In this issue: Ants in my pants…Paris Hilton…body-love

Ants – they’re everywhere! YUK! They’ve taken over and I’m going out of my mind. But I have a strategy…

What I do is put a small vitamin jar lid full of a sugar and borax solution on the floor. (Emotional eaters aren’t the only SUGAR ADDICTS, you know!) So that gets the ants marching. Then I can see where they are coming from…the source. I then take my high-powered-super-toxic-ant-killer-spray (sometimes you gotta love those chemicals) and I blast the source, the hole in the corner of the room or the baseboard by the front door, anywhere from where they march. That stops them dead in their tracks…literally.

So it got me thinking: this is what healing from emotional eating is all about. Treating the symptom by controlling food or living on the Stairmaster isn’t a real solution. You have to go to the source—the root cause of why we are compelled to overeat in the first place. It’s only by healing THE CAUSE that we can experience lasting freedom.

But even then there are so many levels of the cause: my emotions, my reaction to my emotions, my level of stress that make me vulnerable to reacting, my negative self-concept that makes me think I need to run around like a chicken with my head cut off playing God…the list goes on, and deeper.

Any step we take toward looking beyond the symptom for the real problem is a good step. We are so conditioned to complain about the symptom (I’ve done plenty of that in the last 48 hours) and not look for a constructive solution. True freedom lies in looking deeper.

Ok, ok, I GET IT! It’s time for me to get to the REAL SOURCE: I’m going to call the exterminator RIGHT NOW and blast those suckers before they even enter my house. Thanks for the reminder.

Happy 4th of July!

Love,

Tricia

Dear Ask It:

I was very surprised that Paris Hilton came unglued after being sentenced to doing jail time. Do you think this had anything to do with a real medical condition?
~ Curious

Dear Curious:

While we will learn more about Paris on Larry King Live tonight, what we hear may not be the real truth. My guess is that Paris has been so far removed from herself through a superficial lifestyle and dependence on medications and drugs, most of which she had limited access to in prison, that her ability to cope with the stress of her situation was non-existent.

This scenario isn’t unique to Paris. The fact is that when we depend on unhealthy crutches (drugs, food, alcohol, work, sex) to deal with life, our ability to handle anything difficult diminishes. We actually create more fear and anxiety the longer we run from our demons and refuse to deal with life on life’s terms. Being sentenced to 45 days in prison was a big dose of “life on life’s terms” and one can only hope it was the catalyst Paris needed for some honest soul-searching. What’s your catalyst?

Tricia offers private "Heal Your Hunger" coaching sessions for those desiring maximum results with "weight loss from the inside out". For a fre*e 30 minute session, email Tricia at tricia@healyourhunger.com

(Have a question for Ask It? Please email me at tricia@betotallyfree.com)




(Please forward to everyone you know!)

10 Instant BODY-LOVE Boosters

1. Paint your toenails a bold color.
2. Recite a love poem to your love handles.
3. Stand up straight, like you mean business.
4. Dig through a friend’s closet and borrow an outfit you’d never buy for yourself.
5. Keep a fragrant bouquet on your desk or kitchen table and take a deep whiff every hour.
6. Take a pouty picture of yourself, like you’re on the red carpet…
7. …then pick up a tabloid and feel thankful you’re not in it!
8. Have your favorite inspirational quote printed on your morning coffee mug.
9. Incorporate a 4 p.m. seventh-inning stretch at your desk.
10. Sleep naked.

- Redbook 4/07

7/21 REGISTER NOW FOR THE LOS ANGELES “HEAL YOUR HUNGER” WORKSHOP! EARLY BIRD PRICE ONLY AVAILABLE UNTIL JULY 2ND! CLICK HERE: http://www.betotallyfree.com/hyh_july.php

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.

Tricia is also a speaker, author, and private coach helping emotional eaters move beyond diets to lasting change. To learn more visit http://www.healyourhunger.com.