Today I thought I'd get up close and personal with you and share a little bit about my weight loss journey.
About 15 years ago, I experienced some trauma in my life. In my attempt to cope with the trauma I would put things in a little box and push them to one side, then pretend they didn't happen, because then I didn't have to deal with them.
With this particular event though, I didn't have a choice. I had to deal with it and the overwhelming sense of emotions in created. I experienced sadness and hurt and humiliation and embarrassment and shame and guilt. A whole plethora of emotions, just bubbled up to the top.
And instead of seeking support to deal with those things, I tried to push them down, ignore them, but I couldn't really ignore them. So instead I started to “eat my emotions”. When I experienced sadness, I might eat a chocolate bar. When I experienced humiliation or guilt or shame, I might have a cake or a cookie. And though it's okay if you do that occasionally, I was doing it every single day.
So I went from a curvaceous size 12, to this plump round pudding size 22.
It didn't happen overnight. It took months for me to go from size 12 to 22. And it was the most embarrassing time of my life when:
- I hit size 22.
- I found I couldn't shop in mainstream shops because the clothes just didn't fit me anymore.
- I was dressing probably 10 to 15 years older than what I actually was.
- I was embarrassed, but not embarrassed enough to stop the behavior.
- I became a classic binge eater.
I would have a pile of cookies, cakes, chocolate bars, and I would eat them all. And then I would feel nauseated. For most people when they get their full signal, they stop. But I didn't, I kept going.
I kept buying those foods, knowing that they weren't serving me. And I hid them in the cupboard, so that I could secretly eat them. Hiding food and eating in secret are big indicators that something needs to change.
At size 22 and over 100kgs on a 5'2 frame, I was really a dumpling and I didn't feel great. I lacked energy. I was so embarrassed that I didn't like to go out and socialise anymore.
My husband used to do the grocery shopping because I just didn't get any enjoyment out of it. He would buy me the things that I asked for because he loved me, but it wasn't helping my problem. And when he wanted to steer me in the right direction and say things like things like “hey babe, do you think it's a really good idea to eat that chocolate bar?”, I got stroppy and thought “I'll have two” because that gave me a false sense of control. But it only controlled me and it made my weight increase.
(My poor husband was trying to help me, but I took everything the wrong way. I wanted to be in control of me – but was failing miserably.)
I finally got to a point where I started to feel the pain of being overweight and I wanted to do something about it. So I tried and I tried diet, after diet, after diet. I went on weight loss programs that cost a lot of money.
I never really pursued exercise as a key way to lose weight, mainly because I didn't enjoy exercise. In fact, I used to say, “I hate it”.
So what did I do? The first thing that I did was, to reduce the amount of meals per day that I was consuming. I already knew that eating three meals a day was better than me grazing all day. And I also knew that 80% of my problem was what I was consuming and putting in my mouth and that had to stop.
So I started to become aware of the foods that I was eating. And I started to slow down on those foods. So where I used to eat two bars, I dropped it down to one bar and then I dropped it down to half a bar, zero bars. I weaned myself off those foods over a period of time. So over a space of 18 months, I lost more than 30 kilos. And I predominantly did that by the things that I ate. I'm not a fan of depriving myself of different food types. I'm about balance and what works for my body, nobody else's body.
Next I introduced exercise. Honestly a year ago, I couldn't even do five minutes on a cross trainer. I remember talking to a fitness coach I'd hired , crying down the phone to him saying “this is ridiculous. It takes me more freaking time to put my clothes on and take them off to get on a machine that I can't even do five minutes”. And he said to me, “Hana, five minutes is better than no minutes. You've got to start somewhere hun”.
Today I can do 45 minutes on that cross trainer because I’ve added a little more time each day. And now I have to say, I actually really enjoy exercise. I love how it makes my body feel. I love that it gives me more energy and I feel less stress.
Why am I sharing my story with you? Because I spent heaps of time, thousands of dollars on my weight loss journey – but you don’t need to do the same.
Many people try different diets and programs but each one comes at a cost. You can continue to yoyo, so your weight goes up and down continually, never settling and staying at a healthy point. But the smarter way that I have found to do it successfully is with hypnosis.
I facilitate Sheila Granger's Virtual Gastric Band program. That's where you believe that we've put a band around your tummy and we've shrunk your tummy. So you can no longer eat as much food as you used to eat.
I also do another weight loss program where we deal with the emotions that actually got you to where you are. We deal with the root cause of the issue. And then I educate you to lose weight in a healthy, sustainable way. Either way works to lose weight.
It's all about what got you to where you are. And that isn't going to get you to where you want to be! You have to do something different. That's why I trained to learn Sheila Granger's weight loss technique to help you get to where you want to be in a faster, easier, effortless way.
- You don't have to spend thousands.
- You don't have to eat certain types of foods and
- You don't have to do hardcore exercise.
- Everything is about moderation.
Sessions take place via zoom, so you can choose your surroundings, from a private office to the couch or anything in between. The most important thing is that you are comfortable, warm, hydrated, and relaxed to get the most out of the experience.
Whether you're a business owner wanting to take your business to the next level or a professional woman who needs help, take your next step forward. If you feel like you need extra support in making these changes, don't hesitate to reach out. Book in a time to chat with Hana or follow her on: Facebook Instagram or LinkedIn
