Obesity – The Answer Is With You

Obesity and Government Action

There has been a lot of reporting today here in the UK all about a new sugar tax.  It is on drinks that have a high level of sugar in them.  For example a litre of Coca Cola will cost 24p (approx 30 cents).

Caroline Cerny from the Obesity Health Alliance of charities says that says “This alone won’t be enough to tackle rising obesity levels and that we need the government to take further action.

The reason  for her comments is because of the alarming figures from our NHS.  (This is all there data so of course this is UK related but please add comments below about your countries.)

Twice as many patients are admitted to hospital with problems related to obesity as four years ago.

Stop – and look at that again.  What a rapid rate of change.

In 2016-17 about 617.000 hospital admissions were caused at least in part by obesity, up 18% in a year and NINE times higher than a decade ago.

STOP again.  I am just ramming those figures in.  They are shocking.

A total of 10.705 admissions were primarily the result of obesity, about two thirds of them for weight loss surgery. This is up from 3,800 a decade ago.  The rest of the admissions were for conditions that obesity makes worse such as joint problems and heart attacks.

Obesity has been an issue for me – well since I was forty

I was looking this morning for a picture of me just before I was forty playing table tennis.  I was on holiday and wearing only my shorts.  I couldn’t find the picture unfortunately – (you are probably disappointed).

Up until that age I had no weight issue at all.

Suddenly An Issue

Then bang!!  I put on weight.

I went through that period (well quite a few years) where I would use some latest faddy diet, lose weight and go through the yo-yo process over and over again.

I am currently about 12 stone but I got up to regularly 15 stone.

Here’s an old belt that shows the battle.

Here’s a picture that has been added to a wall in our home.  I did not choose this picture and the detailed image below will show you why.

Here is the reason I would like this picture removed.

I was NOT happy with constant and continual up down of battling with this problem.

Diets were not the answer.

This photo is about eight years old.

I Was Fedup With My Weight – What Would Be Permanent?

At that time I was learning about hypnosis by working together with Adam Eason producing audios and videos about hypnotherapeutic techniques.    Adam had in fact done a lot of face to face work as well as his producing his self-hypnosis products.

Not hard for me then to get to work on my weight problem.

The programme I used at the time was called ‘Think Yourself Thin’ and I set about using this set of audio products.

There were hypnosis sessions within the package but alongside that there were narrative files, workbooks etc.

I analysed everything and the situation was this.

There is one irrefutable fact – The amount of food / drinks / cals put into your body is measurable and if you put in more than your body needs to function for the physical you will put on weight.

Maths Formula

Straight forward maths.  NO use arguing – that is a fact.

I wrote a blog about boxer Anthony Joshua and I read last week about his diet.  He consumes about 10,000 cals a day simply because he needs that much for the physical activity of boxing training.

Relate this to a car.  The fuel tank is filled with petrol.  Drive the car fast, crashing through the gears fast, and braking last minute and guess what the fuel runs out fast.  Drive steadily and braking softly and the fuel will go further.

When I began to work through my eating issues and really wanted to find a solution – everything became obvious.

My Bad Behaviours Were:

• Eating quickly – often when working and not stopping for the meal
• Always eating everything and never leaving anything on my plate
• If there was a seconds available – having them
• Eating too many snacks between meals that were high in calories.
• Drinking wine regularly during the week.

Bad behaviours are learned behaviours.

My worked out solution – ongoing.

So my formula was ok on one side – I was exercising a reasonable amount – but not enough to use all of the calories coming in.

I had to learn new behaviours and get them set – into a new mindset.

The solution was not with the food I was eating.  That was actually ok apart from the amount of alcohol.

Here are the solutions that were right for me.

• Eat slowly – you actually enjoy the tasting of the food longer AND you recognise faster that you are full
• Learning to listen to my body – I realised when analysing things that I hated the feeling of being overfull.  Avoid that.
• Reduced size portions – that fits with the eating slowly.  It takes longer to eat and you don’t feel as if it is a smaller amount
• Leave food on the plate – and definitely not second portions.
• In may case drinking only Friday evening till Sunday evening.
• Avoid snacking between meals.  Not hard when your mindset is reset.

Hypnosis sessions were all around getting this new mindset to make all of those behaviour changes.   Hypnosis is focused imagination.  You see yourself with a new approach.  Quite simply it works.

Within a few days I was not even thinking about going to the fridge for a snack and so on.

I have really not changed anything in my diet.  I am simply eating less and don’t even realise it.

Some eight years now in a controlled way.

What about you?  You are the person that can change You – Your call.

New mindset.