Shaped Within

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Welcome back again to I C Publishing; I am thrilled to unveil yet another great new author, storyteller, teacher and conduit for healthy and lasting life change, Adele Spraggon in part 1 of this 2 part series.

Adele’s years of research, invaluable personal experience, and asking the right questions, have given virtual bloom to a timely technique, blending eastern wisdom with a western approach. Although this book focuses on weight loss, the amazing philosophy behind its approach will draw you in as you discover how it can be applied to so many areas of your life. It will definitely make believers of the skeptics . . . finally.

Enjoy Part One of this passionate interview with the inspiring author of Shaped Within: Reshaping Weight Loss, Adele Spraggon.

Sheri: What inspired you to write this book?

Adele SpraggonAdele:  At eighteen I weighed 185 pounds.  My first crash diet had me at 650 calories a day. I didn’t realize at the time that dieting was a problem, but the less I ate the harder it became to lose weight.  By the time I was in my forties I was not only overweight, I couldn’t face another diet. I started searching for another way.

My background is in Eastern spiritual practices; I am a meditation facilitator and Kundalini Yoga instructor. I am also versed in the Western objective approach having a Masters in Humanities. Yet despite all of this, I couldn’t stop compulsively eating and drinking (my other problem was wine, every evening I would turn to the bottle in efforts to relax).

I set out to combine the Eastern approach, with its emphasis on accepting whatever arises moment to moment, with the Western approach which stresses improvement. Combining them wasn’t easy. They are fundamentally different philosophies, but when I devised a four step method to do just that, the results where remarkable.

Writing the book is my way of telling others that there is a way to step out of unwanted behaviours that is simple and effective.

Sheri: What do you want others to gain from your book?

Adele: My first goal was to inspire a new way to lose weight that is free from blame. Culturally we don’t look to the solution and question if it is actually the answer to weight gain, instead we blame the dieter for not following the method correctly.

Anna, the main character, experiences this shame when she first realizes she has gained the weight back. After standing on her friend’s bathroom scales, she breaks down into tears and sobs. At this point in the story, Anna is willing to believe it is her fault.

The book then follows Anna’s journey through the Shaped Within Four Step Body/Mind Repatterning solution. As Anna moves through the program she transitions from hating herself to falling madly in love with herself. What is unique about Anna’s journey is it is precisely because of her weight that she comes to form a deep, lasting and loving connection to her body.

To me this is the paradox. What initially appears to be the problem proves to be a beautiful gift. How many of us are given the chance to fall madly in love with ourselves? Especially through the very aspect of ourselves we most despise.

Sheri: Why did you choose the story-telling format you used?

Adele: I tried two other formats before I came across this one. The first book I wrote was more like a manual. I found it really dry. I was on vacation and I had brought Patrick Lencioni, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team with me. I’m not even sure why, although I read a lot of business books this was not a topic I usually embrace. However, sitting on the beach reading, I found myself devouring this book. I loved his format and the short chapters had me turning pages.

When I got home, I started copying Lencioni’s first chapter word for word. Once I got the rhythm I was off and running. From there on, Anna naturally flowed from my pen onto paper. It was as if the book wrote itself. Anna came alive and I cried and rejoiced with her.

Sheri: What’s next for you as an author?

Adele: My next book will be Shaped Within: Reshaping Wine-Hour. It is a very different story from Shaped Within: Reshaping Weight Loss. It begins with Pandora opening the box and releasing negativity and hope. After Pandora’s initial panic she goes on a quest to understand why Zeus placed hope in the box.

Meanwhile, Janine is in our time struggling with what she has come to term “wine o’clock”. This is the hour of the evening when she repeatedly turns to the bottle in efforts to relax. Janine is a highly successful career woman and her struggles with drinking bring her much shame.

These two stories come together. Pandora, having discovered the truth about hope, communicates her findings across time to Janine. Janine then begins her own quest to uncover the meaning of the notes.

It is a fun read and one I am thoroughly enjoying writing. I knew I had to address this subject in a way that was light and fun. Despite one in ten women struggling with wine-hour, there is still much shame around it.

Like all of my books, I like to take areas of shame and turn them into opportunities to feel empowered.  There is nothing more powerful than causing mastery in an area where one feels out of control.

Stay tuned for Part Two of this interview, answering the question: What was your creative process for this project?

And if you would like to be one of the first to purchase a copy of Adele’s book, you will find it here in the I C Bookstore.

Better yet, meet her in person tonight at her Book Launch in Markham, ON, at the Markham Historic Train Station, 214 Main St. N., 7pm to 10pm. Please RSVP directly to rutherfords@bell.net.

As always, please feel free to share and keep in touch via the comment section below or email me directly.

Honoured to be a part of your creative and professional journey!

Most sincerely,

Sheri and the I C Publishing Team