Weighting for Summer
Getting beach ready!
As we roll into June it signals the official start of Summer. Our thoughts may turn to long lazy days, and enjoying some sunshine especially if we are thinking of or have already booked our summer holidays.
But with those happy images it might also focus our thoughts on squeezing into skimpier summer clothes and swimwear, perhaps exposing parts of our bodies we might prefer to keep under wraps! Now is an ideal time to give ourselves a fairly short term goal – say 6 or 8 weeks – to make some positive changes like losing weight or toning up.
Generally in hypnotherapy we avoid talking about weight loss specifically but instead deal with weight management as a long term sustainable goal. This is because the main premise behind our method of dealing with weight is with lifestyle and behavioural changes as the way to make long lasting changes, however it can also be appropriate to have a shorter kick-start programme. It boosts confidence and may offer a route into those longer term lifestyle changes.
So, here are my top tips for weight loss:
1. Reduce your intake – use smaller plates to help fool the eye on portion sizes, our plates and portions have insidiously increased over the years and it will take a little time to readjust back
2. Eat consciously – get back in contact with your body and listen to the signals it is giving you, eat until you are satisfied rather than full. Also drink water, we are often more dehydrated than we know and mistake thirst for hunger
3. Stop emotional or disorganised eating, plan your meals rather than opting for poor food choices on an ad hoc basis. Ditch ready-made foods with added sugars, preservatives, chemicals and embrace fresh home-made food – make it easy on yourself and have these foods available in your cupboards.
4. Get over any feelings of ‘missing out’ – focus instead on how much better you will feel once those pounds start dropping off. We often prioritise short term desires (like having that piece of chocolate cake) over long term ones (losing weight)
5. Keep in mind that any feelings of deprivation will not last forever, it is an adjustment as your body gets used to smaller quantities – and remember this is only for a short period (unless you carry on post holidays in which case your body will have adjusted and will no longer send out those pangs anyway!)
6. Focus on what you can eat rather than on what you can’t – use spices to inject flavour as this will make you feel more satisfied, introduce plenty of ‘colours’ into your diet, explore new tastes. As the weather gets warmer it’s easier to opt for lighter meals including plenty of fresh vegetables, salads, berries – eat the rainbow!
7. Get some sleep – lack of sleep can push us to supplement low energy with quick hits from sugar and other carbs
8. Practise relaxation, mindfulness, meditation techniques, whatever works for you – reducing stress in our lives lowers the levels of cortisol (stress hormone) which effectively encourage our bodies to store calories as adipose tissue (fat!) in case we need to go into fight/flight mode
9. Limit your alcohol – drink a glass of water instead of a glass of wine, or have a spritzer instead. Be conscious of your intake: are you drinking for stress relief, due to peer pressure, habit?
10. Do some exercise that you enjoy – aim to move your body once a day be it a walk, jog, yoga, gym workout, class but do something that you enjoy. There is growing evidence that HIIT workouts (high intensity interval training) can get cells burning calories post exercise, these sessions are often only 10-15 minutes long and can be done anywhere. Invest in a personal trainer if you want to achieve specific goals, it can be money well spent in the long term
Finally, don’t get worked up if you have a set-back be it overindulging in alcohol or food. Simply pick yourself up and get back to it, after all if you fell over in the street would you just lie there or would you get up and get on?
If you would like more information about how hypnotherapy can help you achieve your goals, contact us. We have 6 week programmes for weight management as well as helping you reduce stress and focus on longer term goals info@questhypnotherapy.co.uk