Ace-Weightloss

Weight-loss: Think Yourself Thin

Did you know you can lose that excess weight using the power of your mind? Hypnotherapist Victoria Wills explains how

Did you know you can lose that excess weight using the power of your mind? Hypnotherapist Victoria Wills explains how
For many women the thought of getting out their summer wardrobe is one that fills them with dread. Bikinis, strappy tops, short skirts – it’s hard to wear them with confidence if you don’t feel good about your body. The classic thing to do when filled with swimsuit dread is to come up with a totally unrealistic diet plan. Losing two stone in four weeks is simply not going to be realistic or result in a long-standing weight loss.

Your mindset is key to your long-term weight-loss goal. You need to remember exactly why you are eating healthily and what your reward is going to be. The trick here is to make it absolutely clear to your subconscious what it is you want. We spend so much time telling ourselves what we don’t want: “I don’t want to be fat”, “I don’t want to see this cellulite”, that we forget to tell ourselves what it is we actually do want. And without a clear goal your chance of success is almost none. So to set yourself a clear subconscious goal you need to find some space and time for yourself.

Think positive

If you are lacking motivation, try the following visualisation exercise and it will help to boost your resolve to exercise and eat healthily.

Close your eyes and begin to focus on your breathing, allowing your breaths to become slower and deeper as you relax. Then picture yourself on a beautiful beach. Make the picture real – hear the sound of the waves on the shore, smell the salty air and feel the sand between your toes.

Then, imagine yourself in your swimsuit or bikini. See yourself exactly how you would like to look. Note how flat your tummy looks, how toned your thighs look. Notice how happy and confident you look! Enjoy seeing yourself looking so fantastic and realise that by sticking to a healthy regime you can and will achieve your goal.

Your mind is now aware of how fantastic you will feel when you have the exact look you have been aiming for. With this image at the forefront of your mind and your motivation levels increased, try channelling this energy into embarking on some exercise. If the thought of entering a gym still makes you anxious then use the warmer months to go for a walk.

Slow down!

In the chaos of everyday life it is easy to eat convenience foods whilst on the run. This rushed routine means you often eat more than is needed because your mind is not engaging the process. Taking half an hour to focus on your meal makes your food digest better and trains your mind to realise when you are full.

Try to avoid distractions and take some ‘me’ time with your food. Remember it takes 20 minutes for you to fully digest a meal, so take your time and allow your stomach to inform your mind when you have had enough.

During the summer months many women only have the occasional snack during the day, favouring an ice cream over a proper lunch, resulting in huge hunger pangs by the time afternoon comes round. Eating sensible portions for breakfast, lunch and dinner is essential for speeding up your metabolism.

Goal setting

Sometimes we focus too much on what we don’t like about ourselves. It’s like trying to clench your fist really hard to hold the sand within your hand – all you succeed in doing is forcing the sand out of your hand faster than you would have done if only you had loosened your grip. Perfection is an impossible ideal. Good enough is perfect. Here are some tips on how to set yourself in the right direction and allow yourself to work out the right way to reach your goals.

1. Take a piece of paper and work out how many weeks it is to your holiday.

2. Decide how many pounds you think you can reasonably lose between now and then, and set it as your goal. Don’t go all silly and think you’re going to work like a Trojan and lose 10lbs a week. That’ll last for a couple of hours until you start feeling hungry, tired and miserable. If you can consistently lose 1lb to 2lbs a week, you’re doing really well.

3. Write this goal down.

4. Then work backwards and calculate how much you’ll have lost each week. So, if you want to lose 10lbs in 10 weeks, then at week nine you’ll have lost 9lbs, at week eight, 8lbs, and so on.

5. Begin today. Right now. Don’t say you’ll start on Monday and then spend the weekend pigging out on junk food. Begin now by eating how you should be eating today and exercising how you should be exercising.

6. Record your progress, feelings, moods, food, exercise and everything else every day.

7. Don’t forget to have one relaxed ‘free meal’ at least once a week.

Focus your mind

Food has the ability to control you so that you are constantly feeling hungry. Combat this mindset by making the most of your meals and focus on how you eat. Chewing your food thoroughly may sound simple, but it is surprising how many of us gobble down our meals, don’t feel fulfilled and then end up snacking.

Ensuring you chew properly allows the meals to be fully appreciated and slows down your eating habits. This will reduce the risk of that cheeky chocolate bar! If you find yourself struggling to reduce your fast-paced dining routine then try putting down your knife and fork between each mouthful. You will soon notice how you are chewing and begin making a conscious effort to slow down your eating habits. Whenever the urge to snack strikes you, keep focused on your beach body image and make a point of sitting down. So many of us grab food to eat whilst moving, whereas sitting down makes the meal feel more formal – and your mind will understand this.

Keep motivated

Sticking to low GI foods will allow you to feel full for longer and therefore keep your motivation levels high as your appetite will be under control. Eating low GI foods does not need to be a stressful or daunting experience; it could be as simple as swapping white bread for wholegrain or French fries for new potatoes. Try thinking about these alternatives, experiment with healthy substitutes and you’ll be surprised at how full you feel without scrimping on portions or flavours.

Telling yourself you are not allowed something actually informs your subconscious that you will have it, so you are setting yourself up for failure. Addressing your relationship with food and discovering the thought processes surrounding what you eat will help towards your weight-loss goal. Finding that you may have always told yourself that chocolate makes you happy or that you weretold to clean your plate as a child will help you to understand your actions and motives concerning food.

The mind plays a crucial role in your relationship with food and the ability to remain motivated to lose weight. Using these key tips will help you to retrain your mind to think differently about what you eat and how you exercise. Be realistic, visualise how you want to be and slow down your routine. Most of all be positive and have faith in yourself – you have the inner strength to succeed and lose the weight in time for summer!

Fat fighters

Kumud Gandhi, founder of the Cooking Academy and the Saffron House, offers some tips on the best foods for fighting fat

Fennel

This herb is great for stimulating the metabolism. Chewing on fennel is also good for suppressing appetite and reducing the urge for sweet treats.

Oranges

These fruits contain flavones; compounds which burn fat. According to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition women who ate the most flavones had a lower increase in their body fat over a 14-day period.

Garlic

This herb is known to increase your metabolic rate by as much as 30 per cent.

Cinnamon

A great appetite suppressant which prevents insulin spikes that are so common after we eat. These are the body’s signal to store fat, rather than burn it.

Berries

Berries, particularly cranberries, goji berries and blueberries, help to burn up to 30 per cent more fat when you exercise.

Eggs

Studies carried out in America showed that women who ate eggs for breakfast consumed 400 less calories than they did on a day without eating them.

Green tea

Drink a cup of green tea half an hour before a workout as this is the perfect way to increase energy levels and speed up the metabolism. For details visit thecookingacademy.co.uk