By Rena Greenberg
With all the volumes that have been written about how to lose weight and keep it off, and the varied opinions of the many “experts” in the field, it may seem like a task that is nearly impossible to achieve. One day we are told that eggs are to be avoided, and the next we’re encouraged to include eggs as a staple in our daily diet…There are scores of examples of this type of contradictory advice!
Despite all this outer confusion, the truth is that losing weight is extremely simple and obvious. Eat less and exercise more is the age-old wisdom and solution we know to be true. However, the fact that it’s not always easy to shed those pounds and make a permanent lifestyle change is a result of the habitual patterns around food that are ingrained in the subconscious mind.
The good news is that those habits can be changed!
Another key component that I find essential to success, beyond eating smaller portions and staying active, is remembering to stay away from trigger foods—always!
That’s right, never diet, never deprive yourself, throw away your calorie and point counters, and just start listening to your body.
It has a genius inside that can guide you. All “Truth” is simple, and it’s no different when it comes to staying healthy and at the right weight for your body. Here are three simple rules to help you get started:
Rule #1: Balance is the key. Give your body the nutritious food it needs to run in an optimal state. Eat only when you are physically hungry and, if you aren’t sure when you are hungry, start paying attention and ask your body to teach you when it needs to eat and what it needs to eat. Speak to your body in a loving, appreciative way.
Rule #2: If you’re confused about what foods are best for you and you’re overweight, most likely protein with vegetables and/or salad will balance your blood sugar. Remember that excess carbohydrates just won’t do the trick! You probably already know that from personal experience. Listen to your body!
Rule #3: Never eat for emotional reasons. You are strong, you are an adult, and you can contain your emotions. Remember what you would do if the weather becomes stormy: seek shelter and wait for the downpour to pass. Do the same with the “storms” of emotions that pass through your mind and body. No amount of food will change the downpour of negative thoughts and feelings that sometimes overwhelm you. Food only will distract and numb you. Ultimately, you still end up with all the same problems you had before, only now they are compounded by suffering over the hurtful choices you made with food, and the consequences that your mind and body are left to deal with.
When the emotional storms of life come barreling through our energy field, the wisdom of the ages reveals to us that all we need to do is enlarge the essence of our being. We can’t fight these emotions, think our way out of them, or eat our way around them. We usually can see from past experience that these attempts have only lead to increasing the negativity these emotions evoke within. There is only one place to find refuge, and that is within our Greater Self—within the heart and soul that loves us dearly and connects us to all of life. We connect here through intention, through breath (as detailed in my book The Craving Cure), and by going inward daily with a practice such as self-hypnosis.
No matter how long you have struggled with the battle of the bulge, know that you have everything that you need to be successful. You don’t need to attend one more seminar discussing the perils of eating meat or the obvious benefit of eating raw, plant food. It’s not necessary to sit through dreaded weigh-ins and time-consuming meetings. Throw away the powdered drinks and packaged diet foods. Forget about counting every calorie you eat or buying expensive exercise equipment that will end up becoming a towel hanger. The key to success lies in changing the way you think about food subconsciously so that you naturally prefer the foods that are best for you and are turned off to the foods that are harmful. The first step to achieving this change is making a decision to love yourself and your body, including a commitment to honor and respect yourself.
Stay balanced, avoid triggers, and enjoy every bite you eat. Eat mindfully, consciously, and with awareness. Allow your emotions to move through you, like the weather. Connect to the wisest place inside of yourself, on a daily basis, and inquire, “What do I need today? How will the food I eat make me feel?” “Will the food I am about to eat nourish and sustain me, or will it cause me to desire more harmful foods?”
Instead of berating and shaming yourself, ask: “In what direction am I headed?” “What can I do better today that will help me to create the kind of tomorrow that fulfills me?” “What foods do I enjoy that are healthy and life-building?”
Plan ahead, believe in yourself, and connect to your strongest motivation: Why do you want to live and what quality of life do you want to create for yourself? Remember that you are a creator, and you have the power to turn your health and your life around. You have all the resources you need inside yourself. Your subconscious mind is a powerhouse of creativity, strength, ingenuity, courage, and possibility.
Let go of all the forcing, pushing, complaining, and trying, and simply allow the infinite wisdom in your subconscious mind to guide you by turning toward it fully. Open to the guidance that is in your core—within your deep heart—the part of you that knows exactly what you need to succeed. You can do it!
Rena Greenberg, a Hay House author, can be reached at 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 and in Sarasota, FL.