Marianne Williamson's Course in Weight Loss -- for Your Home

Bestselling author and spiritual teacher Marianne Williamson invited us into her Los Angeles home to talk about how your home can help you lose weight.

Yes, weight loss can start at the gym or the nutritionist's office, but true commitment and maintenance happens at home. So we weren't surprised to see the home play a large role in Marianne Williamson's "A Course in Weight Loss" -- the book that Oprah called "the miracle we've been waiting for." We called on Williamson to provide more insight into how your home can help you lose weight, and she graciously invited us in.

As expected, her home is a lovely and inviting place -- and it beautifully reflects the principles in "A Course in Weight Loss." There's the altar to love, a prominent and well-used dining table and meaningful heirlooms and souvenirs throughout the rooms.

"I think that the goal of the book is that you should sit comfortably within your skin," she tells us. "And it's very difficult to sit comfortably in your skin when your external environment is not something you can sit comfortably in."

Williamson is careful not to advise -- the book is not a do-this-not-that manual. Rather, it's a compilation of the ideas, practices and prayers that have worked for her. Not surprisingly, after reading "A Course in Weight Loss" and hearing her perspective firsthand, we left her home feeling remarkably lighter. Here, we share six of the best ideas for bringing lightness into your own home.


Lose weight at home by... Establishing an altar.
In her book, Williamson writes about the struggle to choose love over fear -- the fear that often drives us to overeat.

"Fear already has an altar," she writes. "It's called your kitchen." So why not carve out a space in your home devoted to love?

"Every time you visit your altar, it will fortify love's power in your mind," she explains, before going on to list the potential items for your own altar: A journal, a box filled with inspirational quotes, beautiful candlesticks and a bowl of fruit, among other things. Think of all the time spent idling in the kitchen with nervous energy, browsing through the refrigerator. Why not replace that ritual by visiting a space devoted to self-love? With an altar devoted to love and comfort, you have a place to reflect and address your emotions, rather than quiet them by overeating.

As Williamson writes, "Darn right you're hungry, but not for food."

Lose weight at home by... Surrounding yourself with beautiful, comforting objects.
"I think anything we do to increase the beauty around us is important," says Williamson. And it's clear from seeing her home that she takes this seriously. Rich red walls, art from all over the globe and a particularly stunning sofa hold court in her living room.

But of course, it's not just about the beauty -- the art has come from meaningful travels and the sofa was her grandmother's.

"I have things that belonged to my mother and my mother's mother, and now that they're in my home, I feel surrounded by both of them," she says. Because Williamson often travels for work, it's especially important that her home is a haven.

"My sign is Cancer, so I'm a homebody. When I'm home, I'm really home," she enthuses. "And when surrounded by items from my mother and awards I've been given, I feel like there's a lot of love." It's almost like replacing comfort food with comfort objects -- looking to an inherited lamp or plate, rather than a recipe, to remind you that you're not alone.

Lose weight at home by... Recognizing the beauty in fresh, healthy food.
It's so important to pay attention to your food -- not just the calorie counts, but the actual look of it.

"Beauty in food is no different than beauty on my coffee table," says Williamson. She especially favors the organic, keeping a bowl of tangerines or clementines in her home at all times (and yes, the fact that they make a healthy snack only adds to the beauty).

"A lot of these unhealthy, chemically-processed foods, they're not beautiful," she says. "The packaging might be beautiful, but when you think about what's in them and how they affect your body... there's no beauty there."

Lose weight at home by... Slowing down
We've all been guilty of rushing through a meal -- or a day -- but Williamson warns that the effects of moving too quickly can go deeper.

"Most of the mistakes I've made in my life happened when I was moving too fast," she confesses. It's especially true for food choices. "Often, unwise eating is accompanied by eating that's too quick, whether it's standing over the sink or just not surrounding yourself with an environment that supports you in calm." While quick eating can feel practical or even enjoyable, the outcome is more negative. It gives you a chemical high that causes even more quick eating and even more food. In the book, Williamson suggests meditation to help you slow down, and even reminds the too-busy-to-try set that meditating "slows down time."

Looking for more benefits of meditation? It sets off a chain reaction of reducing stress and making it easier to say no to self-destructive urges.

Lose weight at home by... Sitting at the table for dinner
One of our favorite lines in "A Course in Weight Loss" begins: "It all starts with a beautiful napkin." Williamson goes on to list all the items needed for a fresh start: A plate, glass, place mat, flatware, candlestick, candles and a piece of music. No paper or plastic allowed, and they all must be new. Even if you already own beautiful tabletop accessories, she's clear: "None of that matters now; you need new ones. For the ones you have belong to the old you," Williamson explains. "You can't build new rituals using tools that represent the old. You will undermine your negative rituals by replacing them with sacred ones."

Lose weight at home by... Removing temptation.
Williamson is a grazer -- she eats small portions throughout the day, but that doesn't mean she's immune to temptation.

"I am as endangered by the presence of too many carbs and chemically-processed foods as anyone," she says. So she's careful to keep these items out of sight and out of mind.

When we visited her just after the holidays, she had a piece of chocolate cake in her refrigerator, a gift from a friend. And no, she hadn't touched it.

"There were times in my life when I would look at some food in my home and say 'I can't throw it out, someone spent good money on that!' But if its really bad for you, the idea that there's something good in indulging in it -- it's kind of insane thinking," she says. "Yes, someone may have paid a lot for those sweets. But, well, you're going to pay a lot if you indulge. You pay with your health."

While going through the contents of your refrigerator or cabinets, ask yourself Williamson's question: "Was buying this an act of self love?" If the answer is no, you know where to throw it.

Would you try these ideas? What -- or who -- in your home encourages you to eat right? Weigh in on our Facebook page!

Love Williamson's ideas and looking for more? Check out her website. And if you want more ideas on organizing your home for weight loss, check out this 60-second video from our partner.