As we age, weight becomes harder and harder to shed. It is not even autumn, and I am already feeling as if I had better lose a few more pounds so that I won’t find myself overweight after the holidays.
On average an American gains 7-10 pounds every holiday. If this is true, then we all should consider beginning our weight loss now or change our eating happens to adjust for the myriad of holiday treats.
Of course, the second option is the healthiest choice. Most of us feel as if we are ping-pong balls when it comes to weight—up and down, bouncing from one unhealthy place to another. Our health becomes the benefactor of unhealthy eating. So then, what do we need to change to finally end this struggle?
Every thought you think impacts your body. The American Psychological Association has proven that stress will cause cardiovascular problems, for instance. We know, therefore, that the anxiety of the mind impacts the physical body. We can make a lot of sense out of the problems in our lives when we realize that we may be attracting the very problems we fear the most. Like attracts like. If you have unhealthy thinking, you will attract to your body and life unhealthy living.
In this example let’s look at an unhealthy mind trying to lose weight. An unhealthy mind whispers to you: “I can never resist desserts and overeating during the holidays. I might as well just gain the weight and try to lose it at New Years.”
If your mind is thinking this negative thought, you can be assured that you will eat everything in sight. I have been a Clinical Hypnotherapist and Life Coach by trade for 25 years. I have successfully worked with clients who have been 20 to 250 pounds overweight. Trust me, these people do not lose weight by thinking that it is okay to binge—ever!
Losing weight starts with a healthy body image. What is your comfortable weight? Imagine it. See the new you in the mirror every time you look at yourself. Begin to monitor your eating habits and your aversion to exercise. All of these attributes can change with the right attitude.
For instance, I had a client who was a consistent 40 pounds overweight. She basically had been on one diet after another her entire life. She came to me in tears: “I am so tired of this roller coaster. I need to start a new plan and keep it. I try and try, but always seem to fail.”
My answer was: “No one ever achieves anything by trying. We achieve when we do what our highest consciousness leads us to do and not acquiesce to the noise in our mind that tells us otherwise.”
She begged, “Please help me do that.”
So, we started with a healthy plan for her mind, where all of your work should always begin. We began to imagine wanting and desiring healthy food instead of junk- and fast food. We looked at her physical capacity to exercise and discovered that she watched 2.5 hours of television a day because she had pain in her hips and knees. During a portion of her television time we planned to lightly bounce on a fitness ball and do core strength exercises to tighten her stomach muscles.
This entire envisioning process can happen with simple meditation (contemplating or dreaming of your new paradigm of living in quiet time every morning or evening). Or you can go to a hypnotherapist who can help change the neural pathways in your brain that cause your unhealthy triggers.
When my client completed her first three hypnosis sessions, she was ready to begin to start her new lifestyle diet. Interestingly, though, in three weeks she had already lost 5 lbs without even trying.
Your diet must consist of a plan. If you decide to diet and do not have the food you need in your home, you will always make the wrong choices. You must throw out the unhealthy food, first, and replace it with healthy fruit, vegetables and healthy snacks.
I am a snacker. I love to munch on something while I watch television. If you are as I am, you have to find healthy alternatives, otherwise you will stuff your face with junk food every night and complain about your stomach the next morning.
One great, healthy snack is fat-free popcorn lightly sprayed with Bragg’s liquid aminos and then dowsed the popcorn with a healthy amount of Nutritional Yeast (1 tablespoon). Your popcorn will taste like cheese corn and will have no fat. It will provide you with healthy amino acids instead of salt and the nutritional yeast gives you 7 grams of protein per tablespoon.
- You must do this kind of planning for every meal. You have to decide if you are at work and at a boardroom meeting where food has been provided, what exactly you would eat.
- You have to decide when to cook your dinner, because if you come home late and have nothing prepared in the refrigerator, you will choose something unhealthy again.
All of this must be worked out ahead of time. If you think you don’t have time to plan for your health, you will not be healthy. Life is this simple. If you think you will always be poor, you are surely going to have to struggle to meet every bill. If you believe you will always be chunky, you will certainly manifest obesity until you decide otherwise.
It’s September. Should you be thinking about dieting for the holiday?
The answer is simple: No!
You should be thinking about changing your attitude about overeating during the holidays and everything else will work itself out according to your plan. You can have your 1/2 a piece of pumpkin pie and turkey, too.
You can book an appointment at 954-253-6493. I take both Skype appointments and private appointments in Fort Lauderdale at my new office in Oakland Park.
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