Summer rhythm is so welcomingly different than that of winter here in Connecticut.
The days are longer. The weather invites us outside. Calendars begin filling with cookouts, vacations, beach days, weddings, graduation parties, concerts, and evenings spent enjoying time with family, friends and even neighbors. For many people, summer is one of the most enjoyable times of the year.
It can also be one of the most frustrating times for many who are trying to lose weight or maintain the weight they lost with the help of pharmaceuticals. Every summer I hear a variety of statements ranging from, “I was doing good until the cookouts started.” and “I’ll get back on track again on monday.”
You know, it’s not because people suddenly forget what healthy eating looks like. Most people already know what foods support their goals. They know they feel better when they drink more water, move their bodies, and make more aware choices around food.
Yet every summer, many people find themselves caught in a familiar cycle. You know who you are.
A weekend cookout turns into a few days of eating differently than planned. A vacation becomes a reason to put healthy habits on hold. A night out with friends leads to the thought, “I’ll get back on track Monday.”
Then Monday arrives and life quickly fills up again. The pressure is back on with work responsibilities. Family obligations require more of your time and attention. Another social event is already on your calendar and another invite rolls in. You get knocked off track again and the intention to get back on track sorta kinda gets blown away by the beautiful summer breeze.
As the weeks pass, June becomes July. July becomes August. The summer seems to fly by, and many people find themselves feeling disappointed, discouraged, and wondering why this happens year after year.
The truth is that the problem is rarely the cookout, the vacation, the ice cream stand, or the glass of wine.
The real challenge is the exhausting cycle of repeatedly starting over and over to infinity and beyond as they say.
The Weight of Starting Over
Many people approach weight loss as though they have only two choices. They are either being good or being bad. They are either on track or off track. They are either succeeding or failing. That’s pretty heavy to carry on.
When we begin looking at ourselves from that perspective, every choice starts to carry more weight and more weight; yes, LOL, from infinity and beyond.
A healthy meal feels like success. Dessert at a wonderful gathering feels like failure. One indulgence becomes a bad day. A bad day becomes a bad weekend. A bad weekend becomes another promise to start fresh on Monday and another Monday; yes, from infinity and beyond.
After a while, this way of thinking becomes beyond exhausting. In fact, the emotional weight of constantly beginning again is usually heavier than the number on the scale.
Life will always include birthdays, vacations, celebrations, holidays, and unexpected moments. Waiting for a time when life becomes perfectly organized and temptation free is unrealistic and if it’s unrealistic then it’s not obtainable. Real life is happening right here right now, and practicing how to navigate real life is often where lasting change begins.
Successful Weight Loss Happens in Real Life
Clients often tell me when they think of successful weight loss, they associate it with someone who possess extra-ordinary discipline. Someone who never overeats, never misses a workout, and never struggles with cravings. Seriously, such a person rarely exists.
Real people have stressful days. They go on vacation. They celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. They enjoy holidays and spend time with family and friends. Life continues to happen, even when someone is working toward a healthier version of themself.
The people who create lasting change are not living in a bubble. They are not waiting for life to become easier before taking care of themselves. Instead, they practice how to continue moving forward knowing life is imperfect.
One meal does not become a reason to quit.
One weekend does not become a reason to give up.
One vacation does not become a reason to move the goal post until next month.
They simply return to the next supportive choice available to them. Moment to moment. Each moment presents an opportunity for you to choose.
That may not sound dramatic, but it is often what creates the most sustainable results. Moment to moment, choice to choice, daily life.
Why We Keep Repeating the Same Patterns
One of the most common things I hear from people is, “I know what I should be doing. I just don’t understand why I keep doing the opposite.” Those words are often stated with a great deal of frustration and all of its cousins (shame, self-rejection, etc).
Most people know what foods support their desired outcome. They know how they want to feel. They know they feel better when they are making healthier choices, more reasonable portion sizes, etc. Yet somehow they find themselves reaching for food when they are stressed, eating more than they intended at social gatherings, or turning to food for comfort after a difficult day.
Over time, many people begin blaming themselves. Please give yourself a hug right here right now. They say they lack self discipline. They think change is harder for them than it seems to be for everyone else. Do you really know what other people are thinking, feeling, or really doing behind closed doors?!
The truth is that these patterns are rarely about a lack of knowledge. You know, you know, you know.
Many eating habits become connected to comfort, reward, celebration, stress relief, distraction, or simply familiarity. When a behavior has been repeated often enough, it can begin to operate automatically without you consciously thinking about it. Just like driving a car unconsciously. You know what I mean, right?!
That is why so many people find themselves saying, “I don’t even know why I did that.”
The behavior often occurs before there has been much opportunity for conscious thought. Then the person criticizes themselves afterward, creating another layer of frustration on top of an already difficult pattern. Are you feeling the weight?
How Hypnosis for Weight Loss Can Help
This is one reason many people seek hypnosis for weight loss.
Hypnosis is not about forcing yourself to eat differently. It is not about fighting cravings or relying on endless amounts of willpower.
Instead, hypnosis helps bring greater awareness to the patterns that may be operating beneath the surface. As those patterns become more visible, different choices often become easier.
Clients often tell me they now find themselves pausing before reaching for food. They become more aware of whether they are physically hungry or emotionally hungry. They become conscious of situations, emotions, and habits that previously seemed automatic. That’s how hypnosis works.
Rather than feeling as though they are constantly battling themselves, they begin developing a different relationship with food and with their own inner dialogue. We are creating an eating lifestyle that’s just right for you.
The approach is absolutely NOT perfection. Perfection is unrealistic and if it’s unrealistic it’s unobtainable.
The approach is absolutely NOT to never enjoy dessert, never attend a cookout, or never celebrate with family and friends. Not only is that unrealistic but it is so not fun.
We are creating an eating lifestyle to create a healthier, more supportive relationship with yourself while continuing to move toward the changes that you want.
Based on my experience, most people, find this approach to be far more sustainable than spending another summer promising themselves that Monday will be different. Not only is that unrealistic, you guessed it, it is so not fun.
This Summer, Consider a Different Approach
What if the approach this summer was not perfection?
What if the approach was not avoiding every barbecue, every celebration, or every ice cream stand?
What if the approach was simply to stay conscious to your best interest throughout the season?
To enjoy the moments that matter while continuing to make choices that support your well-being.
To recognize that one choice never defines the journey.
To understand that one weekend does not erase months of progress.
And to remember that lasting change is rarely created by repeatedly starting over.
More often, it is created by moving forward.
One choice.
One meal.
Moment to moment.
If you have been struggling with emotional eating, stress eating, or feeling stuck in the cycle of starting over, hypnosis may help you experience a different relationship with food, habits, and the patterns that have been weighing you down.
Learn more about hypnosis for weight loss on my Weight Loss page
If you’re in the Milford, CT area, or would prefer to meet over Zoom, please feel free to reach out if you’re curious about this approach.
I offer a complimentary phone conversation so you can ask questions, learn what to expect, and understand how we work together in sessions.
You don’t have to go it alone…
Call me (Joann Dunsing) @ 203-907-7710 for your complimentary phone conversation. Or click the button below. I usually respond within 24 hours. I see clients in the mornings, afternoons, evenings and I’m in the office on Saturdays.
