by Christine Hunt
It is the middle of January and I am sure that many of you have begun the weight loss resolutions you made for the New Year. You are deciding on what diet to begin or what gym to join, or how to work in time on the exercise equipment you got for Christmas and envisioning the slim, trim you that will result in your efforts.
I applaud you! You’ve got a plan and are determined that this time your efforts will be realized.
But can you tell me how many times has this scenario has played out in your life? How many times have you made similar plans and have not gotten the weight loss results you’ve wanted? Is it the second, third, sixth, tenth time you have given this a try? Have you met your goals only to have the weight return or gained more weight than what you had when you started? This is an all too common story for 80% of dieters and every year they are hopeful that this time is the charm.
Maybe what you are eating or your activity level isn’t the problem. We have been conditioned to believe that calories in/calories out is all there is to weight gain or loss. Billions of dollars are spent every year on pills, drinks, diet plans, personal trainers and programs that work for some, but not all.
There is another reason why people cannot lose weight and keep it off
and it has absolutely nothing to do with food.
It is about beliefs.
Beliefs run subconsciously in our minds. They are created when we form a decision based on a life experience. Beliefs protect us and keep us safe – but they can also result in holding onto weight.
We’ve all read about the Placebo Effect. It is best associated with pharmaceutical drug testing. A group of people get the actual drug and a different group gets sugar pills, or placebos. The symptoms of each group are recorded. Some who got the drug responded as expected and some did not. But the amazing thing is that some in the placebo group got the same results as those expected in the drug group. The reason is that they believed they were getting the drug and their body responded accordingly.
A good test for a belief is to say out loud “My normal weight is ___ pounds and that is how much I weigh.” Go ahead, say it. What comes to mind? Do you agree with the statement or do other thoughts crop up?
For some, thoughts such as:
I won’t ever lose weight.
I’ll always be fat, it’s just who I am.
It isn’t safe to be that thin.
My friends or family won’t like me. (Ask yourself whom exactly?)
Losing weight is just too difficult.
…and many others may come to mind. These are limiting beliefs running in your subconscious mind that may be sabotaging your weight loss efforts.
These beliefs are usually connected to some event(s) that occurred earlier in your life that your subconscious and your body are unknowingly holding onto and the result is the inability to lose weight.
But there is hope and a way to break the cycle. Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT or Tapping) is an alternative therapy that addresses limiting beliefs, cravings, stress and other emotional factors that lead to weight gain and retention.
EFT is known as emotional acupuncture and is based on the premise that the cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the body’s energy system. EFT does not use needles, but instead stimulates the acupuncture meridians by tapping on them with your fingertips while focusing your thoughts on negative beliefs, unhappy memories, uncomfortable emotions, food cravings, pain or any other problem. It is painless and long lasting. When done properly underlying emotional factors that contribute to weight retention, are released.
Once limiting beliefs and uncomfortable emotions are released, new, positive beliefs can replace them and a transformation occurs. Things or people that used to annoy you don’t anymore. Cravings for certain foods vanish. The results vary for each individual but on the whole are powerful, positive and life changing.
If you’ve been on the diet and exercise roller coaster, lost weight then gained it back and you are open to trying something different – something that has been proven to be effective and long lasting, then contact me and let me help you make 2015 the year of your success.
Whatever your resolution, Hunt for Hope Wellness is the solution.
