Hope and the Eternal Fire of the Human Spirit

Hope and the Eternal Fire of the Human Spirit.

Bigorexia/Adonis Complex – Fact or Psychobabble?

“Bigorexia”
“Muscle Dysmorphia” “Adonis Complex”

Fact or
misinformed psychobabble?

Sorry, it’s got to be misinformed
psychobabble formulated by people who have never competed or understood the
complexities behind this.

The “experts” believe that this
Muscle Dysmorphic disorder is where people believe they are too small which
leads them to constantly over train and injure themselves plus apparently
taking steroids.

Dangerous and ill informed information once
again labeling and generalising something which is in fact is a 3 dimensional
problem.

The overall problem which is raised is
regarding those who feel that no matter what they do, they feel small. The
small feeling generally is derived from a feeling either of lack of control,
self esteem issues or as a reaction to feeling powerless. It can come from
during the socialization period being smaller than your peer group, having been
bullied or an attempt to take control of issues which are perceived as being
taken out of their hands.

Now the problem here is that you have two
different clusters of people here. One is the people who just want to be become
larger and increase presence for various reasons which I will go into in a
moment – and those that compete.

Well now, this is where the whole definition
completely grinds  to a halt.

Many children and teenagers begin competing
and their body changes. In many sports the level of body fat carried is low and
they are used to having a toned and probably relatively muscular physique
depending on their sport.

For many, once into adolescence, hormones
and life takes over and having seen how their physique is and how it could be
potentially, can create then a shift into bodybuilding and increase in
muscularity. This is more a minority and is also tied up with the perceived
social preference in males to be “muscular” and may also have, of
course, the additional of getting more girls!

The other side of this is once you have
competed at a reasonable level and are used to having the low body fat and
physique from that training, it is incredibly hard to go off season or in fact
leave the competitive arena and not carry on with a certain level of training
to maintain that physique.

A small percentage of people have had
problems with plain old “body dysmorphia” as they lose their physique
if they stop training, and can go on to develop eating disorders from this
point onwards – and yes that is a problem but completely different from the
alleged “muscle dysmorphia” syndrome and what they purport it to be.

For people who give up competing, they know
how physically good they feel when they train and the mental agility they
derive from the constant challenge which transfers into the rest of their life,
so, why stop training even if they don’t compete?

Is this OCD?

Is this some kind of disorder?

Is this a problem?

Again, I am still discussing those that
compete and will discuss non competitive size issues in a moment.

The implication with the “muscle
dysmorphia” is that all those who have size must be muscle dysmorphic.

Now, for the men who have taken up
bodybuilding, many want to compete one day in a bodybuilding competition. They
see that as how they really want to look and again this is what society says is
what a “man” should look like.

For those who are not naturally muscular –
the battle and journey begins. It is a hugely complex sport which involves how
your body responds to different training methods, learning the correct diet,
using protein supplements, carbohydrate balance, timing etc.

The misunderstanding is that, for
bodybuilding, you have to bulk up to be able to then diet down and remove the
body fat to reveal the lean muscularity. People confuse this with “just
wanting to get big” – its part of the competitive process.

Here is the REAL problem with competitive
bodybuilding – for most men the feeling of the dieting down in pre contest is
very difficult. The size and power and strength they have built up and the self
esteem boost this also gives is wonderful. As they diet down, the strength
starts to be reduced due to the harsh diet and look needed for competing.

The training is changed to lighter weights
and different sculpting movements, the body feels smaller and softer due to the
change in carbohydrate and protein quantities – and so does the self esteem
until their lean physique starts to really be seen.

There is also another problem – once they
have competed, then you have to go back to the “off the season” look
and bulk up again. You lose that amazing sinued definition, watch as the cuts
between the muscles are covered in a thin layer of body fat and this is when a
problem can begin. Its like with athletes, as previously discussed who stop
competing.

What can happen at this point is the need
then to keep the physique at an unattainable level of body fat and so a cycle
of burning off what you put in starts and there you have the beginnings of a
very nice little eating disorder and the end of a great bodybuilding career

I have worked with many athletes and
bodybuilders and strength athletes who have had these problems and from
competing myself from age 16, have managed to effectively assist them to regain
true perception of self and also the difficulties associated with it, plus
reach real success in their competitive careers.

This isn’t “muscle dysmorphia” –
this is a multi layered plain old body dysmorphic disorder from varying
triggers in the competitive world written up by theorists.

This is where there certainly are issues
but once again I don’t believe that this is a “muscle dysmorphia”

There are the 3 categories:

1) The competitive athlete

2) The teenager who wants to gain

3) The adult who wants to gain

We have already covered the competitive
athlete and competitive teenager.

For those adolescents who need to gain size
this is often from self esteem issues. It could be from bullying, from having
what they perceive to be a “weak” frame, being small or a number of
other issues where they feel have to prove or defend themselves.

Size can be a very powerful way from
keeping people at arms length and a very effective way to project an image of
power and hide low self esteem.

Body dysmorphic disorder is in essence a
condition where the image you see of yourself is different to the true
physique. So, why would seeing yourself as small when you are large and visa
verse in fact be so different?

For those who continue to put on muscle
mass and size generally they will find a difference in the reaction they get
from people.

For some, it will intimidate and therefore
give them the feeling of power they feel they are lacking. For others it is, as
mentioned, ways of hiding shyness or self esteem issues as they project and
live the persona they create.

If the need to be noticed, the low self
esteem or the issues are still not resolved then the need to create more size
may be necessary and then the cycle begins.

This does not necessarily mean they then
take steroids or other illegal substances. For many, they will also put on body
fat as well which helps the size and is different from those who compete and
need to keep the body fat levels low.

The point raised is about feeling small. It
is exactly the same for those who have an image they are fat and therefore hide
how they look. It is also based on the emotional state of mind at the time.

So, if someone who has created size as
their projection is having an emotionally low period, their self perception
will also suffer and therefore feel small, cover up and not wish to be seen.

This will also propel them to want to put
on more size to regain the positive feelings they had previously from
additional size. Much the same way as someone who has lost weight gains the
positive feelings out of the initial
weight loss and then attempts to try to keep recreating that self esteem
boost by losing more weight.

Yes, there will be people who will also use
steroids but this is a minority rather than majority and somewhat of a
scaremongering from the press.

The constant training is usually within
boundaries and they have collected enough knowledge to know that over training
will decrease size so this is generally not issue.

The only time this is an issue is with
exercise anorexia which is discussed under the eating disorders section and not
relevant to the issue of increasing muscle – another myth.

Muscle Dysmorphia is in fact a body
dysmorphic disorder with all the same complications and issues except from the
other end of the spectrum.

Poorly researched and not separated from
the competing community and the essence of self esteem issues there are
sweeping statements attached to these problems.

From dealing with many athletes over a
number of years and clients outside of competing in eating disorders and body
dysmorphic disorders, these issues can be dealt with in an effective and
straight forward manner.

Remember, before you engage anyone in this
type of therapy to ensure they have the necessary competitive background,
understanding and experience to deal with these types of problems.

www.ironpsyche.com

www.emmajamesnlp.co.uk

www.emmajames.net

Excerpt from IronPsyche the book – on competing and training Anxiety

Emma James picture IronPsyche

Well I am pretty sure the excerpts I post will be copied, used badly etc by a few alledged therapists with no real international competing experience and it will appear in someones blog etc as previous excerpts have.

However – for those who actually want to use the work and techniques I do with so many other athletes and with my own competing then I hope you find these useful.

The IronPsyche Book will be out at the end of Septmeber and this is for strength and explosive power athletes so provide real insight and usable information to give you not only the edge but the real ability to tap into your optimum performance. The book should be out (publishing editing etc willing) by the end of September.

Excerpt from Anxiety in Competing and Training from IronPsyche

First of all, be aware of your shoulder position and
breathing rate.  Keep your shoulders down
and relax as much as possible.  This may
go against some of your previous training where you’ll be starting to try and
increase your aggression at that point but remember that increasing your
aggression as you’re wrapping up, as you’re getting ready to go out for the
lift which could be minutes prior to you actually needing it will be a constant
drain on all of the adrenal and neurological responses that you are going to
need to get your nest lift, to get your automated synapses firing whenever you
need to.  If you happen to have been
Braveheart, whenever William Wallace is with his army and he has the English
charging at them and is shouting “Hold, Hold, Hold” and the army are getting
closer and closer and closer until they are virtually in their faces, and he
suddenly shouts the attack signal, it is a little bit like that.  Imagine yourself as William Wallace, just
getting yourself to hold until that critical point and trust that that
explosive power that you need at that moment is going to come through, then
that will serve you well and get you some of your most explosive lifts and
powerful events that will not only blow you away but everybody else away that
is around you.

Chunking down the steps before you actually take your event
or go on to platform is one of the secrets behind this.  As previously stated, be aware of your
breathing rate, slow it down, drop your shoulders, notice the relaxation
running across your shoulders at that point but remember that you will get the
tautness and tension you require whenever you are setting up for the lift or
addressing the bar.

As you are getting ready, break it down in to tiny steps so
that you are looking at the wraps, you are noticing which way you are putting
your wraps or which way you are putting your boots or which way you are
gradually getting your shoulder straps up or getting chalk on your hands.  Concentrate on each of those tiny steps
rather than thinking about the lift because remember, you have done this a
thousand times before.  In fact, you’ve
done this so many times that if you even start to think about it, you’re going
to interrupt your body’s incredible ability to replicate the lift and the power
that you know that you have and the one thing that is going to get in the way,
believe it or not, is you and your conscious thought process.  Keep all the steps very tiny and very small
and then just as you’re getting ready for the event or getting ready to walk on
platform, and you hear the shout “Bar loaded”, that is when you suddenly focus
in, that is the second that the adrenal response will really kick in and that
is the moment you make the decision to allow it to happen because once you are
at that point, you are now focussed there is no conscious thought process and
you can allow your adrenal response to run because it is now fight or flight
and you are now under pressure.  As
William Wallace shouts “Attack” and as you attack your event or your bar, that
is whenever your explosive power will come and that is how you manage your
natural anxiety and sit on the nerves that so many people battle with and try
and conquer, you don’t, you harness them, you learn how to manage them and you
learn how to use them to your fullest advantage up to that point.

NLP and the degrading Training standards bringing it to its knees

As an NLP Trainer for some years and also having run trainings in a number of different countries, the standard of Trainers being produced and the momentum for a cash generating machine seen by the unethical seems to have brought a wonderful technique and tool to its knees.

Not only have we got badly trained NLP Practitioners being told they are “competent” and passed to go on to do some of the most appalling work I have seen including in the self-defense field and sport field which is nothing short of dangerous through to infective therapy and atrocious communication skills being touted as “experts”.

The integrity in my industry from a training point of view now has trainers producing 7 day courses with NO pre course study, high numbers and low prices on the courses making it impossible to properly assess if each student is in fact reaching a certifiable standard on each module. I am passionate about what I do and have seen the results well-trained students can get and also the ability to not only transform their own lives but also evolved the techniques even further but this is only possible if true understanding of the techniques is acquired.

On line training, now being market and the appearance of the “Diploma” in NLP which is NOT a certification  – it is a 3 or 2 day introduction ONLY and used as a sale technique in order to get people to buy full NLP Practitioner courses is killing the integrity of this industry. Along with that, certain governing bodies who will certify you as a trainer in only 3 days is probably the most irresponsible and damaging money-making scam I have seen in some time and of course as there is no real regulation, is allowed to carry on.

This is probably one  of the reasons I had decided to back away from the courses, as only taking 6 people and charging £900 is still more than if you choose to do it on line, will pass as long as you pay the money and really wont be assessed at all.

Unless a real governing body (NOT owned by a training company) is produced we will continue to see this once wonderful discipline fall into even more disrepute than it already has and I am now to a degree almost ashamed to say I am a Trainer of NLP due to the level so many have brought it to.

We really must (those that still have some integrity left) call for some regulatory body which hopefully will stop these practices and bring into place the continued upholding of real certification standards which is not run by or associated to a training company which is frankly unethical in its very being and bring this once ecological

NLP Training

discipline back to the ethical state it was once in.

Rehab the Expert Day 7 & 8 – A poke on the nose

Day 7 & 8 – 25^th & 26^th  December 2009

Dear God – Christmas Day.

Struggled out of bed and whacked on the ice packs straight away. The shoulder was now in fact beginning to work properly and I could feel the fibers where he had taken the end of the collar bone off as though it needed a bit more of a polish. The actually areas where he had worked were starting to ache and as always in a good way.

So – out of bed and staggered into the bathroom to shower. As I was standing in the shower I suddenly realized that I had both hands on my head shampooing my hair!! Doesn’t sound like much but when you have been frightened of the impending implosion of your should because it moved too much, suddenly finding it allowing you to co-shampoo your hair is a big deal.

It was odd how such a small thing suddenly made my competing future and perception of what was achievable at that moment in time completely change and in fact become literally brighter. Thinking about the world championships end year 2010 was a definite instead of a possible and the Expo in May became a question mark instead of a NO!

I caught site of myself in the mirror and was shocked that I looked so smooth. Usually my abs have some definition, you could see the cut through my shoulders and my legs had a cut through to the groin from the quad. I coudnt see any of this and also noticed a pocket of water over my stomach and I shuddered. That feeling I had to so many years ago washed right over me and I felt sick.

Got ready, iced the shoulder a bit more, kissed my poor Mum a Happy Christmas and escaped out the door for an hour of heavy duty terrain walking.

The feeling I got when I looked in the mirror was the old body dysmorphia coming back. When I don’t train or feel that I am losing my physique or think I have not trained hard enough I get my old feeling back and my vision of how I look distorts. I know the problem I treat people with the problem and specialize in it. I also know how to deal with it myself and and manage it but I hadn’t had it quite that strongly in some time.

As I was walking – the thought patterns were going over the negatives of how I had not trained in 7 days apart form some ropey leg workouts for 2 days which I wasn’t counting. The worry about never competing again etc etc had disappeared and been totally overtaken by body image.

I allowed the thoughts to run and then noticed the self conscious feeling of not letting people see me in this “fat” state and how could I have any hope of ever regaining my physique as I had let myself go so much in 7 days!!!!!! Wooooooooooooooh!

Its amazing what you let yourself think.

Coupled with that thought process was the old feeling of self loathing and the picture of how I thought I looked imprinted in my head.

Ok – that’s enough. I’m not letting that run any further.

So – simply I backtracked. I did exactly the same as what I do with my clients and focus on the bodyparts that come up first in my mind as the negative ones I focus on. With each one I then ask myself – in 7 days how different does it really look and then the picture starts to change.

As I worked my way through them I felt my posture change while I was working. Starting to walk taller instead of an apology for being there. My breathing changed and the self loathing feeling disappeared and then the question – “what is NOT the Problem?”

As I worked through the process the internal view I had of myself changed quickly and the feeling of softness also altered.,

In reality I did have a large amount of water and fluids which had dropped from the operation and I did have a pocket of fluid from that but now I could see it as that – and that only. I had smoothed out a bit from the drugs I was on post surgery but it all fitted into context.

What was really interesting was how out of control my thought processes got so quickly even though I knew exactly what was happening and in fact was a therapist that deals with it! With ALL of this – it still happened but I could stop it when becoming consciously aware.

The lessons today were the vast reality of how much my own issue of body image was fed by what I perceived as “acceptable” in terms of my own appearance and how if that was not met on a daily basis how much that interfered with my internal view of myself and the extent this affected by distorted body image.

the views we hold of ourselves on a day to day, hour by hour and minute to minute basis depend hugely on our concept of acceptance of not only others but of ourselves. That acceptance is based on our routine, environment and what we believe we have control over. Move any of these and our universe is somewhat taken out of our grip and our reality changes.

Our moments are filled with infinite possibility – packed with the essence of ultimate sudden euphoria or complete degraded disillusionment and only we can determine how we see our worlds at any given moment. Today – I turned my world into a better place, tomorrow maybe it will be different but we have that choice, every second of every day.

Rehab the Expert – sport performance consultant charts her journey

 

DAY 1 – December 18^th 2009

It had been a long 3 months. From the day I was told I needed surgery to a long standing problem of over 10 years, the thoughts and what ifs began.

I had managed to deal with the pain for years but over this last year it had become unbearable and I knew I had to do something, otherwise I probably wasn’t going to be able to compete again.

The decision was made after seeing Mr Eames at the Ulster Independent Clinic in Belfast that I would get through the WPC World Championships in November and then have the surgery in December. Somehow, I managed to win the world Championships with a 172.5kg bench press and also took a World Record as well. This competition had meant so much because at the back of my mind I really wasn’t sure if this would be my last or if in fact I would ever lift to the same level again.

The prognosis was unknown as my surgeon had been honest with me and said that he wasn’t sure what else we were going to find on top of the problems we knew already existed. He had also explained that by doing a decompression of the AC, the pain would probably not reduce for 6 months.

If you don’t already know – I have competed for over 20 years now at international level and taken world, European and british titles along with records and my competing is part of me, my life, my mind and has in fact got me through and kept me sane through the times and incidents I thought I would never survive. It also gave me the unique understanding of my clients when they needed someone who could help with their performance or loss of confidence or addiction or any of the myriad of problems a sports person can face. My competing had given me my life – in a nutshell.

On top of that, I thought of all the people who had supported me over the years and invested so much time and love to help me to where I was now. It always felt like if I stopped, I would be letting them down.

So – there I was – now at my Mum’s in Strangford, Northern Ireland, about to get in her car to drive into Belfast. The wave of questions ran through my head, what if I never lift again, what if he finds other issues that will mean I never compete at the same level, what if I cant train, what if what if. Now, I could have dealt with that whole negative thought process there and then but I wanted to let it run as I recognized the pattern from past injuries like when I blew 3 discs in 1996.

It was a “negative motivation” drive which I used to drive me beyond passion to get back into competition which then became not useful and in fact destructive. The problem with the negative motivation is that it means you always feel you have never done well enough and you end up deconstructing every success you ever had,.

The learned change to positive motivation changed the feel of it – that desperation to succeed became more like a quiet stealth bomber and this time it was just like that instead of the palpitations of fear of losing or “not being good enough” after the operation.

I told my Mother I wasn’t going – while I started her car. I continued to tell her I wasn’t going  as I drove along the country roads towards Belfast and then finally I pulled up outside the hospital and took 3 goes at trying to park the car.

So- in the hospital – in my room. In walks the anesthetist, handsome, oooooooooooooh he was handsome! Allergies, medication, the 4 G’s (garlic, ginger ginseng and something else which when taken in combination can be the anesthetists nightmare) and dealing with a neurotic patient – he must have thought it was going to be a long day,

Then Mr Eames – the straight talking surgeon used to dealing with sports people and giving me no room at all to back out. However, as we went through the possibilities of what would happen the absolute gut clenching fear hit me as he told me the worst case scenario of what he might find and the agreement I had to make to allow him to fix and deal with what he found – or only do the minimum and probably end up back in theatre again with no hope of ever competing again after wrecking my shoulder completely from carry on competing…………….

What was interesting was the reaction to potential restriction on my training, loss of performance and having to rebuild the mechanisms I had put in place from years of training to achieve the best I had ever done at the Worlds a few weeks ago.

It was almost as though someone had a noose around my neck and was tightening it slowly. Sounds dramatic but the very thought of not being able to train even for a short period of time literally sends panic into my soul. That was quickly sorted with a quick reframe and then I was being wheeled to theatre.

Lying there talking to the anesthetist, I suddenly had another bout of doubt then causing me to go completely conscious on the whole conversation with my surgeon. I asked to speak to him again as I suddenly had doubt over the entire conversation and what he was going to do. Did he really understand how important my competing was to me? Would he just be like my orthopedic surgeon Father and do what he thought best regardless of the patients wishes? Mr Eames patiently came back in and reassured me of the conversation we had and with that I drifted to sleep with the last thing I was to see – the handsome anesthetist.

Waking up and the pain hit me – bless them, bless them – I had gone into shock and they couldny give me anything until it passed and then morphine………….what amazing stuff that is and I have to warn you – you will LOVE everyone! Be very careful and get someone to cellotape your mouth. Don’t call your surgeon a God, do not tell the anesthetist he is lovely and certainly don’t tell the nurse that the op feels like a “fucking miracle” as she wont believe you.

The pain I had before was GONE. The arm pain had for years – was gone. Even though I was full of morphine I could still feel the difference and then Mr Eames came in. It was a massive success – he had completed a subacromial decompression and had also taken the spurs off. He had also found a lot of arthritis through the joint which he had cleaned up and he pointed out that short of replacing the shoulder, that was best he could do. That seriously hit home as to how far I had let my shoulder deteriorate and also started to make me wonder about some of the techniques from NLP and hypnosis in regulating and reducing the pain and using it for pain management. The pain had increased to a level I couldn’t cope with it any more though and none of the techniques were working but I did wonder if I hadn’t used them, would I have dealt with this sooner????

More to come on that one.

My entire thought process – although seriously loved up – had altered as I was able to feel a difference in the reactions in my arm, hand and notice the immediate change and almost miraculous reduction in the “old” pain which had always been there. I was now wondering whether I could be back in time to compete at the Expo in May and everything was pure unadulterated towards motivation and the stealth attack was back.

Amazing awareness possibilities

Its a strange thing awareness.
Awareness of self, awareness of self in relation to others, awareness of ones place in the universe and so on.
However, at the moment of awareness, the question is – what are you aware of and what fraction of “reality” are you thinking you see?
As the Q and Jean Luc Picard mused over the “what if you were sentenced to death” in a parallel universe and the Star Ship Enterprise teetered on possible imminent death or a quantum paradox – the question might be – what effect we are having on our every decision of every waking moment we have.
If you didnt makwe the cup of tea – what endless possibilities could you be opening up, like the phone ringing and it being THE ultimate contract offer.
If you sit down and look at your goal in life, looking back at it from successful completion and notice the infinite possibilities of each and every decision leading up to that point, then, could you in fact notice a goal which you may not have considered and had not seen due to social implication, difficulty of change, discounting of possibility based on your alleged awareness of your limitations and the list is endless.
If you in fact believe that all your percieved boundaries are just there to hold your world together like a crispy filo pastry, then at any moment the soggy bottom of the pastry could in fact give way to allow the contents to enter into the infinite possibility of the path of descent.
So – when you think about your goals – peel away the confines of everything you thought you knew so far and see what the real possibilities are – you might be amazed at the paths you realise you can have and pursue at this very moment.

Fiming Tomorrow – ooooh the boots

Well there you are, I couldnt even manifest a pair of new boots for the filming tomorrow with Channel M.
I am blessed with Channel M filming 4 segments tomorrow on the different aspects to what I do but I do have a social anxiety person missing which oculd mean having to create trauma for someone in the offices so as to give them social anxiety.
Hey ho – its all in a days work!

New Body Image Issue Webinar about to be Launched

Understanding body image or body dysmorphia problems can be difficult and getting therapy for body image issues even more difficult and a new webinar series will help. Manchester specialist therapist Emma James has had years of dealing with clients with this condition and has decided to offer her therapeutic services in the form of a webinar for worldwide usage.

 

Many of us experience body image problems at some point throughout our lives and we manage it well. Body dysmorphia or body dysmorphic disorder is on the increase in the UK and USA. Whether it is due to social shifts, pressures of conformity or from eating disorders and past trauma, the ability to receive clear information and simple steps which you can take on your own is not widely available.

 

“For many people in this credit crunch, their resources are limited and they may not be able to afford therapy or to attend a workshop or seminar. This is a simple way of giving information about body image problems, what can cause it, how to manage body dysmorphia and practical simple solutions to begin change” Emma said.

 

One of the approaches is to explain the common feelings we have. How we see ourselves is dependant on how we are felling at that moment in time. If we are in a negative state of mind, that will reflect on what we believe we are seeing and influence our behaviour accordingly. We also then focus on what we do not like and it can then cause social anxiety as that image in our head stays with us as our perception of how others are viewing us.

 

Have you even noticed how, if you were not happy about how you saw yourself that morning, you picked up on certain things. For instance you may think your face is too full, your legs looked too heavy etc. Then when you are dealing with others you are consciously looking for them to pick up on that which causes a certain level of anxiety.

 

Body image issues, do not just affect how we see ourselves, they also effect our interaction with others, our overall confidence and self esteem can be greatly affected.

 

For more information about treatment for body image problems and the new webinar facility please go to http://www.emmajames.net

Fad Diets – Rebel against the diet industry today

Fad diets are a scourge that have been on the radar for quite some time. The diet industry is gaining momentum and now is the time to stop it in its tracks.

Take control of your body, mind and life NOW and rebel against the diet industry.

 

The Diet Industry. This is a multi million pound industry

 

How much money do you think you have spent on diets, pills, specific diet meals and courses? Hundreds, maybe thousands?

 

Have any of them worked for you long term?

 

The diet industry has made fortunes out of turning the very simple basics of weight loss into a complete mystery of selling various pills and compounds or selling you processed meals which cost more than preparing them yourself.

 

The seems to have been a mysterious vale brought up around dieting when in fact it really is very simple indeed. The only difficult part of changing your body shape and body fat levels is knowing what works for you and how to find out. Also, long term many diets are not sustainable which can cause repeated severe dieting and sometimes gaining more weight than you started off with!

 

The Secret?

There isn’t a secret. Its just about understanding your own system and how to tweak it to lose weight..

 

30 or 40 yeas ago, we didn’t have the convenience we have now and generally people were a lot more active. Shops were not as close, more people had to walk, less computer systems and entertainment involved having to go out.

We pretty much had to make our own entertainment and there were less home based activities. Having a car was not as common as it is now. Everyone now has a car and the people who cant drive are few and far between.

 

Our food was better; there was less processed food and more cooked from scratch with natural produce. A lot of the food was locally produced (especially where I was brought up in Belfast where at that time a Kiwi fruit was thought of as highly exotic!) Pre cooked and processed convenience food was more of a luxury than an every day occurrence

 

Many companies sprang up and began to offer potions, pills and diet solutions, some of them effective, some of them not so effective but very few of them actually offering a long term solution to managing your weight. It was about short term weight loss and not designed and your own body. Where would the profit be in giving people a solution long term and not giving them repeat business?

 

The way the industry seems to be working at the moment is either absolutely no information and they hold the key to the secret OR they give you apparently lots of information, just not quite enough to be able to do it yourself but will sell you all the meals, or give you all the information based on “normal” people, not us lot that apparently have to fight like hell to lose it and keep it off.

 

Many of the diets which are around are based on short term fast solutions which don’t keep the weight off long term. Its all part of the quick fix society we seem to have grown into and the “want it now” culture. It doesn’t have to be like that – its simple and easy AND you know what, the less you stress about it better the results you will get long term. 

 

Even apart from what I have written in my book Rebel Diet, you will probably by now know certain things that do work for you or you respond well to. They may work in a minor way long term or possibly work short term for you but doesn’t seem to work on a long term basis.

One piece of advice I can give you is that when you find something you respond well to, you can incorporate it into the regime in the book in some way AND USE IT! IT will be an indicator at some level of what you respond to and you are on your way to recognizing the signals which get you closer to understanding what your body needs and when.

 

So, when you see a new fad diet which claims to have miraculous results by taking out essential elements which assist us in staying healthy put a question mark over it. When you see a new slimming drug, put another question mark over it and ask yourself, what can I do to get to know my own system and understand how it works and walk away from the diet industry for good?

 

Free yourself from diet hell, turn your back on the pills potions and extreme diets and Rebel. Get to know you, understand what you need to do to turn up your metabolic rate and also understand what will effect it and  slow it down.

 

Take back control – change your mind, change your body and change your life.

 

Emma James MABNLP, MATLTA, MABH, Dip FTST IHHTT

Author of Rebel Diet

www.rebeldiet.com

www.emmajames.net