How does mind influence weight loss?

Finish this sentence: “I can’t ……………..because of my weight.”

Was there ever a better excuse for putting your life on hold? Forget pursuing your dreams, finding a new partner, or changing your job, it feels easier to ‘stuff’ your feelings down, ignore what’s eating you and put up with what is.

If you’ve been struggling with your weight for years then life can become a series of forgotten promises and broken dreams. But believe me it is NOT your fault.

We’ve been taught that it’s simply a matter of balancing calories in and calories out. We are told If we increase our exercise and activity levels the pounds will fall away. If we fail to see the results we want, we lose heart and society tells us we are not trying hard enough.

IT’S SIMPLY NOT TRUE

Weight Loss is not just the food you eat…FOOD & EXERCISE IS ONLY HALF THE STORY!

Your Food Story is the key to the programming that drives your eating. By becoming aware of what’s going on internally, you will understand how and why your history is such a powerful player in your attitudes, habits, reactions, cravings and beliefs about food.

Explore your own Food Story. Your unique relationship with food impacts your metabolism and digestion here are some of the factors involved :

* Your culture and society - Dietary habits and choices develop early, an infant’s eating habits are shaped by their parents in accordance with the views of their society and culture. Eating food made in the home or ready-made convenience and the impact of friends and family can exert an influence over your eating habits. In social situations we can feel pressured to eat the ‘traditional food’ even if it doesn’t agree with our body type or ethics. Taking back your power of choice to simply say “No” can be liberating.

\* _Personal and family history_- Programming from childhood runs deep. I often work with clients who as children always had to finish all the food on my plate. Food was never thrown away and decades later they are still doing the exact same behavior. Consequently they continue eating long after they are full. Happily they are now able to speak up and make choices about their preferences and portions.

\* Thoughts and feelings - Our food choices affect our energy levels and also our mood and concentration. We often self medicate with food as when we eat powerful chemicals are released into the brain. We soothe our emotions and lull ourselves into sleep with carbs or ramp up our energy levels using caffeine. We reward ourselves with chocolate at the end of a hard day.

\* _Emotional Eating_ - Cravings are the body’s way of telling us about our emotional needs. We can turn to foods that made us happy in the past hoping to experience that high again. I work with my clients to unravel the reasons behind their particular cravings both in the past and present. Every one has their story, a client who loved pizza and ate far too much of it told me how after his parents separated his Dad often took him out for a pizza. It was a special time he looked forward to, when he felt loved and cared for. Integrating this experience brings healing and he can access these emotions at anytime. Explore with self-acceptance and kindness to unravel hidden messages of your eating and gain insight into the emotions and situations in your life that may be driving them. When I work with clients on their food cravings one of the first things they notice is the food tasting and smelling different. Once the emotions are gone it’s as if you are tasting it for the first time.

*Positive and negative beliefs about what you are eating - “ I’m going to pile on the calories after eating this.”

Together we will unravel your personal FOOD STORY and find the source of the attitudes, habits, rituals and beliefs you still hold today. We will find clues about source of your self-limiting beliefs and become aware of self-talk linked to feelings in the body and emotional discomfort. Is it a minor disruption or a debilitating pattern you’ve been trying to ignore for some time?

Instead of feeding your feelings, learn how to respond in ways that express self-love and care.

What are you really craving, what are you hungry for in your life?

Reach out for support to make the changes you crave. As your attitude and behaviour shift, your food cravings will deminish and your diet will become healthier. The natural side effect of all this inner transformation is weight loss. Work from the inside out to achieve lasting change and invite the happiness .