8 Weeks, 8 Pounds Down Workshop ~ 2021

The last two months of the year are often the most challenging food-wise, but not for YOU!!! For the next 8 weeks, get ready to practice eating, thinking, and living naturally thin as you face the holiday season head-on!

Every day you decide how you want to show up. Over these eight weeks, you get to practice choosing and BEING this version of yourself. This is the perfect time to practice actively implementing mental tools and eating patterns so that you can face the holiday season as a slimmer naturally thin YOU!

Session #1:

Setting Up for Success in the 8 Weeks, 8 Pounds Down Challenge

Session #1: Worksheet - 8 Weeks Down Writing Ritual

A Review of How the Naturally Thin Eat

We have 8 weeks left of the year. I know some of you are feeling amazing this holiday season and some of you are struggling. But no matter where you are, you are going to love this work to tighten up your thoughts, actions, and do this amazing work.

 
I want to make sure we are all starting on the same page, so let me explain a little. After interviewing hundreds of the naturally thin, there are some common things that all naturally thin people shared with me that they do –
 

  1. Eat when they are hungry

  2. Stop eating when they are satisfied

  3. During the meals, they stay mindful

  4. They are aware of the impact food is having on their bodies.
    – so if a food type doesn’t agree with them, they adjust, swap this food out with something that works better.

For the naturally thin this is excellent. 

However, for many people, there are two things that we have gotten programmed into our eating:

  1. We have programmed our bodies to overeat. This quantity of food is more than our body needs and we gain weight

     

  2. We have programmed ourselves to tie food to our emotions. So when stressed, bored, in need of comfort, avoidance, a need to feel safe, we turn to food.
These two then get practiced over and over and over and then become unconscious conditioning.
 
Of course, movement, hormones, and inflammation can play into this as well. I will touch on this here and there, but the main reason I see people struggling with their weight is that they overeat or emotionally eat.
 

When you start to practice eating in this naturally thin fashion by honoring your body, all of a sudden you are suddenly left with your emotions to feel or conditioning that you’ve practiced over and over and your mind screams at you to override your body’s signals.

Intentional Weight Loss



Over the next 8 weeks, I’m going to challenge you to address your emotional eating and overeating patterns that have been showing up in your life.

For those of you who struggle with inflammation and hormonal weight gain, when you listen and honor what your body wants and needs food wise, and make the necessary swaps, most of the time that is something that I see starts to neutralize and heal.

If you’d like to challenge yourself to move more over these next 8 weeks, I have a fun challenge for those of you who are interested in taking that on that I will share with you about a little bit later.

 Enjoy the process of visualizing success for you and your body. 

If you ever fear anxious over these next 8 weeks, you can always come back to this visualization. Come back to using your subconscious and conscious mind to help support your body goals. Because when you use a holistic approach and incorporate imagery and feelings, you increase your success rate by as much as 5 times. That’s the power of seeing, feeling and connecting in.

Throughout the challenge you are going use the power of being intentional.

We know that our brain is the strongest and most focused at the beginning of the day. As the day goes on, our brain makes a whole slew of decisions, gets tired and peters out. Which is why at the end of the day, we often see emotional eating, bingeing, not caring.

So, in understanding our brain, we are going to use it over the next 8 weeks to be intentional and we are going to use journaling as a tactic to create more intentional days.

Here is the link –  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1E17q60HLWSeDhJgAJIIewMNx2CcGL93Z0sH2EKnl7HM/edit?usp=sharing

I have been using this journaling strategy for several weeks and I have see a positive impact in my life for sure.

There are few things that I adjusted for this course that I’m excited to use as well.

But let’s go over it together…. 

The goal for the 8 weeks, should be roughly the same. If you keep changing it, it will make you crazy. So, I want you to be realistic here. I could be to weigh whatever you would weigh 8 pounds less than you are now. It could be to feel a certain way or experience a certain health goal.

It could be to move 3 times a week or eat veggies every day for 8 weeks. It’s totally up to you.

The way I recommend doing it is by putting your weight goal 8 pounds down or for those of you who are at your ideal weight,

Action Plan for Session 1:

NOVICE LEVEL – At least 3 days this week complete the 8 Weeks/8 Pounds Down Writing Ritual worksheet. Start and end your day thinking about the challenge.

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL- Do the novice level assignment from above 4-5 days a week.

ADVANCED LEVEL – Do the assignment above 6-7 days this week. Report into your accountability group or on a Facebook post to let everyone know how you did.

A Review of How the Naturally Thin Eat

We have 8 weeks left of the year. I know some of you are feeling amazing this holiday season and some of you are struggling. But no matter where you are, you are going to love this work to tighten up your thoughts, actions, and do this amazing work.

 
I want to make sure we are all starting on the same page, so let me explain a little. After interviewing hundreds of the naturally thin, there are some common things that all naturally thin people shared with me that they do –
 

  1. Eat when they are hungry

  2. Stop eating when they are satisfied

  3. During the meals, they stay mindful

  4. They are aware of the impact food is having on their bodies.
    – so if a food type doesn’t agree with them, they adjust, swap this food out with something that works better.

For the naturally thin this is excellent. 

However, for many people, there are two things that we have gotten programmed into our eating:

  1. We have programmed our bodies to overeat. This quantity of food is more than our body needs and we gain weight

     

  2. We have programmed ourselves to tie food to our emotions. So when stressed, bored, in need of comfort, avoidance, a need to feel safe, we turn to food.
These two then get practiced over and over and over and then become unconscious conditioning.
 
Of course, movement, hormones, and inflammation can play into this as well. I will touch on this here and there, but the main reason I see people struggling with their weight is that they overeat or emotionally eat.
 

When you start to practice eating in this naturally thin fashion by honoring your body, all of a sudden you are suddenly left with your emotions to feel or conditioning that you’ve practiced over and over and your mind screams at you to override your body’s signals.

Intentional Weight Loss



Over the next 8 weeks, I’m going to challenge you to address your emotional eating and overeating patterns that have been showing up in your life.

For those of you who struggle with inflammation and hormonal weight gain, when you listen and honor what your body wants and needs food wise, and make the necessary swaps, most of the time that is something that I see starts to neutralize and heal.

If you’d like to challenge yourself to move more over these next 8 weeks, I have a fun challenge for those of you who are interested in taking that on that I will share with you about a little bit later.

 Enjoy the process of visualizing success for you and your body. 

If you ever fear anxious over these next 8 weeks, you can always come back to this visualization. Come back to using your subconscious and conscious mind to help support your body goals. Because when you use a holistic approach and incorporate imagery and feelings, you increase your success rate by as much as 5 times. That’s the power of seeing, feeling and connecting in.

Throughout the challenge you are going use the power of being intentional.

We know that our brain is the strongest and most focused at the beginning of the day. As the day goes on, our brain makes a whole slew of decisions, gets tired and peters out. Which is why at the end of the day, we often see emotional eating, bingeing, not caring.

So, in understanding our brain, we are going to use it over the next 8 weeks to be intentional and we are going to use journaling as a tactic to create more intentional days.

Here is the link –  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1E17q60HLWSeDhJgAJIIewMNx2CcGL93Z0sH2EKnl7HM/edit?usp=sharing

I have been using this journaling strategy for several weeks and I have see a positive impact in my life for sure.

There are few things that I adjusted for this course that I’m excited to use as well.

But let’s go over it together…. 

The goal for the 8 weeks, should be roughly the same. If you keep changing it, it will make you crazy. So, I want you to be realistic here. I could be to weigh whatever you would weigh 8 pounds less than you are now. It could be to feel a certain way or experience a certain health goal.

It could be to move 3 times a week or eat veggies every day for 8 weeks. It’s totally up to you.

The way I recommend doing it is by putting your weight goal 8 pounds down or for those of you who are at your ideal weight,

Action Plan for Session 1:

NOVICE LEVEL – At least 3 days this week complete the 8 Weeks/8 Pounds Down Writing Ritual worksheet. Start and end your day thinking about the challenge.

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL- Do the novice level assignment from above 4-5 days a week.

ADVANCED LEVEL – Do the assignment above 6-7 days this week. Report into your accountability group or on a Facebook post to let everyone know how you did.

Session #2:

The Cost to Act

Session #2 Worksheet - 8 Weeks Down Writing Ritual

Visualize the Body You Want

Take a moment and visualize the body that you crave right now. Notice this version of yourself that is living in this body and feel into what it feels like to be this version of yourself. Just breathe this version of yourself in. This you that is healthy and vibrant, that is confident and so deserving of prioritizing yourself, your health – because…

When you prioritize yourself and your
health, everyone around you benefits.

Your Healthy Vibrant Self

After you enjoy today’s visualization, come back to the room and answer the following questions and fill out the form.

1. What does the healthy vibrant you want you to know about creating the body you want?

 2. What does this vibrant and healthy you want you to know about what you can do this week to become more like that you so that you can continue to lose weight?

Whether it’s your self-talk, eating foods that are whole and real, drinking more water, getting better sleep, whatever it is, write down. What you notice is making it harder vs easier for you to slim down.


1. What thoughts would you need to believe about yourself to be that version of yourself?
 
2. Is there anything that you can foresee stopping you or getting in the way?

What is the Cost to Changing Your Body?

Research is clear that if the cost to act FEELS too challenging or you THINK it’s too challenging, you won’t act – SO we have to break through this today so that you can keep on losing weight and moving on with this challenge.

Pick one challenge that could get in the way of your progress. Focus on breaking it down this week.

If you wanted to start moving and you were having a hard time motivating yourself, you could call a few friends and make walking dates to see friends. You could buy an audiobook and listen to it when walking or jogging or biking. Further, you could schedule out your workouts at a gym or schedule gym meetups with a friend, or hire a coach.

Similarly, if you wanted to put more veggies and whole foods into your body you could begin buying a bunch of pre-chopped veggies and dips that would be delicious to have for lunches and snacks like cucumbers, carrots, celery, jicama. You could buy some pre-made salads or pre-made stir fry bags.

If you wanted to stop eating when I was satisfied, you could create a reminder card at the table, hole punch that card every time you stop when satisfied, and when you get to 10 hold punches, buy yourself some new tennis shoes or something you really want. Or you 30-Day Challengers can keep plopping a bead in your jars when you are satisfied, or plop fake dollar bills in, and at the end of the week, use that to buy yourself something really fun.

We have to take on this block and make it fun.

Mental Hack for your Goals:

MAKE THE COST OF ACT EASY, FUN AND RESULTS FOCUSED!!

Come up with a plan – schedule it.

Visualize yourself doing this action and visualize the ease in which moving through this previous block now feels in your body.

Continue to write in the morning and evening for the greatest results from this challenge.

Action Plan for Session 2:

NOVICE LEVEL – At least 3 days this week complete the 8 Weeks/8 Pounds Down Writing Ritual worksheet. Feel free to use the Daily 5 minute visualization: listen only OR download. Start and end your day thinking about the challenge.

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL- Do the novice level assignment from above 4-5 days a week. Choose on thought or action to work on that can break down your walls of resistance to achieving your goals.

ADVANCED LEVEL – Do the assignment above 6-7 days this week. Report into your accountability group or post on Facebook to let everyone know how you did.

Session #3:

Planning for the Celebration

Session #3 Worksheet - Holiday Planning

Questions to Ask Yourself Before Thanksgiving/Holiday Weekends –

 
  1. When you think about Thanksgiving, besides meals, what’s the plan for the day?
  2. Is there something that you could include that would make it even more enjoyable for you?
  3. With the end of the day in mind first, how do you want to feel at the end of the day?
  4. What meals will you be eating on Thanksgiving?
  5. What are the foods that your mind and body BOTH enjoy that you are looking forward to eating?
  6. What foods will you pass up? Be specific. Why will you pass them up?
  7. If there are any foods that don’t work as well for your body, is there a swap that you could make to still get that taste and texture OR is there a thought that would help you feel comfortable with leaving out the food so you don’t feel deprived?
  8. How full do you want to feel at the end of the meal (5 satisfied – 9
    stuffed)?

Action Plan for Session 3:

NOVICE LEVEL – Fill out the Thanksgiving Day Planning worksheet. At least once complete the 8 Weeks / 8 Pounds Down Writing Ritual worksheet. Reread daily. Start and end your day thinking about the challenge.

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL- Do the novice level assignment from above 4-5 days a week. Choose on thought or action to work on that can break down your walls of resistance to achieving your goals.

ADVANCED LEVEL – Do the assignment above 6-7 days this week. Report into your accountability group or post on Facebook to let everyone know how you did. If you aren’t involved in either, tell a friend of your accomplishments.

Session #4

What You Get to Experience By Being In Your Body and Feeling Your Feelings

Session #4 Worksheet - Inner 2-year-old

Progressing Through Your Inner Two-Year Old

The Inner Two-Year-Old gets in the way of our progress by yelling in our ear “Eat! Eat now!” Like a toddler out of control, s/he can be quite insistent “Now! Now!” not letting us think.

Also, this part of us can deflate the importance of our goals claiming “It doesn’t matter,” when it actually does matter. Even a level 6 or 7 can be a bit uncomfortable. Especially when working for neutrality and peace in our bodies…

We matter. Our goals matter. Our hunger level matters.

So, figuring out how to listen to and manage this voice allows us to manage our weight. You can follow along on the Week 4’s – the Inner Two-Year-Old worksheet or use a separate sheet of paper. All notes/questions are also below for your convenience:

What I Get to Experience By BEING IN MY BODY and FEELING MY FEELINGS Over the Next Four Weeks…

The main reason that you bypass hunger/satiation, overeat, and feel out of control with food is that your Inner 2-year-old is motivated by fun, ease, and getting a quick dopamine hit to feel good quickly.

Here are some questions I would like to have you reflect on today –

Bypassing my hunger and satiation and eating because my Inner 2-Year-old is having a hissy fit and wants me to eat NOW, shows up in these ways…

Personifying Your Inner 2-Year-Old

  1. What name would you like to give your Inner 2-year old?
  2. If you continue to give in to your inner 2-year-old, how will you feel at the end of these four weeks?
  3. If you practice supporting your Inner 2-year-old and not giving into her quick desires, how will you feel at the end of these four weeks?
  4. Your Inner 2-year-old can be very convincing at getting what she wants. Today if she yells and screams at me for food, wants food to numb me out, or even is a little sneaky telling me it doesn’t matter or that I’ve been so “good” today, how can your address her so that she gets her needs met and she continues to remain on her health journey?
  5. What is the worst thing that will happen if you feel your feelings and address your inner 2-year old?
  6. What’s the best that will happen if you feel you feel your feelings and address your inner 2-year-old?

Action Plan for Session 4:

NOVICE LEVEL – Answer the Week 4’s – the Inner Two-Year-Old worksheet and do the Evening Reflection at least 3 nights this week. You may continue with the 8 Weeks / 8 Pounds Down Writing Ritual worksheet if you feel like it, do some hybrid combination, or switch over completely to the Inner Two-Year-Old work. Decide based on which would help you more and what you feel capable of doing this week. 

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL- Do the novice level assignment from above 4-5 days a week. Choose on thought or action to work on that can break down your walls of resistance to achieving your goals.

 ADVANCED LEVEL – Do the assignment above 6-7 days this week. 

Session #5

The 60 Seconds Between You and
Your Goals

Session #5 Worksheet - 60 seconds

Choosing You in the Sea of Chaos

 

Welcome to Week #5. I’m so proud of you for being here and I want to encourage you not to give up on yourself or this process. 

Remember, your brain is will try and take you out of the game and tell you all sorts of nasty things about your inability to focus, commit, and get results.

Please know – checking out of this work at times when you are struggling to lose weight is part of this journey. It’s part of finding health in the sea of distractions.

Choosing you in the sea of chaos and finding mini tools that work for you in the craziness of life is the heart of this process.

Keep making the choice to work with yourself and let go of perfection!

As we head into the final weeks of the year and you have the holidays to contend with, your brain might start freaking out.

* It may be telling you that you need to DIET to REALLY see the results you want to see before seeing family members.

* It might be criticizing the way you look, me, and this process because it’s feeling anxious and out of control.

*It might be lying to you telling you stories that you’re broken, you can’t be fixed, and nothing will ever work.

*Your brain is going to want to quit on you – it’s going to tell you this is not working, and show you how you’re broken.

 
 

Reconnect to Your Health and Body Goals  

Take a moment and think about the health you are craving for yourself, whether it’s –
  • a specific weight you’d like to be at,
  • a specific size,
  • or maybe it’s just about making peace with yourself and your body…
Whatever your health goal is, I want you to just reconnect to it for a moment. 
 
Feel it.
 
Allow yourself to bask in the feeling of BEING this you – BEING this amazing and healthy and vibrant you that is absolutely available to you. Just allow yourself to FEEL into the yumminess of this version of yourself that has this. Feel into this goal and allow it to penetrate every cell of your body.
  
Notice how amazing it feels. To feel the joy, this accomplishment, the confidence and beauty that comes with crafting and being this future version of yourself.
 
You might have noticed how easy it was to sink into the yumminess of your health goal, or you notice how your mind tries to take you out of the game by throwing out little bits of information or thoughts like “I can’t”, “It’s so hard”, “I’m not sure.”

 

That’s just your mind doing what it does. It’s perfectly okay.

How did that change your relationship with turning to food this week?

Interestingly, the space of time that our mind wants to take us out of the game is usually about 60 seconds or less!

So for example, you want ice cream at night, you hear your mind say something like “something sweet sounds really good.” An image of that ice cream appears in your mind. Then you say, “well, I’m not even hungry so I know I should wait, but I really want it.”

Then an action of some sort takes place. Either you get ice cream, you wait, or you do something else.

That conversation in your mind takes roughly 60 seconds.

This quick inner dialogue is at the CORE of you becoming the future self that you desire or not. These 60 seconds between your inner 2-year-old wanting what she wants because it’s easy, fun, and immediate and your mind wanting the long-term goal of weight loss or another health goal are crucial.

This week we are going to practice getting in front of the 60-second conversation using a whole lot of fun ways that we can stop this one-minute conversation from taking us out.

Action Plan for Session 5:

NOVICE LEVEL – Answer the Week 5 – Your 60 Seconds worksheet and do the new Evening Reflection at least 3 nights this week. You may continue with the 8 Weeks / 8 Pounds Down Writing Ritual worksheet if you like it better, do some hybrid combination, or switch over completely to the new “Getting in front of your Two-year-old work” in the Week 5 worksheet above. Decide based on which would help you more and what you feel capable of doing this week.

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL- Do the novice level assignment from above 4-5 days a week. Choose one thought or action to work on that can break down your walls of resistance to achieving your goals.
 

ADVANCED LEVEL – Do the assignment above 6-7 days this week. Report into your accountability group or post on Facebook to let everyone know how you did. If you aren’t involved in either, tell a friend of your accomplishments.

Session #6

Coaching You

Action Plan for Session 6:

NOVICE LEVEL – Choose one main focus for this week that you are interested in working on at least 3 times this week and write it down. Check in with your accountability group or tell a friend.  You may also practice any of the tools used in a previous session to keep your progress going.

 

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL- Do the novice level assignment from above 4-5 days a week. Also, practice any of the tools above in the Extra Links to keep your progress going.

 

ADVANCED LEVEL – Do the assignment above 6-7 days this week. Report into your accountability group or post on Facebook to let everyone know how you did. If you aren’t involved in either, tell a friend of your accomplishments.

Session #7

Finding Calm in the Busy During the Holidays

Finding Your Calm

 

Take a moment to give your body and mind an opportunity to feel calm, in these often busy weeks.  Take a breath in through your nose and exhale out your mouth. Allow this calm to bubble up to the surface relaxing and calming your mind, your heart, your soul and your being. Beautiful.

Take this moment in to be calm and to be with yourself knowing that you always have your breath to calm and relax you. You always have your breath there to help your mind calm it’s thoughts, lessen any stress over these busy weeks for some of you, these emotional weeks for some of you, these special weeks for some of you.

Your breath is always available to calm and relax you and help you continue to live in a healthy body.

Notice how that felt.

 

These next weeks ahead might give you many opportunities to connect into your breath.  It also might give you some of biggest opportunities to use all the of the amazing tools that you have in your toolbox to get in front of overeating, feelings of discomfort – and triggers.

Know that you are so unbelievably powerful and PART OF THE PROCESS  of being in the body and having the health you want is facing these moments, these meals and these triggers.

 

I like to think that the holidays give you the perfect time to learn how to feel and how to be and move through uncomfortable urges, and to come out on the other side knowing that you learned, grew, got in front of some of these urges and didn’t with others and it’s all okay.

 

There might be times where you are offered food and it might seem like a the right time to forgo listening to your body, and I want to encourage you to continue to try and feel into hunger, to use your voice of saying “no thank you”  over the next weeks or “this looks amazing, when I’m hungry I’d love to have some.”

 

 

 

3 Things You Can Do If You are Having Holiday Urges and Triggers

 

If your urges and triggers get loud and big, There are three things you can do with these urges or desires to eat, you can  –

  1. Resist it
  2. Avoid it 
  3. Allow/Process it

 

The goal in the weight loss journey is to learn how to allow and process your emotions. During the holiday season you may  or may not have all that much time to process  things emotionally – but you CAN feel into HUNGER and SATISFACTION.

 

If you feel triggered,  know that all reactions to your triggers are calmed or exacerbated by thoughts.

 

If you are willing to quickly move through triggering thoughts, it only take roughly 60 seconds to move through them.

Resist your desire to avoid your feelings. 

 

You might even enjoy seeing your triggers as a fun challenge.  Inviting them in. “Bring it on, I’m willing to go through this emotion or learn to quickly resist it or avoid it.

You know that there aren’t any emotions that you can’t handle, right?

 

This week, for those of you who are tracking, lovingly see where you find big holes in your eating and relationship with food.

Action Plan for Session 7:

NOVICE LEVEL – At least 1x a day, practice the power of calming breath for 60 seconds. You may also want to continue with the Inner Two-Year-Old Evening Reflections or the 8 Weeks/ 8 Pounds Down Writing Ritual worksheet if you feel like it. Or do some hybrid combination. Decide based on which would help you more and what you feel capable of doing this week.

 

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL- Do the novice level assignment from above 4-5 days a week. Practice the Resist, Avoid, Allow/Process options for urges.

 

ADVANCED LEVEL – Do the assignment above 6-7 days this week. Report into your accountability group or post on Facebook to let everyone know how you did. If you aren’t involved in either, tell a friend of your accomplishments.

Session #8

Assessing Where You Are At

Session #8 Worksheet - End of Year Reflection

Reflection:

Can you believe it’s the last week of the year?

It’s also the last week of our 8/8 Challenge.

Today, let’s take time to notice the progress we have made, celebrate it, and find our next step in this ThinWithin Life.

Open up this Week 8 – End of Year Reflection document or simply look at the notes pasted below which are, for your convenience, the complete document.

Action Plan for Session 8:

NOVICE LEVEL – Answer the questions in the document for week 8- End of Year Reflection. Start to work on your new challenge in question #4. You may continue with the 8 Weeks/ 8 Pounds Down Writing Ritual worksheet if you feel like it, do some hybrid combination, or switch over completely to the Inner Two-Year-Old work. Decide based on which would help you more and what you feel capable of doing this week.

 

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL- Do the novice level assignment from above 4-5 days a week. Choose on thought or action to work on that can break down your walls of resistance to achieving your goals. Consider practicing checking in with your hunger when working, talking to someone on the phone, or during a conversation so you will handle your next holiday gathering more easily.

 

ADVANCED LEVEL – Do the assignment above 6-7 days this week. Report into your accountability group or post on Facebook to let everyone know how you did. If you aren’t involved in either, tell a friend of your accomplishments.

 

Extra Support Session:

Tapping with Kate

Tapping “Recipe” Worksheet – How to Continue at EFT at Home

November 2021 – Complete Zoom Recording

Topic:

December 2021 – Complete Zoom Recording

Topics:

 

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