How often when you are eating, do you stop to think about why you are eating?

Are you eating because it's ‘time’ to eat? i.e. it’s lunch time or supper time, so you sit down to eat.

Are you reaching for something comforting because you are feeling sad or anxious?

Or something tempting and yummy because you’re bored?

Or something loud and crunchy like crisps when you’re angry? You’ll know what I mean if you’re an angry eater like I am.

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.

Since Dr Robert Atkins’ book Diet Revolution first appeared in 1972, millions of copies have been sold and millions more people have tried the diet.

According to the home page of the Atkins Australia website we are told that “a low-carb diet is suitable for people who want to lose or maintain their weight and feel healthier and more energetic” (https://au.atkins.com/).

Sounds perfect right? But what if it’s not?

Let me guess, you probably believe that you can’t stick to a diet and lose weight because you lack willpower?

You’re not strong enough, or disciplined enough, or tough enough.

You don’t have what it takes to stick to a diet.

You don’t want it badly enough.

But that’s a myth…

If you’ve been following my work you’ll know I’m a big fan of visualisation. I’ve talked about it as a tool for boosting your metabolism. And here I’ll be talking about using it as a powerful tool for achieving your weight loss goals.

Sure, I know it sounds unlikely, right? Picture yourself thin and you’ll be thin? Yeah, pull the other one I can practically hear you say.

But ironically, the number one hindrance I have found to losing weight is if you can’t see yourself as thin then you’re going to struggle to lose weight

A common diet myth is that exercise alone will make you thin.

Now before we get into this one, I do want to mention that exercise has massive health benefits and you absolutely should try and get some regular exercise into your day.

Benefits include reduced blood pressure, reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes, stroke and heart attack. As well as lowering your risk of developing cognitive impairment from Alzheimer’s and dementia.

But, there is a common misconception that exercise alone will help you lose weight, and that’s just not true.

There are only two things that drive people towards change. We move towards pleasure and we move away from pain.

So if you are hungry (pain) you will seek out food (pleasure).

If being overweight embarrasses you (pain) you will make the changes required to lose weight and look great (pleasure). But the pain needs to be strong enough to drive you to do this.

Moving away from pain is a much stronger motivator than moving towards pleasure, but you can make use of both.

A lot of the beliefs and bad habits we’ve built up around food stem from our childhood. Well-meaning parents who were busy and doing the best they could, but who often instilled unhealthy patterns and habits we hold to this day.

Patterns and habits we likely don’t even notice we hold.

So what are some of these?