Day #27 The mind trick that helps you slim

Today’s Tweak comes courtesy of Martha Beck – one of the worlds leading life coaches who counts Oprah as a client – who has a mind shift to help you stop comfort eating.  Okay, she’s got our attention…

There’s a saying that happy people plan actions, they don’t plan results. The same goes for those who try to lose weight. That’s why best-selling author, Martha Beck, created SALVE: self-acceptance, love, value and esteem. Happiness and weight-loss go hand in hand with SALVE.

Self-loathing tends to increase stress eating and the production of fat-storing hormones, like cortisol, Beck says. Cortisol signals the body to store fat because the body is going into ‘fight or flight’ mode and trying to protect the body from a threat – a primal response.

A study from Yale University found that women developed abdominal fat in connection with stress, and the individual’s response to stress played an extremely important role. Not only can cortisol cause us to gain weight but it increases release of another stress-induced hormone, insulin which can also lead to weight gain and can spike blood sugar levels. In turn, our body craves sweet foods to balance out our blood sugar levels. Beck – in her adorable way, says that after all, ‘stressed’ does spell ‘desserts’ backwards. Who knew?

In her work with clients over the years, Beck has found that those who apply SALVE to their lives find it much easier to stop unhealthy eating. In fact, Beck says that years ago she noticed that her clients started slimming down – effortlessly – as their self-acceptance increased.

Beck’s advice: ‘Every time body shame hits, slap on some serious SALVE.’ When we look in the mirror, we often tend to criticize ourselves, and become more prone to having a few extra pieces of unhealthy foods to console us.

In order to get the most from SALVE, find body parts that you admire and remind yourself what you like about your body – constantly. The sooner you make this a habit, the sooner your mindset will change the less you’ll want to reach for whatever sugary comforting thing you can find.  The happier our outlook on our bodies, the less we want to overeat, the more we treat our bodies with kindnesses such as eating well and moving more.

Martha Beck is the author of several books, most recently Finding Your Way in a Wild New World
(Free Press, £8.58)

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