TRICK OR TREAT

First time clients always try to earn my sympathy with tales of how the refuse to "deprave" themselves. They are referring to no longer eating sweets,chips etc. I always ask them to consider what they really have been depraving themselves of? The active lifestyle and comfort in wearing certain clothes. Isn't not being able to wear what you want to wear or do what you want to do the real deprivation?
And yes, I've heard the same cry "You have to live." Which makes me wonder why anyone would assume that my passing on a slice of pizza has made my life less than. And if eating a piece of cake is what you may consider the greatest thing in your life, perhaps you need to exam your life. I think improving the quality of my life is the best way to treat myself.

DIABETICS

You may know, or have heard that diabetics must stay away from sugars. There are thousands of diabetics in this country that have found the ability to stay away from sugar, simply because they need it.
You have an advantage over the diabetic. It is true that you should also stay away from sugars in order to be healthy and maintain a comfortable body. The advantage is that you not only need to free yourself from sugars but this is something you are deciding to do because you want to. You want to be healthy. You are doing this because you chose to improve your well being. And you get that it will benefit you in many ways. If one person can do it---so can you.

YOU WON'T EAT WHAT YOU DON'T HAVE

Clients ask me all the time how to stop snacking at home. I think the first step is very simple. Just don't have it in the house. If you are in your cozy armchair watching television and you know there is a bag of chips in the pantry--you might be tempted. However, if you go to the cupboards and they are empty...it is highly unlikely that you will make the effort to put your clothes on, grab the keys and go to the store.
One of the best ways to overcome temptation is to not put yourself in the position to begin with.

SUGAR IS LIKE A BAD RELATIONSHIP

Someone once said cake is like a bad relationship. It woos you with sweet nothings and leaves you unsatisfied and guilt ridden. I think this is an excellent anology. I would go one step further and say Sugar is like an abusive relationship. There might be a moment when things are great but it is very detrimental to the person. The pleasure is momentary and afterward the person is left feeling empty, and not very good about themselves. Think about what you would tell your best friend if you knew they were involved in a relationship that was harmful and ultimately could cause them physical harm. What if they told you " I can't help it. I'm in love."
Now think about your relationship with food. Are you that abused person? How long will you allow yourself to stay in the situation?

THE WORD IS JUNK

Think of the word junk. Think of all the things you associate with the word junk. Picture a junk yard full of old rusty cars, old parts that are no longer useful, trash, and objects that are of no value.

There is a reason certain types of food are referred to as "junk food." They have no significant value. You wouldn't go to the dumpster and bring back a bag of trash to dump on your living room floor. When you consume junk food that is what you are doing to your internal enviroment. When you decide to eat healthy you are making a decision to remain clean. Remember the old saying "you are what you eat?" Think about what it means to go to the junk yard. How much do you respect yourself? Your body? Are you telling yourself you are trash? When do you think you will value yourself?

TOXIC PEOPLE

When my client (at 62 year old man) began a great work out program and became obsessed with getting healthy. His neighbors told him he was being "controlled"--that he needed to seek therapy to go over his recent focus on health. Their fear was that he was brainwashed into a work-out program .
As a hypnotherapist and human being, I understand that we hang on to our present situations (even painful ones) but I am amazed at how hard we try to get others to hang on with us. Over 60% of the population is overweight, so it shouldn't be a surprise that when you go against the norm-you will encounter resistance from your co-workers and friends.
Remember that as you get healthier and slimmer, you may be a constant reminder of the choices your "out of shape" friends are not making. My advice: do NOT do what overweight people are doing. Choose what the healthy people are doing. Keep your focus on being healthy. The rest will follow.

DAY OFF MIND ON

If you are worried about that Labor day barbeque because you are uncertain if you can make a healthy choice ask yourself if you are using this event to predict failure. Be honest with yourself in an effort to recognize the situations and circumstances where you need to retrain yourself. You should take 100% responsibility for your choices.

This isn’t about expecting yourself to be perfect either. Do not look at any event as a roadblock or a stumbling point. Instead as an opportunity to shift your mindset and relearn new habits. After all, habit patterns are things you learned. And if you learned them you can unlearn them.

You can help retrain yourself by repeating certain new habits such as eating slowly. Not only chewing your food slowly but also placing your utensil down between each bite and do not pick it up until you have completely chewed and swallowed each piece. Make a commitment to eat only at the table and do not pick at the food while it's cooking. You can serve yourself on a smaller plate and leave at least a bite of each item on the plate. This will help you train yourself to stop eating when you are full.

Think your choices through. Behavior modification works only if you are consistently repeating new behaviors.