Stacey Halprin

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Case Study

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 00:37:00 +0000

I received a great question today written by a student, she asked, I watched a clip of you on Oprah today, in my university social psychology class. If you don't mind me asking, how did you afford your lifestyle of mass eating and in this certain interview you said you spent three days a week in bed?

I thought it was a great intuitive question and I will answer it very simply by saying, that I begged, I borrowed and I stole like any other addict, as it is the very same thing any addict would do. When an addict wants something they get it, and I talked about stealing in my book “Winning after Losing”. If you compared food to alcoholism, I was a gutter drunk. I think it’s great that this would be a topic in a psychology class who knew people would study me! Lol! Hope you are well and enjoying the spring… With love Stacey

" Women, Food and God"

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey) — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 21:39:00 +0000

Two weeks ago, I wrote about a place in New York, that I hang out at to have coffee and today sitting on the bench when I got there was Danny Devito, I thought I had stepped into a taxi rerun. New Yorkers, are great, they really for the most part leave the stars alone. I guess we are used to seeing them and also know that when we see them, it is usually their day off.

Yesterday, I watched Oprah and she talked about a book I must get it’s called "Women Food and God" by Geneen Roth.

We spend so much of our time thinking about our food, body images, issues and dieting, that this book teaches us to let all that go and be happy with who we are no matter what we weigh or what we eat. The funny part is that when we do this we become so free we are able to shed pounds with a lot less effort. Oprah really stressed how horrible it was the amount of time and thought that goes into this subject. We hide and avoid people and isolate ourselves which only makes the problem worse.

I want to be free of my addiction to thoughts about my body. I want this so badly I can taste it, pun intended! They will be having the author on in May to discuss the book. This whole issue really interests me because I’m sick and tired of most of my daily thoughts surrounding around the whole food issue, I want to be free to fill my mind with new things. One of my favorite cousins is getting married on July fourth in a big extravaganza of a wedding, and instead of thinking of all the fun, I’m thinking about how I should hold off and get a gown at the last minute so I can lose more weight. If I am going to diet or eat what I want that night, what my body will look like and on and on and on, it’s truly outrageous.

We really are ok today no matter what the scale says. Accept yourself at this very moment because I assure you it is the only way you can move on from here. Wishing you a week of foodless and bodiless thoughts Love Stacey

passover and easter the "food revolution"

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey) — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 23:31:00 +0000

Happy Passover and Easter to all my friends.

I have always associated holidays with food, I know the matzo ball holiday is Passover and the blintzes holiday is Hanukkah. I am also well aware that marshmallow peeps means Easter.

Why are holidays always associated with tons of food? I watched the television show with Jamie Oliver “Food Revolution’ and all I can say is it is about time. When he showed that pizza was being served to little kids in school as breakfast, I was truly appalled. This country has to wake up and realize we cannot get caught up in the red tape of life anymore. People's excuses for doing bad things, is that it has been done that way for years. On the show, Jamie showed kids vegetables and asked them to name them and they could not, however, they could name French fries and chicken nuggets…how sad.

We are raising our children to die young from major illnesses. I am so happy that www.OurResolution.com is getting very involved with children diabetes and other problems associated with childhood obesity, I so look forward to getting more and more involved with kids and going to camp this summer will help me to learn a lot. We need to all remember why we are celebrating the holiday, more then what we are eating. Hope you are well With love Stacey

coffee"tawk"

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 20:20:00 +0000

Are you a coffee snob? I think I have become one, before I moved into Manhattan 10 yrs ago, coffee was just something to wash down cake with. In fact, I filled the cup almost all the way with milk then topped it with a little coffee. Then when I started losing weight coffee became dessert for me. I would look forward to iced coffee with skim milk and lots of splenda.

Pre Manhattan days I would not have known the difference between Starbucks, Duncan Donuts, or the deli. Let’s just say when it came to the topic of coffee I was not chock full of knowledge HA HA!

Then when I became more mobile and was able to walk, one day I was served a superb cup of coffee and it felt like I tasted coffee for the first time. I used to frequent a place on my block called The Mercury Dime, they were the first to serve me a great cup of coffee. Going to a coffee shop in Manhattan is a whole social scene and you find yourself in a lot of interesting conversations, I got to know all the people on the street I live when I went to The Dime. Since The Dime closed I can no longer just walk into my local deli for coffee. I was in search of the perfect cup and I found it a little out of my neighborhood. on 7th street in the East Village a place called Abraco. The first day I walked up to the cute man Jamie behind the counter and said "I’ll have an ice latte" and he said no you have to have the ice coffee and I said yes to his boldness, even though I thought latte would be better. He handed me the iced concoction and one sip on the straw and I knew I found my place. This place is standing room only on the inside and out and although I prefer a place to sit I cannot stop taking my daily walk to Abraco. My dog Tush and I find someone's stoop to hang out on or we sit on the little bench outside. Liz the cook can turn an ordinary vegetable into gold. They only use natural ingredients in everything. I find myself talking one day outside to a couple from Switzerland and the next day to a guy from London, I ask these people how they found this place when they are from out of town and they tell me they know some local coffee snobs themselves. So if you are in the East Village you must stop by. Enough coffee tawk! WITH LOVE STACEY

weighty matters

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 23:51:00 +0000

Spring ahead fall back, yes, we have changed into brighter and longer days. It has been five weeks since I made that promise to myself that I would not talk about weight on my blog or in life for that matter; What did I learn?, to be honest not much. I learned what I already knew, and that was weight is my main passion. People want to talk to me about it and they proved it by sending me emails. Does that mean that is all I can talk about, certainly not, I am full of all sorts of subjects.

Not talking about weight is like asking Jim Carey not to be funny; it’s just what he does. I think that is the main reason people come to my blog, to hear about my story, to see if I am keeping it off and to give them hope about their own personal struggle with weight.

I noticed that talking about my weight is like other people talking about their jobs and sometimes to be honest people talk about their jobs too much. I guess it is what makes us humans feel accomplished. So in the future, I will be talking about all sorts of things but there will always be that weighty matter called my life that I feel compelled to talk about.

I bought a new pedometer, as my old one stopped working and it feels good to have it on again. I believe 10,000 steps is the goal, which is about five miles and I am up to about half of that. I am sure by the time I go to camp I will meet that goal. Have a great day, with love STACEY

A KID AGAIN

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 18:40:00 +0000

Camp Shining Stars Newsletter Special Guest News
March 2010

We are happy to announce a special guest for the summer of 2010: Stacey Halprin!

Stacey Halprin is the author of Winning After Losing, a book that relays weight loss advice from experts along with her inspirational life story about losing over 300 pounds.

DURHAM, NC, March 1, 2010-Camp Shining Stars "Where Winners LOSE," a teen weight loss camp in Eastern NC, announces Stacey Halprin will be their special guest volunteer for the summer of 2010.

Her goal this summer is to inspire young adults to have a healthy adult life with long term weight control. Halprin has appeared on Oprah a handful of times and also starred in Dresscode alongside Shirley MacLaine, Kathy Bates and Gary Sinise. Halprin will stay at Camp Shining Stars for their entire 6-week summer session. Her website is: www.StaceyHalprin.com.

Unique Teen Weight Loss Experience

"I've known Stacey for a long time and her energy is contagious," said Camp Director, Ira Green. "Campers are in for a real treat this summer. Stacey is fun and serious about long term weight loss. This is a great combination for young adults to learn from." Camp Shining Stars maintains a small size of 100 campers to foster a close-knit environment conducive with weight loss control.

Halprin will share her personal struggles and successes in addition to joining campers in their activities and dining with them. She wants to get back into shape after recent weight gain and feels campers will identify with her current battle. "I am really looking forward to meeting all the campers. Having this opportunity to submerse myself in the camp experience will be motivational for the campers and for me," said Halprin. "I am so excited for camp to begin! I feel like a kid again counting down to summer vacation."

Summer Weight Loss Camp at College

Camp Shining Stars defies the conventions of 'fat camp' by providing private, air-conditioned dormitory residences on a college campus. Camp is held annually at Barton College in Wilson, NC. Campers are aged from 11-19 and may enroll for a 3-week or 6-week summer session. Those attending the 6-week session are guaranteed to lose 7-17% of their total body weight. Camp begins on June 27th and ends on August 7th.

Camp Office Open 7 Days a Week! Call Today!

Camp Shining Stars Director: Ira Green
Phone: (866) 644-2709 or (919) 246-4865
Web Site: CampShiningStars.org
E-mail: Ira@CampShiningStars.org

"Give the Gift of a Healthier Lifestyle;
and Permanent Weight Loss;
For Your Loved Ones!"

POOR TIGER

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 19:28:00 +0000

I really am appalled at the press conference that was given by Tiger Woods. It makes me feel like we are back in the day when the villagers all gathered around to watch a public hanging or to throw stones or even worse the guillotine. In my humble opinion, Tiger owes only two apologies, one to his family and one to the companies that pay for him to have a clean image. Why, don’t we just leave the guy alone, I do not think that America needs to know who he sleeps with, and yes this is how I really feel.

On another topic, I will be heading off to Atlanta to speak at the America Diabetes Association Expo on March 27th 2010. I am so very happy to be part of such an important topic which affects so many people. One of the things I will be sharing is how after my bariatric surgery my Type 2 Diabetes was completely resolved. So to all my friends and fans in the Atlanta area or even out of the Atlanta area, be sure to check my website for location. You can also check out www.OurResolution.com for updates. I would love to see you all there. Have a great week, with love Stacey

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 21:40:00 +0000

VALENTINES DAY

The two men in my life

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 21:11:00 +0000

In my entire life I have only celebrated Valentine’s Day twice and this year made it the second time. My boyfriend and I did it New York style, which means brunch. I was so impressed when Eddie showed up in a nice suit and carrying a gift in hand. I really appreciated all the thought he put into making this day special for me. I am not used to anyone caring for me in that way. He gave me a gift that was great and so useful to me; it was a pocket camcorder, because he knows how much I want to document my camp experience this summer. In the meantime I’ll take lot of movies of Tushy.

Valentine’s Day used to only mean one thing to me and that was candy on sale the next day. Now today, Valentine’s Day, is no longer about candy, it is about love and learning to accept love in an intimate way and feeling that you are deserving of it. With that I am still a work in progress. Wishing you all love this year, Stacey Ps. What does Valentine’s Day mean to you?

Let it snow

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:36:00 +0000

Let it snow… Let it snow… Let it snow… Yes, folks the streets of Manhattan are paved with snow. It’s beautiful for today and I love it. Tomorrow everything in the city will black including my dog Tushy he will be black and that’s the way things are in the city.

This was Tushys first big snowstorm and he loved it. At first he looked at me like “Mommy, what is this?”, and then he took off in a blanket of whiteness.

It’s hard to believe, that in four and a half months we will be in camp and it will be hot and I will be hopefully be in a pool doing all the aerobic exercises that I cannot do on the land due to my knee. I got at least three calls yesterday, from people who lived in the suburbs telling me to stock up on food and supplies cause there is a blizzard coming. I do not think people in the suburbs understand that in the city all we have to do is walk to the corner and we can have everything. New Yorkers never panic over snow we are a tough bunch. Stay warm everyone, with love Stacey

george from seinfeld is on a diet

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey) — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 21:36:00 +0000

I laughed my head off, when I saw that Jason Alexander was going to be the new Jenny Craig spokesman. I saw the commercial for the very first time last night, he asks Valerie Bertinelli to help him lose 30 lbs.

Imagine George Costanza on Jenny Craig! It would have made for a few very funny Seinfeld episodes. He should have called Tommy Lasorda and got some advice, after all he was the slim fast man for awhile. It’s fun to think of who will make the next spokesperson after George, I don't think Lou Grant would be interested! lol

Tough Decisions

noreply@blogger.com (Bryan) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 18:09:00 +0000

Decisions... Decisions... Decisions. I have been given a wonderful opportunity, a very reputable weight loss camp has asked me if I would come this summer and help motivate the kids and at the same time help me meet my weight loss goals.

Of course, I won't go into the weight part portion, as I promised you to stay off that topic for one month and this is week number two. The owner of the camp saw me speaking at one of my engagements and came up to me and said "Did you go to weight watchers camp in Pennsylvania when you were a kid?" I said "Yes when I was 13." He said "I was your waiter!" My mouth hung open. "Are you kidding me?" I said. How did you recognize me after all these years? For some reason he did and now he wants me to be part of his camp experience.

The first thing I asked was can my dog come and he said yes. What a thrill to be given a chance to be part of a child's life that is in this weight war. It would be for six weeks in North Carolina. I thought, wow this could be a chance to get off those extra pounds that bother me so much and to have a real effect on a child's life. I wish when I went to camp, I had a woman like me to talk to. Trust me I have a lot I could share with them. For some reason I have not said a full yes as of yet. I am a bit hesitant and I cannot figure out why. I am going to take the rest of the weekend to think about it and I'll let you know.

By the way if you want to hear a fabulous story about a women who beat the odds with her weight go to bariatrics4diabetes.com , you will be amazed at this story and they will continue updates following her amazing life through this battle. Well I have some decisions to make and will keep you updated. Let me know what you think of Dana's story.

With love,
Stacey

THE MOST COMPLICATED YET GREATEST RELATIONSHIP- MOMS

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 02:25:00 +0000

Well, my mom finished her radiation treatments in New York and went back to Florida this week. I know she was happy about going home, but we were both sad also, because we got to spend six weeks together. It’s funny how when you get older your mom becomes more of a friend than she is a mother figure. We shared a lot of things we would have not normally shared years ago. Yes, we fight like cats and dogs, but the beauty of a good mother/daughter relationship is no matter how bad we fight, or the not so nice words we said, the next day we are back to normal and the slate is clean, I find this much harder to do that with friends.

For the first time in my life I can really see my growth, as a person, through my relationship with my mom. I was able to be there for her 100% for the very first time in my life. When she got on that plane, I felt no guilt, no remorse or no wishing I had said or did something different. That was one of the best feelings in my life. I could tell that my mom trusted that I would be there for her and she could count on me which is so much growth for me. It’s a new role my life to have people in general look to me for answers and strength. My role was to always be the needy one. I like my new role in life, and I look forward to being there for other people. I get to do that a lot through the [Our Resolution] campaign. I look forward to the spring and to traveling again to meet people and to get a chance to make a difference in their lives.

My dog Tushy turned one this month and the poor guy just had his manly parts cut off. I really did not want to do it, but just in case the doctors are right and his chances for bad health are greater I thought it was best. He is such a friendly dog to children, adults and other PETS that I decided this year; we will get certified so Tushy can be a comfort dog. Eventually, we will visit people in hospitals, especially children to cheer them up. Tushy is a Maltese and is a non allergic dog and does not shed so he will be perfect.

Have a good week my friends, with great love and respect STACEY

No Weight Talk Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Bryan) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 02:56:00 +0000

If someone tells me I need to change something about myself, I do not listen, as I pride myself on my uniqueness. If two people tell me that I might want to think about changing something about myself, I do not listen. If three to five people tell me, I still do not listen, but after five I know it's time to look at this behavior that people are calling to my attention. I call this blog the "NO WEIGHT TALK CHALLENGE”.

In April of 2010, it will be eight years since I had my gastric bypass surgery. I have maintained a three hundred pound weight loss for about five years now. When I meet people for the first time as I am doing today I feel compelled to somehow see, to bring the conversation to the fact that I once weighed 550 pounds. It's almost an obsession. I feel as if I do not have a lot to offer if I do not bring my accomplishments to the table, again hence the obsession.

My own boyfriend of almost two years tells me that I talk about the old me way to much. He tells me that he does not know that me, that it was before his time. Recently someone I work with asked me why all my blogs somehow always go back to the topic of weight. This women told me I have so much more going on in my life and I live in a very exciting city and she tells me I have great stories to tell that have nothing to do with my weight. My answer to her is that I am now a proud spokesperson of one of the greatest companies called Covidien part of the [Our Resolution] campaign which you can visit at www.OurResolution.com. I am also a motivator, so in my mind I assume that is all people wish to talk about. The woman also told me, yes all those things are true, but you are also a fabulous women with lots to share and I should try to share other stuff too.

Ok, so I've heard this over and over even from Oprah Winfrey, who told me live on her show that when I was dating I was giving out too much info about my past too soon. So here is where I am finally acknowledging it's time to be the new me. Does that mean I won't talk about weight issues, no way, of course I will. I feel A RESPONSIBILITY to share with people about my success and how just a few short months after having weight loss surgery my diabetes, my high blood pressure and my high cholesterol have all resolved themselves to normal numbers. I also see now that I have to embrace the new me, the me that is not just about her weight issues. I am giving myself a one month challenge ,for one month from today after this blog is posted I will not mention weight issues AT all unless to announce somewhere I will be speaking or if someone writes in a weight related question. There's more, I also will not discuss my weight with anyone I meet for the first time or old friends unless of course they bring it up. So, for the next month’s blog they will be non weight related and at the end of the month I will report to you how I did and if I learned anything. I will be sure to share it with you. So here goes, wish me luck...

With love and respect,
STACEY

"We are as sick as our secrets"'

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 21:16:00 +0000

Every year, since I can remember, my New Year’s resolution had to do with weight and never anything else. This year it is going to be different, for the first time, because I now believe if I can work on this particular issue, everything that has to do with weight will just keep getting better.

When people lose a lot of weight, unfortunately they usually exchange it with another bad addiction, which usually takes the place of the old one. I talk about this more in my book “Winning after Losing’. For some it becomes like alcohol as Carne Wilson admitted she struggled with for awhile, for others it can become a sex addiction (my body is not in good enough shape for that one lol!} For me it turned out to be a shopping addiction. It all started out very innocently. .

My whole life I had to order all my clothes from a dress maker, because even the larger size stores did not carry my size. It would normally take about a month from the time I purchased the material till I got the finished clothes back; so when I got to the point where I lost enough weight to buy clothes in the stores I was literally (no pun intended) like a kid in a candy store. When I realized I could actually take the clothes home with me the same day well I went nuts!!!!!(More food talk lol) I started buying everything in sight just because it fit. It got to the point that if I had a guest stay at my apartment, I had to borrow a clothing rack to put in the living room. I have a small one bedroom apartment in Manhattan, so I was getting a bit closed in. It graduated to beyond clothes I had became a home shopping network addict. I almost bought a garden hose even though I don’t even have a backyard just because they described it on TV so well ha ha but I swear.

It had gotten so out of hand that I no longer allowed my boyfriend to come over to the apartment for several months, because I was embarrassed at what my apartment had become. I finally along with the help of my shrink, my mom and the cable show “Clean house” put two and two together. I had replaced half gallons of ice-cream and whole pizzas with “stuff”, and it did not matter if I went into debt to get it. It started to affect my healthy food choices and that’s when I realized how big this problem was. I vowed that this will be the year I de- clutter my life and my mind and even lose some more weight.

I once heard, ‘We are as sick as our secrets”. So this year, I am coming out of the closet, along with a lot of other junk, and I am going to fix my mess. I started already, in the last two weeks I have removed over twenty big garbage bags of trash out of my house. This is going to be just as hard for me as it was losing 300 lbs, but at least I know I am capable of that kind of change. So how about you? Do you have a junk draw or two that needs tending too? Join me on my de-clutter campaign in 2010. Have a great week…. with love Stacey

2010

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 22:11:00 +0000

OMG, it cannot possibly be a few days away from 2010! It seems like just yesterday, we were all waiting till midnight, the year of Y2K to see if our computer world would fall apart. Where did the time go? I know where it went; mostly it got divided into good and bad choices that we made with our lives.

To say the least, New Years Eve was never my favorite time of year, I always felt forced to have fun and for the most part that never worked. Two years ago, I had my very first New Year’s date, which was very memorable to me, to have someone actually ask me out for New Years was such a new experience for me. I use to be the girl who stayed home and ate a half gallon of ice cream and told everyone I had plans so they would not feel bad for me, It amazes me how quickly my life changed for the better once I turned my bad choices into good choices.

One day, I was saying how will I ever lose 300 lbs and then I had lost 200. One day I had type two diabetes and then very shortly after I started losing weight my diabetes numbers were normal. We might feel totally overwhelmed today with our lives, but I am here to tell you every choice you make counts and your life can turn around for the better so fast that you would not believe it. There are so many things I still want to get right in this life and sometimes it truly overwhelms me. I need to slow down and remember what works for me and then repeat those behaviors. I learned from the Oprah show to write 5 things every day that I am grateful for and I started this at 550 lbs . . . . in the notebook I wrote even the littlest things, like I’m grateful I got out of bed today, I’m grateful I have friends, etc. It is not important whether they are big or small, what is important is that we learn to appreciate things.

So here is my new year’s 2010 grateful list for today:

!. I am grateful that my mom is alive

2 I am grateful that I can go outside everyday and enjoy life

3 I am grateful for my wonderful new dog

4 I am grateful that this year’s mammogram was clean

5 I am grateful that people feel I motivate them

Now start your grateful list and have a great New Years with love … Stacey

New York, New York

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 20:49:00 +0000

If you happen to be in New York City at holiday time, you are very lucky, because there is nothing like it in the whole wide world. The sights… the smells…the friendliness of the people are all not to be missed. The store windows will have you in a jaw dropping awe. They are filled with colors and sounds like no other place. You can barely walk two feet in front of yourself, but it is all worth it to experience the mayhem of New York City.

I was in Macys, on 34th Street Sunday, thinking Sunday, would be a perfect day to shop, because it is a work week area, but boy was I wrong. I took my mom to lunch and we had to wait 45 minutes to be served. There was a long line to get in the restaurant, but no one was doing their usual complaining, instead, people from out of town were asking suggestions of what New York places would be fun to go to. There is a window, in New York City that is so worth talking about, that it was news worthy. I call it the naughty window, near the store Lord and Taylors. This window is set up to look like an apartment and in the apartment there were six girlfriends, hanging out in very scantily clad lingerie. They are just hanging out and pretending that the whole city could not see from the outside. They would go to their dresser drawers and try on different night gowns and lingerie behind a screen then come out and talk with their girlfriends on the couch. This went on for two weeks with changes in shift of course. People crowded around the window all day and not just men. Only in New York!

I do have some sadness at holiday time, although, my mom is fine, she still has to go through radiation during this time and that makes me feel bad. The other thing and something I don’t share too often, but I have a gaping hole in my heart for my precious dog Gertie, who died nine months ago. I will never get over her. I never run out of tears for her, because she was my first dog after I was well enough that I could walk a dog, and nothing and no one ever made me as happy as her. I remember all the things we did last Christmas and I miss her terribly. I LOVE YOU GERTIE-not a day goes by! I hope you all have a joyful holiday season with much love Stacey

P.S. Above photo of Gertie and I last Christmas

Then and Now

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 22:14:00 +0000

This Thanksgiving, while I on my way to my families, I had a memory of a Thanksgiving Day ten years ago. The memory, made me realize how grateful I am for my new life. A close friend of mine was making a big Thanksgiving meal for family and friends out in New Jersey. I knew I was going to be there all day and way into the night. So I packed what I thought to be important to me to have for the day. I brought my pocketbook and a shopping bag. In the bag I put ten individual Tupperware dishes, so my friend could fill them up with leftovers for me to take home. I was not going to take a chance that he would run out of takeout dishes. The other item in the bag was a hand held shower massager that I had someone take out of my shower so I could bring it with me. At that time, I was so big that I could not take care of myself after I went to the bathroom, I needed to bring the hose to hook up in my friends shower so that I could wash myself throughout the day. This memory boggles my mind, because it is not an isolated incident, this was the way I was used to living.

Fast forward now to ten years later to this past Thanksgiving, the only thing I brought to my families was my pocketbook and a hostess gift. It was an effortless day of playing with my 2 yr old cousin and helping to clean the table after dinner. I did not have to worry about anything. I am so happy to have been a dinner guest as opposed to having it myself, because of one thing LEFTOVERS! If I ever make Thanksgiving, I will assure you that all the food will be packed to go for those who came. The only thing I would keep is the turkey and the veggies. I know my weaknesses. Some people pride themselves on being able to handle leftovers, but not me, no way no how. I am glad that I know myself that well after all these years and I am very happy to enjoy a holiday, and not have to eat the whole next week. Hope that you had a great thanksgiving and enjoy all the upcoming holidays. With love, Stacey

Living or Dying?

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:10:00 +0000

Many years ago, someone asked me a question that has stayed in my mind for all this time. I have asked myself this question often over the years. They said “Stacey, are you working on living or dying today?” At the moment I was shocked, and did not even know what they meant, but now I do.

Each day we either do things that is for our well being or not. Every day we have to make choices and sometimes those choices do not support us living a happy and healthy life. If I am eating out of control, obviously that is not working on living. If I choose to stay in bed all day or tell myself I cannot exercise because I am disabled, then I am not working on living. You know what the good news is, with very little effort you can do a few things each day that means you are working on living. If the first day you just start with ten minutes of exercise when you have not done anything in a long time, if you send out two job resumes, if you eat one healthy meal out of three, well then you did more than you did yesterday . I try to do at least three things each day that will move me toward the future I desire. Am I always successful? No, however, I am much more successful than I use to be. You will be surprised how much better you get when you really make a conscious effort. Feeling proud of yourself at the end of the day, makes your next day better and it works like the domino theory. So I ask you are you working on living or dying today?

Thanksgiving Day tip: Eat all the turkey you want. Protein will fill you up. If you want cake have turkey. If you want cookies have turkey. On that day do not worry about eating too much turkey. The scale will reflect carbs way more than turkey ( sans stuffing of course) wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving and wish me luck because I’m a shopping addict and black Friday is coming ! Oh no! LOVE STACEY

Here comes turkey

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:57:00 +0000

"Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil". Who knew that I would be
thinking about food when I heard that quote. Here we go--one week until the floodgates open up all over the place. Four months of severe temptations and then we womder why we feel and look so terrible by the time summer rolls around.

This year I am going to have a new focus. I will exercise instead of obsessing about
what I will not eat at the holiday tables. My new focus will be shifted to when I can walk, when I can walk to the dog park and when I can get outside and push myself
away from the table. I will not dwell on guilt. Instead, my goal will be to move. In place of shooting the breeze in my cousin's room, I will go outdoors with her and chat while we walk. I'm overwhelmed figuring out what I can and cannot eat. This year I'm going to have one plate of whatever I desire and stop.

Lately, I have realized that taking my dog to the dog run is as therapeutic for me as seeing my shrink---just different. It is both exercise and a social event that
calms me and makes me feel at peace.

Find what makes you feel peaceful and less tempted to eat. Let's not feel guilty about food. Keep moving and do your best to make healthy choices. If we eat too much, then we'll walk more or do whatever exercise you choose. Forget that thinking that tells us that if we eat, we blow it all, because that type of thinking is what
stops us. I said it in my book and it is worth repeating---nobody got fat from one binge--never!!! Let me know how you are going to handle the holidays.

With love,
Stacey

Tushys day to shine

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:18:00 +0000

Here is a photo of my dog Tushy,dressed for his first Halloween as a dinosaur. He made everyone from a small child to an elderly man smile that day. I took him to the dog park in my neighborhood of Manhattan and we had a ball. Spending time with my dog not only relaxes me, it also reduces my blood pressure. I take him every place that dogs are permitted, anywhere from Bloomingdales to a
local bar.

This was an emotionally rough week, worrying about my mom. In the end, they did not find any more cancer cells and she is in stage one, That is great news compared to the other possible alternatives.
I'm happy to say that she will be around for a long time and we can have many mother-daughter arguments as well as a lot of shopping time and pleasurable moments.

Have a great week and cherish the things in your life that reduce your stress level.

Love, Stacey

MOM AND MOVIE

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:53:00 +0000

I'm sitting in the hospital waiting room while my mom is undergoing surgery. In my heart, I know that she will be okay and I never doubted that for a minute but I feel badly that she has to go through all of this. Another part of me is grateful that I am able to be here for her. When I was in my larger non-walking days, I could not have been there for anyone even if I wanted to. It's a very good feeling to go from the person who counted on everyone to the person who can be counted on.

On another note, I went to see the Michael Jackson movie and I was totally blown away by his talent . As a person who has always suffered from depression and an eating disorder, I wanted to see if watching Michael in his final days would give any clues to his anorexia and depression. Many times when I watched him being interviewed, he had the saddest
eyes I had ever seen, In this movie there was not single sign that his life was almost over. There was none of the sadness from previous interviews. He cleverly hid his thin body
with layers of clothing. Then, it dawned on me that when he was on stage there was no sign of sadness because he was in the one place that made him happy------the stage.
Although the movie was uplifting, you could not help but leave the theatre with a sense of great loss. The world will certainly miss out on at least 20 years more of the Michael
Jackson magic.

Have a great week and make some of your own magic.

Stacey

Success

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:18:00 +0000

I just got home from speaking in Minneapolis. It went quite well. I got the chance to
speak to a lot of folks who just needed some hope and I had plenty to supply.

Last month when I attended my very first Expo in New York, I wasn't aware of how many freebies and valuable information are distributed. My handbag couldn't hold everything.
This time I got smart. I brought along an empty rolling duffel bag and went from booth to booth filling it up. It felt like adult trick or treating.

After speaking at two seminars, I went to the Covidien booth to meet and greet the people
who wanted to talk. Who knew that the booth I was working at had my favorite gift of the
day. It was a journal, but not just any ordinary journal. This one was designed to record
food intake for the day.

Sometimes we need to go back and repeat a behavior that has worked for us in the past to help get us back on track. Inside the cover of the journal it says, "Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out". Not only did the journal have space to jot down
my thoughts and food, it also had eight little drawings of water glasses to record water intake, three ladies jumping rope to represent exercise, a box to check off multi vitamins
and calcium and finally the one that made me laugh was a drawing of women resting on an
armchair to represent relaxation. Why not eight little chairs, I chuckled. Thank you
Covidien for such an ingenious journal.

I have more to tell you about the event in Minneapolis so stay tuned as this is enough writing
for today. Have a great week.

With love, Stacey

flying in formation

noreply@blogger.com (Stacey) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 22:16:00 +0000

When you see geese heading south for the winter flying along in a "V" formation, the whole flock adds at least 71 percent more flying range than possible if each bird flew on its own. People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going more quickly and easily because they are traveling on the thrust of one another. When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front. If we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation with those who are headed the same way. When the head goose gets tired, it rotates back in the wing and another goose flies point. It is sensible to take turns doing demanding jobs, whether with people or with geese flying south. Geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed. Finally -- and this is important -- when a goose gets sick or is wounded by gunshot and falls out of formation, two other geese fall out with that goose and follow it down to lend help and protection. They stay with the fallen goose until it is able to fly or until it dies. Only then do they launch out on their own or with another formation to catch up with their group. How wonderful it would be if we had the sense of a goose, and would stand by each other like that.
—"Are You a Goose?" by Tom Worsham

A good friend of mine sent this to me and I found it very valuable. It reminded me of something I tell my audiences every single time that do a speaking engagement. I inform them that the biggest lie we tell ourselves is that we can do it alone. Maybe the geese in this story really get that and i hope you get it the way I finally did!

With much love,

Stacy

P.S. Check my homepage for my next speaking engagement on October 24th in
Minneapolis.