Do you ever wish you could lose weight without dieting?
Well, the good news is, you CAN! In fact, gradual changes of lifestyle and eating habits are far more effective for long-term weight loss than ‘going on a diet’.
“I need to go on a diet”… “I can’t wait to get off this diet”…
How often do you hear phrases like this bandied around? People often refer to ‘a diet’ as some kind of temporary torture they have to go through, before they can stop and return to their ‘normal’ way of eating.
But they’ve got it all wrong!! A diet is simply a way of eating. If your lifestyle follows a way of eating that includes fattening, unhealthy foods, then it’s important to look at the underlying causes of why you feel the need to eat like this – rather than see ‘a healthy diet’ as something you only adopt temporarily when you are desperate to lose weight.
When you create a mindset in which you crave fresh healthy natural foods, then you are well on the way to getting the beautiful body that you deserve.
So how do you go about creating that mindset? Well, guess what? It’s not about willpower! Good news for those of you who say you have no willpower!
It’s actually more to do with establishing good routines throughout your day. Think about it – when you get up, do you have to use ‘willpower’ to have a shower, or brush your teeth? Nope, you just do them without thinking because that’s your usual habit; it would actually seem weird to not do those things.
It works the same way with the things you eat and drink. For instance, you might currently be in a routine in which you have a cup of tea when you first get up. You don’t have to think about it; you just switch the kettle on and away you go. It would be just as easy to get into a routine in which you drink a glass of warm water with fresh lemon juice for your first morning drink. Warm lemon water provides a lovely gentle internal cleanse for your system and is a great way to rehydrate your body first thing in the morning.
At first it takes a little thought, and practice. For the first couple of weeks you have to wake up out of your regular routine and think about your newly made habit. But very soon, it will be integrated into your everyday life and you won’t have to make any effort to think about it. It will be as easy as that cup of tea!
And if you’re now saying to yourself ‘there’s NO way I can give up my morning cuppa!!’ – no problem – you don’t have to! Just make sure that you drink the lemon water first, then wait about 20 minutes and have your tea afterwards.
The key is to take things slowly. Don’t overload your day with a dozen healthy new habits, as it will all feel too much and you will rebel against all the changes sooner or later. Instead, gradually introduce fresh, natural foods into your life that are high in nutrition, and ‘train’ your body and tastebuds to recognise and welcome these new forms of nourishment.
A good place to start is breakfast – perhaps you could try making a ‘green smoothie’ with fresh fruit and green leafy veggies (yes – smoothies can include veggies too – they don’t have to be just fruit!) and see how light and energising it feels compared to a coffee and a muffin.
So, say goodbye to ‘dieting’ – simply add in a new healthy habit each week, and you’re on the road to healthy living, without any struggle.
If you feel you need a little support in changing your eating habits, contact me about my Weight Loss Hypnotherapy program. ‘Flick that switch’ and reprogram your brain to start thinking about food in an entirely different way!
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