The Power of Beliefs In Weight Management:

We Become What We Think

A belief is a thought we have over and over again that directs our behavior. Thoughts can be changed. Experiences are reflections of beliefs. Beliefs are the blueprint program for our individual reality.
Beliefs such as “I'm not good enough” limit our happiness and pleasurable experiences, sentencing us to fewer possibilities as we seek supporting evidence. We interpret events in ways that support that belief and unconsciously seek out people who will “prove” it to us. Beliefs create experience opportunities. Holding onto negative beliefs is like wearing dark-tinted glasses every day, so that life is viewed from an unrewarding perspective.

When we remove those tinted glasses, and put on clear glasses, the world suddenly looks brighter and filled with possibilities for happiness. Curiosity and willingness to examine our beliefs gives us freedom to choose more empowering beliefs that support us in creating the life (and weight) we want to have.
Bruce Lipton, PhD is a highly acclaimed epigenetics and microbiology scientist who has shown that genes don't predict health, success, happiness or weight. Rather, gene expression is based on environment. So growing up in a family of overweight people does not make us a victim of “bad genes” that can't be changed. Still today, Dr. Lipton talks and writes at length about how our beliefs, emotions, stress and nutrition change how cells behave and function. We are not victims of genetics, but instead products of our thoughts. Our thoughts can either create a critical environment of inadequacy or one that is loving and nurturing.

For example, when we believe that suffering is necessary in order to lose weight, we tend to fail to lose it or else drop a few pounds, only to regain it later. More productive, is a belief that releasing weight with nourishing meals and exercise can be pleasurable. Judgments about the weight other people carry are reflections about our own beliefs because all thoughts use powerful words and language that instruct our own subconscious mind in the same way.

When our beliefs and feelings about ourselves are congruent with who we really are, we feel satisfied and content. Any discomfort with ourselves and severe inner judgment is a part of you trying to tell you that something is not right and painful. That part can motivate you to make contact with the real, authentic you, who has creative ideas about how to get what you want and evolve with new insight and wisdom.

The first step in changing limiting beliefs is to identify them. Initially, you may notice some hesitancy or resistance to changing long held beliefs, such as the ability to release weight without depriving oneself. But that resistance is often rooted in stress responses, such as fatigue or frustration after a long day at work. Once you realize that deprivation is not necessary and that there are better, healthier options that can be done congruent with your goals in life that work better, the limiting beliefs can be let go and replaced with more beneficial ones.

Start by asking yourself when choices to allow weight gain began, and what supporting evidence and outcomes resulted. Then question if the concluding beliefs are truthful facts compared to different conclusions with different choices. The discoveries with this process of inner self-examination can reveal enlightening, even shocking, subconscious beliefs that we unknowingly carry around. Be alert to self-talk and inner dialog that can reinforce limiting beliefs that stops us from being all that we can be. Beating ourselves up with criticism does not stop destructive behavior patterns and habits, because they instruct and program the subconscious mind to continue the same choices. Words and language are very powerful, regardless of whether they are positive or limiting.

Hypnosis techniques, of which there are many, are an excellent way to gain clarity on beliefs that limit our potential. It's a way to see, hear, and understand the narrative of our stories and what happened initially to create beliefs that no longer serve us well. Then a new story and incredible progress can be made towards accomplishing goals that come naturally and easily. This is the magic of hypnosis and change work.