Do you smile when you look in the mirror?

The July 2008 Psychologies Magazine includes a supplement called “Get Body Confident”.  It includes 100 “techniques, ideas and inspirations” aimed at helping us smile when we look in the mirror.

Interestingly, the Editor – Maureen Rice - talks about our emotions (such as the way we feel about our bodies), affecting our thoughts.  This is quite different to the Martha Beck model discussed in a previous blog about our thoughts being the root cause of all behaviour.  However, Maureen explains that the chain of cause and effect works in both directions.  I.e.  Our emotions affect our thoughts, which affect our actions, which affect our emotions and so on.  A cycle that as we know, once on is hard to get off!

Based on research from the Social Issues Research Centre (www.sirc.co.uk), tip number 26 explains that women feel more dissatisfied with their bodies during the pre-menstrual phase (the 2 weeks before your period).

I feel relieved I’ve read this!

I know personally, every now and again I’ll have a week where I feel totally frumpy and clothes I thought really suited me the week before look totally wrong.  I wouldn’t be surprised if this correlated with my cycles.

Hmmm… and I thought my clothes must have somehow changed shape!!

For more research findings on what we see and how we feel when we look in the mirror take a look here… http://www.sirc.org/publik/mirror.html

Coaching Podcasts … free!

We’ve been talking about BodyBoffin Brooke Castillo a lot in recent blogs.  Brooke is a Master Certified Coach and the author of the book, “If I am So Smart, Why Can’t I Lose Weight? Tools To Get It Done!”

 
**Note: the above picture has been copied from http://www.brookecastillo.com/weight_coaching.html

If you’re keen to learn more about the tools Brooke uses with her overweight Clients, check out her free podcasts here… http://blog.brookecastillo.com/categories/Weight%20Loss%20Podcasts.aspx

Reprogramme your brain…

Ok.  So we’ve learnt from Brooke Castillo and Martha Beck that we need to be internally focused and really work on listening to our thoughts and what we’re feeling.  But how does that help us to change our eating habits?  What really drives us to eat when we’re not hungry?

Brooke and Martha believe that thoughts drive all behaviour.  Thoughts are responsible for our feelings, which cause our actions and our actions determine the results.

Brookes’ example is that being overweight is the result of over eating, which is the action.  What this model is saying is that every time we over eat we can trace back to particular thought(s) that drove us to eat.

Although a little confusing at first, this concept is revolutionary!  For so long I’ve been attempting to run off the fat and follow stupid diets without success.  Treating the result (and even small amounts of weight loss) have done absolutely nothing to help change the way I feel about my body.  It makes sense that until we address why we’re feeling a particular way our behaviour will not change long term.

After years of beating myself up about the way I look and my inability to change my body to look the way I wish, I’ve become totally disconnected with my body.  Not only can I NOT tell when I’m physically hungry I’m also not sure I even know what I’m thinking half the time!

Another amazing concept that I learned from this seminar is that our beliefs (such as ‘I’ll never be thin’) are just thoughts that we keep thinking and become fixed in our minds.  It follows that if we can change the way we think, we change what we believe and how we feel.  It is only then that our behaviour will change.  Brooke refers to this as “reprogramming your brain.”

Brooke’s first step for Clients is listening in and acknowledging your thoughts.  It all sounds too easy but after only 24 hours of trying to hear my thoughts and be more aware of what I’m thinking I can honestly say it’s not easy!  After being disconnected for so long I can see that it’s going to take time and I’ll really need to be super focused.

Give it a try and let me know how you go!

The seminar (presented by Martha Beck Inc) can be purchased from http://www.marthabeck.com/telecourses_detail.php?class_id=17&cat_name=Recorded%20Telecourses

For more detailed information relating to the Thought – Feelings – Actions – Results model, refer to Brooke Castillo’s book, “If I am So Smart, Why Can’t I Lose Weight?” available from www.amazon.co.uk

Do you know how to eat??

With all the diet information out there it’s hard to remember what we really should be eating, let alone how much.  I know I’m confused!

Brooke Castillo assures us that it really isn’t that hard.  Her theory is that 90% of the food we eat should be “fuel” – natural, high energy food that the body needs to function efficiently.  The key is eating the “fuel” as soon as you feel hungry and stop when the hunger is satisfied.

I’m not sure I remember what it’s like to feel physically hungry.  Do you?  I tend to eat too much, too often!

Brooke emphasises how important it is to really understand what it feels like to be hungry so that you ensure you eat before you get so super starving that you eat everything in sight!

In Brookes’ words, we “need to retrain ourselves and listen to our bodies.”  The physical sensation felt when hungry is the way our body communicates its needs.  We should be feeling hungry every 3 hours or so and if we’re not we’re either over eating or not tuned into our bodies.

The remaining 10% should be food that you eat to enjoy.  Excellent!

This is where Brooke’s definition of overeating comes in.  Anything that you’re eating outside of the “fuel” and 10% enjoyment food is “over eating”.  It’s when we eat this additional food that we need to be asking ourselves why.  Becoming more internally focused will help us identify the cause of our overeating.

After listening to Brookes’ wise words my goal for the week is to pay more attention to my body and how it feels.  What does it feel like when I’m hungry?

The full seminar audio can be purchased from http://www.marthabeck.com/telecourses_detail.php?class_id=17&cat_name=Recorded%20Telecourses.

Setting yourself up to fail…

How many years have you set New Year resolutions related to losing weight??

I’m too scared to count!  I’m not sure I’ve ever had a New Year goal that wasn’t, ‘this year I WILL lose 5kg and I WILL get super fit.’

Brooke Castillo and Martha Beck believe that when we set diet and weight loss goals we’re setting ourselves up to fail.

In the ‘Why Can’t I Lose Weight? (You Can!)’ seminar (http://www.marthabeck.com/telecourses_detail.php?class_id=17&cat_name=Recorded%20Telecourses), Brooke explains that the minute you go off your diet or have an exercise free week, in our minds we’ve already failed.  The goal is thrown aside in frustration.  Another attempt yet again not completed.

Brooke teaches her Clients that dieting is not a one off event.  The relationship with our mind and body is life long and therefore must be seen as a long term process.

Rather than focusing on the weight (the symptom, not the cause), what we should be doing is asking ourselves two important questions:

“What do you weigh and why do you weight that?”

We all know that if we eat more energy than our bodies need to function then the excess will be stored.  Hence the extra weight we don’t want.

What’s important is that we start taking notice of when we are over-eating.  Brooke recommends keeping a food diary to help track your eating patterns.

For example, do you overeat during work?  Are you bored at work?  Perhaps you’re not feeling challenged?  Or do you overeat when you’re with friends?  Why?

For me, when I’m with friends I’m so worried about what they think that I tend not to eat enough.  Sounds like a bonus but it’s definitely not!  By the time I get home I’m starving and it only leads to me binge eating.  I think I need to follow Brooke’s advice and try and be more conscious of my thoughts rather than worrying about others.

Working through why you’re over eating leads you to the root cause of your eating habits.  Brooke suggests that through this process you will learn more about yourself than you would ever anticipate.

The seminar (presented by Martha Beck Inc) can be downloaded (at a cost) from http://www.marthabeck.com/telecourses_detail.php?class_id=17&cat_name=Recorded%20Telecourses

Be thankful you’re overweight…

What the???

I can just imagine the indignation some of you felt reading the above blog title. 

But I’m not joking!

Brooke Castillo – life coach specialising in weight loss (www.brookecastillo.com)  - believes that being overweight is a “gift”.

During the seminar Why Can’t I Lose Weight? (You Can!), Brooke explains that through the process of understanding why we over eat, we gain an in-depth knowledge of our inner self.

Overeating and the consequential extra weight we carry is the symptom, not the cause.  We can diet and exercise all we like in an attempt to lose weight but unless we extinguish the cause the pounds will return.  Just think how many times you’ve successfully lost weight, only to gain it back again.  “The way to lose weight [sustainably] is to evaluate the cause of your weight.”

To find the truth behind why we’re overweight we need to ask ourselves why we overeat.  And no, the reason is not because cake tastes too good to stop!  What makes us eat more than our body needs?  Why do we eat when we’re not hungry?  By gently questioning ourselves we start the journey of self discovery, identifying issues that we would not normally be aware of.  The result being not only weight loss (whoo hoo!) but improvements across all areas of life.

The audio of the seminar (presented by Martha Beck Inc) is available for download (at a cost) from http://www.marthabeck.com/telecourses_detail.php?class_id=17&cat_name=Recorded%20Telecourses. 

More on Brooke Castillo and Martha Beck coming soon…

Amazing advice… how to REALLY lose weight.

I’m absolutely buzzing!  

Yesterday I had the amazing experience of listening to a weight loss seminar taught by Brooke Castillo (presented by Martha Beck Inc - www.marthabeck.com).  The seminar, titled Why Can’t I Lose Weight? (You Can!), combines tools from “The 4-Day Win”, by Martha Beck and Brooke Castillo’s book, “If I’m So Smart, Why Can’t I Lose Weight?” 

*Note: both books are available for purchase through www.amazon.com

The seminar focuses on four key areas:
1.  How to eat
2.  What drives behaviour
3.  How to stop eating when you can’t
4. Self Care – Why it’s not optional

It’s truly opened my eyes and I’m already finding answers!

Over the next week I’m going to review some of Brooke and Martha’s fabulous advice.  Blog titles to include:

• Be thankful you’re overweight!
• What do you weigh and why?
• Setting yourself up to fail… New Year Resolutions
• How to eat… it’s simple.
• Controlling your behaviour.
• Put the food down! (how to stop eating more than you need)
• The key to success… looking after yourself

The audio of the seminar is available for download (at a cost) from http://www.marthabeck.com/telecourses_detail.php?class_id=17&cat_name=Recorded%20Telecourses.  Highly recommended!