Shed f a t. 33 Secrets. c r a v i n g s. Emotional Eating Guide: t o Stop. f o o d

Transcription

1 Emotional Eating Guide: 33 Secrets t o Stop y o u r f o o d c r a v i n g s & Shed f a t by Gene Monterastelli from TappingQandA.com & Brittany Watkins from BrittanyWatkins.com

2 Table of Contents Introduction...3 IDENTITY I m a food addict...9 I m a sugar addict...0 CRAVINGS AND URGES I crave sweets at night... I have an enormous appetite...3 I m a closet eater...4 I have an urge to eat whenever I SMELL food... I have a craving whenever I SEE food... I eat when I m bored...7 I eat when I m angry....8 I eat when I m anxious...9 I eat when I m lonely...0 WHY WE EAT I overeat to hurt myself... I eat to avoid my feelings...3 I use food to soothe myself...4 I overeat to hide myself... RESPONSE TO EATING AND WEIGHT I hate myself for overeating...7 I feel guilty when I overeat...8 I feel guilty about being overweight...9 I feel guilty about losing weight...30 I m anxious when I sit down to eat...3 I associate food with fighting...3 I associate food with my mother s love...33 I feel unsafe without food...34 LOSING WEIGHT AND EXERCISE I am afraid that if I lose weight I will gain it back again...3 I am going to fail, just like last time...37 I am not strong enough to lose weight...38 I am overwhelmed by how much weight I want to lose...39 I am overwhelmed by exercise because I am so out of shape...40 I don t believe I can reach my goal...4 I don t trust myself to keep the weight off...4 No one will notice if I lose the weight...43 They ll expect more of me if I conquer my weight problem...44 I don t deserve to be happy/successful/thin...4

3 Introduction WHAT IS EFT, AND WHY IS IT SO POPULAR?! Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is a quick and simple method that has been clinically proven to eliminate stress and emotional issues in minutes. Also known as tapping, EFT combines basic principles of psychology with the ancient Chinese medical practice of acupressure. EFT was developed by Gary Craig in 98 from techniques discovered by Dr. Roger Callahan, a cognitive psychologist. EFT works by tapping on specific acupressure points on the body while tuning into an emotion or issue to reduce the intensity of traumatic memories, conquer phobias, anxiety, stress, compulsions, addictions, food cravings, physical pain, mental blockages, and many other issues that are influenced by our minds, and to bring our system back into balance. Everyone who lives on planet Earth has experienced at least one of the above issues growing up. For the lucky ones, the incidents were rare and mild, but for others early experiences were much more traumatic, possibly including violence, deprivation or abuse. Most of us fall somewhere between those two extremes. Over the years, we build up a backlog of these formative experiences, and develop unconscious beliefs, coping strategies and behaviors, such as addictions, based upon them. You ve heard people say that their demons got the better of them, well those demons are like echoes from a certain point in your past, small pieces of you frozen in time. If your system was unable to process some sort of trauma experienced by a younger self, it remains trapped within your consciousness as an echo, nagging at you for resolution, and manifested in some kind of addictive behavior like binge eating, cravings, drinking, compulsive shopping, or reliance on drugs. EFT is a whole new way to release emotional memories and deeply entrenched patterns of behavior. In the first few minutes after you try it, you are likely to find the intensity of your cravings, stress, or other issues decreasing rapidly. There are many scientific studies of EFT for depression, anxiety, and other psychological problems. If you re interested in reading these studies, you can check out EFTUniverse.com, a well-known hub for this research and packed with articles, case studies, and personal success stories. The research shows that people who use EFT recover from a variety of issues very quickly, often in just a few sessions. I also highly recommend TappingQandA.com for hundreds of informative, free resources, including articles, videos, tap-alongs, scripts and tools. The beauty of EFT is that it is easy to learn, simple to apply, and can be done by anyone, at any time, anywhere. It is so quick and easy that one full round of the EFT protocol will take less than 0 seconds. You re not alone in this over a million people have been trained in using EFT as a resource for issues ranging from weight loss to sports performance, stress and anxiety to depression and PTSD. EFT is 3

4 Introduction being used across the globe in many countries in hospitals, psychotherapy clinics, sports fields, business coaching practices, weight loss groups, families, physical rehabilitation centers, and many other settings. In a randomized controlled study released in February 03, researchers examined the effect of EFT on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and psychological distress symptoms in veterans receiving mental health services. At the end of the -hour long EFT coaching sessions concurrent with standard care, the subjects had significantly reduced psychological distress and PTSD symptom levels, and 90% of those treated with EFT no longer met PTSD clinical criteria. These results are consistent with that of other published reports showing EFT s efficacy in treating PTSD and its long-term effects. In a randomized controlled trial of 9 overweight or obese people, performed at Griffith University in Australia, and published in the peer-reviewed journal Energy Psychology, participants received four weeks of EFT for food cravings and other weight-related issues. A follow-up of the EFT participants one year after the initial 4-week study found significant improvements in weight and body mass index (BMI), as well as food cravings, the subjective power of food, craving restraint, and psychological coping. Other research has found that most dieters regain all the weight they lost in the two years following the end of a weight loss program, and usually end up weighing even more. The opposite occurred in the EFT study, with participants continuing to lose weight over the course of the following year. Average weight loss was. lb (.0 kg). In this brief video, What Is EFT/Tapping? I sum up the main points. HOW TO TAP So let s get started! First I ll run through the protocol and how to use the tapping points, and then you ll have the chance to watch my demonstration in the How To Tap video, where I use the example of a craving for potato chips. As I teach you the protocol, we re going to dive into tapping for a specific food craving, so choose a food you often crave, and keep reading! When you begin this exercise, have the food you crave in front of you so that you can measure your progress instantly. After you have picked a craving to use EFT/tapping on, there are five basic steps to the process. Tapping works by applying mental focus and stimulating acupressure points (acupoints, for short) in easy-toreach places on your face, upper body, and hands. Taste and smell the food so you can measure your desire for it. Always measure your desire for the food; this is how you will determine your success in applying the technique. ) Rate your craving intensity. The first step to using EFT for your food craving is to rate its intensity on a scale of 0 0. Tune into what you really want about the food you are craving. It might be something like, I really, really, REALLY want the sweet creamy, peanutty goodness of this Snickers bar, or, I just can t resist eating this whole bag of 4

5 Introduction potato chips! Notice what it is about this food that you love. Is it the crunchiness? The saltiness? The creaminess? The way it slips down your throat? Take note of how your body feels when you imagine eating it. Then say out loud, I have this craving for potato chips and rate the strength of your craving on a scale of 0 0, taking note of that number. Don t get too wrapped up in getting the number exactly right. It s a subjective judgment, but the aim is to create a benchmark against which you can measure progress. You now have a statement to work with, My craving is a 0 for these potato chips. It is not essential to say the statement out loud, but the protocol will be more effective if you do. EFT works best when we are activating the models we are changing. We are more likely to be emotionally engaged with these models when saying them out loud. Now that you have noted the intensity of your craving you are ready to start tapping! ) Tap on the side of the hand. The second step is to say your statement out loud, while continually tapping on the first point which is located on the side of your hand in the spot you would use if you were going to karate chop a piece of wood, as demonstrated in the video How To Tap. You will tap as hard as if you were tapping on someone s shoulder to get their attention. NOTE: If it is painful to tap here, or on any of the points, STOP! It is important that you take full responsibility for your body. If tapping is painful, just touching or rubbing the stop is also acceptable. Continue to tap on this spot until you have read your setup statement out loud three times. 3) Tap through the points. In step three, we will tap through the eight other points of the body s meridian system. We are going to do two rounds of tapping, one with each hand. When tapping, tap on each point 0 times before moving to the next point. In the EFT Protocol, you create a phrase for each tapping point. This phrase is a short version of your initial statement. Examples might be, I really want this [food], I can t stand not eating this [food], This [salty, sweet, etc.] [food]. You will tap on the first tapping point until you complete the phrase. Then, move to the next tapping point and another phrase these phrases can really be anything that keep you focused on the craving! NOTE: It is important that you take full responsibility for your body while doing this. If it is too painful to tap on any of the points, stop immediately. If tapping is painful, rubbing or simply touching the point is acceptable as well. 4) Write down any new issues that may come up. The models we have do not exist in isolation. Often, they share information and, unfortunately, misinformation. As you are tapping on one issue, it is very common for another related issue to come up. While tapping on a statement like, I really don t want to give up these salty, crunchy potato chips you may find other thoughts coming to mind like, I am afraid that if I lose weight my friends will be jealous.

6 Introduction You might also think, I am afraid that if I lose weight, my sister will feel bad. These are similar issues, but not the same issue. Write down the new issue and finish tapping on the issue at hand. IMPORTANT NOTE: EFT can only be effective if you are tuned into an issue. As you are tapping it s very common for your mind to throw up distractions, particularly as you are guaranteed to encounter resistance from the part of you that feels potentially threatened or deprived at the prospect of giving up your favorite treats. Remember that extra weight often represents safety or protection on a subconscious level, so there will be a part of you that is extremely unwilling to give up the foods you crave and will try to trick you by diverting your focus. ) Tune in and re-rate. The last step is to tune in and re-rate your craving. Our goal with each phrase is to get the level to zero. If the rating has gone down but is not zero, it simply means your work is not done on this issue. Repeat the process by doing steps -4 again. Keep in mind that some of the models you are working on have deep roots. Many of them have taken years to build and reinforce. EFT is a very powerful tool, but if a model has taken a decade to build, it will probably take more than one round of tapping to eliminate. For EFT to work, you must be tuned into the issue you are working on. The more tuned in you are to the issue, the faster and more effective EFT will be. This is the opposite of the placebo effect and distraction methods; you are not being asked to ignore your pain or emotion, but to focus very intently upon it. If the rating on the craving goes up instead of down it is good news because you are now more tuned in to your body. This will help you to make quicker progress with EFT. THE NINE TAPPING POINTS. Eyebrow: The eyebrow point is located as close to the inside end of the eyebrow as possible. You should not be down on the bridge of your nose. You can use either, or both sides.. Side of the eye: This point is as far forward on the side of your head without poking your eyeball. 3. Under the eye: Located directly below the pupil on the cheekbone. This point might be a little tender, because a sinus canal is directly below it. If it is tender, tap gently. 4. Under the nose: Located directly between the nose and upper lip.. Under the mouth or chin: This point is the dip between your lower lip and your chin.. Collarbone: This point is a little tricky to find. It is right where the collarbone and the sternum meet. The easiest way to find this point is to look at the palm of your hand. Make a letter L with your thumb and index finger (with your hand open). Place your thumb on one collarbone and your index finger on the other. With your full palm, tap. 7. Under the arm: This is another slightly tricky point to find. It is located along your side. It is closer to your back than your front, about 4 inches down. It is about where your bra strap would be, if you are wearing a bra. The nice thing about this spot is that it is a little tender. When you rub it, it will feel a little bit like a bruise. If you poke around the general area, you will know it when you find it. To be on the safe side, use all four fingers when tapping here.

7 Introduction 8. Top of the head: Again, we are going to use all four fingers. Tap on the highest point on the crown of your head. This is the spot where they place the device to measure how tall you are at the doctor s office. 9. The Karate Chop: This point is on the side of your hand in the spot you would use if you were going to karate chop a piece of wood Church, Dawson PhD, Hawk, Crystal MEd, Brooks, Audrey J. PhD, Toukolehto, Olli MD, Wren, Maria LCSW, Dinter, Ingrid, Stein, Phyllis PhD. Psychological Trauma Symptom Improvement in Veterans Using Emotional Freedom Techniques: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Nervous & Mental Disease: February 03 - Volume 0 - Issue - p 3 0.] Peta Stapleton, PhD, Terri Sheldon, Brett Porter. Clinical benefits of Emotional Freedom Techniques on food cravings at -months follow-up: A randomized controlled trial. Energy Psychology: Theory, Research, & Treatment, 4: (May 0). 7

8 IDENTITY

9 I m a food addict. Read aloud and rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I m a food addict. Even though I m a food addict, I love and accept myself.. I am a food addict.. Part of me always wants something to eat. 3. It is my drug. 4. I always have food on my mind.. But it doesn t have to be this way.. I know there is an underlying cause to my food addiction. 7. It is not always going to be this way It is possible for me to not crave food. 4. I choose to know I have made it through a day without craving food.. Even though that thought feels impossible right now. 3. I have felt like I was addicted to food in the past, but this is something I can change. 4. I am making that change now. 7. By tuning into this feeling of addiction I am dealing with the root cause of this feeling.. I choose to know I can escape the clutches of this addiction. 7. I can be free of this addiction. 8. I give myself permission to be free of this addiction. Read aloud and re-rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I m a food addict. 9

10 I m a sugar addict. Read aloud and rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I m a sugar addict. Even though I m a sugar addict, I love and accept myself.. I am a sugar addict.. Sugar is my drug. 3. There are times when sugar and things made with sugar consume every one of my thoughts. 4. It makes it hard for me to concentrate on anything else.. The only way I can make this feeling go away is to feed the addiction. 3. When I feed the addiction I feel great in the moment. 7. But the moment I stop eating sugar I feel horrible I feel like I have failed.. I choose to know I am addicted to sugar right now, but I am not a sugar addict.. This is something I can change. 3. I crave sugar because it is serving me in some way. 4. I crave sugar because it makes me feel better on some level.. I choose to know it is part of my body trying to take care of me.. But I know it is doing it in a destructive way. 7. As I heal the issue under the addiction, the addiction will go away. 8. By working on the addiction I am working on the underlying issues. 7 Read aloud and re-rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I m a sugar addict. 0

11 CRAVINGS & URGES

12 I crave sweets at night. Read aloud and rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I crave sweets at night. Even though I crave sweets at night, I love and accept myself.. I crave sweets at night.. No matter how much I have eaten during the day. 3. Sometimes it is the only thing I can think about. 4. It is sweets, sweets, sweets, all the time.. I know I don t need the sweets.. And they are bad for me. 7. But I can t seem to help myself I feel horrible after I eat them because I know I don t want them or need them. 4. I choose to know it doesn t always have to be this way.. My body is craving these sweets because they are keeping me safe from my own thoughts and emotions. 3. I thank my body for trying to take care of me, but it doesn t have to work so hard. 4. I can let go of these cravings and I can use other ways to deal with the emotions that cause 7 the cravings.. I don t need to fill myself with sweets. I can fill myself with other things.. I choose to know this is not always going to be the case. 7. I can eliminate the need for sweets. 8. I choose to know I can take control and heal from this. Read aloud and re-rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I crave sweets at night.

13 I have an enormous appetite. Read aloud and rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I have an enormous appetite. Even though I have an enormous appetite, I love and accept myself.. I have an enormous appetite.. I can t help it. 3. I want and need lots of food. 4. This is how I have always been.. Because this enormous appetite is part of who I am, I don t feel like I can change.. It is something I am always going to be a prisoner to It is part of who I am. 8. Since I can t change my appetite I won t ever be able to 4 lose weight.. I choose to know my appetite isn t a permanent condition.. Appetite is something that can be changed. 3. Appetite isn t just about the food my body needs. 4. My body feels it needs food for lots of reasons.. I choose to know that I can make physical and emotional changes that will make 7 changes to my appetite.. When this happens I won t feel like I am trapped by food or my huge appetite for food. 7. As I tune into my appetite I can see the real reasons it is so strong. 8. I choose to know that as I think of my appetite and tap I am clearing the emotions under that huge appetite. Read aloud and re-rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I have an enormous appetite. 3

14 I m a closet eater. Read aloud and rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I m a closet eater. Even though I m a closet eater, I love and accept myself.. I hide when I eat food.. I know I eat too much or eat the wrong things. 3. I don t want others to know the type of eating I do. 4. Others would look down on me and see me as a failure if they knew how much I eat.. I am ashamed by the way I eat.. That is why I feel I need to hide it When I hide my eating I feel even worse because I can feel the embarrassment of my choices I wish I weren t controlled by food in this way.. I choose to know it doesn t always have to be this way.. I can make changes to my eating habits. 3. I know there are loved ones in my life who would support me in my struggle. 4. The reason I hide my eating is because I don t want people to know why I am eating.. This sort of eating is meant to keep me safe, but I don t want others to know what 7 I am trying to be safe from.. It is possible for me to get my eating under control. 7. By taking care of my emotional health (like this). 8. I am going to make better eating choices and won t have to hide. Read aloud and re-rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I m a closet eater. 4

15 I have an urge to eat whenever I SMELL food. Read aloud and rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I have an urge to eat whenever I smell food. Even though I have an urge to eat whenever I smell food, I love and accept myself.. I have an urge to eat whenever I smell food.. The moment I can smell food I must have it. 3. It is as if the food is calling me. 4. I can find food like a bloodhound.. When I smell it, it calls to me.. I have no control. 7. The smell of the food takes over my entire body I can t concentrate on anything else until I have the food I smell. 4. I choose to know I can change this.. The smell of food doesn t have to control me. 3. The reason I crave food when I smell it is because of the emotional roots behind the craving. 4. This craving is trying to help me feel better.. But there are other ways I can feel better. 7. I choose to know I can escape this compulsion to eat everything I smell. 7. The smell of food has less and less power over me. 8. I can gain control over this desire. Read aloud and re-rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I have an urge to eat whenever I smell food.

16 I have a craving whenever I SEE food. Read aloud and rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I have a craving whenever I see food. Even though I have a craving whenever I see food, I love and accept myself.. I have a craving whenever I see food.. It is something I can t control. 3. When I see it, there is a part of me that must have it. 4. Even if I am not hungry.. I am pulled to the food without control.. I know I don t need the food, but I am pulled to it anyway. 7. I feel bad when I eat food that I know I don t need But I can t control this desire. 4. I choose to know that I don t always have to be this way.. I can get to a place where I am in control and the food is not in control. 3. My body craves all the food I see because it feels I need the food for reasons not related to true hunger. 4. My body wants this food out of fear and worry. 7. By eating everything I see, I am killing the fear and worry.. But there are other better ways of dealing with the fear. 7. As I deal with this fear and worry I am not going to need to eat everything I see. 8. I choose to know I can (and am) healing past this need to eat everything I see. Read aloud and re-rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I have a craving whenever I see food.

17 I eat when I m bored. Read aloud and rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I eat when I m bored. Even though I eat when I m bored, I love and accept myself.. I eat when I m bored.. When I have nothing to do I find myself with food in my hand. 3. I don t even know how it happens sometimes. 4. In some way I am trying to fill up the space.. By eating I have something to do.. I don t have to think about what I am feeling. 7. My body is using eating as a distraction So I don t have to face what is really bothering me. 4. I choose to know it is possible not to eat when I am bored.. The eating when I am bored is my body s way of telling me that I need to address some emotional issues. 3. That might seem a little scary. 4. There is a part of me that would rather keep eating when I am bored.. Rather than deal with why I am eating when I am bored.. I choose to know it is possible to deal with the emotions under the eating. 7. It is possible to deal with the emptiness I am trying to fill with food. 8. I don t need food to fill this emptiness. 7 Read aloud and re-rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I eat when I m bored. 7

18 I eat when I m angry. Read aloud and rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I eat when I m angry. Even though I eat when I m angry, I love and accept myself.. I eat when I m angry.. It is one of the ways I calm down. 3. Food takes the edge off. 4. But I know I don t want to eat when I am angry.. When I eat when I am angry I make very poor eating choices.. I eat the wrong foods and I eat too much of it. 7. I know I don t need the food But there is a part of me that really likes it because in the short term it makes me feel better. 4. I choose to know there are many ways to deal with anger other than eating.. I choose to know I don t have to be captive to eating when I am angry. 3. I choose to know I can tap the next time I am angry because it will take the edge off. 4. I give myself permission to be easy with myself when I eat when I am angry.. This is just my body s way of trying to take care of me.. My body doesn t want to feel angry so it is eating the food. 7. I know I can deal with this in other ways. 8. I can deal with the anger in other, healthier ways. 7 Read aloud and re-rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I eat when I m angry. 8

19 I eat when I m anxious. Read aloud and rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I eat when I m anxious. Even though I eat when I m anxious, I love and accept myself.. I eat when I m anxious.. It is my body s way of dealing with the feeling. 3. When I eat I take the edge off. 4. In the short term this feels good.. But I know in the long term this isn t healthy.. When I eat to take the edge off, I feel bad afterwards. 7. I feel weak I feel like my emotions are in control of me and not the other way around. 4. I give myself permission to be easy with myself because of this eating to take the edge off.. I know it is my body trying to do what is best for me. 3. Because I recognize this is happening I can do something about it. 4. The next time I am anxious I can tap on that instead of eating. 7. If I tap in the craving I feel, with I am anxious, I will also take care of the anxiousness.. I know I won t always eat like this, now that I recognize what is going on. 7. I am taking control of this issue right now. 8. I don t have to eat when I am anxious. Read aloud and re-rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I eat when I m anxious. 9

20 I eat when I m lonely. Read aloud and rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I eat when I m lonely. Even though I eat when I m lonely, I love and accept myself.. I eat when I m lonely.. My body is trying to fill up the space inside me. 3. The closest, easiest thing to reach for is food. 4. In the moment it makes me feel better.. But I know in the long term this is not good for me.. Even though I feel a little better in the short term by eating when I am lonely I feel much worse right afterwards. 8. It can become a downward spiral quickly. 4. I give myself permission to be easy with myself when I eat when I am lonely.. I know on some level it is just my body trying to take care of me. 3. It just doesn t know what the best tools to do that are. 4. The next time I feel a craving for food I am going to tap on it.. By tapping on the craving I will also be tapping on the feeling that is under it.. I will be healing the feeling of loneliness. 7. I choose to know I don t have to be a prisoner to these feelings. 8. I choose to know I can control the way I eat, even if it doesn t feel like it right now. 7 Read aloud and re-rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I eat when I m lonely. 0

21 WHY WE EAT

22 I overeat to hurt myself. Read aloud and rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I overeat to hurt myself. Even though I overeat to hurt myself, I love and accept myself.. I overeat to hurt myself.. I know it is bad for me. 3. I know the more I overeat, the worse I feel. 4. Part of me really wants to feel bad.. Part of me wants to look bad.. Part of me doesn t believe I deserve any better. 7. That is why I do this to myself I feel worthless. 4. In some strange way this is to help me.. There is a part of me that is afraid that if I feel good about myself, I am going to get hurt. 3. This is nothing more than a way for my body to take care of me. 4. It just happens to be doing it in a very twisted way. 7. I choose to know I deserve better than this.. I choose to know I don t deserve to punish myself. 7. I give myself permission to stop hurting myself in this way. 8. I choose to return food to being a healing and nurturing force in my life and no longer a form of punishment. Read aloud and re-rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I overeat to hurt myself.

23 I eat to avoid my feelings. Read aloud and rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I to avoid my feelings. Even though I eat to avoid my feelings, I love and accept myself.. I eat to avoid my feelings.. I use food as a distraction. 3. When I am feeling something that is unpleasant the first thing I do is reach for food. 4. Sometimes I don t even remember getting the food. I am just eating it.. When I realize I am using food to hide my emotions I feel 3 even worse.. It can quickly become a downward spiral I wish I didn t eat to hide my feelings. 8. But I know it doesn t have to be this way.. I choose to know I have other ways of dealing with my emotions.. The next time I am looking for food to hide my emotions I am going to tap instead. 3. I know the only reason I do this is because my body is trying to take care of me. 4. My body doesn t want me to feel bad, so it craves food to make me feel better.. I know my body wants the best for me even though it is having me make this choice.. I choose to let my body know I have other options to deal with my emotions. 7. In ways that are much healthier in the short and long term. 8. I don t have to use food to avoid my feelings. 7 Read aloud and re-rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I eat to avoid my feelings. 3

24 I use food to soothe myself. Read aloud and rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I use food to soothe myself. Even though I use food to soothe myself, I love and accept myself.. I use food to soothe myself.. When I am anxious or stressed I reach for food. 3. Sometimes I don t even remember reaching for the food. 4. It is just in my hand and my mouth.. In the short term I feel better when I do this.. But in the long term I know it is bad for me. 7. Because of this I get very frustrated with myself when I do this I wish I didn t use food to soothe myself. 4. The reason my body craves food is because it knows it will make me feel better in the short term.. My body is only doing this because it thinks it is being helpful. 3. I am thankful my body is trying to take care of me. 4. But I know there are better ways of doing this.. I choose to let my body know I appreciate what it is trying to do for me, but that I need 7 to make another, different choice.. The next time I reach for food to soothe myself, I will choose to tap instead. 7. I give myself permission to be easy with myself if I don t change this right away. 8. This is a change I can make over time. Read aloud and re-rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I use food to soothe myself. 4

25 I overeat to hide myself. Read aloud and rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I overeat to hide myself. Even though I overeat to hide myself, I love and accept myself.. I overeat to hide myself.. The weight I gain from overeating is my protection. 3. If I am covered in weight from overeating then people can t see the real me. 4. It is an easy way for me to hide.. This is part of my body protecting me from the possible hurt of people knowing who I really am. 3. The overeating and weight is a response to fear. 7. It is a way that my body is trying to take care of me I can take care of myself in other ways.. I choose to know I don t have to hide behind my fat and my overeating.. I let the fat in my body know I am not mad at it. 3. The fat and overeating are just doing their job. 4. They are protecting me. 7. I give myself permission to heal the part of me that is being protected by the overeating.. I choose to know that the overeating is not the problem, but a symptom of a deeper issue. 7. I give myself permission to be easy with myself as I deal with the fact I am hiding behind my fat and overeating. 8. I know I can heal the underlying roots which will free me from the overeating. Read aloud and re-rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I overeat to hide myself.

26 RESPONSE TO EATING AND WEIGHT

27 I hate myself for overeating. Read aloud and rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I hate myself for overeating. Even though I hate myself for overeating, I love and accept myself.. I hate myself for overeating.. I do it all the time. 3. I know it is bad for me. 4. It hurts me in the short and long term.. I feel like I have no control at all.. When I overeat it is like an out of body experience. 7. The cravings take over I feel so weak for not being in control. 4. I should be stronger than this.. I know it is bad for me, but I persist. 3. I choose to know there is a reason my body is having me overeat. 4. My body believes it is doing what is best for me, even though I know it is not. 7. My overeating is driven by my emotions.. When I am able to heal my emotions I am able to stop the overeating. 7. I forgive myself for my past overeating. 8. It is possible for me to stop overeating even if part of me does not think it is possible. Read aloud and re-rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I hate myself for overeating. 7

28 I feel guilty when I overeat. Read aloud and rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I feel guilty when I overeat. Even though I feel guilty when I overeat, I love and accept myself.. I feel guilty when I overeat.. I should know better. 3. But I just can t help myself. 4. I know it hurts me when I overeat.. Then I feel bad about over eating and often this makes me overeat even more.. It is a vicious cycle I feel guilty because I don t have control. 8. I feel guilty because I should be better than this. 4. I feel guilty because I know the over eating is hurting my body in the long term.. I forgive myself for overeating, even though part of me doesn t want to forgive myself. 3. I choose to be easy with myself knowing that my body is overeating because it thinks it is helping me in some way. 4. It is possible for me to stop this cycle. 7. I don t need to overeat and I will be able to stop it.. I know I need to change and will change, but beating myself up now doesn t create that change. 7. I can make this change even if I don t know how to right now. I give myself permission to be easy with myself. 8. I give myself permission to stop punishing myself for overeating. Read aloud and re-rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I feel guilty when I overeat. 8

29 I feel guilty about being overweight. Read aloud and rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I feel guilty about being overweight. Even though I feel guilty about being overweight, I love and accept myself.. I feel guilty about being overweight.. I wish I weren t overweight. 3. I have made poor choices that have made me overweight. 4. It is all my fault.. I wish I weren t overweight.. People treat me differently because of my weight. 7. I created this situation I have become overweight. 4. I choose to know that I don t always have to be overweight.. It is more important that I am choosing to do something about my weight, than worry about how I got here. 3. I am taking responsibility for my weight, not by blaming myself, but instead choosing to doing something about it. 4. It might take time and work, but I deserve to do that work.. I give myself permission to change the guilty feeling about my situation into motivation 7 to make positive changes.. I forgive myself for beating myself up over my weight. 7. I give myself permission to move past the guilt. 8. I choose to know I can take control of my weight. Read aloud and re-rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I feel guilty about being overweight. 9

30 I feel guilty about losing weight. Read aloud and rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I feel guilty about losing weight. Even though I feel guilty about losing weight, I love and accept myself.. I feel guilty about losing weight.. I know I should lose weight. 3. I know I want to lose weight. 4. But there is a part of me that doesn t want to lose weight.. If I lose weight I am going to make others feel bad.. If I lose weight others are going to notice me. 7. If I lose weight I have to admit I had problems in the past If I lose weight there are people in my life who are going to think that I think I am better than them. 4. If I lose weight I am not going to look like a show off.. I just want to fit in and not make others think of me badly. 3. I just want to fit in and not make anyone feel bad about themselves. 4. I choose to know I deserve to lose weight. 7. My body needs to lose weight.. I deserve to be healthy. 7. There is no reason to feel guilty about having a healthy body. 8. I give myself permission to lose weight in a healthy way. Read aloud and re-rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I feel guilty about losing weight. 30

31 I m anxious when I sit down to eat. Read aloud and rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I m anxious when I sit down to eat. Even though I m anxious when I sit down to eat, I love and accept myself.. I m anxious when I sit down to eat.. I know that eating is a struggle for me. 3. Just the thought of dealing with food makes me feel anxious. 4. I know I have such a hard time being in control.. I want to make good choices.. But don t think I can, because I have made so many poor choices in the past I am worried I am going to make poor choices again. 8. It scares me to be around food because I don t want to lose 4 control again.. I choose to know it is possible for me to eat in a healthy way.. I choose to know it is possible for me to be in control when I eat. 3. I give myself permission to know that I don t have to fear being around food. 4. I need food and food is good for me. 7. I know it is possible to approach food knowing that I can eat only what I need.. I can be in control and at ease around food even thought I have not been at ease and in control in the past. 7. I forgive myself for being anxious in the past. 8. The anxiousness was trying to protect me, but there is nothing that I need to be protected from. Read aloud and re-rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I m anxious when I sit down to eat. 3

32 I associate food with fighting. Read aloud and rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I associate food with fighting. Even though I associate food with fighting, I love and accept myself.. I associate food with fighting.. I have trouble around food because of this. 3. I get worried and anxious around food because I think people are going to start fighting. 4. This is because of my past. There has been lots of fighting around meals.. I am worried every time I sit down to eat there is going to be 3 more fighting.. Because of this I feel anxious and don t eat well I wish I didn t feel this way around food. 8. Food should not equal fighting.. I choose to know that the fighting in the past just happened to occur at mealtime.. Mealtime was when we had to be together, because families eat together. 3. The fighting had to do with the family dynamic. 4. The fighting had to do with the people sitting around the table.. The fighting had nothing to do with the food or the dinner table (even if my family said 7 it was about the food).. I choose to know that I can sit down to a meal and know fighting is not going to happen because we are sitting down together. 7. Lots of fighting might have happened in the past, but it had nothing to with the food. 8. I can sit and eat food in peace, knowing there is not going to be fighting. Read aloud and re-rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I associate food with fighting. 3

33 I associate food with my mother s love. Read aloud and rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I associate food with my mother s love. Even though I associate food with my mother s love, I love and accept myself.. I associate food with my mother s love.. Every time my mother (and other family members) wanted to show love it was done with food. 3. Food is a very mature way to show affections. 4. We are sharing something we spent time preparing.. We are sharing something that gives life and nourishment.. For this reason it is very easy for us to equate food with love Because there are many times when people showed us love. 8. They gave us food. 4. Now when I crave love, I reach for food.. By eating food, I feel loved. 3. The problem is, I do this too much and it causes me to overeat. 4. I choose to know I deserve love and can get love in many other ways. 7. I don t need to eat to feel loved.. Food is necessary and nourishing. 7. It can be given to me as an expression of love. 8. But food is not love. Read aloud and re-rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I associate food with my mother s love. 33

34 I feel unsafe without food. Read aloud and rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I feel unsafe without food. Even though I feel unsafe without food, I love and accept myself.. I feel unsafe without food.. When I don t have food around, I feel unsafe. 3. When I have access to food, I feel I must eat it or hoard it. 4. Part of me is worried there is not going to be enough.. Part of me is worried that this might be my last chance to get food.. Therefore I cling to food Making sure I get my fill. 8. I am worried about not having food. 4. I choose to know there is more than enough food.. I am going to have future access to food. 3. I know there is more food in my future. 4. I live in a time and place where I can get more food easily when I want or need it. 7. Therefore I don t need to desperately cling to it and hoard it.. When I realize this I will eat less. 7. Because I am no longer eating out of fear of lack. 8. But eating out of what is healthy for me. Read aloud and re-rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I feel unsafe without food. 34

35 LOSING WEIGHT AND EXERCISE

36 I am afraid that if I lose weight I will gain it back again. Read aloud and rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I am afraid that if I lose weight I will gain it back again. Even though I am afraid that if I lose weight I will gain it back again, I love and accept myself.. I am afraid that if I lose weight I will gain it back.. I have seen other people gain weight back. 3. I have gained weight back. 4. I don t want to spend all of this time and energy.. Trying to lose weight.. Only to gain it back again. 7. That is a total waste of time Therefore it is really hard for me to take weight loss seriously. 4. I choose to know this time can be different.. I am approaching not only the weight I need to lose. 3. But why I need to lose that weight. 4. This will ensure that I am going to be successful this time.. I deserve to lose weight and I deserve the effort it takes. 7. Because I know this time will be different. 7. It is possible for me to lose weight and not have it come back. 8. I can lose weight without fear of gaining it back. Read aloud and re-rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I am afraid that if I lose weight I will gain it back again. 3

37 I am going to fail, just like last time. Read aloud and rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I am going to fail, just like last time. Even though I am going to fail, just like last time, I love and accept myself.. I am going to fail, just like last time.. I have tried this before. 3. It didn t work last time. 4. It is not going to work this time.. I know I am going to fail again.. I am not strong enough to do this. 7. Losing weight is too hard for me No matter how hard I try. 4. I choose to know this time is different.. I am not trying to do this on will power alone. 3. This time I am dealing with the emotional issues of my weight. 4. Because of this I am not just trying to change my body. 7. I am doing work on my whole system.. This is going to allow me to be successful. 7. I might have failed in the past. 8. But this time is different. Read aloud and re-rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I am going to fail, just like last time. 37

38 I am not strong enough to lose weight. Read aloud and rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I am not strong enough to lose weight. Even though I am not strong enough to lose weight, I love and accept myself.. I am not strong enough to lose weight.. Losing weight is hard. 3. That is the reason so many people fail. 4. It is something you have to work at everyday.. I don t have the will power.. Or the strength to lose the weight I want. 7. Because it is much too hard I am not strong enough to do this. 4. The reason weight loss is so hard for some people is because they try to do it on will power alone.. If my will power was strong enough I wouldn t be in this situation to begin with. 3. But this time I am not doing it only on will power. 4. By dealing with the underlying issues, I am making it much easier. 7. I am changing the way I see myself and the way I see food.. Because I am doing this, I am not working on will power alone. 7. I am strong enough to make the changes I need. 8. Which makes weight loss possible. Read aloud and re-rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I am not strong enough to lose weight. 38

39 I am overwhelmed by how much weight I want to lose. Read aloud and rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I am overwhelmed by how much weight I want to lose. Even though I am afraid that if I lose weight I will gain it back again, I love and accept myself.. I am overwhelmed by how much weight I want to lose.. It seems impossible. 3. It would be doable if there were less to lose. 4. But there is just so much.. It doesn t seem possible.. I am not strong enough to lose this much. 7. I don t have the time Or energy to lose this much. 4. I choose to know it doesn t matter how much weight I have to lose.. What is more important is that I start. 3. As I lose weight, it will be easier to lose more weight. 4. It might even take a long time.. But that is OK.. My goal is to lose weight in a healthy way, at the rate my body needs to lose it. 7. I don t need to lose all the weight right now, or even this week. 8. I just need to lose a little at a time, which is doable and not so overwhelming. 7 Read aloud and re-rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I am overwhelmed by how much weight I want to lose. 39

40 I am overwhelmed by exercise because I am so out of shape. Read aloud and rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I am overwhelmed by exercise because I am so out of shape. Even though I am overwhelmed by exercise because I am so out of shape, I love and accept myself.. I am overwhelmed by exercise because I am so out of shape.. It is just too hard to start. 3. Right now I can t do anything. 4. The thought of exercise makes me tired.. It would be different if I were younger.. But it is too much. 7. I am starting from scratch I will never get into shape, so there is no reason to even try. 4. I choose to know that getting in shape through exercise is a process.. It is not something that happens overnight. 3. I don t have to run a marathon tomorrow. 4. Or ever.. My goal is to work my way into shape. 7. Any exercise I do today is more than I did yesterday. 7. With each workout it will make the next workout easier. 8. I give myself permission to work my way into this a little at a time, and by doing this it will not be so overwhelming. Read aloud and re-rate how true it is from 0 to 0: overwhelmed by exercise because I am so out of shape. 40

41 I don t believe I can reach my goal. Read aloud and rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I don t believe I can reach my goal. Even though I am not strong enough to lose weight, I love and accept myself.. I don t believe I can reach my goal.. It would be nice to reach my goal. 3. It is fun to believe I can reach my goal. 4. But my goal is just too much.. If I could get there I would be so happy.. But it is not possible. 7. Because it is not possible there is no reason to try Because it is going to be futile. 4. I choose to know I don t need to reach my goal right now.. This is going to be a process. 3. I give myself permission to do this a little a time. 4. As I reach each of my smaller goals it is going to be easier to reach my big goal. 7. By taking it a little at a time I am going to get there.. By looking at it in this way. 7. It becomes doable. 8. And not so overwhelming. Read aloud and re-rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I don t believe I can reach my goal. 4

42 I don t trust myself to keep the weight off. Read aloud and rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I don t trust myself to keep the weight off. Even though I don t trust myself to keep the weight off, I love and accept myself.. I don t trust myself to keep the weight off.. I have been down that road before. 3. It is going to come back. 4. I might have the will power to lose the weight.. But once I do it is going to come creeping back.. It is going to creep back slowly. 7. I am going to wake up one day and the weight is 3 going to be back. 8. This will be devastating because of all the work that 4 will be wasted.. I choose to know that if I am able to get rid of the weight then I can keep it off.. Losing it is harder than keeping it off. 3. Once it is off, it will stay off. 4. Because I am not just changing my habits, but also my beliefs.. By changing the emotions that underlie the weight, it will not only be easy to keep the 7 weight off; it won t come back.. I am not just getting rid of weight but I am improving my emotional health. 7. And creating good habits. 8. All of this will contribute to me easily keeping the weight off. Read aloud and re-rate how true it is from 0 to 0: I don t trust myself to keep the weight off. 4

43 No one will notice if I lose the weight. Read aloud and rate how true it is from 0 to 0: No one will notice if I lose the weight. Even though I am going to fail, just like last time, I love and accept myself.. No one will notice if I lose the weight.. It is going to be a long process. 3. I know it is going to take time. 4. I know I can do this.. I am just worried that the other people in my life aren t going to notice the change.. This is important work It is going to impact me and my loved ones. 8. I am afraid they will not see what I am doing. 4. I choose to know the most important reason for me to do this is for me.. That is my priority. 3. I choose to know that there are people in my life who are going to notice. 4. Because of the magnitude of the change. 7. It would be great if everyone noticed the work I am doing.. But I am doing this for me first. And that is OK. 7. If someone else doesn t notice it, it is because their eyes are not open. 8. They are choosing not to see the great strides I have made and it is their choice, and not mine. Read aloud and re-rate how true it is from 0 to 0: No one will notice if I lose the weight. 43