Think Yourself Thin

by JJ Smith

  DAY 26: TURN OFF YOUR TV

  Food for thought: Know that gossip or Ratchet TV does not feed your soul or spirit.

  Exercise:

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  Someone once said that to be wildly successful, you have to put down the remote control and pick up a book. I took that advice to heart and it has never failed me. Give yourself a break from all television today, especially gossip or Ratchet TV, which does not feed your soul or spirit.

  Also abstain from watching the news for one day. Some folks feel like they have to continuously monitor all the disasters and heartbreak in the world as if they are in charge of grief relief. See what’s going on in the world, feel the feelings, take action, and then move on. You have to remember that love is still where you live, so focus on loving those in your life right now.

  We have become obsessed with consuming media, from TV to social media. We wake up and check our social media accounts and television before giving any thought to God. Break that habit and seek God first thing in the morning. Don’t be so eager to wake up to the things of this world. Instead, be eager to let God prepare your heart and mind for the day. Fill your life with God’s presence and love.

  Abstaining from idle entertainment might not be easy, but it’s good for your soul. I am not telling you to do so indefinitely, but for one day you should give your mind a break from meaningless noise and chatter. No TV at all today. Instead of watching television, spend the time reading about health and nutrition. This will empower you. It’s not about having someone tell you what to eat or how much to eat, that just makes you diet-minded. It’s about learning how to help your unique body become healthier and lose weight. Enjoy learning, reading, and growing in knowledge. Be empowered, for knowledge is power.

  DAY 27: LEVERAGE A SUPPORT SYSTEM

  Food for thought: Be deliberate about creating a supportive environment that can lead to long-term success.

  Exercise:

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  Don’t assume a family member or friend you’re closest to is the best choice for your support system. Think very deeply and be brutally honest about who has been helpful to keep you on track in the past. The best supporter will be someone who has the same goal of getting slimmer and healthier and is committed to doing whatever it takes to achieve it. It would be great if you got together to work out, do meal prep and share recipes, go grocery shopping, cook shared meals together, and if you touched base on the phone weekly. It really depends on what kind of support you actually need. Encouragement can come in many forms. Some folks just need a motivational word or quote each day to stay on track.

  Also consider who is most available. Discuss how much time and energy you both have to devote to the partnership and how realistic it is to be available to support one another. Discuss what will be your primary mode of contact and support. Determine if you prefer phone, email, or text communications—this will be key to maintaining contact. If you need face-to-face time, discuss that as well and figure out the best times to get together. The goal is to ensure that there is time devoted to listening and encouraging each other.

  Take a few minutes to think about what support you need on this journey. Use a journal to write down a few notes and be as specific as possible so your family members know how best to support you. An example would be, “Don’t eat junk food in front of me, please go into a different room.” Explicit rules will allow family members to have a better understanding of how to support you.

  DAY 28: USE A BUDDY CONTRACT

  Food for thought: A buddy contract is the new accountability partner.

  Exercise:

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  The concept of a “buddy contract” is becoming more popular in the weight-loss industry. A buddy contract is a written agreement between two or more people who commit to supporting one another on their weight-loss journey. To help ensure that both you and your support buddy get what you expect, write up a “buddy contract” that spells out your mutual goals and the ways you plan to help each other achieve them. Also, be explicit about your desired mode of communication.

  The buddy contract should include both short-term goals (such as, “Meet at the gym three times a week to work out together”) and long-term ones (such as, “My goal is to lose 120 pounds to achieve my ideal weight”). Just make sure the goals are specific and achievable.

  Both of you should keep a copy of the agreement visibly posted somewhere so you can reread it often to remind yourself of what you’re trying to accomplish.

  Reevaluate your buddy relationship from time to time to ensure that it is working for both of you. Don’t be afraid to call it quits when the relationship is not working out. Just like with any relationship, if you’re not getting what you need, have a heart-to-heart with your buddy and either work to fix or end the buddy relationship. The purpose of the buddy relationship is to enhance the weight-loss journey for both of you and make it easier to achieve your goals.

  DAY 29: SLAY RESISTANCE IN FIVE MINUTES A DAY

  Food for thought: A person’s prayer life is a great barometer of one’s spiritual health just like checking one’s blood pressure is a great indicator of one’s physical health.

  Exercise:

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  Take five minutes each day for prayer or self-reflection. You can pray or reflect on your current struggles and challenges or seek direction on what to do in any situation. I am asking you to take five minutes out of your day to make prayer and self-reflection a daily habit. Put notes up throughout your home or car until you remember this daily habit. By doing this, you are slaying resistance each day. Be aware that resistance will try to keep you from this quiet time every day. Resistance will encourage you to delay it or do it later. But take time each morning to begin your day in prayer and self-reflection.

  The five-minute daily habit of prayer and self-reflection leads us to spiritual health. The more we do this, the clearer our direction becomes in our life. Five minutes a day is a simple and achievable task. Try it daily and watch your life change for the better.

  DAY 30: LIVE YOUR VERY BEST LIFE/CREATE ABUNDANCE IN YOUR LIFE

  Food for thought: You can manifest greatness and live your full potential in every aspect of your life.

  Exercise:

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  You can visualize your perfect life and body so that you can move toward achieving those things. Begin by sitting up straight in a comfortable chair and clasp your hands loosely together in your lap. Now you want to bring awareness into your body and be present in the moment. Read the following visualization exercise out loud, and feel and embrace every word.

  Imagine you have allowed greatness into every aspect of your life. Imagine you have become great and every cell in your body embodies greatness. You live a life of passion and success because you live up to your true potential. Day after day, you see life becoming healthier, happier, and more successful. You continue to see the weight melting off and you living in your ideal body. You are living a life of purpose and you see your purpose being manifested in the world. You manifest greatness and live your full potential in every aspect of life. You continue to grow and expand your knowledge and gifts. You remain on a mission and continue to fulfill your purpose.

  Imagine you’ve mastered how to create success in every aspect of your life—spiritual, emotional, physical, financial, and professional. You are flooded with energy and have empowering success in every aspect of your life. Your success is so overflowing that it floods from your body out into the world. Your relationships at home and at work are loving and supportive. Your friendships are fun and rewarding. Your happiness and energy causes people to come up to you and ask for your help in directing them to similar success. They want to change their life because you are so amazingly successful. You are a magnet that draws people to you—they want your help with making decisions for their own life. They want the same energetic, healthy, happy life that you live. You know that for the rest of your life, you will be overflowing with abundance and be
wildly successful in every aspect of your life.

  You can see your energy, love, and passion for everything you wanted to be and to do in this world. You have so much light and love that everyone who sees or touches you feels it. They see your life has been transformed with amazing light, beauty, and power. You live your full potential. It manifests in so many amazing ways—health, happiness, fitness, and work. You are a light for yourself, family, and friends. You are a light in a dark world. Your beautiful light transforms everything around you. You live your highest potential of being fit, healthy, happy, smart, engaging, and loving.

  CONCLUSION

  Hopefully, these exercises have established a foundation for you to create and maintain new habits to get to your goal weight and live a healthy lifestyle. I’m confident that they will help you produce long-lasting changes in yourself so that you can meet all of your health and weight-loss goals.

  You can’t do all exercises every single day. The goal is to do each exercise for thirty days and repeat those that are the most valuable to you.

  Part Four

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  MOTIVATIONAL SUCCESS STORIES

  Part 4, Motivational Success Stories, provides over fifteen motivational success stories and pictures of how others overcame poor eating habits, health issues, low motivation, and depression to lose the weight and keep it off. If they did it, you can too!

  14

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  Motivational Success Stories

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  Kimberly has lost 95 pounds.

  My mother suffered with morning sickness for nine months trying to bring me into this world, and when I arrived, they could not feed me fast enough! I was greedy trying to make up for lost time. As I grew up, I was fascinated with food! I learned to cook and loved to eat. Needless to say, I was a chubby kid until I played sports in high school. As I pursued higher education, I became less active, married, and started having kids of my own. My mom suffered a mild stroke at forty-eight years old. She advised me to lose weight before she passed quietly in her sleep at fifty-four years old. I was seven months pregnant with my second child at the time. Then, to my surprise, nine months later I was pregnant with our third child. I was married, with three small children and a busy career, stressed to the hilt and eating without restraint. My weight spiraled out of control as the “food-pushers” at work brought in free food from all of the best restaurants every day. I tried to ease my pain and stress with food. My heart started acting up, which was scary. I was approaching my fifth-fourth birthday, the same age my mother was when she died. It was time to get serious about my weight loss and my health. I tried every diet known to man. I even had bariatric surgery, but I always gained the weight back! Why? Because I did not change my lifestyle. I constantly went back to eating the way I always ate. You see, I knew how to cook but not how to eat! What I was feeding my body made me feel old, achy, and tired all the time.

  I joined a personal training program and started working out, when someone in the group introduced us to JJ Smith and the Green Smoothie Cleanse. We tried it for ten days and I lost the most weight at 11 pounds! However, I did not know what to do to keep it going. It was not until six months later in January, that I joined JJ Smith’s VIP group (a group that offers coaching by JJ Smith and long-term support for permanent weight loss) and started my first 30-Day Challenge! I lost 16 pounds and have not looked back! To date, I have lost 95 pounds! Moreover, I have kept it off. I have gone from a size 24 to a size 14. I thought my goal weight would be a size 12 but I am leaning toward a size 10. We will see!

  I feel alive, energized! No need for caffeine or energy drinks. I am on fire for this new way of eating healthy, eating clean, detoxing, balancing my hormones, mastering my mind and learning how to take better care of me. My knees feel better! My blood pressure is running low and instead of taking six pills, I take just two! I broke up with diabetes; he was not the one for me. My cholesterol is normal now and my thyroid medication has been reduced! It is amazing.

  I have given away my “big-girl” clothes and managed to find some hidden gems in my closet, like a fur I purchased twenty-seven years ago on my thirtieth birthday that I could never button up. I can button it up now and it fits just right! My too-little suits are now getting too big! I cannot tell you how good this feels after trying desperately for thirty years to lose weight and keep it off!

  My motivation comes into full effect when I try to have a cheat meal. I think I am about to enjoy my favorite dish or snack and after a few bites, I throw it straight in the trash! My taste buds have changed and I no longer like how certain food makes my body feel—tired, sluggish, and less vibrant. The body knows! I have learned to listen and respect it.

  Meal preparation is what keeps me on track. They say if you don’t prepare to win, you prepare to lose! I find this to be so true when it comes to making wise choices about food. I am still a foodie at heart. I love exploring new recipes. The difference is I do not focus on what I can’t or shouldn’t eat. I focus on all of the new healthy things I can eat. I accept the challenge of preparing food in healthier ways without sacrificing taste!

  My words of encouragement to you are to strive for progress, not perfection! Do better today than you did yesterday. That’s all it takes, honestly. Remember, this is a journey not a sprint! Stay the course and you will be surprised at your results! I am the smallest I have been in over thirty years! Most of my friends have never seen me this small. JJ Smith and her team teach you how to feed your body, mind, spirit, and your wallet! She lifts you up and is so encouraging!

  I am a certified GSC Leader who is trying to improve the health of folks in my neck of the woods! JJ has taught me ways to take care of the body that medical school never did. Enough said.

  Davida has lost almost 60 pounds.

  After carrying excess weight for most of my life, trying various diets and still no real success, I finally prayed on the issue. I asked God to show me what to do to have lasting success, not a quick fix. I was thumbing through Facebook, as I normally do, when I started noticing various posts on JJ Smith 10-Day Cleanse. The before and after pictures and testimonials caught my attention and I decided to join the next group cleanse.

  I began my journey on February 9th with my first full cleanse and lost 12.2 pounds that first round. My journey to my goal weight continues, but to date I have lost 58 pounds. This has definitely become a lifestyle change for me over the last two years and one that I will maintain.

  For years, I suffered with high cholesterol and was prescribed cholesterol-lowering statin medication. I never liked taking any prescribed medication, especially the statin due to the side effects. In the nineteen months after I started with JJ’s program, however, my doctor was so thrilled with my weight loss (my vitals came back in a healthy range) that I was taken off the cholesterol medication. My iron levels also improved to an acceptable range. As I regularly say, “Green Smoothies do the body good.” Not only has my health improved but also my skin is glowing. I feel more youthful than I had previously felt in many years.

  My family has been my greatest motivation, especially my mother. She has a heart of gold, but unfortunately suffers with numerous health challenges, some of which could improve with dietary changes and weight loss. She encourages me to press on and continue to take care of my health, because it is hard to get back once you lose it. I want to change the face of the generational curses that have plagued my extended family for far too long. I am thankful to be such an inspiration to my family and friends. Many have told me that I inspire them to press on, exercise, and eat healthier options. To God be the glory. We can walk by faith, but faith without works (healthier food choices and exercise) is dead.

  To remain motivated, I stay close to JJ’s Facebook group for inspiration and support. I meal-plan, shop, and prep for the week. I also keep healthy snacks on hand at all times to ward off hunger. I would advise anyone on this journey to believe in yourself and tell yourself daily . . . “I got this!”
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  Wanda lost over 130 pounds.

  My name is Wanda Belizario. I remember when my highest point ironically became the lowest point in my life. Being 5’6” and reaching an all-time high weight of 342 pounds destroyed what little self-esteem I had left after being in an abusive relationship for two years, then a silent emotional one for several years. That is truly when, unbeknownst to me, I had internally lost myself and tried to hide my depression under food. Because I allowed myself to believe that I was smaller than what I was, to the outside world I looked happy. This worked great for some time. I hid under big T-shirts, wore sweatpants, and always had my clothes tailored—not wanting to know my actual size. I was selective with whom I shared vacation pictures and I was mostly always covered with a towel embarrassed about how I looked in a swimsuit. Then there was the development of social media.

  Little did I know that social media, which I initially feared because of the pressure to post pictures and videos, would become my salvation. While I had control over what I posted, I had no control over the pictures posted of me by someone else. I remember one post that did it for me, it was like being forced to look at myself and the comments of shock and disbelief from people who had not seen me in years. It killed me. I felt crushed. Yet it was then that I decided to do something about it. First, I visited my doctor who recommended I see a nutritionist. The nutritionist suggested that I start slow, reducing daily calories, not to expect things to happen fast and to make sure I was mentally ready for the change.