I see a lot of people who want to lose weight at my hypnotherapy clinic in Cornwall. There are many reasons why people try hypnotherapy to lose weight, often after trying many others things including every fad diet there as been over the years.
Society doesn’t help us eat healthily, particularly with marketing and the increase in quick food which seems attractive in our fast paced lives (even here in Cornwall!) but tend to be the most unhealthy options.
Amongst the wealth of inventions that came out of the 80’s the most unhelpful one must be the ‘TV dinner’. Do you remember them? The microwavable complete meal you can enjoy in front of the TV on a delightful plastic plate with a section for each part of the meal usually found on aircraft or I imagine prisons! Simplicity in itself. Quick, easy, hot, however probably void of much taste and any nutrients that were in the meal got zapped by the microwaves!
However I think one of the most unhelpful aspects of this invention was the fact it encouraged people to eat their meal in front of the TV. If we are in tune with our bodies needs, desires, when we are hungry and when we are not then I think we would all be more naturally healthy. Eating mindfully is a key to loosing weight without dieting. With hypnotherapy I help my clients unconscious mind want to eat more mindfully more naturally.
Here are three simple questions to help you eat more mindfully:
1. Are you physically hungry? This is not as easy as it sounds. We often mistake hunger with thirst, maybe it is a glass of water you need not something to eat. We also mistake physical hunger with emotions, it could be that we are feeling angry, upset, sad…and that to avoid these feeling we think we are physically hungry rather than hungry to feel ‘better’. Put your hand on your stomach and ask yourself whether you are physically hungry. If you eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full you will lose weight naturally.
2. Do you want that? Sometimes we think we want to eat the piece of cake offered, or the chocolate that’s in the cupboard. The question is do you really want it? Take a moment to imagine how it would feel in your stomach after you have eaten it. How will you feel 30 mins after eating it? If it feels live-giving have it, if not then don’t. There is no sinful/no-go food. Your body will tell you what it needs. Eat what you want when you want. If you say you cannot have chocolate – ever, then guess what you are going to crave? If you want some chocolate then have some, but check whether you really want it beforehand.
3. Are you focussed on what you are eating? How often do you eat in front of the TV, or read whilst eating whether it be a full meal or a snack? If your mind is on the TV or book you are not going to pick up the messages from your stomach to say when it is full. So, what’s going to happen? You will mindlessly clear the plate (perhaps you were brought up to clear the plate like a ‘good’ girl/boy). You will end up eating more than you actually physically need. If you focus on your food, eating slower, focusing on the taste and texture of each mouthful you will enjoy it more and know when to stop.
So enjoy getting in tune with your body, enjoy the freedom of eating what you want and enjoy seeing the weight come off – without a diet!
If you want help changing your relationship with food then contact m to explore whether I can help at my Cornwall hypnotherapy clinic or via Skype as I work with people all over the world.
