In This Issue:
Be Totally Fre*e-zine...Self-Care Secrets For Slimming Down

Happy New Year!

Well, after taking extra good care of myself by relaxing this Holiday Season, I started the New Year with the flu! I spent all last weekend in bed! Ugh.

Oh, by the way, see that goofy picture? That's me adorned with several Christmas presents from my Mom…she knows me pretty well by now and always manages to get me fun, colorful clothing and accessories. I used to feel terribly misunderstood if my presents didn't "fit" me. But now, thank God, that extreme sensitivity has been healed, and I seem to always receive presents that are PERFECT!

Speaking of perfect, if you're already off to a bad start on your New Year's resolutions to lose weight, I have the perfect solution. (Don't worry, weight loss resolutions rarely ever work for anyone…have you noticed?) Do you want 2007 to be HEALTHY AND HAPPY? Then it's time for a revolutionary approach to weight loss. I'll be sharing all about it in my upcoming 6 week Teleclass series: "Breaking Free from Emotional Eating". These phone classes begin on January 15 so register now:

 Did you miss our exciting Fre*e conference call: "5 Weight Loss Mistakes You Don't Want to Make"? We had a great turnout, but if you missed it, here's your last opportunity to attend. When you're done reading the ezine, you can click here to hear the call:

Click here to download… or http://www.audioacrobat.com/play/WKTVGr6s

http://titcha.audioacrobat.com/download/edab5c26-58a3-4463-115d-deeba257f8df.mp3

(Unfortunately, the fre*e gift only applies to those who attended LIVE.)

I am looking forward to an amazing 2007, filled with exciting new services and opportunities for you to BE TOTALLY FRE*E! I hope you'll join me on this exciting journey!

Love, Tricia

"To promise not to do a thing is the surest way in the world to make a body want to go and do that very thing." Mark Twain

Dear Ask it:

For years I have made weight loss resolutions that I haven't achieved. What can I do differently this year to accomplish my goals?

~Scared to Hope

Dear Scared:

The odds are against those who make weight loss New Year's resolutions. The reason why they don't work is the same reason 98% of all diets fail. The reason is that we're attempting to attack the symptom of WEIGHT instead of the cause of EMOTIONAL EATING. If we don't address the stressors in our lives that cause our compulsion to reach for unhealthy foods, we'll always be fighting our weight. Affirmations and declarations of intent may work in other areas of our lives, but unfortunately, true addictions, especially the food addiction, requires more than this. Instead of resolving to lose weight, why don't you resolve to TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. I don't mean just at the food level…it's usually too late when we're trying to eat better. Start deeper. Take note of your sleep schedule…are you getting enough, or are you cranky and tired all the time? Are you working too hard, selling your soul for a paycheck and your boss' approval? Are you "vegging out" in front of the TV instead of connecting with others at the level of the heart? These are all habits that make weight loss virtually impossible. As I teach in my classes, when you "change your LIFE, you change your WAISTLINE". See below for more practical tips.

*Do you have a question you'd like to have answered? Write me at askitbasket@betotallyfree.com.

(Please forward to everyone you know!)

When "experts" lecture us on weight loss, it's usually all about exercise, calories and carbs. That's good information, but from one compulsive eater to another, I've provided some other tips that don't usually make the diet books. They will require some effort, but I have found them to be essential to proper self-care and weight loss.

10 Self-Care Secrets for Slimming Down

• Sleep: It's so easy to overeat when we're tired. We reach for food to keep us going, thinking we'll have more energy the more we eat. Just the opposite happens. When we overeat we feel bad, heavy, and lethargic. And we're still tired! Work on going to bed earlier. Late night nibbling is easier when it's late and we should be in bed. Take care of yourself by retiring to bed with a book, and then turn the lights out before your tummy starts to growl. Even if it's growling, go to bed, you won't hear it when you're asleep and it feels sooo good to wake up in the morning with a clear conscience!

• Vitamins: So many times our overeating is caused by nutritional deficiencies. We seek the vitamins and minerals our bodies crave in excess food. Unfortunately, this is a vicious cycle because usually the food we overeat is devoid of any real nutrition, so it leaves us further depleted. As a first step, begin taking a good multivitamin, preferably one made from whole food. (If you go to a health food store, they'll offer "whole food" supplements, not just synthetic ones.) Next, strive to eat organic foods whose soil isn't stripped of vital minerals like the soil of chemical-sprayed fruits and vegetables. Eating organic will make you feel better, and feel better about yourself…because you're making an effort to be good to your body. Lastly, stick with foods that have as little processing as possible. For example, cook a free-range turkey instead of eating cold-cuts. The more whole and natural, the more nutritionally sound.
• Bring lunch: It's easy to order take-out with your other bored co-workers, but that only makes weight loss harder. Be deliberate about taking care of yourself. Think ahead and shop for foods that you can use to make a healthy salad for yourself. Buy some colorful Tupperware for your packed lunches. Put some care into making a fruit salad for yourself with various yummy fruits. You'll be amazed how good about yourself you'll feel and how good for you it is to bring your own lunch to work and avoid the greasy, starchy alternatives your coworkers are devouring.

• Don't skip meals: Skipping meals is a trap! We always end up making up for the meals we skip…and then some! Make a point to eat three meals a day, and don't nibble in between. Would you skip feeding your children? Of course not. Then why do we think it's OK to skip our own meals? If you make a point to feed yourself on a schedule of three meals a day, you will be more balanced emotionally and you will actually build self-esteem. Both these things lead to a thinner weight and a better quality of life.

• Stay Hydrated: Yes, I know you know that 8 glasses of water a day is good for weight loss and health in general. True health experts will actually recommend that you drink more than this. The fact is that when we're dehydrated, we eat more. This is because it's easy to disguise thirst for hunger. We eat, looking to hydrate ourselves, when drinking a few glasses of water would easily quiet those hunger pangs. So next time you're SURE that you need to eat more, try a tall glass of water and wait 10 minutes. That may be all you need. Here's another tip: make it easy by bringing a bottle of water with you wherever you go.

• BYOF: That's bring your own food! Don't put your health in others' hands...they don't feel the pain when your jeans don't fit! Taking care of yourself takes some planning. Is the party you'll be attending only going to have greasy and starchy finger foods? (You can call ahead and ask the host what she/he's serving--mention that you have some special dietary needs.) To be safe, bring a veggie platter with low-fat dip! That way you get what you need and you don't feel left out. Don't want to drink alcohol? Bring along a few bottles of seltzer. I do this often. It feels good to take care of myself and nobody minds. Don't leave your health to chance. Remember the adage: "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail."

• Don't eat diet food: How do diet food companies keep us shelling out dough for more diet food? They put chemicals and addictive ingredients in them that make us hooked! I'm talking about ingredients like MSG, and many forms of addictive sugars like corn syrup and sucrose. Even NutraSweet has been proven to be a neurostimulant linked to stimulating appetite. Also, studies have shown that when people eat "diet" food they feel like they can get away with eating more and end up overeating!

• Avoid Sugar: There isn't one good thing health professionals have to say about sugar. Not only that, it is extremely addictive. There's no such thing as having only a little (have you noticed?)! If you like things sweet, like I do, try a truly healthy substitute: Stevia. Stevia Extract comes from the Stevia Rebaudiana plant and has been used traditionally for hundreds of years. It's sugar free and calorie free, and has no bitter aftertaste. It even comes in packets, just like Equal or Splenda (both of which have unhealthy side effects.) You can get Stevia at any health food store. I buy it in liquid form with a dropper. Just a few drops in my herbal tea or yogurt and I'm happy!

• Go Raw: I could write pages on the benefits of eating raw foods (fresh green beans instead of cooked or canned; raw, uncooked almonds instead of Blue Diamond Smokehouse Almonds). Besides the obvious nutritional benefits, another good reason to go is that your body has to work harder to process raw foods, thus burning more calories. In addition, raw foods have far more nutrients than cooked foods. Raw foods often take longer to eat so your body has time to feel sated: try a spinach salad instead of creamed spinach with your meal.

• Don't go too long without eating: This is self-care 101! You listen to your children when they're hungry, why not yourself? The fact is, when you wait too long to eat your next meal, you are causing your adrenal glands to panic, believing they are in starvation mode. Then when you do eat, they don't get the message when you've had enough. They are still attempting to save your life by causing you to believe you need to eat more. Take care of yourself! The biggest irony ever is that compulsive eaters don't know how to feed themselves!

Tricia Greaves now offers private "Self-Care" coaching sessions for those desiring maximum results with "self-care" instead of self-control. For a fre*e 20 minute consultation, email Tricia at tricia@betotallyfree.com

Eating the right foods and minimizing stress are major by-products of Be Totally Fre*e's services. Check out our website for more information.

January 15th - 6 week TRANSFORMATIONAL TELECLASS begins: Breaking Fre*e from Emotional Eating--Mondays at 5:30 pm Pacific/8:30 pm Eastern. For more information and to register, click here.

Join University of Masters and hear Tricia's regular classes: "Change Your Life, Change Your Waistline."

After overcoming her own lifetime battle with compulsive eating, drinking and weight-without the use of diets, pills, medication or excessive exercise-Tricia Greaves founded Be Totally Fre*e!, a non-profit organization that offers a unique and permanent solution for overcoming all addictions. To learn about the hope we offer to those who have tried everything to stop, visit www.betotallyfree.com.