ikonnect July 2008 - health & wellness article

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We all like to look our very best. Here, Clinical Hypnotherapist and Certified HypnoBirther, Jenet Kirby, shares her tips with ikonnect on losing and maintaining weight while feeling great.

Do you want to lose weight and keep it off? Well, here are some easy tips to help you eat less, lose weight and become the person you know you can be.

1.    When you eat, take your time:
This makes the experience more enjoyable while not covering up the signs that you are full. When you hurry your eating, the mind does not know you have eaten enough. In fact, it takes about 20 minutes before your brain registers that your stomach is full. In that time you may have eaten far more than you needed. So slow it down. Chew each mouthful well. If you still think you are hungry, wait 20 minutes to be sure.

2.    Have smaller portions:
Place smaller servings on your plate. Consider this, when you have served yourself, cut the quantity in half. If you are still hungry 20 minutes after the meal, then have some more but perhaps cut it in half again. You will soon get into serving smaller portions before you know it. Have patience.

3.    Enjoy your food:
Think about it. Smell it. Savour it. Give thanks for it. Buy fresh food as much as possible… organic is even better.

4.    Eat protein:
Whether you eat nuts, cheese, egg, chickpeas, meat or beans, make sure you include protein with all your meals. And always remember to eat lots of green, leafy vegetables.

5.    Avoid white foods:
Steer clear of ‘white foods’, and I use this word lightly. Foods such as white flour, white sugar and white cheeses (hard yellow is ok). There are always exceptions to the rule, though, like cottage cheese.

6.    Have More Fibre:
This fills you up more quickly and stops you from overeating. It takes longer to digest so you do not feel hungry soon after. Great for the bowels too. Try vegetables, berries, pears, avocados, whole grains, seeds and nuts, brown rice, beans, apples, grapes and oranges. These taste good.

7.    Have Foods that Contain Lots of Water:
Eat clear soups, grapefruit, a variety of lettuces. Water cleanses and rids the body of toxins so drink lots of water (6 to 8 glasses daily), but drink it consistently. Don’t just have a full glass or two here and there with large breaks in between. Think of the body as a sponge. A sponge needs fluid to trickle into it or it will just hit the sponge and fall off without soaking in. Also, water helps you feel full so contributes to curbing the appetite.

8.    Exercise daily:
Join a gym or exercise group. Another way is to walk each day, morning and night.  You can increase the distance and/or time each day. Challenge yourself a little each day but NEVER exercise to the point of pain. If you cannot do it each day, then do the best you can.

9.    Take time to chill out each day:
Everyone deserves at least 20 minutes each day just for themselves. So take the time for yourself. You can meditate, stretch the body, do self-hypnosis.  This may take some practice; after all, you have been doing what you do not want to do anymore, for a long time.

Just like a car, you need to put the right kind of fuel in your body. The old saying of ‘anything in moderation’ applies here. You will need to prolong this course of action as long as you need to achieve the results you want. You want your weight loss to last and not yo-yo, so your new eating habit has to be manageable, to be doable.

So now just do it for you.

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Jenet Kirby Clinical Hypnotherapist & Certified HypnoBirther p: 03 9530 4690 m: 0400 538 621 e: jenet@deepthoughtshypnotherapy.com.au w: www.deepthoughtshypnotherapy.com.au

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