Rita Black: Sometimes it's easy to lose yourself in your own life. You work hard, you're busy with your job, with the needs of others, and just with life in general. And you wake up one day and all of a sudden you don't even recognize yourself. It's like the you who you were got lost in the shuffle. And that's what happened to my thin thinking guest, Lisa Ferraro, who had a wake up call at a party where her mother toasted her and she didn't even know the person who was being toasted anymore. And then she saw some pictures of herself. And you know those kinds of pictures where you say, that's me. So in today's episode, we hear not only how Lisa went on a weight journey and released 50 pounds, but she rediscovered herself and started creating the life that was going to allow her to be her best. Lisa, what steps did she take to do that? Well, come on in and find out for yourself and get inspired.

Rita Black: Did you know that our struggle with weight doesn't start with the food on your plate or get fixed in the gym? 80% of our weight struggle is mental. That's right. The key to unlocking long-term weight release and management begins in your mind. Hi there, I'm Rita Black. I'm a clinical hypnotherapist weight loss expert, bestselling author, and the creator of the Shift Weight Mastery Process. And not only have I helped thousands of people over the past 20 years achieve long-term weight mastery, I am also a former weight struggler, carb addict and binge eater. And after two decades of failed diets and fad weight loss programs, I lost 40 pounds with the help of hypnosis. Not only did I release all that weight, I have kept it off for 25 years. Enter the Thin Thinking Podcast where you too will learn how to remove the mental roadblocks that keep you struggling. I'll give you the thin thinking tools, skills, and insights to help you develop the mindset you need, not only to achieve your ideal weight, but to stay there long term and live your best life.

Rita Black: Hello. Hello. Hello. Come on in. And as this episode is dropping, bit of a historic moment for me. I am heading up north to see my baby girl. My little baby girl graduate from college. It's such a big turning point in my life to have a child exiting the educational system for a while. At least I have to laugh at all the documenting of the occasion that is being done. She had a special photo session, you know, on the campus. It seems like at Berkeley they have a, you know, when you graduate, everybody gets their picture taken, special graduation photos.

Rita Black: And then we as a family are having photos taken because my husband's 88-year-old, soon to be 89-year-old mother and his sister and brother are all gonna be there, and we haven't been together as a family in a long time. So it's a big chance to have a photo op. But I remember when I graduated from college back in the day, I have only one photo of graduating from college, which was a really bad Polaroid picture that was taken of me and my two roommates in front of the arch at Washington Square Park when we graduated from NYU all those many years ago. So that's, that's my graduation picture. So it's interesting, at least how, I don't know if it is with every college, but it just seems to me there's so much coverage of the graduation itself and the graduate.

Rita Black: So, you know, for me, back in that day when I was seriously struggling with my weight, I was happy that half of me was even out of that picture. I was always struggling with my weight and horrified to be in any picture. And so I hid behind everybody, everything. You know, and it's funny, I don't know if you had this, but I have so many students that tell me this, that they look back at photos of themselves, you know, and I even look back at that half picture of myself, and I think, why was I so hard on myself? You know, I was, how old was I? I was 21 years old, you know, and you know, maybe I didn't have the perfect figure, but I was, I was beautiful. You know, I was just beautiful 'cause I was young and full of hope.

Rita Black: And, you know, so many students tell me the same. They look back and they're like, why was I so hard on myself? Like, I was so beautiful in so many ways. Why could I only look at that one aspect and see all the flaws? So, which brings me to my special guest, Lisa Ferraro, has released 50 pounds with the Shift Weight Mastery Process, and she is gonna walk us through her story of transformation, which started by seeing herself in some photos as well.

Rita Black: Now, if you're interested in making your own transformation this coming week, I am offering just this week special only my self-study version of the 30-day Online Shift Weight Mastery Process with Hypnosis, meditation and coaching. So it's a 30 day process, and I'm offering a special additional program called the Shift Weight Express, which is five of my top downloads. So that's a bonus including portion control exercise, and a drinking less for weight release, and including over $800 worth of bonuses. So check out the show notes if you're interested in how this 30 day hypnosis based transformational process can change your life. So, like I said, link is in the show notes.

Rita Black: And now let's talk to Lisa. Well, hello Lisa, and welcome to the Thin Thinking Podcast. I'm so happy to have you on today.

Lisa Ferraro: Thank you. I'm happy to be here.

Rita Black: Lisa has been on quite a journey with her weight release, and she is now figuring out maintenance, which I always think is such a interesting time. And so I do wanna talk to you about that transition, but I wanna get to know the beginning of your journey. Like everybody always likes to know what, how, you know, when did you start struggling with weight? And, and just tell us, you know, the origin story of your journey.

Lisa Ferraro: I had my child when I was 39, and I think it was going through pre perimenopause. So after I had her, I really struggled with weight. And I was never able to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. And I've struggled from that point on. I was always able to, before that point, if you know, go back and forth, but it was not a crazy amount of, of weight. And I feel that I I gained a lot of weight during the pregnancy, and then I released a little bit after, but not as much as I could have. And I just struggled with that for probably about 20 years now. So that, prior to that-

Rita Black: Can I ask, prior to that, you never really struggled with your weight prior to your pregnancy?

Lisa Ferraro: The only time was in college I gained like 25 or whatever, but after, after college, I had no problem getting rid of it and, you know, getting back into real life, so to speak, and, you know, working and all that. So, no, I really didn't. But -

Rita Black: So for you, is it was that pregnancy, but plus then it sounds like after your pregnancy you went into perimenopause and, and started going through the change.

Lisa Ferraro: Yes. So so about that was probably, you know, I turned 40 the next year after she was born. So, yes, from then, from then on it just, it seemed like I kept gaining weight and just had that big struggle. It was, you have 40 pounds, 50 pounds, then I'd lose 10. I just did a, you know, all the diet cycles and struggled with that, trying to find a way to release it permanently. And you get on the diet, you go off the diet and then gain it all back and then some. So yeah, it's been -

Rita Black: Yeah. So how did you find the shift and were you looking for hypnosis or were you, did you just happen upon the shift? Like, I'm curious 'cause I actually don't know the answer to that question.

Lisa Ferraro: I watch Instagram and I found you on Instagram. And at that time I had had my 60th birthday, it was June, and I had sent it out to the universe as I always do, and said, I really need something that works. Because my mom did a speech at the, at my my birthday party. And it, she reflected on my life and what I used to be, you know, my spirit and all that. And it kind of got lost along the way. So I wanted to rediscover that, as well as release the weight from seeing pictures. You don't really know what you, how much you weigh until those pictures come into place. So there was a lot of pictures and I just it was like kind of a wake up call and I know I'm going into the golden years, so I, I just really needed to start taking care of myself.

Lisa Ferraro: And then I happened upon you and I, the hypnosis really intrigued me. I had looked into that prior a little bit. I was going to go to a therapist and it didn't, it didn't transpire. So I I didn't know if I could be hypnotized. And when it first started, I would fall asleep. And yeah, a lot of people ask that question to you, is it working? And you reassured us that it was, and then you gave us tips to not fall asleep. So I took those and slowly I began to really become hypnotized. So I, I really think that has been a big part of the shift for me as well as the meditations. I love meditation and you're really wonderful at it. Just the, the hypnotist, when you take us down that staircase and you go to the place, your shift place, it's just wonderful. And you can really envision it. And I, I've and the visions, I think that was a big key for me, being able to envision what I wanted and also the, the model thing you gave to see what we would look like at a certain point. And I kept doing that at certain, I did a 10, 20, 30, 40 and then 50. So it was a, a progression and it was kind of, it was so inspiring to, to see I'm really, I'm really doing this visually and, and so yeah.

Rita Black: That is interesting. So I just so for our listeners who aren't familiar with the shift process or with what this app that you're talking about, that's the app you were talking about that I have in the program? Yeah. And I didn't create the app, but there are many people part of what in the shift, we really focus on creating a vision of where we're going and us at our ideal weight, but also beyond that. And what Lisa's talking about is there's this app that you, if, because a lot of people who haven't been at their ideal weight in a long time, you lose that idea. And the cool thing about the app is, and I'll put a link to the app in the show notes, I think it's called Model Me. Yes, yes. Yeah, it's called Model Me.

Rita Black: Yes. It's the Model Me app. And you can put your age in. So it's not, 'cause I think we all have a vision of us at our ideal weight as youngsters, you know, like as a 20-year-old or a 30-year-old. But you know, to have that realistic vision of you at your current age and to take you in like step by step, like you're saying like from 50 pounds above your ideal weight and progress it slowly, I think it does something to the brain too. It kind of calms the brain down. And you can see, because I think we get ups, the word isn't upset, but anxious. Like, I can't see it discouraged.

Lisa Ferraro: Yeah, I, I agree. I really do. And it was nice to see that progression. It wasn't, it wasn't, oh, I, yeah, this is what I'll be when I'm 50. I did it as I was losing. So it was very encouraging to see that, to see the progress.

Rita Black: I also loved what you said, and because we were having a conversation about this, I don't know if you were at this particular monthly mastery meeting, but we were talking about being older and being, you know, I'm gonna be 60 this year, and I know you're in your sixties. We both have daughters who are graduating college this year. I, I think I had my daughter when I was 38. So we're kind of, I'm not far behind you.But, but, but how we kind of in that child rearing, even if we don't have children and the just the frenetic life pace and, and just getting, paying bills, living life, we lose that sense of who we are, what we are, our inner essence, our inner source. And I know for a lot of people who come into the process, a lot of it is about not just the weight, but, and, and this, I emphasize this all the time, is about creating that more powerful conversation with yourself, which I think opens the door to self discovery and really rediscovering how amazing you are and re re amazing your interests and, and re capturing that spark that we have when we're younger.

Rita Black: And then, but in this last meeting, we were talking about 68 'cause there were a lot of people who are 68 and we're like, ah, 68, how, you know, cool and amazing. It is like, because I think there's also this thing about how women become invisible. Like, it seems like you become so invisible to other people, but not to ourselves. That's the most important thing. But I think we become invisible to ourselves and we have to rediscover who we are and come back to that. So I do think that in meditation, hypnosis can help you find that inner self and reawaken sounds like that, that -

Lisa Ferraro: Yes, definitely worked that for me. It really did. And I, I, yeah, I'm so grateful. Like the spirit that I didn't think was there anymore just came to life. So it was, it was a great experience for me in the last eight months.

Rita Black: Okay. Yeah. And eight months, you released 50 pounds. What was, what was that experience like? As far as, you know, take our listeners through your triumphs and your struggles, because I think it's important for people to understand, like, if you had to talk about the different phases of your weight release process, because I think out in the diet world, we're like, go on a diet, lose weight and achieve your ideal weight. And then, you know, you fly off into the universe as this unicorn. But, but would you agree that there are phases to a weight release, psych, you know, the, the true long-term weight journey where it maybe walk through some of your phases that you had to go through?

Lisa Ferraro: I think the biggest one for me was the belief that really believing that I could accomplish my goal, the, the ideal weight. I struggled with that probably for the first half of the journey. So really communicating with my inner coach and the rebel and the critic. I mean, fighting them, calming them, calming them down. And just trusting in the process of and, and I've always looked for that quick fix. So it was learning to be patient and seeing the results and over, over the longer term as you do with, you know, I've only released so much weight, but if you look at it over a month while you really are on target, you've released the weight that you wanted to. So I think it was for me to, to really be learn how to be patient, listen to my, and trust myself, listen to my inner coach, develop that relationship because that, that relationship was non-existent.

Lisa Ferraro: And really I think it was just to be you know, have that positivity that I used to have all the time and I just lost it. So it was rediscovering that and really helping me join into really, really join the journey because I, you, you kind of separate yourself from the journey when you're on that, I gotta lose it fast. I, you know, and if I don't do it, then I think I took a lot of that pressure off as I was going along. And, and at first it was the pressure of that, will I be able to be hypnotized? Will, is this going to work? I, I really enjoyed the 30 day shift. It really did. I just wanna say about this journey and, and all the material and tools you give us, you touch upon every single thing I think that a person would go through on a journey like this. I mean, it might not be something that everyone needs or experiences, but you bring it up and it, it, it sometimes touches you really, and then sometimes you kind of think about it. And I don't know, I just feel that it's, it's been quite a journey and that the struggle for me was just believing in myself and patience.

Rita Black: So I love that that was, I think that that's something that we don't really think about is one, the belief. I think that's a decision. You know, I, I was speaking with Kelly on another podcast, Kelly Simmons, who's also in our community, and she was, you know, you literally have to decide to believe in yourself.

Lisa Ferraro: I agree.

Rita Black: It's a decision. You know?

Lisa Ferraro: It is. once you do that, I think the journey becomes easier. Not that you're not gonna come up against other things or or, or different things or scenarios that you encounter on, on the journey. But I think when you become, you believe in yourself or that you, you make that decision that the journey isn't as hard and you, you can figure it out. You can like, you say the inner scientist and you kind of touch upon what's going on. You check in, you check in instead of checking out. And I think that's really a big part of the whole, the whole positivity and believing in yourself and Yeah.

Rita Black: Well, I think it's, it's, what you're touching upon is, and, and highlighting really well this relationship with your inner coach. Because I think when we don't believe in ourselves, we are kind of stuck in this world where we're very lonely. 'cause We don't have any powerful voice like connecting with us. When we do connect with that inner coach, we all of a sudden have somebody advocating for us and and believing in us. Right? And, and it, that is such a powerful feeling. And then once you have that in your, your coach in your corner, then I think that gives you the resilience in those moments where you would normally, like you said, disconnect from yourself. Like, I think it's staying connected versus disconnecting, right? Like, oh, you blew it. Start tomorrow. Yeah.

Lisa Ferraro: Yes. You try to figure out why the, why, why did I why did I overeat? Or what situation were I in? What was, what was I feeling? And you kind of connect all the dots and then you try to figure out though the best way to approach that the next time, like you say, rewiring that brain to to, to keep going and to figure it out. And the inner scientist, I love the inner scientist. I'm a, I'm a numbers person. So once I was able to figure out the calories and the energy and the energy out, it just like, made so much sense to me. And that thing that really helped me along the journey is really investigating. I love to investigate things.

Rita Black: I think I, I think that all those pieces of the puzzle, being able to observe your behaviors from a scientific standpoint, and that takes you out of the emotional brain and into the rational brain, right? So we can make decisions, say, oh, I went over, but I didn't go over that much. So, you know, I'm on, like, being able to talk yourself down out of the tree. Because I think any, I think the thing that the diet industry and dieting and the diet cycle rob us of is that ability to make those teeny tiny changes in the moment. Because I think, like you said, you expect to come and like lose the weight fast and then just be done and get on with your life and never have to think about it again. Rather than cultivating a very powerful internal relationship with yourself where you're making those smaller changes. And I mean, anybody who I always say, you know, has mastered something in your life, and I know you've mastered many things in your life. It didn't happen overnight. And it was a little bit at a time, a little bit at a time, a little bit at a time.

Lisa Ferraro: I think the work is but it's, it's in increments. It's not, it's not a big, you know, it's not a big task. You just look at the day, you look at the week, you look at the, you know what I mean? So you're kind of breaking it up and you're taking one day at a time and one moment at a time. So you really connect with that. I really think. So it really, that was very helpful for me. It made me kind of slow down in my life and my thinking. And and it, and it has helped me lose weight. It really has. Just being that aware and yes, and, and being rational with the scientists.

Rita Black: What about food? Like, how has, over going through this process and releasing 50 pounds, how has your relationship with food changed?

Lisa Ferraro: I had to kill my carb zombie

Rita Black: For those of you who dunno about the carb zombie. We have a carb zombie who lives on our head. And when we're eating too many sugar refine carbohydrates, that zombie kind of runs the show. So she's just talking about, we, we learn how to hibernate our carb zombie. But go ahead.

Lisa Ferraro: Yeah, I, I'm not so much of a sweet tooth but I, I loved all the crackers and pizza and pasta, and I could, yes. So that was, that was my diet. I didn't, you know, but no, I love vegetables and I love fruit, but I always was overdoing it with the carbs. And I, I went on keto, I did all those types of diets. But then when I went, you know, you get to that certain point and then you just carve out. And I didn't know how to tame that monster. So it was nice to be able to really look at that. That was another thing that really helped me. And learn to portion control and being able to look at something and, and your hunger, the, the, your scale there where you, you can gauge your hunger and stop and know that it's okay to stop and you know you're full and you've had enough and that's, it's time to move on to something else. You, you've eaten your dinner.

Rita Black: Well, but it sounds like you've kind of created your own way forward. 'cause Obviously we don't give a diet during the shift process but we just give guidance and pointers. So you feel like you've taken your love of fruits and vegetables, but also turned down the volume on the carbs and turned up the volume on the good stuff so that you can feel more even keeled and be more in control.

Lisa Ferraro: More protein, like it is just more of a balance for me. I think that really helped. But yes, the carbs were, and the carb zombie was in control. Yeah. So it was able to calm that down my life.

Rita Black: Yeah, I think, and, and just to speak about the carb zombie and, and carbs in general. I mean, I don't think anybody is ever gonna live their life carb free. And we aren't, that isn't the goal. The goal is to look at our diet and to learn, well, what works for me and what doesn't, and how many amounts and at what time so that we're, we're the ones designing our way of eating that is really about our freedom rather than this other part of our brain running the show. Exactly. And 'cause I, I think people get into this head of like, I can't eat sugar, I can't eat carbs. And I don't think that's necessarily true. I think it's just everybody. And even more and more research is coming out that every single person has a different relationship to food and their body chemistry and their genetics and all of those things come into play.

Rita Black: And there's no right or wrong for any one person. We have to kind of create our own way forward. So it sounds like you've, you're still playing with those levers. It sounds like as you are getting into maintenance, you are now being able to eat some more food and, and you're playing with those levers of how much can I have and how much more, how's that been? How's that experience been? And with figuring that out along with exercise too, because I know did you increase your exercise when you went through the shift? Or were you already exercising?

Lisa Ferraro: No, I wasn't exercising. I started walking and I'm amazed at how much I didn't, I didn't move during the day. I probably did 2,500 steps a day, and that was, well, you know, go to work, walk around the office a little bit, come home, sit in my chair, go to the fridge, sit down, go to bed. So, and that was slowly I had my goals and I slowly increased it. I'm now at 13,000 a day, and that is what all I've really done. I'd like to incorporate some some weight training and some yoga, stretching. I love the, I love to stretch. And, and as we get older, I think that's key to keeping yourself injury free. So yeah. But I'm very excited and about just the, the, the ability to just walk and see how much that made a difference along with, you know, everything else. But I, I just, I was amazed that I could lose that weight and could deficit and you play around with the exercise and the calories and figure that out, so.

Rita Black: Well, I mean, how did you factor in exercise? 'cause I know you're, you work, you're busy, you work full time. I think a lot of people would say, I don't have time to exercise. How did you make that work for you?

Lisa Ferraro: I'd walk at lunch. I get up every hour and walk 250 steps. And then at night I'd walk around my kitchen and I'd just get, I just walk around, walk around, walk. I had a big area that I just, it's like doing a lap. So I would just get my steps in and now I'm doing the stairs and trying to incorporate a little bit more cardio. But yeah, it getting, it was slowly getting up to 10,000. That was my big goal. And then I said, oh, I can do more. Right. So yeah, I just, I just walk when I can and, 'cause I work nine to five and I just walk. And the weekends I really try to walk a lot more because I have more time. But yeah, it's been great to just be able to see the progress of being able to walk and I feel great. Just, just that bit of, you know, that, just that type of exercise. And I've bought a rowing machine and also a treadmill. So yes. So those are the things I'm gonna be start, it is gonna start using,

Rita Black: You're gonna work up to that. I know. I was, I'm, I'm thinking about getting a rowing machine myself. I'm listening to I think I've mentioned this on the podcast or maybe in our groups, but I'm listening to this book Outlive by Dr. Peter ATT right now. And it's, and his, his exercise requirements, I'll be talking about this on another podcasts or like, he's like, if you wanna hold on to your health, you need to be doing this and this. I was like, oh, I was doing -

Rita Black: But I think walking is the best because you can just do it anytime, anywhere. I love what you did was you broke it down. And I think that is the way for anybody who says, I can't do exercise. I mean, just the other day, I just had a crazy day and I just said, okay, I'm just gonna break this up. I'll do 10 minutes here, I'll do 10 minutes there, I'll do 10 minutes there. Boom. Got it done. And it wasn't that hard. But you kind of have to approach it. You have to approach it like a scientist, like you said, you just have to kind of look at this, like, how can I make this work? It's possible, but, you know, where do I begin? How do I start? And I love that a lot for like a lot of people. You started with a certain amount of steps and you built up, it wasn't like, I've gotta do 13,000 steps. From the get go, you built up to it. And that's incredibly important.

Lisa Ferraro: And I, I just wanna share, my mom's been ill, and I'd had to go, I had to be in the, with her in the hospital a lot, and I would just walk around the hospital and people would be, let me help you like 42 billion times. And I'd be like, no, I'm just getting my steps in. Walk around, walk around, walk around, up and down, up and down all around. So when she was sleeping or whatever, I'd do it whenever I could. And, and I, I was able to get my steps in. So it's, it's a matter I think of just figuring it out, you know, and in, in increments. So yeah, that was, that was that was a learning experience too, that can I do this? Am I going to get my steps in? Or whatever.

Rita Black: Is your mom better? Is she out of the hospital now?

Lisa Ferraro: Yeah, she's had, we've had a really long, long winter. She was in twice, once in the fall and once in the winter. So yeah.

Rita Black: I'm so sorry.

Lisa Ferraro: She's home now, so she's, she's rehabbing and getting better, but yeah.

Rita Black: I'm sorry. That's -

Lisa Ferraro: But those help as well. And you, you know, the shift helps, helped me get, navigate through those type of times too, as far as the technique of breathing and being in the moment and being the caregiver and all that. So it was, it was helpful for me to be going through the shift as I was helping my mom.

Rita Black: That's so great. Speaking of relatives and your mom, how has your decision to take care of yourself and to release weight impacted other people in your life? You mentioned your daughter, like, did that impact, like, did you have to ask for support from her or anybody else in your life?

Lisa Ferraro: No, I don't. We are, my husband's very, like, he'll, he'll do the shopping. He'll go get me whatever I want.

Rita Black: So he's supportive.

Lisa Ferraro: He's supportive. He bought me a new Fitbit, you know what I mean? So it's was when, and when I started the journey was walking when she was home over the summer with me. And I don't know, I just, I just tweak my food when I, when they eat or if we eat pizza, I know what I can eat and what I can't. And so I've learned, I've learned. So it's I don't have a lot of junk in my house, so it wasn't a matter of having to no. Yeah, no, my daughter's not home and she doesn't eat a lot of junk. And my husband, we never really were dessert people or cookie people. I did have to get the crackers and the pretzels and all that stuff out, but nobody really eats it but me. So once I got that out, yeah.

Rita Black: Isn't, isn't that funny. We buy that stuff thinking, oh, this is for the household. We're not like really taking ownership. Like, this is actually for me.

Lisa Ferraro: Right.

Rita Black: You have to have crackers in your house just in case the company comes over. Right, right.

Lisa Ferraro: And, and all, all kinds of dips in whatever. But yeah, we had a couple parties over the holidays, so it, I got a lot of that stuff. And I had a lot of leftover stuff too that was just sitting around that I had to, okay, you need to throw this out. You're not going to eat it. So that just to, just the mindset you have to kind of get it out. The gack.

Rita Black: How is, now that you're at maintenance and you've been at maintenance a couple of months, how has it changed not focusing on weight release, you know, how has that been? Has that been weird? Has that been -

Lisa Ferraro: Yes.

Rita Black: Trent so talk to us a little bit about that. 'cause I think people don't realize that hitting maintenance is kind of confronting for a lot of people because it's just like, because we're so focused on weight release and when you get to this place where the scale is not supposed to move anymore. It's a different journey.

Lisa Ferraro: It really is. It was, I was a little scared because was I going to be able to do it? And I'm still figuring out, I think it's a journey. I think for the rest of my, it's, I think it's, it's a, it's a thought process and you really have to be present with it. But yes, and I'm still figuring it out, but I think that it's just I love the, the portion control and all the things that we kind of, all the, the meetings, we have different subjects you touch on because it's really helpful. But yeah, I think it's, I am like, I'm just starting to figure it out. So the, the first thing was, oh no, I don't have a, you know, I don't have a goal, but my goal is to maintain, that's the goal, but I don't have to lose any weight.

Lisa Ferraro: And I gave myself a range to stay within and, and, you know, if I gain too much or I, I to like five pounds, I think I'd be good. I'm five foot tall, and so it's, you know, I should be children sized meals when you think about it. And so I just, it's, it's been that learning curve and just trying to navigate how to stay in the budget, figure out the budget and not, you know, not release anymore. They, and, and, and you have that mindset. So I got down to 118, and then I'm like, yeah, that's not, I need to stay at a hundred, at least 120. And then, you know, if I go down, but then go up, you know what I mean? So it's been going up and down between like three, three or four pounds. So it's kind of,

Rita Black: I, and I think that that's normal. That's usually what I, I I say to give yourself five pounds above and five pounds below your ideal weight because it will, like, you, you'll cycle through different phases.

Lisa Ferraro: And it, but I feel so good. And it, it's just amazing. IWI, I went and threw my closet of all my summer clothes, and I just can't believe how many things that I had. I pretty much had to get everything away.

Rita Black: Wow.

Lisa Ferraro: It's made, yeah, I have to buy a whole new wardrobe and my clothes are hanging on me that I have from, you know, the winter. I've bought a few things, but I just, it's such a great feeling to just be able to realize that I weigh, I weigh less than I did when I had my daughter before I had my daughter. So it's amazing. I weigh, I weighed in high school and I have, yeah. So it's just, it's crazy. Just crazy. Well, and that's

Rita Black: I'm, I'm sorry I interrupted you. And what -

Lisa Ferraro: I'm just, I'm just like over the moon about it, and I just, yeah. Am I just, yeah, I'm proud of myself. I'm proud of you know, learning how to stick with this and listen to myself and I, it, it's just a wonderful program. I'm just so grateful for it.

Rita Black: Yeah. Well, you made the decision and you you went on the journey. I think one thing I wanted to say about your maintenance journey, just to say to you, and if listeners wanna listen that I think maintenance, it takes almost like six months to a full year to start to really feel that confidence. Because I think what happens, it's kind of like with smoking, when people quit smoking too, I always say to them, I say, it kind of takes that full year. I mean, you can love being a non-smoker and feel great, but I think you have to go through the seasons. You have to go through the holidays, you know, you have to go through your birthday. You have to go through all those things and know, okay, I got this. I got, okay, I, I just maintained through my birthday. I got this, I just maintained through a really stressful time like you did with your mom in the hospital.

Rita Black: Okay, I got this. And you get those milestones in you, and then you have, you own it. But I think it takes a little while to really get it in your bones, get it in your psyche completely. And to have that ownership. So it does come, like, I know it feels very tender and vulnerable that first year, but you can tell, and people, you can hear in Lisa speaking how she's communicating with herself, which is, that is the most powerful and important piece of it. It's not what's going on in the scale. It's, she has cultivated this way of communicating with herself that is powerful and will help her stay resilient through those times. So Lisa, I have one last question for you. What would be, what would be the first step that you would, I always ask everybody this, what would be the first step that you would advise anyone considering making a big change in their life? Like, you have to take, like, what, what would be that first step that you would have? You know, like what would you say to take, like, what was, I mean, not signing up for the chef, but I just mean, like, what is that like first step that you took before you, you know, like that inner thing?

Lisa Ferraro: I think it was just for me, it was just rekindling myself, like finding myself again, that person, like you said, as we get older, women feel invisible. And I, I started, I really felt invisible because we're not, we're not in any, like, it feels like we don't have any, I don't know, bucket or whatever, but it's just like, we're like, I don't know. It, it's, it's a weird place to be. And it was really nice when I heard the words my mom was speaking about me, and I re and all the memories she brought up about me, the things I hadn't thought about in years and years. And I think that, that the one thing I think is to find that that one thing or that, or that thing that will rekindle your relationship with yourself, because I think that was the one thing that really, I told her that I said, I said that to my mom. I said, you, you got the fire underneath me again. And I think that your program just fell in. It just came to me, and it was just meant to be. So, I just feel like it was a process of not feeling invisible anymore and finding how not to be for myself.

Rita Black: You know? What a great gift your mom gave you. Oh my goodness. She, she opened the door. You did. I love that. Did that's great. It's, it's, that is so powerful. I love that. I hope I can do that for, I mean, I hope, I know your daughter's graduating from college, and I hope, you know, you hope as a parent you can open doors for your kids, but it's so great that your mom did that for you. That's amazing.

Lisa Ferraro: I know, I, she's, she's a great person.

Rita Black: She really, I hope as I, as you know, because I have a vision of being a hundred and being just, I had children late. I hope, I hope on my daughter's 60th birthday and my son's 60th birthday to open.

Lisa Ferraro: Me too. I'd love,

Rita Black: I'll see you at a hundred and something. All right.

Lisa Ferraro: Would be wonderful to see their children and their grandchildren and Yeah. Yeah, wood, wood, wood.

Rita Black: Very powerful. And I think, I think there's a whole new consciousness about getting older, and I don't see turning 60 or being in your sixties or seventies or eighties as, or nineties. I mean, I, I see more and more people just taking a hold of that and really, you know, people will ask me, am I too old to do this program? And they're, you know, in their late sixties and seventies, I was like, hell, no, why would you, because you're at your prime. You're so wise, you have so much. But if you're being stuck in this idea that it's too late, it's, it's not too late.

Lisa Ferraro: It's, no, I think that's what happened just the beginning for me, because you, you, the words you say, and it kind of like, yeah, I have quarter of a century, you know, to live and longer. And I'm, I'm not invisible, you know, I wanna live my life and I wanna live it healthy, and I wanna, I wanna do a lot of things. So you can that in me for you, I was dreading getting old and all of these other things, but it's, it's a, it's a beautiful part of life and, and we should embrace it.

Rita Black: I agree. 100 is the new 60.

Lisa Ferraro: Yeah.

Rita Black: Well, Lisa, thank you. This has been a joy and it, you've brought up some very inspiring things. I hope everybody, our listeners feel inspired. And if you're in your thirties or forties or fifties, see you have nothing, but wonderful things to look forward to.

Lisa Ferraro: Absolutely. Thank you.

Rita Black: Okay. Thank you so much for being on the Thin Thinking podcast. Thank you. Well, thank you, Lisa. That was so inspirational. And, and if you're interested in making your own transformation this coming week for the summer, coming into the summer days, I am offering the self-study version of the Shift with over $800 worth of bonuses, including my shift weight express download. I'm offering it this week. So go check out the show notes and get going. If you click the link, there's a whole page of information, you know, lots and lots of information explaining everything you get and how the process rolls out. All righty then. So, you, beautiful. You have a great week and remember that the key, and probably the only key to unlocking the door of the weight struggle is inside you. So keep listening and find it.

Rita Black: You wanna dive deeper into the mindset of long-term weight release, head on over to www.shiftweightmastery.com. That's www shift.weightmastery.com, where you'll find numerous tools and resources to help you unlock your mind for permanent weight release tips, strategies, and more. And be sure to check the show notes to learn more about my book From Fat to Thin Thinking. Unlock Your Mind for Permanent Weight Loss.