“Definition of Insanity ………
…..doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.”
Einstein
Have you realised it yet? Diets don’t work.
If they did, you would only have to do them once. Well….. maybe twice.
My guess is that you have been doing them for years. Yes?
Aren’t you tired yet?
Almost all of us at some stage in our lives have depended on food for relief of more than hunger. There are many layers to eating issues, some of these include:
- emotional reasons
- subconscious fears of change
- other times it may just be a habit or triggers
- or it may simply be due to hormonal depletion causing cravings
The reasons why you have developed your eating behaviour is personal and individual, so the way of dealing with it will also be individual and catered to your personal issues and experiences.
Diets = “False Hope Syndrome”
Did you know:
- 95% of people who loose weight through dieting will regain the weight within a year and many will gain more weight than originally lost
- Promoters of weight loss programmes have a vested interest in blaming the dieter, misleading to feelings of shame, self hatred and guilt.
Please don’t blame yourself or your lack of willpower. You are up against many underlying layers that are beyond your awareness.
Lets have a look at the Research
Why is it, that so many dieters fail over and over again to achieve their ideal body weight?
Research undertaken by the University of Toronto suggest there are a number of reasons why this occurs.
- Unrealistically high expectations
- Dieters believe they can loose weight more easily and more rapidly than is possible
- Overconfidence (rather than inner confidence)
- High energy efforts towards weight programs lead to energy depletion, stress and mental overload.
Reference – University of Toronto
Think about this:
48% of dieters become preoccupied with food or eating
44% of dieters experience increased anxiety
34% of dieters experience increased irritation
27% of dieters experience increased depression
Reference – University of Toronto
When you diet and can’t lose weight?
Two of the main reason for this are due to the restriction of the diet:
The Tension of Diets
When there is a strong focus on losing weight, the added tension created in the body depletes the happy hormones (dopamine), leading to feelings of being alone, isolated, cold and unloved.
Can you blame yourself for binging on comfort food when you feel all these complex and challenging emotions???
Weakened Metabolism
Regular dieting disturbs the self regulatory process and affects the metabolism. It fools the body into thinking it is responding to starvation conditions and lowers the rate at which food is processed.
If you have been constantly dieting and start to eat regularly, you may experience feelings of “not being full” because the body’s own self regulating system has been damaged.
In addition to this the body’s thermostat which controls the metabolism of food is sluggish and cannot metabolise food at the rate is should. With a sluggish system, most people then reach out for another diet solution and continue the self-defeating process adding further damage to the metabolism.
So why continue despite such overwhelming odds.
There is another way…….
Most weight loss solutions will not address the real problem that causes weight gain or food addictions so is it any wonder that the pattern is continuously repeated.
You can reach a stage where you have a friendly rather than obsessive/avoidant relationship with food.
Freud convincingly demonstrated that the mind could exert a powerful influence on our body. Often it is our subconscious that is creating the body size we are.
An ideal body is one that will have the energy and strength to allow us to take on and experience whatever adventures and joy we would like in life.
My Philosophy is to provide a therapeutic, nurturing and supportive environment to explore your patterns and behaviours.
In particular we will look at the individual biological, psychological and social influences that have prevented you from creating change. With experience in a range of therapies we will work together in gaining deeper insight. Some of the therapies I work with include:
- Psychotherapy
- Hypnotherapy
- Mind Body Therapy
- Insight Therapy
- Emotion Focused Therapy
- Mindfulness and Acceptance Therapy
- Visualisation and Relaxation Techniques
- Yogi Philosophy
In understanding more about your eating cues and reasons behind the behaviour, you will be able to work towards a healthy relationship with food.
Take the necessary steps for change……..