Do you dream of being slim and 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?

Excess body fat can be uncomfortable and inconvenient.  Even though others may see us as happy and beautiful but it can still feel difficult to look in the mirror or wear revealing clothes.  We’ve tried so hard with diets and exercise; at some level we know that things could be different.

What does ‘overweight’ or ‘obese’ mean?

Medical professionals categorise weight according to a measure called body mass index (BMI).  To calculate your BMI divide your weight in kilograms 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 218lb (99kg) and is just under 6 feet (1.8m) tall.  His, BMI is 99 / 3.24 = 30.6.  This means I, (cough) he would be classed as obese!  However, BMI takes no account of musculature.  In his prime at 1.88m tall and 133kg Arnold Schwarzenegger would have had a BMI of 33!

The important thing is not how much you weigh but rather how much excess fat you are carrying around and the effect it is having on your quality of life.

What causes us to carry excess body fat?

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 glycemic index (GI) of a food is a measure of how quickly it is digested.  Glucose solution has a GI of 100; baked potato 85 (surprisingly high, right?), 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.

How do you help people 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.

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.  As the physical weight falls away it will probably reveal the emotional traumas that it was hiding.  Confronting and healing these develops the confidence to make other positive life changes.

As you progress you will feel more full of yourself, make good food choices, and have more energy for exercise and life in general.  As your true self comes to the surface the fat falls away.  You start to look stronger and leaner because you are feeling stronger and more confident.

Take action now

Would you like to reveal the beautiful body that lies within?  I work via video call.  Request a free 30 minute consultation.

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