you have overcome a challenge helps reassure you that you have the potential to translate your thinking and saying into a successful action.
ACTION POINT 3: FIND YOUR MANTRA
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO
This is about making belief part of your thoughts. Think of five positive affirmations for yourself. You need to be able to really believe in them – and they must be positively stated. Here is one of my client’s mantras: ‘I am going to do this for me. Steve Redgrave is my age and if he, as a man of my age, can take responsibility for his health then I can take responsibility for mine.’
THE LOGIC
Mantras can provide the positive momentum to get you where you need to be. They help strengthen your self-belief and build a strong foundation for your actions.
ACTION POINT 4: COMMIT TO PAPER
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO
Write your mantras down and place them in your underwear drawer, in your office drawer, on the mirror that you look at first thing in the morning, on a scrap of paper in your purse – anywhere that will reinforce your thought line.
THE LOGIC
Reinforcement works, even at a subconscious level.
ACTION POINT 5: TRACE YOUR ACTIONS
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO
Draw a table with three columns. At the top of each column write what you have thought, said and did with regard to diet and weight loss in the past, then write down your intentions this time round (you may find it helpful to revise this once you’ve read section two). On page 44 is an example of thinking, saying and doing not going in the same direction, followed by an example of when they do go in the same direction.
| Think | Say | Do |
| It’s going to be so difficult to shift this post-baby weight | I’m going to do 100 sit-ups every morning and eat one meal a day | Attempt the sit-ups and calorie deprivation regime for 3 days and end up knackered with a cold |
| Think | Say | Do |
| I will shift this post-baby weight, slowly but surely | I’m going to walk for 15 minutes every day with the buggy, fit in toning exercises when baby Grace is asleep and make a job lot of healthy soups and stews that I can freeze | Buy a good home exercise video with short, effective routines. Find a support network, such as a text messaging service to your mobile phone, to stay on track. Begin walking and compromise on the healthy eating by making a batch of soup and buying some low-fat ready-meals |
THE LOGIC
Committing your thoughts, aims and actions to paper allows you to see whether they are all heading the right way. Your past experience may also offer some clues as to pitfalls to avoid. If your thoughts are undermining your aims and actions, go back to your mantras, ensure they are positively stated and that you are saying and seeing them every day.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Ensuring that what you think, say and do are all heading in the same direction means your mind and body are primed for positive action. Achieve this and you are ready for step four.
Case study: Maxine’s Success
‘Joanna’s approach is so easy to implement – for us, it’s become a way of life. We’ve made small changes and haven’t missed the carbs in the evening. Aside from the practicalities, it’s worked because it has helped me look at myself differently. In the past I always felt low when losing weight, but this time I’m so much more positive.
Before I felt a nobody, a nothing – now I feel like somebody and worth something. I used to hate myself, but Joanna has helped me build my self-esteem so that I now actually like myself. I may still beat myself up a bit if I have a “bad day” but Joanna has taught me to put this in proportion and not let one blip ruin everything or make me feel like a failure. Now I feel nice in some of my clothes – and I’ve never felt like that! My mantra was “I’m going to like what I see – this is me” now it’s “I like what I see – this is me”! And Joanna’s tip about making my mantra my welcome note on my mobile is great – now it’s always there for me to see!
My husband has even followed the plan and he’s a butcher! He’s gone from 18 stone 2 pounds to 16 stone – a weight he never expected to achieve, and he’s managed to stay at it too.’
Maxine lost 30lbs and dropped from a size 24 to 16–18.
This strategy is about embracing whatever issue has stopped you from successfully losing weight in the past. Body weight can be closely linked to emotional issues, therefore both gain and loss can be directly affected by and associated with events in our lives. Traumatic or highly significant events and turning points can trigger an unhealthy relationship with our bodies, and with food and dieting, all of which can culminate in a decreased level of self-worth and self-esteem.
The step four action points are about facing up to your fears and enemies.
ACTION POINT 1: REVISIT PAST ACTS OF BRAVERY AND FEARLESSNESS
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO
If you are feeling demoralized or unable to face a situation for fear of rejection or failure, then recounting previous acts of bravery can help you see that you are a brave person and that you can face up to difficulties. To trigger these memories sketch out a time line spanning from kindergarten to adult life. Try to jot down ten courageous acts. If you cannot remember, ask a friend or older member of the family. Make a list of events you have feared in your life and beside them write down the outcome of the event or situation.
THE LOGIC
Revisiting the past and citing even the smallest of brave acts can remind you of your bravery. As we get older our brain often forgets these small acts and instead we tend to focus on what we feel we have not been able to address and overcome. Even the most timid of people will have had fearless moments – the trick is to remind
