Hi, come on in.
I am thrilled you decided to invite me into your home every day.
Now since you can't come and visit with me daily, I have created a way that I can be
with you to motivate and educate you on this great journey.
Now I know you have the DLMEA life plan and I know it's sort of overwhelming right now,
but take a deep breath because you are going to be my next success story.
Well there's no better time than right now to start, so get ready, get set and go to
hell.
This is day one, numero uno, the first day of a brand new start.
Today you're going to make a commitment with yourself and today you're going to begin a
program that could be the beginning of a brand new you.
Now besides the life plan, there are a couple of basic things you need to get started that
are essential.
Now the first is a bathroom scale.
No, no, listen, a bathroom scale.
I can hear you groaning already, but believe it or not, the scale is going to be your friend,
not your enemy.
So get it out of the garage or out of the closet or if you don't have one, go out today
and get it because every week we're going to check your progress on the scale and use
it as a guide to help you reach your goal.
Now next you're going to need some measuring cups and some measuring spoons.
Yeah, yeah, you're going to love these.
Don't laugh now.
You've heard the old saying, you are what you eat.
Well that's true.
Now you're going to learn how to measure what goes inside you.
What I'm going to be teaching you is called portion control and you're never going to
know how to portion out your food if you can't visually see, well, what a tablespoon of oil
looks like or a half a cup of pasta looks like.
Now here's another item that you really have to have in your kitchen.
It is a food scale so you can weigh out things like meat and cheese or other foods that won't
fit into a cup or in a spoon.
I can't stress enough how important it is to keep the correct portions of food.
Now finally get yourself one of these.
It's a tape measure.
Look, as a kid I hated the tape measure.
I mean I knew I was fat.
Why measure it?
But today this tape measure takes on a different meaning because now I use it to check my progress.
You see sometimes you can lose inches even if you're not losing weight.
So get a tape measure.
It's a good way to keep track of just how you're doing.
Let's see, I think the scale, the cups, I think that's everything.
Wait, wait, I want you to get out your life plan, deal-the-meal instruction manual and
turn to page number five.
My contract with myself.
If you haven't filled this page out, let's do it now.
I want you to write your name in and your current weight.
I told you you would need that scale.
Now fill in how much weight you want to lose in the area that says I wish to lose weight
because I want you to write in I am worth it.
And you are.
You deserve health and you deserve happiness and that's exactly what you're going to get.
Now I have some homework for you to do.
I want you to read over this entire manual and I want you to listen to the audio cassette
so that you can set up your deal-the-meal wallet.
For most of you, the deal-the-meal wallet and the life plan is brand new and I want
you to be absolutely sure you understand how it works.
But from some of the letters I've received, I know some of you may have gotten your deal-the-meal
program a long time ago and you want to use these new day-by-day tapes to get yourself
motivated.
But for those of you who already have your deal-the-meal, I want you to go get it, get
it out of the basement, dust it off and please start using it.
Tomorrow we're going to take a look at all the cards and how the entire plan works.
But before I go, I just want to say that I am very proud of you.
I am proud you are starting this program and I am honored you were letting me help.
Do your homework.
It's day number two and it's time to take a close look at deal-the-meal.
Now, I really want you to understand how this works because it's the very core of my life
plan.
Now, no matter how much weight you have to lose, everybody has to start at 1,000 calories
for the first week.
Why 1,000 calories?
Because you should never go under 1,000 calories.
You would really be messing up your body and every doctor would agree with me.
So, now, get out your wallet and get out your cards and we're going to set up 1,000 calories.
Now, you have three meat cards.
These are the red cards and you put them in the wallet.
Then you're going to get one, two, three of the brown cards and that's bread cards.
That's rice and potatoes and stuff.
You can see everything's written on the card.
You put those in.
Then you have two dairy cards.
Those are the blue cards and you slip them in your wallet.
Then you get one, two, three of the vegetable cards and you put them in and this is what
it looks like.
That's the first column of your deal-the-meal wallet.
Okay, let's work on the next one.
You're going to get two pink cards.
Those are the fruit cards.
One, two.
Ah!
These, the yellow cards.
Aren't they pretty?
They're the little fat cards.
One, two, three and you put those in your wallet.
You're going to have a gray card, which is a joker and you're going to have a purple
card, which is the freebie card.
Ta-da!
This is what your wallet should look like for the first week for deal-the-meal.
Does it look like that?
Okay, now come over here because I want to show you something.
This is a lot of food.
I mean feast your eyes on how much you can have in one day.
This is what 1,000 calories of food looks like.
Okay, so let's get a start and let's begin with breakfast.
Suppose you want a bowl of cereal.
Well, a half a cup of cereal will cost you one bread card and you move that to the place
marked breakfast on the right side of your wallet.
And don't forget to move a dairy card for the nonfat milk you're going to use.
And if you'd like some thin sliced bananas on your cereal, well you can have a half a
banana sliced up, but you've got to move over the fruit card.
And finally, a cup of coffee, well that's going to be a freebie card.
So that's breakfast.
Isn't that a good breakfast?
Now how about soup and salad for lunch?
You can have a cup of chicken or vegetable broth with vegetables.
Now you need to pull your joker card for the broth and a vegetable card for the vegetables
that are in the soup.
A lettuce salad with sliced to sorted vegetables and two tablespoons of locale dressing will
cost you a fat card for the dressing.
You only need to count one vegetable card for the whole lunch.
Finally, two breadsticks equals one bread card.
Now this is a very good lunch to choose if you happen to be going out to dinner because
so far you haven't used your meat cards.
So for dinner now, you can have three ounces of baked herb chicken breast, skinned of course,
with one half cup of cooked rice, one half cup of cooked string beans, with two teaspoons
of diet margarine.
Now this would cost you three meat cards, one bread card, one vegetable card, and one
fat card.
And guess what?
You still have a fat card up your sleeve so you can have a freebie salad at dinner with
two tablespoons of locale dressing.
Now let's see what you have left over for snacks.
You've only used one fruit card so you can have another piece of fruit during the day.
And how about a cup of raw celery and carrots with one quarter cup of cottage cheese?
You can season it with some of the herbs on your freebie card.
That would use up your third vegetable card and also your other dairy card.
Now can you believe all this food?
Now that you're on Deal & Meal, your cards will help you keep track of what you eat,
how much you eat, and how often you eat.
You see, once your cards are used up, that's it for the day, well except for that freebie
card.
So you'll be learning how to plan your eating, spacing it out, well so you don't get hungry.
Well this is just like going to food school, isn't it?
Advanced food school, because this is way beyond learning the four food groups.
When you graduate from Deal & Meal, you'll be such an expert on portions, all this stuff
that you have to think about, well it'll just be automatic.
So I hope you know what, when, and how much you'll be eating today.
It's all in the cards, and if you follow them, success won't be too far behind.
It's day three and we're going to talk about sweat.
Now if you're going to lose weight and you're really serious about this commitment you've
made to change your lifestyle with Deal & Meal, there's one very important component you have
to add to this program, and that is exercise.
Why do you need to exercise?
I can't even begin to tell you how many times I'm asked that question.
When I go to the malls and I'm up there sweating my heart out, somebody always asks me, Richard,
why is it so important to exercise?
Well believe it or not, even with all the reports in magazines and on TV about the benefits
of exercise, most people simply do not exercise.
We think of exercise and the first thing we think about is pain.
Oh, what torture, what a grueling, agonizing experience.
Exercise must just be the worst, and believe me, nobody wants to hurt themselves if they
don't have to.
So we try to avoid exercise at all costs.
Now here are some classic excuses I've heard when people try to weasel out of exercise.
Go to an aerobic class, Richard, I'd rather go to the movies.
Take a walk after dinner, no way, can't walk on a full stomach.
Ride a bicycle, oh I can't do that, the seat hurts my buns too much.
If you're slowly sinking in your seat as I'm saying this, then I know you are one of those
people who dread exercise like the plague too.
Exercise is your partner, it really is.
It gets you going, well, it's sort of like this little wind-up musical toy.
You flip the switch and she starts dancing, and that's what exercise does for you.
It fills you with energy, it makes you have get up and go.
Now most of all, exercise, it's got to be fun, not painful.
You've heard the expression, no pain, no gain, well that's wrong.
Because if you're exercising to the point that your muscles are really hurting, then
you're doing more harm than good.
Painful muscles during exercise means that you are tearing down the tissue instead of
building it up.
Exercise goes hand in hand with your Deal and Meal weight loss program.
If you try to lose weight, and listen carefully, if you try to lose weight without exercising,
you won't be successful, and that weight will always come back.
You need to exercise to burn off the extra fat that's been stored in your body.
And you need to exercise to tighten up the loose skin that you'll have after you lose
some weight.
Now here's a list of some of the benefits to open up your ears.
Number one, exercise strengthens your heart and gets the blood flowing throughout your
arteries.
It's great for your circulation, just remember that.
Number two, exercises helps you to reduce your stress and tension in your life.
You know when you're really upset and somebody tells you to let off some steam?
Well exercise is the perfect way to get rid of tension and stress that might be building
up inside of you.
Number three, exercise, well it makes you look healthier, think about it.
With all that blood flowing freely through your body, your skin color and your texture
will look better than you ever imagined.
That's because exercise increases your circulation and the muscles and the tissues in your body
are getting the blood they need.
Number four, exercise is going to make you sleep better.
You know people who have little or no activity in their lives don't sleep real well.
So even though your body thinks it's tired, it's really not.
Exercise gives your body a run for its money by working all the major muscle groups.
The muscles will get tired and you will need to sleep to recharge your batteries.
Number five, finally exercise, you'll love this one, it can make you live longer.
Let's face it, if your heart is not strong, if your muscles and other parts of your body
are not getting the blood flow they need, then your life span is going to be shorter.
Your chances of heart disease and coronary artery disease will reduce with a regular
plan of exercise.
You know, I was 28 years old when I went to my first exercise class and believe me, for
someone who never exercised before in their life, it was a very intimidating experience.
That's why I want you to start slow.
If you've never exercised before, begin your program at home.
Get comfortable with them.
You know you've got that sweat into the oldies tape, why don't you just pop it in your VCR
and try some of the routines.
It's right there for you.
Build up slowly.
Don't try to get through the entire program if you're not used to exercising.
Set little exercise goals for yourselves and as you accomplish them, increase what you're
doing.
This is the best and only way to get started on a good exercise program.
Now ideally, you should be exercising three to four times per week for about 45 minutes
to an hour each time.
But remember, that is the ideal situation.
Start slow and work up to your goal and vary your exercise routines.
Sometimes you'll do the sweat into the oldies and the next time you'll take a nice walk.
But no matter what you do, I'm going to leave you with just one very important thought.
Wind yourself up.
Turn yourself on and just do it.
So far, we've talked about the importance of good nutrition and eating the right portions
of food.
And we've also talked about why exercise is an absolute must in your daily life.
Well now we have to talk about motivation.
How to stay motivated and how to stay on track.
For me, the number one priority in staying motivated is to have goals in mind that I
want to achieve.
And I do this through goal setting.
Having your goals written down in black and white makes them real.
Goal setting also makes you aware that you have a destination to reach.
Well it's almost like mapping out your route when you go on a long trip.
You want to get where you're going the quickest and best way possible.
And the map, well that's your guide.
Well the list of goals you put together will be your map for life.
And for the next 12 months, I'm going to be your navigator to help you find your way.
Let me ask you, have you set your goals yet?
Well if you haven't, I've already done it for you.
So let's go over the ones that I think are important.
Then you can add some personal goals of your own, okay?
Goal number one, I want to eat healthy and exercise every day.
That's a good one.
Knowing about good nutrition and which foods are low in fat and calories will help you
choose the right foods to eat.
Your deal and meal cards list all the foods each card represents.
If you follow your cards, and I pray that you do, then you'll know what you'll be eating
and you'll eat the right portions.
That's how you are going to lose weight.
Now when it comes to exercise, think about this, a regular exercise program three to
four times a week is what you need to stay in shape.
Now I know life can be busy and it's easy to say we don't have any time to exercise,
but you've got to make time for that exercise.
So instead of shuffling over to the TV after dinner, think about going for a walk.
Not a power walk, but a nice brisk walk that will be great for your muscle tone and cardiovascular
system.
Let's go on to number two.
Here it is.
I am going to be a positive person.
That's an important one.
Ever notice that when you think sad thoughts, you feel sad?
And when you think happy thoughts, well you feel like jumping for joy.
Well to be a positive person, you have to think happy thoughts.
So if you go through your day with a positive outlook, even the toughest situations won't
seem as tough anymore.
We're going to talk a lot about positive and negative thoughts throughout the tape.
And I'm going to teach you how to erase those negative words and thoughts out of your vocabulary
forever so that you can always be a very positive person.
Alright let's move on to goal number three.
I want to find more time for myself.
Well you're already doing that.
Right now five minutes a day can be the little pick me up you need to get you going for the
whole day.
Now I know your life can be busy, but if you want to be successful at anything, you have
to take a few minutes out of the day just for you.
Some days may be better than others and that's when you can take a few minutes to reflect
on what you've accomplished so far.
On the really down days, you need to take time to take a few deep breaths and gather
up your strength to get through the day.
Always remember to take care of you first, then you'll be able to take care of all the
other responsibilities more effectively.
One more goal and then it's your turn.
Goal number four.
I want to make the most out of every day of my life.
This is a very important lifetime goal to strive for.
That's because living each day to the fullest means that you haven't wasted one precious
minute of the short time God has given us.
It means that you recognize yourself as a worthwhile individual with lots of talents
to give to the world.
And it also means that in order to get the most out of every day, you have to take care
of Y-O-U.
And that goes back to goal number one.
I want to become a healthier person.
So there you have it.
Take a few minutes today to add some more goals to your list.
Then every day I want you to imagine your goals coming true.
You know what?
They will come true because this time you're going to make your dreams a reality.
Day number five and that's Word Day.
Every week I'm going to give you a new word to add to the new vocabulary that we're going
to build for you.
These are going to be positive words, words that will help you reach your goals.
By the time we are done, you'll be a pro at spotting positive and negative words and you'll
be able to catch yourself before you utter one negative syllable.
So for today, we're going to start with one of my most favorite words of all time and
that is the word fortitude.
I just adore that word.
There's something about it that implies power and strength.
And well, let me read you what it says here in Webster's Dictionary.
Fortitude, strength, firmness of mind in meeting danger or adversity, one of the cardinal virtues
not giving way under the strain.
Don't you just love that?
Fortitude of virtue.
The word fortitude comes from the Latin term fortitudo, meaning strong in Old English.
Fortitude came from the phrase hill fort, meaning a place that is strong and protected
from danger.
Well, I try to live every day of my life with fortitude.
That's what keeps me going.
Fortitude helps me to meet the toughest part of any day and get through it.
And fortitude is what can help you face your toughest challenges.
Let's talk about situations in your life where having fortitude can keep you strong.
All right, you've been on Deal a Meal for about five days now.
Things are going pretty well and you seem to be getting the hang of using the cards.
Now let's just say you were in a hurry today to get to work or you have some important
appointment to keep.
So you run out of the door and you leave your Deal a Meal wallet and cards sitting on the
counter and you don't realize you've left them home until lunchtime.
What are you going to do?
Well you could go back home and get them, but that may not be too practical.
Now you're faced with the choice of saying to yourself, oh forget it, I'm hungry so I'm
just going to eat whatever I want.
Well that would be real easy to do.
Or you can say to yourself, you know, this isn't the worst situation in the world.
I remember what I had for lunch yesterday when I had my cards, so let me try to eat
the same thing today and then I know I won't be too far off.
What you just did was call on your fortitude, your inner strength to help you get through
a potentially tough situation.
Let's look at another scenario.
Say you're at home today.
You have your cards in your wallet right there with you.
Things are quiet, maybe the kids are at school or you're not working today.
You're kind of looking around for something to do.
It's not really time to eat, but you keep seeing is that refrigerator.
What are you going to do?
Well I think you have two choices.
You can either give in and raid the refrigerator or you can put your coat on and go for a walk
or go outside and plant some flowers or start cleaning out your closet or whatever it may
be.
But you have to learn and look within and say to yourself, I can get through this because
I have fortitude.
I'm going to look adversity right in the eye and say, oh no, you're not going to do that.
That's not going to happen to me.
I'm as strong as those hill forts in old Europe, so don't give in.
Telling you all of this is one thing, but putting fortitude to work for you is really
another.
It's going to take some practice and there's lots of times when you may not be able to
do it, but fortitude is really a state of mind and changing your mindset can be difficult
at times.
You have to believe in yourself.
You have to not be afraid to try.
Even if you don't succeed, at least you gave it your best shot and chances are the next
time you're faced with a tough situation, you'll rise to the challenge and make it.
So that's why it takes fortitude to stick with your new eating plan.
These first days on Deal & Meal may be the hardest ones you face, but remember that your
cards and your wallet are always there for you.
Learn to trust them just as you would a dear friend and don't give up because once you
get through the first couple of weeks, your new way of eating will become very natural.
So let fortitude guide you through your days and for heaven's sakes, please don't run out
of the house without your Deal & Meal cards.
Well here we are, day six.
Picture this for a minute.
It's a cold winter day.
You're snowed in and you can't get to the store.
What do you have around the house to eat?
Well usually this is the perfect excuse to go and snack on the goodies you've saved for
company.
But remember, we're setting up your Deal & Meal kitchen, so we want you to keep some basic
foods in the house that will reduce your fat and your calories.
Now I believe there are some essential items you should always have in your home.
These are staples I have in my kitchen and if you stock up on these things, then you
can stay on your Deal & Meal program.
So let's take a look and see what I have.
Okay, now the first thing you need is non-fat milk.
That's right.
I had non-fat milk.
Well I know, I know, it's not the pure gorgeous cow's milk you grew up on.
It sort of has that blue tinge.
Now at first I had a hard time drinking non-fat milk, but I like drinking it from a cup that's
not clear.
That way you don't see it and that way you don't waste your fat cards because you don't
count your fat cards for non-fat milk.
And I'm not going to waste my fat cards on whole milk and you're not going to either.
So just remember, 2% milk, 1% milk, whole milk, they all still have fat in them.
Don't waste your fat cards.
Get non-fat milk.
It's that easy.
Now next, I always keep non-fat yogurt in my refrigerator.
It really does make a great snack.
You can kind of mix it with fresh fruit, which I love.
Non-fat yogurt doesn't cost you any of those precious fat cards either.
And yogurt is another great source of calcium too.
So be sure you have non-fat in your fridge like I do.
Okay next, I love whole wheat bread.
You must have that in your house.
Now nutritionally whole wheat bread is better for you and it tastes great too.
But here's a little trick.
Now your bread card allows you one slice of bread.
But I want you to search your market and I want you to find this thin sliced whole wheat
bread because it's lower in calories.
That way you'll get two slices of bread for the price of one bread card.
Now that's smart shopping, don't you think?
There's a whole line of bakery products on the market today like bagels and biolis that
are very low in calories.
So do some investigation and find these alternatives so that you can get the most out of every
single bread card.
Now let's see, what else do I do?
Oh, you know I love salads.
I always have lettuce and tomatoes and cucumbers since I like to put quick salads when I'm
going on the go.
I like having crisp salad fixing always handy.
Other things I like to have around the house are veggie snacks.
Oh, you're going to love this one.
I keep this in my refrigerator all the time.
I take a clear glass jar and fill it with ice cold water.
Then I put things in it like carrots, celery, radishes, bell pepper and cauliflower.
This is a refreshing snack because it's cold and crunchy and easy to prepare.
So I want you to stock up on that.
Now another item I keep around is potatoes.
There's something about a baked potato that I just love.
But I want you to be careful when you're shopping and look for things like low fat sour cream
or diet margarine to use on your potatoes.
The point is you can enjoy a potato just like I do, but I want you to stay away from all
of the high fat, high calorie sour cream and cheeses that are going to cost you a lot of
fat cards.
I also like to keep some fresh fruit in the fridge.
Mmm.
Fresh, beautiful fruit.
Now be careful of the fruit you choose though because some of them are high in their own
natural sugars which makes them high in calories.
Check out your fruit card to see the correct portions.
Apples, grapefruits and melons are great to have around and perfect for a snack.
Finally, I keep some popcorn in the cupboard.
Now remember a joker card is one cup of air pop popcorn and this is what one cup looks
like.
So you can have popcorn for a snack, just don't go overboard with it and don't for
goodness sakes put any butter on it.
Be sure to read the labels on the microwave popcorn.
There's lots of hidden fat and some calories and some brands with that extra butter.
You just don't want it because you have to pull so many fat cards.
Well there you are.
You have it all.
The essentials you need in your Deal & Meal kitchen.
Please spend some time in the grocery store.
Find the products that are lowest in fats and calories but offer a variety in your meal.
With the right foods it will be a snap for you to stay on your Deal & Meal.
Just imagine it.
It's snowing outside and there you are all snug inside with your Deal & Meal.
Today is day number seven.
We've all heard that the number seven is a lucky number.
There are seven wonders of the world.
All the oceans on earth are known as the seven seas.
The city of Rome was built on the seven hills of Rome and God rested on the seventh day
after he created the world.
Well for us seven is going to be a special number too.
That's because every seventh day I'm going to tell you a success story.
A story of inspiration and hope.
Now many of you ask me what keeps me motivated and well these stories help keep me going
and I hope they do the same for you.
Our first story is about Kathleen from Feasterville, Pennsylvania.
I was doing a fundraiser for a local hospital, you know, teaching one of my Sweat into the
Oldie classes.
Well there was 400 people in the room dancing their heart out and singing to the music and
having a good old time.
I noticed this one young lady in the crowd.
She had what I call happy eyes.
You know some people smile with their mouth, others smile with their eyes and Kathleen's
eyes were just a-chuckling.
I had never seen her before but I knew there was something very special about her.
After class she came over and introduced herself to me.
Kathleen gave me a big hug and handed me a letter and then disappeared in the crowd.
A few hours later I was on the plane heading home and I opened that letter.
She wrote, all of my life I was overweight Richard.
My school years were pretty rough.
Some of the kids were downright mean.
Just about all of them were skinny and didn't understand how I felt being fat.
High school was a lonely time for me.
I never went to a prom, never danced in public and never fit into the pretty clothes everyone
else got to wear.
She continues, now for the good news.
With your help I have lost 50 pounds.
I love myself now.
I go out with my friends.
I dance at clubs.
I even fit into a size 9.
When I look at myself now, I smile.
Without you and your program I would have ridden the diet roller coaster for the rest
of my life.
Well, I was so touched by Kathleen's letter that I tried calling her for a few weeks and
she was never home.
Only one evening I dialed her number and she answered.
We had a terrific chat.
Her voice had that same smile I had seen in her eyes the day I met her.
Now while we were talking she shared with me a recent highlight in her life.
Kathleen had just attended her five year high school reunion.
She walked in wearing a beautiful black and white polka dot party dress that showed off
her brand new figure.
At first no one recognized her.
She wasn't the same Kathleen they all went to school with.
Everyone in that room came over to congratulate her.
Those that had once been mean to her were now complimenting Kathleen on how great she
looked.
She made up for missing her prom because she danced all night.
She had the time of her life just like Cinderella at the princess ball.
I asked Kathleen what goals were next on her list.
At 23 she is a grad student getting her master's degree in composition and creative writing.
She plans to teach college.
Kathleen is also writing a series of books to help teenagers have a positive self image.
I also asked if she could tell you something what would it be and here is her reply.
Keep thinking about the new you.
Keep thinking how important you are.
Learn to respect yourself.
I didn't lose my weight for the kids back in high school.
I lost it for me.
It was my time to do it.
Well just like Kathleen it's your time to do it too.
There's no time like right now to make the commitment to yourself to lose that weight
for yourself.
And with encouragement and support I know you can do it.
I know you can do it because there are thousands of people out there who have done it.
And even though Kathleen doesn't know you and you don't know Kathleen she is rooting
for you because she's been there herself and knows what it takes.
Thank you Kathleen for letting me share your story and thank you for giving us the inspiration
we all need to succeed.
Marcy in West Bloomfield Michigan has lost 10 pounds and Brian from Redwood City California
has lost 30 pounds.
His wife Dana has lost 15 pounds and their son Michael has lost 5 pounds.
A whole deal a meal family.
Isn't that terrific?
Now the reason I'm reading these to you today is because well today is weigh in day and
once a week we're going to have this day.
Now most people I know well to tell you the truth most people I know weigh themselves
2 or 3 times a day.
But I don't want you to get caught in that because that's really crazy and we'll talk
about that at some later date.
But I think that maybe you should weigh in once a week.
Now some people like to weigh in once a week.
It usually goes along with something they've been doing for a long time.
They've seen their grandmother weigh in once a week.
They've seen their mother weigh in once a week.
So we're going to weigh in once a week.
Now if that freaks you out then weigh in every 2 weeks or every month.
But make a commitment that whenever you're going to weigh yourself that's the day you're
going to do it.
So this is our weigh in day.
If you haven't weighed in I want you to weigh yourself today and work it down.
Now today we're going to reset your wallet.
So many things to do in just one day.
My gosh.
You've been on Deal and Meal a whole week.
So today is the day you're going to add some more cards.
So far you've been on 1,000 calories a day.
But today you need to increase your caloric intake and hold it until you reach your goal.
Now look on page 12 of your life plan instruction manual.
Come on get it out.
Now let's say that you're a woman with 25 pounds to lose.
You should move up to 1,200 calories a day.
For a man with 25 pounds to lose the level moves up to 1,400 calories a day.
And see if you have more than 40 pounds to lose then if you're a woman you get 1,400
calories a day.
And if you're a man you get 1,600 calories.
Now you're probably thinking but wait a minute I haven't been hungry with 1,000 calories
and I've lost weight.
Why do I want to spoil it by adding more food?
This is the whole point right here.
This is a plan for the rest of your life.
This is not a quack diet where you lose it quick and gain it back faster.
You're done with all that.
The reason this works and that the results are lasting is that it's steady and sure.
So make a point of using up all your cards.
These cards have an expiration date every day.
You can't save some to use tomorrow and you will gain nothing by not using them at all.
You are trying to train your body to get used to the same caloric level each day so it won't
store the excess fat.
If you don't use up your cards your body will think it's being deprived so it will store
the energy instead of burning it and you'll get stuck and not lose the weight.
Does this make sense to you?
It is so important that you realize that you will get thin by eating, not by starving.
Just think back to all those starvation diets you've been on before.
They slowed your metabolism right down and we don't want that to happen again.
We want you to learn to eat the right way this time and when you combine good eating
with exercise you have a winning formula.
By now you're probably familiar with all the choices you get on each card but please don't
forget that freebie card especially on those crazy days when suddenly for no reason you
feel as if you could eat a french fried Shetland pony.
Get that purple freebie card out pronto and look, look it does have horse, well it has
horse radish.
Now look cucumbers are also on the freebie card and they make a great snack.
Now let's take a closer look at your joker card.
We put foods on it that really don't fit in any other category like diet jello, one cup
of that makes a good dessert and look you can have an ounce of fat free cheese.
Make sure it really is non-fat and not just low fat.
How about a dill pickle or a rice cake?
Now rice cakes are interesting but let me show you a little trick.
If you pop them in the toaster before you eat them they go from interesting to delicious.
Your joker card is kind of fun, each item is around 30 to 35 calories so now you have
more food possibilities than before but if you play your cards right and keep exercising
you'll keep on losing weight and feeling better all the time and that's exactly what we want.
I gotta go, it's time for the rice cake.
I have eaten in restaurants all my life.
My parents took me out all the time.
I love eating in restaurants.
Well you don't have to do dishes, people wait on you, the food is brought to you, it's so
easy.
You know it's great flipping through the menus and you have to ask things like what are you
gonna have?
What are you gonna have?
And you always order something that someone else isn't getting because you're going to
be able to taste the other person's stuff.
I think that's what's so great about eating out but eating out is very dangerous.
It's dangerous because you're not there portioning your food out, you're not there with your
measuring cups and spoons.
Well it's like celebration time.
Now some people on Deal a Meal pull back from eating out but sometimes you have to eat out.
So here are some simple rules that we want to discuss with you today.
Remember if you eat out you still have to pull your cards.
Deal a Meal is not just for food in your home.
Dinner is dinner whether you're in your own dining room or whether you're at Gino's Pizzeria.
The toughest ones for me and maybe the toughest ones for you are buffets.
Eating where there's a table of free food.
I mean it's so difficult actually to make a decision because well I used to go to cafeterias
and it started out with the desserts and it just went on and on like a free for all.
If you're going out to a restaurant know the cards you're going to have ahead of time.
If you're going out for a special meal pull your cards in the morning for that special
dinner so that you know exactly what cards you can have for that particular meal.
If you're going to eat out you've got to plan it.
All this is very important.
Now please don't waste your cards on appetizers.
They're all fried.
Go for the salads first and ask for the dressing on the side.
Now you may be the kind of person who brings their own dressing.
Don't feel uncomfortable about that.
Don't be intimidated.
Ask questions.
There is a kitchen back there just like you have a kitchen.
If there's something you want you can ask for it.
If you just want a salad with vinegar or dressing on the side ask for that.
Don't be intimidated by all those fancy salads and stuff.
Now look at the entree.
Choose carefully.
Think of what you had for other meals so that you can see what you have left for this meal.
Now people go into a coma when they sit down at the table.
They start passing the bread.
Now a piece of bread is a bread card.
Whether you eat it in your home or you eat it in a restaurant.
You may think it's free.
A lot of people who go out to eat if they're not picking up the check they say hey you're
paying the tab.
I don't have to pull my cards.
Are you nuts?
This food is in your tummy.
So even if you're not paying with your credit card you still have to pay with your deal
meal cards.
They are your lifeline in situations like this.
If there is something that is not on the menu and you know that a piece of grilled chicken
is three meat cards and you don't see it there's a grill back there.
So ask for it the way you want it and if it comes out wrong let the waiter know.
I mean if you went and bought a shirt and you got it home and it had a rip in it well
you would take it back.
You wouldn't just sit there and say I just spent $40 for a shirt let me mend it.
You would go back to the store and say excuse me there's a rip in my shirt.
It's the same with eating out.
If there's something that comes to you and it's got gravy on it or you ask for sauce
on the side or you have to ask questions like does this have any oil in it?
Don't be afraid to ask these questions.
You're paying for it and you should be getting what you paid for.
Now there are some restaurants and we're going to talk about them as the days pass by that
are a little more difficult than others to break down the food like Mexican or Chinese.
But that's another day.
So if you have to go out just remember these rules.
Planning and moderation are the key.
Always, always give yourself plenty of time to figure out what you can have.
Don't let anyone rush you.
Making the right choice is the most important part.
Don't feel punished.
And remember every taste counts.
Watch out for eating off of other people's plates because there's an old rule that goes
if you're tasting something it doesn't count.
It does count.
Remember a second on the lips, a lifetime on the hips.
Number five, remember portion control and ask for a doggy bag.
For desserts there's always fresh fruit.
If you want a bite of someone else's dessert that's going to be a joker card about 30 to
35 calories.
Number seven, make sure you enjoy yourself.
Oh, waiter.
Could you just come here for a minute?
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the...
Oh, hi.
You know way back in grade school when we learned the Pledge of Allegiance we had to
be sure that our right hand was over our heart.
Well let's talk a little bit about our heart today.
When we think about our heart a lot of people think it looks like this.
This is a Valentine's heart but this is not your heart because your heart looks like this.
Now this is the most important muscle in your body because without a heart well you'd be
just like the Tin Man and the Wizard of Oz.
So you need a heart and you need a healthy heart.
A lot of people don't know much about their heart.
You should know where your heart is.
Well it's right here and this is the actual size of the heart.
This is how big it is.
People say, oh you have such a big heart but this is really the size of the heart.
Now do you know what your heart does?
Well let me show you.
Your heart pumps blood to the other muscles and organs of your body that need the blood.
Now the blood travels through your arteries to get to the other areas of the body and
because your heart is a muscle well it needs blood too.
Blood gets to your heart through something called the coronary arteries.
These arteries are very important because if they become blocked with fat and cholesterol
your heart muscle won't get the blood it needs.
Then the heart muscle will die and this is when you have a heart attack.
Now what upsets the heart?
Well the first thing is fat.
Let me show you what I mean.
If too much fat builds up in your artery then the blood can't get through and it clogs up.
Think of all this thick stuff caked around your heart and in your arteries.
Pretty gross huh?
What else upsets the heart?
Well there's smoking and too much stress in your life and high blood pressure.
All these things can cause damage to those important blood vessels we talked about.
So why do we have to take care of our heart?
Well heart disease is the number one cause of death at an early age in America today
and I think we should get every year of life that God wants us to have.
That's why I want you to learn how to keep your heart healthy.
So if you don't want your heart to go all aflutter here's what you should do to keep
it beating all day long.
Exercise.
I tell you this over and over again in these tapes.
Exercise is the most important way to keep your arteries from clogging up and keep the
blood flowing.
It makes your heart stronger and healthier and reduces your chance of heart disease.
Now don't smoke.
This is tough.
Smoking is a nasty habit.
The smoke gets in your clothes, in your hair, it makes your eyes water and worse of all
it causes damage to your heart.
If you smoke go to a doctor and get on a program to quit.
Have you had your blood pressure checked on a regular basis?
Some people have high blood pressure because they're overweight.
For others it is a hereditary problem.
Whatever the case is for you make sure you get a check on your blood pressure.
If you have high blood pressure and it's untreated your chance for a stroke or heart attack can
increase.
Now reduce the fat and cholesterol in the foods that you eat.
Later on we're going to talk about which foods are high in fat and the substitutes you can
use.
We're also going to learn about cholesterol.
Cool Amul teaches you to make choices of food that are low in fat and cholesterol and that
are healthy for your heart.
If you follow these rules you're sure to keep your heart on a healthy track.
You know you can always mend a broken heart but if this one breaks there isn't a band-aid
in the world that can fix it.
So be a sweetheart and take care of the only one you've got.
Hi, it's day 11 and today we're going to talk about the fork.
Now I don't know about you but long before I held a pencil I held a fork.
Now where does this fork come from?
Well I tried to look it up because let's face it back in the medieval days people just ate
with their hands.
There were no forks.
It wasn't until young Catherine de' Medici brought the fork to the royal courts of Europe
that people started to eat with the fork.
The fork went from a little teeny thing with two prongs then up to four prongs and this
is the utensil we see today.
You know it's funny that we're talking about forks today because Susan from Marietta, Georgia
sent me this little fork.
Kind of cute isn't it?
This is actually called a diet fork and there aren't too many of these around.
Now I don't actually want you to run out and do this to your fork.
You may hurt yourself.
But I do want you to learn to think before you pick up your fork.
You have to be in the right frame of mind for eating.
Every time you eat you have in front of you your plate of food, usually a napkin, you
have a knife, a fork and a spoon.
This is how you eat.
I mean this is how you were taught to eat.
Now before you pick up the fork I want to teach you how to put yourself in a mood for
eating.
I want you, and you may think this is corny, but this works for me.
I want you to count from one to ten before you pick up the fork.
I want you to get settled in your seat, get comfortable.
I want you to look down at your plate.
I want you to see the food you're going to eat.
Think about the deal meal cards that you've counted out for this meal.
Look at the food groups you'll be eating in this meal.
Think.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
Then I want you to pick up your fork.
Now put food on the fork that is actually going to fit in your mouth.
I see people eating out and they are shoving food into their mouth and it's like we've
gone back to the middle ages.
Cut the food so that it fits onto your fork and once you place the food on the fork, stick
it in your mouth, then take the fork and put it down on your plate and enjoy the food that's
in your mouth.
This is not the time you should be reaching over other people's plates or piling more
food on your fork.
This is the time you should be chewing the food and putting the fork down.
Now I chew my food twenty-five times before I swallow.
Now you may find this funny or hard to believe, but it takes approximately twenty-five chews
for the food to be the right size to go down your throat.
Haven't you ever gulped something down and you feel like you have a big lump in the bottom
of your stomach?
Learn to chew your food into pieces that are easy to swallow.
While you are eating, don't race to stuff the next fork full in.
Enjoy the food in your mouth.
Savor the flavors.
When you're finished with what's on your plate, put your fork down and let it stay down.
Remember that we're learning portion control.
There's an old saying that goes, we eat to live, not live to eat.
Don't race through your meals.
Make meal time an enjoyable time where you can relax and really taste the foods you were
eating.
Set aside enough time to sit down and eat without rushing.
It doesn't have to be an hour if you don't have it, but leave enough time to chew your
food slowly, swallow slowly, and relax.
Let your fork work with you, not against you.
It is a simple tool, just like your deal meal, to help you live a healthier life.
So today we've learned that the fork does not control you, you control the fork.
You know when to pick it up.
You've learned when to put it down.
And when you eat your next meal today, remember you have the power to control that fork and
make it a positive thing in your life.
Hi it's me again.
It's day 12 and it's another word day.
Today we're going to talk about a word that will make you stand tall.
Today's word is confidence.
What is confidence?
Well first of all, it's a belief in yourself.
It's a determination, a kind of nerve that you can do whatever it is you want to accomplish.
If you don't have confidence, building it, well that's not very easy.
Sometimes things from our past affect the way we see ourselves and make it difficult
to have confidence.
Do you compare yourself to others?
When I was a kid I was always compared to my brother.
When he brought home A's and I didn't, my confidence level sunk right to the ground.
A lot of times if you grew up being compared to your brother or sisters as a child, you
compare yourself to others as an adult.
If you are comparing yourself to others now, I want you to stop.
No one else has the special qualities and talents that you do.
So trying to compare yourself to someone else, well it's like trying to compare an apple
to an orange.
These two pieces of fruit don't look alike.
They're not the same size or color.
They don't even taste the same.
So there's no comparison.
Think of yourself in the same way.
Each of us is a different person.
We have different color hair and eyes.
We don't walk or talk in the same manner.
So you can't really try to compare yourself with someone else.
Now ask yourself this question.
What is my confidence level?
Is it high, medium or low?
If it's anything other than high, we have some confidence building to do.
Okay, I want you to get a mirror, like this one.
Take a look at yourself, a good long look at yourself and say, I am a terrific person.
I have goals in my life.
I have positive things I want to do for myself and I can accomplish anything I set out to
do because I believe in me.
Say I believe in myself in this mirror a couple of times and make sure you really mean it
when you say it because you have to believe in yourself if you want to accomplish your
goals.
Now don't worry what other people think.
Don't worry about living up to someone else's expectation.
The only person you have to be concerned about is you.
Believe in yourself and believe that you have it in you to take control of your life and
accomplish what you set out to do.
The only way you will fail is if you don't even try.
Now before I go today, I want to read an excerpt from this clever little poem that really tells
a story about confidence in yourself.
It's by Edgar A. Guest and I think you will like it.
Somebody said that it couldn't be done but he with a chuckle replied that maybe it couldn't
but he would be one who wouldn't say no till he tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin on his face if he worried he'd hit it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing that couldn't be done and he did it.
There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done.
There are thousands to prophesize failure.
There are thousands to point out to you one by one the dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle right in with a bit of a grin then take off your coat and go to it.
Just start in to sing as you tackle the thing that cannot be done and you'll do it.
So approach your day today with confidence.
Have confidence that you will get through this 12th day of Deal-A-Meal.
This is the toughest part but you are another day closer to reaching your goal.
Remember to be a believer means that you will be an achiever.
As long as you have faith in yourself I promise you, you will succeed.
Somebody said that it couldn't be done but he with a chuckle replied that maybe it couldn't
but he would be one who wouldn't say no till he tried.
Well today we're going to talk about fat.
F-A-T.
You get fat eating fat.
You may think that it's your grandmother's fault.
That it's part of your family tree but you know for all the years I've been doing this
I have seen that fat people get fat because they eat fat.
If you just had carrots and celery you wouldn't be fat.
I got fat because I ate fat.
You got fat because you ate fat.
I want to go over today some of the fats that we have let ourselves eat a lot of for a very
long time.
Okay, let's get out our Deal-A-Meal card especially the fat card.
Now these are the major fats in the American diet today.
Your obvious fats are butter, margarine, mayonnaise, sour cream, cream cheese, salad dressing and
oil.
Now let me show you oil.
This is a teaspoon of oil.
This is around 45 calories.
Oil is one of the big dangers.
You fry things in oil so we get all those fried foods.
A doughnut is fried bread.
They are deep fried in huge vats of oil.
A french fry potato has 80 times more oil than a baked potato.
An eggplant parmesan, well that just sucks up oil like a sponge.
So oil is dangerous.
You must measure it just like you must measure all the fats because these calories count
like no other.
Six nuts.
Now when was the last time you ate six nuts?
This is one fat card.
If you were to mush up these nuts it would look like oil because that's what nuts are.
They are the first stage of oil.
Where do you think you get olive oil from?
By mushing up olives of course.
So look out for fats in its solid form like nuts.
Do you love bacon?
I love bacon.
What is bacon?
Bacon is fried pork.
It is sliced thin and if you look at it right here, see the red stuff?
Well that's the meat.
And do you see all that white stuff?
That's the fat.
Which is why bacon is on the fat card and not on the meat card.
And when is the last time you ate one slice of bacon?
You've got to be careful with the bacon.
When you eat one piece of bacon you have to move over one fat card.
I bet you've noticed on this card the liquor.
Liquor wine and beer is on this card and you're saying to yourself, well I never knew that
wine or liquor was fat.
Well it isn't really but the body thinks it is.
When you drink liquor the body uses it like a fat which is why we put it on the fat card.
Now let me show you.
This is three quarters of an ounce of scotch.
Notice it's not a lot.
So if you're having a big drink you can use up lots of fat cards for five days.
Maybe you didn't know this or you've been too drunk to read your fat cards properly.
Well sober up and read it.
The body takes in liquor and thinks it's a fat and that's how it uses it.
There's no way to make a change.
It's mine.
Look, just one can of light beer can use up three fat cards.
Here is a salad.
You have one tablespoon of dressing.
That's a fat card.
When was the last time you used one tablespoon of thousand island ranch?
This is your salad and this is your dressing on the salad.
One tablespoon hardly covers the top of the salad.
But here in the 90s we've never had it so good because now there's lots of products
you can use that have no fats.
There are nonfat salad dressings.
Go for them.
Try them out or make your own.
Now I mix a little balsamic vinegar with some salsa and it's great on salads.
You now have nonfat mayonnaise.
Get it and use it.
Cutting down on fats has never been easier.
So there are no more excuses.
Use those nonfat products when you can.
But when you're using fat, remember portions.
Give your fat cards careful attention.
Your weight loss depends on it.
Six nuts!
Day 14, you know what that means, it's story day.
And do I have a wonderful story to tell you?
It's about a lady named Gail and she's from Westminster, Maryland.
Gail is one of the busiest ladies I'd ever met.
She also has had a life filled with many challenges.
And let me read to you how she met some of those challenges.
I am a wife and mom.
My boys are 11 and 13.
I teach three-year-olds on Tuesday and Wednesday, four-year-olds on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
On Wednesday nights, I teach adult GED English for the Carroll County Board of Education.
I have an AA degree from Essex Community College, a BS from Townsend State University, and a
Masters from Johns Hopkins University.
Did I tell you this lady was smart and busy or what?
The only thing she wasn't too smart about was her weight.
Gail never lost the extra pounds she put on with her two pregnancies.
And she continued to gain and blame it on her hectic schedule.
Sounds familiar?
Gail got so depressed about it all that she put away her scale so she didn't have to see
how much she had gained over the last few years.
She felt so strongly about refusing to weigh in that for two years, Gail wouldn't go to
see her doctor for a complete physical.
She knew he would insist that she get on the scale.
Within a short period of time, Gail got some very upsetting news.
She found out that both of her sons would need surgery.
John, her 11-year-old, had to have an ear operation.
And Vino, her 13-year-old, had a damaged aorta that had to be repaired.
Well, Gail was devastated.
She was so worried about her sons.
She knew the months ahead would be very stressful.
Could she handle it?
Did she have the strength?
Gail thought about her own health for a moment.
She made a decision to deal with her weight so she could deal with her boy's situation.
She wrote, Richard, I felt so unhappy.
My body was tired of carrying around all that extra weight.
I felt like an old lady.
I started your life plan on January 13th, a Monday, of course.
I had a lot going on in my life, but I was determined to do this.
I have lost a total of 86 pounds.
I'll be at goal in 15 pounds.
I follow your food program and walk every single day.
I also keep a journal of what I'm going to eat each day, as well as writing down my weight
each week in shorthand so no one else can read it.
Your program makes me feel safe and secure.
It's like a safety net to someone whose eating is normally out of control.
By believing in myself and taking control of my weight problem, I am strong enough to
handle anything.
Both my boys are doing fine and are very proud of their healthy mom.
Well, I am very proud of you too, Gail.
You were given some tough paths to climb in your life, but you came through like the winner
you are.
Your boys are lucky to have a mom like you.
Are you looking for a safety net, just like Gail?
Do you need something to catch you on the days when you just can't hold on?
Well, I want you to make deal-and-meal your safety net.
Take hold of your wallet and cards and never let go.
These are the things that will see you through the rough times, just like Gail.
Don't use food to hide from your situations, please.
Believe in yourself and take control of your life.
Once you do that, you'll be able to face anything.
You know, people like Gail are a source of inspiration for all of us.
Her strength and courage can teach us that nothing is impossible, even though things
were rough for her.
Even though she was faced with serious problems in her family, she realized that if she let
her health go, she could never be there when her sons really needed her.
So draw strength from Gail and listen to the lessons she has taught us today.
Look within yourself to find the determination and willpower to accomplish your goals.
Gail did it.
You can do it too.
Hi!
It's way in time again, yay!
I want to congratulate Patricia from New Britain, Connecticut, who weighed in and has lost 24
pounds.
And I want to congratulate Janet from San Diego, California.
Well, she's lost 50 pounds.
And Mary from Little Canada, Minnesota has weighed in with a weight loss of 10 pounds.
Did you weigh in?
Now don't forget, it's important to keep track.
Patricia, Janet, and Mary are making progress because they've learned to make time for themselves.
You know, there is one thing in this world that we all have.
Whether we're tall or short, fat or thin, we all have the same amount of time allotted
to us every day.
I wonder who decided that.
Was it Columbus or that Mr. Timex fellow?
Well, whoever it was, they decided to give everyone an equal share.
Well, then how is it then that so many of us say we haven't got enough time when we
have exactly the same amount as everyone else?
And the thing about time is, well, you can't save it.
Not even with all your labor-saving appliances can you get more than 24 hours in a day.
That's it.
Or extensions, so you have to use up every 24 hours as it comes around.
You can't put those hours in the bank and say, oh, use that time later when I have more
time.
Time doesn't work like that.
It's like mercury.
It just slips through your fingers.
Did you ever break down your day by the hour and see what you're doing with it?
Well, let me show you this piece of paper.
I took this paper and I've numbered it from 1 to 24.
Now, I have someone working on my staff and her name is Helen.
Hi, Helen.
Helen said I could break down her day for you, so here it is.
At 1 o'clock in the morning, Helen is sleeping.
She is married with two children and has two beautiful dogs.
She gets up at 6 o'clock and she gets her kids ready for school, makes their lunches
and gives them breakfast.
Now, when her husband leaves for work, Helen sits down and eats her breakfast in peace,
then quickly loads the dishwasher and dashes to the door for work.
Now, Helen works from 9 to 5.
At lunchtime, she often brown bags it so she has extra time to run a few errands.
Now, lunchtime is also when Helen plans her time.
She plans her meals and she makes her grocery list.
After work, she comes home and makes dinner for her family.
And then at 7 o'clock, while her husband watches television and the kids do their homework,
Helen puts a do not disturb sign on her door and exercises till 8 p.m.
Now, afterwards, she spends time with the kids, watches the news and then she goes to
bed.
Now, maybe you don't have kids or maybe you don't work, but I think it is a really great
exercise for you to outline your day just like this on a piece of paper so you can see
how you are using your time.
Because everyone says that their biggest complaint is, eh, there's no time.
There's no time to eat right.
There's no time to exercise.
And I'm telling you that there is time to do all that, but you have got to plan it.
You have to grab it and use it in the moment.
You heard that time, well, it waits for no man.
Well, they're not kidding.
This list will help you see where you're wasting time and where you might be able to save time.
Are you doing things for your kids that they should be doing for themselves?
Do you spend a lot of time on the phone or watching TV?
Is it too much?
Then cut it out.
Let's make another list of all the things that you must have time for every single day.
You must have time for you.
You know that sometimes you skip breakfast and then, well, you always don't make time
for lunch or you miss dinner or you eat late.
You must make time to eat.
And also, you've got to make time to exercise.
You must make time for yourself to think about your day, to feel good about yourself every
single day.
You have to find a couple of minutes to try and plan tomorrow because right now, if you're
overweight or you're out of shape, well, then you're not planning for the future.
You may be putting money in your savings account or you may hide some change in the cookie
jar for a rainy day, but your health has no rainy days.
So if you're planning a future for you and your family without planning for your future,
then there is no future.
Hey, look, we don't know how long we're going to be here.
You've heard the expression, we're only here for a visit.
Well, why not plan that visit and plan each day?
I mean, you do it for a vacation.
Why not do it for your whole life?
Your health depends on it.
So how about it?
Make the most out of every 24 hours by planning the important things first so you can exercise
and eat right, do your work, enjoy your friends and family, and try to take at least a few
minutes every day just to do whatever you like, something for fun.
When you make time for you, believe it or not, you'll then have more energy for all
those other things that eat up those 24 hours.
Gosh, look at the time.
I've got to run.
Good morning.
Today we're going to be talking about pizza.
Now look at this box.
With a blindfold on, you would know what kind of box this is.
This is a pizza box.
Many of you have ordered a whole pizza and you've been alone.
Many have ordered an extra, extra large pizza and you promised yourself that you're only
going to have one slice.
But it's there and it's all cut up for you.
And you can just pull it apart.
Well, it's so easy to do.
Now first I'm going to start with the pizza that most of you don't order.
It's called plain cheese pizza.
It's usually the first pizza on the menu and you always pass it by.
But let me just break this down for you.
Okay.
So you've got two bread cards for the crust, a vegetable card for the sauce, plus a fat
card because there's always fat in that sauce.
Trust me on this.
Then you probably need to count two meat cards for the cheese.
Can you believe it?
And this is just for one slice of cheese pizza.
What if they had two slices of this?
Well, you'd have to double everything.
That would be four bread cards, two vegetable cards, two fat cards, and four meat cards.
Okay, but now let's move on to what you really order.
The combination pizza.
Sometimes you go to a place where they let you make your own and you get to point out
all the things you want to have on it and you stand there salivating as you point them
out.
Sausage, bell pepper, mushrooms, onions, olive.
And can you put some more cheese on that please?
I mean, some people call this the everything but the kitchen sink pizza.
Let's take a look at the cards for this.
You need to count two bread cards for the crust, one meat, and two fat cards for the
sausage, two veggie cards for the sauce and the vegetables you choose, plus the extra
fat cards for the sauce.
Then another two meat cards for the cheese and that's just for one lousy slice of combination
pizza.
Now let me ask you a question.
How many pieces of pizza have you had in your life?
Now let me see.
If I had to ask myself that question, I would actually say in slices that I would probably
have had 10,000 slices of pizza.
Now if you're shocked looking at one slice of pizza or two slices of pizza or one combo
slice, what if you multiply 10,000 by 400 calories?
You would get four million calories, which adds up to a whole lot of pounds.
But please don't despair because that was then and this is now.
So if you have some friends that say, come on, let's go out for pizza, don't panic.
It's okay.
But just eat one slice and enjoy every mouthful and order a big salad to go with it.
Believe me, no one ever got fat by eating one slice of pizza.
But if you're absolutely positively in the mindset to have two slices, then order a vegetarian
pizza and ask for light cheese so it won't use up all your cards.
As the pizza wasn't enough to worry about, now there's calzone as well.
You order a pizza, it's all cut up in slices.
But when you order a calzone, it looks like a pet rock you fed too much.
There is twice as much crust and twice as much filling.
You might not have enough cards to deal with it at all.
And you have to remember too that the pizzas we've been talking about and showing you are
just the regular thin to medium crust.
But imagine a slice of pan pizza.
They make it in a deep pan so there's a lot of room for the really thick crust.
You have to wash pots and pans for seven hours to work it off.
Now I know you're going to keep right on eating pizza.
Well, so am I.
It would be almost un-American not to.
But no more ordering home pizza unless you're having five friends over to help you eat it.
Then they don't deliver pizza by the slice, you know.
And if by some miracle there are some leftovers, wrap those slices individually and freeze
them immediately.
No more leftover pizza beckoning from the fridge.
I can't say this enough.
Remember these words, portion control.
You have to remember this at every single meal.
Ciao!
Day 17.
So let's talk exercise.
I know you have the life plan.
I know you have the walking tapes.
I know you have the exercise tapes.
You may have all of my tapes.
You may have every aerobic video tape on the market today.
But I want to know one thing.
Are you exercising?
Have you made the commitment to make exercise a regular part of your life?
I mean, we're already here at day 17.
Have you said to yourself, this time I'm going to do it?
I've explained about your heart.
We've talked about how fat can clog up your arteries.
We've also talked about how you can find time to put exercise in your life.
But is this sinking in?
Are you actually doing it?
Now I'm not talking about once a week.
I'm talking about that if you want to see results, you have to be exercising three to
four times a week.
I've showed you how to break down your time.
But do you have the fortitude and confidence to do this?
Well if you don't, I have something to show you that I hope will help you today.
A few weeks ago, I received a letter from a wonderful lady named Margaret at the Crestwood
Nursing Home Exercise Class in New Jersey.
She is the activities director there and she told me that the residents were concerned
about their physical fitness.
Now you have to realize that some of these people are in their 70s and 80s, even some
in their 90s.
But here they are wanting to exercise, wanting to have some type of fitness program so that
they could increase the use of their arms and their upper body.
So let's take a look at this little montage of some very remarkable people.
First we have Irving and he is 83 years old.
And look at this lady.
This is Estelle and she is 94 years old.
Here's Rocco.
He's 76.
Look at Margaret, 84 years old and look at her exercise.
Now you're hardly going to believe this one, but here's Julio and he's 95 years old.
And finally we have Anne and she's 89.
Now you may not be this age, but you tell me if these lovely people can do it.
If they can find the willpower within themselves to stay motivated about their physical well-being,
don't you think you can too?
You don't have to be a fitness superstar.
You don't have to lift hundreds of pounds of weights or try to run a marathon.
You just have to put a simple exercise routine in your life.
So if you have shoved your aerobic tapes under your bed or your walking tapes or collecting
dust in a box somewhere, I want you to get them out and start using them.
You see I can't look over your shoulder.
I can't force you to do this.
So you will have to find it deep inside yourself to make this commitment.
Just like these people did, you got to get off the sofa and exercise.
You got the ability to do this.
You got the tools you need to do this.
All you need now is the determination to do it.
You know they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.
Thank you so much Mary for sending us these beautiful pictures that I will never forget.
You better duck.
Here comes those negative thoughts.
Oh, I just can't do this.
It's too hard.
I'm just too weak.
There's no way I can succeed.
I'm just no good.
I know you say these things to yourself.
You just get on one of those negative tangents and there is no stopping you.
Those I can'ts and I'll never start to pile up on your brain and put you in the worst
mood possible.
You become much more judgmental of yourself.
You know no one can be harder on you than you.
No one can be rougher on you than you.
And no one can be more negative about you than you.
You criticize yourself, you put yourself down and before you know it, you make yourself
feel even worse.
You just want to get in bed, pull the covers over your head and hope that you just disappear.
When I started to have one of those days, I thought that food could make it all better.
So I head right for the refrigerator.
Well frankly, it made things a lot worse.
Eating does not make negative thoughts go away.
Only you can do this.
How?
By replacing the negative with the positive.
This takes a lot of practice.
When your mind starts to head towards a negative thought, you have to nip it in the bud.
Let me show you what I mean.
You start to think, oh, this is going to be a terrible day.
So you take that negative, catch it right away and turn it into a positive.
It's a brand new day and I'm going to make the best of it.
Let's do another one.
Ah!
I look awful today.
Boy, what a sweet talker you are.
Change that thought right away too.
I'm going to hop in the shower, dress in something colorful and look great today.
Okay, next one.
This is my favorite one.
I don't do anything right.
I've been a failure all my life.
Now this one makes me want to order a chili cheese dog and throw myself off the Tallahassee
Bridge.
Now let's turn that into a positive.
I will make smart choices today.
I've made mistakes in the past, but the future looks promising.
Are you getting the hang of it?
See what I mean about taking the negative thoughts that keep buzzing around in your
mind and changing them into positive thoughts?
Let's try one more exercise using some catch phrases that I'm sure that's in your vocabulary.
Let's see if we can change those negatives into positives.
I can't, I can't, I can't.
I can.
Now if.
If means that you are not sure about something.
Saying if also implies that you can't make up your mind.
So stop saying if and start using the word when instead of saying if.
If I can get this done, say when I get this done.
Okay, let's try another one.
Have you ever heard yourself use the phrase, well I, I don't think.
Well when you say this, you convey to others that you don't have much confidence in yourself.
If your vocabulary is filled with a lot of I don't thinks, what you're really saying
is I don't have much confidence in myself to have an opinion.
So change I don't think to I know.
One more.
Do you say to yourself, it's impossible.
I'll never do that.
Well if you do, then change that negative thinking to the positive.
I can do it.
If you believe in yourself, then positive thinking will help you succeed.
Try listening to yourself and find some of the negative thoughts you hit yourself with.
Then replace those negative thoughts with positives and learn to use those positives
in your thinking.
Now this is not easy to do.
You have to practice, practice, practice, but in the end you will train your mind to
be a more positive thinker.
Now you've heard the old wives tale about throwing salt over your shoulder for good
luck.
We'll throw those negative thoughts over your shoulder and right out the window.
Today we're going to talk about patience.
I'm sure you've heard the saying patience is a virtue and this is because patience is
really quite rare.
It's hard to be patient especially in today's fast moving world.
We want everything faster and sooner and as soon as we get it, then we want to speed things
up yet again.
We want even quicker drawing nail polish, overnight meal delivery, fax machines, drive
through fast food places.
We want to travel faster, graduate sooner, it just goes on and on.
We seem never to be satisfied.
Patience is a virtue alright, an almost extinct one.
Let's look at what Webster says about patience.
He calls it endurance, calmly tolerating delay or confusion, being diligent, persevering.
I want to talk to you about being patient with yourself.
This is vital when you're trying to lose weight.
I know when you're doing all the right things you want to see the results now, but you know
it doesn't happen like that.
I want you to be patient about losing the weight and I want you to be patient about
other people noticing you're losing weight.
You need to be patient with the exercise and just stay with it, even if you don't see the
results right away.
Patience is one word I really had to learn when I was losing weight because well, I've
lost weight many times and I wasn't patient about it.
I took pills, I took the shakes, I starved.
I wanted it to happen so fast that patience was the last thing on my mind.
I wanted it quick and I wanted it immediate.
I'm sure like me, you know the results of impatient weight loss.
It is the kind that doesn't last.
In fact, it has been proved time and time again that the faster you lose it, the faster
you gain it back.
I don't have to tell you how frustrating that is and the combination of impatience and frustration
added to the weight gain is enough to drive you crazy.
Patient, slow, sure, healthy weight loss is the kind that lasts forever.
So this could be the most important word of all.
Be patient as long as you're following the steps, using your deal meal cards each day,
making time every day to exercise, you're leaning in the right direction and your patience
will reward you if you're patient.
So I want you to know that to truly lose this weight and be healthy, patience is something
that you must learn.
So how do you learn patience?
It's tough if you're naturally an impatient type.
You need to do a lot of deep breathing and relaxing, especially if you're caught in the
freeway traffic or if the checker in the grocery line is slower than molasses.
Patience will do wonders for your blood pressure.
Now I know we've talked about making time for yourself in your busy schedule and I can
just hear you say, Richard, for crying out loud, my day is just jam packed enough as
it is, yet now you're telling me to slow down and be patient.
Well yes, I am, because the truth is that sometimes being patient saves you a whole
lot more time in the long run.
The more you can practice this in your everyday life, the easier it will be for you to be
patient with your weight loss too.
Let's say you've only lost one quarter pound this week and you're feeling impatient, thinking
that's not very much.
Now wait a minute, see this cube of margarine?
This is one quarter pound.
Look at that!
This is not to be sneezed at, especially if it is one quarter pound that you won't be
gaining back.
Every ounce is a step in the right direction, so please do this slowly with patience in
mind.
By the way, do you know why patience is a virtue?
Because it pays off.
That's why.
I remember when I was a kid, there was this wonderful lady and everyone in my whole neighborhood
loved her.
And then I heard someone say, she has the patience of a saint.
Gee, what a nice thing.
The patience of a saint.
If you're patient, you can become the weight saint.
Hey, from day one when we're born, the first thing they give a baby is sugar water.
So before anything, even before a mother's milk, you start loving sugar.
So let me show you where sugar comes from.
Here's a piece of sugar cane.
Well, it looks harmless, doesn't it?
Did you ever see that commercial on television with the kids running around the sugar cane
field?
Isn't that happy?
Well, it looks like so much fun.
Did you know that to get to sugar, the sugar cane has to go through so many processes that
it ends up taking three feet of sugar cane to get one teaspoon of sugar?
Hard to believe, isn't it?
That it takes all this sugar cane to get to that little teeny bit of sugar.
So let's pull out our fruit cards.
You'll notice that sugar is right at the top.
Three teaspoons of sugar is one fruit card.
So let's look at a few items that have a lot of sugar in them, okay?
This is a can of cola.
Let me show you what it takes to make this can of cola as sweet as we like it.
Get ready.
I'm going to count.
Here we go.
One, two, three, four.
Better sit back.
Five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven.
There are eleven teaspoons of sugar in this can of cola.
They add a little water and some flavoring.
Now if that were just adding sugar cane, they would have to put thirty-three feet of sugar
cane into each can of cola.
Hard to believe, huh?
Now, here is a cute little teeny candy bar.
Innocent, huh?
Let me show you how many teaspoons of sugar is in this candy bar.
One, two, three.
You're kidding.
Four, five, six, seven, eight, nine.
Nine whole teaspoons of sugar in this one little candy bar.
That would be three fruit cards or twenty-seven feet of sugar cane if you decided to chew
on that instead, which is not such a bad idea.
Now I know you've been raised with sugar and you're just the sweetest thing in the whole
world, but you've got to watch what you're eating.
So always try to chew something that has natural sugar in it.
Too much refined sugar not only makes you heavy, it can also put your metabolism out
of balance and you can get health problems like diabetes or hypoglycemia.
The natural sugar found in fruit is a whole lot better for you.
An apple doesn't send your blood sugar level skyrocketing the way a candy bar can, and
you know the more sugar you have, the more sugar you want.
Now why don't you look at the foods you've been choosing lately and check for hidden
sugars?
Are you still eating sugar coated cereals or the ones where they take those little teeny
raisins and put sugar all over them?
Are you still pouring on that syrup all over them pancakes and just jamming that toast?
If you are, you're just feeding that sweet tooth.
You know the food companies are finally hearing that we don't want so much sugar.
There's more fat free items coming out all the time.
You should try them.
That sugar free jam is just as good as the kind with sugar.
It really is.
Then of course there are the sugar substitutes and no doubt they are a life saver to you.
But remember what this is all about.
You're supposed to be changing the way you eat, not just exchanging one habit for another.
So please limit the amount of artificial sweeteners or foods that have sweetener in them.
When that sweet tooth starts acting up, give it something natural, like a juicy sweet piece
of fruit to bite into.
Now come on.
Let's face it.
You're sweet enough, you really are.
And if you lay off the sugar, you'll feel and look a whole lot sweeter.
See you tomorrow, sugar babe.
It's day 21.
That means it's story day and I think I've got one that's going to really touch your
heart.
I want you to meet Kay and she's from McGrann, Pennsylvania.
When I first heard from Kay, she told me about something that happened to her that changed
her life forever.
Her story begins.
It was just a normal day at work for Kay and all of a sudden a man stopped her in the main
hallway of the courthouse where she worked and remarked to her, gee what a pretty face
you have.
But you sure are fat.
You should lose some weight, miss.
Well, no one is ever ready for a comment like that.
Where does someone get the nerve to make such a statement to a stranger?
Well, Kay went home that evening and never mentioned the incident to her husband, Ken.
It's sort of a horrid story to repeat to someone else.
She held the hurt inside and continued to think about the man's words, you sure are
fat.
You sure are fat.
The truth of the matter was Kay was fat.
She was up to 246 pounds.
Her four sisters tried desperately to convince her to do something about her weight, but
Kay would never listen.
Even her doctor advised her to drop the pounds.
He was worried about Kay's health.
She had high blood pressure.
She was taking all sort of medication that sometimes made her very sick.
Her vision was failing and her gallbladder was acting up.
Well, one evening Kay was having a sleepless night and decided to watch a little TV.
You'll never guess who was on.
She watched my show and saw me interviewing people who had lost 40 pounds, 80 pounds,
and one lady who had lost 100 pounds.
Kay thought, that's exactly how much I have to lose.
Oh, I bet they're all actors and actresses and they're just lying about their weight
loss.
Well, I'll just order Richard's stuff and see what happens to me.
Well the plan arrived.
Kay didn't waste any time.
She had never been the exercise type, but she loved the music and saw people, her own
weight doing all those steps.
So Kay said, what the heck, I'll give it a try.
Well she started off doing just a little and before she knew it, Kay was hooked.
Every night after work she would come home and immediately get into her sweat and clothes.
Her husband Ken would put on the VCR and tell his wife, honey, you have a date with Richard
tonight so get going.
Gee what a nice husband.
On many evenings Kay would invite her sisters over and make a party of it.
After a while she began noticing the changes.
The oversized blouses she was wearing, well they were so baggy.
It was like they belonged to someone else.
Her blood pressure wasn't high anymore and she was starting to feel healthy for the first
time in a long time.
In her letter she said, before your program I was very depressed and felt all alone.
I didn't think I could ever do anything about my weight.
I felt ugly and unwanted.
A hundred pounds seemed like so much to lose, so I took it ten pounds at a time.
As I reached each ten pound goal, I began to like myself and who I was becoming.
I went back to my doctor and he was so proud of me for taking control of my life.
I have now reached my goal.
I've gone from two hundred and forty six pounds to one hundred and forty six pounds.
I want to apologize to you for ever thinking those people on your shows were lying about
their weight loss because I am living proof that it can be done.
Oh there are still days I want to eat the whole bag of chips and when that happens I
just think about the man in the courthouse because now I have a pretty face and a body
to match.
Wow, pretty powerful huh?
You know sometimes things that people say to us even though they may hurt us are the
very things that can bring us back to reality to see the truth.
With Kay even though she was very hurt by what that man said to her, it made her realize
that she was slowly destroying her body and no matter how much her sisters begged and
pleaded with her, it was a simple statement from a stranger that made her think long and
hard about her health.
After Kay knew in her heart that she had to do something, that she had to make a change
for the better, that's when she was willing to take a chance on herself and then that's
when she got the deal Emile.
It took a stranger to jolt Kay into action.
If only he could see her now.
Hooray, hooray, it's weigh in day.
Now you may not think that there's much to cheer about but I do because every pound you
lose means that together we've gotten you one step closer to your goal and that's a
great reason to celebrate.
Let's see who we've heard from today.
Here's Mary from Schenectady, New York and she's lost 20 pounds.
Way to go Mary.
And congratulations to Carol from Durham, Michigan because she's taken off 35 pounds
so far.
And I want to give a big hand to Margie from Alliance, Ohio because she's dropped 20 pounds.
Congratulations one and all, we're pulling for you.
And I'm pulling for you too.
Now if you haven't weighed in yet today, I want you to approach that scale with confidence.
In fact, let me read to you this cute little poem I got in the mail.
I received it from a sweet lady and I think you're going to really enjoy it.
It was early in the morning when she climbed upon the scale, she spent time in the bathroom
to be sure she wouldn't fail.
She stepped out of her nightie and then with bated breath put her feet upon the scale as
if to face her death.
She looked down at the number and with a squeal of glee said, deal a meal is working, there's
two less pounds of me.
She danced around the bathroom floor, her energy was high.
It really had been worth it to resist that piece of pie.
She wasn't even hungry, she had lots of food to eat and when she played her cards just
right she could even have a treat.
As she left to start her day she felt resolved anew.
Now she knew without a doubt what deal a meal could do.
Isn't that a great poem?
Maybe you're like this person who wrote to me.
Maybe when you climb on that scale you'll see that well that you've lost weight since
last week and if that happens you still need to give yourself a pep talk to keep you going.
Now I know a lot of people who maybe have lost two pounds or five pounds and then have
run out and celebrated with a piece of cheesecake.
Or I also know a lot of people who really try hard and stick with their plan and when
they get on that scale they don't see any weight loss.
But no matter what happens you've got to keep going and the best way to keep on going is
to give yourself a pep talk.
I mean football players do it before a big important game.
Cheerleaders do it.
Big companies do it to get their employees motivated.
I'm sure you can even remember pep rallies in school.
Pep talks are very important so let's learn how to give ourselves a pep talk.
Now I don't want you to run out and get yourself a set of pom poms.
We're not joining the cheerleading squad here but we are going to give ourselves and we're
going to get ourselves pumped up for action.
That's because to me the word pep means positive energy pumping.
P E P. So here we go.
How are you today?
Well I think things are just great.
We're zipping along right now.
You know those couple of pounds we lost today?
Well there's two more pounds than we've ever lost before.
Isn't that terrific?
I knew it was possible.
I knew that if we just hung in there we could make it.
It's a great day to be alive.
It's a great day to get done what needs to be done.
It's a great day to be on Deal Meal so let's just keep it up.
Things are really on the right track now.
Stay with it.
The train is moving and there's nothing that's going to stop us so let's just go and do it.
To get the idea.
See what I mean about pumping yourself up?
Just look yourself straight in the eye and tell yourself to keep on going.
Get that energy charged up.
We got the momentum so keep it moving.
If you give yourself a pep talk you'll be surprised how easily you can face the day.
In fact time will move so quickly and you'll get so much done that you won't even believe
it yourself.
That's because your energy is directed on success.
So remember P-E-P positive energy pumping.
Go!
Happy birthday!
No, it's not my birthday but I'm sure one of you out there is having a birthday and
you're saying, oh no birthday!
I'm going to lock myself in my room.
I'm going to throw those Deal Meal cards at the wall.
I'll never eat cake.
Maybe I'll just look at this piece of cake.
I hate birthdays!
Now, now wait a minute.
This sounds like someone locked in diet prison.
It doesn't sound like someone who's on a healthy eating plan for life.
Yes, if you were on a diet it's true.
Your diet would probably frown on birthday cake but you're not on a diet.
You're on Deal Meal.
So if it's your birthday or you're going to someone's birthday party, cheer up.
It's really just like going out to dinner.
You have to plan for it.
This is what I do when something special is planned.
I pull those extra cards I'm going to need later when I eat breakfast.
So let's see what cards I'd have to pull for a slice of birthday cake.
Now first of all, what does a slice of birthday cake really look like?
Well there's some people who cut this teeny little sliver of cake that you can see through.
Well it's paper thin and crumbly.
Believe me, you don't want that.
You cannot even call it a slice of cake.
It's so small, well it doesn't even smell like cake.
A slice of cake is something you can really sink your teeth into and really taste.
So let's look at what this piece of cake is going to cost you.
Birthday cake is not just regular cake.
I mean there are decorations and stuff in the middle that sticks the cake together.
It's not cement, it's sugar cement.
And then we have the outside of the cake and let's face it, I mean no one skimps on the
frosting.
Did you come from a skimpy frosting family?
I certainly didn't.
And when it was my birthday I wanted a piece of cake with the roses on it and the leaves
and part of my name.
That all counts for your birthday.
Now you were raised like me, come on now, birthday cake, ice cream.
I mean even with the frosting, that birthday cake can taste rather dry.
But make up your mind, make a decision.
Do you want the birthday cake or do you want the ice cream?
Maybe you'll have the ice cream when you get a raise or when you win the lottery or something
because you've got to know that eating them together, it really does set you back a long
time.
It's a shame we can't eat the candles because well they have no calories.
So how many deal-o-meal cards do we need?
Well, you need a bread card for the flour, three fruit cards to cover the sugar in the
cake and in the frosting.
You'll also need to pull three fat cards because let's face it, birthdays don't come cheap.
But they do come only once a year and it is a celebration.
I really think you should celebrate your birthday.
I mean if I were there, I would celebrate it with you.
You know, you wouldn't be able to have cake, birthday cake, if you hadn't had a birth first.
But wait, there is a slight catch to all of this.
What do you do if everyone wants to help you celebrate your birthday and you end up with
a birthday cake at the office and another cake with your family?
How do you cope with more than one birthday cake?
Well I think you can take a taste, then kind of rearrange it on the plate, you know, move
it around so it looks as though you're eating it.
Or maybe you've got a thin dog you can give it to.
Dogs love birthday cakes and dogs have birthdays too, don't forget.
So let the dogs celebrate.
And if all else fails, you can always resort to the truth.
Tell them at the office, well my friend is making me a special cake and my friend will
be sick if I didn't eat it.
Would you mind if I took this slice home and put it in the freezer for another time?
I just can't eat two pieces of cake in one day.
The other thing you need to know is that no one said you have to eat cake on someone else's
birthday.
It's not your birthday.
They want you to have a piece of cake because frankly no one likes to eat birthday cake
alone.
You know, everyone makes such a big deal out of January 1st because it's the beginning
of the new year.
Well, it's not my birthday.
For me, the beginning of my new year is on my birthday.
That's when I make my resolutions and goals for the year ahead.
I always feel as if I have a brand new slate, a fresh start on my birthday.
And that's why I like to celebrate.
You should too.
And don't worry about getting older.
Be grateful that you're here, that you're alive.
Life is an adventure just waiting to be experienced.
So go for it.
So to help celebrate your birthday, my birthday, everyone's birthday, here's a special little
birthday song just for you.
Happy birthday, happy birthday, just for you.
Happy birthday and may all your dreams come true.
When you blow out the candles, one life stays aglow.
It's the sunshine of your smile, wherever you go.
Hi.
When I woke up this morning, I sat straight up in bed and the first thing I thought about
was a chocolate chip cookie.
Well, I couldn't help myself.
All of a sudden, my mouth was drooling for a nice plump, warm chocolate chip cookie loaded
with those cute little chocolate chips.
I raced downstairs to the kitchen frantically searching everywhere, in the fridge, in the
stove, in the cupboards, even in the coffee pot.
But there wasn't a cookie to be found.
Not even a crumb.
I just couldn't get that cookie out of my mind.
I started shaking and thought, oh my goodness, what's happening?
So I sat down and started to think about what came over me, what made me act like a madman
dashing around my kitchen looking for something.
Absolutely, I had no idea.
Then I realized that I was having a craving.
A real life to die for kind of craving for a chocolate chip cookie.
And I was almost crazed with the thought of not getting what I wanted.
After calming myself down, I thought that cravings would be a great thing to talk about
today.
Well, let's face it.
We all get the urge to eat a sweet or some other forbidden food.
Cravings are a desire, an abnormal desire for food.
But we have to learn how to deal with our cravings so that they don't lead us down the
path of binging.
So let's talk about how to deal with your cravings.
Everybody in the whole world has cravings.
For me, cravings started when I was a young kid and wasn't allowed to have certain foods.
Sometimes the thought of not being allowed to eat certain foods made me want them even
more.
I mean, if you tell a child, no, no, no, no, you cannot eat candy, nine out of ten times
they will sneak a piece behind your back.
Well, we sort of play that type of game with ourselves.
If we think we're not allowed something, we'll try to sneak it anyway.
So my advice is that when you do have a craving, try to talk yourself through it.
You have to say to yourself, okay, I really want a piece of candy, but it's going to cost
me some of my Deal-A-Meal cards.
So if you really want something, you still have to count your cards for it.
Remember, cravings aren't free.
If you are craving a piece of candy, have a piece of candy.
If you're craving an order of French fries, have an order of French fries.
So keep in mind that you still got to pull your cards for a craving.
Let me show you what I mean.
You are having a craving for a cookie like I wanted.
Well, here is a chocolate chip cookie.
Now this craving will cost you 125 calories plus these cards.
One bread card, two fat cards, that's really costly, and two fruit cards.
There, now you can see what this cookie is going to cost you.
Now you have to be very careful about cravings because a craving may cost you a couple hundred
calories, and there's nothing wrong with that because you can always walk that off.
But you don't want a craving to turn into a binge.
You know the old saying, a sliver leads to a slice, leads to a slab, and a craving that
is uncontrolled will definitely lead to a binge.
And a binge is a bunch of cravings put together.
I used to be a binger.
It's difficult for me to admit that, and I don't usually like to share my binges with
people.
But here's what used to happen to me.
I would binge on large gallons of ice cream, chocolate chip cookies, and caramel corn.
Now that binge would cost me 8 to 10,000 calories.
And I would have to walk from here to Puerto Rico to walk off that binge.
So be careful.
I don't want you to live in a world where you can't have a craving for a little something,
but don't let your craving lead to a pig out, which always leads to a binge.
The other thing you have to realize is that if you want to keep on saying no to your cravings,
they will explode into a binge, and that's when you become totally out of control with
food.
I know there are a lot of people who binge, and one thing that a lot of bingers do when
they get upset is they throw it all up.
And this is a big problem in America today.
Don't do that.
Go ahead and have your cookie.
If you have to just remember this, remember portion control, and don't ever let your cravings
turn into a binge.
So how's your cholesterol?
High?
Low?
What do you mean you don't know?
You've never had your cholesterol checked?
Or has it been a long time?
Do you know what cholesterol is and why it's so important to know what your numbers are?
Well as you know, I'm no doctor, but I can tell you a few of the things you need to know
about cholesterol.
First of all, it's not all bad.
In fact, your body manufactures it because it needs it.
That's where the problem starts.
Your body makes all it needs.
It doesn't need any help from you by eating a whole lot of stuff with cholesterol in it,
thank you very much.
So how do you know if something might have cholesterol in it?
Well it's easier than you think.
Listen up.
Fish flies, if it swims, walks, or run, then it has cholesterol.
That's it.
So if you're eating chicken, well it flies and it runs so it must have cholesterol.
Fish, well fish swim so it must have cholesterol.
Cows walk so beef must have cholesterol.
Avocados grow on beautiful trees, so I guess they can't have any cholesterol.
See it's easy.
Cholesterol can only be found in foods from animal sources.
So does margarine have cholesterol?
Is there a margarine cow?
No.
So there's no cholesterol.
But butter, yes, because that does come from a cow.
Now obviously you have to be a vegetarian to cut out all cholesterol and that really
isn't necessary.
But if you have your cholesterol checked, and you really should, and your doctor wants
you to lower it, then you have to watch out for foods high in cholesterol.
You need to know what they are and be sure not to eat them all on the same day.
So just when you thought you had this whole eating business under control, now we give
you something else to figure out.
A good rule of thumb is to keep your daily intake of cholesterol under 300 milligrams.
This would equal approximately four to six meat cards and two dairy cards a day.
So you're probably doing okay already, except that you have to watch out for some shellfish
like shrimp and you also have to watch out for eggs.
So don't order a shrimp omelet, okay?
One egg alone has almost the whole daily allowance, 252 milligrams.
So just imagine if you had a three egg omelet, wow, that would be 756 milligrams, enough
to put your body into cholesterol overload.
But there is a good part of this.
The cholesterol is only in the egg yolk.
There is none in the white, so you can make your omelet with one whole egg and then two
extra whites.
That would count as two meat cards.
Well that's one way.
Now, I don't know about you, but I can't really scramble a bunch of egg whites and eat them.
Well it's just I feel like I'm eating a cloud or killing an angel or something.
I just can't do it.
But you may have noticed on your Joker card, you can use one quarter cup of that cholesterol
free liquid egg product and it's really not bad.
In fact, it's great because there's no cholesterol and you don't even have to use a meat card.
Now, I did read in the newspaper that they're training these hens to lay cholesterol free
eggs, but till those birds get it right, I ain't taking any chances.
But I haven't really told you why you need to know all this.
What is cholesterol anyway?
Is it fat?
Well, kind of.
It is actually a fat like waxy substance and if you eat too many foods that have it,
the body can't eliminate them quickly enough so this waxy stuff builds up in your tissues
and your arteries.
There it can accumulate with fat and can trigger heart problems so you can see why it's so
important to know if your body is storing an excess of cholesterol.
So you can take steps to get rid of it, to be in tip top health.
You want your arteries to be squeaky clean.
This is your arteries and you don't want your arteries to be like this.
This is the cholesterol.
Yuck.
Now today, why don't you study your Deal & Meal fat cards and see which items do and do not
contain cholesterol.
And if you don't know your own cholesterol level, please make an appointment today and
get it done.
Hello, hello can you see me?
In television, this is what we refer to as focus.
So our word today is focus.
Well let's see what Mr. Webster has to say about focus.
Focus is the point where rays of light and heat come together to produce a clear image.
It is the maximum clarity of an image.
Focusing is a very hard problem for most people because you have so many things going on in
your life.
You have so many responsibilities.
We get side tracked in our lives because we've got all these other distractions that keep
us from zeroing in and concentrating on what we want to do.
Now you have to consciously make an effort to get yourself to focus in on one thing at
a time.
That takes work.
But if you can master the art of focusing, you'll be able to do all the things you want
to do in the amount of time you have.
Now let me tell you how I get focused.
When I get in the car, I don't turn on the radio first.
I get in the car.
I slam the door.
I put my seatbelt on.
Then I say the word safety.
I focus in on that one word because it's very important to drive safely.
It's almost like tunnel vision.
It's like tuning out everything for just a minute to get yourself focused.
I'm thinking about safety.
I'm concentrating on safety.
And then I feel assured that I will travel in safety.
That's what I mean about being focused.
Not tuning in the radio as you start the car.
Not backing out of the garage before you shut the door.
And not checking your hair in the rear view mirror as you're driving down the street.
I'm talking about focusing in on safe driving with a seatbelt on and your mind clear and
alert.
Here's another focus example.
When somebody talks to me like when I'm doing my mall appearances, I try to look at that
person, tune out everything else that's going on around me.
Even though there's all kind of people and noises and commotion all over, I try to block
it all out and listen to the person who is talking to me and concentrate on helping them.
Focusing to me is eliminating all of the other distractions and training myself to look at
a situation and give it my full attention.
Let's try some simple focusing exercises right now.
Now when someone speaks to you, do you look them right in the eye?
Do you look at their face and study their expressions?
Or are you looking all around them, above their head, down at their shoes and not really
listening to what they are saying?
Focus in on the person who is speaking to you and pay attention to them.
Now when you have an important job to do at work, do you sit right down, think about what
the task is and plan out how you're going to do it?
Or do you clean out your desk drawers, get a couple of cups of coffee and wait until
the last minute before you start?
If you have an important project to do, make an outline of how you're going to accomplish
your tasks and then get working.
Okay, here's one that I know we all do from time to time.
When you put the laundry away, instead of putting the clothes away and going on to your
next job, do you end up tearing everything out of your drawers, the closets, under the
bed, the next thing you know, the day is over and you haven't gotten anything done?
Focus in on putting your laundry away, save closet cleaning as another task for another
day.
Think about the other areas in your life where distractions take you away from the job at
hand.
Train yourself not to change directions in midstream before you have completed what you
are doing.
It's so much easier to try to jump around doing 50 million things in a day than to focus
in on one job at a time.
That's because focusing takes real concentration, but people who are focused get more done in
a single day than people who just drift along, letting things go in a haphazard way.
A long time ago, I was at a career crossroads.
I'm an artist, so I wanted to paint.
I was a cook, so I wanted to open up a restaurant and I wanted to do what I'm doing now.
And I had like 10 irons in the fire.
And my father said to me, Richard, pick one.
You have 10 thoughts, but just pick one right now and give that one your full attention.
And so I focused in on teaching people how to lose weight, how to exercise, and how to
smile.
So these are the things you should be focusing on.
Your self-image, you should be focusing on pulling your deal-a-meal cards every day.
You should be focusing on trying to exercise, giving yourself positive affirmations.
Anybody who is successful has the quality of being focused.
That's because they focus and lock themselves in on getting one thing done at a time.
So work on focusing yourself on one goal at a time, and you'll be successful too.
Okay, cat's cradle, come on.
This is a yo-yo.
And back in grammar school, I was really never good at working this because, well, I was
too busy working on yo-yo dieting.
Well by the age of 12, I was a professional yo-yo dieter.
You heard me right.
I would start the cottage cheese, hard-boiled egg and tomato diet and lose five pounds in
seven days.
It was great.
Then I would go off the cottage cheese, hard-boiled egg and tomato diet and go back to the way
I usually ate.
Yes, of course, I put the five pounds right back on and then got depressed.
A few weeks later, I heard about someone talk about the protein diet.
I said, hey, I like protein.
I mean, I like it all.
So for 18 days, I ate steak, prime rib, lamb chops, breaded veal cutlets and roast pork.
I lost 11 pounds.
After 18 days, I started to moo and squeal.
So I went off the protein diet and I gained all 11 pounds back plus three more pounds.
I felt rotten and ashamed of myself until I heard about the rice diet.
Well, it was supposed to make the pounds just fly off and it was easy.
You see, you ate a bowl of rice for breakfast, a bowl of rice for lunch and a bowl of rice
for dinner.
After 30 days, I hated rice.
To this day, if I go to a wedding and they throw rice, I have to look the other way.
With the rice diet, I lost 44 pounds and four inches around my waist.
I even went out and bought some new clothes.
I was a happy camper.
Well, that is until I discovered a new donut store that opened on Canal Street near my
home.
I was such a sucker for custard.
You don't even have to ask.
Of course, I put the weight back on.
This pattern went on in my life for 12 years.
I have a larger collection of diet books than the Smithsonian.
The fruit diet worked for me until I went off of it.
The eat all the candy you want diet worked for me until I got the sugar blues.
Yes, the grapefruit diet worked for me about 11 different times.
I know you know what I've been through because you've been through it too.
I bet you my Dalmatian collection that you are a professional yo-yo dieter too.
Raise your hands if I'm right.
See?
Yo-yo dieting does leave it scars.
You have screwed up your metabolism just like I have screwed up mine.
I harmed my body because I played tricks on it.
I kept changing and rearranging my intake of food.
By doing this, I slowed down my body's motor.
And unfortunately, I slowed it down for the rest of my life.
Hey, that's life.
You got your Project Me card, your little passport?
Get it out.
This is number six.
You know it well.
I forgive myself and I forget about all the times I've tried before.
You have got to forgive yourself for all those stupid and useless years of yo-yo dieting and
just go on.
Throw those old diet books away because now you got Deal-A-Meal.
You have a smart, healthy way of eating.
You have a balanced program for eternity.
Now, you could yo-yo diet on Deal-A-Meal though.
You could use the cards for a week and conveniently forget where you put them.
Then you could gain and lose and gain and lose, but I wouldn't do that if I were you.
Because you see, with these Deal-A-Meal cards comes a curse.
Me.
I will haunt you, stalk you, and pester you every minute of every day if you don't pull
these cards.
Day 28, another success story.
When I opened Jean's letter, and Jean is from Belvedere, Illinois, I knew I was in for a
terrific success story.
The headline on her stationery was, Extra, Extra, She Did It.
Let me read you her letter.
Dear Richard, what a good friend you've been to me this past year.
You've educated, encouraged, and energized me towards reaching my goal.
Your Deal-A-Meal plan gave me the structure I needed to take control of myself.
And a whole new world has opened up for me, and I want to thank you.
My sister-in-law ordered your life plan one day while visiting her.
She pulled it out and explained it all to me.
It made a lot of sense, so I ordered your plan and started the plan on Labor Day.
Each day became an adventure for me and my family.
I began cooking dishes from your cookbook.
I was a little nervous about serving them because my husband is such a picky eater.
But Richard, he loved them.
I started to explore the produce department when I went grocery shopping.
I was amazed at the variety of fruits and vegetables there.
You could tell what aisles I used to be spending most of my time in before.
Anyway, I lived near a park, and every day after dinner, my friend Mary and I would take
off on the walking path.
It was so relaxing.
Gosh, those walks really did make my stress disappear.
The weight started to come off slowly, and with each pound loss, I felt stronger.
I have now taken off 70 pounds, and I have dropped seven dress sizes.
I didn't realize how different I looked until we finished a roll of film in the camera.
On the roll was a picture of me from last spring.
I couldn't believe how I looked.
After seeing the photo, I know I will never allow myself to look that way again.
Whenever I feel the urge to snack or grab something sinful, I bring back to mind one
incident that I will never forget.
Recently, on a shopping trip, I was looking at a display along the wall.
As I moved along, a man bumped into me and said, oh, pardon me, you're so small that
I didn't see you.
Wow.
I felt positively wonderful.
I floated the rest of the day.
That man will never know how much that comment meant to me.
Richard, I guess the most important thing I learned from my transformation is that there
is a special person in each one of us.
No matter what the outside looks like, from my picture, I see that the treasure I was
searching for all along was me.
Wow, what a letter, huh?
I called Jean a few days ago and told her how much I enjoyed her words of wisdom and
congratulated her on finding her hidden treasure.
Well, she didn't have much time to talk.
Jean was on her way to her son's football game.
She said, Richard, before the game, all the parents get on the field and parade around
and greet the crowd.
Many pounds ago, I would have never thought of walking on that field and waving at anyone.
With the new confident me, all the confidence that I gained, I didn't mind telling you
I enjoyed showing off the brand new me.
I want you to remember that, just like Jean, that there is a very special treasure in you.
Sometimes we don't always recognize that treasure.
Just like we are looking for something and don't see that it's there, deep inside of
us.
So, look within yourself and see the wonderful person that you are.
And just like you would take care of a diamond or protect some other precious jewelry, I
want you to take care of yourself in the very same way.
That's why we've been talking about taking care of your health, by eating right and by
exercising.
You deserve to be healthy because you are the most precious jewel of all.
No two diamonds are alike and there's no one else like you.
Jean, well, she found her treasure.
You can find yours too, deep inside your heart.
Oh, hi.
I remember I came home with a D on my report card in English.
I was so depressed about it.
I didn't know what to do, so I fixed myself two bologna sandwiches with mayonnaise, a
large bag of barbecue potato chips, and I had an ice cream cone.
And I really felt better.
The problem was when I went back to school the next day, I still had a D in English.
The food didn't erase the problem I had.
Then the next day, I had a fight with my friend, my best friend in school.
We had kind of a confrontation.
We argued.
And I went to Woolworth's naturally and I had a couple of club sandwiches and an order
of French fries and a strawberry pie.
But again, when I went back to school, that problem with my friend, well, it still existed.
It never went away.
I couldn't even drown it in a whole strawberry pie.
Now, I wish that we lived in a problem-free world, but every day with the new challenges
come the problems.
Any goal worth going for, you will find stones in your path.
And a lot of you think that food is just going to fix the problem.
I got a letter from a lady who got divorced.
She wrote me and told me that when her husband left, food became her mate.
She had an affair with food.
Now, this is what happens all the time.
And sadly, she gained 70 pounds.
In her letter, she said, I lost my husband, but I gained a couple of thighs here.
Food did not erase her problem.
If we look at the Project Me passport, at number nine it says, I realize that food has
no power and will never solve any of my problems, past, present, or future.
If something is happening right now in your life, you have to deal with it.
You just can't eat because you fear the future.
Learn to solve your problems by sitting down and remember the word we talked about a few
days ago, focus.
You have to focus on your situation today and get away from leaning on all that food.
Now, sometimes past experiences can surface from your subconscious and put you in depression.
They may come up, but you have to understand that a plate of food won't make them disappear.
You can't bury your problems in a plate of food.
No matter how difficult it is, you've got to face your problems.
I know that you can do it.
Remember, we all have bad situations in our lives.
We all face challenges every single day.
God tests us all the time and we never know when he's going to do it.
Sometimes you read about people who have had terrible childhood experiences or there are
the stories about people who lost a husband or a wife or even a child.
So many of the letters that I get have such sad stories in them.
If you ever think you're the only one with a heavy burden to carry, take it from me.
You're not alone.
Everyone everywhere at some point in their lives has to face at least one of those big
tests.
I learned the hard way how to meet my tests.
I immediately turned to food thinking that I could get rid of that D on my report card
or make it better with my best friend, but that didn't work.
And it wasn't until many years later that I saw how food only made things worse, not
get rid of them.
So if there's one thing I can do for you today, let me teach you not to reach for that cupcake
when your problems seem too much to handle.
Instead, reach inside of yourself and grab onto your fortitude and your confidence and
your patience.
And when you're put to the test, I know you can come out a winner.
Just a reminder that today is way in day.
I bet you thought I forgot, but I saved the best for last.
I've heard from a few more people who have turned to Dela meal to help them get along.
So let me congratulate Nancy from Knoxville, Tennessee.
She has lost 35 pounds.
Yay.
Next, we have Barb from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, who's reporting in at a weight loss of 26
pounds.
And finally, Marion from Rialto, California, who has lost a grand total of 50 pounds.
Is that great?
Imagine how good all these wonderful people must feel because they're doing it.
You better be doing it too.
I think I'll have an order of number one, number 18, number 26, and number 35.
When you go to a Chinese restaurant, don't you get the thought that you want to order
a lot of dishes and share them?
You keep ordering things for the table and the more people the better because it means
you can order even more things and you get to say things like, well, you get this and
you get this and we'll share.
And there's always this big lazy Susan and 55 sauces and well, you know how it goes.
But let's start with the egg roll.
Well, isn't that what you start with?
And there's always two egg rolls to an order.
So how do we break down our egg roll with our deal meal cards?
Well, there's the wonton skin, that's a bread card.
And then the filling, usually vegetable and pork, so that's a vegetable card.
And a meat card.
And yes, these egg rolls are deep fried in a ton of grease.
So yes, that's two fat cards for just one egg roll.
Now let's portion out a half a cup of fried rice.
It has vegetables in it and usually some shrimp and pork.
So of course, it's sauteed and that's going to cost you one bread card, one vegetable
card, one meat card, and a fat card.
Now what is your other favorite dish?
Let me guess, let me guess.
I see it.
It's sweet and sour pork of course.
Well let's take a look.
Now this is going to knock you out here.
This is a serving.
They take the pork and they bread it and they deep fry it and it's going to cost you four
meat cards, four fat cards, and four fruit cards.
The cost of Chinese food might be okay money wise, but it is wildly expensive in terms
of your deal meal cards.
So how can you go to a Chinese restaurant and enjoy yourself without using up all your
fat cards for a month?
Well how about some steamed dumplings to start?
You might even like them because they're really good.
One dumpling will cost you a bread card, a meat card, and if you dip it in the sweet
sauce that's going to cost you a fruit card.
So why not try the hot mustard because it's free.
Now you can get regular steamed rice and that will cost you only one bread card.
Or if you must, if you're dying for fried rice, then get the vegetable fried rice which
won't cost you a meat card.
You'll only have to count one bread card, one vegetable card, and one fat card.
For your main dish the best thing that you can order in a Chinese restaurant is stir
fry with lots of vegetables and you tell them hey I'm watching my fat so could you please
use half the oil in the stir fry.
This may cost you two vegetable cards, one fat, and two to three meat cards.
And don't forget the little fortune cookie because that's a joker card.
It's really important that you learn to break down foods like this for yourself.
Once you get the hang of it, it's really not that hard at all.
And you'll be able to eat out more often and enjoy a wider variety of food.
Now eating Chinese food at home is even better because then you can saute your vegetables
in a little chicken broth instead of oil.
Make up chicken broth and freeze it like this in the ice cube tray.
When it's frozen I just pop the cubes in a bag.
They're really useful for adding extra flavor to vegetables and to rice.
Or stir fry done at home helps to extend your meat cards too.
When you serve, listen to this, a cup of vegetables and two ounces of cubed chicken breast over
a half a cup of rice, it really looks like quite a lot of food.
If you're using soy sauce like I do, go for the one with the green label.
It's a lot lower in sodium even though it tastes the same as the other.
You can ask for it and a lot of the restaurants have it too.
Now remember, if you're eating Chinese, stay away from the fried foods.
They cost too many of those fat cards.
The long run is that you be diligent about your portions.
It's so easy to get carried away when all that food is right there in front of you on
that beautiful lazy Susan.
One cheerful thought is that at least the desserts aren't to die for so it won't be
hard to pass those up.
So in a Chinese restaurant you should drink a lot of tea and shy away from deep fried
foods since they are far from free.
Stir fry is the way to go and dumplings steamed not fried.
And when your willpower weakens, let your conscience be your guide.
You are such a pretty dog.
Hi.
Are people starting to notice that you are losing weight and looking healthier?
Are they encouraging you, giving you compliments?
Using compliments can be a little difficult at first especially if we aren't used to
getting them for the way we look.
When someone says to you, gosh, you're looking terrific, you're obviously doing something
right, you look marvelous.
Is your response likely to be, well thank you, I'm glad you noticed, that makes me feel
real good.
Or are you more likely to say, how can you say that when I still have so much more weight
to lose, I'm nowhere near my goal yet.
If your response is the last one, then let's talk.
You see a compliment is a gift that someone gives you and if you push it away and negate
all the good things the other person said, you are refusing their gift to you which I'm
sure is not your intention.
We all have trouble accepting compliments from time to time.
Sometimes they take us by surprise or they embarrass us or we just cannot believe what
the other person is saying is true.
Maybe somebody admires what you are wearing and you're really surprised because well,
it's been hanging in your closet for years.
So instead of saying thank you, your immediate reaction is, this old thing?
You've got to be kidding, I've had it for ages.
It is so easy to dismiss or downplay a compliment when it makes us feel uncomfortable.
But what we are really saying to our friend is, hey, I don't think that much of your judgment.
If receiving compliments graciously is a whole new experience for you, then there is something
I want you to do today.
I want you to practice giving compliments to everyone and everything all day long.
Friends, strangers, it makes no difference.
In line at the grocery store, at the bank, passing someone in the street or at a restaurant,
anytime you see something about a person that you like, just go up and say, excuse me, I
just have to tell you how great you look in that outfit or I couldn't help noticing what
a perfect French braid you have.
It looks just lovely on you.
Notice how people respond.
Are they gracious?
Embarrassed?
Believe me, most will be thrilled.
You will have made their day a little brighter.
Even those who don't feel comfortable accepting the compliments are still positively affected
by them.
It's human nature that we like to hear nice things about ourselves.
The more you give compliments, the more you'll feel better about receiving them.
And this is important because mark my words, you're going to be getting more and more compliments.
How about giving yourself a compliment when you look in the bathroom mirror?
If you were a stranger seeing yourself for the first time, what would you say?
Wow, what fabulous eyes you have or what a cute nose you have or I love your glasses.
Boy, those frames are really classy.
Who cuts your hair?
You must have a fabulous hairdresser.
The style is just perfect for you.
Now try this one.
You losing weight?
Are you looking so much thinner than when I saw you last?
Gosh, whatever you're doing, keep it up.
It's really working.
You look great.
Talking to yourself with positive messages in the mirror like this is a real powerful
exercise because your subconscious mind believes everything you tell it and responds accordingly.
So the more positive messages you can give yourself, the better.
Keep doing this even on days when things don't feel so good.
Find something to compliment yourself on.
There's always something you know even in the worst moments.
For instance, if you do have a cute nose, ears or gorgeous eyes, well good because they
will always be there waiting to respond positively to your compliments.
Compliment what you already have and the rest will follow.
And before I go, I want to compliment you.
You are doing so much to change your life for the better.
And by the way, I love what you're wearing.
You look like a million bucks.
You look great today.
I mean, I just love your nose and the way you smile and...