Belief Assessments: Weight

Belief Assessments

WEIGHT:

For each statement, read the statement aloud, and consider how true it FEELS to you. You may believe the statement, or you may not believe the statement, but it may feel true even if you don’t intellectually believe it. What’s important is noting how true the statement feels on a scale of 0-10, where 0 is ‘not true at all’ and 10 is ‘totally true.’

Rate each belief on the ‘Truth Meter’.
For each statement, note how true it is on a scale of 0-10.
0 means ‘not true at all’ and 10 means ‘completely true’.

Important note: Your head may disagree with your feelings. For example, you may say ‘I know intellectually that this isn’t true, but it feels true.’ If that’s the case, write down the number that indicates how true it feels to you.

1. I’ve tried before to lose/maintain a healthy weight, and failed.
2. There are certain foods I just can’t resist.
3. I’ve never been successful in the past at maintaining a healthy weight.
4. I will insult people if I don’t eat what they offer.
5. I don’t have time to take care of my body.
6. I don’t have the money to take care of my body.
7. It’s hard to lose weight.
8. I can’t do it.
9. It’s too hard.
10. Exercise is no fun.
11. I don’t have time to exercise.
12. Exercise is too time-consuming.
13. I can’t lose weight unless I exercise very hard.
14. You have to eat rabbit food to be a healthy weight.
15. You have to follow a formal diet plan to lose weight.
16. Losing/maintaining a healthy weight is all willpower.
17. I don’t deserve it.
18. I’m doomed to stay this way.
19. My family is overweight.
20. No matter what I do . . .
21. I feel vulnerable.
22. I’m not good at exercise.
23. I’ve tried before to lose/maintain a healthy weight, and failed.
24. There are certain foods I just can’t resist.
25. I won’t ever be able to enjoy my food if I want to maintain a healthy weight.
26. I don’t believe that I can lose weight/maintain a healthy weight.
27. No one in my family is thin, so I can’t be.
28. I’ve never been successful in the past at maintaining a healthy weight.
29. I can’t be a healthy weight because of my metabolism.
30. I’m afraid I’ll lose the weight and still be unhappy.
31. If I lose weight I’ll just gain it all back.
32. I don’t deserve to be thin.
33. I don’t believe diets work.
34. I inherited this body type.
35. I was told I would be overweight as an adult.
36. I would have to eat food I hate to lose weight/maintain a loss.
37. I have to cook for my family, so I can’t lose weight.
38. I would have to buy all new clothes if I lost weight.
39. People would hit on me if I was thin.
40. I won’t be myself at a healthy weight.
41. I will insult people if I don’t eat what they offer.
42. I don’t have time to get enough sleep.
43. I don’t have time to take care of my body.
44. I don’t have the money to take care of my body.
45. I have this issue, but I’m afraid to go to the doctor and ask about it.
46. My body will never by attractive, so I don’t bother.

• Other beliefs that I have about health and wellness that weren’t on this list:

• What do you notice from taking this assessment?

• How many of the beliefs have Truth Meter numbers of 5 or higher?

On a scale of 0 – 10, 10 being true for you, how do you rate with this assessment?

If you have 3 or more beliefs rated at a 5 or above, then your beliefs around letting go of this weight are holding you back.

Book your 30 min FREE consultation with me today. Call 604 551 4986 or info@TheGastricBandAlternative.com

Happy Valentine’s Day!!

I have a couple of things to share this Valentine’s Day for you.  I share a simple way to open to more love right now!

ANYTHING can be an opportunity to open to more love in your life, today included :)  However you’re spending this Valentine’s, I wish you a blessed, happy, love-filled day and evening.  However you’re spending this Valentine’s, I wish you a blessed, happy, love-filled day and evening.
Even if spent alone, I believe it can be rich in love and romance if you wish.

Love and romance are energies you can embrace, enjoy, and experience.

You can do this by conjuring them within, as well as treating yourself to that which ignites those states in you (a romantic movie, candle-lit bath, music, flowers, a delicious meal, massage, etc.)

You can harness Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to open to more love in your life more generally – love for yourself, others, and the world – and to receive more of the love that is there for you in every moment, including the immeasurable love the universe has for you.

Love wants to sing and dance through your heart; let it in and let it out!

Self-love lays a pivotal foundation, and one I will be exploring in a 2-Part Teleworkshop coming up to help you open to and experience more love from yourself, and clear the blocks and encumbrances that stand in the way.

“If there is a panacea, or cure-all to life, it is self love.” – Paul Solomon

Self-love will enhance EVERY area of your life, including your relationship with a partner (or attracting one), since your relationships with others (friends, family and romantic), will ultimately reflect and be impacted by the relationship you have with yourself.
The more loving and kind you are to yourself, the more likely you will be so to others, and the more you will open to attract and receive the love that wants to be given to you.
Love can touch your heart in so many ways if you are open and allow and wants to be given to you in every moment.
Let love touch your soul, through the scent of a rose, a sunset glow, or the smile of someone you don’t even know.
I may not be in a relationship this Valentine’s but I feel full of love and romance! I feel loved-up with love itself!
Allow yourself to experience and enjoy the energies of love and romance whether you are in a relationship or not.
They are more prominent on this day as people are focusing on them more; enjoy the positive energies that are being invoked and shared on this day
Never miss an opportunity to say “I love you”, better still, create them!
So, a simple way To Open To More Love On This Day is through Random Acts of Kindness.
Acts of kindness have been found to increase oxytocin, also known as the ‘Love Hormone’ and ‘Cuddle Chemical’, and yet it is not just a feel-good chemical.
Oxytocin also has a number of significant physical health-promoting attributes, such as mopping up damaging free radicals, reducing inflammation, lowering blood pressure, aiding heart health and repair, and growing new blood vessels!
Hugging also increases this chemical by the way – so do give plenty of those away today and in your life in general when you get a chance.
Let love inspire you to act lovingly to another.
To give and receive love is one of the greatest of human joys. Putting that love in action is so rewarding and can make a real difference to someone’s day.
A little of your time can make a big difference in someone’s day, even a smile can be like sunshine in the rain :)
What can you do to let someone you love know how much you care, or assist someone in some way?
And what can you do to love, honour and treat YOURSELF today? Do it! :)
Always remember: Love feels as good going out as it does coming in :)

Hypnosis: The new aesthetics for Thyroid removal? on CBC NEWS

Can you imagine going through major surgery without general anaesthesia? That’s what Christel Place did when she had her thyroid removed – and she’s one of a growing number of patients who opt out of general anaesthesia and get hypnotized instead. Hypnosis plus a local anaesthetics leaves patients sedated but aware, reports the Associated Press, and doctors say their recovery time is faster and their need for painkillers reduced. This method is feasible for only certain operations, of course – not those involving the heart or internal organs.

For her surgery at the hospital Cliniques Universitaires St. Luc in Brussels, Belgium, Place pictured herself hiking in the French Alps while surgeons sliced her neck open.

Doctors say nearly any surgery usually done with a local anesthetic could work with hypnosis and less pain medicine. Since doctors began offering hypnosis at the hospital in 2003, hundreds of patients have chosen it. At another Belgian hospital, more than 8,000 surgeries have been done this way since 1992.

Surgery to solve thyroid problems is usually done with either local or general anesthesia and is considered low risk.

In the U.S., there are no guidelines on the surgical use of hypnosis, according to president of the American Society of Anesthesiologists Dr. Mark Warner. Dr. Warner often uses music therapy or asks patients to picture a soothing scene to distract them from any discomfort. “If we could get more research on the right patient groups that would benefit from (hypnosis), that would be wonderful,” he said.

Dr. Roelants described hypnosis as a modified state of consciousness. “The patient’s mind goes to a pleasant place, but the body stays in the operating room.” At Roelants’ hospital, one-third of all surgeries to remove thyroids and one-quarter of all breast cancer surgeries, including biopsies and mastectomies, use hypnosis and local anesthetic.

Using hypnosis means patients recover faster and hospitals save money, according to some studies. But it may require doctors to spend more time with patients beforehand to do the hypnosis and they may need more careful monitoring during surgery.

Place said waking up from the surgery was more abrupt than she’d expected. “It was like I was really in the mountains and then ‘poof,’ it was over,” Place said, laughing.

Read the entire story with photos of surgery at CBC NEWS.COM or click here
http://www.cbsnews.com/2300-204_162-10008770.html#ixzz1jwaHzvuK

The Message of Pain

Both emotional and physical pain are messages that we need to stop and pay attention.

When we feel pain, our first impulse is often to eradicate it with medication. This is an understandable response, but sometimes in our hurry to get rid of pain, we forget that it is the body’s way of letting us know that it needs our attention.

A headache can inform us that we’re hungry or stressed just as a sore throat might be telling us that we need to rest our voice. If we override these messages instead of responding to them, we risk worsening our condition. In addition, we create a feeling of disconnectedness between our minds and our bodies.

Physical pain is not the only kind of pain that lets us know our attention is needed.

Ten Ways To Survive The Holidays Without Gaining Weight

With the holidays approaching, you may be anticipating, with a bit of trepidation, all the food temptation that you are likely to be subjected to.

It’s no doubt the time of year when boxes of chocolate and cookies inevitably appear on your doorstep or in the office . . .and you find yourself at parties where endless spreads of sweets and high calorie dishes abound.

Cheery faces thrust rich food and beverages into your hands . . .and it may feel like you are clinging to every ounce of willpower you have, but only by a thread.

Relax, and cast your worries aside.  With the following ten tips, you’ll be able to survive the holiday onslaught with a smile, and fitting into your clothes easily. . . .

Tip #1:  Avoid excess hunger.  Do not let yourself become ravenously hungry.  Make sure that especially at this time of year, you plan regular, healthy meals for yourself so that your stomach is comfortably full. You’ll be less tempted to binge, if your blood sugar isn’t plummeting, so make sure to include enough protein in your diet.

Tip #2:  Take time for physical exercise. This will keep your blood sugar stable, reduce stress, increase your metabolism, and improve your overall sense of well-being.  Find an activity that’s fun for you that you can really enjoy and look forward to – perhaps a long walk while pumping to the beat of your favourite music, racquetball, or in-line skating.

Tip #3:  Have foresight. Plan a strategy for those situations where you know your willpower will be tested.  If you know that you will be at a party where sinful treats are likely to be plentiful, plan your course of action in advance.  Keep in mind that if you totally deprive yourself, you’re very likely to binge later.  Make your strategy one that you are happy with.  Perhaps you’ll allow yourself to indulge in a certain number of hors d’oeuvre, but steer clear of the dessert table.

Consuming to Heal: Filling Imaginary Voids

The need to fill an imaginary void by shopping is a symptom of disconnection from our true selves.

In our culture today, we are constantly encouraged to consume. This includes food as well as purchasing ever newer items that we may not need, often using money that we may not actually have. It could be that we are trying to fill a void we feel within ourselves, but if we take the time to examine it, we know deep inside that this is not the solution. We may notice how quickly the joy fades after our purchase or once the food we’ve enjoyed is gone, and how soon we feel the urge to do so again. This is a symptom of disconnection from our true selves, so the first step toward balance is connection to our center.

When we connect to our center, we access the fullness of who we are as an individual spirit. We also connect to the energy source of the universe, from which nothing can be lacking. It could be that we have been energetically starving ourselves but trying to feed the need physically, outwardly. Once we make the decision to reconnect, we have the ability to examine the behavior from a higher place within ourselves. We can look, without judgment, at the thoughts and feelings that occur before and after our indulgences to find a pattern. We may want to keep track of these observations in a journal so that we can go back if we lose our way.

Often boredom is the main cause for the desire to eat or shop. But when we connect to our center, our intuition can more clearly guide us to the places where our energy can best be used. We can replace the boredom with a meditation practice, a class, a project, seeking a new job, or getting involved in a charity. We may even want to begin planning an adventurous trip. Whatever inspires us tells us the direction we should go. When we find the place we are meant to be, we become so consumed by its constant creation that the frivolous filling of an imaginary void becomes a thing of the past.

The Bible’s Contributions to Human Trinity Hypnotherapy

By Chaplain Paul G. Durbin, Ph.D.

The Bible has been the most influential book in my life and it still speaks something new to me each time I read it.

What is the first written record of the use of hypnosis? The first written recorded use of hypnosis is found in the book of Genesis 2:21-22, “So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon man, and while he slept, took one of his ribs and closed up in its place with flesh, and the rib which God took from man. He made woman and brought her to the man.” In this incident, God used hypnosis as an anaesthesia so that Adam felt no pain during the removal of his rib.

In addition to the reference in Genesis, mention of hypnotic techniques is found in other ancient sources concerning the Egyptian “Sleep Temples.” In the temples, Egyptian priest used hypnotic-like procedures to improve health. These temples were so popular that they spread to Grease and Asia Minor.

Chaplain W. Leo Peacock gives a number of New Testament illustrations of hypnosis in his paper “Religious Hypnosis and Personal Control.” Chaplain Peacock makes a point with his interpretation of Matthew’s account of Joseph’s dream concerning taking Mary as his wife (Matthew 1:20-25). When Joseph discovered that Mary was expecting a child, he decided to break his engagement for he knew that the child was not his. The story told of an “angel” or “messenger” coming to Joseph in a dream. In this dream, the angel told Joseph to marry Mary. Upon waking, Joseph did as the angel suggested. Peacock writes that this is a clear description of an individual being hypnotized and while under hypnosis being given a post-hypnotic suggestion which he immediately acts upon as soon as he came out of the hypnotic trance.

Paul speaks of going into a trance while praying in the temple (Acts 22:17). Peter “fell into a trance” and from that experience came to see that God loved all people and accepts all people who come to him. Peter had been invited to the home of a centurion who was devout in his faith, but was not Jewish. At that time, it was religiously unlawful for Peter to visit the centurion’s house. After the dream, Peter went to visit the centurion (Acts 10:1-48).

The practice of “laying on of hand,” mentioned in the Bible, uses some of the techniques of hypnosis. In the book of Acts (28:8) we read, “And it came about that the father of Publius was lying in bed afflicted with recurrent fever and dysentery; and Paul went in to see him and after he prayed, he laid his hands on him and healed him.” Elsewhere in the book of Acts, there is a reference to an apostle looking into the eyes or gazing into the eyes of a person which resulted in the person being healed. “This man was listening to Paul as he spoke, who when he had fixed his gaze upon him, and had seen that he had faith to be made well, said with a loud voice, ‘Stand upright on your feet.’ And he leaped up and began to walk.” (Acts 14:9-10).

Jesus often spoke in parables or stories which still bring to mind vivid pictures which tell us something important about life. The parables can have a different meaning to us at different times in our lives. One of the principles of hypnosis is repetition and there are two of Jesus’ parables (The Friend At Midnight and The Unjust Judge) which speak to this issue. In the parable of the “Friend At Midnight” (Luke 11:5-10), Jesus tells of a man who knocks at his neighbour’s door at midnight and request some food for a friend who has arrived at his house unexpectedly. At first the friend said, “Do not brother me. ” but because the man is persistent, the friend will get up and give him as much food as he needs. What does this have to do with hypnosis? At first the subconscious (the friend next door) is resistant to change but through persistence, in the use of hypnotherapy, the subconscious will grant what is requested. Jesus concludes the parable, “Ask and it shall be give to you , seek and you shall find; knock it will be opened to you. For everyone who ask receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it shall be opened. ”

In the parable of “The Unjust Judge” (Luke 18:1-8), Jesus told the story of a judge who does not fear God and respects no one. A widow keeps coming before him for protection from her opponents. As the woman persists, even after being turned down several time, the judges says, “Because she bothers me, I will give her legal protection. Just by continually coming, she wears me out.” I leave the parable for your interpretation.

The idea of the human trinity came to me from the Bible for there I learned that we are made up of body, mind, and spirit and each affects the others and are affected by the others.

Paul writes of the human trinity in the twelfth chapter of the book of Romans. Paul wrote, “I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercy of God, that ye present your body as a living sacrifice, holy acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service and be not confined to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:1-2).

In God’s sight, the body and mind as well as the spirit are important. The body is the temple of God, and the place where the spirit dwells for Jesus said, “The Kingdom of God is within you.” From Romans, I hear God saying through Paul that real worship is more than the offering of great prayers. It is more than the offering to God of a ritual, however magnificent. Real worship is the offering of everyday life to God.

The renewing of the mind calls for a change in attitude. It calls for us to let go of any negative thought because they can be a block to living life to its fullest. God wants us to realize our talents, our abilities, our potential, and with divine guidance to use them for our own good and for the good of others. He leads to look into the heart (subconscious) and mind (conscious) to see our potential and our possibilities rather than our failures and limitations. In the Bible, one can find several references to hypnotic like activities. For instance, the first written record of the use of hypnosis is recorded in the book of Genesis 2:21-22, “So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh, and the rib which God took from man, he made woman and brought her to him.” In this incident, God used hypnosis so that Adam felt no pain during the removal of his rib.

Paul speaks of going into a trance while praying in the temple (Acts 22:17). Peter “feel into a trance” and from that experience came to understand that God loves all people and accepts all people who come to him (Acts 10:1-18). Through the book of Acts, there are a number of references to the apostles looking into the eyes or gazing into the eyes which resulted in the person being healed (Acts 14:9-10). The practice of “laying on of hands” mentioned in the Bible uses some of the techniques of hypnosis (Acts 28:8).

The writer of Proverbs 23:7 said that as a person thinketh in his heart, so is he. St. Paul wrote, “Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap.”(Gal. 6:7) This says to me that what is sown by the conscious mind through thoughts and images into the subconscious mind tends to become a reality. Mental images give the subconscious mind a model to work toward for good or bad. The use of positive imagery improves life and health. Until there is an image in the mind, there can be no reality. The author of Proverbs 29:18 also wrote that were there is no vision, the people parish.
Jesus said, “The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because… he sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, and set at liberty them that are bruised.” (Luke 4:18) Following that guidance and the proper use of hypnosis, we can heal the brokenhearted, bring deliverance to those in captivity to pain, fear, and phobias; give sight to the emotionally and spiritually blind, and set at liberty those who are bound by unwanted habits.

Chaplain Paul G. Durbin, Ph.D._Chaplain (Brigadier General) United States Army: Retired 1989 Director of Pastoral Care & Clinical Hypnotherapy: Methodist Hospital, New Orleans, LA: Retired 2001 Director of Clinical Hypnotherapy: MHSF, Affiliated with Methodist Hospital: Retired June 30, 2005
You can contact me at pgdurbin@hotmail.com

Food is fuel

Food is fuel. That doesn’t sound like a revelation, does it? I mean, we all know food is fuel, it’s what keeps us going through the day, builds muscles, powers our brains.

But think of it again. Food is fuel.  If that’s all that food is, why do we obsess about it? Why do we eat too much of it? Why do we put in types of fuel that our body neither wants nor needs?

Imagine if you did that to your car – can you picture yourself at the gas station, filling up, and then when the tank is full, you just keep on pumping, so that it flows out all over the forecourt. People would think you were crazy.

Or imagine taking your nice shiny sedan out to a farm and filling it up with thick, sludgy farm diesel – it would ruin the engine.  Yet that is what we do to our bodies when we overeat, when we cram in junk food with no nutritional value.

What has happened is that over the past 100 years our attitude towards food has been profoundly changed, mostly by the advertising industry. It is estimated that the average American is bombarded with up to 1500 food related ads per day, each of which is dedicated to the message that food is so much more than fuel.

Food is now a lifestyle choice, a status symbol, a reward, a pleasure, a comfort, a celebration, and it is, above and beyond anything else, an emotional experience.  So what happens if instead, you go back to believing that food is fuel? Two consequences run from that. The first is that you naturally stop overeating. The second is that the quality of the food that you’re going to choose will naturally improve. We’ll look at each of these in turn.

Overeating is something that we have learned.  We learned it because we long ago forgot that food was fuel, and just like your car’s gas tank, we need to stop before we overfill it.

Thus we learned to clear out plate, regardless of how we felt. We learned to eat our school lunch quickly, because we were in a hurry.  We learned to sit and stuff our faces while watching TV, because that’s what everyone else does.  But when you realize once again that food is primarily fuel for your body, you start to ask different questions – such as what are the best foods that are going to fuel your body and give you energy, and how much of them should you eat?

Are the foods you are eating giving you the energy that you deserve? Are they giving you the energy that you need to live the life that you want to lead?  When looked at in this light, you start to make very different decisions about food. It’s not about what you have to give up or do without, it’s now about what do you choose to eat to be the person you want to be.

So when you begin thinking about food as fuel, it’s not about beating yourself up over the things you have to stop eating, it’s about making new decisions about

• How good you want to feel?
• How much energy you want to experience?
• How alive you want to be?

When this happens, controlling your weight becomes a lot easier.

Success in one week…

I couldn’t resist…had to share so much success.

Lynn who was 315 lbs. when she came to see me, lost 13 lbs in 7 days… yes, 13 lbs.!!

She suffers from pain in the joints and walking is difficult…or so her ‘monkey mind’ kept telling her.  Last week, she went for a walk with a friend.. They walked around the lake for ONE hour!!  Two days later, she walked again for two hours!!  She is now even more motivated to exercise at the gym.  Hey monkey mind, you’re losing the battle buddy….hee…hee..

Shauna let go of 7 lbs. in 7 days… Way to go Shauna.

Bev was happy to let go of 5 lbs.  Good job Bev.  Now that

Weight Gain and Thyroid

Candidates for weight loss surgery include people who weigh more than 100 pounds over their ideal body weight, have a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more, and/or type 2 diabetes. These people are candidates for a Virtual Gastric Band procedure. Anyone who has struggled with weight gain can also benefit from it.

Results and trials so far of Virtual Gastric Band treatments have been promising with some hypnotherapists reporting patients who’ve received the treatments have experienced a 74% – 95% success rate and losing and maintaining the loss of significant amounts of weight.

The average number of sessions required for this hypnotherapeutic procedure is four to six. The sessions incorporate a variety of treatment techniques. Besides hypnosis they involve NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) and behaviour therapy. These techniques are used in conjunction with the hypnosis to encourage the patient to rethink how they view food and eating in general.

The cost of the hypnosis procedure is significantly less than gastric band surgery. The sessions after the “fitting of the gastric band” educate the patient about food in a manner that’ll improve their health and not hinder it. It discourages the idea of dieting to drop pounds.

Hypnotherapy has long been a popular technique for weight loss but with the rising levels of obesity in America – more than 65% of adults are overweight, obese or morbidly obese according to the National Institute of Health – it’s likely to become even more popular.

The rise in obesity has also spiked a rise in the incidence of type II (or type 2) diabetes. It has been estimated by the American Diabetes Association that as many as 21 million individuals suffer from diabetes while an estimated 54 million people are classified as pre-diabetes.

There is a direct connection between obesity and type II diabetes. In fact more than 85 percent of those who have been diagnosed with type II diabetes are individuals who are overweight or obese.

Closer to home, here in Vancouver, British Columbia, Susan T has low thyroid and is taking .175 mcg daily. She lost 8 lbs in 2 weeks (4 lbs in week 1 and 4 lbs in week 2) and continues to release an average of 1-2 lbs a week.

Virtual Gastric Band Hypnosis is a technique that could greatly improve the health and lives of these individuals without the risks inherent with surgery.