DietStacker™
"Your
Comprehensive Weight Loss Program"
Visualization
And Weight
Loss - See The Pounds Drop
Away!
Ask
Dr. Steve -
Hi
Dr. Steve,
Every
time I look in
the mirror I feel like I am getting fatter even though my weight is
about the
same.
How can I focus
my mind on helping
me to get back the slim body I had 6 years ago?
Elizabeth R.
Shriveport, LA
Elizabeth,
You
have asked a great question.
The
surprising fact is that many conditions
can be improved by visualization and weight loss is one of them. It
works like
this: you keep a vision in your mind of how you want your body to look,
and
subconsciously you will begin acting in a way that will go in that
direction.
You become much more positive about your body, more accepting of your
diet or
fitness regime, and you will reach your weight goals more quickly and
easily.
Effecting
change through visualizing desired outcomes has
become more and more acceptable in recent years. Psychologists do not
understand exactly how it works but clearly the mind and body are not
as
separate as we often believe. It seems that if you truly want something
it is
more likely to happen - provided of course that it is something that is
possible, and within your control. Visualization helps us to truly want
to lose
weight by creating a clear and happy picture of our fitter bodies.
Without this
we can often put psychological traps in our own path.
Many
people who are overweight believe they cannot lose
weight. Sometimes you may say it out loud, or hear friends say it about
themselves. For other people this belief stays in the subconscious. But
it is
sure that it influences our behavior. Someone who believes it is
impossible for
her to lose weight will be constantly battling her own negativity when
she is
trying to diet. Her mind will be constantly telling her there is no
point
dieting, she cannot lose weight so she should just go ahead and eat
everything
she wants. Visualization is the strongest technique that we can use to
overcome
these negative thoughts and impulses.
If
you are plagued by negativity either from your own mind
or from the reactions of friends and family to your diet, go ahead and
visualize yourself at your desired weight as often as you can. It works
on the
same level as all those negative voices and can annihilate their
influence like
nothing else can.
It
is important to practice every day - morning and evening
if you can. You just need to take a few minutes in a quiet place and
keep an
image in your mind of your body at its ideal weight. Some people can do
this
easily, others need some help. If you have a photograph of yourself at
your
ideal weight in the past, you may find it easier to look at that. Or
use a
photo from a magazine but cut off the person's face. You need to
visualize your
own body, but thinner.
You
can also visualize from the inside. Close your eyes and
let your awareness focus on a part of your body - for example, your
right
thigh. Imagine it slowly becoming thinner in your mind's eye. Then move
to the
other thigh, and on through the body. It may help to start at the feet
and move
up towards the head, or vice versa.
As
you go about your work or daily chores, think of yourself
as already at your ideal weight. Create your own affirmations and
repeat them
often, always in the present tense ("I am glad to be flexible, fit and
slim", not "I will ..."). Enjoy the feeling of having a positive
self-image. Over time, this will help you to keep to your weight loss
plan. You
will find that fatty foods are less attractive and exercise is more
enjoyable.
While
your weight loss will of course be gradual, the
wonderful thing about visualization is that it gives you a new body
image right
away. Use visualization and weight loss to make you happier right now,
today!