Ive Been Dieting for Five Minutes - Am I Thin Yet?

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When Instant Results Take Time

Yesterday I decided to "get back in shape," and today I'm already checking in the mirror to see if there's a difference. Sound familiar? Everything else is instantly obtainable from microwave dinners to pay-on-demand TV, so why should weight loss take so long?

Before microwave ovens people had to decide in the morning what to make for dinner because it took all day to thaw the meat. Today most people don't even think about what's for dinner until 20 minutes before they want to start eating.

You Didn't Gain it Overnight, You Won't Lose it Overnight Either

Stop and think about how long it either took you to gain all your extra weight or how long you've been overweight. If it's been years, then relax. You won't take it all off in a few days. Give yourself some time to melt into a new shape. Have you been overweight your entire life, yet now you expect to lose it in a matter of weeks? Have you had emotional issues since childhood but now you think a day or two of effort should be all it takes? It takes time to make a change, so give yourself a break.

Accept that the process will take time, take a deep breath and relax. Even though you're in a hurry, each minute passes like the minute before, each hour, each day, each week. Time passes, whether you make a change or not. Why not make a change and notice yourself getting more fit as time passes?

Every Monday comes around quicker than ever. A week's gone by. Did you do anything positive toward your goal of losing weight during that week or did you put it off again? Did you start out Monday with enthusiasm only to watch it disappear by Wednesday?

If you use EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) to work on the emotional issues, you can end the underlying anxieties over how long it will take once and for all.

Here are some EFT suggestions for the "How Long Will This Take" question and "Why is this taking so long?"

"Even though this is taking too long, I deeply and completely accept myself."

"Even though I wish the weight was gone, I deeply and completely accept myself."

"Even though I can't wait for results, I deeply and completely accept myself."

"Even though I'm sick of this stupid weight, I deeply and completely accept myself."

"Even though I want this done and over, I deeply and completely accept myself."

It only takes a minute to do a round of EFT so do as many rounds as are necessary to bring your SUD level to a 2 or lower.

Some people stop using EFT because it seems too easy, or they are actually getting a good result but then something stops them from continuing. What do you think could be the problem? More issues perhaps? Exactly! When you find yourself thinking, "Oh, I don't need to do this anymore," or "This is silly," or "This is a waste of time, I'll never lose the weight so why bother ..." that's a perfect opportunity to use EFT on those limiting beliefs. The words you use to make the statement are the words you'll use while tapping:

"Even though I don't see why I should have to keep doing this, I deeply and completely accept myself."

"Even though I think I look silly, I deeply and completely accept myself."

"Even though this is stupid and a waste of time, I deeply and completely accept myself."

"Even though I'll never lose this weight, and I don't know why I bother trying, I deeply and completely accept myself."

Do a round of EFT every time you catch yourself in a negative frame of mind and you'll soon find you have less and less of those moments.

Are We There Yet?

Many people call and ask me, "How long will this take," as if we were removing a stain from a favorite sweater. This is life people! Start now and within six months to a year you can be either at your goal or so much closer than you've been before. Plan to do something every day to work toward what you want, and plan to move away from those behaviors you'd like to leave behind, a little at a time. Small changes build up over time to create big results.

Long standing emotional issues may take many months to resolve but so what? It's like the 17-year old who worries that medical school takes four more years after college. "That's eight years!" they cry. Yes, that does seem like a long time, but that time will pass whether you attend school or not; the time will pass whether you do something about your emotional issues, or not, life happens while we're busy making other plans to paraphrase John Lennon. When I received an invitation to my 30-year high school reunion that eight year commitment for medical school suddenly didn't seem like such a big deal since I would have completed it 22 years ago.

Commit to giving yourself a year to achieve the goals you want for yourself. Then break that year down into months, weeks, days, and then just take it one day at a time. Most of those who take my eight week course end up saying how quickly the weeks fly by; many ask for more time. If you think of it as if you're taking a class at college, then you're more likely to commit to the daily exercises (homework) and do what is necessary to achieve a passing grade (get a result). It's up to you to take the tools you've been given and start to use them. Do it today. You deserve to feel better, right now.

"Even though I don't think I deserve to feel good, I deeply and completely accept myself." (I'm not worthy)

"Even though I can't take this much time all to myself, I deeply and completely accept myself." (Everyone else comes first)

"Even though I'm too busy to do all this, I deeply and completely accept myself." (I don't have time - maybe I'll do it later)

No matter what your issues or doubts, use EFT on them, and you'll find as time passes, so will your difficulties, until you reach the point you are able to either ask for help (from me or someone else) or you are able to help yourself.

~~ Kathryn Martyn, Master NLP Practitioner, EFT counselor, author of the free e-book: Changing Beliefs, Your First Step to Permanent Weight Loss, and owner of OneMoreBite-Weightloss.com

Get The Daily Bites: Inspirational Mini Lessons Using EFT and NLP for Ending the Struggle with Weight Loss.