{"id":5352,"date":"2013-12-17T14:27:27","date_gmt":"2013-12-17T19:27:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/?p=5352"},"modified":"2013-12-17T14:27:27","modified_gmt":"2013-12-17T19:27:27","slug":"kick-in-the-tush-tuesday-drop-5-be-happy-and-merry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/2013\/12\/kick-in-the-tush-tuesday-drop-5-be-happy-and-merry.html","title":{"rendered":"Kick in the Tush Tuesday: Drop 5 – Be Happy and Merry"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"kick\u201cWhat ho!” I said.
\n“What ho!” said Motty.
\n“What ho! What ho!”
\n“What ho! What ho! What ho!”
\nAfter that it seemed rather difficult to go on with the conversation.\u201d
\n? <\/span>P.G. Wodehouse<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>My Man Jeeves<\/span><\/a><\/b><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Dearest Most Fabulous, Amaze Ball Tushkateers,<\/i><\/b>\u00a0\u00a0 How’s it hanging?\u00a0 As in the hanging of the ornaments, the wreaths, the lights?\u00a0 How the shopping going?\u00a0 The wrapping of the gifts?\u00a0 How’s the ingesting going?\u00a0 The food (oy vey)?\u00a0 The holiday cookie exchange, the cocktail parties, the office parties, the house parties? \u00a0 How’s the conversation going?\u00a0 What? Conversation? -or- What conversation?<\/p>\n

A sly segue, as we seamlessly move into the meat n’ potatoes of this week’s Kick in the Tush Club e-letter, Holiday Edition, without pause!\u00a0\u00a0 Transitioning from one topic to the next smoothly!\u00a0 A holiday tip that can help you to drop 5 and have a Merry and a Happy!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Holiday Conversation:\u00a0 Move Away from the Buffet Table.\u00a0 Strike Up a Conversation!<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

It’s true, Tushkateers.\u00a0 Aside from the profound importance of being engaged and interested in other people, having a satisfying conversation is rewarding in its own right, and it can help you to break the old food patterns.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I practiced “conversation” just this past weekend.\u00a0 We went to a lovely dinner party (yay, an invitation!!!) and, yes, I engaged in conversation; the food was secondary.\u00a0 Not that I didn’t enjoy the food, but it wasn’t the beat-all end-all of the evening.\u00a0 Connecting, sharing stories, laughing…oh my…now that was delicious!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Here, from Our Lady of Weight Loss<\/a> and Janice Taylor (that’s me), Life & Happiness Coach, weight loss expert, offering up a platter full of conversation tips!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

12 Tips:\u00a0 How to easily and effortlessly have a great conversation.<\/b><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

1. A conversation is not a monologue<\/b>. Limit yourself to 4 sentences or 40 seconds, whichever comes FIRST.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

2. Silence is golden<\/b>. Just as a pause is important in music – so is a bit of silence in a conversation. Give others an opportunity to jump right in.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

3. Be interested in the other person.<\/b> Be attentive. Ask them questions. Draw them out.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

4. Do not offer advice.<\/b>\u00a0 Hello, did anyone ask you for your opinion? People really don’t like being told what to do.\u00a0 Eliminate “you know what you should do” from your conversation!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

5. Look for visual signs<\/b>.\u00a0 If you see any eye-rolling, clock watching, foot tapping – you’ve overstepped your bounds and more than likely your time limit.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

6. You don’t have to be right.<\/b> No, really – you don’t.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

7. Stick to the topic at hand<\/b> and roll with it.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

8. Don’t tell jokes<\/b> unless you are truly skilled at it.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

9. Be tactful, alert and sympathetic<\/b>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

10. Always be in good humor. <\/b>No matter what!<\/span><\/span>\u00a0 It’s a choice, make it!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

11. Don’t preach or take yourself too seriously.<\/b> Do not dwell on moral issues.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

12. Be positive.<\/b> Negative talk will make you a negative person. YIKES! We don’t want that to happen, do we?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I sincerely hope that at the very least this post reminds you that the holiday is not solely about holiday cookies, eggnog, shopping, ornaments, et cetera.\u00a0 It’s about love, compassion, kindness; it’s about connecting with each other! \u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

So…Please do remember to move away from the buffet; strike up a conversation!\u00a0 <\/span><\/span>AND!!! Please take notes.\u00a0 Any funny quotes, interesting information gathered from your holiday conversations can be (and should be!!!!) shared!<\/p>\n

Share AWAY–Join Our Lady of Weight Loss’s Club:\u00a0\u00a0 Kick in the Tush Club\/FB<\/a><\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\n

Happy Holidays!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Spread the word\u2013NOT the icing,<\/p>\n

Janice Taylor
\nwise * fun * utterly useful
\n\"NYU<\/p>\n

\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014-
\nFor the best life, wellness and weight loss wisdom, visit Janice:
\nOur Lady of Weight Loss
\n<\/a><\/em><\/strong>sign up for the\u00a0Kick in the Tush Club<\/em><\/a> e-letter
\njoin and chat: Kick in the Tush Club\/Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cWhat ho!” I said. “What ho!” said Motty. “What ho! What ho!” “What ho! What ho! What ho!” After that it seemed rather difficult to go on with the conversation.\u201d ? P.G. Wodehouse, My Man Jeeves Dearest Most Fabulous, Amaze Ball Tushkateers,\u00a0\u00a0 How’s it hanging?\u00a0 As in the hanging of the ornaments, the wreaths, the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":123,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[70,82,1397,3,60,978,1488,1,176,2100,369,2511],"tags":[3379,671,3380,3826,3827,2530,3825,8,3837,3875,248],"class_list":["post-5352","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-janice-taylor","category-kick-in-the-tush-club","category-life-coach-2","category-motivation","category-our-lady-of-weight-loss","category-the-happiness-diet","category-the-holiday-diet","category-weight-loss","category-weight-loss-coach-2","category-weight-loss-success-coach","category-weight-loss-tips-2","category-weight-loss-wisdom","tag-conversation-tips","tag-how-to-lose-weight","tag-how-to-make-conversation","tag-janice-taylor","tag-kick-in-the-tush-club","tag-kick-in-the-tush-tuesday","tag-our-lady-of-weight-loss","tag-weight-loss-coach","tag-weight-loss-motivation","tag-weight-loss-success-coach","tag-weight-loss-tips"],"yoast_head":"\nKick in the Tush Tuesday: Drop 5 - Be Happy and Merry - Our Lady of Weight Loss<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/2013\/12\/kick-in-the-tush-tuesday-drop-5-be-happy-and-merry.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Kick in the Tush Tuesday: Drop 5 - Be Happy and Merry - Our Lady of Weight Loss\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cWhat ho!” I said. “What ho!” said Motty. “What ho! 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