The Redesigned Mom » Jon Gabriel http://redesignedmom.com A Stay at Home Mom's Journey to Self Fulfillment Mon, 07 May 2012 17:17:53 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Transformations http://redesignedmom.com/2009/09/07/transformations/ http://redesignedmom.com/2009/09/07/transformations/#comments Mon, 07 Sep 2009 21:47:47 +0000 admin http://redesignedmom.com/?p=1094 I know that I have mentioned this maybe even several times in the past, but I just can’t get over how powerful it is when the same information comes at me from several unrelated sources.  This always confirms for me that I am on the right track.  Lately this phenomena is happening everywhere I look and so gives me confidence that although I sometimes feel like I am dangling from a hook, struggling to find solid ground as life zooms past me, everything is happening as it should and it helps me to trust myself and allow myself to be present to the changes happening in my life.

Funny, that word changes.  In the forum they teach us to differentiate between changes and transformations.  Change is something gradual that you must apply will power and constant attention to to make it happen.  Transformation is instant, more like an immediate shift that sends you in a new direction.  These are the more powerful mechanisms for making significant differences in our lives and I have seen this in several areas of my life and now finally with my health.

I first saw this in action when I quit smoking.  We had heard of this book (The Easy Way to Stop Smoking) that supposedly could help you quit smoking with little effort or withdrawals. Now, I had been a smoker for over 15 years and had quit and started countless times. My problem was that I liked smoking, no I loved smoking.   But, I hated being a smoker.   There is a very distinct difference there that I think most smokers can relate to.

So, we had heard stories of several people who had read this book and then simply stopped smoking forever. At this point what did I have to lose, so I gave it a try. Basically the book tells it like it is, separating you from your addiction and helping you to see how it is standing in the way and certainly not serving in any way at all. But the funny thing is that it is really more about the act of reading the book than even what the book says.   At the end they have this list of questions and if you can answer yes to any of them you need to start the book over.   It took reading the book twice to get through the list, but then I put down the cigarettes and haven’t had another since and it wasn’t even hard, like at all.    My best friend even looked at me the other night and said she can no longer even imagine me as a smoker.  Amazing.

Do you need to quit? Get the Book!

The point is that it was my first introduction to the instant transformation I am talking about. It wasn’t hard to quit like it had been the many other times I had tried. It was like something shifted and I just didn’t need it any more. Quite the transformation.

Back when I was depressed and having regular debilitating panic attacks my therapist would tell me to differentiate and identify the depression and anxiety as separate from myself. “That’s the depression talking”.   It was amazing how quickly I started to feel better once I started doing this. I kept telling myself that it was just anxiety and depression and that what it was saying was not true and that I could keep going even though I thought my heart would explode out of my chest and it eventually just disappeared.  In the moment that I realized that I wasn’t the awful person my depression told me I was, it just dissipated and I started feeling better and soon I was better.

At The Forum I learned to separate my stories from my actual experiences and found forgiveness and peace with my past.

Do you see a pattern here?

Well now it has reached my battle with my weight. I was noticing last week that my whole outlook was starting to change. But this didn’t happen slowly over time with a lot of will power.   Yes, I have been thinking a lot about it and have made some changes to my diet and have obviously been working on the emotional aspects, but I was feeling really frustrated that it didn’t seem how much I worked at it, I still wanted to the sweets and junk food and couldn’t keep myself from eating it.  And I still had no desire to work out at all.

I hit my peak of frustration as I scarfed down a brownie on the way to therapy last Monday.   Two bites and I was feeling nauseous, yet I still ate the whole damn thing.  What is going on?

So I was talking to my therapist about it and she taught me how to differentiate this as well.  There is was again.  She recommended stopping when I felt these cravings and looking at them from another angle, identifying the intensity of the craving by giving it a number 1-10.   Then if you decide the number is high enough and eat the craved food, then identify how much satisfaction you got from eating it by giving it a number 1-10.

During this therapy session, something just clicked and since then I have been following her advice,  which has unfortunately taken the joy out of several sweat treats I was really looking forward to, and yet again transformation has happened.  Not perfection or magical weight loss, but a totally different outlook that seemed like it came out of nowhere.

I have been almost jonesing for exercise and food has lost its power over me. I am even down to just one Diet Coke a day, a miracle in and of itself.

It is just a craving and separate from myself.   That craving has nothing to do with my body’s need for sustenance or nutrition or even something yummy to eat — it is emotional and completely separate.

I think this is part of the message the Jon Gabriel is trying to convey to us.   Just give your body what it needs and realize that you are emotionally separate from your need to eat and your body will start asking for what it needs and giving back what you want from it.

The real test will be how this plays out over the next couple of months.  Please let the weight loss finally come.   I create this possibility for myself and for all of you too.

Buy the Gabriel Method Book Now!

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]]> http://redesignedmom.com/2009/09/07/transformations/feed/ 2 The Gabriel Method – After Week 1 http://redesignedmom.com/2009/04/14/the-gabriel-method-after-week-1/ http://redesignedmom.com/2009/04/14/the-gabriel-method-after-week-1/#comments Tue, 14 Apr 2009 15:12:44 +0000 admin http://redesignedmom.com/?p=826 After just more than one week on the month one plan plus adding the recommended foods where appropriate, I am already seeing my cravings change.  Less Diet Coke, more water and the other day we took the kids to ice cream in the afternoon and I didn’t even feel like having something sweet.  I more wanted some cheese and bread, maybe some olives.  Now, I did have the ice cream and it’s not like cheese and bread is so great for you, but that change in craving is a big one for me.  I have always wanted something sweet.

Now, a few days later, I don’t really want to eat the breads at all.  Last night we had garlic shrimp and pasta and I couldn’t even bring myself to eat the very small amount of pasta I put on my plate and today I took the kids to lunch and nothing really sounded good and I ended up tearing most of the bread off my meal and eating out just the center.

Something is definitely going on here.  I am finding that I still crave the sweets and carbs, but that they aren’t very satisfying when I eat them.  I am still eating them though, because depriving the cravings is definitely not the point here.  I do end up leaving food on the table though because it just isn’t really doing much for me.

Jon Gabriel claims that as we add more nutrients and help our bodies digest better, that our cravings will change and that eventually we will stop craving the food that isn’t good for us.   Although it is early in this process (this is not a short term fix, but a new healthier lifestyle), my cravings are definitely changing.  I feel differently about food and am seeing the results.

Now, I have no idea whether I have gained or lost any weight.  Jon recommends not weighing yourself for the first six months for several reasons.  First of all, as you stop depriving your body of the food it is craving, it is quite possible you will gain a little weight early on.  Second, it is imperative that you come to love yourself in your current body and weighing yourself all the time just undermines that.  And lastly, weight tends to come off in spurts and so why worry yourself with plateaus.  This part is really hard for me, I am obsessive about weighing myself.

The approach is broken down into a four month plan.  New habits take 21 days to form so each set of new habits is added for 1 month before adding more.

In month one, I am starting the evening and morning visualizations, listening to the CD before I go to sleep, taking a probiotic with two glasses of water first thing before eating anything and changing the way I eat breakfast.  I am increasing the amount of and quality of food I eat for breakfast, adding in as many of the recommended foods as possible.

In addition to this, I take an  Acai supplement and a multivitamin in the afternoon.  I also need to add a multimineral to the afternoon supplements and will purchase these this weekend along with digestive enzymes and omega 3 supplements.

This is a lot more supplements than even I am used to taking and I was already taking several of these and have been known to add a few more in from time to time.  But, I am ok with taking pills.  It doesn’t bother me and I find it a really easy and consistent way to chug enough water throughout the day, which is something I am normally terrible at.

It’s all about adding in more nutritious food that our bodies can easily convert into what it needs to run smoothly and cutting out the reasons our body might want to be fat.  I am not denying myself anything at all, not even that doughnut if I want it.

For all the details, you really need to read the book, but a couple of the major adds for me have been flax seed, whey powder, sprouted wheat bread, raw nuts and more fruits and vegetables.  Although I never would have thought I would, I am really enjoying it all.  I am loving the sprouted grain bread.  My Trader Joe’s carries several varieties and it is oh so good.  I can’t say I am a big fan of protein powder, so I have been trying to use as many other sources of good protein as I can so I can minimize using it until I figure out how to use it properly.

For me, the biggest thing has been reducing the negative thinking.  I am a ruminater.  I just hash shit over in my head like nobody’s business.  This is something we have been working extensively on in therapy and something he said in his book clicked with me and I have made major ground with this in a very short period of time.

There are more than a few things I am still confused about, but I continue to learn and change and will continue to post as I figure things out.

Buy The Book Now!

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]]> http://redesignedmom.com/2009/04/14/the-gabriel-method-after-week-1/feed/ 1 The Gabriel Method http://redesignedmom.com/the-gabriel-method/ http://redesignedmom.com/the-gabriel-method/#comments Sat, 11 Apr 2009 22:54:59 +0000 admin http://redesignedmom.com/?page_id=809

Jon Gabriel used to weigh over 400 lbs and he spent years of his life dieting and regaining the weight, spending thousands with Dr. Atkins and continually forcing himself to lose weight only to gain it back and even more.  He took it on as his mission to figure out why his body wanted to be fat.

He attended Wharton school of Business, studying biochemistry while he was there.  He also studied at the VA hospital in Philadelphia.  He has researched and read hundreds of research reports, learning everything he could about biochemistry, neurobiology, psychology, nutrition, and much more.  He also studies meditation, neuro and psycho linguistics, field of consciousness research and even quantum physics.  Even more importantly he started studying  his own body.

What he found is quite remarkable and his own weight loss is just one example of it working.  He lost over 200 lbs in 2 1/2 years.

I am not usually one to write about something personally unproven, especially when it comes to diet and health, but I really want to document this process so I don’t forget everything I’m learning.

I am feeling really great and enjoying the new foods that I am trying.  I am generally in a better mood and sleeping really well.  This after only a week with just the smallest of diet changes.

This is a really new program so there isn’t a lot of information about it our there.  I am very curious about the process and the outcomes and hope that sharing my experiences will be helpful to others exploring this approach.

It also includes incorporating a lot of new foods that I was generally unfamiliar with, so creating and sharing recipes will be fun.

How I Found The Gabriel Method

Last modified on 2012-03-26 21:23:45 GMT. 2 comments. Top.

I have tried all the regular tricks (a.k. fad diets and cleanses) in my bag as well as three months of simply reducing and logging my calories and increasing my exercise level significantly. With all that I have still not lost one pound since the initial weight came off after Ian was born almost two years ago. I haven’t gained weight either, it just won’t budge. Every time I get on the scale, it is just the same thing over and over again.

Something is keeping my body just where it is no matter what I do, so I started doing some research on other ways of looking at the diet and weight loss issue.

I believe that when ideas or topics present themselves to you, especially from a couple of different directions, it means that I need to explore that topic more.

Acai Berry Supplements

Last modified on 2012-03-26 21:23:44 GMT. 3 comments. Top.

I have been taking an Acai supplement for about 6 months now and I will tout its benefits all over town, but let’s get one thing perfectly clear…

This is not a diet drug. If you believe that crap about losing 40 pounds by just taking a pill then you are an idiot, just like I was.

So, Why is Acai so great?

The Gabriel Method – After Week 1

Last modified on 2012-03-26 21:23:44 GMT. 1 comment. Top.

After just more than one week on the month one plan plus adding the recommended foods where appropriate, I am already seeing my cravings change. Less Diet Coke, more water and the other day we took the kids to ice cream in the afternoon and I didn’t even feel like having something sweet. I more wanted some cheese and bread, maybe some olives. Now, I did have the ice cream and it’s not like cheese and bread is so great for you, but that change in craving is a big one for me. I have always wanted something sweet.

Now, a few days later, I don’t really want to eat the breads at all. Last night we had garlic shrimp and pasta and I couldn’t even bring myself to eat the very small amount of pasta I put on my plate and today I took the kids to lunch and nothing really sounded good and I ended up tearing most of the bread off my meal and eating out just the center.

The Gabriel Method – Some Basic Nutrition

Last modified on 2012-03-26 21:23:44 GMT. 5 comments. Top.

One of the first things The Gabriel Method encourages is eating a large breakfast to get your day going. Like all other meals using this approach, breakfast should include a good source of protein, omega 3 and live foods. You should also take a digestive enzyme capsule before eating to help with digestion.

So, let’s break these down a little.

Wilted Salad – Gabriel Method Recipe

Last modified on 2012-03-26 21:23:44 GMT. 1 comment. Top.

I have been exploring new foods and ways of eating as part of the Gabriel Method.

This salad has become my favorite lunch. It is hearty and filling, dare I say comforting, and chock full of nutrition.

Gabriel Method – After Week 2

Last modified on 2012-03-26 21:23:44 GMT. 2 comments. Top.

I really really want to weigh myself. I can’t help it, the scale just calls to me. I have put it away, but just because it is put away doesn’t mean I can’t go and dig it out. It is only the thought that I may get on the scale and that same number will still be there that is keeping me from it.

Poached Eggs on Toast – Gabriel Method Breakfast

Last modified on 2012-03-26 21:23:43 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

When I was little my mom used to make me poached eggs when I had an upset stomach. It has become of form of comfort food for me.

The problem is that poaching eggs in water is messy and kinda smelly and a good portion of the egg white is lost to the spinning web of egg white strings (yuck). Yet, poached eggs are still my favorite way to eat eggs and when I started The Gabriel Method and knew I was going to need to eat more eggs, making poached eggs easy was a must.

The Gabriel Method – End of Month 1

Last modified on 2012-03-26 21:23:43 GMT. 6 comments. Top.

Let’s get real here. I feel weak. I doubt my ability to do this and I am self sabotaging like you would not believe. Yet one more thing that terrifies me. I am so tired of being afraid. I don’t even know what I am so damn scared of. I just walk around wallowing in my own fear.

Gabriel Method Forum

Last modified on 2012-03-26 21:23:21 GMT. 3 comments. Top.

So after that particularly negative and self loathing post about my progress, I went looking for a support forum.

A New Day

Last modified on 2012-03-26 21:23:21 GMT. 4 comments. Top.

It’s a funny thing about fear. Sometimes when you say it out loud and face it directly it recedes and sometimes even dissapears all together.

I would like to thank everyone for the unexpected and very much appreciated outpouring of support. Your words of encouragement made a really bad day a whole lot better and gave me the confidence to push past it. Thank-you.

I wish I could say my fear is gone forever, but alas that simply isn’t how it is in this case. But, by owning my weaknesses I have come to understand them a little better and can now move forward with my eyes open.

The Gabriel Method – Week 6

Last modified on 2012-03-26 21:23:20 GMT. 4 comments. Top.

After over a week of rededicating myself to The Gabriel Method, I am feeling better and better about it.

Dealing With Emotional Weight Issues

Last modified on 2012-03-26 21:23:20 GMT. 4 comments. Top.

After the events of the past week I have come to determine that my frustration over my lack of measurable progress (a.k.a. weight loss) really comes down to the fact that I am jumping the gun. As long as I have all this emotional baggage the weight will not come off, no matter what I do.

The Gabriel Method – I Love My Body

Last modified on 2012-03-26 21:23:20 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Every year (for the past 15) over the Memorial Day weekend, a large group of friends from college go camping (if you can really call it that) at Banks Lake in eastern Washington. This year we had the best weather ever, 80s and sunny and perfect every day. It has never been better.

The problem with this was that I knew it was coming. Karli is kinda weather obsessed so we were watching the weather starting like 2 weeks before hand. Now how could knowing we were going to have beautiful weather the whole weekend be bad? It meant I needed to buy a bathing suit.

The Gabriel Method – Divine Love

Last modified on 2012-03-26 21:23:20 GMT. 2 comments. Top.

Over this last week I have been noticing some subtle, yet important, changes in the way I feel. Because the emotional and self perception issues are so huge for me, I have vowed not to weigh myself or even measure myself until October. I am letting go of numbered results and concentrating on how I feel and healing myself.

The Gabriel Method – I Love Salad

Last modified on 2012-03-26 21:23:20 GMT. 1 comment. Top.

I love salad. I think one reason that this eating plan works so well for me is that I love salad. I eat at least one, if not two, large salads a day. I’m lucky that my husband loves salad too.

I have been experimenting with different toppings and styles of salad, but for most meals it is pretty much the same.

The Gabriel Method – End of Month 2

Last modified on 2012-03-26 21:23:20 GMT. 4 comments. Top.

I picked up my Gabriel Method book this morning to reread some of the nutritional stuff as I have been concentrating on my mental health and identifying and eradicating my emotional blockage. I was looking through the monthly plans and nutritional information and realized that I am already doing everything in month 3, just naturally without thinking about it. How cool is that?

Big Salad – Gabriel Method Recipe

Last modified on 2012-03-26 21:23:19 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

I think I mentioned in my I love Salad post that my husband and I have been really enjoying what we call the “Big Salad”. We have this for dinner once a week now and giggle about past Seinfeld episodes (did you catch the reference?).

I find it funny that without even trying to convince him, my husband is fully on board with whatever I put in front of him these days. This one is a big hit though, so I thought I would share.

Shrimp and Spinach Salad w/ Cider Vinaigrette – Recipe

Last modified on 2012-03-26 21:22:39 GMT. 2 comments. Top.

I have really been enjoying my new world of salads. Although most of the time I stick to the basics, I have found some really great more creative offerings as well. Nothing boring about this little number.

The Gabriel Method – The Strangest Things

Last modified on 2012-03-26 21:22:38 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

This process never ceases to amaze me. The weirdest stuff is happening to me. I squarely chalk this up to the fact that I must have had some serious stuff built up in my system as well as a significant amount of emotional blockage.

The Gabriel Method – July Results – Photos

Last modified on 2012-03-26 21:22:38 GMT. 6 comments. Top.

Well, nothing earth shattering here but I thought it might be time that I post some photos. This is really hard for me, putting myself out there for the world to look at, but what the hey — here we go.

My nuu-muu Fits!

Last modified on 2012-03-26 21:22:38 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

So, the story goes, it was laundry day and 106 degrees out and I needed something to throw on so I could wash my very limited supply of clothing appropriate for such a heat wave. I look up and there it is, hanging in my closet, just where it has been since the day it arrived. What the hey? and I put it on…

Transformations

Last modified on 2012-03-26 21:22:37 GMT. 2 comments. Top.

I know that I have mentioned this maybe even several times in the past, but I just can’t get over how powerful it is when the same information comes at me from several unrelated sources. This always confirms for me that I am on the right track. Lately this phenomena is happening everywhere I look and so gives me confidence that although I sometimes feel like I am dangling from a hook, struggling to find solid ground as life zooms past me, everything is happening as it should and it helps me to trust myself and allow myself to be present to the changes happening in my life.

Where The Hell Have Your Been?

Last modified on 2012-03-26 21:21:23 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

After several people have left very nice comments, but are also wondering what has happened to me and why I haven’t written anything in a while, I decided it is time for an update.

I Finally Made the Mental Shift

Last modified on 2012-03-26 21:21:23 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Extreme Fat Loss and The Diet Solution

Last modified on 2012-03-26 21:21:23 GMT. 2 comments. Top.

I believe that these two programs combined are a powerful match and will produce amazing results for me and you as well.

Here are both the Products for you to take a look at.

Extreme Fat Loss Diet

Joel is still offering $30 off during the pre-sale, but this will end in the next day or so.

The Diet Solution

This is an audio/video presentation so make sure you have your speakers on :)

Want More? Check out these stories too!

]]> http://redesignedmom.com/the-gabriel-method/feed/ 4 The Gabriel Method – New Article Series http://redesignedmom.com/2009/04/11/the-gabriel-method-new-article-series/ http://redesignedmom.com/2009/04/11/the-gabriel-method-new-article-series/#comments Sat, 11 Apr 2009 22:51:36 +0000 admin http://redesignedmom.com/?p=811

Access the whole Gabriel Method Series of articles

A little over a week ago I started The Gabriel Method.   This is a new approach to weight loss, with his book being released around the new year.  

Jon Gabriel used to weigh over 400 lbs and he spent years of his life dieting and regaining the weight, spending thousands with Dr. Atkins and continually forcing himself to lose weight only to gain it back and even more.  He took it on as his mission to figure out why his body wanted to be fat.  

He attended Wharton School of Business, studying biochemistry as well while he was there.  He also studied at the VA hospital in Philadelphia.  He has researched and read hundreds of research reports, learning everything he could about biochemistry, neurobiology, psychology, nutrition, and much more.  He also studies meditation, neuro and psycho linguistics, field of consciousness research and even quantum physics.  Even more importantly he started studying  his own body.

What he found is quite remarkable and his own weight loss is just one example of it working.  He lost over 200 lbs in 2 1/2 years.  

I am not usually one to write about something personally unproven, especially when it comes to diet and health, but I really want to document this process so I don’t forget everything I’m learning.  

I am feeling really great and enjoying the new foods that I am trying.  I am generally in a better mood and sleeping really well.  This after only a week with just the smallest of diet changes. 

This is a really new program so there isn’t a lot of information about it our there.  I am very curious about the process and the outcomes and hope that sharing my experiences will be helpful to others exploring this approach.

It also includes incorporating a lot of new foods that I was generally unfamiliar with, so creating and sharing recipes will be fun. 

All of the posts related to my experiences will be gathered under the Article Series tab at the top of the page.

Buy the Book Now!

Want More? Check out these stories too!

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