Do you dream of being slim? Do you wish you could feel more comfortable in your own skin? Do you eat foods that you know are not right for you and then feel guilty afterwards? Does the thought of the gym fill you with dread? Are you fed up with yo-yo dieting?
If you answered yes to these questions then a medical professional may categorise you as over weight, or even obese according to a measure called body mass index (BMI). To calculate your BMI divide your weight in kilogrammes by the square of your height in metres. A BMI of under 18.5 is classified as underweight, 18.5 – 24.9 is normal, 25 – 29.9 is overweight, 30 and above that is obese.
For example, I have a ‘friend’ who weighs 205lb (93kg) and is just under 6 feet (1.8m) tall. His, BMI is 93/3.24 = 28.7. This means I, (cough) he would be classed as overweight and not far off obese! However, BMI takes no account of musculature. At 1.88m tall and 133kg Arnold Schwarzenegger would have had a BMI of 33!
The important thing is, of course, how much excess fat you are carrying around, and the effect it is having on your quality of life.
Coping with being overweight
Coping strategies are the behaviours that people develop in order to live with having excess fat.
Medication for weight loss
There are a number of medications available to facilitate weight loss. Most inhibit the appetite and some inhibit the digestion of fats.
The issue with weight loss drugs are the other effects that they cause. Many increase blood pressure and heart rate with other effects such as headache, dry mouth, constipation and insomnia. No surprise when you realise that many appetite inhibitors are similar to the addictive street drug speed! The fat inhibitors sound promising but what happens to all that undigested fat? Anal leakage. Nice.
Being fat and proud
An effective way of avoiding having a weight problem is to deny that it is a problem. There are many organisations that are ‘fat and proud’. By joining in with groups like this you will learn pro-fat beliefs, and probably realise that you are not as big as you thought, comparatively speaking.
If you are in denial then you are probably not reading this right now. When you do read this then you have probably realised that blaming the world for judging you was just a way of pretending that you don’t judge yourself. The first step to changing something is realising that there is something to change.
Fitting a gastric band
A gastric band is a restrictive device fitted around the top of the stomach. It physically inhibits the amount of food that can be eaten in one sitting and promotes feelings of fullness. As an alternative to the physical band some hypnotherapists offer hypnotic gastric bands.
They say that there is no such thing as a free lunch so what are the costs of the gastric band? The first is the monetary cost, in the region of £7k as I understand. Then there are the risks of surgery (which are probably relatively low compared to the risks of being overweight). Both of these are lower with the hypnotic version … so why don’t I offer that? I see gastric bands as a symptomatic solution which introduces a new constrictive object (imaginary or real) into a body which is already compensating for emotional stress. It does not address the underlying causes of over eating and under exercising – take off the band and you will probably gain the weight again. In general I prefer to take stress out of the body rather than introducing more into it.
Dieting obsessively
Know your enemy. Get your scales out and count every calorie you eat and expend. Follow the rules in the latest miracle diet book to the letter and discuss the pros and cons of various diets with anyone who will listen.
Awareness and knowledge are good things. But all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. If following a diet is the way you live your life then to what extent are you choosing your own way? If you can’t trust yourself to eat healthily and in moderation then high levels of self-control are likely to be undermined by occasional periods ‘off the wagon’ binging to make up it. Wouldn’t it be nice if your relationship with food was easy and natural?
Causes of obesity
A primal reason for carrying fat on the body is to cope with famine. If there is a chance that what we have today will disappear tomorrow then it makes sense to stock up. In the UK few of us faces the prospect of food famine, however, if we have experienced other forms of scarcity such as money, or particularly love, I hypothesise that the body manifests its preparations in the form of physical reserves. Feelings of emotional emptiness are interpreted as hunger. Eating provides a temporary feeling of fullness and comfort.
In our society being fat is generally regarded as less attractive than being slim. While being attractive has its benefits, it also has its costs: women, especially, can find it frightening to be the constant target of male sexual interest. This is especially true when a women has had traumatic sexual experiences. Being less attractive acts as a defence against unwanted sexual advances or as a kind of love test to weed out men who are ‘superficial’.
Many of the processed foods we like to eat are high in fat, sugar, and salt. These are very moreish and addictive. Sugar, in particular, has a marked effect on the body’s system. The glycaemic index (GI)of a food is a measure of how quickly it is digested. Glucose solution has a GI of 100; ice-cream is around 61, an apple is 38, and peanuts are around 14. When we eat high GI foods we get into a vicious cycle of over eating: we eat a sugary snack, get a peak of sugar in our blood, produce a burst of insulin to break the sugar down, store the energy as fat, get a sugar low, feel tired and hungry, and top up with another high GI snack.
Losing weight
There is no getting away from the fact that loosing weight involves changing the balance between energy ingested and energy expended. In the words of one weight loss guru: ‘Eat less pies, exercise!’
What you can do right now
I mentioned earlier about the problematic effects of eating high glycaemic index foods. Many people are shocked when they find out that foods they thought were ‘healthy’ are actually very high in GI. For example, a baked potato has a GI of around 85, higher than that of pizza at 80, and way higher than sponge cake at 46.
Take some time to find out about GI. Wikipedia is a good start and there is a good list of foods at:
http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsweek/Glycemic_index_and_glycemic_load_for_100_foods.htm
How I can help you loose weight
My first priority is to work with you to accept yourself just as you are. It is somewhat counterintuitive but by becoming happier in yourself right now you are setting the stage for natural and easy physical changes in the future. What we are talking about here is discovering your inner beauty and exploring the consequences of allowing it to shine through.
You will need to make changes. While I am not qualified to give dietary advice I can support you as you choose to eat differently. In particular I can show you to confront any addictions you may have and to channel your anger into seeing them off.
As the physical weight begins to fall away it will probably reveal the traumas that it was hiding. We may well need to work to heal previously repressed memories of abuse, bullying, or generalised sadness. Many of the associations between food and emotions may have their roots in your early childhood or family history.
If your fat is acting as a kind of shield then I will work with you to face the consequences of coming out from behind it. This means facing your fear of being seen and heard by others. Deeply held anger may arise. This is great because it can be channelled into positive expression.
Take action now
Interested in learning more about NLP psychotherapy and hypnotherapy for weight loss? I work face-to-face in Bethnal Green, East London and online via Skype and Google talk. Call me now for a free chat and to arrange an appointment.
