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I turned to hypnosis because I don’t want to ban foods;
I don’t want anything to be off limits as I will only crave and eventually give in to them.
I want to reduce portion sizes and say ‘NO’ to snacking when I am not hungry, and hopefully, in time and
with the help of hypnosis, make more healthier choices.
I got through week one!
And even better…
I’m still fired up and rearing to go for week two!
I also survived the weekend. Friday night through to Sunday evening is a danger time for me, it’s almost like – ‘I’m on holiday from work which gives me the licence to be on holiday from dieting’.
I don’t seem to realise that my body does not share that concept even when it declares it on the scales Monday morning!
But you know what? I actually did okay.
I didn’t have a blow out and think ‘I might as well ‘pig out’ now and start again on Monday‘ and I didn’t go back to having giant portion sizes.
Instead, I continued to take notice of my hunger levels and although I did overeat at times and had food when I wasn’t hungry, I was conscious of not going overboard and was able to stop myself doing too much damage.
Whether this is good or bad…I’m in a learning curve…and I’m learning.
The important thing – I was relaxed about it all and enjoyed the weekend.
The Small Triumphs
As well as surviving the week, I also got through an afternoon’s visit to a restaurant unscathed; while my hubby had himself a large meal followed by dessert, I, on the other hand, decided something small from the menu was all I truly wanted.
This was a mini triumph for me as normally, I wouldn’t have hesitated to have the same, but found I wanted to enjoy what I had and not feel bloated, uncomfortable and full of guilt afterwards.
I am also surprised that I am still listening to the hypnosis every night. (I have changed to the downloaded version on David McGraw’s website because on YouTube, the next video always kicks in after each session!)
I hope I can continue listening regularly. It’s sad that all I have to do is listen to a 30-minute recording each night as I go to sleep, but just like a diet I can easily talk myself into sabotaging something that is giving me what I want…
Self-Sabotage
I know so much about diets, healthy eating, what I can and can’t eat.
I know what exercise is good for me and what will help shift the weight.
Yet I can never see it through or if I do, I will do something to jeopardise it and put most, if not all of the weight back on again.
It’s a merry-go-round and one I would really, really like to get off.
Apparently, this unbroken circle is called self-sabotage.
We could have the best diet in the world that is completely suited to our individual metabolism/genes/hair color (I jest), but unfortunately, the problem is not the diet…
The problem is buried deep within our mindset and until we get to the bottom of it, we will never get off that fairground ride.
The first job is accepting that no diet will work while-ever we have our fingers poised on the self-destruct button.
WebMD explains that one of the reasons for this self-sabotage is because we set our goals too high; we want to lose weight so much and so fast and view the end goal as a huge mountain, that we set ourselves up to fail before we even start.
The first week goes by, then the second, and even after a month, that end goal still feels years away.
We begin to lose our momentum and this inevitably leads to the big self-destruct button being pushed and the success train leaves the station without us again.
Goals Have to be Much, Much Smaller
We need to see these goals as mini changes that make the end goal possible. For example:
Mini Goal One:
We know we have to eat more healthily and have balanced meals but coming up with a whole week of the right meals is daunting and if many of them are not what we fancy, then the task becomes much harder.
Instead of changing all meals, we should take some time to learn one healthy recipe (that we would really enjoy eating) and practice making it until we know it off by heart.
Then we can find more recipes and learn them one-by-one until we have a good collection (these also work better if the whole family enjoys them too).
It may take a couple of months to get a full week’s worth of healthy meals but it’s a much easier way to tick off goal one!
Mini Goal Two:
One of my many downfalls is snacking and I love having chocolate mid afternoon at work.
What I would love to do is find a healthier alternative; so one of my mini goals is to change my chocolate snack – one day a week to start off with so I don’t see it as depriving myself.
It needs to be something I look forward to having and is not only better for me, but reduces my daily calories.
No mean feat and I will keep you posted.
The following goals are inspired from WebMD:
Mini Goal Three:
Instead of making pledges to start exercising three times a week, we could add in a 15 minute, brisk pace around the block once a week, and then twice a week and so on.
A BBC documentary highlights that walking three times a day for 10 minutes, at a brisk pace is better for us than walking 10,000 steps.
Mini Goal Four:
Instead of trying to drink 8 glasses of water, we can add one glass per day until we get used to it, then another glass, and another etc.
I take a 500ml bottle of water to work to drink throughout the day (which is not hard as it’s on my desk to keep reminding me). When I get home I try to drink another 500ml bottle.
I know then that I’m at least getting a litre of water into my day.
Dealing with Emotion
So has the first week been hard?
No.
But it is the first week so I am full of motivation, optimism and determination to find another way.
I need to know what my answer will be in month two, three, four and beyond…if there is a beyond.
One thing I have noticed is that I’m having to deal with my emotions and moods.
Usually when I am stressed I eat, happy I eat, sad I eat, bored I eat, sleeping I eat…(okay maybe not while I’m sleeping but if there was a way I’m sure I would!)
This week though, I have had to face things that would usually see me turning to food – like finding a task hard or needing a lot of brain power to solve, having to arrange meetings, type up minutes, organising the monthly bills (who wouldn’t turn to a stress reliever..?)
And even when I’m on a diet, I will turn to ‘good’ food to take my mind away from tasks like these or to alleviate a particular mood. I use food as a coping mechanism.
So what have I done this week instead?
Boredom – I’ve taken up painting again, well by numbers anyway (my artistry skills have a lot to be desired).
Frustration – Walked away from the task and did something else that was not so taxing on the brain.
Sad – I thought about my kids and spent more time with my youngest daughter, we even went on a bike ride – which I actually really enjoyed.
Stressed – I searched for my favourite songs on YouTube, from when I was young, and reminisced.
Angry – Visited a work colleague, had coffee and put the world to rights.
Tired – Had an early night with a good book.
I do still have the urges to reach for something to eat, but something stops me and makes me realise that I must find a different way or change the reason I have those urges in the first place.
The Future is Bright with Sunshine and Beaches
Although I am writing this in my second week (still going strong btw), I thought I would add this in as I began to think about them last week – holidays abroad.
A glimmer of hope that maybe this time I will finally get to open that suitcase of swimsuits, shorts and summer dresses, packed away and kept, purely as a reminder, that I did fit into them once – and will again!
So one of my tasks for next week is to research some holiday places that hubby and I can visit for a short break away.
All tools to keep my mind busy and my motivation high.
And time will tell. I’m still in hope that this isn’t just a fad and I’ll go back to my old ways…
But by listening regularly to the hypnosis, hopefully my mind can be re-trained to automatically listen to my stomach and not my head.
For more info and earlier posts, visit: