Weightloss. Do we interrupt the mind body conversation?

There can be many ways in which we can be uncomfortable about our bodies. The most common, perhaps, is when we become aware that we are not that particular size, or weight that we ‘should’ be.

That ‘should be’ can come from lots of sources. It may be a standard we believe is set by our society, our friends, the media. It could be a measure our parents have handed down to us, unintentionally or intentionally, by trying to manage our food intake – ‘don’t eat too many cakes or you’ll get fat’.

You may be someone who has experienced those patterns of putting on the pounds and then intensively dieting and exercising to lose them again, only to find that a few months later you are back where you started or worse! Alternatively you may have just always been ‘big’ in comparison to others and feel that there is nothing you can do about it.

There are  many different scenarios. If you have struggled constantly with weight-loss you may find it hard to believe, that our bodies are actually generally very good at managing themselves! When you look at the animal kingdom as a whole, do you see many creatures that are obese, or significantly overweight? When you think about it, the only examples that are common are in the domesticated animals. You see overweight dogs. You see overweight cats. Have you ever seen an overweight squirrel? The fact is that without conscious interference, it is natural to eat and exercise just the right amount without even thinking about it.

As humans we analyse and compare. We try to make rational choices and decisions. These are essential skills that have helped us become the dominant species. When it comes to our bodies these skills can still make a big difference to our well-being. We can judge when it is wise to see a doctor. We can make safe choices as to what to wear in hot weather.

And sometimes we can just butt in where we are not needed.  Unless there is a specific medical condition causing you to put on weight, your mind and body are perfectly capable of sorting it out, if only they can be left alone to get on with it. I believe that all these two ‘seperate’ systems need to get the conversation going more effectively is:

• Clarity – about what the real goal is. Is it to look good, or is it to feel good? Is it to lose weight, or is it to change shape? Is it to overcome sadness, or is it to be happy? Is it because someone else wants you to, or is it for you?
• Awareness – being aware of the unhelpful mental patterns, attitudes and beliefs that get in the way and interrupt the mind-body conversation.
• Time – rushing into an intensive and unrealistic weight-loss regime creates confusing pressure on your system, and stress and pressure on your mind. It puts you in conflict with yourself.

The real task that we have to choose to face, is in letting go of the need to conform, control and manage, and learning to ‘just be’ ourselves. In order to do that we need to find the patterns and behaviours that are not working well enough for us, and change them. These patterns and behaviours were learned at some point, and they can be unlearned, or replaced with more effective ones that fulfill the same purpose for us. We don’t have to be different people, we just have to be more comfortable being the people we are.

If you are interested in the mind-body connection with regard to weight-loss you can sign up to my 5 email series. The series gives you some insights into how to get your mind more aligned with what your body needs. There are some practical tasks, some links to resources and some ideas for reading.  Just sign up here: