Sugar-Free Life: Talk, Guided Visualization, Mindful Eating

This 35-minute program starts with a 5-1/2 minute talk on the addictiveness of sugar and sweetness and the damage they do to the body. This is followed by a 30-min relaxation, creative visualization, imagined mindful eating, and another visualization, all to help you eliminate or reduce unnecessary sugar and carbs from your diet. I made it as a booster for myself but would like to share it. Listen twice a day with all your imagination for a week and once a day for a month. After that, as needed.

Transcript

It wasn't that there was a particular forbidden fruit in the garden.

It was fructose,

A highly addictive substance,

The root of desire and addiction that was forbidden.

If you want a healthy body and a healthy mind,

Ones that nourish and protect your well-being,

Then you will eliminate as many destructive sugars as you can from your life.

You may not agree with me,

And that's okay.

You can move on.

However,

If you do agree with me or you're interested in what I'm about to say and you need to help eliminate them,

You need help eliminating them,

Then this creative visualization is for you.

I will give you a little five to six minute background and then start a creative visualization for you.

If you have heard the background and don't want to hear it again,

You can turn the volume down and practice progressive muscle relaxation or some yoga stretches on your own to loosen up.

Then turn the volume back up when you hear the bell and you are ready to practice the creative visualization.

The background.

Sugar as well as alcohol,

Which metabolizes into the very fast burning sugar,

Like high octane corn syrup,

Is more addictive than cocaine or heroin.

It creates the same kind of peaks and valleys in people's moods and energy levels,

Meaning that people are always chasing it to fill their lows,

To fill in their valleys.

Sugar and its cousin alcohol are socially acceptable but regrettable addictions.

Did you know that alcoholics who go on the wagon often go very crazy for sugar?

Next best anesthesia,

I guess.

One of my friends trying to stay sober drank maple syrup right out of the bottle.

The addictive nature of sugar,

Just like alcohol,

Makes it very profitable.

You may or may not know that the sugar industry paid off the medical researchers last century in the 1970s and 80s to blame oil for the obesity problem in the United States.

And to this day,

Oil continues to get a bad rap.

Like drug pushers,

The food industry is always giving people a little this and that for free,

Always trying to add it to things you eat.

Why?

They want to keep you hooked.

I will always remember going to a convenience store in Taiwan and being really surprised,

A little shocked,

To find a little package of Frosted Flakes with Tony Tiger and all sitting right on the top of my salad.

I really didn't understand until it dawned on me.

The sugar pushers wanted to make sure I didn't escape from their clutches by eating that salad.

Yes,

Sugar has an evil effect on your self-control,

But its effect on your body is even more devastating.

There are many examples and I will not get into them,

But I will tell you my own story.

Thirty years ago,

I decided to quit smoking during a year back in the United States.

I heard people who quit smoking gained weight.

So following a doctor's suggestion,

I went on a low-fat,

Almost no-fat diet.

It was simple.

I could eat anything but oil.

I went for sugar,

Especially jelly beans.

I cut almost all fat.

The only meat I ate was one,

Maybe two chicken breasts a day.

For dessert,

All I had were meringues and jelly beans.

I stayed slim and I worked out daily.

I looked great.

But because I was feeling sluggish,

I went in for a checkup.

The doctor looked at my blood test and said,

Mr.

Steed,

You have the highest cholesterol I have ever seen in my career.

Your numbers are going through the ceiling.

Cut down on your meat or get prepared for a heart attack.

I scoffed.

One chicken breast a day is too much meat?

I thought,

There has to be something very wrong.

I stopped that diet,

Which also blew my metabolism,

And immediately gained 30 pounds in almost two months.

Later,

I returned to Asia and I started researching the next diet.

Reading about one diet,

One that many doctors disliked at the time,

By the way,

I realized,

Oh my gosh,

Jelly Belly,

Jelly beans sent my cholesterol through the ceiling.

I started eating high quality proteins with fat,

By the way,

And lots of greens.

I became the green Mimi as I envisioned myself.

My weight and my cholesterol drops and my energy levels returned.

In my readings,

I discovered that sugar shock was a trigger for both fat storage and more importantly for fat production.

So even on a low fat diet,

The jelly beans were inducing my body to go into cholesterol production.

My blood tests showed that I had a high glucose,

High lipid body chemistry.

Some people call it skinny fat.

Being great,

But clearly pre-diabetes.

This is my story,

My explanation.

I'm not a physician and this is not medical advice,

But I do know that I'm very well read and I have read the research.

Sugar has a devastating effect on your mind and body.

That's my conclusion and the end of my background material.

Now if you want,

You can join me in the following meditation and creative visualization to help you go sugar-free and protect your own self-control and health.

The meditation and creative visualization,

Sugar-free.

Go to a place where you will not be bothered.

If you aren't already,

Get in a comfortable position,

Lying down or sitting back with your arms and legs uncrossed in a recliner or sitting straight like you might on a stool.

Feet flat on the floor,

Hands placed above your knees,

Top of your head pushing the sky up like a jack.

Hands back to the middle of your thighs so your shoulders are straight,

Back straight.

Breathe out and shoulders relax,

Muscles hanging off them like wet clothes on a hanger.

We are going to relace the face as a model for your body to follow.

So close your eyes and look up inside your head toward the space behind the top of your forehead,

Maybe behind the middle of your two eyebrows.

And relax all the muscles in your eyelids and the muscles around your eyes.

Relax them,

Relax them,

Relax them.

Take a little deep breath in and breathe out a little,

Sending the relaxation into your cheeks and jaw,

Feeling the jaw open just a little bit.

And take a deeper breath in,

Double the relaxation around your eyes,

Cheeks and jaws and breathe out,

Sending that relaxation like a big wave down through your chest,

Abdomen,

Arms,

Legs and out your feet,

Feeling wonderful all the way down.

And do it again,

Inside your head,

Looking toward the space behind the top of your forehead with the space behind your two eyebrows.

Relax all the muscles in your eyelids and the muscles around your eyes.

Now relaxing them twice as much,

Relaxing them until they are so relaxed that they prefer to stay stuck down.

When you try to open them,

When you try to open them and you know that they just love to stay shut,

Take a deep breath in and breathe out,

Sending that relaxation around your eyes through your facial muscles and like a big wave down through your throat,

Chest,

Abdomen,

Arms,

Legs and out your feet,

Feeling wonderful all the way down.

Now imagine you are like a leaf dropping down from a tree like the one in Forrest Gump dropping down,

Going down and into a window and resting on a feather bed.

Or if you're not afraid of water,

Imagine you are a pebble dropping into a clear,

Quiet pond and landing softly on the bottom.

The leaf down through the air,

Past the butterflies back and forth,

Around and down.

The pebble down through the water,

Past the goldfish.

The leaf peacefully through the open window.

The pebble past all the water plants.

The leaf lighting very lightly,

Very comfortably on top of the feather bed.

The pebble very quietly,

Very softly on top the soft floor of the pond.

And as you are there,

You might notice while you're on the bed,

Although the breeze is blowing outside,

Or if you're on the bottom of the pond,

Although there are ripples on the water surface,

You are both where you are.

Comfortable,

Safe,

Quiet and peaceful.

You can relax here,

Undisturbed,

Here in your special place.

Here you relax,

Rest and dream beautiful daydreams.

And you can return here anytime you like.

Let's practice.

Allow yourself to almost come back out of your meditative state going 1,

2,

3,

4,

Almost out and then put your thumb and ring finger together.

Look up inside your head towards the back of your forehead again.

Hold the ring and ring and thumb together tightly and take a deep breath in,

Holding it.

Holding it there is a thought stopper.

And when you're ready to return to your special place,

Just say to yourself,

All the way down and breathe out and relax.

Your unconscious mind will bring you back to your special place.

4,

Down and around,

Relaxing more and more.

Drifting down,

Down and around and 2 and 1.

Your special place,

Relaxed,

Rested,

Warm,

Cozy,

Peaceful and protected.

And undisturbed,

Like in a protective womb where you dream beautiful dreams.

And here you can dream of having a free mind and a healthy body.

A mind able to make good decisions.

A person who is fitter,

Healthier,

More energetic with a vital body.

You see yourself there before you,

Looking slimmer and trimmer than you are now.

Just look at that face and you know that you,

That you below that face is making great progress.

That you is healthy and fit.

Imagine when you are out shopping at a buffet or looking at a menu.

You are on the lookout for the highest quality protein in green vegetables.

And this is your lifestyle.

Your ego eye spots those proteins in greens,

Eyeballs them and magnifies them,

Puts them in a Tiffany showcase in your mind.

Thoughts of high grade proteins in emerald greens grow vivid,

Three dimensional and enticing.

They almost pop off of the background to a location that draws you near them,

Draws you near them.

You delight in the thought of fresh green juicy leaves and stalks giving you the fiber and nutrition and the health that you now crave.

You see protein in green and you think happily lean.

Any image,

Real or imagined of sweet drinks,

Sweet fruits or desserts and creams or images of carbs instantly faster than you can say lickety split remind you of weakness and a loss of health.

Choosing green means happily lean,

A mean green.

Choosing sweetness,

Sugar,

Even sugar substitutes,

Carbs and cream means dullness,

Sluggishness,

Or loading,

Oil in your blood adding fatness to your body.

Green means lean,

Sweet means sticky,

Oil,

Soil,

Fat,

Fat and carbs barbs.

Any side to pastas and baked goods and you are reminded of the oil filled pudgy sticky dough used to make them.

And you think that might be okay for big mama,

But it's not okay for me.

Behind images of ice creams and desserts you see an empty weak person controlled by just sugar and sweetness.

I don't know,

I just have to have it.

Behind the rice,

Bread,

Noodles and starchy vegetables you see the sluggish person with a fat liver huffing and puffing barely able to make it up the steps.

And you know you would just rather skip a meal or skip a snack than go there.

You reject sweet starchy empty fillers.

You reject that stuffing.

You choose to be happily lean.

You choose high quality protein and green.

You are a green meanie.

Know that getting and staying fit is 80% diet and 20% exercise.

You are what you eat.

So here's a healthy lifestyle for you.

A kind of meditative eating where you observe your eating.

When you're in a restaurant choosing from the menu or the buffet or out shopping quickly imagine a bite of something that you're thinking about in your mouth.

Chewing on it.

And then imagining it going down to your body,

Down and into your belly and how it feels sitting there in your belly.

Then multiply that feeling by 12.

And now imagine how it will feel there two hours later.

If it feels digested and light then good for you.

You say yes.

If it feels undigested heavy and sluggish for you then say no.

Let's try the following four items or four substitutes that you can think of and practice them.

First look at a piece of steamed shrimp or fish or tofu.

Imagine a bite.

Feel it in your mouth.

As you chew swallow it and notice as it goes down into your belly and how it feels there.

Multiply that feeling by 12.

How does it feel after it sits there for two hours?

Imagine that.

Does it feel digested and healthy or undigested and heavy?

Yes or no?

Second let's see some lasagna or chocolate mousse cake.

Imagine a bite.

Feel it in your mouth.

Move it around there.

Swallow it.

Following it all the way down into the belly.

How does it feel there in the belly?

Multiply that by 12.

And after that sits there for two hours is it digested and healthy or undigested and heavy?

Yes or no?

Third see some crunchy steamed asparagus or bok choy or a fresh salad of romaine or some cooked broccoli.

Imagine a bite.

Feel it in your mouth.

Bite down on it.

Chew it for a while.

Swallow it and follow it down into your belly.

How does it feel there?

Multiply that feeling by 12.

And after imagine how it is after it sits there for two hours.

Is it digested and healthy or undigested and heavy?

Yes or no?

Fourth see some gratin potatoes or french fries or a piece of fried chicken.

Imagine a bite.

Feel it in your mouth that you're chewing.

Swallow it and follow it down into your belly.

How does that feel there?

Multiply it by seven.

After it sits there for two hours.

How do you imagine it?

Digested and healthy or undigested and heavy?

Yes or no?

Fifth imagine the first dish comes to your mind.

Anyone?

Imagine a bite.

Feeling it in your mouth.

Swallow it.

Follow it down into the belly.

How does it feel there?

Multiply it by 12.

Then imagine how it will be after it sits there for two hours.

Digested and healthy or undigested and heavy?

Yes or no?

Each time you practice this you're able to do it more and more naturally,

More and more quickly.

So quickly that before you can blink an eye the 12 times feeling two hours later will come instantly and you will know whether you are choosing to be healthy or unhealthy,

Fit or fat.

You are on your way to a happy healthy life,

Happily lean that is but oh oh here's a problem.

The dealers are waiting to catch you when you're feeling down,

When you're feeling upset,

When you're feeling tired or empty.

The dealers take advantage of this.

Some of them like the bakeries and the ice cream shops are like the opium dens of old.

People sitting around vacantly and unconsciously distracting or numbing their feelings as they shovel the food in their mouth.

But over time these people drop into worse and worse states.

And there are the pushers,

The little ones or the misery love company people holding out carrots and apples in front of the donkey or the ass to get you to move.

Here you want this carrot,

This apple trying to get you to move.

They are more subtle.

You know,

You know what they say that you look like you need a.

.

.

Come on every once in a while won't hurt.

Live a little sometimes.

Just one won't kill you.

I made it for you.

Or don't be so picky.

Oh these people have silver tongues,

They do.

But no matter how you are feeling when you hear those things,

You know it will hurt you.

It will kill you.

And no matter what they say they made those things for themselves.

And you know you can get all the carbs you need in beans,

Squashes and greens.

You can get all potassium and vitamin C you need in broccoli.

So you just say to them or to yourself,

Yes I am picky.

I pick health not unhealth.

I choose fit not fat.

And you can let them go on and on.

The more they complain and try to convince you,

The more insistent you become on taking control of your life and control of your health.

You are driving your own car baby.

And if you're alone or off on vacation or the weekend away,

Away from the eyes of others and feeling tempted to fill in some void or numb some feeling or distract yourself,

You can be reminded that wherever you go,

There you are.

There's no escaping yourself.

So even at those times you can choose health.

If you need help,

You can return to your special place.

Let's practice that one more time.

Allow yourself to almost come back from your meditative state.

I will count from one to four.

One,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Almost out of your meditative state.

Put your thumb and ring finger together and look up on the inside of your head,

Holding your thumb and ring finger together.

Take a deep breath,

Holding it there as a thought stopper.

And when you're ready to return to your special place,

Just say or think all the way down.

And breathe out and relax,

Each exhalation taking you deeper and deeper by steps.

Your unconscious mind will bring you back to your special place.

Four and three,

Relaxing more and more.

Two,

All the way down to one,

Your special place.

Relaxed,

Rested,

Warm,

Cozy,

Peaceful,

Like in a protective room where you can dream undisturbed,

Dream beautiful dreams.

And here you can dream of having a free mind and a healthy body.

A mind able to make good decisions,

A fitter,

Healthier,

More energetic,

Vital body.

And this feels much better than anything you could have eaten.

These thoughts and sensations can fill you up.

They can satisfy you.

They can satiate you.

Know that every movement begins with a thought.

And if you want to move in a certain direction,

You may want to think in that direction too.

So each time you practice this program,

The deeper and more profound these lessons become,

And the more and more able you are to move in a direction you choose.

Now,

Once your unconscious mind knows how to help you and agrees to help you achieve these goals,

Now you can use your own time and your own way to return to your non-meditation state.

Happy to know that you have taken another step in the direction toward the lifestyle you choose for yourself.

Reviews

I appreciate your views! I didn't agree with it all but I listened to it all, and I'm not sure if it was me disagreeing, or my addiction to sugar. Something to think about. I will be returning! Thank you for sharing 💜

Empowering! Thank you!!