Drop a Size for Life: Fat Loss Fast and Forever!

Case Study: Diane’s Success

‘When I met Joanna Hall in November 2002 at the This Morning studio, I had reached an end point. I was unhappy with my weight – I wanted to lose at least 2 stone but the thought of dieting was intimidating. For a lot of my adult life I had been plagued by depression and one of my comforts was to eat. I was ashamed of myself and that turned the whole situation into a vicious circle. If you asked me what was the most important factor in my successful weight loss, I would have to say a positive mind. I needed encouragement, but more than that I needed to be able to believe in myself. Joanna suggesting coming at it from a different angle and helped me to build my self-esteem and confidence, showing me how important it is to like, even love, myself. She gave me the building blocks to change my mindset to one that was able to take on the challenge of losing weight.’

STEP THREE: (#u0ce09cbd-d8b0-596c-8d62-1a2010e4f3fa)

THINK, SAY AND DO AS ONE (#u0ce09cbd-d8b0-596c-8d62-1a2010e4f3fa)

This step is about making the relationship you’ve now established between your brain and body work. When you do something it involves a three-stage process: you THINK about it, you SAY you’re going to do it and then you take the necessary action – you DO it. So, for example, with weight loss, you think about your dissatisfaction with your current size and how you would like to change it, you talk about introducing diet and exercise into your life and then you take the appropriate steps to help you reach your weight loss goals. Or do you? It seems obvious enough that all these three things need to be going in the same direction, but do we actually do it?

Take Susan’s story: Susan thought she had great big wobbly bits that stuck out from the sides of her thighs like saddlebags. In fact, her thighs only measured 90cm/36in but, to her, they were very large. She wanted to lose weight, so she gave herself a talking to and told her friends – when they were out at the cinema having ice cream – that she would be starting her campaign in earnest the next day. She had bought the latest diet sensation – it came with a government health warning, but what the heck! Oh, and she was going to get up and run every morning, and again when she came home from work. Yet despite all this positive talk, Susan felt deep down that she would still have her saddlebags. What Susan thought, said and did were not all going in the same direction.

She said she was going to take action and she did do what she said she would, but since she believed that she would fail, and still have her saddlebags at the end of it, her thoughts were going in a different direction to her words and actions. After a time, this would inevitably sabotage her efforts.

When what you do, or what you say you will do, is based on negative thoughts about yourself – a limiting belief – this negativity can only grow. It’s like feeding a fire. When you want to light a fire you get your kindling, some dry newspaper, wood and some firelighters and as the fire starts to burn you apply a little more air to fuel it. The more air you provide at the base, the fiercer the fire grows. Your thoughts are the same – they fuel the fire of your actions. Therefore if your fundamental belief is that you are going to fail, then you are more likely to – and of course each time you do, it will only serve to fuel your negativity and make it stronger, which makes losing weight harder each time you try.

Think about where you were five years ago and imagine a straight line from there to here, the present moment. Now extend that line into the future – by continuing to do as you do now, you’ll be where in five years time? If that place isn’t where you want to be, you need to change direction by addressing your thinking, saying and doing right now.

ACTION POINT 1: ESTABLISH THE PAY-OFF

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO

Make a list of at least five ways you think you will benefit by dropping a size and being more physically active. Be specific about what the benefit will be to you and how it will personally affect you. For example, having more energy is a common benefit, but to empower this statement and make it personal to you, you may need to write something like, ‘When I drop a size, I will have the energy to enjoy more intimacy with my partner.’

THE LOGIC

Writing things down makes you embrace your thoughts and the visual images this creates can reinforce what you think. Personalizing your benefit also allows you to see how your actions will directly affect you. Keeping these benefits personal rather than general makes them more appropriate to you and hence they become more powerful motivators. So stop being general and be more specific!

ACTION POINT 2: LIST YOUR SUCCESSES

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO

Make a list of all the things you have previously thought you would like to do in your life and have since accomplished. This list can cover small things such as cooking your first three-course meal or changing your own flat tyre. As long as you saw it as a challenge and you succeeded, it counts.

THE LOGIC

The action of recalling events or situations in which you have overcome a challenge helps reassure you that you have the potential to translate your thinking and saying into a successful action.

ACTION POINT 3: FIND YOUR MANTRA

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO

This is about making belief part of your thoughts. Think of five positive affirmations for yourself. You need to be able to really believe in them – and they must be positively stated. Here is one of my client’s mantras: ‘I am going to do this for me. Steve Redgrave is my age and if he, as a man of my age, can take responsibility for his health then I can take responsibility for mine.’

THE LOGIC

Mantras can provide the positive momentum to get you where you need to be. They help strengthen your self-belief and build a strong foundation for your actions.

ACTION POINT 4: COMMIT TO PAPER

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO

Write your mantras down and place them in your underwear drawer, in your office drawer, on the mirror that you look at first thing in the morning, on a scrap of paper in your purse – anywhere that will reinforce your thought line.

THE LOGIC

Reinforcement works, even at a subconscious level.

ACTION POINT 5: TRACE YOUR ACTIONS

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO

Draw a table with three columns. At the top of each column write what you have thought, said and did with regard to diet and weight loss in the past, then write down your intentions this time round (you may find it helpful to revise this once you’ve read section two). On page 44 is an example of thinking, saying and doing not going in the same direction, followed by an example of when they do go in the same direction.

THE LOGIC

Committing your thoughts, aims and actions to paper allows you to see whether they are all heading the right way. Your past experience may also offer some clues as to pitfalls to avoid. If your thoughts are undermining your aims and actions, go back to your mantras, ensure they are positively stated and that you are saying and seeing them every day.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Ensuring that what you think, say and do are all heading in the same direction means your mind and body are primed for positive action. Achieve this and you are ready for step four.

Case study: Maxine’s Success

‘Joanna’s approach is so easy to implement – for us, it’s become a way of life. We’ve made small changes and haven’t missed the carbs in the evening. Aside from the practicalities, it’s worked because it has helped me look at myself differently. In the past I always felt low when losing weight, but this time I’m so much more positive.

Before I felt a nobody, a nothing – now I feel like somebody and worth something. I used to hate myself, but Joanna has helped me build my self-esteem so that I now actually like myself. I may still beat myself up a bit if I have a “bad day” but Joanna has taught me to put this in proportion and not let one blip ruin everything or make me feel like a failure. Now I feel nice in some of my clothes – and I’ve never felt like that! My mantra was “I’m going to like what I see – this is me” now it’s “I like what I see – this is me”! And Joanna’s tip about making my mantra my welcome note on my mobile is great – now it’s always there for me to see!

My husband has even followed the plan and he’s a butcher! He’s gone from 18 stone 2 pounds to 16 stone – a weight he never expected to achieve, and he’s managed to stay at it too.’

Maxine lost 30lbs and dropped from a size 24 to 16–18.

STEP FOUR: (#u0ce09cbd-d8b0-596c-8d62-1a2010e4f3fa)

MAKE FRIENDS WITH THE ENEMY (#u0ce09cbd-d8b0-596c-8d62-1a2010e4f3fa)

This strategy is about embracing whatever issue has stopped you from successfully losing weight in the past. Body weight can be closely linked to emotional issues, therefore both gain and loss can be directly affected by and associated with events in our lives. Traumatic or highly significant events and turning points can trigger an unhealthy relationship with our bodies, and with food and dieting, all of which can culminate in a decreased level of self-worth and self-esteem.

The step four action points are about facing up to your fears and enemies.

ACTION POINT 1: REVISIT PAST ACTS OF BRAVERY AND FEARLESSNESS

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO

If you are feeling demoralized or unable to face a situation for fear of rejection or failure, then recounting previous acts of bravery can help you see that you are a brave person and that you can face up to difficulties. To trigger these memories sketch out a time line spanning from kindergarten to adult life. Try to jot down ten courageous acts. If you cannot remember, ask a friend or older member of the family. Make a list of events you have feared in your life and beside them write down the outcome of the event or situation.

THE LOGIC

Revisiting the past and citing even the smallest of brave acts can remind you of your bravery. As we get older our brain often forgets these small acts and instead we tend to focus on what we feel we have not been able to address and overcome. Even the most timid of people will have had fearless moments – the trick is to remind yourself.