Your Emotions Determine Your Appetite!

By Gayle North

Positive Change Coach

Do you find yourself craving  sweets, pastries, bread, chocolate, or do you eat more food than you believe is healthy for you?  Before you start accusing yourself of being weak or telling yourself that you don’t have enough will power, look to your emotional state.  There, in your emotions, you will find the keys to your appetite.

Most of the people who come to Positive Change Institute to take off excess weight have been beating themselves up for years because of their seeming lack of control with food. Some eat too much, some don’t eat enough, some have uncontrollable cravings. Over the years I have watched the cravings and behaviors with food change naturally and easily on their own when people are able to release their anxiety through the methods we have available today.   

The premise that I work with is that all compulsive behaviors are caused by one thing and that thing is anxiety. The problem being that the anxiety that propels our compulsive cravings and behaviors is often at a subconscious level and that causes the problem to be hidden from our conscious mind.   

This unconscious anxiety can be experienced as sadness, frustration, anger, guilt, shame and a myriad of other negative emotions which, to repeat, may not be noticed by the conscious mind. The experiences which cause the anxiety many have happened in the distant past, or may be prompted by current life events or issues.   

Please be comforted by the fact that it is not usually necessary to go back to the past and dredge up all of the offensive experiences to clear up the emotional disturbances related to them. We can work with what is happening in the present moment and by doing this we can often clear up the emotional states causing cravings, for instance, by addressing the cravings themselves.   

If you are one of those people who has been beating themselves up for being overweight, realize that you will come closer to your goal by easing up on yourself. Forgive yourself for whatever habits cause your excess weight. Forgive yourself for not having the motivation to exercise. Forgive yourself for not being able to control your behaviors with your conscious mind. You are always doing the best you can – and that is all you can do. 

The reason for your struggle is that your cravings and habits have been downloaded into your powerful sub conscious mind which is like the part of an enormous iceberg below the water. What you are trying to use is your conscious mind which is like the tip of the iceberg above the water. The conscious mind is no match for the subconscious or unconscious. Begin to use your subconscious power to change your habits.

You can engage your subconscious for success by imagining and rehearsing your success with your goal in your mind as athletes do learning self-hypnosis.  The most effective method I know of for dealing with cravings and the emotional states that cause them is EFT, Emotional Freedom Technique.  

Look for my next article to learn more about EFT.

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Gayle North offers Personal Coaching for Positive Change using empowerment technologies to clear mental and emotional blocks that keep people stuck in unhealthy habits and prevent them from performing at their highest potential in school, sports, relationships, work and finance. Visit www.PositiveChangeInstitute.com for more articles.  Call 406-837-1214 for a free screening.

9 Easy Eating Tips to Successfully Burn Your Excess Fat!

1.  Eat several small meals- Studies show that eating four to five small meals will optimize        digestion, improve metabolism, and reduce conversion of calories to fat.  Again, do not skip meals.  Going even 4 to 5 hours without food can trigger the “starvation response” and cause your metabolism to slow down.

2.  Have some protein at every meal and snack- The goal is to use protein and fiber to blunt the insulin-stimulating effect of carbohydrates.  Some diet plans reduce insulin by allowing next to no carbohydrates, but these plans (known as ketogenic diets) are very hard to stick to long-term and the extremely high intake of animal products can cause depression and have adverse physical effects.

3.  Reduce evening meals- When you eat, your metabolism increases to digest the food.  Much of this increased energy is given off as heat.  This “thermogenic” effect significantly reduces the amount of calories absorbed from a meal.  It is much higher in the morning than at night.  Studies show that when individuals consumed a large meal (650 calories) in the morning, they did not gain weight.  When the same group consumed the large meal at night, 76% of them showed a significant weight gain.

4.  Eat before exercising- When you exercise on an empty stomach, the body, perceiving not only hunger, but also activity, may further lower the metabolic rate.  Eat a small meal or snack 30 minutes to an hour before exercising.

5.  Eat high fiber foods- Consuming high fiber food such as whole grains, vegetables and fruits result in decreased fat storage.  Not only are these foods naturally low fat, a portion of the fat consumed during a high-fiber meal is combined with the fiber and eliminated as waste.

6.  Decrease use of sugars and other refined carbohydrates- This means not only table sugar, but also glucose, dextrose, brown sugar, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, molasses, and maple syrup.  Sugar is a major enemy of weight control, adding worthless calories and sending a message to every cell in the body to store calories.  Surprisingly, many refined carbohydrates have the same negative effect as sugar.  We strongly recommend that you avoid pasta, bread (other than whole grain), cookies, bagels, muffins, and all sweetened breakfast cereals.

7.  When in doubt, eat vegetables- Vegetables are the body’s best friend.  And not just carrots and celery sticks.  Expand your vegetable intake to include a wide variety of delicious, high-energy foods from the produce section of your grocery store.  Most markets offer some 40 types of vegetables that can be steamed, broiled, roasted, or eaten raw in salad.  Vegetables are low in calories and high in vitamins, minerals and complex carbohydrates.  Because they are an excellent source of fiber, vegetables also contribute to a sense of fullness and satisfaction. 

8.  Eat slowly- Appetite is regulated in part by the secretion of a hormone from the small intestine called cholescystokinin (CCK).  This hormone is released towards the end of a meal and sends a signal to the brain to shut off the appetite.  Eating fast trends to bypass this important message, leading to an over-consumption of food.

9.  Drink water- Researchers have found that people often misinterpret the feeling of thirst and eat when they should be drinking.  We suggest that you drink water regularly throughout the day (8 to 10 glasses).  Adequate water can decrease feelings of hunger as well as facilitate the proper elimination of metabolic waste, which increases when you start burning more fat.

Gayle North is a Positive Change Coach who facilitates clearing whatever blocks you so that you naturally create fulfillment of your goals and potential. Control your weight, stop smoking/chewing, and clear negative emotions.  Call Positive Change Institute today to schedule a complimentary consultation find out how you can make fast, easy, lasting positive change in your life. 406.837.1214 or Toll Free at 1-866-To-Gayle,  e-mail Gayle@positivechangeinstitute.com , visit www.PositiveChangeInstitute.com  for other info and articles.

How to kick those unhealthy food cravings!

Food Cravings – Anxiety is the culprit! 

"The cause of all addictions and unhealthy behaviors is anxiety. The need to overeat, smokes, and drink, etc. is propelled by our need to tranquilize a level of uneasiness."      

- Dr. Roger Callahan innovator of Thought Field Therapy 

 Anxiety is at the base if it all!
Most of the people  who come to work with me to reduce their weight believe that if they could get over their cravings for too much food or for junk food, they would be able to live at their ideal weight.  Each person has a unique set of responses to emotional states, and to the sight, smell and taste of food.  For some, being overweight has very little to do with food at all. 


The key to being overweight for some may be an emotional response or pattern in the subconscious mind that causes the body to store fat.  Thoughts, beliefs, and emotional patterns can run automatic responses and rob the body of energy needed for the physical functions required for a healthy body.  Anxiety caused by inner conflict related to any area of life can by itself, have an effect on metabolism.  

    
For others, the issue may actually be a form of substance abuse.  Many people use food like a medicine to soothe anxieties.  Others may use tobacco, prescription or street drugs, alcohol, shopping, gambling, or sex to soothe their anxieties.  Very few of us know how to deal with feelings directly.  We try to distract ourselves or avoid the feelings by looking for relief outside of ourselves. 

    
Even though each individual is very unique, there does seem to be a common pattern in people who are overweight.  This pattern happens to be the biggest block for achieving ones highest potential in many areas of    life – but especially in attaining and maintaining ones ideal weight and health. The block is in the self concept—manifesting a lack of self acceptance.  This is the source of most chronic anxieties.

    
During infancy, childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood we are developing our self-concept.  We pick up powerful messages from the people around us.  Some of these messages create limiting beliefs about who we are, our capabilities, and body images.  These limiting beliefs are often faulty and based upon the distorted opinions of people who do not recognize the real truth about us.  Nevertheless, these beliefs act as powerful automatic subconscious programs throughout life—repeating over and over. 

    
These old programs reside in the subconscious mind and automatically stimulate behaviors like unhealthy eating habits. Often we are unaware of the belief systems held within our subconscious minds. The subconscious program will not change until the underlying belief gets noticed and replaced.  Using the latest empowerment techniques, these beliefs can be altered and used by the subconscious mind to create a new healthier program and set of patterns. 

    
You may find these steps helpful in discovering and clearing your limiting beliefs related to your body and health.  Follow them and you will notice more success in all areas of life.  You can permanently achieve your ideal weight as you improve your emotional, physical, and spiritual health at the same time:

1.    Discover and Change Limiting Beliefs that pull you down.  Listen to your self talk.  Notice any self criticism or negative comments about your body, your abilities, or your actions. This will give you some leading clues about the deeper limiting beliefs. 

2.    Get familiar with your body.  Learn to acknowledge all of your emotions. Learn to accept your feelings without judgment.  Pay particular attention to the physical sensations that let you know that you feel guilty, frustrated, or afraid.

3.    Learn and practice an effective strategy for dealing with your feelings directly and changing old beliefs that no longer serve you. (self criticism, overwhelm, worry, fears, sadness, blame, guilt, shame, grief, etc).  Remember - All addictions and negative behaviors result from the attempt to soothe anxieties (feelings) with unhealthy substances or behavior.  I suggest that you learn (EFT) Emotional Freedom Technique for this purpose.  It is painless, fast and easy to do.  I will be happy to provide you with instructions. 

4.    Discover the positive intention of the part of you that generates the desire to eat inappropriately or to store extra fat on your body.   For instance I have worked with people who were programmed to accumulate extra fat to discourage people of the opposite sex from approaching them romantically or even as protection from perceived danger of some kind.  You may want use EFT for this or get some help from a professional who will assist you to re-educate this part of your subconscious mind it so that it can be on the team with the parts of you that are ready to create a healthier life.

5.    Adopt the Naturally Slender Eating Strategy described in the second article in this series.  This strategy is used by literally all naturally slender people.  It will end your struggle with selecting and eating your food and help you to get off the diet roller-coaster with all of its calorie counting, etc. – forever.  

6.    Enjoy Movement.  If you want to be more motivated to get regular exercise, follow the instructions in Part IV of this series coming in the next issue and see what happens. You may experience a whole new level of motivation and enjoyment! 

Gayle North offers Personal Coaching for Positive Change using recently developed empowerment technologies that dramatically cut the time it takes to adopt a more joyous self image, improve health, heal negative emotions, improve performance in school, sports, relationships, etc.  Visit www.PositiveChangeInstitute.com for other articles. Call (406) 837-1214 to speak with Gayle about individual coaching in person or by phone.