Shedding the final 20

Here you are, once again, so close to entering your ideal weight range.  Ya know, the one where all your hopes and dreams come true.  Or you may believe something else happens when you achieve this victory, but regardless of where you are on your weight-loss journey, the last 20 can be the most stubborn to release.

I've been close, many times.  7 years ago, I decided to be vegan, and I lost over 100 lbs.  I would get down to my last 20 so many times, but I could never lose them.  I was working out, I changed my diet, what was I missing??? 
The biggest change finally came when I stopped beating my body up through my workout and poor food choices.  Even vegans can be bad.

Whatever your reasons for losing those last 20: the summer swim suit, helping ease joint pain, fertility, getting that hot date, losing the last 20 can be complicated and torturous or it can be the most tranformative experience, setting a new tone for how you live your life and how you treat your body. 

Those last lbs that you hold on to, that stuff is old.  It's the baggage.  It's those habits, those limiting behaviors and thoughts. You've gotta clean out this junk too.  That's step one!
 
Try these two techniques this week:
Loving Kindness Meditation  
This meditation helps reduce the stress-response, a know culprite in weight gain, and has been know to boost immunity (see work by Dr. Barbara Fredrickson)

Set up: Sit or Stand
Eyes Closed
Take a couple deep breaths
I like to place on hand on my heart and one hand on my low belly, but you can do what you like.  This is for you.

Round 1: Repeat silently to yourself or out loud:

May I be filled with loving kindness
May I be healed and whole
May I be free from unnecessary suffering 
And may I be happy

Then continue with a round dedicated to the following:
Round 2: a loved one
Round 3: an acquaintance (a neutral, no-emotional-attachment someone)
Round 4: someone who has wronged you or you have wronged
Round 5: the whole world.  


Here's a simple breathing technquie:
"When it's just been enough" Breath
Thanks Delora (she taught this in her yoga class this week and it's awesome)

Sit or Stand, close the eyes

Breathe as followed:
In through the nose, Out through the nose
In through the mouth, Out through the mouth
In through the nose, Out through the mouth
In through the mouth, Out through the nose

Repeat 5-10 rounds.

Next week some easy high-protein vegan recipes to get your hormones in check.

Let me know how these worked for you, or share it with a friend.