Using willpower to transform your body 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.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Starvation_Experiment
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.
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An obsession with food – to the point that they could think of little else
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Irritability, depression, irrationality
After the calorie restrictions were lifted, it was reported by every single participant that he had
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Maintained an unhealthy obsession with food for a long time after the experiment was concluded
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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
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You should NOT approach weight-release from a “prohibitive” angle.
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You should not implement a plan that is too strict or restrictive.
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You should not implement a plan that is regimented and inflexible.
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You should not be “consumed” by sticking to the plan
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You should not panic or worry that eating is going to add weight to your body
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You should not panic or worry that eating will stop you from releasing weight from your body.
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You should not worry that you are not doing enough to release your weight.
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You should not fill your mind with what you can’t have
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You should not punish yourself to achieve a goal.
What SHOULD you do?
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Yes… you do need to implement a lifestyle that creates weight-release.
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Yes… that includes eating the right types and amounts of food.
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Yes… that includes exercising and burning more calories than you consume as much as possible
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It also includes LOVING the process, celebrating your new habits as a life-long change.
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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!
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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)
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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.
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Represent your new healthy lifestyle in your mind as a fun and exciting opportunity to create weight release and health.
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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.
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Fill your mind with belief that your body is working WITH you to release all the extra weight you are carrying.
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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.
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Remember always that sugar is toxic, and your body deserves better!
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Remember that all carbs become sugar in your system… ESPECIALLY processed carbs.
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Remember that there is nowhere in nature that sugars, and fats occur together… think about what that means.
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Remember to use your words to train yourself to LOVE healthy food even more than naughty treats.
Remember always that this must be about life-long change!
This must be about YOU understanding food and understanding YOUR body and what suits YOUR body and YOUR life!
This must be about you totally transforming your worrisome and fretful relationship with food.
If I simply start you a plan about what to eat and when to eat it… then none of that changes.
All that does 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 is about changing within, to then support the physical strategies (nutrition and fitness in YOUR life).
This is up to you to absorb ALL the information and develop a plan that You can not only live with, but love and to repair your body so beautifully that over-eating on those occasions is just not a big deal and you get back-on-track quickly, easily and without regret!
Remember that focusing on what you PUT INTO YOUR BODY 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!
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I am Fiona Burdett; Life-Coach, Body-Transformation Coach and recovered Yo-yo Dieter!
