Weight-Loss... becoming a non-smoker... old habits, but how can you overcome them?

Our automatic thoughts can help to keep us stuck in old habits and emotions which are often not the best habits and emotions for us. However, if we become more aware of the impact of automatic thinking on our lives, we will have more options and change will be easier.

Teaching someone to see their own thinking patterns is like teaching a young gardener how to identify a rare type of plant. The gardener needs lots of examples of what the plant looks like and they also need to know where it usually lives.

For instance, some people may think: 

What caused the weight problem

"I don't understand why I am overweight. I don't stuff myself all day".  
"I may have slow metabolism"

What to do about the problem and what this "solution" will be like

"My life is busy and difficult enough already, I can't cope with losing weight at the same time"
"Losing weight will be awful. I will have to go running and do aerobics and go to the gym the whole time"

And many other thoughts such as:

- Thoughts about what you "can" or "can't do" or
- Thoughts that happen "on the spot" whilst trying to lose weight or stop smoking or 
- Thoughts about yourself...

Being able to "catch" or spot an automatic thought is a hugely useful skill, but it is not easy or straightforward - like the new gardener trying to spot the rare plant - it takes practice.

However one can try to pinpoint the most important automatic thoughts such as:

What was going through my mind just before I started to feel this way?

What does this say about me? What does it say I can/can’t do?

What does this mean about me? My life? My future?

What am I afraid might happen?

 

Once those automatic thoughts have been spotted, we may choose to question/challenge them:

What is the evidence for these thoughts? What is the evidence against it?

What are some other ways of thinking about this situation?

Am I blaming myself for something over which I do not have complete control?

Am I always thinking that things will go badly?

Am I exaggerating how bad things would be if they did go wrong?

Ok, so... you may ask me, is that all? I am afraid not... this is only a glimpse of what I use to help/empower my clients to overcome their eating/smoking habits. I employ other techniques such as Hypnosis, CBT and NLP to find out the reasons for those thoughts and behaviours. 

This is not aimed to be "a" guide but it helps those people out there wanting to either lose weight or stop smoking as well as start thinking differently about their habits.


As I mentioned before, our automatic thoughts can help to keep us stuck in old habits and emotions, however it is never too late to start the process!

The 15 Best Fat-Burning Foods

These are foods that start winnowing your waistline the moment they leave your fork and enter your mouth (with moderation within the daily average intake of calories - approx 2500 for men and 2000 for women). They build muscle, promote fat burning, or simply use energy (i.e., burn calories) just to digest them!

   

Almonds and other nuts (with skins intact) Build muscle, reduce cravings

Dairy products (fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt, cheese)
Build strong bones, fire up weight loss

Eggs
Build muscle, burn fat

Turkey and other lean meats
Build muscle, strengthen immune system

Berries
Improve satiety, prevent cravings

Enova oil (soy and canola oil)
Promotes fullness, not easily stored as fat

Peanut butter
Boosts testosterone (a good thing even in women), builds muscle, burns fat

Fatty fish (such as salmon, tuna, mackerel)
Trigger fullness, fire up fat burning

Grapefruit
Lowers insulin, regulates blood sugar and metabolism; be sure to eat the fleshy white membranes

Green tea
Fires up fat burning

Chili peppers
Spikes metabolism

Spinach and green vegetables
Fight free radicals and improve recovery for better muscle building

Whole grains (quinoa, brown rice, whole grain cereal)
Small doses prevent body from storing fat

Beans and legumes
Build muscle, help burn fat, regulate digestion

Whey
Builds muscle, burns fat 

source: http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/best-fat-burning-foods

Why do we look down on ourselves?

 Dear readers,

How confident we are, differs from person to person but one thing that is the same it's our confidence and self esteem which enables us to progress in life how we would like to, to achieve the things that we would like to and often affects our overall happiness.

Whether it's a lack of confidence in certain specific situations such as:
· Taking exams
· Public speaking
· Driving or taking a driving test
· Being interviewed

Or confidence regarding certain subjects such as:

· Fear of rejection
· Fear of commitment
· Feeling inferior

Or maybe about your physical or personal attributes such as image, stuttering, shyness and blushing.

Or perhaps a combination of things or an all encompassing feeling of low self esteem, self worth or unworthiness. Then regardless of how such feelings began, how long you have had them hypnosis can assist you.

Working with you to identify which areas of your life need attention to build your confidence and self esteem an approach is developed that will enable you to change those patterns of feelings and bahaviours which are holding you back allowing you to get involved, to practice and hone those skills which will make you an effective, confident person.

Would you like to find more about yourself? I can certainly help you!