Confessions of a Former Citizen of the Fast Food Nation
In a previous article I wrote for Associated Content, Eating Healthy, I wrote a comical account of my dieting attempts. I tend to look at the world through humor, but being overweight and eating unhealthy is no joke. It is a serious problem.
America is the fattest nation on earth. We are a nation of fat people! I have nothing against fat people; I am fat. However if we are the fattest nation on earth then we are also an unhealthy nation. We owe it to ourselves to eat healthier as best we can.
The fattest city in America is Houston. The fittest city is Honolulu. Click here to see the Top Ten for both categories.
Eating is also cultural. It is based on a variety of factors. Some of these are the foods available to us and our lifestyles. If you live on the seacoast, fish and ocean products influence your diet. If you travel a lot or work late into the night, fast food may be a factor in your life.
The Idea
I decided to get serious about eating a healthier diet and to lose weight. However, I knew my past attempts taught me that I couldn’t do it by myself. My past attempts also taught me that dieting centers were not my roads to success.
I enjoy cooking, like learning about foods not in the mainstream diet such as tofu, meatless alternatives, seaweed and so on. I also knew that eating healthy or dieting was a behavioral change; I needed to take responsibility and change my lifestyle.
Alternative medicine and health techniques interest me. This led me to take an alternative approach to help me eat healthy. I decided to try hypnosis.
Hypnosis is not the stereotype that you see in TV and the movies. There is no swinging watch, your eyes do not become heavy, and you do not fall into a trance. The hypnotist can’t make you bark like a dog when you pass a McDonalds or make you perform a specific behavior when you hear a sound or special word.
Hypnosis reinforces a behavior that you want to achieve. For some it quitting smoking, for me it is eating a healthy diet.
The First Session – Information, But No Hypnosis
I went to my first session a few weeks ago. During this meeting we discussed my goals and my eating behaviors. I am an emotional eater (I eat when I am angry, depressed, and so on). I also eat while I am doing other things. I eat when I watch TV, work on the computer, read, etc. I rarely eat at the kitchen table.
My hypnotist suggested that I eat at the kitchen table and not do any other activities while eating. I tried this. I stopped watching television and listen to the radio. This works and has actually made me more relaxed. I also don’t work at the computer when eating but do still read (while eating).
She also told me something interesting that was obvious but I never realized it. All the healthy foods in a supermarket are along the four walls. The processed foods are in the aisles. When I food shop, I concentrate on the perimeters of the store.
A Chance Occurrence
That evening after the initial session, I happened to rent the movie Super Size Me by Morgan Spurlock. This is a great documentary about the fast food industry. It should help you want to eat healthier.
Morgan eats nothing but McDonalds food three times a day for thirty days. The documentary tracks the affect of this behavior on his health. He has even written a book about this called, Don’t Eat This Book (ISBN: 0399152601).
This movie gave me the inspiration to continue eating healthier and the title for this article. What would happen if I ate healthy for thirty days! Instead of super size me, downsize me!
I am doing well. I’ve eaten healthy for the past seven days. I am enjoying it and I haven’t had cravings for any unhealthy foods.
For those interested, there are two other excellent books about fast food. They are Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser and Fat Land by Greg Critser.
The First Hypnosis Session
During our first meeting we decided that the first hypnosis session would include reinforcing getting a good night’s sleep. Proper sleep is an important component of dieting. I thought this to be very appropriate for me since I am an emotional eater. I tend to eat more when I am restless or tired.
What does it feel to be hypnotized? I was told that you are awake and aware during the session. Some people remember parts of the session while others remember everything. You don’t go into a trance, you are conscious throughout the process.
I relaxed in a comfortable chair. Relaxing, New Age-style music played in the background. I closed my eyes and listened to the hypnotist. She spoke of relaxing, eating healthy and sleeping. The session lasted about thirty minutes.
How did I feel? I felt relaxed and remembered the complete session. I felt like I was meditating.
At the beginning of the session I saw swirls of color while my eyes were closed. This has happened to me in the past. About five minutes into the session I saw nothing, complete blackness. It was one of the few times I actually experienced the concept of nothingness.
The hypnotist recorded the session. I need to listen to the recording at least once a day. I do. I find it very relaxing.
My next session is in two weeks (June 24th). I will share these experiences with you.
