The yo-yo diet
Yes, you are right. We all know our weight, shape and size change by what we eat. Diets change our physical appearance, while we are on them. But then all our efforts go out the window when we think we are close to or have already achieved our goal and start indulging in treats. We start saying things like: “It’s just one meal off the track, it won’t make any difference”, “It’s a special occasion, I’ll make up for it tomorrow”, "It's just this once", etc.
Slowly, but surely, we start returning to our unhealthy eating habits and, before we know it, we find yourselves again where we started or even further from our original goal. By the time we realise it, we are on a diet once again.
And this time, we have made sure we picked la crème de la crème of diets, the one that has worked for the latest celebrity or which our friends talk marvels about.
And the yo-yo roller coaster starts all over again.
That’s why diets fail and diet alone will never give us the weight we dream of.
You can take my Type of Eater Quiz
and get weight loss tips based on your results.
The mind diet
On the other hand, if we change our relationship with food, we will be in control around food to reach and maintain a healthy weight forever. And our relationship with food changes only by what we think.
You see, our unconscious mind is compelled to act in a way that matches our thinking. And our thinking is determined by the words and pictures we put in our mind.
If you place in your mind words like ‘dogs are ferocious beasts’ with pictures of wolves on a hunt, you will be scared of dogs.
If, on the other hand, the words and pictures in your mind describe dogs as playful, loyal, protective companions, then you will celebrate their existence.
Thought for food
The same is true when it comes to your weight. If you put in your mind words and images that make it believe cake, chocolate or crisps give you love, fulfilment and entertainment, of course your mind is going to go ahead and desire them above anything else.
And your body can do nothing but respond by put on weight because it disagrees with receiving non-nourishing junk food. So you can now understand how and why changing what you think rules above changing what you eat.
‘So how do I change my thoughts?’
I hear you ask. And this is where the 5 rules of the mind come in.
1. Put on display pictures of when you were at your ideal weight. Flood your mind with images of what you want to achieve so it gets the message that this is its mission.
2. Also, put on display pictures of healthy meals and physical activities you enjoy. Not everyone likes the gym, maybe dancing or going for a brisk walk is more your thing. So put these pictures up and let your mind get the message that this is how the person in the above picture chooses to live and behave.
3. As well as putting the pictures up, keep telling your mind exactly and precisely what you want, so there is no room for misinterpretation. Every single time you look at the photographs, you tell your mind: ‘I want to be a size 8, I want to look great in my LBD, I want to make healthier food choices, I want to walk or run regularly, and I really enjoy being the new me’.
4. Make the familiar unfamiliar and the unfamiliar familiar. The mind loves what is familiar. If what is familiar is watching the evening movie with a family size bag of crisps and a tablet of chocolate, that’s what the mind asks for. But you have the power to change that and make familiar the habit of watching a movie eating an apple instead.
5. Your mind does everything in its power to move you away from pain and towards pleasure. So link pleasure to looking great trying on new clothes, or enjoying a beach holiday, and remind your mind which are the foods that help you get there. If you are feeling stressed, remind your mind that talking to a friend, or having a bath, or a having a massage, are the things that really help you feel better, whereas pizza and chocolate make you feel that you failed and so it gives you pleasure to refuse them.
When you give your mind specific commands and tell it precisely what you want, what you choose to do and how you choose to feel about it, that is exactly what it will give you, because the emotional mind rules over the rational mind. That’s why willpower alone keeps failing you time after time and you end up yo-yo dieting forever instead of achieving and maintaining your desired weight once and for all.
If you want more tips on changing your relationship with food,
take my Type of Eater Quiz
and get advice based on your results.