Loretta Laroche - Lighten Up!: The Authentic and Fun Way to Lose Your Weight and Your Worries

Praise forLighten Up!

Lighten Up!is vintage Lorettahilarious and profound simultaneously. Read this and youll laugh yourself thin!

Christiane Northrup, M.D., the best-selling author ofThe Secret Pleasures of Menopause andWomens Bodies, Womens Wisdom

Loretta does a masterful job in helping us bust a gut while we attempt to lose ours. The book is a treasure trove of humor, generous self-reports, and the latest in scientific information cobbled together in a funny flow. We will all be lighter for it.

John Ratey, M.D., clinical associate professor of psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; co-author ofDriven to Distraction; and author ofSpark:
The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain

In her classic wise and witty style, Loretta LaRochesLighten Up!will help all kinds of people find a sensible and enjoyable way to get back to good health. It gives people the commonsense solutions they need to begin to enjoy their meals and get healthy.

Miriam E. Nelson, Ph.D., university professor and best-selling author ofStrong Women Stay Young

People tend to lose their sense of humor when faced with the prospect of eating well and losing weight. But I have to say that Loretta has done it againshe actually makes the topic fun. She helps you giggle while you lose your middle.

Alice D. Domar, Ph.D., executive director, Domar Center for Mind/Body Health; and author ofBe Happy Without Being Perfect

Lighten
up!

Other Hay House Titles by Loretta LaRoche

The Best of Loretta LaRoche (4-CD set)

How to Be a Wild, Wise, and Witty Woman:
Making the Most Out of Life Before You Run Out of It (4-CD set)

Juicy Living, Juicy Aging:Kick Up Your Heels
Before Youre Too Short to Wear Them (book)

Life Is Short Wear Your Party Pants:Ten Simple Truths That Lead to an Amazing Life (available as a book, 2-CD set, and a DVD)

Relax You May Only Have a Few Minutes Left:Using the Power of Humor to Overcome Stress in Your Life and Work (book)

Squeeze the Day:365 Ways to Bring JOY and JUICE into Your Life (book)

The Wise and Witty Stress Solution Kit

All of the above are available at your local
bookstore, or may be ordered by visiting:

Hay House USA: www.hayhouse.com

Hay House Australia: www.hayhouse.com.au

Hay House UK: www.hayhouse.co.uk

Hay House South Africa: www.hayhouse.co.za

Hay House India: www.hayhouse.co.in

Lighten
up!

The Authentic and Fun Way to Lose Your
Weight and Your Worries

Loretta LaRoche

HAY HOUSE, INC.

Carlsbad, California New York City
London Sydney Johannesburg
Vancouver Hong Kong New Delhi

Copyright 2009 by Loretta LaRoche

Published and distributed in the United States by: Hay House, Inc.: www.hayhouse.com Published and distributed in Australia by: Hay House Australia Pty. Ltd.: www.hayhouse.com.au Published and distributed in the United Kingdom by: Hay House UK, Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.uk Published and distributed in the Republic of South Africa by: Hay House SA (Pty), Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.za Distributed in Canada by: Raincoast: www.raincoast.com Published in India by: Hay House Publishers India: www.hayhouse.co.in

Editorial supervision: Jill Kramer Design: Tricia Breidenthal

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording; nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise be copied for public or private useother than for fair use as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviewswithout prior written permission of the publisher.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

LaRoche, Loretta.

Lighten up! : the authentic and fun way to lose your weight and your worries / Loretta LaRoche.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-1-4019-2157-6 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Weight loss. 2. Food habits--Psychological aspects. 3. Reducing diets--Evaluation. 4. Stress (Psychology)--Prevention. I. Title.

RM222.2.L342 2010

613.25--dc22

2008047369

ISBN: 978-1-4019-2157-6

12 11 10 09 4 3 2 1

1st edition, August 2009

Printed in the United States of America

To all of us who have lost

and gained a tribe of people.

May we gain more access

to our hearts than

o our stomachs.

Contents

You dont get a whole life just by eating whole grains.

Youve been sold a bill of goodsand have swallowed it!

Honesty is the best policyin the schoolroom and in front of the mirror.

Exercise is not an exorcism.

If it doesnt taste good, dont eat it!

The excess weight youre carrying may be in your head.

If youre still alive, its not too late.

Eat, drink, and be merrybut dont do anything else at the same time.

Spread the weight aroundits not all about you.

The first thing you lose on a diet is your sense of humor.

Anonymous

As I sit down to begin writing this book, I have to won-der:What possesses me to want to deal with a subject that has thousands of books written about it already? What else is there to say? And is there anything I can add to the dialogue thats really new?

One of the reasons why I feel compelled to write this book is simple: I cant stand it anymore! The other is the desire to encourage you to develop a more pragmatic and optimistic approach in relation to food, movement, and lifes inevitable ups and downs.

Weight loss, exercise, and stress management have become a national maniathe holy trinity of daily conversation. Virtually all of us spend precious time with our friends going on and on about food, exercise, or our overwhelming schedules. Every magazine (certainly those aimed at women) screams from its cover about new diet secrets, ways to be happy, or how to slow down. And those articles are juxtaposed with ones about how we can look thinner in our clothes without dieting, recipes that feature fried chicken or cream pies, and ideas on how to do more in less time. I suppose that the editorial staff is trying to please as many readers as possible, but it can make one a little nuts.

In addition, we listen to newscasters who are constantly reporting scientific research on health, but the problem is that they want to report on everything that sounds interesting or provocative, even if a study has gone on for all of two minutes.We need to keep in mind that these findings arent always ready to bear fruitone of the primary mottoes of academics is Publish or perish.

For example, right now blueberries are at the top of researchers lists, with supposed evidence that you could live longer(and even have improved memory so you can remember that you did) if you eat at least a half cup every day. But that could easily change in the next few months and be replaced by bug juice. Gluten, on the other hand, is on its way to becoming theAntichrist. The end result of all the overreporting is mass confusion, which usually leads to a lot of people throwing their hands up and exclaiming, The hell with all of it!