There are many reasons that we as a nation are putting on weight. Some you may agree with and some you may not. Some may feel intuitive and others may seem a little far fetched until you think about them. Many are interlinked.

1. Choice and availability. There is much more choice when it comes to fattening snack foods than there has ever been.

 2. The marketing machine behind the big businesses that promotes these products has been refined over many years so that it has now become very efficient at ensuring we buy.

 3. Big business doesn’t care about how healthy the food is or the nutritional benefit. They simply want us to buy it. That sometimes means apportioning health benefits to foods that aren’t that genuine.

So we need to ask the question: In a consumer led society, who is really leading? Us the consumers or the big business selling us what they make us beleive we want?

One of the biggest food fads in recent years is the Low Fat phenomenon. Manufacturers have been more than enthusiastic to create low fat products for us to cater for this new trend. Since the seventies we have been advised to eat a low fat diet to improve heart health and reduce our waistline. The biggest problem with this advice is that it doesn’t take into account two fundamental problems with low fat foods. The following experiment shows very clearly how low fat food is not the answer to weight control.

Low fat hype

A recent American study involved two groups of people both with free access to cookies. One group was given regular cookies the other were given low fat cookies. What happened? The people with the low fat cookies simply ate more of them. In fact they ate a whopping 40% more of the low fat version!

There are two explanations for this behaviour. One is that because they knew they were low fat they gave themselves ‘permission’ to eat more. The other explanation is that fat actually helps us recognise we have eaten enough. Either or more probably both of these reasons would be responsible for these findings.

So what does this mean for us? Well why not enjoy the full fat cookie? It will probably taste better and quite possibly it is cheaper. And for the cookie manufacturer? It means bigger profits! The low fat version is probably sold for more since it is more desirable due to the low fat hype and we will consume more of that product! Every ones a winner! Except us that is because we are still piling on the pounds and spending more money helping to inflate shareholders wallets.

What is more, the food manufacturers rely upon the fact that in an ever more stressful world, we as consumers don’t tend to question or think too deeply about the claims they make simply because we have too much going on to “think” about everything. As shoppers, we tend to act in predictable ways. One of those ways is that we don’t question too deeply the clams that the manufacturer makes about their food. So for example we have, at some level based upon information in the press or from government agencies accepted that say omega 3 improves brain function, so when we spot the fish fingers with “contains omega 3″ on the box we buy them because we then don’t have to “think” about how to get omega 3 into our kids. It was handed to us on a plate (excuse the pun). The same is true of the statement which often apears on food “low fat”. Firstly the term isn’t defined clearly and secondly there is plenty of evidence to suggest that these processed low fat products don’t help us lose weight anyway. What is more disturbing is the way they are sold, the subtle suggestions in the marketing that make people buy them.  Believe me, I know about suggestions and how they influence us often without our knowlege.  Take for example the McVities “Go Ahead” range. Is this a proiduct name or an invitation? What about Asdas “Good For You” range of low fat products. Is a cake “good for you” jusat because it is lower in fat? You can bet it is still very high in sugar and quite possibly contains artificial sweeteners some of which are now thought to be carcinogenic. These product names act as powerful suggestions that ensure we buy the product without thinking too much. Supermarkets and food manufacturers rely upon us blindly accepting the claims on the packets and for most part that is exactly what we do. I have a simple rule that I instill in everyone who comes on my weight loss course but it is not just applicable to weight loss it is impotant for us to stick to it to ensure our health in general so I will share it with you today.

If a food or drink product has a health claim on the packaging then that product probably isn’t good for you. Genuinely healthy foods don’t claim anything. You don’t see health claims on a bag of apples or on a peice of  fresh fish but you do see these claims on the same fish once it has been cut into rectangles and covered with salt and starch laden batter.

Low fat processed products are not the answer to losing weight and they may even help us gain weight.  In fact all the statistics show that we are eating less fat in our diets than in the 1970’s yet we are still getting bigger. If this worrying trend continues then we face an uncertain future. A future filled with ill health and the restrictions that carrying too much weight will bring us.

REDUCE YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE IN SIX WEEKS by Sally Cronin

There are currently millions of Britons who are taking blood pressure medication to control a condition that is, in most cases is diet and lifestyle related. By making some simple changes in diet and exercise it is possible to reduce your blood pressure significantly in just six weeks. It you are currently on prescribed medication then it is vital that you do not stop taking this without consulting your G.P. However, you can follow the plan and after six weeks ask your doctor if he feels that it might be possible to reduce your doseage. Hypnotherapy is an integral part of the therapy involved in reducing blood pressure as stress is a critical factor.

R Reduce your salt intake. You should not have more than a level teaspoon per day or 6 grams. If you eat a lot of processed foods you will be consuming far in excess of this. Sodium is essential for our bodies to keep a correct water balance: it is also necessary for nerve impulse transmission and prevents your blood from becoming too acidic or alkaline. However, take in too much and not only will it cause weight gain it can also drive your blood pressure too high. Look at the labels on the food and your mineral water currently in your cupboard and fridge and see how much sodium is in 100gms. Multiply by 2.5 which will give you the salt equivalent. So if a Pizza has 8400 mg of sodium you would times that by 2.5 giving you 21000mg of sodium or 21gm of salt which is 3.5 teaspoons or 3 times the recommended salt intake.

E Eat whole grain bread, rice and pasta and avoid all white, starchy foods. Not only will you be consuming more fibre which is essential for clearing out arteries of fatty deposits it will also provide you with B vitamins, essential for the metabolism of the carbohydrates and proteins that you eat. It will provide you with slow release energy throughout the day without spikes in your blood sugar.

D Drink plenty of fluids. If you are dehydrated your blood pressure will be higher. Avoid too many caffeine high drinks – restrict to one cup of coffee per day – decaffeinated would be best. Tea is still caffeinated but is fine drunk in moderation. To actively lower your blood pressure drink 4 cups of Green Tea per day – use a slice of lemon or ginger to taste or a teaspoon of honey. In addition to Green tea – drink 1 litre of low sodium mineral water per day or tap water and 2 fruit juices.

U Up your intake of fresh fruit and vegetables – not only will this provide more fibre to detox your whole system it will also provide you with anti-oxidants that will prevent normal healthy cholesterol becoming harmful. Clogged arteries full of LDL (harmful cholesterol) will result in high blood pressure.

C Calm down. Stress elevates blood pressure and if you lead a busy and hectic work and family life you need to find ways to relax. Learn to breathe correctly. Take in a breath through the nose slowly to the count of ten and let out slowly through the mouth to the count of 15. Repeat several times first thing in the morning – last thing at night and any time you feel you are becoming stressed. Listen to your favourite music – switch off your phone and take a relaxing bath. Take mini-breaks to relax and make sure that you are sleeping at least 7 or 8 hours per night.

E Exercise and lose weight if you need to. Your BP will drop significantly after the loss of just one stone. You will have to carry less weight putting your body and your heart under less strain. The closer to your optimum weight the better your blood pressure is likely to be. Exercise will help clear your arteries of debris, fill your system with oxygen rich blood and improve muscle tone. Not just in your legs but in your heart and lungs too. A strong heart can work harder.

B Be proactive. Understand how your body works and how you can make positive changes to your lifestyle and diet to reduce this potential silent killer. Work with your doctor so that you do not face a lifetime on pills to control a condition that in 9 out of 10 people can be managed with diet and exercise.

P Pack in smoking. Most people believe that smoking relieves stress. In fact it increases it. The several thousand chemical compounds in each cigarette are toxic to the body. Your arteries will harden and become brittle resulting in narrowing and apart from high BP you are also at a severe risk of strokes and aneurysms.

Why it’s hard to diet, the psychological reasons that diets don’t work!

Perhaps you are wondering just why it is that when you decide to diet you can’t think of anything but food? Even when you aren’t hungry you are thinking about it all the time. You become hyper aware of it. Watching the clock ’till you can have your next meal. It actually has very little to do with hunger it’s self. When we are otherwise occupied it is possible to become quite hungry without realising it.  And even then we sometimes end up completing our task before we stop to eat.

The problem with diets is they mean denial! You will no doubt be eating less and possibly denying yourself your usual treats completely. Because of this you will try not to think about the things that you can’t eat. You will try not to think about having to wait for another two hours before you can have your diet meal, because before this diet you would just munch on a chocolate bar whenever you wanted. This is why as a long term solution, diets don’t work. Unless you have the grit of a top athlete it is impossible to override thoughts about food forever. If you are having to consciously think about what you are and are not allowed to eat on a diet then that food is more prominent in your mind and it is only a matter of time before your resolve weakens.

Don’t think about pizza!

Unfortunately your mind can’t process a negative thought. In order to not think about it, it has to think about it first and then you just can’t help but think about it! Your conscious will says that you want to lose weight but all you can do is think about all those things that you can’t eat.

Fact!
When there is conflict between the imagination and the conscious will, then the imagination will always win the day. Here is an example. Nothing to do with losing weight but it serves to illustrate just how our imagination can ruin our best intentions!
Walking the plank. Most people could walk along a foot wide plank suspended securely a foot from the ground without too much difficulty. It doesn’t create any stress or anxiety to do so. If that same plank were thirty foot up in the air most people would fall off. But why? Because when you start to walk along the plank your conscious mind says “I can do this, I’ve just done it with the plank was a foot above the floor.” However your imagination says “yes but if you did fall you would really hurt yourself. If you start to wobble you might fall and if you fell you would really hurt yourself. Whatever you do don’t fall!

By this point there is a huge conflict between the conscious mind and the imagination and the person starts to wobble. It’s only a matter of time before they fall…Which confirms what they knew, i.e. that they just knew it would happen, that sooner or later they would fall. What is happening here is that our imagination is giving us powerful suggestions. Suggestions that if we fall we will really hurt ourselves. We become focussed on that suggestion vividly imagining what it would be like to fall.

So when your conscious mind wants to lose weight your imagination is busy filling your head with thoughts of all those foods you are not allowed to eat and how good they will taste.

How to use suggestions to help you achieve your weight loss goals.

Now it’s time to do something about those things by changing our suggestions to ourselves. As a hypnotherapist I use suggestions to influence how people behave. In order foe the suggestions to be effective I have do deliver them in a certain way. The combination of the word, the context and the tonality of voice are what make these suggestions effective. But you can give yourself very powerful suggestions or affirmations that will help not only your weight loss but any other area of your life. Firstly, lets look at how we use language and how it affects us when we are giving ourself a message or suggestion. We give ourselves suggestions all the time without really being aware of it.

 
Why it’s hard to diet, language and the suggestions we give ourselves without realising!

The way we convey a message is important.

My head is killing me is much more powerful than saying I have a headache. I am starving or I could eat a horse is much more powerful than saying I could eat now. This chocolate cake tastes amazing is more powerful than this chocolate cake is nice.

When we say we are starving we are giving ourselves a very powerful suggestion that we should eat a lot. When we say the cake is amazing we will want more of it than if it were just nice.

Sigmund Freud first formulated the pleasure principal idea back in the early 1900’s. Quite simply it states that humans try to move away from pain and towards pleasure. It is easy to see how this would be a helpful behaviour in most cases.

Unfortunately many foods will move us towards pleasure because we enjoy them so much and towards pain because we feel guilty after we have eaten them, at the same time. If we tell ourselves we LOVE chocolate but on the other hand we HATE it, or hate the way we feel because of eating it, this is very confusing for your subconscious mind. Again it all comes down to the suggestions we have given ourselves. A dysfunctional cycle of behaviour results from the eating activity that triggers both responses. One state, guilt/pain, makes us feel bad and increases the desire for the other state, pleasure which then triggers guilt again.

Negative suggestions.

We often and without realising, give ourself negative suggestions:

 It won’t work for me.
I just know there’s no point even trying to lose weight.
I know its not going to happen.
Things never go right for me.
I will never find the right partner.
Men/women always treat me bad.
I’ve tried everything, I just can’t lose any weight.
I never have any time to exercise.

The main thing to notice with these examples is that they are very general. They are all encompassing in their negativity. They are very polarised.

Words such as never, always, can’t, won’t etc when applied in a negative connotation magnify it’s negative effect.

Do you really know that you can’t lose weight? If you were marooned on a desert island with nothing but a few coconuts and sand crabs to eat do you think you would still be overweight then? So it isn’t hard to see how negative thoughts could be very powerful suggestions to the subconscious mind and help us to self sabotage.