Now that the holiday mania is behind us we can all get back to the business of getting healthy. No more roadblocks ahead other then the usual. A new year helps us to focus and have a time line to structure our efforts. It gives fuel to the commitment to lose weight. Yes…the whole world is beginning their diets today…and many of them will fail, but they don’t have what we have! While they are struggling to lose 3 or 4 pounds a month, month after month, we can see real progress as each day passes. Given a choice, would you rather lose 4 pounds this month or 20? Maybe even more? That alone will keep you motivated to stay on track.

I wish you all a wonderful 2008. Make this a year that you get your priorities in order. Your health comes first, then your family, then your financial health, and then your friends. Don’t allow those to get out of sync.

Let’s all raise a glass (of Cambridge!) to the NEW YEAR and a NEW YOU!!

Controlling your eating and changing your lifestyle can seem like trying to move mountains, but mostly it is a mind set. It all begins…or ends in your thinking. Thoughts proceed actions and even though you may not be aware of it, every pound that you are overweight is a result of thoughts you allowed to take root in your mind. A lot of diet failure is chalked up to lack of will power or food addictions, maybe even genetics, but in reality each one of us has the same potential for living a healthy happy lifestyle as anyone else. Change your thinking and you can change your world.

If you are struggling with your weight you are probably also struggling with your self worth or image. Maybe you avoid social events or make excuses to not be involved in activities where your weight could be an issue. You may have constructed a life that makes avoiding these things easier, like dropping friends or adopting those who share your limitations. Perhaps going to work each day, coming home and plopping down on the couch with a bag of fast food for an evening of TV is enough for you, or maybe it is all you know. Well I can tell you that there is a whole world out there that you are missing out on! The sacrifice that you are making to maintain your weight is a very poor compensation for the life you should be living.

I challenge each one of you to no longer settle for living half a life. Food is not a substitute for love, friendship, entertainment, or any other emotional hole you are trying to fill. I challenge you to start living like this is the only life you get…because it is! Another year has ticked by. Will you let yet another slip by unnoticed, or will you make 2008 the year you woke up and started living?

I would encourage each of you to take some time to evaluate the year past and to write down what you want to accomplish in 2008. Writing down your thoughts gives them muscle and you will be amazed at how it will evolve in to reality. Don’t be afraid to think big. If weight loss is your number 1 issue, then put that at the top of your list. If you need to lose 15 pounds, 50, or 150 or more, write it down and get ready! If you want to wait until Jan 1st to begin your new life’s path then that is just fine. Order you Cambridge supply now. Have it in place, maybe even on display! Arrange your environment to support your efforts. Get your family and friends on board if that would be a positive contribution. If not, keep it private. They will all be noticing soon enough.

If you are already on your path to health and weight loss, I encourage you to continue and to not find any reason to quit. If you have been struggling to get back on track then use the New Year to begin again and in no time you will be back in weight losing mode. It is never too late and you are never too old to change your life for the better. 2008? Bring it on!

We go through this same thing every year, and every year I will have customers that had been doing great with their diets who decide to go off for the day to celebrate, only to find out too late that they can’t seem to get it together again and they then spend months trying to get back on track.

Please consider all sides of this before making your decision as to what you will do for Thanksgiving and then the coming month leading right through Christmas and on to New Years. There will be lots of opportunities to eat foods that you have no business eating. Holiday foods are calorie rich and nutrient poor. For some reason we feel entitled to overindulge, but if you really think about it…why? They are really just like any other day on the calendar except for the celebrations we have attached to them. We are free to choose not to cave in to the hype and commercialism of any of the next few holidays rolling in.

I think there is nothing wrong with putting your own needs ahead of anyone else’s right now. The worst thing you could do is make a decision that could cause you to lose your way and fall back in to old habits. We all have family expectations to consider, but just this once don’t forget to put yourself on the list, and I don’t mean at the end! Base your decisions on what is best for you and make that priority #1 this year. By Jan 2nd life will return to normal and you can either be flying high with the success of having lost weight or you can be feeling regrets like you probably have many times before.

So what should you do?

That is not a question anyone can answer for you, not even me. You know your options and you know their outcomes. Just don’t talk yourself in to believing that you are immune to falling off the wagon. No one is immune. We are addicts in many respects of the word and like addicts we have a strong tendency to revert back to old behaviors regardless of how destructive they may be to our health. Just consider the possibility that you can chose to not observe the holidays this year, at least as far as the eating goes, or you can make the decision to not abuse yourself with food and only make good choices. The world will not end and no one will disown you. You are your own best advocate and you need to step up for yourself. You need to take care of yourself.

If you owned a business with several employees you would never expect any of them to have as much invested in your success as you do. It is the same with your diet and your health. Oh sure, people love you, but they are not walking around in your skin feeling your pain. Don’t put any of them in charge of making any decisions or choices where your diet is concerned.This is truly something that you have complete control over…if you chose to…and I hope you will chose to nurture yourself in to 2008 a stronger healthier person in body, heart, and mind. Happy and healthy holidays everyone!

It is true that the surgery can have an effect on these conditions, but that is only because these health problems are generally caused by obesity and inactivity. The surgery does not “cure” these conditions, the weight loss does. It is part of your body being able to restore the normal balance it is constantly striving to achieve that the extra weight interferes with. The fact is that weight loss, as long as it is done in a healthy manner such as with Cambridge, can correct most if not all of these dangerous health risks that overweight people suffer from.

So my question is this…rather then say that the surgery is the cure for these problems, why not state the whole truth, that weight loss and exercise is the cure for obesity and all the many health conditions that come with it? I also find it interesting that no mention was made of the potential complications that so many people suffer from after these surgeries. The death rate is still too high in my opinion and even though they have improved their techniques and surgeons are more experienced (hopefully!) in doing these, there is still short and long term consequences that many people are left to deal with. Regaining the weight is also still common and with that will come the same health problems that were present before with the added problem of a body that is not being fully nourished.

Cambridge is the perfect alternative for those that are considering surgery. You can lose the weight just as rapidly, only healthfully and without damaging your body or your future health. You will have the pride of knowing that you did this yourself! It is a great feeling! Your family will not have to endure the stress and worry of surgery and recovery and neither will you! From day one on Cambridge you will feel your body getting healthier. You will feel younger too as your energy returns and your body soaks up the balanced nutrition in the products. Knowing what I do, I can not imagine ever making the choice to surgically alter and damage my healthy digestive tract for the sake of losing weight when Cambridge is so easy to do, tastes so good, and is so affordable.

If you are considering surgery or you know someone that is, why not try Cambridge for a month first? It has a money back guarantee so you can try it and see how you do. If you are like most, you will abandon the idea of surgery and stick with Cambridge. There has never been another weight loss product like it! You won’t regret it!

How many of you notice that as you leave your car in the parking lot of your local grocery store the overwhelming fragrance of fried chicken from the deli or cookies from the bakery wafting through the air? How many times has it encouraged you to make an impulse buy? Sometimes the order is so strong it is obvious that it is a marketing ploy, but you still find yourself heading for those counters as soon as you enter the store.

Oddly enough, at my Albertson’s grocery store, the scent of fried chicken is unbelievably strong in the parking lot, but when you enter the store…there isn’t any in the fryer! They are pumping out an artificial fragrance and are assuming that we are all dumb enough to not realize that.

I received this article from www.mercola.com which was taken from an article in The New York Times and I thought it was worth sharing with you all.

“Within a broader movement known as “full-sensory branding,” the practice of scent marketing — using specially formulated fragrances to make you buy unrelated products and services — is on the rise. Smell, it is said, has an unrivaled power to evoke emotion, and this power can be harnessed to boost sales.

Hundreds of companies already set your mood with piped-in aromas, in everything from real estate show rooms to shoe stores. Advertising Age named the practice one of the top 10 trends to watch in 2007. ScentAir, a producer of aroma-marketing systems, stated their business quadrupled between 2005 and 2006.

But why use scent?

Because companies have realized that to stay competitive, and be successful in an advertisement-crammed world where consumers are bombarded with sights and sounds, other avenues must be tapped. “Fragrance is the only thing left,” says Harald Vogt, founder of the Scent Marketing Institute. “You cannot turn off your nose. You have to breathe.”

So, with between $50 million to $80 million being spent on scent marketing in 2006 alone, does it really work?

According to researchers, yes. According to Martin Lindstrom, author of “Brand Sense,” the bible of full-sensory marketing, “People will make quicker decisions, be willing to pay more, and most likely be so emotionally engaged that they are removed from the rational part of their behavior.”

There are hurdles however, as one man’s scent is another man’s nuisance. Scent preferences are not only gender biased, there are also cultural and generational preferences — there is no such thing as a universally admired scent. Additionally, people often form negative associations to smells more easily than positive ones.

Another problem is the possibility of scent overload, similar to noise pollution. And smells might downright torture people with chemical sensitivities, for example. This is not a deterrent for many businesses though, who want to appeal not just to your mind, but also to your emotions, psyche, heart and soul, in an effort to make you buy, buy, buy.”

New York Times September 9, 2007

So how does it make you feel to be so manipulated? It doesn’t set well with me at all! On top of that, so many people are scent sensitive that these aromas can actually cause illness, but the greed of the retailers is stronger then their concern for their customers.

For those of you who are working on your weight loss and are still needed by your families to do the grocery shopping, I would encourage you to only shop at those stores that are not using this devious technique to manipulate your decisions. It can be overwhelming to be faced with these odors when you are in the early stages of your diet. If it is unavoidable that you shop there, then I would strongly suggest that you not go alone. Take a family member that has your best interest at heart along with you…someone that will not cave in to the smells themselves of course! Avoid the ready to serve deli and bakery, as well as the center isles that mostly contain highly processed junk foods. Shop the perimeter where you will find mostly fresh produce, meats, dairy and whole grains. Don’t automatically reach for the products at eye level. These are typically the most processed and unhealthy foods in the stores. Look at the top and the bottom shelves where you will usually find the healthier options. You will be making better choices for your family. Don’t forget about the health food stores in your area too! You can rest assured that they are NOT using aroma to sway their customers. Also, don’t make the mistake of assuming that the foods at these stores are more expensive. Most are not and in fact can be more economical then the processed foods at the regular stores. You will not be making the impulse buys as you might at the grocery stores and you will likely find that you save money. Your family and your wallet will think you, and you will not be supporting the devious marketing that is now so common in the world today.