Sound familiar? “Quick Start Diet!” “Lose 3 sizes in a week without diet or exercise!” “Doctor discovers secret fruit that sheds pounds and inches!”

We see it on the internet–in our newsfeed–at the newsstand. 

We see it all the time, especially now in January.

The diet industry sells diets with the idea of the quick results–which unfortunately we fall for because we want to get out of the pain and chaos of feeling overweight. 

Unfortunately the quick fix approach doesn’t work and just keeps us focused on finding the next quick fix–which isn’t sustainable so we fall off it and then feel like a failure and then we do it again and feel like a failure and rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat.

What if we stopped being obsessed with the quick fix diet and started fixing our relationship with ourselves, believing in ourselves, the way we communicated with ourselves so we can truly begin a journey of releasing weight that was sustainable and lasting?

That is the shift my guest today on Thin Thinking did and it’s an inspiration story to hear.

Sheree Hess spent a lifetime on the yo-yo diet merry go round, looking for answers outside of herself and never kept the weight, only to find out that she just needed to shift her mindset, commit from the inside out despite a slow start on the weight release front. 

And now, she is down 60 pounds, and living her best life and about to tie the knot with the man of her dreams! 

Join us as Sheree shares her struggles and successes in this interview that sheds light on the idea that slow and steady wins the race.  So come on in to Episode 98 of Thin Thinking and let’s get started.

The 30-Day Shift Weight Mastery Self-Study Process–2 for 1 Offer

Enroll in the hypnosis-based weight release program now and get access to the LIVE Online Shift Weight Process in Spring or Autumn led by Rita Black for no additional fee.

PLUS FREE BONUS PROGRAM: Weight Mastery Express–Hypnosis for Exercise, Portions, Mindless eating, Drinking and more!  When you enroll now.

Learn more here.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

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Transcription

Rita Black: So often when we go on a diet, we expect fast results and just wanna get the weight off. If the results don't come, we hop off the diet and are looking for the next weight loss cure. This week's Thin Thinking guest's spent a lifetime on the yoyo Diet merry-go-round, looking for answers outside of herself and never kept the weight off. But when she shifted her mindset and committed from the inside out, she found long-term success even with a slow start on the weight release front, and now down 60 pounds, feeling like she is finally living her best life. Sheree shares her struggles and successes in this interview that sheds light on the idea, slow and steady wins the race, especially when you love yourself down the scale. So come on in.

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: Welcome this week friends. How are you doing? I am so happy to be back in my normal structure of life. Maybe you are too. It's such a busy time here in my garden, even though you can't see much going on. In December and January is pruning and cutting back roses and fertilizing, and I dug up dahlia bulbs. My dahlia bulbs - this is the first year I'm digging them up and they have grown all these little baby bulbs. It's so amazing what the heck went on down underneath the ground because literally, last spring I put in a, you know, a bulb with a couple of these other thingies hanging off of it tubers. And now it literally looks like a gargantuan octopus. So it's amazing what goes on below the surface. Now all this work that I'm doing, nothing to show for it, but when spring comes, everything bursts forth and blooms, and that's when you get the payoff.

Rita Black: But really, I have learned the payoff in the slow and steady loving of my garden no matter what state it's in. Loving the trees just for being trees, loving the plants, and I have a relationship with them. Like I've never ever thought I would have a relationship with a tree, but I'm not a tree hugger. But I do have a profound relationship with trees. I wish I could hug my trees, but my, I have these huge Italian cypresses in my front yard that somebody planted, I think a hundred years ago. They're so big. And the woman who planted them funnily enough was in an officer, one of the first female officers in the US Navy, and she hated people. So she planted these Italian cypresses all around the yard so she didn't have to look at the neighbors. So we have these really big trees surrounding our house, and I love the trees. They do provide a lot of privacy. But yeah, you can't really hug an Italian cypress tree.

Rita Black: So anyway, today's episode is brought by the Shift Weight Mastery Self-Study course. And this is a course that I created. It's very much like the live Shift Process that I lead people through twice a year. But this is the self-study version. It has hypnosis, daily meditation and coaching, and it's a 30-day process. And when you enroll in the self-study, you also get to go through the Shift Live Event at no extra charge, whether you decide to do that this coming spring in the late April, early May, or in late September, early October. So you really get two shifts for the price of one.

Rita Black: And it can be done on your computer, it can be done on your iPad. We have an app that you can do the course through. So it's really a great opportunity to go through this really transformational process that does help you really change your mindset around weight. If you want to read more about it you can go into the show notes, there's a link there, and it will take you to a page that really walks you through everything that's involved in the self-study process.

Rita Black: Okay. So, Sheree Hess, you are gonna love, as you will hear her story, after years of diets and really feeling like a failure, she was ready for a shift in her thinking and her approach to weight altogether. She did the Shift Weight Mastery Process, and now interestingly, Sheree had a really slow start, kind of like the dormant garden in winter. There was no release on the scale in the first 30 days. If you could believe how frustrating that must be, but something was going on underneath the surface anyway. So even the lack of weight release for Sheree didn't deter her because she was so committed. She kept going and, well, I'm gonna let her you hear her story the way she tells it, because she is so inspiring. This woman is amazing, who she's really committed not only to her health, but to herself after years of really having a challenge non-living relationship with herself. This is a woman who's really found a way to love herself down the scale. Welcome Sheree to the Thin Thinking Podcast. It's so great to have you here. Thank you so much for coming on and sharing your story with everybody.

Sheree Hess: Thank you for asking me. I appreciate it. Actually.

Rita Black: Well, we're just sitting here talking about your life and what's up for you in your life right now which is exciting. We'll talk about that a little bit at the end. But tell us a little bit about your story, your history with weight. You know, tell our listeners like where, you know, how old were you when you started struggling with weight?

Sheree Hess: Probably, I wanna say like nine. Nine. I think I was.

Rita Black: And how did you know you were struggling? Like, that's always an interest to me, you know? Cause there's so many different ways.

Sheree Hess: Well, so, I, probably, probably the family. I'm sure the family was concerned. I I also grew up with my grandparents and had some childhood trauma, some things that occurred. And so bag of M&Ms really helped.

Rita Black: Right.

Sheree Hess: That's 8. So that's when, because when I went to live with her, I was actually underweight. But then -

Rita Black: Was she a feeder, Sheree?

Sheree Hess: I would say so. And I think she wanted, it was me and my brother and my sister, and I think she wanted us to feel good because we had gone through -

Rita Black: A lot of stuff.

Sheree Hess: Yeah.

Rita Black: So the food was the portal into numbing and kind of pushing down the feelings and emotions.

Sheree Hess: Yes, absolutely. That's a good way to put it. So then get nine years old, of course, kids, you know, school, you know. Today they call it bullies, back then it was just, they were making fun of you.

Rita Black: I love it. It's so true, isn't it? It's like, no harm. They're just having, poking fun.

Sheree Hess: So, but I guess they must have gotten, you know, I was oblivious. I didn't know. I was a kid. But I think they must have gotten concerned and was trying to help me. And so the first thing was the diet doctor who dispensed, you know, diet pills and stuff. I don't know any different.

Rita Black: How old were you when this was going on? With the diet pills and stuff?

Sheree Hess: Probably started at nine. Cuz I went to, I went to a doctor that was a family doctor and got some diet pills. Of course I didn't know, you know, what it really was, I just knew it was gonna help me lose weight that everybody else really was concerned about. So it wasn't really that, you know, except for the teasing at school. I still, I really wasn't that affected, but that started the journey.

Rita Black: So what did these diet pills do for you? Like, were you super amped up? I mean, I can't, isn't it crazy to think that they were dispensing pills to nine year olds?

Sheree Hess: Yeah. It, and it's speed. That was speed back in those days. I mean, that was, you know, that's what it was. And I don't remember, I'm trying to think if I remember being amped up. Of course, my appetite, I lost my appetite. And I probably lost some weight, but I don't know either. You know, I was so young, I might have gotten tired of it, of taking 'em or something. And then, or just said I wasn't gonna do it. So, of course then what happens? I gained weight. I'm not taking it now. I wanna eat. And I think no matter what, if you've restricted yourself, whether it's chemically or you know, by a weight loss program, you're still gonna have that -

Rita Black: Boomerang.

Sheree Hess: Yeah, that boomerang. It's gonna happen. Doesn't matter what it was that you know you were doing, you're still gonna have that boomerang. That's a good, good word for it.

Rita Black: So you went, so this was the beginning of sort of starting a diet.

Sheree Hess: Yep.

Rita Black: Being off on a diet. Off a diet. On a diet, off a diet.

Sheree Hess: Stillman's. Do you, do you remember Stillman, i don't know if you did -

Rita Black: I never did. I mean, I, I'm proud to say of all the diets I, zillions of diets I've been on, the Stillman diet is one of those that I think it was protein, right? It was protein based.

Sheree Hess: Yeah. Egg -

Rita Black: I never did it, but it's probably very similar to every other diet I did.

Sheree Hess: Well, this is true. But, you know, so that. I did try doing some things on my own. I think the weight loss industry hadn't evolved to the extent that it is now then. But yeah, that I did some things on my own and then I went to Weight Watchers and then the first time I went, well, not the first time, even the school got involved to try and help, you know, me and my brother and my sister. But they tried to help us by giving us Weight Watchers -

Rita Black: Did all of you guys struggle with weight then? So it wasn't just you? It was the three of you.

Sheree Hess: Yes, the three of us. So we all, all had a problem with weight so -

Rita Black: So you went to Weight Watchers together?

Sheree Hess: We went through the school now, but I, so fast forward a little bit. I think I was in high school and going various programs and stuff, get to high school, join Weight Watchers, and I'm gonna tell you something, Rita. I am a good dieter. I mean, I am, I go all in. Total commitment, even as a, I wasn't even, I think I was 16 maybe at the time, all in and lost 136 pounds.

Rita Black: Whoa. Gee. Wow. That's amazing.

Sheree Hess: 136 pounds. Yep. And immediately when it was all done, put it all back on.

Rita Black: Wow. Did you get to your goal weight then? Like, was that 130 pounds?

Sheree Hess: Yes. That was -

Rita Black: Ok. How did that feel at the age of 16 to lose that much weight? I mean, because surely you got a lot of attention from people.

Sheree Hess: Yeah. I, it was well that's, that's another thing too, is all that attention, you know, you being young like that, you know, and stuff, you kind of, you know, I probably shied away from all the attention and maybe that kind of influenced me to eat -

Rita Black: Start eating -

Sheree Hess: Yeah. Because where was my comfort? Like we were talking about my grandmother and the feeding and the comfort and pushed down feelings.

Rita Black: Yes.

Sheree Hess: So that's pretty much after every diet. That's probably what I did, was the comfort and pushing down feeling.

Rita Black: Yeah. Well, no, it's interesting because so much of us, so many of us, like I think I was 16 going on 17. I went to Weight Watchers as well, was successful, got to my goal weight. Lost a significant amount of weight. And then yeah, people treated me different, people, boys were interested. Got asked to the prom, totally freaked out. And I, you know, by the time I went to the prom, I was, had put back a significant amount of weight,couldn't fit in my dress. I mean, it was just because you feel so vulnerable and you don't know, you're young. You don't know how to, and especially if you've had trauma and whatever, you are using food as a comfort. Nobody's teaching you how to manage those feelings and emotions, right?

Sheree Hess: Yep. Absolutely. So there I am. And then, people will say things to you. I don't think there, I always remember this one, you know, I had lost all that weight, you know, that's so amazing. It was a lot. And I had some, so then I gained it back, and then I would run into people and they'd go, how did you gain all that weight back? You know, like, then, so not only was I put upon that I needed to lose weight, now I'm put upon that gain weight. So it's a vicious, vicious -

Rita Black: Oh, it is. And I think we're so vulnerable when people either mention, I'm gonna be doing a podcast on this, really, this very topic about the people, people's comments, because it's like, they can see into us, it's like, oh, I know your secret. Like you know, cuz we have so much shame around our weight struggle. And it's kind of, it's interesting because when you release weight and people make a comment like, oh, you've lost weight, you look great, right? Not only can they see you cuz they're saying, you have this struggle and I'm calling you out on it. But then they're also saying, you know, you look great. Which is a natural human instinct. You know, they aren't being mean. They're being, they think they're making a huge compliment, but where does our head go? Oh, was I so horrible before

Sheree Hess: Right.

Rita Black: Right?

Sheree Hess: Oh my gosh, I must have been awful.

Rita Black: You know? So, you know, then, you know, all the trip wires in our head, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, vulnerable, shame, all these feelings. You know, people just think they're being nice to you, but

Sheree Hess: Absolutely. And so if you imagine, so now you know, here's my beginning. I'm only talking to you. I'm only, I've only told you the first success for weight loss. So this happened over and over and over. And it was, so by the time I got to shift, I mean, I was pretty much a mess. I was, I was a mess.

Rita Black: And this was like 40 years of up and down?

Sheree Hess: Yeah. Fasting.

New Speaker: Now, Sheree -

Sheree Hess: I actually fasted for 11 months out of the year. I did not eat anything. Octafast. Me and Oprah at the same time.

Rita Black: So you were just drinking that shake?

Sheree Hess: Yes. Yeah. Oh, I was creative. I turned my shake into a little gelatin thing. I wasn't, you know what I was, I was like, well I gotta, what could I do with this drink? Yeah. 11 months. And I lost 110 pounds. Boom. God. That time, everybody, I guess, cuz it was so fast, people were saying, oh, you're so skinny. You, you need to stop. What are you doing? You know, you gotta stop and stuff. Well, when I stop it, talk about, I mean, you're doing 400 calories a day and exercising.

Rita Black: Wow.

Sheree Hess: And then when I stopped, the weight came back on like that. I mean, I had people asking me if I was pregnant. I mean, the humiliation, the shame, all of that is, so intensified, you know? Each, each cycle. Each -

Rita Black: Yeah. Tell me, you, you mentioned to me I know, and, and it is, it's like every single time that happens, there's like a reinforcement and your subconscious mind that you can't do this. You are a failure. You're never going to be successful.

Sheree Hess: Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. That's it. Yeah. That is it.

Rita Black: Now you, I just wanted our listeners to know that you also actually lost weight with Jenny Craig and you were a counselor.

Sheree Hess: Yes.

Rita Black: Right.

Sheree Hess: So that was, so I lost weight I think that was my third, my third attempt at losing weight with Jenny Craig.I know. I, I guess I've just had such a long history. And losing all my weight. I was so good. Dieting wasn't my problem. I could diet like the best of them. You know? I could. So Jenny Craig, one time I lost a hundred pounds, another time I lost, you know, let's say 75 pounds. So this last time I went to them, I mean, I was 320 pounds. And I actually did there at the time which it wasn't the thing, but At Home Online Program. And I lost, I didn't, I didn't get to my goal weight, but I lost like 120 pounds and I was 320. So I lost that. And eating their food, which if anybody's ever had their food, it is not inexpensive. And, but that was investment in me. That was okay. I was investing in myself. It did. I maintained that loss for about five years.

Rita Black: Good for you.

Sheree Hess: And then eating their food though, you know? People worry about chemicals and stuff like that. I mean, I probably should be neon, you know? I mean, I was just eating all the chemicals and stuff. Not that I think, I mean, I didn't, I really, at the time, I didn't think about that. So then I decided, I wonder if I could go work for them. And then I could get probably a discount.

Rita Black: Oh, right.

New Speaker: You know, and then maybe it would reinforce, because I'm gonna tell you, even though I was working with them and all this kind of stuff, I was still a binger, you know? And I call it the unconscious binger because it's like binging because I'm gonna be bad and then I'm gonna be good.

Rita Black: Right?

Sheree Hess: Yeah. And when you're bad, those calories are like, you know, they're not,

Rita Black: They don't count.

Sheree Hess: That's right. They're not there. They're out there hanging over your head or something. Yeah. And either, and then, and then you gotta be good so you can, you know.

Rita Black: Yeah. It's so interesting. I call it under the radar eating, you know?

Sheree Hess: Perfect. So when I, so I was working for them, pandemic, started. And then and I wasn't happy in the situation and I just thought, and I was gaining weight with the pandemic. We were busier than ever.

Rita Black: Oh, right. Yeah.

Sheree Hess: We had to do everything over the phone and shuttle food out to the right clients. But, you know, and I think I gained 20 pounds working at Jenny Craig, but nobody could see me.

Rita Black: Right. So it didn't matter. It was just from the neck up. Right. So you, you looked fine from the neck up. You can't tell. Oh my gosh. And, and so then what, did you quit then? Like, what happened?

Sheree Hess: So so I had my boyfriend and we decided, he's been lived in Florida a few times. And we always kind of had it, we wanted to live somewhere where there was water and things like that. So we decided, and we wanted a little bit change of the season and stuff, so we were looking for a department. And then the pandemic really came out, and thank goodness we didn't lock into anything. And where I was living, I was able to live there a little bit longer. And I just said, let's go to Jacksonville.. And, and you know, my best friend is here, so that worked out good for me. And he has friends in Florida. So, so we came down here in 2020, August of 2020. And that's when my huge vacation started. Like several months vacation. And when you're on vacation and you've been somebody who's had all these struggles with weight, so what are you gonna do? You're gonna eat.

Rita Black: Yeah. Yeah.

Sheree Hess: And I ate another 30. I ate another 30 pounds on. So, so by the time I came, I found you. I was not in a good place. Right. Because, you know, I was back into that shame. And yeah.

Rita Black: And, and how did you, what made you decide on hypnosis? Like, what made you think that hypnosis might be helpful for you?

Sheree Hess: You know, I will tell you that because I had gained that weight, couldn't fit into anything. What am I gonna do? I'm in a strange land, what am I gonna do? You can't go shopping. You can't, you know, online. And then I don't wanna, I've never was like that. I don't wanna buy myself stuff when I'm, you know, not feeling good about myself. So, so, I'm sorry, what was I saying? .

Rita Black: No, that's cool. Hypnosis. What attracted you to hypnosis?

Sheree Hess: So, what attracted me? So I went on, I said, oh my gosh, what am I gonna do? I can't do Jenny Craig. I can't do Optus. I can't, you know, I can't do these things anymore. What am I gonna do? And so I looked on Amazon and I saw your book.

Rita Black: Oh.

Sheree Hess: So that was the first thing. I saw your book. And so I got your book and I'm looking at it, I'm like, hypnosis, and believe it. I knew I had ordered your book at another time in my life, but at that time I didn't get it. You know?

Rita Black: Right, right. You weren't, yeah. You weren't ready. Whatever. Yeah.

Sheree Hess: So I saw your book, and then I was reading your book, and then I said, I like, you know, I like this lady. I think she's pretty smart. I like her story. I like what she's saying. Let me see if I can, wonder if she has a program or something. So then I looked online, and then I saw that you did.

Rita Black: Right.

Sheree Hess: And, and then I was like, you know, on the hypnosis, I mean, that was fine. I know you had said it wasn't gonna be woo woo, and it's not woo woo. So I knew that. And, but I'm gonna tell you, I didn't, you know, I got the information. I was listening to some of the stuff. I didn't push that button until like the last minute.

Rita Black: Right. Yeah.

Sheree Hess: You know, because I knew that meant commitment. Yeah. I knew that that meant, and I had committed myself so many times, and it was like, can you do it? You know? I don't know if I can do it. You know, what is this gonna be? I don't know. But I wanna feel good. And I need to feel good. And so at the last minute, I push that and I start getting the emails and stuff, I was like, oh, no, no.

Rita Black: I'm committed! Buyer's remorse. Oh, no. But see, I think it's interesting. I, you're so honest, Sheree, I love this, that psychological moment when you make, you do push that button. And it is it, but it sounds like, because I want you to tell our listeners about your journey through the program. I mean, not the program per se, but your journey in the beginning, because I know you, it was a slow start for you. But that moment where you made that decision, was there something different? Because, and, and I'm not trying to, I don't want this to be a leading question for you to say yes, absolutely. But was there a place you were coming from that was different than, like you said, I don't wanna do Jenny Craig. I don't wanna do Optafast and because there's, I'm just, I mean, would you say you came from you versus like internal versus external? You know what I mean? Like

Sheree Hess: Yeah.

Rita Black: You know what I'm saying?

Sheree Hess: So let me tell you. So what, so I pushed that button. I'm getting the emails I'm thinking, which are fine. They're, they're all good. And, you know, but what am I doing? You know? I have to do what, you know, oh, I gotta do a thing about myself. Oh my gosh. But what did it for me? You know? And so the program starts, you know, and, and then there's the information about the tracking and stuff. And I'm like, oh gosh. Oh no. What am I gonna do? But I'm gonna tell you what, you know, and I, I was probably like not happy. I don't know, even in the chats, I mean, I was going, I mean, I loathed myself. I, you know, I don't, the intensity of how I felt, I can't even express it. You know what I'm saying? It, it's just this complete, you know, disconnect from myself. Maybe that was it. Because I was always connected with the weight and the shame and the this and the that. So when we did the where you decide the struggle, there's the struggle and all this kind of stuff. And I think, well, we did, I, I forget what it was, but what I did is I realized that I wasn't the problem. I always thought it was me.

Rita Black: Yeah.

Sheree Hess: You know, I, it's, the diet industry was the problem because they made me feel like they were going to save me. They were going to mold me and make me into this person I've always wanted to be. And then they were done with me. And I didn't know how to, what, what, what am I gonna do? I didn't know that. So the turning point, so my turning point was is that I am done with that. No more diet. And I'm telling you, with a passion, no more dieting, no more of that life. I am on a new path, going in a new direction. And whatever I have to do, I'm gonna do it.

Rita Black: Wow. So, so, yeah. I just wanna point out that that transformation was, you went from external to internal. Right? Because that happened to me too,

Sheree Hess: From external to internal. Absolutely. That's perfect.

Rita Black: They, there's a psychological term called external locus of control or internal locus of control. And anybody who's really gone on a long-term weight journey and been successful, you know, long-term has made that shift. And, and that's kind of where I, the name the shift came from is like, you're shifting from that external, like, I'm going on the diet, the diet's gonna save me, the diet's gonna structure me, the diet's gonna take me out of the chaos.

Sheree Hess: Right.

Rita Black: And then, and then I am self-directed, taking a hundred percent responsibility for me and my journey. Believing in myself. Believing I do have the answers and the ability with inside myself. So, good for you. So, so that, that's awesome.

Sheree Hess: Now, did that happen overnight? Like click, you know. No

Rita Black: Nope. Nope. No. Not, no. Yeah.

Sheree Hess: But at least what that did do is I gave up the struggle.

Rita Black: Ugh. So good.

Sheree Hess: I, I was done with it. And because that got me nowhere. Like, and, and I put this thing on Facebook. I wasn't a facebooker, you know? Right. I didn't go out there stuff. But that was, that turning point was so meaningful for me because I realized that I believed in the diets. I believed in the industry. I believed in that. And, and then I lose the weight. And then to accept, you know, I say, everybody's like, oh, you look great. Oh, look how well you've done. Oh, you this, and, and they all were accepted me, but I didn't accept me.

Rita Black: Exactly.

Sheree Hess: See, that's, yeah. So I needed to learn how to accept myself. And, and that is what I've done with this program. One step at a time, one day at a time. One little, little thing at a time. But, and it's brought me to such a self-accepting place that I am never willing to give that up. Never, ever, never, ever.

Rita Black: I hear you. And that is so beautiful now, for those people, cuz I know there are a lot of people hearing you right now Sheree, and they're like, oh, I, that's what I want. That's what I need. But see you, like, sometimes people come into something and I think you're, I think even with the shift, people sometimes it is hard to let go of that diet mentality. I know you let it go, you put it behind you. But sometimes people are like, I've gotta lose 10 pounds in that first month. Versus like, really getting on the journey. So tell us about, because I want people to understand that you didn't do any exercise.

Sheree Hess: Oh no.

Rita Black: First month. You didn't even lose weight the first month.

Sheree Hess: No, I didn't lose weight.

Rita Black: So tell people about this, because see, I think it's important because sometimes people don't get results right away because they're, they're internally working and then the pieces come together for them. So walk us through that, because again, we're, we get addicted to that diet industry, that dopamine with the scale down on the scale. So to walk us through your first month,

Sheree Hess: So going from externally to internally, does it happen overnight? It's not like a switch goes off in your head, no matter how much hypnosis, how much meditation you listen to. But that was, that was my first thing though. I did listen to the meditation. I did listen to the hypnosis, so that it just made me think a little bit different. You know? Then of course we do have the, the tools, which I love the tools now. Now maybe at the time, you know, when tracking, I'm like, what? I gotta track. Cause I thought my mind was gonna change and everything was gonna be you know, somehow something's gonna get in my head. And then now I'm just like, okay. But the exercise, I I've always hated exercise. I don't like it at all. But I'd listened to those meditations and you know, about your day and start your day and you know how you're gonna feel at the end of the day.

Sheree Hess: And yeah, it was probably a month, maybe even a month and a half before. And, and be all honest with you, I didn't even wanna go outside. You wanna talk about the shame and everything? I didn't even wanna be seen. You know what I'm saying?

Rita Black: Yes I do.

Sheree Hess: So I didn't, I didn't wanna walk outside and start walking, you know, so, but I listened to meditation and I said, you know what, you can, you're gonna walk to the mailbox and then you're gonna walk back and that's gonna be it. Just get myself out there, get myself back. All right. You can do that. And did I do it every day then from then on? No, it probably was, that was one time probably for that week. The next week two times, you know? And so then I'm going to, so it's funny because it, it just became, and I'm tracking what I'm eating and I'm getting myself out there and I'm listening to the meditations and stuff. And, but then I started, and then I started listening to podcasts. I hadn't heard you on a podcast. So I started listening to podcasts, which made that getting out there, I don't know, maybe a little fun or something. I put in my earbuds, I get out there, so then I'd walk a little bit more. But nothing big. I mean, I've looked back at my records cuz I have kept my records the whole time. I mean, and I was like doing you know, a thousand steps was big. I thought a thousand steps was wow, how am I gonna maintain that, you know? And, and then, but then I'd go to 1500 steps, you know, and I'd do that like by month, you know, so this month, thousand steps, three times a week. Next month I'm gonna kick it up 1500 steps, you know. And then maybe at that point I might've been like for two weeks. And then, and then, then and, but you know what the main thing was? I was getting myself out there.

Rita Black: Yeah.

Sheree Hess: You know, I actually was getting out there. And so these tools, you know, so what happened when it happened? These tools, what happens when you get out there and you walk? Maybe not in the beginning, cuz I'm still apprehensive and stuff like that, but I'm up to 2000 steps. I was starting to feel pretty good about myself.

Rita Black: Right. And you were at this point releasing weight because I know in the beginning, it wasn't, it was slow.

Sheree Hess: Right. It was slow. I had to, you know, and at the, at the time, you know, the scientists and all these wonderful things about the program. But I still wasn't at that point of looking at myself as a scientist. But then, then I'd look at, you know, oh, okay, so, you know, if I do this, so I had to reduce my calories a little bit because I think I had too many and I wasn't being able to, I wanted to see weight release and.

Rita Black: Right. I'm just gonna pause when, cause you're talking about something that some people might not know about. Like with the tracking is that to stay cognitively correct. And to get, to be in your, it's so, like a lot of people see tracking as like sort of this diety thing. But they, many studies have shown that people with long-term permanent weight management tracked. And what it does in the brain is it helps the brain get clear cuz so much of the time where like judging food, good, bad. And like you were saying, this enabled you to kind of look at the records, to look at the data like a scientist. And make changes based on your life, based on you, based on your desires. Not a diet outside of you.

Sheree Hess: Absolutely. Absolutely.

Rita Black: So it didn't take your power away from you. It attracting actually allowed you to be in the driver's seat of your weight release.

Sheree Hess: In the driver's seat of my weight release. And now to the point I am today in the driver's seat of my life. There is no, it's me. So I was the, I was the thing that was missing. Yes. And all those years of dieting and all that stuff, I was missing. And then now through these tools, through the tracking, through the, so now I'm walking, well I, I know at one time I was gonna go to 7,000. I haven't done that yet because I've do a pretty good, I'm actually at 6,000 and I want to, but I do it almost every day. So

Rita Black: That's amazing. That's so great.

Sheree Hess: Yeah. I've been going to the gym, what don't, and but what it gave me and what it gives me everyday is connection to myself. It's connection to me. This is me that I look at on those apps. This is me and what I'm doing and this is, has given me confidence, you know? It's, it's, it's, I know people might not be able to believe it, but it has changed my life. And now with that confidence, you know, now I'm looking at, you know, cuz these are, this is my base. Nothing is changing with this, but now I'm looking at other things, you know, whereas before I, in my life, I mean, in a way, I mean, I hate to say it now, I was good sister, good granddaughter, good. All these things, good worker, good, had career, all this kind of stuff, but I never felt good about myself because of my weight. And all of that stuff that you, you know, and I know a lot of these people, they're so powerful, you know, but you don't realize it because we have this underlying thing with our weight. You know? That makes us feel like we're no good, not good enough, you know, not worthy, not all these things, but through your program, I am worthy, I am this, I have, I have developed to a degree that it's even hard to put into words. I said that before I may.

Rita Black: Yeah. That was really moving. Thank you for sharing that. What, what you just said, I, and I think what, because I think what people need to hear is that they are the, like we spend thousands of dollars, hundreds of thousands of dollars, some people looking for answers outside of them and nobody is in your head 24/7 except you. And if you don't develop that intercommunication system, if you don't change that conversation, and women especially judge themselves, no matter where, you know, cuz I work with very high level people like you said, and very powerful people. But that conversation is 24/7 about our weight. And we still kind of, hopefully our generation, my daughter's generation not so much, so I don't see that as much in her, but definitely the diet generation, I consider us the diet generation. Right. that definitely is absolutely true. So the fact that you found you in all of this and that you believe in you and you are guiding you,then you get that confidence because you know that no matter what, you can be there for yourself.

Sheree Hess: Absolutely. And that, that is what I've gotten from this person. And it's not, you know, and this isn't woo woo , you know, this isn't -

Rita Black: No.

Sheree Hess: And I don't - There, there are you know, I have a, a big long history and stuff, so there was a lot of, to get to this point and then to feel free you know and, and that's what I want everybody to feel to get that.. And, but it's it, but it takes one step one day

Rita Black: Yeah.

Sheree Hess: And just keep moving forward.

Rita Black: Yeah. I think the important thing you imparted is it's not just like a snap of the finger overnight, but it, but it's the commitment and where you're coming from, which is not, I've gotta lose weight, but I've gotta change my life. I've gotta change how I take care of myself.

Sheree Hess: So remember how I said when I went on those diets, I was committed to the diet.

Rita Black: Yeah.

Sheree Hess: See, now I'm committed to me.

Rita Black: Ah, so good.

Sheree Hess: I'm in charge. Yeah. I love it. I love it. I do love it. So,

Rita Black: And, and Sheree is getting married to the love of her life, right. In January, we were just talking about her wedding. It sounds really amazing, but no, I know. Amazing things are happening and, and I, I see this what you're doing. Like you got that confidence now you're branching out into other things getting excited about other things other than your weight. Now that the weight, you know, that you're, you're releasing the weight, you know what you're doing and you, you're confident you can move on. And, and I, I see that with so many people. It's like once that you can have that confidence, then it unleashes this desire to be your best health and move on to other things. Yeah.

Sheree Hess: And I'm still releasing weight. That's a, you know, I I, I still have my plans and my goal and everything like that, but it's not what you know, that end result isn't what defines me anymore.

Rita Black: Yeah.

Sheree Hess: You know, using my tools, living each day, that's what defines me now.

Rita Black: If you had one thing just to say to somebody out there maybe who is in that place where you were, who's stuck, who's struggling, what would be that one thing you wanna say or that first step that they could take, you know, as far as like, you know, yeah. What would be your like wisdom for them.

Sheree Hess: Well, I, well, well, first off, I, I mean, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the shift. You know. So that's, you know, that was the first step.

Rita Black: Right.

Sheree Hess: And and just like I said, I mean, it's like just taking it, it is one step, one small, small step. That's -

Rita Black: What I think that that you are saying is that just take that first step and, and know that you can believe in yourself.

Sheree Hess: You can. I mean, and I didn't in the beginning, so I don't want anybody to think, oh, well she just, you know, I didn't, it took, it has taken time to get here and whether 60 pounds, that isn't even the point anymore. I mean, I, you know, I'm glad I released that, but who I am is actually more the point. So, but you can be in a dark place. And you can take it one step, one this and come out of it. And, and then the support of, of this program, there's so much support, you know, from you, from, you know, the monthly mastery. I mean, I knew I needed that. I knew I wasn't ready to, and I'm not ready to let go.

Rita Black: We're not ready to let go of you either, Sheree. So well, oh my gosh, this has been so great. And thank you for being so vulnerable and sharing of your journey. That's, it's, it's really it's been a joy and an honor to see your transformation and continued transformation. I know the new year is or the, this new year is going to be really awesome for you. I look forward to seeing lots of great things happening.

Sheree Hess: Yes. It's, it's gonna be awesome. For sure.

Rita Black: Yeah. So thank you so much for coming on today.

Rita Black: Thank you so much, Sheree. Wasn't that inspiring? Wherever you are today, you can just take that first step forward. Like for Sheree, it doesn't have to be a big step, but just start with committing to yourself, committing to a different way forward. And if you are ready to make a big shift in your relationship with yourself when it comes to weight release, please consider taking advantage of the two for one Shift Weight Mastery Process right now. Because when you enroll right now and get started as a self-study student, you're also gonna get to join me when I lead everyone through the live shift, either at a, in April or in the autumn, the end of April, early May. It's really mostly over May. And it's a great time to, you know, get focused right before the summer. People love this time to do it, but also get started right now, connecting with yourself and releasing weight in a way that allows you to release weight for the last time. You can start the self-study any time there's no, you know, you don't have, there's no starting point. You start it when you're ready. And like I said, there's more information, including lots of bonuses in the link in the show notes. All right everyone. So now have a fabulous week. Stay warm. Have, have amazing and warm week. And remember that the key and probably the only key to unlocking the door, 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 shift weight mastery.com. That's www shift weight mastery.com. Or 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.