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Tame
Your Relationship With Food!
By
Linda Clements-Urick, C.Ht.
Have
you ever thought about why you can’t resist chocolate layer cake
or your favorite candy bar? Even when you aren’t hungry, are
there foods that seem to find their way into your mouth? Your
attitude toward food is determined by your early programming. We
draw positive or negative associations with smells, tastes,
feelings and food, and this is how our relationship with food is
formed.
For
instance, if you were rewarded with ice cream for bringing home
all A’s on your report card, you may reward yourself with ice
cream when you are feeling lonely, because it reminds you of those
happy days when you received positive attention from a parent or
loved one. In this case, your relationship to ice cream reflects a
need to feel loved and rewarded.
On
the other hand, if you grew up in a home where there was too
little food to satisfy your hunger, you may feel compelled to
overeat, even when you are not hungry, because of the childhood
experience of deprivation. In this case, your relationship with
food is driven by a fear of not having enough of it, even though
the pantry, refrigerator and your stomach may be full.
This
“emotional eating” can wreak havoc with your self-esteem and
lead to obesity and illness. Fortunately, these unhealthy eating
patterns can be broken and replaced with healthy ones by accessing
the area of the mind where these compulsions reside.
In
as few as four sessions, using a combination of methods, including
Neuro-Linguistic Programing, Emotional Freedom Technique,
Therapeutic Imagery and Hypnosis, a skilled hypnotherapist can
teach you to set boundaries and stop the self-sabotage of
unconscious eating. You can overcome your cravings, control
portions, and increase exercise, metabolism and self-esteem.
Most
hypnotherapists use both cognitive and sub-conscious methods when
working with long held habits. If you say you want to lose weight,
but are not willing to stop buying cookies and brownie mixes or
eating at fast food restaurants, then you don’t really want to
lose it badly enough and no amount of hypnosis will help. Clients
who use hypnosis as the “easy way” to shed pounds or stop
smoking are often disappointed to learn that there is work
involved on their part if they are to reach their goals.
Hypnosis
makes it easier, but the desire to change is not enough. Your
commitment and determination play a big role too. I often ask
clients, “how do you know you are ready to lose weight and what
are you willing to give up to get it?” Before you work with a
hypnotherapist, do some work on yourself:
Reflect
upon why and how you arrived at your current weight.
If you have tried to lose weight in the past, what worked and what
didn’t.
Do you set yourself up to fail or win? How?
Do you belong to a gym?
Do you allow yourself easy access to candy, cookies, pasta, white
bread, pastries etc.?
Do you use elevators and escalators when you could choose to walk?
When eating out at a restaurant, do you order what sounds good or
what will make you feel good about yourself and your choice at the
end of the meal?
The
answer to these questions will tell you a lot about your own
motivation and commitment to your weight loss and health goals.
Naturally,
the more weight you want to lose, the longer it will take to lose
it. And as with smokers who are trying to quit, I encourage my
clients to embrace more than one plan to accomplish their goals.
For instance, if you are using a hypnotherapy program, also look
into diet programs that may have worked for you in the past.
Consider natural appetite suppressors, join a gym or buy a
treadmill for your house. Sign up for a dance, yoga or spinning
class. Set weekly goals and treat yourself to a non-edible reward
when you meet those goals.
Talk
to friends and family members and let them know you are serious
about losing weight and ask for their support. Offering to cook
dinner for you and making spaghetti and garlic bread is not a form
of support. Be specific about what you need from them during this
process. In other words, throw the book at it! Don’t rely on
just one method. Commit to the goal until you have the results you
want.
Keep
in mind that weight loss is really about lifestyle change. Getting
enough sleep, avoiding stressful situations and people, exercising
daily, developing healthy coping skills and maintaining a low fat
diet, all play an important role in achieving your goals for
weight loss. When you live a healthy lifestyle, the weight will
fall away.
Linda
Clements Urick holds a weight loss specialist certification from
the International Association of Counselors and Therapists. Call
818 415-3092 for more information or to set up an appointment.
(818)
415-3092 or toll free (877) 752-5700
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