NewHypnotherapy

Diet/Weight/Confusion

Summer is here and with it comes dieting and dissatisfaction with the way we look. Because of that, I thought it might be a good time to discuss Diet, Weight and Confusion.

Sometimes, it seems as if all the doctors, scientists and dietitians in the world are actually trying to keep us confused. First, we were told that fat is bad for you; now I just recently read in a leading magazine that maybe it isn’t. We all know the difference between bad and good fats, but in addition, according to the New York Times, a low-fat diet does not cut health risks in women (even though it has been widely publicized that it does reduce significant health risks), and the Times did not distinguish between good and bad fats. For years, chocolate was bad for us, now maybe it’s not only fun to eat but healthy as well because of antioxidants it contains. This list goes on and on. First bad and then good or vice versa. I was reading the other day an analysis of three different diets, the creators of which all think theirs is the best and fastest for losing weight. The first one, included six small meals a day; the second one was only three meals a day; and the third one was actually only one meal a day. I don’t know about you, but I’ve always heard this is bad for you and yet, the creator and several people who participated felt it worked better than anything else. Confusing, you bet!!!

One of our problems is that we are getting too much information, the wrong kind of information on only limited aspects of any of these issues, and we are getting it too soon. We are getting the information before the facts have actually been verified. Hospitals and universities send out press releases and publish scientific findings, then drug companies hire doctors and consultants as their experts to promote their latest drug whether it be to lose weight or cure depression or fix an erection or hair loss problem. And throughout all of it, we are still really only getting part of the story.

In addition, when we think about weight, we automatically tend to think about obesity and overweight issues; and these are serious health issues indeed, but what about the increasingly common underweight and eating disorder problems, particularly among our young women. Those young girls and women who literally starve themselves because our society (with its dangerously underweight models and actresses) has made women of all ages feel that if they aren’t a size 4 or below, they are fat and unattractive! For the record, Marilyn Monroe was a size 12 and one of the sexiest women to ever have lived. Where did this idea that women must look like sticks in order to be attractive come from and why has it become such a huge problem.

The underlying truth is that weight issues are rarely about weight. More often than not, the underlying issue has nothing whatsoever to do with weight but can include abandonment issues, a lack of fulfillment, a feeling of emptiness, insecurity, depression and self-loathing (just to name a few). It is linked to how we perceive ourselves and it is this internal raging of feelings, emotions and negative behavior patterns that must be addressed as well as food choices. Releasing negative thoughts, feelings and emotions allows you to move forward in your life with any goal including weight and a positive self-image.

As we live our lives, we tend to carry around garbage from our past. Just as with any weight, both emotional and physical, the longer you carry it the heavier it gets; and this is just the beginning. We live in a world that is hectic at best and can be overwhelmingly stressful at worst. We can feel as if our lives are spinning out of control.

In addition, we simply do not have the time or energy to make a meal and actually sit down and eat it; so we tend to rely on fast foods and processed meals from the market, but remember that certain processed foods can trigger the exact chemical reactions triggered in the brain by hard drugs or nicotine. How scary is that? We all know just how hard it is to kick these kinds of food addictions. The compelling question is, though, “How can we use our minds to overcome what our bodies are telling us to do?”

The good news is that yes, we can change existing behavior patterns, by taking control of our thoughts, using imagery and hypnosis to internalize the process even faster and quicker. It is possible for us to outsmart existing patterns by creating new reward systems for our behavior. In fact, awareness and motivation are half of what it takes to win the battle.

Knowledge is indeed power, and not just knowledge about the food you eat, but also knowledge about yourself. Look at yourself, how you feel, what do you see. Remember your external world is a mirror of what is going on inside. If you don’t like what you see, you have the power to change it.

Linda Simmon, C.Ht.