for 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly.
4. Add soy, ginger, diced green onion tops, and pre-cooked cubed meat. Stir to mix well and brown a bit. set aside.
5. I would scramble the eggs first and set aside. The original instructions say to push the above mixture to one side of pan, then add more oil if needed and then scramble eggs in pan until cooked but still moist. Stir eggs into "rice" mix and remove from heat. I would scramble them before as my mixture got to gooped up. I like my eggs broken up into small pieces in my 'rice'.
6. Note: instead of chicken can use any combination of shrimp, beef, ham, turkey or vegetables of your choice.
7. And of course, watch your protein to veggie ratio!!!!

February 15, 2012

This recipe suggestion was from Anonymous:

 

A simple dish for the slow cooker:

• Add Chicken pieces to the slow cooker then top with a large jar of chunky salsa. (You can do any heat you like)
• Cook on low for 3-4 hours. 

This is one of my old time favorites and I haven't made it in ages. Thanks for sharing this.

Anonymous also suggested: Salsa on scramble eggs are a delicious change.

February 15, 2012

Linda posted this Great 'taco dip' recipe in a comment. I copied it to it's own page to make it easier to find and so I can link to it from the recipe page:

1. Brown 1 pound of hamburger.
2. Drain and rinse with hot water.
3. Put back in frying pan.
4. Add 1 package of taco seasoning mix* with the amount of water the package suggests and then cook for a few more minute. (Yes, taco seasoning mix is on program)
5. Put in a 8x8 square pan.
6. Put a thin layer of sour cream* on top.
7. Then add a thin layer of salsa.
8. Then a small amount of taco cheese mix on top.
9. Bake in oven until hot.

Yummy...this is what I'm having for dinner tomorrow night! I'm going to pick up a few ingredients that I don't have at home and I'll spoon the dip on top of mixed greens, tomatoes, onions, and black olives. I'll add a photo to this page after I make it.

Thanks Linda!

03/04/12 Update
Here's a photo my variation of this recipe, which I topped with chopped olives.

Taco Dip. Photo by Theresa

01/05/14 update
*Always go by what you heard directly from Julie when in doubt about an ingredient, or call the office. Here are two comments about ingredients in this recipe:

Taco seasoning mix - Linda called Julie's office and asked about the taco seasoning mix and was told yes we can have it.

Sour cream - It is my understanding that we can use sour cream.

February 15, 2012

Sometimes I feel like I'm on a merry-go-round; I'm so bored of eating the same foods again and again. This feeling comes and goes, but when it's here, I feel like I can't get off the carousel.

Photo by Theresa

Anonymous recently posted that they have trouble coming up with what to eat. There are times that I have this problem too. I think it happens, for me, when I'm bored with my food and I'm not having enough variety. This boredom was the case for me before I was on the program, so imagine it will be something I'll encounter many times again.
I'm working on a post about what I eat, by looking at what's inside my refrigerator. I hope to have that piece up by the end of this week. Meanwhile, here's a quick list of some of the things I eat:

Protein

• meatloaf
• chicken (hot, cold, with sauce, made into chicken salad)
• hamburgers with grilled onions
• Filet Mignon Roast
• pork chops
• sausage patties and links
• ham by the slice
• ham and pickle salad (from the deli, still working on perfecting my home made version)
• spare ribs (generally I eat them out, but have Trader Joe's ribs in the freezer)
• Teriyaki (beef or chicken)

Veggies eaten with protein

• roasted butternut squash
• corn
• cauliflower
• coleslaw
• cucumber and dill with onion (from the deli)
• peas
• celery

What about the rest of you - what does your list of favorites look like? What do you do when you're bored with your foods?

BTW, do any of you remember if yogurt and cottage cheese are considered protein or if we need to eat them with protein?

Also, see my What's for Breakfast? post from Nov. 14, 2011 and the list of links to a handful of recipes.

Beans

Anonymous also asked if we are allowed beans. No beans while we're in the weight loss phase. I sometimes get three bean salad at the deli and I pick out the kidney beans before I start eating. I never would have thought I'd miss eating kidney beans! When we reach our goal weight, we can eat anything we want by keeping things balanced; i.e., maintaining our weight.

February 15, 2012

I created this blog as a way to interact with others who are following the Key Hypnosis weight loss program and the contributions have been greatly rewarding. Without the rest of you participating, this would be a lonely blog.

A few months after I started this program, I was visiting my friends in California and they asked me what diet I was on. My reply was this: "If I look different the next time you see me, ask me what I did." Trying to explain to others what I was doing felt too personal and it sounded like hocus-pocus. I couldn't find the words to explain the changes that were happening.

Truthfully, after my first session, I wasn't sure what I'd gotten myself into. Within a week I realized that, for the first time in my life, it was easy for me to follow a weight loss program. I felt incredible. I was energized. A year after later, I dropped from a size 30/32 to a size 22. Today I'm a size 14/16, which this is not my goal size, but I'm determined to reach my goal.

When you start the program, take a lot of photos. Sometimes we can't see the changes ourselves, so those photos will serve as a great reminder of how far you've come on your journey. This is especially true if you hit a plateau, and one day you may want to share your story on this blog and it would be wonderful to see your progress from the start to the end of your journey.

When I began this blog in September 2011, I wrote What's this Blog All About, but that post doesn't answer specific questions about the program. I don't work for Julie and I'm not qualified to explain the program, so if you have questions about this program, please call the office. 

The content on this blog is the opinions of the contributors and followers of this blog and are not official statements from the Key Hypnosis Program, Julie Kibe, or her staff. 

February 14, 2012

Ok, I have to say this, I am Totally amazed at how this plan works. I mean totally amazed!!

I started on October 24th in a size 24 skirt, as of this weekend, I am fitting into size
18's! I am flabbergasted to be honest. That is just 15 weeks!! This doesn't even make sense. When I lost alot of weight with weigh watchers, it took me a year to go from a 24 to an 18, literally 1 year! and I suffered and was miserable the whole time. plus I was HUNGRY!!! AND it sure didn't take me 1 year to gain it all back!!!!!

I am also a bit overwhelmed. I feel like a celebrity. I have lost weight before and have gotten compliments and people noticing, but not like this. I can not explain, but I have never in my life received SO MANY comments and some from people who would never notice anything. I have not told anyone that I was starting another program as I failed at so many before. But now I have people calling me and emailing me and asking me all about it. This is overwhelming for someone who likes to blend into the woodwork and not be noticed.

To be able to say to someone that I am loosing weight "so effortlessly" is amazing! I have never followed anything so easy in my life!

If you are waiting for an appointment, dont give up!!! It will be so worth the wait!!!

Someone commented that I was literally melting before their eyes, you know something, I almost feel like I am! LOL

February 09, 2012

In the group sessions with Julie, she asks each of us "what size do you want to be?" The answer to that question helps us to visualize how we want to look when we reach our ideal size. The Key Hypnosis program isn't about numbers on the scale, it's about reaching our ideal size.

In the Garden, Thomas Wilmer Dewing, 1892-94
Photo by Theresa, at the National Portrait Gallery, Washington, DC

In a recent comment, Anonymous wrote that she was not able to visualize the size she wants to be. You are not alone in feeling this way. I've heard this from others and I too had a hard time with a definitive number.

In my first Key Hypnosis session, sitting in my size 32's in the chair next to Julie, she turned to me and said "Tell me how you heard about us, what size you want to be, and how much weight do you want to lose."

Since it was my first session and I was the first in the circle to speak, both questions came as a surprise to me. I took a deep breathe, and replied "I want to be a size 9/10 and I want to lose a 150 pounds".

The first part was easy to answer. I visualized my younger self in a sleeveless summer dress that I loved and it was a size 9/10. That answer came quickly. The second part was not so easy. It was painful to say in a room full of strangers. My first thought was to say "I want to lose 80 or 100 pounds", because I was embarrassed to admit how much weight I had to lose. Hello - have you looked in the mirror lately? My second thought was that if there was a place to be completely honest, this was the place. I wanted to be brutally honest because I wanted to be successful. It's still painful to say how much weight I want to lose, but not knowing how much I've lost comes in  handy when people ask how much weight I've lost. Since we don't weigh ourselves, I tell them how many sizes I've gone down.

I recently discovered 9/10 is a junior size and not a size I'll likely be wearing as an adult. What's important here is that I can visualize myself much smaller. When I realized I needed a new number, I started to say "I want to be a size 8 or 10". Today, a year later, sitting in my size 22's at my home computer, I am clear that I want to be a size 8.

Sometimes I get caught up in the numbers. There are times when I'm frustrated that by now I'm not in size 14's and by the fact that I have a long ways to go to size 8 or to lose 150 pounds. These kind of thoughts are obstacles between what I've done and what I want to achieve. Obstacles I can't afford to carry.

Then there are moments that help keep me on program. Such as the realization I had yesterday. I was in a crowd and I realized I no longer feel like a freak because of my body size; I blend in with the crowd. There are other moments too: like fitting into clothes I haven't worn in 15 years, feeling comfortable in my skin, having energy and flexibility I haven't had in decades, and being a runner once again.  It's great to have my doctor happy with my weight, this hasn't happened ever. Just to name a few.

One thing I know for sure, and Linda wrote about this in her recent  FYI post, the I last time wore size 22, I was not as curvaceous as I am today. Today I have a waist! When I'm a size 8, I may weigh more than the 142 pounds I was in my size 9/10 sleeveless summer dress. Hey, if I'm a size 8, who cares how much I weigh?

As far as visualizing what size we want to be, perhaps we can look for others who physically reflect our ideal size. I haven't done this, but when I read the comment from Anonymous, this was the first thought I had.

What do the rest of you do to help you visualize what size you want to be? What obstacles have you overcome to keep on program or what obstacles haven't you been able to overcome?


 

February 05, 2012

Just want to tell you something. I know some have struggled with not loosing how much weight they think they should have lost or wanted to loose at this point. Whether you have weighed yourself or your doctor gave you a hint, there is some dissapointment in a few of you.

My friend who is following this just by what I have told her, weighs herself each week. An interesting fact has come up. She has gone from a 20 to a 14. But she weighs more now than when she wore a 14, 10 years ago. She lost that weight on WW 10 years ago and naturally put it all back on plus some. Now to be back at a 14 and weighing more, but not starving, well, she is one happy camper!!

I remember Julie talking about this at one class where she had lost weight and had gotten to a size that just didn't match how little she weighed. Now she weighs more than that time but wears a smaller size. I don't remember all the details, maybe someone else does, but it goes to show you that eating this way, our bodies must do so much better than the low cal, low fat, hunger, diet foods, way to eat. If we weigh more eating this way, but our clothes sizes show something all together different, well, BRING ON MORE MEAT I say!!!!!!!!!!

February 04, 2012

Rienzi Breadcrumbs; I also user Progresso.

A great question was posted recently in reply to my meatloaf recipe: are breadcrumbs allowed? 

Yes, breadcrumbs are allowed in foods like meatloaf and meatballs on this program. Foods coated with breadcrumbs are not allowed.

I asked about breadcrumbs in one of my first group sessions after hearing Julie mention then during her talk.  I make meatloaf and meatballs on a regular basis, as they are easy to take to work for lunch.

When I made meatloaf a few days ago, I didn't have ketchup, so before I baked it, I put tomato sauce (Newmans sockarooni) under and on top. It was delicious - even cold.

Another question that I asked in one my first groups was if we can have coleslaw. That answer is yes too. A tall container of coleslaw can run almost $8.00 at the deli, so recently I started making coleslaw. I sometimes buy package coleslaw,  instead of chopping cabbage and carrots, and then add in Marie's coleslaw dressing. My next step is to make it completely from scratch, as it will be fresher, healthier, and cheaper. Anyone have a good recipe for coleslaw dressing?

BTW, I'll run the recipes on this blog by Julie.  I've been sick all month with a wicked cold, so I haven't done this yet. I'll add add a notation to the recipes to indicate they are "Julie approved". If you have recipes you want to share, create a new post and I'll add the approval notation and link to them from the recipes page, after Julie signs off on them.

February 03, 2012