080804a

"Do you eat to live or live to eat?"  (Sai Baba)

For those of you trying to look even better in your flimsy summer wear, I'd like to share one of Paul McKenna's insights about why people become overweight: There is a mechanism in our body that tells us when we have eaten enough but most of the time we ignore it. When we ignore that message and continue to eat,  beyond the point of satiation, our bodies think that we are preparing for a famine and therefore transform the excess food into fat tissue! JJ

If it makes you feel better, I am currently a stone overweight and believe that McKenna's theory is accurate.  I have 3 very bad habits which override my natural body mechanism telling me when I have eaten enough:

1. I watch TV while I am eating. You may have noticed that bad news makes you very hungry. Even the tragedies in Eastenders can make you very hungry! JJ

2. I have a terrible habit of trying to finish what is on my plate even though I might not be that hungry. (and even worse, using up things from the fridge before they go past the sell by date to rescue them from a fate in the bin J)

3. I hardly ever give myself adequate time to eat. Most days it is the least of my priorities and therefore I always practice "accelerated eating"...otherwise known as stuffing the food down in the least time possible.

So if you are trying to lose weight this summer, ask yourself the following questions?

1. Am I preparing for a famine or eating in order to gain energy for today?

2. What do I need this energy for? If you spend most of your day in a seat, thinking, make sure that the energy you acquire from your food is appropriate.

3. Ensure that your eating habits are healthy....ie. don't gobble down your food just because no-one is looking! JJ. You don't HAVE TO wipe your plate clean when you are not hungry. Eat only what your body tells you is absolutely necessary.

Well, I am going to remind myself that I am not preparing for a famine on a daily basis until I am back to 7 and a half stone again (actually I am a stone and a half overweight but that sounds too overwhelming! ) Good luck to all my fellow slimmers this summer!

Subscribe for our
FREE Success Newsletter
for regular life & business psychology ideas that will keep you up to date with current thought in personal development.