You Are What You Think You Are
You probably already know ‘you are what you eat’. But did you know that you are also what you think and the words you use to talk to yourself?
The words you use affect you and your body.
Your mind absorbs and accepts whatever you tell it. And your words become your reality.
And your mind uses the words you speak to yourself to identify how and what you are feeling.
Your brain doesn’t understand subtleties and exaggerations. It doesn’t have the capacity to figure out what you really mean.
Your brain believes every word you use, literally. So if you tell yourself you are famished, or starving, or so hungry you could eat a horse, your brain will believe you.
And it will encourage you to overeat. Of course it will. You’ve just told it you’re starving.
The Appestat
You probably haven’t heard of your ‘appestat’, a region of the hypothalamus in your brain which regulates hunger and controls your appetite for food. This is the part that kicks in when you’ve had enough to eat, telling your body that you’re full.
But, when your brain thinks you are starving, it will override the signal from the appestat and encourage you to keep on eating and eating, as if you really were in a famine situation and food has presented itself and needs to be gobbled up before it disappears.
Use Neutral Words
Catch yourself when you say these things and change your words to use less emotionally charged ones. Switch to using more neutral words.
Change your words from ‘I am starving’ or ‘I am famished’ to ‘I could eat now'.
‘I could eat now’ are neutral words, and they don’t feed your brain images of famine and starvation in the same way that ‘I am ravenous’ or ‘I could eat a horse’ does.
You will find that the less intense the words and pictures you use, the less intense will be your relationship with food.
Try This
Here is an exercise you can try. Make a list of the words you say to yourself and then change these to more positive statements you can start saying to yourself.
For example:
NEGATIVE POSITIVE
I could eat a horse I could happily eat now
I am famished/starving I need to eat some food
I am as fat as a pig I am becoming thinner every day
I can’t control myself around food I’m getting better every day at managing my urges
I will always be fat I am changing my size and shape for the better
I eat enough for two I have a normal appetite
I’m addicted to chocolate I enjoy a piece of chocolate
I can’t waste food I refuse to treat my body like a rubbish bin*
Once you are aware of the negative words you use, you will be much more likely to notice when you use them. And the people around you too.
Then, the next time you are around people who say something like, ‘let’s order takeout I’m starving.’ You can say, ‘yes, let’s order some takeout, I could eat now.’
*And for even more power, tell yourself that leftover food is waste. Tell yourself “I will not treat my body as a rubbish bin”. And then leave some food on your plate with each meal. And then get up and throw it away to reinforce that power. You are in charge. Your body is not a rubbish bin. You do NOT have to eat everything on your plate.
Your Mind Responds To Two Things
Your mind responds well to only two things; words and images. So when you use descriptive words your subconscious totally gets it. And knows what to do with it.
Also, your mind works to make the images you describe a reality. If you say ‘I’m as fat as a (insert descriptive word here…) your mind will work to make that a reality.
And now you’ve given it the tools it needs: the words and the images. So it’s just become a whole lot easier.
If you say ‘my ass is the size of a house’. Your mind creates a picture of what that looks like. And then it works to have you act and feel in the ways that make that picture a reality.
You don’t speak to your friends like this, why do you do it to yourself?
Take Responsibility For The Words You Use
And avoid words that suggest you don’t have the power to make things happen. Words like try, wish, hope, dream.
Don’t say:
I’m trying to lose weight.
I wish I could lose weight.
I hope I manage to lose weight this time.
I wish I could fit into these jeans.
I hope I don’t cheat at the party tonight.
I dream of being a size 10 one day.
These are all words that convince your mind that you are not in control. That you don’t have the power or ability to make changes, and you are relying on some external force to make it happen. That you are not taking responsibility for your actions and who you are right now.
These words tell your mind that you are relying on external forces, or other factors, to help you be successful. And this makes you out to be powerless. You are hoping it will work, dreaming it will work, wishing it will work, because you are unable to make it work.
And that’s not true.
These words are protective. So if you fail…
…well, it wasn’t your fault.
You tried. But it was outside of your control.
I’m sorry, but that’s crapola!!
Stop trying, wishing, hoping and dreaming of it working. Replace these words with I am. I will. I know. I can. This tells your mind that you are in charge and you can do this.
You will do this.
‘I will lose weight’. ‘I will fit into this gorgeous dress’. ‘I am determined to make this happen’. ‘I know I will succeed’. ‘I know I can go to this party tonight and eat without going nuts’. ‘I can do this’. ‘I absolutely will be a size 10’.
And this will immediately change your mental state into one of being in control and taking charge.
Give Up Ownership Of Your Fat
Another thing you need to do is to avoid using the word ‘my’.
The word ‘my’ implies ownership and your brain doesn’t want to lose or give up something that it thinks belongs to you. So if you talk about ‘my problems with food’, my big fat bum’, ‘my enormous thighs’, ‘my greed’. Your brain thinks this belongs to you, surely you don’t want to lose it? And it will work to keep this a reality and keep it belonging to you.
‘My’ is also an emotional word.
So prefix anything you want to be free of with something other than ‘my’, or ‘mine’. Try ‘the’.
‘The’ is a neutral word. ‘The excess weight’, ‘the big fat bum’, ‘the enormous thighs’. This immediately removes the emotion associated with it and it becomes easier to become free of it.
And to stay free of it.
Add Intensity To Your Words
Another way you can use your words to your advantage is to add intensity to your words. You can do this by adding words in front of your words. And this can dramatically increase or decrease the intensity of your statement.
So, for example, when looking at yourself in the mirror instead of saying ‘I look fantastic’, say ‘I look f*cking fantastic’. Or ‘I look goddamn amazing!!’
Use This Elsewhere In Your Life
And of course, this doesn’t just go for food and losing weight, but for everything. Watch the words you use. The words you use to describe yourself. And your abilities and capabilities in life.
The only thing holding you back is you. And the words you use to talk to yourself.
This doesn’t just go for food, but for everything. Watch the words you use. The words you use to describe yourself. And your abilities and capabilities
The words you use to describe that idiot who just cut you off in traffic.
Your brain and body hear you shouting, and feel the chemical concoction of the emotion, but have no way of knowing you’re directing it at someone else.
*updated 07/07/2022
“Change your thoughts and you change your world”
