The Ultimate Weight Loss Secret

Jeanine-s best friend wants her to be a bridesmaid at her wedding. Jeanine has said yes, but she-s dreading the day, even though it-s months away; she hates the thought of being the largest person in the wedding party. Daniel-s son wants him to go with him on the annual father-son hiking trip, which is some time away, but Daniel is hesitating; he fears that he is so overweight, he won-t be able to keep up with the other men and will embarrass his son.

Yet, Jeanine and Daniel have both already started on a weight-loss program which includes sensible food choices and exercise and they have both lost weight. Like so many of us, Daniel and Jeanine are stuck in the trap of thinking about themselves as overweight people. Psychologists and other weight-loss experts caution that this type of thinking is self-defeating.

You are What You Think

We have all heard the old adage -you are what eat- and know it has a certain amount of truth, but it is also true that -you are what you think.- Many people trying to lose weight believe that they can only think of themselves as thin people, after they become thin. Linda Spangle, RN, MA, author of Life is Hard, Food is Easy: The 5-Step Plan to Overcome Emotional Eating and Lose Weight on Any Diet, believes that this is a mistake. Spangle encourages her weight-loss clients to think of themselves as thin, even before they begin to lose weight.

One the secrets that Spangle shares with her clients is the power of -pretend.- By pretending that you are already thin, you gradually develop the thought-process and lifestyle choices of a thin person. Spangle encourages people to act as if they already feel good about themselves, even if they don-t. Tell yourself you look good, even if you don-t feel that way yet. Act like you would act if you were already slim.

Spangle cautions that this -pretending- or imagery should not become an escape that lets you throw your weight loss concerns to the wind. It is meant to build your self-confidence and it has worked for many people. Spangle-s -pretending- is a form of visualization or guided imagery.

Visualization Exercises

Visualization is a technique that uses the mental imagery to induce relaxation and self-confidence. It is highly effective in treating many health conditions, including stress and anxiety. Visualization is often used by athletes to prepare themselves for a great performance. Gerald N. Epstein, M.D., has found it visualization highly effective for motivating patients to lose weight. Epstein, the director of New York-s Academy of Integrative Medicine and Mental Imagery recommends practicing a simple imagery exercise before every meal.

The first part of any visualization exercise should be to relax. Sit comfortably, breathe deeply, and close your eyes. Now you are ready to focus on your images. Focus on the benefits of weight loss that feel most valuable to you. Are you concerned about your appearance? Then imagine looking a slimmer, more shapely you in the mirror. You are wearing that favorite outfit that you haven-t been able to wear for ages. Are you concerned with having more energy to do things? Then imagine yourself taking part in an activity you once enjoyed; you are lighter and more agile. You can once again enjoy physical activity. This little exercise takes only a minute or two, but by practicing before every meal you can learn to stay focused on eating sensibly.

Visualization may seem awkward at first. With continued practice it becomes easier. Strive to make the images as vivid as possible. Feel yourself dancing in that favorite black dress. Feel the wind on your face as you imagine yourself running or hiking or pedaling your bike. You feel alive and invigorated.

The brain responds best to the most -real- images. Brain imaging shows that the same parts of the brain respond certain experiences, rather they are real or imagined. We all know how -real- a dream can seem and guided imagery uses the same brain capacity used in dreaming. In other words, if you imagine yourself capable of something, like weight-loss, the subconscious works to help you achieve this goal.

Martin Rossman, MD, co-director of Mill Valley, California-s Academy for Guided Imagery recommends practicing guided imagery in the morning, right after you get up and in the evening, right before you go to bed. Practicing visualization upon awakening and immediately before sleep allows the imagines to more easily sink into the subconscious.

An Image for Success

Guided Imagery is receiving increasing attention from the medical community. If you are uncomfortable or unsure of practicing the technique on your own, there are many experienced imagery therapists who can guide you through the process. There are also audio tapes for use on your own, that can help you learn to focus your imagination and achieve the desired results. If you are still skeptical about the benefits of visualization, give it a try anyway. What have you got to lose (if you-ll pardon the pun)?

Popularity: 2% [?]

We-ve all done it. We are tired, stressed, and in a hurry, so we grab a bite to eat and wolf it down, barely paying attention to what the food tastes like or how much we are actually eating.

An occasional incident like this won-t hurt our weight in the long-run, but for many of us -mindless eating- is a way of life, which daily contributes to our weight problems

Is Meditation the Answer?

If -mindless eating- is one of your weight loss downfalls, what can you do to stop it? Some psychologists believe that meditation may be the solution to -mindless eating.-

There are many forms of meditation. Most forms have their roots in various spiritual traditions; all of the world-s major religious traditions have some form of meditation. Research on the health benefits of meditation has focused on concentrative and mindful meditation.

Meditation techniques such as transcendental meditation are known as concentrative meditation because they focus on a single word or image or on your breathing.

Techniques such as mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) are called mindful meditation because the aim is to become aware of all the images, thoughts or feeling which pass through your mind.

Ruth Quillian-Wolever, Ph.D., clinical director of the Duke Center for Integrative Medicine in Durham, N.C. and her associate Jean Kristeller, Ph.D., of Indiana State University, are studying the effects of vipassana, an ancient Indian form of mediation rooted in Buddhism, on weight loss.

Quillian-Wolever and Kristeller-s studies are monitoring the weight of 230 people who regularly practice vipassana. These National Institute of Health funded studies are among the few to scientifically study the effects of meditation on weight loss.

All forms of mediation produce relaxation, but the researchers have chosen Vipassana for the study, because this form of meditation teaches people to be mindful of what they are doing,

The technique teaches students to define their thoughts, sensations, and emotions and to learn to distinguish between them. Quillian-Wolever, a clinical psychologist, has used for Vipassana to help individual patients succeed at weight loss.

Why Would Meditation Help?

Learning to distinguish between thoughts and feelings is one key to successful weight loss. According to Quillian-Wolever, people with weight problems often have difficulty distinguishing between physical hunger and emotional urges to eat.

Laboratory research has shown that people with weight issues frequently are less aware when they are truly hungry and when they are full.

Quillian-Wolever believes that the main benefit of Vipassana is that it teaches people to be more mindful of their physical sensations and thus helps them learn to control emotional eating.

Vipassana in its original form, takes some effort to learn, but Quillian-Wolever and Kristeller have developed mindfulness exercises specifically designed to teach people awareness of physical hunger, satiety cues, and the emotional urge to eat.

Patients are taught to focus on the food they are eating at the moment and enjoy it, rather than mindlessly gobbling down calories while distracted by other things. In this way, people learn to eat until their physical hunger is satisfied and then to stop.

Quillian-Wolever and Kristeller-s mindfulness techniques have been successful in helping people with binge eating disorder develop self-control of eating and increased self-acceptance.

Mindfulness Techniques

Both the relaxation and the mindfulness produced by meditation offer weight loss benefits. To experience the relaxation benefits offered by concentrative meditation try these simple steps:

Sit in a comfortable position and close your eyes.
Concentrate on one word such a peace or relax and silently repeat it over and over. You can also concentrate on your breathing, rather than a word.
Notice any distractions that enter your mind, but then calmly move on and continue focusing on your word or your breath.
Practice this exercise for a minute or two at first and then work up to thirty minutes of meditation.

To practice mindfulness, remember to concentrate on what you are doing at a particular moment. Sit down at the table to eat and concentrate simply on eating. Do not talk on the phone or watch television or try to read a newspaper.

Pay attention to what you are eating. Chew your food carefully and thoroughly; savor the food-s aroma, texture and flavor. With practice, this way of eating will come more naturally; you will begin to enjoy the food you eat more and eat less of it, because you are more aware of what you are eating.

Explore Meditation

If meditation sounds like it might help you in your weight loss battle, explore the various options. There are many classes available which teach the various meditation techniques, as well as numerous books on the subject.

Audio tapes are also available which teach the various techniques; many tapes and CDs feature recordings of soothing nature sounds, such as the ocean or birds singing to help you focus your attention and relax.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Kate has tried just about everything imaginable to lose weight. Recently, one of her friends suggested that she try clinical hypnosis. Kate thought her friend was joking and responded -Oh, you just want to see me clucking like a chicken, like they did in those old movies.-

Actually, Kate-s friend was quite serious. Clinical hypnosis is a legitimate tool used by many licensed psychotherapists to help their patients overcome many disorders, including weight problems. Although hypnosis has gotten a reputation as a gimmick used by quacks (fake or fraudulent doctors) or as a mind-control device, it is actually a learnable skill that people attempting to lose weight may benefit from.

What is Hypnosis?

The American Psychological Association-s Division of Psychological Hypnosis defines hypnosis as technique in which a mental health expert suggests to someone undergoing treatment that he or she experience changes in behavior or feelings. Note that these are just suggestions; a hypnotist cannot make the person being hypnotized do anything that she or he does not want to do. Fear of being controlled by the hypnotist makes some people shy away from hypnosis, but the idea that hypnosis is mind-control is a myth.

Other common misconceptions about hypnosis include:

People get stuck in a hypnotized state and cannot come out of it. This is not true. Although people are generally relaxed during hypnosis, they are always fully aware of what is going on around them and they can come out of the hypnotized state at will

Only certain people can be hypnotized and if you are very strong-willed it probably won-t work. This, too, is not true. While hypnosis works better for some people than for others, the majority of people can learn to use hypnosis. Being able to be hypnotized does not mean that you are -gullible- or -weak-willed.-

Someone must hypnotize you; you cannot hypnotize yourself. This is another misconception. Although a psychologist or other mental health professional is the expert who initiates hypnosis, in fact hypnosis is a learnable skill. Once a person has learned to go into a hypnotic state, he or she can then duplicate that state at will and use it to produce beneficial behavior changes.

How is Hypnosis Done?

Hypnosis is not something to be feared. It is not painful and most people describe their hypnosis experiences as interesting and agreeable. A typical clinical hypnosis session takes place in two phases: induction and application.

Induction is the initial phase. The therapist will help you to relax, perhaps asking you to imagine a pleasant scene. He or she will help you to become more focused so that you can get the utmost benefit from hypnosis.

During the second phase, application, the therapist will give you suggestions. These suggestions will be specifically focused on your particular problem. For example, if you are a binge eater, the therapist might suggest other, more healthy behaviors (such as taking a walk or calling a friend) that you could do when you feel the urge to binge, rather than giving into to the urge. If stress is one of your overeating triggers, the therapist will suggestion healthy ways to relax when you are under stress, rather than giving into excess eating.

How can Hypnosis Help me Lose Weight?

You will be an active partner in your hypnosis session. By learning to relax and to focus on the suggestions given to you, you allow the suggestions to sink deeply into your subconscious. Researchers are now using neuro-imaging to study the effects of hypnosis on brain.

When a person under hypnosis is asked to visualize doing some activity, such as walking rather than engaging in binge eating, the part of brain normally involved in this activity becomes active; in other words, the activity becomes -real- to the person. This fact may be one factor in how hypnosis helps retrain the subconscious.

The subconscious plays a critical role in behaviors that have become habits; by retraining your subconscious mind through hypnosis you can gradually change unhealthy eating patterns. Of course, this does not take away from the role of conscious choice and self-control in the struggle with unhealthy behaviors. You will still have to choose to make healthy food choices and not to overeat, but hypnosis is an aid in breaking deeply ingrained habits which often did not start out as conscious choices.

The therapist will teach you to how enter the hypnotic state on your own. You may be given audio tapes which help this process. Hypnosis is not considered psychotherapy, but it should be conducted only by a trained health professional who has been especially trained to use hypnosis.

Local mental health agencies can help you find a qualified therapist and there are also many Internet sites which can help you locate a professional near you. So don-t be afraid to try hypnosis for weight loss; it is rapidly becoming a mainstream weapon in the battle of the bulge.

Team members here at The Ultimate Weight Loss Secret have found Proactol to be a very effective and safe supplement to lose some serious pounds. Click HERE to read about what the UWLS team has to say about Proactol.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Tom used to consider himself lean and fit, but since some of his best buddies have started gaining weight, he finds himself putting on some extra pounds as well. He wonders if there is a connection and concludes that he is just not as motivated to work-out as he was when he was trying to compete with his thin friends. Tom-s conclusion may point to an interesting phenomenon that affects many of us. A recent study in the July 26, 2007 New England Journal of Medicine stirred up quite a controversy when it suggested that having obese friends can actually lead to obesity.

Some people struggling with weight problems were rather offended by the study. They felt it stigmatizes overweight people and perhaps suggests that those trying to lose weight should not hang out with other overweight people. Actually, the study-s authors, medical sociologist Nicholas A. Christakis and political scientist James H. Fowler had no intention of insulting anyone and certainly did not mean to suggest that overweight people should be avoided.

Instead, the investigative pair was trying to delve deeper into the cause of the obesity epidemic that seems to be sweeping industrialized nations, especially the United States. Fast food and processed foods along with lack of exercise, have been blamed for this problem and there is no doubt that the food and lack of activity play a significant role in weight gain. However, Christakis and Fowler hypothesized that social networks have a large impact on weight gain and their findings seem to prove their hypothesis correct.

The Study

Christakis and Fowler analyzed the data from the 32-year long Framingham Heart Study. Over 12,000 adults, mostly white and middle class, took part long-term in the Framingham study. Christakis and Fowler found that when one person in a mutual friendship becomes obese, there is a extremely high chance that the other person will also develop obesity.

It did not seem to matter whether the friends live close to each other or not. The researchers found that acquaintances of the obese friends also have a significant chance of becoming obese.

Spouses and siblings also have a significantly increased chance of becoming obese, when one of them does. This is perhaps not all that surprising in the case of spouses, since they are likely to consume the same foods. In the case of siblings, some of the risk could be attributed to genetics. However, the findings on friends are what astounded the public. What could cause this effect?

The Researchers- Conclusions

Christakis and Fowler believe that perhaps having obese people as friends makes being obese feel more socially acceptable. Friends seem to influence each others- lifestyle choices, even when the friendship is conducted long distance. It seems what our friends- weight influences our weight, even more than our spouses and siblings do.

The effect was most pronounced between friends of the same sex. Fortunately, the opposite effect is true as well; having thin friends seems to influence people to be thinner. The researchers point out that these findings should be utilized to implement public health programs to fight obesity.

How to Use these Findings in Your Weight-loss Battle

Fortunately, we don-t have to wait for a public health program to take advantage of these findings. Many of us already know the benefits of having a support system when trying to lose weight. Christakis and Fowler-s results remind us not to take social influences for granted; they may be influencing you, even if you are not consciously aware of them.

Being surrounded by people who overeat or eat unhealthy foods can unconsciously motivate us to do likewise. Even if you seldom see your obese friends, just knowing that they are overweight may make you feel less social pressure to be thin. If you are trying to lose weight, examine your support system and your motives for trying to lose weight.

Remember, the most successful motives for losing weight are health-related ones. Sure it-s nice to be slim and trim, but our society as a whole is setting unrealistic goals in this regard. Living longer and healthier with a lower risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, cancers and a host of other ills should motivate your weight loss efforts. Even a slight weight-loss can significantly reduce the risk of these health problems.

Try to get others to support your need to lose weight for health reasons. Find a weight-loss and exercise buddy or join a weight-loss group. Numerous studies have shown that the various kinds of weight loss groups can help you lose weight more effectively, than trying to go it on your own. According to Rena Wing, PhD, who is a professor of psychiatry at Brown Medical School, people who regularly participate in a weight loss group can expect to lose an average of 10 percent of their body weight during the first six months in the group.

Unfortunately, sometimes people backslide and regain weight after a group program ends. Experts suggest enrolling in group programs with friends or family members; that way you can still support each other after the group ends. Of course, sometimes people develop long-term friendships with others in their group and this can be a continued source of support.

With A Little Help from Our Friends

Weight loss is not easy, but a good support system can make it easier and more enjoyable than going it alone. Finding friends who support our weight-loss goals does not meant we have to dump our overweight friends who are not trying to lose weight. It simply means that we need to learn how others can influence us, so that we can take steps to fight self-defeating behavior. Perhaps your example will influence people you care about to lose weight themselves. It has been known to happen.

Team members here at The Ultimate Weight Loss Secret have found Proactol to be a very effective and safe supplement to lose some serious pounds. Click HERE to read about what the UWLS team has to say about Proactol.

Popularity: 1% [?]