Using
willpower to lose weight is not sustainable.
The very idea that willpower is required shows
that an approach of prohibition/restriction is still your subconscious approach
to weight-release.
Statements like “I
can’t just stop at 1” or “I can’t resist snacking at night” are NOT
helping you. Change your words!
The first time I
heard about the Minnesota Starvation Experiment, I was fascinated! As a coach
and a recovered Anorexic and then binge-eater/compulsive eater & Yo-yo
dieter who grew larger and larger over a period of 30 years; the psychological
effects on the subjects of this experiment were all too familiar!
Wikipedia tells
us:
“The Minnesota
Starvation Experiment, also known as the Minnesota Semi-Starvation
Experiment, the Minnesota Starvation-Recovery Experiment and
the Starvation Study, was a clinical study performed at the University of
Minnesota between
November 19, 1944 and December 20, 1945. The investigation was designed to
determine the physiological and psychological effects of severe and prolonged
dietary restriction and the effectiveness of dietary rehabilitation strategies.”
This experiment
is one of the best examples to show us what happens when we restrict foods and
how our body reacts to starvation.
For me, however, the fascination was about
the psychological effects that prohibition has and the effects that it has on a
person’s actions.
In this
experiment, a group of young healthy young men, with no prior history of weight
issues or issues with diet and health, were put on a severely calorie
restricted diet for an extended period of time.
The subjects all
reported the following psychological responses.
·
An
obsession with food – to the point that they could think of little else
·
Irritability,
depression, irrationality
After the calorie
restrictions were lifted, it was reported by every single participant reported
that he had
- Maintained
an unhealthy obsession with food for a long time after the experiment was
concluded
- Gained
large amounts of weight for a period of at least 2 years after the experiment
was concluded.
Why is this
relevant to us Dieters?
Dieters fill
their minds with what they can’t have (just as those guys in the experiment did).
This is because food (or at least as much food as they desired) was prohibited.
Dieters make
statements like;
I am not
allowed…………..
I mustn’t
have…………
I must cut
out………..
If I just
get a strict regime that tells me every day what to eat and when to eat it…
then I am really good at sticking to that!
As far as this
last statement is concerned… if that were the truth then you wouldn’t be
battling with your weight now!
You would have
released it all long back and maintained that size long term, but that is not
what has happened… is it?
Instead, you have
been on a “lost and found” mission in which you got better and better at
“finding” that weight, every time you lost it!
How do you change
this?
What you should
NOT do
·
You
should NOT approach weight-release from a “prohibitive” angle.
·
You
should NOT implement a plan that is too strict or restrictive.
·
You
should NOT implement a plan that is regimented and inflexible.
·
You
should NOT be “consumed” by sticking to the plan
·
You
should NOT panic or worry that eating is going to add weight to your body
·
You
should NOT panic or worry that eating will stop you from releasing weight from
your body.
·
You
should NOT worry that you are not doing enough to release your weight.
·
You
should NOT fill your mind with what you can’t have
·
You
should NOT punish yourself to achieve a goal.
What SHOULD you
do?
·
Yes…
you do need to implement a lifestyle that creates weight-release.
·
Yes…
that includes eating the right types and amounts of food.
·
Yes…
that includes exercising and burning more calories than you consume as much as
possible
·
It
also includes LOVING the process, celebrating your new habits as a life-long
change.
·
Understand
that the occasional naughty treat must not make you feel guilty, instead you
mentally take note of how yummy it was and then tell yourself that you will
burn those calories EASILY and it won’t add a gram of fat to your body.
Also
tell yourself that it was SO satisfying that at least your desire for another
naughty treat is now gone…for a long time!
·
Fill
your mind with the great and yummy healthy foods that you CAN have and mentally
celebrate how exciting that is, and how blessed you are, to be able to have
that healthy food!
·
Remind
yourself every single day that your body has done SO much for you… If you have
borne children– remember that If it wasn’t for your body – then that fabulous
family of yours would not be here.
This should be enough to remind you every
day that you owe your body love and gratitude and the best way to give that
love and gratitude is by taking care of it.
If you have not borne children then
remember that if it wasn’t for your body – you would not be here, you would not
have held, hugged and cared for your loved ones, you would not have got up
every day and taken yourself to where you need to be or, performed any tasks
ever for that matter.
·
Remember
every day that your body has been SO forgiving – even though you have not
always treated it well it still always strives to recover and achieve wellness.
·
You
should implement a plan that works and that you know you CAN sustain for the
rest of your life!
That’s what a lifestyle is, as opposed to a diet.
·
You
should also fill your mind with excitement and belief, every day about the
SUCCESSFUL RESULTS that you WILL achieve! (Talk down and replace any doubts
that surface about achieving those results)
·
Remember
that PROHIBITION always has an opposite effect on your mind.
All through
history in all sorts of different contexts, from alcohol to religion – there are
examples that show us that prohibition only makes something more desirable.
·
Represent
your new healthy lifestyle in your mind as a fun and exciting opportunity to
create weight release and health.
·
Every time thoughts pop up about what you
should NOT have then calmly acknowledge them and remember how to use your
words…. Yes, I do love treats AND what I love EVEN MORE is reclaiming my
body and I love the health, longevity and sense of wellbeing that it gives me
too. Then… while saying those GOOD things to yourself, imagine them as a
picture in your mind.
·
Fill
your mind with belief that your body is working WITH you to release all the
extra weight you are carrying.
·
TELL
yourself every single day and as many times a day as possible, that the extra
fat is MELTING OFF YOUR BODY and again picture that beautiful result in your
mind. Make this practice a habit, soon your mind goes “OOOOOH… well if that’s
what’s happening then I know what to do” and then it aligns your actions accordingly
and even gets your body to start burning that fat.
Remember… every single
function of your body is driven by your brain, your mind… give your mind the
right instructions and it will do as you tell it to.
·
Remember
that sugar is toxic, and your body deserves better!
·
Remember
that all carbs become sugar in your system… ESPECIALLY processed carbs.
·
Remember
that there is nowhere in nature that sugars, and fats occur together… think
about what that means.
·
Remember
to use your words to train yourself to LOVE healthy food even more than naughty
treats.
Remember
always that this is about life-long change!
This
is about YOU understanding food and understanding YOUR body and what suits YOUR
body and YOUR life!
This
is about you totally transforming your worrisome and fretful relationship with
food.
If you simply start yet another diet which tells you exactly what to eat and when to eat it… then nothing changes.
What that does do, is uphold your belief that your body will not
co-operate with you and release that weight without prohibition and stringent
rules.
Then after every holiday away, after every Christmas, every Easter you
just have to deal with your old “demons” as usual and will find yourself
punishing yourself by eating more AGAIN!
This must be about changing within to then support the physical strategies (nutrition and fitness) that you implement in your life.
This
is up to you to develop a plan that You can not
only live with, but love.
Remember that focusing on what you
put in is not just about being aware that unhealthy treats are not good for
your body – that is indeed one aspect, but whenever you do turn down those
treats I want you to also mentally celebrate by doing 2 things…
Thing 1: Picture yourself at your
ideal size and glowing with health and vitality – and feel really positive
about that result
Thing 2: Picture the next healthy
food that you WILL be eating and tell yourself how excited you are, and how
blessed you are that you have that to look forward to AND that it will be
TOTALLY guilt-free – literally a celebration of yumminess and health!
Learn
how to take the power OUT of the hands of ANY diet and put it directly into
YOUR hands.
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