What can you do to get ahead and build your best self?

Mama made the BEST from-scratch pies, cakes, cookies, brownies, Swedish tea rings, fudge and other sweets. However, these were mostly for weekends or special occasions like birthdays. We enjoyed these without guilt. She also prepared the best everything – that included BBQ beef patties, fish, chicken, pinto beans, salads, whole grains, and plenty of vegetables, such as homegrown tomatoes, green beans and onions. We loved it all (except I didn’t like liver and beets then).

My dad (I called him “BILL” for a while like Mama did) was the Master Complimenter of all time and we learned gratitude from him. After every single meal he would say to mom, “Pat, that was the best meal you’ve ever made!´ We would rush to say the same, with big smiles on our faces and she would just beam with love. Mealtimes were happy, fun and nourishing on every level. We learned to help out in small ways, like make a green salad, set the table or wash the dishes. Today most of my clients rarely have even one meal a week together!

Who are the bad guys in our world today? My audiences and clients struggle with restricting, bingeing, low self esteem, not feeling good enough, weight and eating disorders, obesity, addictions, food misinformation, not knowing how or what to cook, stress, anxiety, trauma and depression. I show them how to fight back and win! I also fight off the bad guys of misguided marketing, damaging media messages, out-of-date core beliefs, lack of motivation, and hurtful family messages to name a few. I want everyone to grow in strength.

My lifelong CRUSADE is to show others how to BEAT THE BINGE AND BUILD A BETTER SELF, a confident, healthy, loving self. I want to share my love and knowledge of food, nutrition, eating, and life with YOU, reaching as many people, MILLIONS I hope, with the critical message of how to be self-reliant, improve your health, life and relationships, and enjoy all kinds of foods with pleasure and without guilt. Anyone can learn to eat what’s right for their own body and lifestyle without trying to please someone else. It’s a matter of education and choice. That’s why I speak, counsel and wrote my book EAT UP THE GOOD LIFE!™ Savvy Skills for Pleasurable, Guilt-Free Eating & Living. I offer fabulous, Simple Solutions to these life problems that can make a big difference in becoming a stronger person—inside and out. FOOD is GOOD!

As I reflect back with joy, I can see clearly now how I evolved from COWGIRLTO CRUSADER!

Showing you how to eat with gusto and live confidently and healthfully is my passion and my mission in life! And I still wear my cowboy hat, boots and jeans every chance I get. Just ask my neighbors, friends and family.

Now I’d like to invite you to have me speak for your groups, universities, associations and businesses. I’ll have your audience LAUGH, LEARN and BUILD THEIR BEST SELVES as they step toward positive and lasting change! Brainstorm who you know and have them call me soon. OK?

Ask Alice to speak to your group by going to: AliceBaland.com or calling 469-737-5455. I travel nationwide and locally in Dallas/Plano and Allen. Learn how to get 50-100 FREE BOOKS when you book me! If you can’t wait, go to the Success Store at AliceBaland.com (plus I have a great, effective lose weight with hypnosis instant audio download). For more services, such as in-person therapy, nationwide phone coaching, teleclasses and books go to EatUpTheGoodLife.com and BingeEatingDisordersTreatment.com You can register and receive three free gifts, check out my weekly BLOG and help yourself and your family. Spread the word please. Talk soon! Alice

When I was 15-17 years old I took some foods and nutrition classes at Amarillo High School, like nutrition through the life cycle. Mrs. Parkey, my teacher, took me under her wing and became my role model and best supporter. She was fair, encouraging and made nutrition come alive for me. When she showed us the pinch-an-inch method of body fat determination, I was surprised I couldn’t even pinch a millimeter of skin. (I attribute that to riding my bike, throwing newspapers, and playing football with the neighbor kids hours a day). She taught us the healthy way to weight control and health.

I studied and read everything she advised. At the end of my senior year, I was chosen #1 Nutrition Student of the Year and won great prizes, like a sterling silver place setting and a trip to Austin. What a shock. All this led to my decision to become a registered dietitian to help people improve their eating and health habits as a career. I was so excited! How many 15 year olds know what they want to do with their lives? When did you know? Are you still searching?

I continued my studies at Texas Tech and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical at Dallas and became the dietitian I had always wanted to be! More mentors encouraged me to follow my path. I was lucky, though I believe these words by French chemist Louis Pasteur, “Chance favors the prepared mind.” My philosophy is lifelong learning; I’m like a sponge in that regard. It’s unusual for the majority of college graduates to actually remain in the field in which they studied.

Later I got my Masters at Amber University in Dallas and became a psychotherapist. Dr. Ken Bateman, one of my favorite professors there, was a true hero for me with his wit, insight and compassion. Yes, I wanted to be a therapist and educator like him who helped others heal and grow. I combined nutrition with therapy. Later, in my own private practice, I was chosen to be a national spokesperson where I championed good eating and a healthy lifestyle. I’ve trained and studied all my life to be the expert in weight management, eating disorders, anxiety, trauma and family nutrition that I am today.

Guess I am an exception to the rule. Why? I must say that I have always been driven to help others in a big way! I love food, nutrition, healthy eating, balancing meals and life with wholesome activities. What made me different is that I had exceptional mentors in my parents. We were raised without deprivation and restriction. We had no good foods or bad foods mentality. Mom and Dad showed us how to balance all foods in our week and play outdoors most of the time. I want to share that gift with others.

Role models and mentors, whether parents, teachers, speakers, dietitians or therapists can show us a better way to live. We get better by investing in lifelong learning. Beware of someone who says they don’t need to take any more courses or learn anymore! They often prove to be the most inflexible. Life is constantly changing and we must be prepared to keep up or be left behind. What do you choose?

Tune in to Blog #3 FROM COWGIRL TO CRUSADER, Part 3.

When I was four years old I lived with my young parents in a small apartment behind the laundry my dad owned. He worked in it 12-16 hours a day six days a week to build a better life for us. I lived in my Play World, which included playing Cowboys and Indians, gladiator with armor and sword, reading fairy tales, and hiking with my folks at Palo Duro Canyon when we could get away. In the small backyard on the hard-packed earth I would ride my broomstick horse. Like my hero, John Wayne, I stood up for what’s right and fought off the bad guys. From humorist Will Rogers, a friend of my great uncle and aunt, I learned, “A man only learns in two ways, one by reading, and the other by association with smarter people.”

Through the years I learned the basics of nutritious eating from my parents and all four of my grandparents. As an eight year old I noticed that most of my classmates either did not eat breakfast or had only a donut. I felt so sad for them! By then I had three younger siblings. My mom fixed us a hot breakfast every day before school, such as oatmeal and orange juice, egg and whole wheat toast, or hotcakes, fruit and homemade grape jelly, all from scratch. She said, “I want you kids to be strong and healthy so you can have plenty of energy and learn well.” It stuck.

Willie Nelson croons in one song “My heroes have always been cowboys.” Who are your heroes? I recently wrote down several people who have mentored and truly inspired me through the years, including my parents, the Lone Ranger, Superman, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty’s prince, Pinocchio, Shirley Temple, Grandmother Baland, Jesus Christ, certain fairy tales and my Uncle Andy (a young Air Force pilot who took me out for chocolate malts at the drugstore when he was home on leave). More recent ones include Jonathan Sprinkles “Your Connection Coach,” James Malinchak, “The Secret Millionaire,” and Francie White, my eating disorders trainer from Santa Barbara.

Who are your favorite heroes or mentors? How have they impacted your life? One thing I explore with my clients includes what positive and negative scripts might you subconsciously follow? (I credit my mentor  marriage counselor Heather Carlile with this). Maybe you didn’t have positive role models or parents growing up. No problem – that is if you consciously choose new positive ones! Find out more in my next blog: FROM COWGIRL TO CRUSADER! Part 2.