Mind-Managing Diet Methods

Diet Methods

Continued from our Retreat & Renew Daily Tip.

Why can’t your mind have the power over your body to lose weight? Well, maybe it can. And there seem to be a good number of trends and methods out there that support this idea.

1.) From Pantry To PC. Support groups, online or in person, have gained enormous popularity. For many attendees, a support group can be the instant fix that averts that binge. The act of going from the fridge to the computer just to look at anything removes you from the temptation of a binge. Going specifically to an online support group can suppress feelings of loneliness (a HUGE provocateur for mindless munching) and hearing the success stories of others struggling with the same desire to overeat shows that it IS possible to kill the craving.

2.) Another popularized diet aid is the food diary. One study found that dieters keeping a food diary 6 days a week lost TWICE as much weight as those keeping the diary once a week or less. Why? Same as with the online support groups, it is the act of removing yourself from the food. Many journal-keepers say that having to sit down to write down each bite makes the snack no longer worth it.

3.) One technique that banks on your brain is hypnosis. While hypnosis for dieting (and for just about anything) has been questioned and criticized, he idea behind it is really quite simple. Hypnosis puts the brain in a highly relaxed state. When a person is relaxed, he is more open to suggestions and alterations. Remember how you would only ask your parents for money after their second or third glass of wine? You get the picture. Well while hypnotized, a person hoping to lose weight is prompted to say things like “I no longer crave sugar at night time. I now find fruits and vegetables very appetizing.” While only 15% of the nation’s population is actually hypnotizable, for those who are, hypnosis can help in significant weight loss.

There is weight-loss advice out there about easy workout machines, exercises you can do at home, or even workouts masked as fun activities like car washing a car or playing with your puppy. But the secret to serious results may be all in your head.