In my last article we discussed how avoidance of thought was proven to increase that thought so much so that it could create obsession. This is just one reason why being on a diet is bad for you. Anyone who has tried will know that trying not to think of food actually results in an obsession with food. These experiments also highlighted a secondry problem which they named the “Rebound effect”. This will also be a familiar but mysterious behaviour we have all engaged in at some time. After a sustained period of abstanence and a slight relapse we dont just dust ourselves down and carry on. We are cursed by the rebound effect which causes the catastrophic binge. So the experiment paints a failiar picture, abstanance, obsession and then binge, guilt and so on.

Thankfully the study does indicate some salvation in what it calls distractors, these are best described as positive thought processes that occupy and motivate us. They work and heres why.

The mind can only hold a small number of conscious thoughts at any one time. You may feel the illusion that you are taking in all the information around you but your not? Did you notice the sound of another conversation or the birds outside, what about the colour of the walls and carpet? I am sure you notice them now, but did you previously or was it just there in the background. To notice these things and any other focus of attention the mind has to put something down. A bit like carrying seven bags of shopping and to carry another you will have to leave one behind. Our minds can hold around seven thoughts and this is something magicians and hypnotists are very well aware of. Once they remove conscious thoughts and desensitise the mind our illusion of paying attention remains. This is a form of distractor and it works in a similar way. In the white bear experiments the subjects were given distractors which helped them to cure their obsession.

How can this help us?

For one, you will by now have realised that the very last thing you need around you if you want to lose weight is any diet paraphernalia. Get rid of special foods, diet charts, pills and potions and especially the scales. Get rid of them all and come off the diet, forever. Next you will need to develop the distractors and goals that superslimmers do inadvertantly. There are some methods of doing this in my book “12 Fat Ladies”

Heres a very simple one to get you going. A powerful motivator and distractor is a crystal clear goal or objective that you can see, hear and taste. There are many ways of developing these and some sound quite kooky but they work. A powerful way of determining your goal is firstly to install it through writing. Writing is a powerful medium for the mind because it activates so many different areas of the brain at the same time. When you study at a lecture its not always the fact that you need to refer back to the notes that’s important it’s the fact that you wrote in the first place. In that process you embedded the thoughts deeper into the mind. Once that happens you have a goal that is absolutely crystal clear and achievable. Once you have done this then write down a short statement in real terms as if you had done it. Keep everything positive and by that I mean write down what you are going to do and never what you are not. There is a full questionnaire in the book but if you don’t have access to that then ensure you use all the senses. Tell yourself what you will be feeling, hearing and tasting. Ensure your goal is in vivid colour and you are right there inside it. Here’s where it gets kookier but it will work. Say it!

Twice a day read out the statement to yourself and put some passion in when you do as if you really mean it. I am happy to say that you will feel this working after just a few days but try it for a week and then continue. There are clear phycological reasons why this works and we will discuss these in the next posting. For further tips and more detail go to the website and blog.

www.12fatladies.com Michael J Dawson is the author of 12 Fat Ladies “How to get off diets and stay off diets. Forever” Available on amazon/kindle and the website. You can subscribe to his blog and newsletter at http://www.12fatladies.com

http://www.12fatladies.com Michael J Dawson is the author of 12 Fat Ladies “How to get off diets and stay off diets. Forever” Available on amazon/kindle and the website. You can subscribe to his blog and newsletter at http://www.12fatladies.com

Author Bio: www.12fatladies.com Michael J Dawson is the author of 12 Fat Ladies “How to get off diets and stay off diets. Forever” Available on amazon/kindle and the website. You can subscribe to his blog and newsletter at http://www.12fatladies.com

Category: Advice
Keywords: weightwatchers,diet,slimmer,fat