How to retrain your eating habits

We were brought up with a history of eating habits passed down from generation to generation. Some of those traditions we now know are not beneficial to our bodies or minds. Having the usual Sunday roast has loads of fat-based unhealthy items; you know the ones. Fast food restaurants - we learned - have almost our whole daily calorie allowance in one meal! Bread and dairy can be a drain on how our bodies process those foods robbing us of our energy. Plus, the old "eat everything on your plate" mantra added unwanted weight to our bodies.

So if you want to eat better and lose weight, become educated and change the old though pattern. Read any current nutritional book and they will all tell you the same thing. You have heard it before but until you "do it", you will never appreciate the benefits. You will feel better, look better and lose weight from learning more about modern nutritional guidelines. You can set a new healthy eating tradition for your future generations.

If you need help with changing your thought pattern, see Marygrace at MG Hypnosis. If you need help with learning about nutrition, see Fleur Borrelli, the nutritional specialist at The Putney Clinic. If you need a personal trainer, I recommend Carrie Hogan or Martin Watkins. Email marygrace@mghypnosis.co.uk for contact details.

Get a grip on eating at the office

Here are some guidelines to help you avoid unhealthy eating in your workplace.

Ø  Deadlines are stressful and you tend to put healthy eating off altogether.  However, this is why a solid morning meal is more important than ever!  Options with protein and fiber, like oatmeal with fresh fruit and nuts, will help set you up for the day.  It keeps you full and starts your metabolism off to a good start. 

Ø  Go for a walk for 30 minutes.  It helps your energy levels increase and improve your memory. 

Ø  Skip the co-workers cakes.  Politely tell them you prefer to save it for desert and then share it with the family or friends.

Ø  Have hard candy ready when you go to office parties.  You don’t want to eat when you already have something in your mouth.  Mints are perfect as most things taste terrible after you have just had a mint, and your breath will smell nice.

Ø  If there is a buffet, visit the table only once and then stand on the opposite side of the room.

Ø  Have one indulgence a day.  We still want you to have fun.  All the rest of the cakes, biscuits, and celebrations will still be there, but you don’t need it if you know you have a special treat.

Ø  At working lunches, eat your salad first or veggies before you eat anything else, or have a simple soup first.  A personal favorite of mine is to order 2 starters instead of a starter and a main.  I’ve never left hungry.

Ø  If it’s after hour work drinks.  Go late and have a healthy snack on the way.  Have a mint before you order a drink as you will be less temped to order an alcoholic one. Drink a non-alcoholic drink between drinks if you will be there for more than one and nurse it.  Hold it in your hand so people don’t offer to keep getting you another one.

Weight control: Rules for eating healthier when you are out at lunch

It is part of everyday life to eat out a few times a week or order in.  However, this normally means we will be eating fattier foods and bigger amounts (sometimes just to meet the delivery charge minimum!).  So to help make better choices, follow these guidelines.

1.    Walk to pick up your order if you can. 

2.    Eat something healthy (i.e. an apple or celery with hummus) before you go out or order.

3.    Order lean meats and veggies and skip the items loaded with extra sauces (i.e. 1 tsp mayo = 100 calories). 

4.    Skip the deep fried foods and go for steamed or fresh like sushi.

5.    Eat mindfully!  Don’t just grab it and plunk down in front of the TV.  Pause between bites and put your fork down so you don’t just keep shoveling it in.

6.    Picture taking a bite before you actually do.  Research has show the envisioning yourself enjoying the food you crave can actually lessen the amount you consume by nearly half.

Is it just me?

by Marygrace Anderson

"Is It Just Me?" is a question asked by almost every client in the beginning of a hypnotherapy session. The issue may be related to weight, phobias,confidence or panic attacks but it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that everyone thinks they are alone in their suffering. They feel embarrassed and it’s only made worse when they don’t get the right support.

The answer is simply no. You may not be around people who suffer from your condition, but on a global scale, there are a lot of individuals experiencing the same problem. This is why we have so many associations for specific conditions.

One of the aims we try to achieve in a hypnotherapy session, is reassuring a client that they are not alone and, more importantly, there is a solution to solving their problem. The reassurance allows them to finally have hope again and determination to beat and win over their presenting issue. There are several techniques you can learn, which will help empower you to take back control of your situation and then it is reinforced with hypnosis.

A woman came into the office who was suffering low self esteem from being made redundant. She felt alone. It had a knock on effect to her health, as she stopped exercising and was felling depressed and unfocused on finding a new career. So we did some easy positive affirmations (to increase her confidence) and used visualisation to help see where she wanted to go. We did a life wheel to break down the areas she wanted to focus on and then broke them down into smaller goals. She used these steps to get her focused on approaching her job hunt and getting back into her exercise routine. Once she began to see how she could move forward, the depression and low self esteem vanished.

Hope this helps you to realise you are not alone.