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An Original lolistic \eight Loss Approach or \omen
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lazlet, New Jersey
Change \our Mind: Lose \eight
2011 by Sandrine Baptiste and Rhonda 1remaine.
All rights resered. No portion o this book may be used or reproduced in
any orm, or by any means, without written permission rom the authors
except as permitted by the air use rule. lor permissions, or to order bulk
copies o this material, write to enpeerythingnoetic.com
Coer,Interior Designer: Ian 1remaine
1his book is intended to inorm, educate and proide support or weight
management and spiritual deelopment solely based on the research, the
opinions, and the experiences o the authors. It is not meant to proide
counseling or medical adice, and the inormation contained in this book
should not be construed or used as a substitute or adice rom a licensed
health care proessional such as a physician, a psychologist, a psychiatrist,
or a dietitian. Always be sure to consult with your physician beore starting
any exercise or diet program.
1he mention o speciFc theories, indiiduals, organizations, or products
is or reerence only or or the purpose o example and should not be
construed as an endorsement o a concept, an author, an organization,
or a product. 1he reader assumes all risks or actions taken in association
with ideas rom such mentions. 1he authors and publisher assume no
responsibility or liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss,
damage or injury caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by
any inormation contained in this book. Lxamples used in this book are
Fctitious. Any example that appears to be based on a person, liing or dead,
is purely coincidental.
1he authors and publisher hae made eery eort, at the time o
publication, to ensure that this book`s inormation is correct and they
assume no responsibility or any actions that result, directly or indirectly,
rom errors or omissions. 1he authors make no claims nor do they proide
guarantees, warranties, or assurances o any kind, whether expressed or
implied.

lirst printing, August 2012.
Library o Congress Control Number: 2012946982
ISBN: 98-0-985864-0-5
\e dedicate this book to our Frst amilies, especially our mothers
and athers who raised us and made this physical journey possible.

Mostly, we dedicate this book to our children-Aimee, Ian, Lric,
Sydnee and Malcolm-who represent an emerging generation and
who we are sure will take the ideas we proide orward.
'

\e thank Ian 1remaine or his exceptional work in designing the
LNoetic logo, the interior design o this book, and his patience and
perseerance in the creation o a beautiul coer that we all truly
loe. \e thank Lric 1remaine in adance or his orthcoming work
on the book trailer. \e know it will be brilliant.
\e thank Brenda Dunne, not only or reading this book and writing
a reiew, but also or sharing her knowledge about the publishing
industry and oering encouragement.

A special thanks goes to Gina Krawczuk and Kat Masterson who
olunteered their time and expertise to reading and act checking
portions o this book to ensure its integrity. \e thank Debra
Clement or editing the legal disclaimer, which enhanced both its
accuracy and now.
\e especially thank the signiFcant others in our lies-Dwayne
Boatman and 1odd 1remaine-who hae through the last year and
a hal understood the enormous time commitment this project
required, and supported our eorts in numerous ways.
\e thank the random strangers we stopped in bookstores who
proided us with the opinions that aided our marketing strategy and
ueled our enthusiasm. 1hey all without hesitation unknowingly
participated in the creation o this work.

\e spoke to many people-too many to name-and we hae been
supported by our lacebook riends, our physical riends, our relaties,
our 1witter ollowers, and our clients, each o whom has proided
inaluable insights and inspiration and or that we are grateul.

But most o all we thank spirit, a orce that prompted us to take on
this project in the Frst place, remoed obstacles along the way to
keep us on a steady course, and inused us with the energy to make
the completion o this book a reality.
!:;8<;84
Preace 9
Introduction'' ' ' ' ' ' ''''''''''''''13
low to Use 1his Book 19
PAR1 I : Understanding \our Mind, Body and Soul
Chapter 1: 1he Mind: \our Central Controlling Unit 23
Chapter 2: 1he Physical \ou: \our Lquipment 45
Chapter 3: 1he Lmotional \ou: Better Decision-Making
1hrough Lmotional Intelligence 5
Chapter 4: 1he Spiritual \ou:
1he Power Is On All the 1ime 1
Chapter 5: Perception: low the Mind, Body
and Spirit Come 1ogether 83
Part II: 1he Actie Phase
Chapter 6: Planning and Goal Setting:
Personalizing the Program 9
Chapter : 1he Process o Losing \eight 12
Chapter 8: \hat 1ype o Dieter Are \ou 143
Chapter 9: Plan A 149
Chapter 10: Plan B 165
Chapter 11: Lxercise, Nutrition and Meditation 1
Chapter 12: Moing lorward: 1he Maintenance Phase 211

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Dear Reader,
Gratitude, joy and excitement, coupled with uncertainty and
aith, are the eelings that are going through me as I embark on this
journey with you. I am a teacher and coach o noetic principles. I am
just like you but my perception o the world deFnitely diers rom
yours.'\e are all dierent. \e each experience the world in a unique
way. \e express ourseles in eelings, and not just thoughts, as we
bring our inside world to the oreront to connect with other human
beings. Any psychologist will tell you that eelings are at the crux o
all authentic experience. So we try to connect, but sometimes there
is a disconnect.
1hink o emotions as a language. 1he power o words
is dierent when you speak in your natie tongue or in a oreign
language. I know. I am lrench. \hen I translate my thoughts to
Lnglish, they are not nearly as engaging or impactul as they would
be i I communicated in my Frst language. Similarly, your inside
emotional world does not translate exactly what you eel when
you coney your emotions by speaking about them. In act, this
disconnect is so perasie, and so important, it is in part why I
wanted to write this book. Lmotions are key, but this book does
not represent a weight loss program principled on psychology alone.
Instead, it is a holistic response to the issue.
1his book has always been inside me. lrom an early age, I
knew I would be a pureyor o knowledge, and I also had an inner
knowing that my teachings would materialize in the orm o a book.
As a child, I would think to mysel that one day I would write a
book, een though I did not know what it would be about or een i
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I was really serious about the prospect. 1hat was beore I was nuent
in Lnglish, prior to my coming to America, and long beore I met
my co-author.
I was a young psychology student when I Frst came to
America Fteen years ago. I only planned to spend a year abroad, but
plans change, and I am still here. 1hroughout much o those years,
I dedicated mysel to deeloping a teaching platorm to share what
I know. I was excited when I ound the coaching model, a strategy
that appears much more eFcient than any counseling psychology
paradigm I knew. 1hrough the coaching model, I am able to help
clients to connect the dots between their inner and outer worlds.
\hen you are doing what you loe, you know it. Coaching my
clients and seeing them soar has been great, but something was still
gnawing at me: I neer did write that book. I began to get to work on
that missing piece, and then I met Rhonda 1remaine, my co-author,
who has been an eectie translator and collaborator on this project.
\e wrote this book because we could not do anything else. \e had
to do it. Not to take anything away rom the eort expended, but
this book practically wrote itsel. \e simply droe the train. 1he
tracks were already in place.
I knew I would write a book, and I did. I achieed that child`s
dream and it eels wonderul. And that is how lie works, and that is
how your lie will work-just like that-i you change your mind.
Oh, and you !"## lose weight too.
Sandrine

Noember, 2011
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I you are like most dieters, you are probably nipping through
the pages o this book and wondering i you will hae to count
calories or restrict the types o ood you eat. \ou are wondering i
there is a gimmick. \ou hae already either read about or attempted
most eery diet out there, and you think to yoursel that calorie
counting or ood restriction does not work. \ou are perhaps already
enrolled in an exercise program or belong to a Ftness center, but you
are thinking about quitting because you eel you are just spinning
your wheels. \ou may een eel healthy and eat relatiely well, but
the weight neer comes o. \ou are tired o the struggle. Ater all,
your eorts hae yielded moderate or temporary success at best.
\hat can this book really do or you
1his book will proide you with a better understanding
about weight loss that will lead you to naturally embrace a liestyle
consistent with the maintenance o a perect weight. 1hat is, when
you are doing eerything right or your body, the pounds will all
o, and your body will in its wisdom, naturally reach a healthy size.
1hink about it. People do lose weight and keep it o. Lerybody
knows someone who has accomplished this eat. But when we
think about our own inability to lose the pounds, we usually ocus
on the excuses that hae kept us rom our goals as opposed to the
solution. 1his is not surprising. People use deense mechanisms like
rationalization, to temporarily eel better. Rather than really looking
at a situation objectiely, they come up with explanations or why
they did not achiee their goals.
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Ask yoursel: Do you $%&##' want to lose weight \ou might say
you do, but you also come up with a multitude o reasons that support
the idea that you can`t. lrom the notion that your metabolism is too
slow to the idea that you don`t hae the time to change your eating
habits, you conclude that your present dilemma is ineitable. 1he
repertoire o excuses is part o your deense, but i you keep reading
this book, you will learn how to end these detrimental practices.
\ou are probably skeptical about this program because
nothing has worked or you in the past. But the reality is that i
you really change your mind, you will change your weight. low do
you change your mind Reading and understanding how your body
works, stepping away rom the subjectie embrace o your weight
loss plight, and engaging in a reasonable amount o exercise, are
actiities that will each contribute to shiting your thought patterns.
1his book will also gie you the tools to manage your weight, but
don`t think o ()&*+%, -./$, 0"*12, 3.4%, 5%"+)6, as a diet book. 1hink
o it is a book that will help you to achiee optimum wellness and
also help you to maintain that wellness throughout the course o
your lie.
\ou will begin by making healthy ood choices and engaging
in exercise, but implementing changes-tweaking your exercise
routines, incorporating new oods into your diet, and adding actiities
like meditation-is a lielong process. \ou will not be doing the
same thing year ater year, or een month ater month. \our body
changes as do your needs, and o course, i you did the same thing
oer and oer again, you would be totally bored. In act, boredom
is one reason why many diet and exercise plans ail. 1he secret to
lielong success is nexibility, not rigidity.
\e oer two plans to get you started on the path to wellness.
1he Frst is an easy to use portion control strategy that does employ
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the calorie counting approach. It allows you to make ood choices
within guidelines that you set. 1he other plan is less structured
and helps inch you toward maintenance. 1he latter nutrition-based
strategy makes use o powerul psychological tools included in this
book along with your intuitie insights. \hich plan should you
choose \ou are the naigator o your lie so you will decide which
plan to try Frst, but we do help you to come to a conclusion with a
short quiz proided in Chapter 8. lirst, read both plans. Compare
and contrast the components to help you decide where to begin,
but do realize that you cannot make a mistake. Both plans are rather
simple to implement and you can always change your mind later.
\hicheer plan you choose, rest assured that starting to eat
healthier does not mean your choices will be limited. lor example,
you can go to a social eent and not eel restricted on either plan. O
course, it is obious that you will not eat whateer you like in ast
quantities, but by the time you are well into this program, gorging on
attening oods will be the last thing on your mind. As your stomach
shrinks, and you become accustomed to healthy eating, you will
naturally choose your oods wisely, so when you go to that party
your mind will be more on who is on the guest list than what is on
the table. 1he act that ood obsession will take a back seat to your
actual lie does not mean you will not enjoy ood. In act, you will
probably enjoy ood more because you will not be thinking about
dietary restrictions. \ou can go to restaurants and experience the
reedom to choose what you like. lor example, you may go to a
restaurant, enjoy the salad, eat hal o your entre, and then share
a chocolate namb with your partner, and not thwart your goals an
iota. low do you manage that
1he ability to make largely healthy choices interspersed with a
taste o the more attening are comes rom knowledge, experience,
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conFdence, and the ability to always make educated decisions. \ou
will be able to reach that point i you read this book and ollow the
program. \ou can indulge once in awhile and it need not cause guilt
or a desire to diet stringently. \ou neer will think that you ruined
your diet, primarily because you are not on one. 1hat point should
be emphasized: this is not a diet. It is a plan that culminates in a
rewarding and comortable liestyle. \hen you make ood choices
thoughtully, you will not eel guilty oer a small indulgence, and
there is nothing to sort out aterwards. \ou will always be on track
because all that you do within this program is a process, and not an
end in itsel.

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1here are two parts to this book. 1he Frst part engages you
in the philosophy o the program, and the second part proides
you with its practical aspects. It is important to read eerything in
Part I beore going on to Part II. 1his program is not about just
putting a diet plan into action. It is about getting mentally ready or
a noetic journey. So take your time reading the material. Ater you
absorb the inormation in the Frst part, go on to the second. 1hen
do the exercises and take the quiz. 1he exercises will prepare you or
the implementation phase. 1he results o the quiz will uncoer your
preerences to help determine which plan best suits you.
As you read through the book, you will hae insights that will
be important to you as you implement the techniques. A blank page
is proided ater each chapter or making notes. Alternately, you
may want to purchase a notebook to record insights and perorm the
written exercises. Lither way, it is helpul to keep a record o what
you learn along the way.
\ou may Fnd that you want to re-read the Frst portion o this
book ater you begin the plan, and this is something we encourage.
By reading the Frst part again, the messages are reinorced and you
will probably hae new insights as well. Remember, changing your
weight is a process and not a diet Fx. \ou can`t ail.
Good luck to you as you begin your journey, one that will
assuredly be replete with greater awareness, reelations, and
increased sel-knowledge. \hen you embark on weight loss in a
conscious manner, and understand how your body works, you will
become urther aligned with your soul`s purpose, so while you think
you are just losing weight, you are doing a whole lot more.
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Understanding \our Mind, Body and Soul
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1he mind is where it all starts. It is the missing link in the
quest to deelop a recipe or ultimate wellness. \ou may think
that working out at the gym and making better ood choices will
help, and while you are correct in that assumption, the problem is
that such knowledge does not necessarily lead to motiation. Such
knowledge does not proide you with the impetus to get o the
couch and exercise and to continue to do so until you are at a healthy
weight, nor does the knowledge steer you to the produce aisle in
the supermarket. \ou need something more. linding out about
yoursel and getting on the right track will help you to deelop the
motiation to eat and exercise properly. \illpower alone will not
work. Altering your habits without being mentally on board will not
work. \ou need to understand the tools aailable to you so that
you can cognitiely oercome obstacles that preent you rom losing
weight.
\our mind is a machine, a computer. Like a computer, it has
memory, where you can store inormation and retriee it at will.
loweer, unlike the inormation stored in a computer, human
memories are oten tied to emotion. \hen you smell a pot roast
cooking, your memories may take you back to the kitchen when
you helped your mother cook dinner as a young child. \hen you
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eat bakery cookies, you may recall a time when you went to a party
and saw a cookie that was neither store bought nor handmade. Such
recall oten occurs at a subconscious leel, but the memories tend to
push us, at least in these instances, toward certain ood choices. \ou
may een realize that you are eating due to an idealized childhood
remembrance and reer to the gooey macaroni and cheese, or the
meatballs smothered in spaghetti sauce, as comort ood. Lating
comort ood seems natural, and a part o the human experience,
but its occurrence is more akin to a pre-programmed eent than
to a conscious choice. Sometimes, this same phenomenon, which
is attached to childhood, is associated with more recent memories.
A woman may pick up a chocolate caramel cookie bar, or
example, and become immediately enamored o the blend o naors
when she takes the Frst bite, she enjoys it so much that she buys
another bar the next day. She soon purchases a large bag o mini
chocolate caramel cookie bars and keeps them in a dish at home,
reasoning that she will just eat a small bar, but she ends up eating
about six each day, and sometimes she Fnds that she has eaten the
whole bag. She begins to talk about her weakness: the chocolate
caramel cookie bar. It becomes a habit, but each time she indulges
in the taste o this candy bar, it brings her back to the ery Frst
bite when she ell in loe with it. 1his candy tastes so good in part
because it helps her to relie the memory o that Frst bite when she
elt good. She thinks she just likes the taste o the candy. loweer,
she is not using her sense o taste as much as she is engaging in
the emotional reward o the act. 1hereore, while she thinks she is
engaging in a human sensory experience, her mind is really acting
more like a computer. By eating the candy, she is actiating a memory
rom an earlier moment.
It does make sense to iew your mind as a computer because
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in part it helps to explain habitual behaior. A computer unctions in
a certain way-the same way-eery time, no exceptions. 1he human
mind also works in a certain way, and it is inextricably linked with the
brain. I you`e eer witnessed teleision drama brain surgery7,you
realize that there are dierent unctions attached to dierent parts
o the brain. \ith some surgeries, the patient stays awake in order
to guide the doctor as he touches dierent areas o the brain. Lach
o those areas has a unique unction. 1here are our lobes and each
is responsible or dierent actiities such as speaking, moing the
body, and soling problems. In act, your brain has some connection
with eery part o your body. \hen someone loses a limb, the brain
does not always recognize the loss, and instead perceies the arm or
leg as still attached. 1his example o the phantom limb illuminates
the importance o the brain. I we eel as i we hae an arm attached
when we do not, it is the brain prompting the sensation. 1he brain
is 6)&6 powerul.
1he brain has been described as containing a jelly-like
material that includes neurons, which communicates through
chemical and electrical signals, in order to reach dierent areas
o the body. 1he brain is an intricate piece o equipment, again,
much like a computer. 1he brain is the center o thoughts and o
directies to other parts o the body. Simply, the brain tells the body
what to do. It works in such a manner that it aects both emotions
and thoughts. Many things can change brain chemistry, including
the thoughts that we think, but obiously, other actors enter the
picture as well. Because substances can aect our brains, and our
thoughts, we also hae to look at eerything we ingest. Leryone has
seen a child who ater consuming too much sugar begins to behae
badly. 1he behaior is likely stirred by a chemical process and not
related to the enironment at all. Similarly, antidepressants work on
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the brain`s neurotransmitters and eleate mood. \hile we hae some
control oer what we think, we must realize that it is our powerul
brain chemistry that is largely responsible or our moods, and the
chemicals it contains aect our thoughts. Conersely, what we think
aects our brains.
1he brain contains billions o nere cells. In act, we are born
with a certain amount o neurons that will see us through a long lie.
1hese nere cells, or neurons, die throughout our lies. I you think
that billions o neurons are not enough, and worry about causing the
death o the original cells, new research suggests that we are able to
create new connections. 1he implications o this research are ast
and it is reassuring to know that our bodies are always adapting.
1he neurons do not actually physically touch one another,
as there is a synapse, or gap, between each o them, but in the
complexity o nature, the neurons do eentually get their messages
across. Neurons contain axons and dendrites. Most neurons hae a
sole axon that acilitates the transmission o electrochemical material
to the next neuron. Dendrites-a more complicated and branched
orm o material--also allow or the transmission o electrochemical
impulses but carries the impulse to the inner core o a single neuron.
1hus, the neurons hae a method o embracing the substances
within their core, as well as the ability to send messages.
1he neurotransmitters aid the cause and eentually, the
neurons are able to proide the communication necessary or
proper unctioning. Neurotransmitters do acilitate communication
between neurons, but exactly how thoughts aect neurotransmitters
is unclear. \hile there is much discussion amongst scientists on
this topic, some theorists maintain that thoughts do hae an eect
on neurotransmitters. I in act that is the case, then what you are
thinking certainly matters. \our thoughts aect your brain chemistry.
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Lery thought you think, and eery ood, itamin or drug
you ingest, potentially has an eect on your brain. \our thoughts
aect how neurotransmitters react, but it is important or you to
understand that it is impossible to trick your brain into behaing
a certain way by using aFrmations alone or by orcing yoursel to
think in a particular manner. \our heart must be in it. 1hat said,
thoughts do not only aect how the synapses Fre, but they aect the
choices people make. \hen people think good thoughts, they tend
to make better decisions in respect to what they put into their bodies.
1his is common sense. \hen you realize that your body needs good
uel rather than junk ood, and you hae the chemical balance that
helps you to make those choices happily, you will end up at your
perect weight. Simply, it is easier to make better choices when your
mind is in a positie place.
Some estimates suggest that we hae tens o thousands o
thoughts each day. Perhaps you are only conscious o some o
them as you ignore most o the things that pop into your head rom
seemingly nowhere. Some o these thoughts are pleasant, but oten
your inner critic emerges. \ou may recognize that some o these
thoughts are related to guilt or desire or anger. 1he thoughts are also
seemingly random in nature, something equated with the Buddhist
concept o Monkey Mind. 1his concept holds that you go rom one
thought to the next, always thinking about the past or the uture,
and not really ocusing on what you are doing right now. \ou may
be working and trying to concentrate on the latest sales Fgures, but
then a thought comes: I orgot to take my suit to the dry cleaners`
or I hope the bus is not late tonight.` Random thoughts-worries,
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ears, desires-creep into your consciousness and hae the tendency
to trip you up. In act, Monkey Mind exacerbates the tendency or
human beings to think negatiely, to experience random thoughts,
and to dele into areas better let untouched. Monkey Mind is the
critical mind that chatters incessantly but does not help to improe
your lie. Also, it is random in nature and does little good. \hen you
allow your thoughts to moe about uncontrolled, you will likely end
up with thoughts that do not sere the goal o weight loss.
Another point is that most o your thoughts are re-runs` or a
thought that is not new. \ou may watch a re-run o a teleision show
occasionally, but your thousands o thoughts each day are incessant
and those re-runs-unlike what you mindlessly watch on 1V-- can
thwart your best attempts to manage the way you think. \ou might
obsess about something or days, only to Fnd that another thought
comes along to make you think that what you were worried about
yesterday is inconsequential, because what is bugging you now is so
much more important. lor example, you may hae a big pimple on
your orehead and it really bothers you, but when you receie a phone
call rom a physician stating that your mother is in the hospital, you
suddenly stop thinking about the pimple. Along the same lines, there
are thoughts that come into your consciousness once in a while, but
they are repetitie. Perhaps eery time you put on a pair o jeans, you
think the same thought: 1hese pants are too tight. I hae to lose
weight.` Unconsciously, this translates to eelings o worthlessness.
\ith the same underlying emotion, you might go into the bathroom
and think: I orgot to buy toothpaste. I can`t beliee I orgot to
pick it up at the drugstore!` \ou are berating yoursel or something
human. \ou ate too much. \ou orgot to purchase a toiletry. So
what! \ou might hae these types o conscious thoughts six times
or more oer the course o three days. \hen you do Fnally get the
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toothpaste, you will not play that thought in your mind again until
you run out. O course, you play similar tracks when you run out
o garbage bags, or shampoo, or milk. 1his is just an example o
what you do eery day. \ou hae a lot o thoughts in your mind.
Most o those thoughts are re-runs. \ou tend to see these as just
thoughts, but you are oten not aware o the emotions to which they
are attached.
\our Monkey Mind tells you that it will take a long time to
lose the weight, that you will neer get back into that black cocktail
dress, and that you will neer attract the partner o your dreams
because o your appearance. 1he list goes on and on. \hen you
last attempted to lose weight, did negatie thoughts stop you I so,
it is because the unleashed monkey had done a number on you. 1he
only way to get past this problem is to become amiliar with your
thoughts and their underlying meanings. Realize that what you think
actually aects how you eel, and subsequently how you act. I you
are eeling negatie emotions because you beliee that your diet is
doomed, you will go ahead and eat another piece o cake, or you
will skip the workout. \hen you hae a negatie mindset, nothing
seems to matter. \ou beliee that you will ail no matter what you
do. 1he chatter in your head tells you that your actions do not make
a dierence, but the truth o weight loss is that eery bit o actiity
counts, and that your ood choices will ultimately determine whether
you are successul in achieing your weight loss goals. Ater reading
these concepts, you can probably now see how changing your mind
can help you to change your weight.
It is important to understand how your mind works, and
to be able to get a grasp on your thinking, rather than just making
a decision to lose weight. \hen you try to will yoursel to do
something, you are ironically relinquishing control. lorcing yoursel
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to take action might be Fne or a ew days, or een or a ew weeks,
but ineitably, you will succumb to a craing, or you will begin to
question your resole. 1he loss o the will to continue on the path
is ineitable and it is why people say that dieting does not work.
\hile you consciously orce yoursel to go on a diet, there is an
unconscious part o you that questions your actions. Lentually, the
monkey you so thought you had under your thumb escapes and the
negatie thinking returns. low do you get into the mode o losing
weight without succumbing to the wrath o the Monkey Mind
1he answer is simple. \ou hae to change your mind. \hile
this is the case, the process o altering your thinking is not so simple.
low do you change your mind lirst, you hae to understand how
the entire mind works, and not just how your thoughts emerge. \ou
must take a step back and see your mind objectiely. 1his is not the
mind you think you hae. It is a mind o great complexity, aligned
with myriad belies, thoughts, memories, desires and imagination.
\et, eerything that enters your mind is sited through a eil o
perception, so what you witness is processed dierently than or
anyone else haing the same experience. 1hat is, there is no objectie
reality and you perceie things dierently rom anybody else. In
order to get to know your thoughts better, simply question all o
your thoughts as they arise. Do this as oten as you can, and you will
see a dierence in your lie.
\hen you examine each thought in such a way, you are the
drier, and not the monkey. 1hat is, the thoughts do not control
you. A simple example is that you think the ollowing thought: I
hae neer been successul on a diet in the past.` Is the thought
true It just may be, but the truth o the matter is that een i it
is-you hae not been successul at losing weight in the past-this
negatie thought has the ability to ester and multiply and continue
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to creep into your consciousness in other orms. Beore you know it,
you are also thinking: I can`t lose weight` or I am worthless.` By
challenging each thought that enters your consciousness, you are well
on your way to reducing the impact o Monkey Mind. 1his process
is ery empowering. Simply, you do not take all o your thoughts
seriously, but rather, you just notice them, and then transition them
into a state where they can actually help you.
1o take the example o the negatie thought I hae neer
been successul on a diet in the past,` you realize that you hae not
been able to lose weight, eer. O course, this is a act, but it need
not lead to a conclusion that you will neer lose weight. Most o our
thoughts all into one o two categories, which are thoughts about
the past, or thoughts about the uture. In this example, you think
that you cannot lose weight in the uture because you hae neer lost
weight in the past. 1his is not a act. It is a belie. A negatie belie
will stop you eery time. 1o change your mind, you hae to challenge
your belies.
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' Belies are the oundation o the thought process. Ater
all, eerything you hae taken into your consciousness in the past
has been ealuated and either integrated or rejected. People collect
belies throughout their entire lies. \e can all relate to the notion
that people in a amily do things a certain way, or beliee in some o
the same things. 1his is because we lie with the people in our Frst
amilies, at least most o the time, and we oten share DNA. 1here is
much about our lies that intertwine with amily members including
religion, culture, an aptitude or certain hobbies or careers, and een
superstitions. 1he idea that you will hae bad luck i you break a
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mirror, or that you are doomed i you inadertently step under a
ladder, are belies that are based on stories that hae been handed
down, but they hae no merit. Other belies come rom a mere
chance occurrence. \ou deelop a belie not based on something
rom your amily or culture, but rom a random eent. An example
is that one day, your morning begins badly-you spill orange juice
all oer the table, you hae a screaming match with your kids, you
misplace your keys-and your thought is that this is going to be a
bad day. And guess what \ou`re right. \ou beliee it is going to be
a bad day, and this gets into your consciousness and the bad day
maniests. 1his is what is reerred to as a sel-ulFlling prophecy.
\et, the bad day starts with a simple belie. \here did the belie
originate
A belie can come rom anywhere. Again, it can come rom
amily, but it can also come rom a mere statement that someone
says in passing. \ou may hae seen someone become ery angry
when he spilled coee all oer his white shirt. \ou witnessed the
eent and empathically keyed into his emotions. 1he look on his ace
is cemented in your mind. le muttered something under his breath
that suggested because o the eent, it is going to be a bad day. \ou
hear it, hardly gie it a thought, but when things start going wrong
or you ater you spill a drink, you ponder the original comment,
at least unconsciously. 1hus, once a man spilled coee on himsel
and he concluded that it will be a bad day, so eery time you spill
something, you beliee it is going to be a bad day. 1hese types o
ideas and opinions hae been accumulating throughout your lie
rom dierent places. \hen you begin to beliee some o the things
you think, then you begin to lie by these thoughts and integrate
them as rules.
Challenging belies can mean the dierence between
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ailure and success. \et, it is important to remember that not all
belies are erroneous. Many belies hae alidity. 1here are things
that are true and healthy and good or you. I you beliee that you
can succeed, that is a good thing because it is true. 1he trick is to
eradicate the negatie belies that are holding you back, which is why
it is important to examine them Frst. \hat do you beliee \hat is
truth and what is a alsehood low do you know what is true Ask
yoursel a question and then listen or a response. 1he response may
not necessarily come in the orm o words. It might be a eeling that
yes, what you are thinking is true. 1he truth will eel good. It will
eel as i it is right. Sometimes, you are unsure, but more oten than
not, the indecision will not be based on a gut eeling, but rather on
your intellect. \our intuition comes through your eil o perception
but you can trust its message. It is coming rom a pure source as
opposed to your eer-present, always thinking mind. It might take
some time to Fne tune your inner knowing, but it will come i you
keep practicing.
It is important to connect with your inner sel because
aulty belies can thwart the weight loss eort. I you beliee that
you can`t lose weight, you won`t. \hy attempt something that is
impossible I you knew that no matter what you did, you would
neer lose weight, you would neer try. O course, while that point
is obious, what is not so obious is that you hae placed limits
on yoursel by belieing something that simply is not true. \ou
belieed that you cannot lose weight, but the truth is that you can.
Catching thoughts and challenging them beore they become belies
is integral to controlling Monkey Mind. \hen you no longer beliee
something, thoughts related to the belie will ade. Getting rid o
aulty belies is just the beginning. Implementing new programming
is also necessary to change your mind.
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Remember the idea that human beings are capable o
introducing new connections to the brain, something that was
thought impossible years ago Neuroplasticity is associated with the
notion that brain pathways can change in reaction to stimuli. \e
think positiely and see positie results. \e eat healthier, and then we
begin to crae oods that are good or us. Neuroplasticity is a concept
that supports the notion that our thoughts, our enironment, and
our actions can change our brains. And because the brain controls
eery inch o our bodies, this is wonderul news. \ou may be able
to change your brain unction by acting and thinking dierently, as
well as by making healthier ood choices. And while this is certainly
applicable to creating wellness, it is also applicable to a number o
things. \hen you talk about doing something new, implementing
new habits, and thinking new thoughts, you are creating new
connections in your brain, and this is happening beneath the surace.
Changing your mind is an inside job. It means that you hae to
be proactie in working on yoursel with the recognition that you can
change your brain communication system, and this in turn changes
how your entire body unctions. \hen you change your liestyle or
the better, you will be changing your emotions, and it will be that
much easier to eat well and exercise. I the scientiFc theories are
correct, you may be able to alter the way that your neurotransmitters
react by thinking dierent thoughts. In act, antidepressants create
a better eeling state in the same way. lood can also act to alter the
chemistry in your brain.
1hink o your mind as an electronic deice that contains
numerous apps or applications. \e are essentially programmed to
do certain things. \ou might be programmed to wake up and make
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eggs and bacon, and then at three o`clock eat an ice-cream cone,
and you think that it would be diFcult to alter these habits. Ater
all, your aternoon snack is non-negotiable and you are just not the
ruit and cereal type. \ou research arious diets and conclude that
the meal plans will not work or you because they exclude the oods
you loe, and you cannot athom haing to lie without them. O
course, you own the apps that are set to a certain way o eating. \ou
are the one who programmed them, and so you are in control. \ou
can change the apps.
Obiously, i you can change the apps, you don`t hae to
keep liing the same way. \ou simply hae to delete the bacon and
ice cream apps and download the cereal and ruit apps. \ou can
change your habits in this way. lurther, you need not-nor should
you-change your apps all at once. In act, altering your liestyle too
drastically will likely lead to a meltdown. 1he phenomenon where
your dietary habits change or the worse ater you ditch the plan is
oten reerred to as diet backlash. 1he idea o diet backlash is that
you make changes too drastically so you neer integrate the good
messages, and you eentually gie up. Rather, you plunge ahead,
haing been caught up in the excitement o isualizing yoursel
seeral sizes smaller, but you hae not really thought things through.
Crash dieting, or making any sort o drastic change, will not sere
your brain chemistry well. It is important that you not make radical
shits.
\hen you change your apps, think small. \ith only slight
ariances, you will lose weight healthully without suering, and you
will see results eery month. low do you make small changes I
you are waking up and eating a big breakast o eggs, bacon, orange
juice, toast and butter, and you are resistant to changing this pattern,
you need not discard the habit completely. \ou want to eat healthier,
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and you also want to shed pounds. I weight loss is your desire, you
must either eat ewer calories or exert more energy, whether you are
doing so purposeully or not. Simply substitute some o your typical
selections with a healthier choice. A Fx or the breakast just noted
might be to hae one egg with turkey bacon and whole-wheat toast
with a cholesterol lowering spread. Keep the orange juice because
it`s healthy, but i you water it down, you will reduce your calorie
intake een urther. 1his same principle may be applied to a number
o situations. Do you usually order a soda and a large buttered
popcorn at the moie theater Instead, choose a diet drink and a
small popcorn without the butter. 1his small change could sae you
hundreds o calories.
Changing your apps is not diFcult. It is a process that is
associated with making small changes. \ou are reprogramming your
computer. \ou are rewiring your brain. \hen you make a decision
to eat cashew nuts and an apple as a snack, instead o potato chips
and dip, you are utilizing a new app. \hen you do this consistently,
you are in the process o changing the app or the long haul. 1his
change may not be permanent. Just like you buy sotware or a trial
run that stops working in 30 days, you can try the change or a short
time. \ou eat a healthy snack and realize that it tastes good, so you
stop buying potato chips altogether. \ou do this oluntarily because
you hae ound a delicious treat that makes you eel better, but when
you make this a conscious choice, you are changing the app, at least
or a while. Again, like a computer application, things change. Apps
become obsolete. Ater a month, you may not want to see another
cashew nut. No one likes to do the same thing oer and oer again.
So you change the app again. Next, you might want to try apricots or
yogurt or cheese. Change is good, and changing your apps will help
you to thrie mentally and emotionally as you lose weight.
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Recent authors hae recommended that habits, or eating
some o the same meals oer and oer again, can help to cement a
healthy liestyle, but such tactics can actually lead to ailure. Lating
the same things oer and oer again, or liing with the diet mentality,
is boring. lurther, depriation can shake loose een the most
dedicated dieter. \hen you are eating what you like, but not arying
your repertoire, you will grow tired o the same old things, and this
can lead to an abandon o your plan. \ou may suddenly decide to
get rid o all your new apps, and download the old ones again just
because you crae change, but that would be detrimental.
1hinking o your brain as a computer containing apps helps
you to understand how your mind works and how you can change
it. \ou learned that changing your mind is really not that diFcult.
At this point, you may be wondering how the apps you programmed
can be so easily altered when your brain is like a computer. In other
words, i your brain is programmed a certain way, it seems that it
should just continue on that path oreer, barring some signiFcant
interention. 1he ability to change apps just seems too easy. But
the human mind is probably more nexible than you realize. 1his
is because while the analogy o the brain to the computer works,
it only goes so ar. \ou are more than a machine, so altering your
apps is possible, but there is something larger than your brain and
your mind that enters the picture. 1he inexplicable thing that works
behind the scenes is your inner sel.
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\ou are a multi-dimensional being. \ou are human, o
course, and you know that you hae a ully unctioning body and
mind. \ou can eel things, sense temperature and taste ood. \ou
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can grasp onto a tangible item and use it. \ou can run, you can
paint a portrait, and you can sing. \ou can do a number o physical
things, but what is inside you is what holds you together. \our
oundation-what makes you you`-is your spirit. \ou as a human
being, and you as a spiritual being, lie in a world where you hae a
multitude o responsibilities. \ou work and take care o your home.
\ou worry where the rent money will come rom, or whether you
will hae to endure another root canal. \ou worry about the saety
o your children. \hen you think about it, the stress is unnecessary
because what you are worrying about is temporary. \ou know this
intellectually, but it is hard or us to really integrate this concept.
It is diFcult or us to see these important elements o lie as
unimportant. On some leel, we know that we are spiritual entities
Frst --an entity that knows no physical death and goes on oreer-
but our problems seem ery real. 1he understanding o who we
are does not change us automatically. Still, we change a little bit at a
time. Soul relationships become more important than the electric bill
we can`t pay because the ormer is something that lasts or eternity,
while the other represents a temporary diFculty that is part o the
challenges o liing lie on Planet Larth. Once this knowledge is
ully integrated, we are changed oreer. \hile this is by no means an
instantaneous change, it is true that understanding your spirituality is
the oundation that helps you to change your perspectie.
As you go through lie, you gain both book and experiential
knowledge, and while one can say that the latter is purer, both
conerge to proide you with the opportunity to change. \ou may
ask a question and then Fnd the answer in a book, or you may hae
an experience and talk to someone else to alidate it. As you embark
on your spiritual journey, you are changing, and that changes your
perception. \our perception is the lens with which you iew lie. It
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is your perspectie, your point o iew, but while that is the case,
your perception changes oer time. \hen you get in touch with your
inner sel, your perception will change immeasurably.
\our soul or higher sel is an intangible but important part
o yoursel that actually plays a role in your success. Although
your inner you` plays a critical role related to behaior, you are
still a physical being that relies on the body to unction according
to the laws o science. Again, your brain contains neurons that
communicate with the rest o your body, and you can program your
mind. By changing your apps, you will make better ood choices.
O course, when your soul is in congruence with those changes, the
results are extremely powerul. At that point, you will lose weight
with great ease.
I you cut calories and exercise more, you will lose weight.
loweer, i you are not ully on board, the changes you make will
likely not last. \ou may go through the motions-counting calories
and hitting the treadmill-but at some point, your enthusiasm will
ade. 1hat is why it is so important to align your mind with your
spirit. 1his will help you to become ully engaged in the process.
1he change is something that happens oer the course o months
so it makes sense to change your habits gradually. Moe towards a
healthy liestyle and you will see results eery day in terms o itality,
satiety, and o course, weight loss. One o the most important things
to remember is that this is a process. \ou probably gained weight
oer a long stretch o time, and it will take time to lose it, but i you
ollow this program you will neer suer nor eel depried. And
once you are at your perect weight, you will probably agree that the
process has been worthwhile. Not only will you be thinner, but you
also will experience radical growth in respect to your soul`s journey.
Understanding your soul is dierent rom understanding the
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physical unctioning o the brain. \e know the mind is attached to
the brain and a bit about how it works, but the soul is more illusie.
Perhaps the only scientiFc research on the soul was conducted
early in the twentieth century by Dr. Duncan MacDougall where he
concluded that the soul weighs 21 grams. 1hat the soul can be thought
o as tangible or quantiFable is interesting, but Dr. MacDougall`s
body weighing actiity is not considered scientiFcally alid. Also,
een i the soul has actual weight, its essence and experience diers
or eeryone. More recent research shows greater promise. Dr. Sam
Parnia has been engaged in a project that attempts to determine
whether near death experiences are Fctions o the brain, or true
spiritual eents. I he is successul in this quest, there could be
scientiFc eidence o the soul`s existence in the uture.
Understanding our soul`s mission and connecting to it can
help us to lose weight. \ou do hae a soul, and it plays a role in
weight loss, but how it is integrated really depends on how much
you want to explore it. 1his is not something that can be rushed, so
this understanding and connection will come oer a period o time.
In the mean time, understanding how your body and mind works
and how to make changes is key. loweer, your imagination will
accelerate your progress as you make these gradual changes.
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Changing the apps sounds like something you do on a
computer, and while you can systematically alter the apps that exist
in your mind, it really is not done the same way as it is done on a
computer. Ater all, you are a human being. 1he computer is just
a metaphor. \our mind is still a mystery een though you know
how your brain ,the hardware, and your mind ,the sotware, work
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together. \ou know what imagination is, but hae you used it lately
\hen you were in kindergarten, your teachers probably prompted
you to use your imagination to draw pictures or create models out
o clay. \ou were likely encouraged throughout elementary school to
create things rom your imagination. But as you grew older, you were
less encouraged to use your imagination and were instead guided
toward more practical endeaors. O course, while this would not
yield a room ull o robots, it does make Jack a ery dull boy.
\our imagination can help you to change your mind because
it allows you to isualize, think about things in a dierent way, and
to create a uture that you want to moe towards. \our imagination
takes you beyond your senses and into a world that you make. \ou
decide what will happen to you, and when you realize that you are
able to use your creatiity to change your lie, you will begin to see
what is possible. lae you eer pasted a picture o your head on the
body o a model you cut out o a magazine It seems a silly thing
to do, but it actually helps you to see yoursel dierently. \ou don`t
need to make a collage to see yoursel in a new light. Visualize how
you will look when you are thinner. \ou may not be able to do this
immediately but your new sel will emerge in your mind`s eye oer
time. 1his is one beneFt o haing a human mind. \ou can create
your world, and that includes a world with a slimmer, happier, more
ital you.
1he use o pictures, ision boards, mind moies, and guided
meditation helps people to clearly decide on a goal. lor weight loss,
you might want to create a moie in your mind where you think
about how you will look ater you achiee your weight loss goal. I
you hae already been at this desirable weight, you might want to
Fnd a picture o yoursel and post it on the rerigerator or keep it
by your desk. 1he more you see yoursel the way you will be, the
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more you will beliee that it is possible. And as you know, belieing
something is an important component or eentually making your
desires materialize.
Spend a ew minutes each morning, just ater you wake up,
thinking o your new body and how you will be eeling and what you
will be doing. \ou might want to picture yoursel in a bathing suit
taking a morning swim in the ocean, then warming your eet in the
sand beore Fnally rinsing o. \hile you isualize yoursel in this
manner-experiencing an actie, healthy lie where you look and
eel great-- also experience the eeling o pride and happiness as you
no longer struggle, but are able to lie the lie you always desired.
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\ou learned about the intrusion o unwanted thoughts
or your Monkey Mind, but eerything that comes into your
consciousness through your senses comes through a eil o
perception. 1he exciting part o this is that eerybody`s perception
is dierent. \our perception is in part attached to your DNA, your
personality, your inner knowing, and how your senses work. I you
are blind or dea or example, your sense o touch, taste and smell
will be heightened, but i you are a isual artist, you may perceie the
world aesthetically through your eyes where other senses become
secondary. \our perception enters the picture because it plays a role
in how the inormation rom the outside world, and rom your inner
core, conerge to orm thoughts, and again, the thoughts you think
hae a dramatic impact on how you eel and ultimately what you do.
\hen you use your imagination, you do so through your own unique
perspectie.
Some words o adice are to question your negatie thoughts,
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eradicate them, and use your imagination to replace them with new
ideas. Once you are able to do this, you will alter the way you perceie
the world. 1he question is not whether perception aects your
thinking or whether your thinking aects your perception because
both are true, but rather, what will you do to change your mind
1he ideas to come rom this chapter-questioning eery thought,
eradicating aulty belies, changing your apps, getting in touch with
your inner sel, and using your imagination to create your uture-
will help you achiee weight loss success. And all o these things are
attached to your mind and how you think.
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\hen you started this chapter, you may not hae anticipated
reading about your spirituality or your perception o the world.
\hile this Frst chapter does address the mind, and compares it
to a computer, you hae also been exposed to the notion that the
mind and spirit are connected, and that your perception makes you
uniquely you. As you read through this book, you will be introduced
to the science o emotions and you will learn more about spirituality
and how your perception makes all the dierence.
But Frst, in the ollowing chapter, you will be introduced to
your physical body, which is not detached rom your mind and spirit,
but is also-like haing a mind-a uniquely human experience.
1hat is, as we walk around, we do so in physical armor and it is that
armor that protects us rom the enironment, but what is important
to acknowledge is that the physical armor is what we are trying to
change here. So understanding exactly how your body works is ital.