's Motd Tues March 11, 2008

[Guest guest]

SUE

Tuesday, 11 March 2008

It seems Sue was born to love food. See, she was raised in the South and that meant most of the foods she ate growing up were either deep fried or smothered in gravy. And oh how she loved to be in the kitchen when her Mom was cooking up one of her favorite recipes. Often, Sue couldn't wait and would ask her mother, "Mommie, can I have a taste now?"Not surprisingly, Sue began really gaining weight at an early age. By the tender age of seven, she was already over 120 pounds. And when she went to school, her classmates often made fun of her. Although she hated it and hated what she weighed, Sue kept on eating.

In high school, Sue had a crush on one of the guys in her math class. She wanted to get to know him better in the worse way. So Sue decided to ask him out to join her for a burger sometime. When she asked him, the guy from her math class told her, point-blank..."I don't eat with fat chicks."And well of course, his words crushed her. Sue had never been hurt like this before. And although she hated what she weighed, Sue kept eating.

After graduating college, Sue went on her first big job interview. The lady who interviewed her seemed very nice but she ended the interview with this observation to Sue: "I don't think you're the right image for our company."Once again, Sue felt rejected. And although she hated what she weighed, Sue kept eating. And at every important crossroad of her life, no matter what it was, Sue would cope with her disappointment by overeating. And of course, each time she did, she'd end up gaining even more weight. So, are you like Sue? Have you been through some rough times in your own life and eaten your way through those rough times? If the answer is "yes," then you have to break that cycle. And I mean...really break it!Oh, I know, it's not an easy cycle to break. When we were younger, we'd watch our parents or grandparents do exactly what we're doing now. For instance, say your mother had a rough day at work. You could see in her eyes when she got home that she'd been crying. And the minute she got home, your Mom went into the living room, sat on the couch and opened a box of assorted chocolates. And after eating about four or five of them, it seems your mother's life was peaceful again.As you watched her, your own mind perceived her solution to her problem this way: Look how much better Mom feels after having something sweet to eat.I'm telling you that you need to look into your own past and figure out who taught you to overeat when the chips were down?

In the Project Me Passport I wrote many years ago to motivate people, one of the affirmations on the Passport reads like this: I realize food has no power and will never solve any of my problems, past present or future. I want you to write that quote down and look at it a few times everyday.At the beginning of January, I talked to Sue. She was at her heaviest weight but had written to tell me that she was ready to try again. And so far this year, she has already lost over 17 pounds and for the first time in years, Sue is out of the 300s!I don't want you to be like the old Sue. I want you to be like the new Sue. She has so much more hope now that she will be able to lose this weight. She has the confidence to know that, from now on, she'll be able to handle the stress in her life in a very different way!Love,