Bikini body

Dear Energy Lady,
Is there a way to use energy to lose weight fast?   I want to have a bikini body by July 4.

Signed,
In a Hurry

Dear Hurried,
Yes, there are some things you can do energetically to lighten up in a short period of time.   Because this is an important topic, I'll cover some of it here, and then address it again in future blogs.

The first thing is to remember that your body does not know the difference between something you're merely thinking about and an actual experience.  So if you imagine eating a warm, fudgy brownie, you will start to salivate and you will release insulin, even if there is no brownie available.   And here's the problem:  in the absence of sugar, insulin stores fat.  So the more you think about and resist that chocolate brownie, the harder it will be to lose weight because you're actually storing more fat just by thinking about it.   So it's really true when people say,  "I gain weight just thinking about food."

So try this:  Instead of resisting the foods you want, eat them in small amounts, but really stop and savor every bite.  Let the food fully satisfy you.  Take in its aroma, its flavor.  Really, truly let each little bite sink in.  In other words, use your energy to fully enjoy its energy.  You'll probably find that it doesn't take much to make you happy, and then you stop thinking about it entirely.  This allows your metabolism to do its wonderful work, and the impact of the so-called "bad" food is transformed.
(This doesn't mean, though, that you can just eat a bunch of junk food and expect to lose weight.  But you should discover that if you stop eating mentally and start eating and enjoying for real, you eat less and get more energy and pleasure from what you're eating, which makes the energy exchange between you and the food work better.)

Along with this, examine your self-talk about food so you can see what you're creating with your thoughts, feelings and words.  In my "Fullistic Weight Loss" workshops, I've had people say things like, "I gain weight the second I go off my diet"  or "Weekends always make me fat"  or "I can never lose weight."  It's not surprising that their experiences mirror these beliefs.  

So change your self-talk, and practice it often throughout the day.  Try things like, "I enjoy food that empowers me and my life"  or "I feel great after I eat"  or "I have plenty of energy to use for whatever I want"  or "I am satisfied with my choices at the table and everywhere else."

Finally, remember that people HATE to diet.   We are not designed to be losers, and evolutionarily, we are designed to hold on to resources that keep us alive.   So stop focusing on food and start focusing on gaining happiness in your life.  Because here's the surprise:  the more happiness you gain in life, the more weight you'll lose. 

More on this later this week.

Love,
EL