By Rena Greenberg
Did you ever find yourself committed to losing weight and getting healthy, feeling great and on a roll, when all of the sudden feelings of discouragement and despair begin to creep in just because the scale numbers have stopped budging?
At this point, the great predictor of what will happen next is the attitude you take and the questions you begin to ask yourself. Are these the first inner inquiries you make:
“What’s wrong with me?” “Why isn’t this working?” “What am I doing wrong?”
If so, you are not alone. The chronic, negative inner voice is always looking for an opportunity to rear its ugly head and convince you that you aren’t good enough. But you don’t need to fall into that pothole again!
It’s time to face that voice and prove to yourself once and for all that it has no substance, and that you are so much stronger and more powerful than it when you align with your Wise Truthful Self.
Here’ an example of how this process works: Not long ago, Angela came to see me for a follow-up session. When she first walked into the room, I could see that she had definitely lost weight and yet her face bore an expression of sadness. As she began to speak, she relayed in a very defeated voice her disappointment in the “fact” that she wasn’t making progress. She had reached “the dreaded plateau.”
As we talked, this is what became clear: Angela, who had been completely addicted to soda and sweets only six weeks earlier, hadn’t touched either in all that time. She felt happier and more energized than ever. Her family and coworkers were amazed at the changes they had seen in her and she had lost 12 pounds!!
So why was Angela convinced that she wasn’t making any progress? Because part of the habitual pattern of being chronically overweight is the negative self-talk that accompanies the unproductive eating habits. The negative voice inside her was convincing her that she was doing something “wrong.”
When she stopped to listen to herself recant all her progress, she broke out in a huge grin as she realized just how far she had come in just six short weeks!
We did a hypnosis session to reinforce all the positive changes she had already made and to help give her a jump start so she could easily take the next steps forward towards her goals. She left my office looking and feeling lighter and full of excitement about continuing on her new path of health, happiness, weight loss, and freedom.
She said, “I realize that there is nothing to go back to. I could never eat and live the way I did in the past now that I have experienced what it’s like to actually feel good and in control! The foods I used to eat are disgusting to me.”
When you inevitably reach a plateau, it’s important to remember that you are on a journey. Your old mental programming may steer you to revert to contemplating what you are doing wrong.
Instead, it may be helpful to focus on all the wonderful things you are already doing right and ask yourself new questions, such as:
1. What progress have I already made? What behaviors have I changed over the last year, six months, or one month that are leading me in a new direction?
2. What do I need on a day-to-day basis physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually? How can I satisfy these needs daily within the context of my life being as it is?
3. On a physical level, are there any foods that I am eating which may likely be triggering me to eat too much food (making me hungry)?
4. Now that I have identified these trigger foods, on a mental level how often during the day am I using affirmations and self-hypnosis to release those foods and move them out of the category of “pleasure” and into the category of “not an option anymore?”
5. Emotionally, am I allowing myself to feel my emotions, name them without judgment, and release them?
6. On a daily basis, am I picturing myself thin, healthy, happy, prosperous, abundant, and confident with a life full of love?
7. Spiritually, am I connecting with my Divine Self and my heart’s desire to express my best self in the world? Am I asking my Deep Self for guidance and support and listening to its response?
It’s important to ask yourself the right questions. When the weight loss slows down, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you are doing anything wrong. You may need to make a few adjustments, and it’s good to look at the big picture at this point. However, remember to also take some time to look back at how far you’ve already come and acknowledge yourself for all the positive changes you have already made.
Moving in a new and better direction requires that you consistently accept the feedback that your body/mind gives you so that you can make healthy adjustments accordingly.
Part of that process is noticing and rewarding all of your successes (but not with food)! You can reward yourself with praise, by taking extra time for yourself, treating yourself to a massage or consciously bringing beauty, joy, and harmony into your life.
As much as you wish that your progress would follow a straight line, always remember that life’s true growth is never like that.
Rejoice in the fact that this is about so much more than losing weight. This is a journey of self-love, self-discovery, self-respect—and movement towards a life of true happiness, fulfillment and health on every level—mentally, physically, and emotionally. You can do it!
Rena Greenberg is the author of The Right Weigh: Six Steps to Permanent Weight Loss, which is used by over 100,000 People (Hay House Publishing) and The Craving Cure: Break the Hold Carbs and Sweets Have on Your Life (McGraw-Hill). She conducts weight loss seminars using hypnosis at hospitals throughout the country and has a private hypnosis practice specializing in gastric bypass hypnosis in Sarasota. She can be reached online at www.EasyWillpower.com or at 800-848-2822.