Love Your Body

Whether you’re trying to lose fat or keep it off, there are different theories out there about whether or not to weigh yourself at all and, if you do, how often to do it. The latest official word from The National Weight Control Registry, a database of people who have lost at least 30 pounds and kept it off for a year or more, is that out of the over 5000 people they track, the majority of them weigh themselves daily.

When I first heard this, I thought it was ridiculous. And, I have to admit, I am still inclined to believe that those who weigh themselves daily after having lost fat are living in fear of gaining it back. Why else would you weigh yourself daily?

I also used to be one of those folks who believed that not weighing yourself while losing fat is a good idea. In fact, when I lost the 40 pounds I lost, I weighed myself not more than a total of 10 times. BUT I was also in denial about how important that number on the scale was to me at the time and didn’t want the roller coaster of emotions if my weight fluctuated. So I avoided the scale until I was sure I had lost weight and would like the number I saw staring back at me.

Fast Forward to Today…

I’ve been studying the mind-body connection for over 20 years now and have read many books about the link between emotions and dis-ease. Lately, I’ve been reading a phenomenal book called, The Power of Your Supermind by Vernon Howard. He talks about emotions and the importance of not judging them, but of learning to separate yourself from them, observe them, learn from them, and let them go. Only then, are you truly able to live freely. The truth and the power of this hit me when I read it.

So, while I haven’t changed my thoughts about why most women weigh themselves daily after fat loss, I have changed my thoughts on whether or not to do it.

Rather than avoiding or denying the thoughts and feelings you have when on the scale, get on that scale, feel what you feel, acknowledge it, don’t judge the feeling or yourself, and then let the feeling go. The numbers on the scale don’t mean anything until you give them a meaning, so the goal is to take the “sting” out of whatever you see on the scale. It’s all about acceptance and love of yourself, regardless of the number on the scale. The only way to reach true self-acceptance is to become conscious of your thoughts and feelings. That’s when the fat will come off and stay off!

This past weekend I was certified in a technique called Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). It’s a tapping technique used to release negative emotions and energy. It can and has been used on everything from headaches to allergies, and from fat loss and maintenance to diabetes and high blood pressure. it can also be used to release negative emotions before they impact the body with dis-ease. Gary Craig, the creator of the technique, describes it this way:

“Simply stated, [EFT] is an emotional version of acupuncture, except needles aren’t necessary. Instead, you stimulate well established energy meridian points on your body by tapping on them with your fingertips.”

Craig strongly believes two statements:

The cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the body’s energy system.

Our unresolved negative emotions are major contributors to most physical pains and diseases.

Please re-read that last statement. We in the Western world are finally starting to understand what others have for thousands of years–that negative emotions can cause dis-ease, including excess fat.

I learned about EFT a couple years ago, and have used it on and off since then, with great results. Recently, I wanted to take my knowledge to the next level and feel as though I could take what I’ve learned and share it with others.

The great thing about EFT is that it is very simple, and Gary Craig has shared so much free information about it that you can get started and see results immediately.

Here’s what Craig says about weight loss:

“As is so often the case, efforts at losing weight MUST focus on unresolved emotional issues. Otherwise, people spin wheels by using will power to get temporary results through diet and exercise. It is only when the angers, guilts, fears, traumas and anxieties are resolved that permanent loss can take place….”

Now, the next steps are up to you. Check out Craig’s website at www.emofree.com He’s got a whole section on weight loss. You can even sign up for weekly emails that share how people have used EFT to resolve various issues. Get to tapping!

We are a weight-obsessed society. So much so, we often give little thought to our health when trying to make the number on the scale smaller. In fact, women often knowingly put their health in jeopardy in the interest of looking thinner. Think about all the prescriptions, so-called fat-burners, restrictive diets, and surgeries women try to desperately get rid of fat. We’ve become a society of people who seem to care more about what we look like than what we feel like and our health.

For those of you who read the “About Me” section on this blog, you already read that I know first-hand how to lose fat and keep it off. What you may not know about me is I also know first-hand that losing weight and looking good doesn’t mean a damn thing when you’re diagnosed with cancer!

Unlike women who choose questionable or unhealthy fat-loss approaches, I was doing all the “right” things. I was eating healthfully and moving my body just about every day. I’m one of those women people express shock about when they become ill, “She was always so healthy…”

I don’t say this to scare you. I say it to make the point that eating healthfully and moving your body aren’t the only things that matter. So what was I missing? There’s an emotional piece to fat loss and health I wasn’t addressing. What harmful emotions was I choosing to hold on to? What disempowering beliefs and thoughts did I have about myself and my body?

How about you? Do you criticize yourself and your body? What do you think about your butt or thighs or hips? Do you obsess about cellulite or stretch marks? Are you holding on to anger or resentment? Do you easily forgive other people? Can you honestly say you love yourself?

The emotional piece is one most women don’t consciously address when trying to lose fat. And that’s precisely why I created my online class, “Beyond Food and Exercise: The Six Keys to Reaching and Maintaining Your Perfect Weight!” It will show you exactly how to address the emotional piece of fat loss, so you can also enjoy health in the process and have long-term fat-loss success. For more on this exciting program, read here: Beyond Food.

“…regardless of what supplements you take and what kind
of exercise you do, when all is said and done it is your attitude,
your beliefs, and your daily thought patterns that have the
most profound effect on your health.”

-Christiane Northrup, M.D.-

You can have both fat loss and health! You can look good and feel great about yourself and your body! Beyond Food shows you how.

Here’s to you looking and feeling great!
Laura

I just attended Tony Robbins’ Wealth Mastery Program, which was absolutely phenomenal! During the program, the assumption is that success at anything is 80 percent psychology (e.g., beliefs, thoughts, feelings, words) and 20 percent mechanics (e.g., tools, strategies, techniques, ideas).

I completely agree with this, and know, from experience, that success in fat loss, maintenance, and health have far more to do with your beliefs, the messages you tell yourself, what you feel, and the words you use than anything else.

I mean, how many times have you heard all you have to do to lose fat and maintain the loss is move more and eat less? Yet, the majority of us do not follow through on that consistently. And many of us are still on a constant hunt for what we believe to be the quick and easy way (e.g., diets, pills).

So, what is it that’s keeping us from following through on what we intellectually know to be true? It’s all our psychology. For example, let’s say you believe that because everyone in your family is fat, that you, too, are destined to be fat. You’ve been moving more and eating less for a couple months and are seeing great results, but you still have this belief that you’re destined to be fat. What do you think is going to happen if you continue to hold on to this belief? That’s right—you’ll sabotage yourself until your body is in alignment with your belief.

The key is to eliminate the disempowering belief, while substituting it with a new, empowering belief, such as “My relatives don’t determine my body size; only I can do that.”

It is critical to deal with any disempowering psychology you have to achieve long-term success. This is precisely why I created Beyond Food and Exercise: The Six Keys to Reaching and Maintaining Your Perfect Weight.

Rather than try and explain it here, go see: Beyond Food and Exercise.

Dedicated to Your Health and Success!
Laura