November 2012 - 18 Powerful Tips to Lose Weight

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With the holidays just around the corner you don’t have to gain weight and you can actually lose the weight. Weight loss if the #1 reason clients come in to see me for hypnosis. By getting your subconscious mind to support you instead of sabotaging you, you will find you have stronger will power and making healthy food choices comes more naturally. There’s no question that holiday time can be harder to stay on your healthy eating program because there are many temptations. However, you really can stay in control and still enjoy some of the holiday meals. A lot of it just has to do with mental mind set, quantity and food choices. Come 2013 you’ll be very happy you learned about and followed these great weight loss tips.

1) Did you know that one pound of body weight gained or lost equals about 3,500 calories? Therefore, releasing a pound requires 3,500 calories not eaten, and or burned up. The opposite is also true: for every 3,500 calories eaten beyond what you burn up, you will gain one pound. The following scenario describes how an average person might gain or lose weight. If you added 250 calories from 3 slices of bread, or a medium cookie, or a bag of chips, every day, beyond the calories you burn up, without boosting your activity level, how long might it take to gain 1 pound?

(3,500 calories = 1 pound gained)
3,500 calories ¸ 250 calories per day = 14 days to gain a pound.
Note: Just eating that extra 250 calories a day could amount to an extra 26
pounds gained at the end of a year. It does sneak up on us doesn’t it?

(*It’s all a matter of math:) What if you could simply eliminate 500 calories a day beyond the calories you burn up? Those calories might be hiding in those two glasses of cola, seconds of dinner, or a plate of French fries.

Here’s how the math works:
500 calories per day x 7days = 3,500 calories a week = 1 pound lost each 7 days or 4 pounds a month.

Add some moderate exercise, even a daily 45-60 minute brisk walk, burning up another 250 calories on top of your 500 calories eliminated, and now you’ve eliminated 750 calories from your old lifestyle and you will see even more rapid weight release. As a rule of thumb, you should plan to release no more than 8 pounds a month, so that you maximize your energy, are losing fat not muscle and curb carb cravings.  Also note the three hour rule. Do not go longer than 3 hours without eating. If you go longer than 3 hours between eating or healthy snacks, you will actually reduce your metabolism making your body gain weight on less food. You will also tend to overeat when you do eat. Eat small healthier meals more often. This will increase your metabolism and help you feel energetic.

2) Fact: With each decade as we age, we need 100 fewer calories per day.

3) The fact is, most people could eat a balanced diet, (no diet foods required) including all the healthy foods they love, and still lose weight, IF THEY ATE IN MODERATE PROPORATIONS, AND CONSUMED LESS THAN THEY BURN UP PER DAY.

4) Find an old picture of yourself, the more recent the better. This should be a picture showing you when you were the weight you want to be again. It should be of your full body. If you do not have one, look through a magazine or newspaper and find a picture of a body that is similar to the weight you want to be. Be realistic with your body type, but don’t be too conservative either. This is your chance to move towards the body you want. Then, put a picture of just your face in place of the other face from an old photo of yourself. Tape this full new picture of you on the refrigerator. This might sound strange, but the repetition of seeing yourself with this new body is very powerful and begins to reprogram your image of yourself. After a while your conscious mind might not even notice it, but your subconscious mind will see the image every time you go to the refrigerator.

5) Put up positive affirmations about yourself all over the house. After a while, you won’t even consciously notice these affirmations being around because you are so use to seeing them. However, your subconscious mind will always notice them, and they serve to help reprogram your mind. Place them in places where you commonly go: on your dresser mirror, in the bathroom, on the refrigerator, and any other places you can think of.

Affirmations should be fairly short and always written in the present tense. When placing the various notes around your house, they can either be the same affirmation, or perhaps two or three different ones. It is better however to keep your affirmation pretty simple.

Here are a few examples that might fit for you: Feel free to create your own!

• I am slim and trim and fully loved and supported now!
• I love my new slim and healthy body!
• I choose healthy, smaller portions & fill up quickly!
• I am now at my ideal healthy weight & love my life!

(Always word them in the present tense with phrases such as: “I am, I have, I always…” Never use past tense or future tense such as: “I will, I am going to, I use to….” Never use negative words or phrases such as: “I am less fat than I use to be”, or “I am no longer obsessive about food”, etc. If you use negative words your subconscious mind hears the negative word such as “fat” or “obsessive” and just takes that in for more negative programming. Your affirmations also need to be specific such as: “I am at my ideal weight of 132 lbs.” If you were to say: “I am less overweight than I use to be”, that’s not specific enough and uses a negative word such as overweight).

6) Don’t weigh yourself every day! Try just once a week. As you begin this exciting journey moving back towards your ideal weight, remember to be patient with yourself. Think how long it took to gain the weight. It naturally takes time to release it. You have started your weight loss program and your body is already beginning to make the appropriate and healthy changes needed. Be excited about your goals. Focus on what you want, not what you don’t want. Focus on what is really special and unique about yourself: your talents, the things you love, your life goals, and what gives you joy. Remember “the Law of Attraction” states that what you focus on, you get more of.  So, if you keep focusing on how over weight you are every time you get on the scale, you’re simply programming your subconscious mind to be over weight.

7) Keep a complete food diary of everything you eat for a couple of days, or even a week. Be accurate and write down everything. Carry your food diary notebook with you. Whenever you eat, note the day and time and next to it your reason for eating: Ex: hunger, boredom, stress, fatigue, anger, fear, sadness, guilt, or other, etc. After a while you’ll begin to notice patterns of when you eat that have nothing to do with hunger. Also, many people don’t realize just how much they actually eat until they keep a food diary.

8) Don’t hang around other people who are greatly over weight, or those who do not encourage and support you. Hang out with slim people and those with a positive encouraging attitude.

9) Eat 3 – 5 small meals each day, rather than one big meal at the end of the day! Did you know that if you only eat one very large meal at the end of the day that you metabolism slows down? Your metabolism goes into survival mode on one meal a day or drastic food diets of less than 1,200 calories a day and stores what it can. The results are you gain more weight, plus feel less energetic during the day, than if you ate smaller meals throughout your day.

10) Watch out for negative “Self-Talk”. Self Talk are the statements and thoughts we often say or think about ourselves. Ex: “I’m so fat.” “I’ll never lose weight.” “I’ll always be fat.” etc. Every time you say or think these types of statements, your subconscious mind is listening and your body will match your statements. You can actually program yourself for what you don’t want! Your subconscious mind doesn’t know the difference between real or imagined thoughts. Your body will always mirror your thoughts. Every conscious thought you have is recorded in your subconscious mind and your body follows. Self-Talk is a form of hypnosis.

If you catch yourself saying negative statements don’t worry or be obsessive; just notice it. When you catch yourself neutralize them with three positive statements that relate directly to your negative statement, stated in present tense. Do this for every one negative comment you state. And say those positive statements with enthusiasm and feeling, knowing they are so.  Ex: “I am slim and healthy!”  “I am healthy and beautiful!” “I love myself.” “I enjoy being happy and  joyful.” etc. Be creative!

11) Don’t grocery shop when you’re hungry. If you are hungry you will be more tempted to buy the wrong foods.

12) Don’t buy or bring home foods that will tempt you if you are hungry. If it’s not in your kitchen, it will be easier to stay on track and support your goals.

13) Make a list of healthy low-cal snacks that are tasty and good to have around. Let these be the snacks you choose from next time you find yourself hungry. If these snacks require some type of preparation, do so ahead of time and simply carry these convenient healthy snacks with you so you choose more wisely.

14) Reward and nurture yourself in a healthy way: When was the last time you took a nice warm bubble bath? Treat yourself along the way. Light some candles in the bathroom; put your favorite essential oils in the water; put your favorite music on. Take a nice long walk in nature, somewhere that you really love to walk. Put on your favorite music and let yourself get carried away. Think of some other nurturing things you enjoy. This is a very important part of moving towards the weight you desire. It starts with loving you now!

15) Set one day aside each week where you allow yourself to have your favorite food or treat (in moderate proportions). Perhaps it’s your favorite dessert, pasta dish, etc. Depriving yourself isn’t necessary and doesn’t work.

16) Eat slowly and enjoy your food. It’s a fact that after 20 minutes, what you eat begins to register metabolically and you begin to feel full. If you eat slowly, you will consume less calories before you feel full.

17) Drink lots of water each day. (6 – 8 glasses or more). Did you know that drinking ample water may help suppress appetite? Water also helps flush out toxins and fat. Without sufficient water, you may find yourself feeling tired and mentally fatigued. Many misunderstand thirst for hunger because they don’t know what dehydration feels like. Quench your thirst and energize your body and mind.

18) Supplementing your diet with at least a good well balanced multiple vitamin/mineral supplement may help cut down on hunger, not to mention give you more energy. When you’re truly hungry, it is because your body needs nutrients. Most food today, especially junk foods, are highly devitalized and void of original nutrients, which can explain why you may be hungry only an hour or so after eating. Look for whole foods such as lean proteins, whole grains, fresh vegetables and fruits. Also, Chromium Picolinate (200 mcg’s daily) is a natural micro-mineral and valuable for weight loss and cutting sugar cravings. You might want to look into 5-HTP, a natural precursor to serotonin so it has a calming affect on your moods. When serotonin levels are sufficient, it reduces carbohydrate cravings & gives a sense of well-being. These are available at health food stores. Always check with your physician regarding natural supplements if in question.

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