As a hypnotherapist, the main part of what I do involves putting clients into a state of hypnosis to help them create permanent, lasting change. However, that’s not all. During any session, I also help clients understand the power of their minds and give them other ways to harness their own power to create the change that they desire now and can apply to other change in the future.
Weight loss is an issue many people are dealing with. The state of the world the last few days has made this problem even worse. I am going to share with you a few simple tricks that can help you lose weight.
Think About What You Eat
The first tip is something I teach all my clients. You can not NOT think about something. If I were to say to you, whatever you do, don’t think of a roller skating monkey. What are you thinking about? That’s right, a roller skating monkey. The key to thinking about your eating is to picture what you will eat. Think about the serving size, think about any condiments (and how much) you will use. Then start programming your mind with things like “For lunch I will eat a medium salad with a little dressing on the side.” Avoid words like only and just. If you want, you can turn it into an affirmation by adding something like “I will be full and content until dinner time.”
“For lunch, I will have a medium salad with dressing on the side and I will be full and content until dinner time.” Repeat this affirmation to yourself several times over the course of the morning. Of course, use the words that resonate with you and what you choose to eat for the day.
This example works really great when you are going to a party or get together and don’t want to over eat. By picturing what you will eat with as much detail as possible, you are setting yourself up for a great day. I use the example of eating cake at a party. If you think to yourself all day, “I won’t eat any cake.” All you are doing is setting yourself up to eat cake. If you instead imagine other options or, picture a small size of cake, you are more likely to have results.
Portion Control
This brings me to my next tip. I don’t agree that you have to deny yourself treats in order to lose weight. In fact, I believe the reason people have trouble keeping weight from returning is because they indulge in all the food they were avoiding while they were getting to their target weight.
I believe that this scenario happens to a lot of people: A person is trying to lose weight so they decide to avoid all junk food. Someone in their home or work environment brings something in or perhaps they are at an event. Either way, the person is faced with food that they believe they should not eat. It looks so good and the person knows they would enjoy it. So they keep telling themselves no. They keep a negative self talk going about how it would be so bad of them and they’ve been doing so good. Perhaps they even get a healthier snack to try and avoid the forbidden food. Still, they keep thinking about it. A majority of people finally cave and eat it. They then end up feeling guilty and awful. They might end up eating more because “why not” at this point? They already broke their diet. Any of this sound familiar?
Here is my suggestion. When faced with this situation, listen to yourself. Perhaps start by thinking something like, “That looks good but I chose not to have any right now.” If you feel like you really want it, think about what size would allow you to enjoy the taste. Perhaps you decide to just have one cookie. Or maybe it’s one small scoop of ice cream. Whatever you decide, think to yourself about how much you are going to enjoy that one size of that treat. Remind yourself that you will be so satisfied by eating one and how you will feel so good sticking to your plan.
By doing steps like this, you are creating what is commonly referred to as will power. You have the power to create your own will power.
Drinking Water
Some people want to drink more water for several health benefits, including weight loss. There are people who say “I just don’t like it” or others who just find it hard to drink the water they want.
One tip for this is finding the right water bottle. This might seem odd but having the water bottle that feels good to you can make a world of difference. I prefer the kind that just sort of pours into your mouth. I feel like I drink more this way than if I had to suck it out.
If you don’t like water, allow yourself some flavoring and slowly cut back.
No matter what your issue with water is, telling yourself that you enjoy drinking water is the key. You can do this in the morning with affirmations such as, “Every time I drink water, I feel energized, refreshed and wonderful.” And you can also do this each time you take a sip. You don’t need to use the entire affirmation, you can just think something like “I feel great” while drinking your water.
Exercise
A lot of people have trouble with this word. Here is a tip- don’t use this word. Find a word or phrase that makes you feel better. “Working out”, “Getting fit,” “Moving my body”, they are all great choices. You can also just use the specific type that you do “Going to the gym”, “Taking a hike,” “Going for a run”, etc.
The next tip is- find what you enjoy doing. There are so many ways to move your body and you need to find the one that fits your time, budget and feels right. If you don’t know what you enjoy, try a few out.
Starting a new work out regiment can be hard. Take it one step at a time. Instead of thinking “I will get up and go to the gym every day for the rest of my life”, think something more like, “Tomorrow I will go to the gym.” Adding in something like “and I will feel wonderful” makes a powerful affirmation.
When starting, plan out as many details as you can the day before. What time are you going? What will you wear? Getting your clothing out the day before is a great way to take away any excuses you might give yourself. The more you can prepare the day before, the better. Once you have it all planned out, picture it several times throughout the day. Make sure you do this right before falling asleep. When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself “Today is going to be a wonderful day, I am so excited to move my body.” And then run the plan that you worked on the day before.
After doing this for a few days, it starts to become habit. In order to make sure it develops into a habit, make sure you remember to notice all the wonderful changes you experience from moving your body. Even if your muscles are sore, remind yourself that it is a good sore, a feeling that says you are getting healthy and that makes you happy. Of course, if you feel like you have overexerted yourself, seek help. Also remember to take it slow. If you are not used to moving your body, you can do damage if you push yourself too hard all at once.
Celebrate
Celebrate your small wins. If you are walking a mile, pay attention to the time it takes you. When you start getting there faster, tell yourself how awesome that is and share the news even. Telling family and friends and/or sharing on social media can help you stay focused and feel so good at your small wins.
Enjoy Yourself
I personally love music when working out. I have a playlist called “work out” that is all music that gets me moving. Do what works for you. At the gym, some people enjoy watching TV while they work out, others read books. I don’t understand how they can possible read and work out, but if it works for them then great!
The last tip I have is one of the most important. This tip works for creating any change that you find difficult. The tip is simple. SMILE! Remind yourself to smile because your mind associates smiling with feeling good. The more you can smile while moving your body, the more your mind starts associating your work out with being happy and feeling good! This tip can work whenever you need to do something that you might not enjoy.
If you need any more help with losing weight or making any other change, contact Tender Empowerment today!
