A Course in Weight Loss by Marianne Williamson
Lesson 1
God is love. He created and sustains me. If I place my problems in the hands of God, the imperfect will become perfect. He is more powerful than my food and shopping addictions. I will let His light shine in my darkness.
Prayer: “Dear Lord Jesus, please free me from false appetites and take away my pain. Take from me my compulsive self, and show me who I am. Please give me a new beginning. Unchain my heart so I might live a freer life at last. Amen.”
It is a lie that food that is actually bad for me has the power to comfort, nurture and sustain me. Only God can give me comfort and strength. Only He can sustain me. I can’t heal myself, but I know the One who can heal me and make me whole.
The excess weight I am carrying is like a brick wall around me, built by my subconscious mind to separate me from other people and from life. Fear has built it. Love will tear it down. The bricks are made from my own emotional shadows that have not yet had a light shine on them…unprocessed feelings, negative thoughts, etc. These thoughts or feelings have become frozen within me and are not being processed properly and I have not moved on, they are still stuck in my mind and then in my body (fat). Emotionally, mentally, and physically, our systems must process waste. Painful experiences are meant to teach us what they need to teach us and then dissolve into the realm of soft-focus memory. I have not given them an exit valve and they have become burdens I carry around. I must release them to God. They will then leave my system, including my excess weight. I must look at my pain and then release it to the One in whose hands it will dissolve forever. I must surrender my pain for healing.
What is placed on the alter is then altered. As I surrender a situation, my mind is renewed, and changed. I give God what I do not want and He makes it disappear, and helps me dismantle my wall.
Visualization: Close your eyes and see yourself standing in a golden light. See your excess weight as a brick wall that you carry around. Look closely at the wall and see that it is made up of your own suffering and pain. Now ask God to walk up to the wall and together, the two of you begin to take down each brick, one by one, and ultimately dismantle the wall. Explain to Him what each brick means to you, then watch how whenever He touches a brick, it crumbles.
Prayer: “Dear God, please remove the wall that I have built around me. I have built it so strong, dear God, that I cannot tear it down. I surrender to you every thought of separation, every feeling of fear, every unforgiving thought. Please, dear God, take this burden from me forever.” Amen.
Shame: I am ashamed of________________.
You acted foolishly, and cringe to think that other people still remember.
Anger: I am angry at __________________.
You feel unfairly treated and have not released all your anger at the meanness of others. Or haven’t forgiven yourself for self-sabotaging behavior in the past that affects you now
Fear: I am afraid of ___________________.
You carry a secret fear of loss, of tragedy, and have not yet learned to release it to God…
Un-forgiveness: I haven’t forgiven __________________.
Someone betrayed your heart and you have not been able to forgive him or her yet…
Judgment: I judge ________________ for ___________________.
You think that others are behaving in ways they shouldn’t, and you think and/or speak of them in negative terms…
Disdain: I feel disdain for ___________________.
There are those who disagree with you and you hold contempt for their beliefs & actions
Excess responsibility: I am responsible for ______________________.
You carry the burden of thinking you’re responsible for things that are out of your control.
Pressure: I feel so pressured about: ________________________.
You feel that at home/at work/as a lover/ friend/ employee/ parent, you are carrying more pressure than you can stand.
Exhaustion: I am exhausted because ______________________.
You feel physically, mentally, and emotionally tired
Burden: I am burdened by _____________________.
You are carrying a pain in your heart that lies heavy upon you and weighs you down…
Stress: I am stressed by _______________________.
The bills you owe, the responsibilities you carry, the needs of the family, the demands of work, and so forth are a constant source of stress…
Heartbreak: My heart is heavy because ________________________.
Someone you love is ill, or has left you, or has died…
Injustice: It isn’t fair that I _______________________.
You were overlooked, or not treated fairly or you can’t stand the injustice that is done against others
Protection: I feel I need protection from ______________________.
There is a person or a condition that is a threat to your well-being that frightens you.
Pride: I am prideful when ______________.
You lack humility when dealing with others, failing to listen to them deeply or to admit when you’ve made a mistake…
Selfishness: I am selfish when ________________.
You grab for what you want in life without thinking of the needs of others.
Jealousy: I get jealous when __________________.
You tear others down when you fear their success, not having learned that blessing others and what they have is a way of manifesting the same abundance in your own life…
Greed: I get greedy when _______________________.
You accumulate more than you need in life, give no thought to moderation, balance, or the needs of others…
Laziness: I am lazy when ____________________.
You fail to take responsibility for generating energy in a positive, vital and productive way
Separation: I feel separate from _____________________.
There is a friend or family member or organization or community from which you’ve been disconnected, leaving a pain in your heart.
Dishonesty: I don’t feel that I can be honest about _______________.
You carry a secret, something you don’t feel you can safely tell anyone… a guilty secret, or something that you simply fear others would judge you for…
Arrogance: I am better than ___________________.
You think you are smarter, better, more qualified, or more worthy than someone else…perhaps you feel your sensitivity makes you superior…
Inferiority: I feel not as good as _____________________.
You feel that others are smarter, better, more qualified, or more worthy than you… perhaps you feel that your weight makes you inferior…
Embarrassment: I feel embarrassed because ________________________.
You have fallen down in some way in front of others… perhaps your issues w/ weight have increased this embarrassment… perhaps your spouse or children are embarrassed by your appearance.
Self-abnegation: I have built this wall so that others won’t hate me for being beautiful and successful and seeming to have it all __________________.
Lesson 2 Thin you, meet not-thin you
You are a multi-dimensional being. There are different facets of you. The part of you that over-eats is a part of you that is demanding to be seen and heard. She feels you are not looking at her and she is trying to tell you something. Learn to listen to the message she carries and meet her needs and the over-eating will disappear. It is not a part of you to fight or battle with, but to listen to and to show compassion and love to. When you are about to put something into your mouth that you know is not healthy, either in quantity or quality, love yourself too much to continue. Stop, take a deep breath, think how you can show love and compassion to that part of yourself instead of shutting her up with food and do that instead.
In my case, I overeat because I am a very low-energy person and I graze on food, hoping to get energy for the next task before me. The part of me that overeats is telling me that she needs more energy. I need to be kind to her and do activities that energize me instead of eating (actually, eating less food is ultimately energizing to me). Activities that energize me are: walking a mile with a Leslie Sansone DVD, having a drink of water/ lemon-water/ herbal tea, doing yoga, reading the Bible, laying on my bed with classical music, jewelry-making, sewing, accomplishing a needed (and probably disliked) task in the home, planning the meals for the day/week, playing piano/ guitar/ recorder, listening to old records, listening to a librivox book, reading a book, getting to sleep by 10:30pm, riding the exercise bike and reading a book.
Activity: Write a letter from your thin-you to your fat-you, saying how she has affected you and maybe apologizing for not treating her as she needs to be treated. Then write a letter from fat-you to thin-you, allowing her to respond with truth you need to hear. Let your subconscious min deliver the messages you need to hear and images you need to see. Listen deeply and write down what you feel is her truth.
Prayer: “Dear God, please forgive me if I have failed to love every part of your creation. Open my eyes that I might see, soften my heart that I might love, open my mind that I might understand every aspect of myself. Heal my relationship with all of me, that I might suffer no more such violence toward myself. Please help me, for by myself I cannot win this war. Please lift me above the battlefield to the peace that lies beyond. Thank you, God. Amen.”
Letter from my thin-self to my fat-self:
I am sorry I have not listened to your repeated pleas for energy. I have felt numb and frozen-up. Having 5 children, each with different needs, and all the clutter that comes with them has put me under water and I have not been able to think or act in a way to help you get the energy you need. I have felt so frustrated with the extra pounds and it has numbed and frozen me even more. Please forgive me. I will try to listen to your need for energy and to give it to you in healthy ways instead of shoving food into your mouth.
Love,
Your thin-self
Letter from my fat-self to my thin-self:
I know that you are stressed with the clutter in your home and the lack of help from your kids. I know you are not getting enough sleep and are tired. I know the children’s needs seem overwhelming to you. However, remember who you really are. Don’t forget to do the things you love instead of shoving food at me. If you do what you love, it will give me energy and I will not scream in your ear for help anymore. We can both work towards the same goal. You really do need to spend time planning your days out so you can accomplish your goals and guard our energy. It works for you. Set aside time every day to plan. We will both be glad you did. I want to have great energy for each day, each task, and each person in my life. Let’s work towards it together. OK?
Love,
Your fat-self.