A lot of things we do automatically. Some like intuition just seem to happen, others like playing the piano or driving are learned automatic behaviours.
Eating can also become an automatic behaviour, so that we eat without really noticing that we are doing it.
The environment is filled with cues that encourage us to eat. These can include magazine articles, television programmes, adverts, the way a supermarket is laid out, and host of other little cues. We scarcely notice them, but they are there all the time and in huge quantities.We learn over time to respond to these cues which trigger eating in an automatic way, without it really passing through our consciousness.
On the whole we do things automatically when they are very important to us. For example, you don't need to think about running if you see a grizzly bear coming at you. There is no thinking needed, you just run. Eating is also essential for survival, so not surprisingly, eating is an automatic behaviour too. Look at the research about this. Understanding this helps you control your eating without having to use up your willpower.
The most automatic eating is where you eat with your hands. Usually, when you eat without cutlery, you tend not to notice how much you are eating. And this sort of eating is not associated with hunger. What do you eat without cutlery?
If you are in or near Glasgow and want to lose weight, try hypnotherapy with me.
www.carolinebrowntherapy.com
Wednesday 27 January 2010
Tuesday 26 January 2010
Men can't think straight when they see pretty women!
An article in the Daily Telegraph got me thinking. The researchers at Radboud University in The Netherlands said 'We conclude men's cognitive functioning may temporarily decline after an interaction with an attractive woman.'
The same part of the brain, the pre-frontal cortex, is involved here as with willpower. Just a little bit of decision making reduces our capacity for self-control. So we can't rely on our willpower to help us control our eating any more than men seem able to think after seeing a pretty woman. Making constant demands on our willpower just makes it weaker.
So if we are wanting to lose weight, what can we do?
Making a few small changes in our daily behaviour every week, allows them to become automatic, so that we don't need to use our willpower or think about controlling our desires. For example, if you find that you eat when you are bored, then think of something that might resolve the boredom to replace the eating.
What about origami? This has the additional benefit of being a bit of a party piece as well as being very portable. Or what about knitting? Or reading a book, or learning a language? What interesting thing could you be doing that stops you from picking at food when you are bored?
www.carolinebrowntherapy.com
The same part of the brain, the pre-frontal cortex, is involved here as with willpower. Just a little bit of decision making reduces our capacity for self-control. So we can't rely on our willpower to help us control our eating any more than men seem able to think after seeing a pretty woman. Making constant demands on our willpower just makes it weaker.
So if we are wanting to lose weight, what can we do?
Making a few small changes in our daily behaviour every week, allows them to become automatic, so that we don't need to use our willpower or think about controlling our desires. For example, if you find that you eat when you are bored, then think of something that might resolve the boredom to replace the eating.
What about origami? This has the additional benefit of being a bit of a party piece as well as being very portable. Or what about knitting? Or reading a book, or learning a language? What interesting thing could you be doing that stops you from picking at food when you are bored?
www.carolinebrowntherapy.com
Monday 25 January 2010
How much are you are eating - really?
When you ask someone what they ate over the last 2 days, they will tell you what they had for each of the 3 formal meals.
They will not mention the automatic eating or mindless munching that takes place outwith a formal meal. But this is the stuff that piles on the weight for most of us.
We only have a limited amount of willpower. Use it to limit your access to the foods eaten outside of mealtimes. This trend to constant munching is pretty new. I remember a sweet advertised many moons ago as one "you can eat between meals without spoiling your appetite". Now we are encouraged to eat as a displacement activity, when there is nothing else to do. In the past we might have had hobbies, or spent time with our friends going to the pictures or for a walk. Now we go and eat. What are your outside of mealtimes eating habits?
www.carolinebrowntherapy.com
They will not mention the automatic eating or mindless munching that takes place outwith a formal meal. But this is the stuff that piles on the weight for most of us.
We only have a limited amount of willpower. Use it to limit your access to the foods eaten outside of mealtimes. This trend to constant munching is pretty new. I remember a sweet advertised many moons ago as one "you can eat between meals without spoiling your appetite". Now we are encouraged to eat as a displacement activity, when there is nothing else to do. In the past we might have had hobbies, or spent time with our friends going to the pictures or for a walk. Now we go and eat. What are your outside of mealtimes eating habits?
www.carolinebrowntherapy.com
Sunday 24 January 2010
Self-defeating eating
Sometimes, we completely lose control of our eating, causing anxiety, distress and depression. Worse, anxiety, distress and depression cause us to lose control of our eating. What can we do?
Anxiety is normal, everybody gets anxious from time to time. Sometimes, though, it is impossible to shift it, and we feel hopeless and helpless. A bit of help comes in handy at times like this. Take comfort from knowing that you have overcome your anxiety in the past, so you can certainly do it again.
When we get in the way of our own best intentions, hypnotherapy can help. It is fast, safe and effective. For compulsive overeating, binge eating, or just knowingly eating food you don't want and don't enjoy, start by learning to understand yourself, respect yourself and goodness - even love yourself too. The bad eating behaviour will just disappear. Cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy is the best treatment for all forms of anxiety.
http://www.carolinebrowntherapy.com/
Anxiety is normal, everybody gets anxious from time to time. Sometimes, though, it is impossible to shift it, and we feel hopeless and helpless. A bit of help comes in handy at times like this. Take comfort from knowing that you have overcome your anxiety in the past, so you can certainly do it again.
When we get in the way of our own best intentions, hypnotherapy can help. It is fast, safe and effective. For compulsive overeating, binge eating, or just knowingly eating food you don't want and don't enjoy, start by learning to understand yourself, respect yourself and goodness - even love yourself too. The bad eating behaviour will just disappear. Cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy is the best treatment for all forms of anxiety.
http://www.carolinebrowntherapy.com/
Monday 18 January 2010
Portion size again
Estimating portion size is difficult for all of us, but developing rules of thumb will be handy. Because we have got used to larger portions in restaurants, our estimate of calorie content of a meal gets confused.
Research by Brian Wansink and colleagues has shown that everyone (normal weight, underweight and overweight, men and women) has difficulty in estimating the calorie content of a large plate of food, whereas they accurately assess the calories in a more normal portion.
If we are overweight, we tend to have larger portions. That means that those of us who are overweight are making these wrong estimates frequently. As a result, we are underestimating the calorie content of most of our meals and so we put on weight. What to do?
These researchers suggest that you should estimate the calories and then double them. A normal meal might be 500 calories. If you are overweight and you know that you are eating a large portion, then advise yourself that this meal probably contains 1,000 calories - half your day's allowance.
Counting calories is dull, but having a fair idea of the calorie content of your meals is handy. It allows you to develop useful rules of thumb when you are seriously trying to control your eating.
http://www.carolinebrowntherapy.com/
Research by Brian Wansink and colleagues has shown that everyone (normal weight, underweight and overweight, men and women) has difficulty in estimating the calorie content of a large plate of food, whereas they accurately assess the calories in a more normal portion.
If we are overweight, we tend to have larger portions. That means that those of us who are overweight are making these wrong estimates frequently. As a result, we are underestimating the calorie content of most of our meals and so we put on weight. What to do?
These researchers suggest that you should estimate the calories and then double them. A normal meal might be 500 calories. If you are overweight and you know that you are eating a large portion, then advise yourself that this meal probably contains 1,000 calories - half your day's allowance.
Counting calories is dull, but having a fair idea of the calorie content of your meals is handy. It allows you to develop useful rules of thumb when you are seriously trying to control your eating.
http://www.carolinebrowntherapy.com/
Sunday 17 January 2010
What makes you fat also makes you sick
For example, the more refined (white) flour a person eats, the more insulin must be produced to cope with it. And insulin promotes the storage of body fat and so encourages weight gain. It also leads to more triglycerides in the bloodstream and this can lead to serious disease such as diabetes
Dr Susan Jebb confirms this link. She is the head of Nutrition and Health Research at the Medical Research Council. She mentions research at the University of Leeds that shows that people who eat a high fat diet are 19 times more likely to become obese. When we are planning to lose weight, the number one goal is to avoid becoming obese, because it is so much harder to lose weight after that.
How can you cut down on refined flour and too much fat? A good start is to drastically reduce the number of takeaways you are eating. Aim to eat no more than one takeaway a fortnight. That should be a good start.
www.carolinebrowntherapy.com
Dr Susan Jebb confirms this link. She is the head of Nutrition and Health Research at the Medical Research Council. She mentions research at the University of Leeds that shows that people who eat a high fat diet are 19 times more likely to become obese. When we are planning to lose weight, the number one goal is to avoid becoming obese, because it is so much harder to lose weight after that.
How can you cut down on refined flour and too much fat? A good start is to drastically reduce the number of takeaways you are eating. Aim to eat no more than one takeaway a fortnight. That should be a good start.
www.carolinebrowntherapy.com
Eating slowly helps you control what you eat
If you eat quickly, you are at risk of becoming very overweight. If you eat until you are full, you are also at risk of becoming very overweight. And if you eat fast until you are full, you are at greater risk of becoming overweight.
This research was carried out by Japanese scientists Hiroyasu Iso and colleagues from Osaka University in a paper published in the British Medical Journal. They found links between BMI and the way people were eating. In Japan, where overweight is a new problem, typically people ate till they felt they were 80% full, so that probably helped keep their weight down. It is really only since the arrival of American style fast food that overweight has become an issue.
So, to avoid the risk of overweight or to control any further increase in your weight:
eat slowly
stop when your plate is 80% cleared and then push it away from you.
www.carolinebrowntherapy.com
This research was carried out by Japanese scientists Hiroyasu Iso and colleagues from Osaka University in a paper published in the British Medical Journal. They found links between BMI and the way people were eating. In Japan, where overweight is a new problem, typically people ate till they felt they were 80% full, so that probably helped keep their weight down. It is really only since the arrival of American style fast food that overweight has become an issue.
So, to avoid the risk of overweight or to control any further increase in your weight:
eat slowly
stop when your plate is 80% cleared and then push it away from you.
www.carolinebrowntherapy.com
Sometimes we eat because we are bored
There are lots of reasons why we eat outside of mealtimes. It could be we are disorganised, and don't get round to shopping. This can happen if you feel depressed. It can be when you feel under pressure, and you eat comfort food as a sort of self-medication. And sometimes it is because food is hyped these days as a fun activity. For example, a girls night in might involve marshmallows and chocolate. This is eating as something to do with our friends. And another is having nothing to do. Lots of us eat to fill up boring moments - waiting for a friend, in the house alone, doing the night shift. These final two sorts of eating are displacement activities - something to do in the absence of something more worthwhile.
What can we do instead. With all-day telly and the Internet, we have rather stopped having hobbies. I think the word has connotations of naff. However, having something interesting to do with your friends or when you are bored is hugely rewarding. Whereas now we eat chocs together, in the past we would have had knitting bees and sewing groups. The wonderful I knit London runs knitting groups where people stitch and bitch and learn and share interesting new techniques.
What might you enjoy? Here are some of the things I recommend to my clients.
Origami. Knot tying. Magic tricks. Learn a language. Knitting. Crochet. Sudoku. Crosswords. Puzzle books.
All of these are portable hobbies and sufficiently difficult to get you deeply absorbed. You can pack the stuff easily into your pocket or handbag too and take it with you everywhere. Develop a hobby to help you lose weight!
http://www.carolinebrowntherapy.com/Thursday 14 January 2010
How we eat determines what we eat
Lori Lipinski is a dietician who drew this cartoon. Her concern is that the way we eat has an impact on what we eat. If you are eating on the hoof, you will be eating more foods which are high in fat and sugar.
As I have mentioned before, eating mindfully will help you control your eating and thereby control your weight. Be aware of what you are eating. Notice what you are eating. And enjoy it.
Lori's 7 tips for eating well are here.
Wednesday 13 January 2010
How to lose weight
Well, this advert from the Olden Days suggested eating tapeworms. We don't recommend this!
But (on the basis of a few small changes every week) here are some things to consider.
Cut out fizzy drinks. One can a day could result in 15lbs weight gain a year.
Reduce the number of takeaways. You have no idea of how much fat they contain - though you can see the yellow or orange oil floating on the surface.
Stop buying food in sacks or buckets. Buy small quantities so you don't feel the need to eat just to create space in the cupboard.
Use smaller plates.
www.carolinebrowntherapy.com
Monday 11 January 2010
Where has my willpower gone?
We tend to believe that a failure of willpower - when we are trying to give up overeating, or smoking, or doing an unappealing task like cleaning someone else's car - is a failure of character. It is not.
Willpower (also called self-control and referred to in academic texts as ego) is always in very short supply. Even making a small decision or making a small effort depletes it. (Known as ego depletion.) Roy Baumeister and colleagues identified that willpower relies on a supply of glucose to the brain. That is one of the reasons you shouldn't go food shopping when you are hungry - you will just load the trolley with all those things you are trying to avoid!
It also means that when you are trying to do things where willpower or self-control are needed, such as trying to change your eating behaviour, you need to be sure you are not also doing something else which takes your energy. So don't try to lose weight at Christmas, because you will be faced with so many opportunities to eat and drink that your self-control gets depleted. And if you have a big task to achieve, that will use up your supply of willpower.
So, if you wish to focus on changing your eating behaviour, then make small changes - little and often. That way you limit the choices you have to make and your willpower will not be overwhelmed.
www.carolinebrowntherapy.com
Willpower (also called self-control and referred to in academic texts as ego) is always in very short supply. Even making a small decision or making a small effort depletes it. (Known as ego depletion.) Roy Baumeister and colleagues identified that willpower relies on a supply of glucose to the brain. That is one of the reasons you shouldn't go food shopping when you are hungry - you will just load the trolley with all those things you are trying to avoid!
It also means that when you are trying to do things where willpower or self-control are needed, such as trying to change your eating behaviour, you need to be sure you are not also doing something else which takes your energy. So don't try to lose weight at Christmas, because you will be faced with so many opportunities to eat and drink that your self-control gets depleted. And if you have a big task to achieve, that will use up your supply of willpower.
So, if you wish to focus on changing your eating behaviour, then make small changes - little and often. That way you limit the choices you have to make and your willpower will not be overwhelmed.
www.carolinebrowntherapy.com
Friday 8 January 2010
New Year Resolutions
Have you made your New Year Resolutions? Did you make some last year? To what extent did you achieve them?
So, since you are reading my blog, perhaps you have made some resolutions regarding managing your weight?
Setting yourself achievable targets will help you be successful. I recommend making a few changes each week. So let's say you are overweight and want to lose some weight during 2010.Making modest changes means you will enjoy the benefits of success, and little by little you will move towards your goals. You may not achieve 100%. But 70% might be pretty good, and certainly better than throwing in the towel.
What little changes could you make in the next week to your eating behaviour? A few little changes feel possible, whereas a resolution to lose 2 stone can seem overwhelming. So, if you are overweight because of some bad habits, let's look at removing them one by one.
For example, are you in the habit of going out for a takeaway a couple of times a week? Aim to have a takeaway as a treat, and treats are very occasional things, else they wouldn't be treats, would they? So maybe you can cut this down (to once a month?) and really look forward to it. Try to change your thinking pattern from "but I always get a takeaway on a Monday" to something like "I can be flexible. I don't need to do things that I know are bad for me just out of habit".
Or maybe you always eat chocolates on the sofa while you watch the telly. You might be able to give this up completely all in one go, or you might decide to buy smaller packages, and so eat less.
One of the things I hear my clients say is "Oh, I couldn't live without chocolate (or Coke or biscuits)!" Really? Do you mean if you gave these up you would die? It can be surprisingly helpful to say to yourself something like "I quite like eating chocolate, but I don't need it. I don't need to have everything I want."
Softly softly catchee monkey. Little sticks kindle a fire.
www.carolinebrowntherapy.com
So, since you are reading my blog, perhaps you have made some resolutions regarding managing your weight?
Setting yourself achievable targets will help you be successful. I recommend making a few changes each week. So let's say you are overweight and want to lose some weight during 2010.Making modest changes means you will enjoy the benefits of success, and little by little you will move towards your goals. You may not achieve 100%. But 70% might be pretty good, and certainly better than throwing in the towel.
What little changes could you make in the next week to your eating behaviour? A few little changes feel possible, whereas a resolution to lose 2 stone can seem overwhelming. So, if you are overweight because of some bad habits, let's look at removing them one by one.
For example, are you in the habit of going out for a takeaway a couple of times a week? Aim to have a takeaway as a treat, and treats are very occasional things, else they wouldn't be treats, would they? So maybe you can cut this down (to once a month?) and really look forward to it. Try to change your thinking pattern from "but I always get a takeaway on a Monday" to something like "I can be flexible. I don't need to do things that I know are bad for me just out of habit".
Or maybe you always eat chocolates on the sofa while you watch the telly. You might be able to give this up completely all in one go, or you might decide to buy smaller packages, and so eat less.
One of the things I hear my clients say is "Oh, I couldn't live without chocolate (or Coke or biscuits)!" Really? Do you mean if you gave these up you would die? It can be surprisingly helpful to say to yourself something like "I quite like eating chocolate, but I don't need it. I don't need to have everything I want."
Softly softly catchee monkey. Little sticks kindle a fire.
www.carolinebrowntherapy.com
Thursday 7 January 2010
How to gain 15 pounds year
One 12-ounce can of sugar-sweetened fizzy pop contains 150 calories and 40 to 50 grams of sugar. If these calories are added to a typical diet with no offsetting reduction in other caloric
sources, one can of fizzy pop per day can lead to a 15-pound weight gain in a year.
So says Caroline Apovian of the Nutrition and Weight Management Centre in Boston Medical Centre, USA. She also notes a clear link between drinking sugar-sweetened fizzy drinks and type 2 diabetes.
This is a comment from an American. Does it apply to Scotland too? Definitely. Scotland stands behind America as the second fattest nation and Scots drink lots of fizzy drinks.
Drinking fizzy pop doesn't even quench your thirst. Cutting out the cans is one of the easiest ways to control your weight. What could you drink instead?
If you are in or near Glasgow and want to lose weight, try to make a few small changes every week. To help you, try hypnotherapy with me.
www.carolinebrowntherapy.com
sources, one can of fizzy pop per day can lead to a 15-pound weight gain in a year.
So says Caroline Apovian of the Nutrition and Weight Management Centre in Boston Medical Centre, USA. She also notes a clear link between drinking sugar-sweetened fizzy drinks and type 2 diabetes.
This is a comment from an American. Does it apply to Scotland too? Definitely. Scotland stands behind America as the second fattest nation and Scots drink lots of fizzy drinks.
Drinking fizzy pop doesn't even quench your thirst. Cutting out the cans is one of the easiest ways to control your weight. What could you drink instead?
If you are in or near Glasgow and want to lose weight, try to make a few small changes every week. To help you, try hypnotherapy with me.
www.carolinebrowntherapy.com
Monday 4 January 2010
How to eat less with less effort
Most of us eat what is put in front of us, no matter what it tastes like. We all joke about airline food but we all eat it up.
Knowing this can help you reduce your eating and when the goal is to lose weight, there is really no option other than eating less. Most of us know that we are eating too much. Like it or not, the answer is to eat less. But we don't want to have to think about it. The goal is to find a way of eating less with as little effort as possible.
So to help you to eat less, without having to think about it, use smaller plates and bowls. Our brains respond to the amount of the plate covered by food. When the plate looks full, we feel positive. When the plate looks a bit empty, we think it is a bit stingy. Take a look at this website for more information about this useful illusion.
Does this seem too obvious? If so, then perhaps you should give it a try! Making a number of small changes, little and often, is the easiest way to change your eating behaviour for the long-term. And to lose weight, you need to change your eating behaviour.
This is where you will find hypnosis helps. It embeds these changes into your subconscious, making it easier and easier. If you are in or near Glasgow and want to lose weight, try to make a few small changes every week. To help you, try hypnotherapy with me.
http://www.carolinebrowntherapy.com/
Knowing this can help you reduce your eating and when the goal is to lose weight, there is really no option other than eating less. Most of us know that we are eating too much. Like it or not, the answer is to eat less. But we don't want to have to think about it. The goal is to find a way of eating less with as little effort as possible.
So to help you to eat less, without having to think about it, use smaller plates and bowls. Our brains respond to the amount of the plate covered by food. When the plate looks full, we feel positive. When the plate looks a bit empty, we think it is a bit stingy. Take a look at this website for more information about this useful illusion.
Does this seem too obvious? If so, then perhaps you should give it a try! Making a number of small changes, little and often, is the easiest way to change your eating behaviour for the long-term. And to lose weight, you need to change your eating behaviour.
This is where you will find hypnosis helps. It embeds these changes into your subconscious, making it easier and easier. If you are in or near Glasgow and want to lose weight, try to make a few small changes every week. To help you, try hypnotherapy with me.
http://www.carolinebrowntherapy.com/
Saturday 2 January 2010
Rules of thumb for estimating portions
We all use rules of thumb for estimating the right amount to eat.
For example, most of us pour out half a bowl of cereal. No matter how big the bowl is.
We pour out a half glass of orange juice or wine. Use taller thinner glasses. You will enjoy the drink just as much, and your waistline will be happier.
My hero Brian Wansink offers this rule of thumb for checking packaged food.
If the calories are a smaller number than the grams, the food has low energy density. This would be a great choice.
If the calories are equal to, or twice as much, as the grams, eat moderately and watch your portion size.
If the calories are more than twice the grams, limit your portions.
He has teamed up with other foodie colleagues to create a new website full of useful information.
http://www.carolinebrowntherapy.com/
For example, most of us pour out half a bowl of cereal. No matter how big the bowl is.
We pour out a half glass of orange juice or wine. Use taller thinner glasses. You will enjoy the drink just as much, and your waistline will be happier.
My hero Brian Wansink offers this rule of thumb for checking packaged food.
If the calories are a smaller number than the grams, the food has low energy density. This would be a great choice.
If the calories are equal to, or twice as much, as the grams, eat moderately and watch your portion size.
If the calories are more than twice the grams, limit your portions.
He has teamed up with other foodie colleagues to create a new website full of useful information.
http://www.carolinebrowntherapy.com/
Friday 1 January 2010
How to get rid of those Christmas pounds!
It is normally just a few pounds, and getting back to our normal routines will shift some of them. But we can do a few things to speed the process along, so that we don't enter 2011 with 2009 Christmas bulges.
What has caused those extra pounds? For most of us, we said Oh Heck, and bought sweets and biscuits, and just to be sociable, we tucked into them. Hunt them out now, all those beltbusters, and remove them from the home. Take them round as welcome gift to people with growing children, feed them to the ducks, or steel yourself and bin them. The Christmas self-indulgence is over. New Year, New You!
Avoid eating out and takeaways for a month or so. You have had the Great Feast, now is the time for a bit of famine. Meals eaten at home tend to have fewer calories and fewer courses.
Practice eating smaller portions. After the Great Stuffing, most of us will welcome a bit less food. Use a smaller plate, or fill more than half the half the plate with veg, which is less calorie dense than meat. Practice leaving some of the food on the plate. Use a paper napkin, and when you have finished, screw up the napkin and put it into the plate. That will make it harder for you to continue eating.
Just these few changes will help. Making a few small changes every month means that by the end of 2010 you will have developed healthy eating habits.
www.carolinebrowntherapy.com
What has caused those extra pounds? For most of us, we said Oh Heck, and bought sweets and biscuits, and just to be sociable, we tucked into them. Hunt them out now, all those beltbusters, and remove them from the home. Take them round as welcome gift to people with growing children, feed them to the ducks, or steel yourself and bin them. The Christmas self-indulgence is over. New Year, New You!
Avoid eating out and takeaways for a month or so. You have had the Great Feast, now is the time for a bit of famine. Meals eaten at home tend to have fewer calories and fewer courses.
Practice eating smaller portions. After the Great Stuffing, most of us will welcome a bit less food. Use a smaller plate, or fill more than half the half the plate with veg, which is less calorie dense than meat. Practice leaving some of the food on the plate. Use a paper napkin, and when you have finished, screw up the napkin and put it into the plate. That will make it harder for you to continue eating.
Just these few changes will help. Making a few small changes every month means that by the end of 2010 you will have developed healthy eating habits.
www.carolinebrowntherapy.com
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