Weight Program

Tuning into your bodily needs

When you want to lose weight but find that you just can't stop eating, you may like to tune into your body and ask yourself what it is you really want. Nine times out of ten that emptiness doesn't want food at all but the satisfaction associated with it.

If you are a secret eater, could it be that you feel incredibly lonely inside? We all tend to repeat certain patterns of behaviour during our life and if gorging ourselves with chocolate bars helped to ease the pain of loneliness when we were young then until we have accepted and resolved those feelings, chocolate or its substitute, will continue to provide the same satisfaction.

To accept the feelings means owning them. We have these feelings, but the feelings are not us. Nor are they a part of us, they are just feelings that we sometimes have. Some people have these feelings more or less than others, some know how to cope with them and others don't. Accepting that we do have these feelings makes it possible for us to find ways of dealing with them. So if you are lonely then acknowledge the fact and do something constructive about it. You are not on your own, there are millions of others who feel socially isolated, reach out and touch their lives. We all need people, so don't shut yourself off. You could phone a friend or join a club, or go for a walk and smile at someone. Smiling is good for the soul.

So next time you find yourself opening the fridge door for a piece of gateau (or whatever your weakness is) stop right there and ask yourself what do I really want. You may be surprised at the answer.

When you do eat, do so slowly. Really give your taste buds a chance to savor and enjoy each mouthful, after all there's no hurry, is there? Eat small portions of good, healthy food. And when you've had enough, stop eating. Enjoy a feeling of lightness in your stomach.

Be mindful whist you are eating, of what it is you're eating, and when you have had enough then stop eating waste it in the bin - don't waste it on your waist.

If you are in the habit of eating when you are bored then it goes without saying to do something to occupy your mind. No-one should ever be bored in this day and age. There is so much to do, perhaps you could develop some new interests. Eating offers a 'quick fix' but really it never solves anything. Food should be a small but enjoyable part of our life when your life centres around the next meal then you've got problems. We eat to live, not the other way around. Enjoy giving your jaws and your stomach a rest whilst you develop new and more satisfying pursuits.

When you eat, be aware of the advertising appearance of food and how it's dressed up in an attractive way to fool us inside many foods are hidden and unwanted additives be conscious of everything you put into your mouth it all goes to make up that very special you. Eat fresh foods, fruit, salads, vegetables, brown rice, low fat, low calorie foods, wholemeal foods and drink plenty of water. Eat small and regular portions and don't allow yourself to get too hungry. Rate your hunger on a scale of one to ten, ten meaning that you are ravenous and one not at all hungry. If you rate yourself at eight or below then wait a bit longer, don't eat just yet. You will enjoy your meal a lot more when you do.

Visualise yourself how you want to be. Not how someone else would like you to look, but how you, yourself, would really like to be. Imagine what you are wearing and how well your clothes look on your slim body. Make the image as vivid as you can, notice your slim waist and flat tummy. Then let yourself feel how light you now are. Next, imagine people complimenting you, praising you, saying how wonderful you look. Allow yourself to really enjoy the praise. Your mind is creating your reality.

If you're no good at visualizing don't worry. Not everyone can consciously visualize so you'll have to rely on your memory or thought processes this will trigger off the unconscious image of yourself. Or carry around with you a photograph of yourself how you'd like to look, or how you used to look when you were slimmer. Focus on this photo for five minutes each day. Remind your subconscious mind of where it's going. Or stick the photograph up in the kitchen where you'll always see it when its time to prepare your meal.

A lady I once knew wondered why she couldn't lose any weight; it transpired that she had a photograph of her 'fat' self stuck on her fridge door, she thought this would put her off food but it actually achieved quite the opposite not only did she feel utterly miserable every time she saw it, and ate to console herself, her subconscious mind could only focus on this fat image and that was her reality.

Throw away your scales. Weighing yourself is a waste of time. You'll know how well you are doing by how your clothes fit, and how good you feel. Anyway body weight fluctuates throughout the day and according to the time of the month.

Give yourself positive affirmations every day. Spend ten or fifteen minutes every day relaxing, unwinding, letting go of tensions. Focus on your slim image or photograph, tell yourself "I'm losing weight and feeling great. I enjoy the feeling of lightness in my stomach and my mind always knows when my body has had enough to eat."

If you eat too much once or twice say you're going out for a meal or something for heavens sake don't worry about it. You certainly haven't failed at anything, this is not a diet and you're not taking an examination. We are talking about a way of life and the reality is that sometimes you will eat more than you should, or have the occasional junk food. All you need to do is to be aware of what has happened and get back to your healthy program the affirmations.

You have to be responsible for programming your subconscious mind otherwise someone else will do it for you. That's why it is vitally important that you consciously remember to spend those few minutes every day with those positive statements after the initial novelty has worn off your conscious mind may make all sorts of excuses to put it off it will tell you you're too busy and you'll do it later, but later you'll be too tired or forget.

So set yourself a time and stick to it. Make the affirmations part of your daily routine like brushing your teeth put reminders up when you first begin. Or write your affirmations down on a piece of paper and read them five times a day make them short and snappy, for example:-

Every day I'm losing weight.

I eat small portions of healthy, nutritious food.

Every day I move closer to my image ideal.

Food is not important to me. I eat to live.

Another idea is to get yourself a small notebook and every time you read or hear of a sentence which sums up for you, your goals or your new way of life, then write it in your notebook and keep periodically re-reading it.

Start using your body more, exercise is a wonderful mood elevator. Don't put it off, do it now. There is no time like the present. Take a brisk walk every day (as opposed to a leisurely stroll), if you're going somewhere that's within walking distance then leave the car at home, or get yourself a bike if that is practical. If you can't get out then exercise at home, get a workout video or simple press ups or toe touching are better than nothing. You'll feel exhilarated afterwards and will feel more energetic.

Finally, when you have achieved your goal weight, stay with your new way of life, remember, this is a program for life, enjoy your life.