Photo Credit: Unsplash/Thought Catalog
By Rena Greenberg
How to free yourself from food addictions.
Does it sometimes feel as if there are only two choices when it comes to your weight: either dieting or out-of-control eating? Do you ever find yourself stuffing food in your mouth with no regard for physical hunger, satiation or the effect the food will have on your mind, emotions and body? If so, can you imagine the possibility of never dieting again, but instead having a healthy relationship with food and loving your body at the same time?
Have you ever considered what your life could be like if you ate mindfully, with awareness, tasting and actually enjoying every bite of food, instead of feeling guilty as you eat?
Here’s one simple way to start letting go of food addictions: Before you put food in your mouth, ask yourself, “How will this food make me feel?” Not just in 10 minutes or one hour, but tomorrow and one week from now. Inquire within, “Will eating this food satisfy my physical hunger and nourish me or will it perpetuate physical cravings and emotional guilt and stress as my life journey continues?”
Cause and Effect
Every action you take is the precursor to your subsequent feelings and reactions. The way you feel today is a direct result of your thoughts, words and actions of yesterday.
Consider how much happier you could be if you let your choices today reflect the kind of tomorrow you want. If you are suffering today, don’t beat yourself up. Rather, recall your choices of yesterday and the results they brought. Based on that information, make a new decision now and commit to building a happier tomorrow.
When you stop to think that the cells of your body are being recreated and rejuvenated all the time, realize the incredible opportunity you have to discard old ways of being—patterns that no longer work for you—and embrace something new and positive.
Einstein said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. But why is change often so difficult? It’s because subconsciously you are comfortable with your old way of being, even when the old way makes no sense and brings you great suffering. The good news is that the subconscious mind is like a computer, and it can be easily reprogrammed.
The first step toward moving in a new and better direction is making the decision that you are worth it—that change is possible for you and now is the time to claim that right for yourself. However, before you can change your behaviors you must change your thoughts about yourself and your worthiness. Do you take better care of your pets or your loved ones than yourself?
It is through making better choices in all areas of your life that you will achieve greater levels of happiness, and it’s through wrong or harmful action (including inaction) that greater levels of mental discomfort are increased, and so the cycle perpetuates.
The key to making better choices is activating momentum in a new direction. We tend to repeat the same behaviors, even the same words and phrases, on a daily basis. Through reprogramming your computer-like mind with daily self-hypnosis, you can set yourself on a new course of action.
Break the Old Cycle
When it comes to achieving permanent weight loss, the secret is to break the old cycle of how you think about yourself and food. Start with increasing your awareness. Listen to inner voices that cause you to sabotage yourself. This internal conversation may sound like, “This is going to be hard,” or “I don’t have the time for healthy eating.”
Notice any assumptions you have that you’ll feel deprived or denied when you begin to take better care of yourself. The truth is that you don’t have to be deprived at all. Begin to give yourself positive suggestions, such as, “I am feeling better, healthier and stronger every day. I enjoy everything I’m eating” and, “I eat only when I am physically hungry, and I feel great.”
Instead of telling yourself that you “can’t” or “shouldn’t” eat certain unhealthy foods, remind yourself that you actually don’t even want them. When you look at a food, ask yourself, “Do I really want this food?” Then inquire, “What do I actually need?”
Take a look at the ingredients list of most processed foods and beverages and ask yourself, “Do I want or need this in my body? What effect will these chemicals, fat, sugar and sugar substitutes have on my body, mind and emotions?”
Your body is not a trash can. If you are like most people, your heart’s deepest longing is to feel loved, safe and free. Freedom—contrary to the old limiting belief—is not eating whatever you want, whenever you want. That lifestyle actually leads to self-imposed imprisonment.
Freedom is eating to live and never, ever living to eat. Freedom is eating consciously, with awareness only when you are physically hungry. Freedom is being aware of the different levels of your consciousness and choosing to see yourself and your choices from a new vantage point. Freedom is realizing that the past doesn’t equal the future. Freedom is having the courage to take your life into your hands and say, “I deserve something better and I am going for it!”
You have everything you need inside of you, and for every apparent obstacle there is a solution. The key to finding a deeper truth about the greater possibilities for your life, health and happiness is to take the time to open to your deepest wisdom in your heart, soul and subconscious mind.
Commit to daily repetition of connecting to your deepest self and putting healthy ideas into your subconscious, no matter what your emotional state in the moment may be. Begin with a deep breath all the way in to the center of your chest and down into your belly. Gently, lovingly remind yourself, “All my needs are being met. I have everything I need. I deserve to be happy.”
Rena Greenberg, a Hay House author, can be reached at http://www.EasyWillpower.com. Her weight loss and gastric bypass hypnosis success has been featured in 150-plus news stories including USA Today, Woman’s World, The Doctor’s, CNN, Good Morning America and Nightline. PBS stations nationally aired Rena’s show, “Easy Willpower,” in August 2015. Her wellness program is sponsored in 75 hospitals and 100-plus corporations. She conducts hypnotherapy sessions with people all over the world on Skype.