Weight Loss, The Human Brain & Social Programming

January 12, 2016January 12, 2016 ~ Agata @BarkTime ~ 28 Comments

The human brain is an amazing thing, for example it can be used to “program” our thinking in order to help us achieve our goals… if we only let it!

Unfortunately however, when it comes to weight loss we have been “programmed” for years by society and endless marketing to think that there can be no gain without an equal amount of pain which is let’s face it, a lot of crap.

On Saturday I had the huge pleasure of spending a few wonderful hours amongst the Slimpod stars of 2015. I’ve won the “Most Inspirational Blogger” category due to my complete changing of the way I see and blog about food. My journey with Slimpod has awarded me, so far, with just over 2 stone of weight loss but most of all it has allowed me to rediscover food in a way that I never would have thought about before. And no, I didn’t starve myself, I didn’t have to count calories or sins, I didn’t have a loooong list of foods I can’t eat or any other kind of restriction for that matter… so then how does it work?

Well, this is where we come to our mysterious and beautiful brain! Slimpod works on your subconscious and changes the way you think about food in general. And the result, well you start to have a dialogue with your body and it tells you that it doesn’t want that food, that it knows is bad for you or more simply, that 2 spoonful’s is enough. It is not a choice, in fact you don’t even realise it is happening until after the event or more likely it is when someone around you makes a comment. I personally don’t understand the science behind it but frankly I don’t care! For me and many others it works and that is all that matters!

I met some wonderful people on Saturday and they all have an incredible story to tell. They all lost a huge amount of weight but most of all ~~they~~ we all overcame our demons when it comes to food, being chocolate, cake, bread or cheese. We were all different and we all had different reasons for overeating and different “weak spots” but this is all in the past. We all feel happier and healthier now, we are lighter and it’s all because we gave Slimpod a try.

However, we all had one common story to tell… about those people around us who despite seeing our changes flatly refused to believe that such a change is possible without any sacrifice. This is so silly in my humble opinion!

It’s silly because for years we were told that diets have to equal some sort of restriction but this simple isn’t true!

I hardly ever watch TV but yesterday I happened to watch the Channel 4 programme called How to Lose Weight Well. One of the girls who was put on a crash diet said something which really sums up the general public’s opinion about weight loss “It’s not going to work because it’s not restrictive enough”. This statement really stuck with me as my own personal experience and the experience of others there on Saturday show that the statement is a prime example of total conditioned BS, sorry but there isn’t a different way of putting it.

People, think for yourself! Read about our majestic brain and what it can do for you. Don’t let society define your beliefs, give the unknown a go and put your trust in something you might not entirely understand and finally just start to think slimmer. It works. I am good physical proof of this, you can eat all you fancy and yet shed weight, and you can be slimmer, healthier and happier without conscience sacrifice, restrictions and will power! I say we all should start thinking slimmer!

Can you think yourself slimmer? Part 2

November 27, 2015November 27, 2015 ~ Agata @BarkTime ~ 6 Comments

Change your eating habits in just 9 minutes a day – the easy, lasting, natural way: take control of food & sugar, end cravings for sweet snacks, lose weight without willpower, stop constantly feeling hungry, enjoy eating out without guilt, get more energy, enjoy exercise, keep food off your mind, say goodbye to dieting for ever… this is a Slimpod promise…

I truly struggle to grasp why some people aren’t more open minded?

When I talk to people and tell them “No, I do not follow any diet”, they simply can’t understand how on earth I can lose weight without being on one or taking some magic pills or maybe a super strict exercise routine. They want to know my secret but once I actually share it with them they aren’t satisfied, as it is not a diet and in order to lose weight they expect one!

No exercise routine? Oh, this will not work!

No food restriction? No, this will not work!

You can eat what you want and when you want it? This will not work for sure!

Oh how marketing teams across the world have so conditioned our thinking!

Why is it so hard to understand that once you actually start thinking slimmer, as in thinking differently about food, your own needs for it and its value to your body, you will be able to make all the right choices without any restrictions from outside sources?

Slimpod helps you do just that… it helps you re-evaluate how we think about food. It helps you understand (even if it is only at an unconscious level) why some foods are better for us than others… it simply helps you to make the right choices.

I don’t know about you but personally every time historically when I have ever tried one of the “magic” diets out there, the one offering a quick route to sustainable weight loss as long as you follow it rigorously, well after a few days I just hit a wall and the concept of diet was just going out the window. As soon as I was told, or read, that I can’t have let’s say a cake, all I could think of after that moment was cake… this was making my unhappy and grumpy and obviously I wanted this cake even more now… then I had my cake, my diet was “broken” and I was even more depressed that I am not able to follow a simple diet… never again…

I think healthy weight loss can only occur if you are truly yourself, when you and a happy you can actually listen to your body. Your body will tell you what it needs and when it needs it.

So what do you think?

Could you think yourself slimmer?

…and don’t be a nay-sayer as I am living proof it can be done.

Eat more to weigh less

October 6, 2015October 6, 2015 ~ Agata @BarkTime ~ 8 Comments

Eat more to weigh less Sounds weird right?

Well, I didn’t believe it either but I was proven wrong.

A few months ago I was asked to try new XLS Medical Max Strength, new and improved carbohydrates, sugar and fat binder. I was provided with the pills and the support of Jodie Relf, a weight management dietician. Weeks were passing by but my results were less than acceptable. After a few chats I was asked to keep a food diary… so I did…

As it ended up my diet was in general too low in calories, it had too much sugar in it (mostly from fruits) and it was missing vital food groups… as a result my metabolism was extremely slow. I was advised to up my food intake, change my eating times and add some ever so important proteins into my diet.

And you know what?

It worked!

Within a week my weigh started to drop, inches were disappearing and I felt so much better.

The moral of the story is… weight loss is not always about food reduction… in same cases yes for sure it might be the key factor but it is not a hard rule and sometimes, as in my case, you really need to eat more in order to weigh less.

Jodie explained to me why eating proteins in the morning is so important. A breakfast that is high in protein raises your brain’s tyrosine levels which in turn helps your brain to produce norepinephrine and dopamine, which are responsible for your energy levels and what makes you feel awake and alert.

I didn’t eat breakfast for years. Sometimes my first meal would be at 3 or 4pm, until that time I would function on a giant cup of latte. I tried to eat in the morning but as much as I wanted to, I simply could bring myself to having a proper breakfast, so I found a different solution… protein shakes mixed with matcha powder and chai seeds… believe it or not I have now almost stopped drinking coffee… I have so much energy after my morning meal that I no longer have a need for it. Now I will have an afternoon small black coffee as a treat and not as a necessity to stay awake in the morning.

I am astonished that such a small change can have such a huge impact on my overall wellbeing.

So if you are everything like I was just a few months ago: always in a hurry, skipping meals, running on coffee and eating fruit and more fruit thinking that this is good for you… stop… now…

Start your day with a high protein meal.

Drink a lot of water.

Watch your sugar and fat intake.

Try to maintain a regular eating schedule.

Snack smart if you must… use nuts, homemade energy bars or bliss balls.

And I promise you, within days you will feel the difference.

Can you think yourself slimmer?

September 10, 2015November 4, 2015 ~ Agata @BarkTime ~ 18 Comments

What do you think?

Can you think yourself slimmer?

Can the way we think effect the way we look?

I was given the opportunity to try Slimpod, a weight loss program which doesn’t call for a diet, extensive exercise, puts no food restrictions on you and actually lets you eat what you want and when you want it… so how does it work?

That is a good question!

How does listening to a Slimpod for just over 11 minutes a day helps you lose weight?

I am sure there is much great science behind it, all I know is, it works! Believe me or not, those 11 minutes a day listening to Slimpod are well spent. Within days you will notice a difference in your own behaviours and really start to act unlike “you”…

I love chocolate and cake, I could bake a cake and eat half of it in the evening simply because I could and there was always the option of baking a new one the next day… however since I started my journey with Slimpod, in the last 6 weeks I have had one nuttela cookie and I had one chocolate pudding (that was actually last night)…

Do I miss chocolate and cake?

Well… no, I don’t miss them as no one took them away from me, I simply do not fancy them.

Slimpod helped me to achieve the right mind-set towards food. I eat healthier food, create better balanced meals and I do not crave junk food… And you know what the best part is? I do not need any will power to achieve it… it just happens… I’m not sure how but it does.

My relationship with food is so much better these days. I actually enjoy food shopping, it gives me pleasure to pick food, to cook it and to eat it once it is ready but it has stopped being an obsession. I don’t focus so much on my choices… it kind of happens when I see something healthy a green light comes on in my head… when I see junk food my body stays indifferent.

I have to admit I didn’t have much faith in this program before I started it. I couldn’t believe that listening to a track can affect my behaviour and bring about any positive changes. Well, I was proven wrong.

In the last 6 weeks I have lost 5kg.This might not be a giant achievement for some but this weight loss was effortless… all I had to do it listen to my Slimpod. I am extremely happy I’ve tried it. In addition to my Slimpod I’ve received a great handbook and 21 days of email support but this isn’t all – you can join the Facebook community for Slimpod users and you will have free unlimited support in case you need it (I’ve spent over an hour on the phone once getting to the root of my problems).

Currently Thinking Slimmer offers three different versions of Slimpod, three habit-breakers (sweets, chocolate or alcohol), two wellbeing pods (confidence booster and relaxer) and a Fitpod, designed to make fitness fun and easy.

If you need help in any of this areas, I would highly recommend getting a “pod” and listening to it.

It works, I’ve tried it.

Tempted?

5 Top Tips on How To Pick & Stick to The Diet

July 29, 2015October 21, 2015 ~ Agata @BarkTime ~ 10 Comments

what is diet We all have diets, for better or worse but we do all have them.

The type of diet I want to talk about is the diet designed to lose weight, get fit and healthy; the type of diet most of us have thought about, talked about or event attempted to implement at some point; the type of diet which gives us headaches and sleepless nights as we aren’t able to follow through and keep to its requirements…

During the last 10 years I have put a lot of weight on which I struggle to shake off. I have to admit, I have thought about different diets, and yes I event attempted some but with no great success until now… so what changed? Well, I think I realised a few very important things and I would love to share my discovery with you in form of my Top Five Tips on how to pick and keep a diet.

Be Ready!

This is the key. You have to be ready. You have to decide that enough is enough and you have to desire the change.

So many of us start our diet for the wrong reasons and thus we simply can’t follow through with them. You have to be ready!

Unfortunately I don’t have a recipe as to how one becomes ready for a change. For me it happened in late spring after I received a set of pictures from the shoot we had done for one of the newspapers. It really hit me, “OMFG am I really so fat!.”

Until that moment I knew I am “bigger” but seeing myself in the mirror each day didn’t bother me so much… until I saw myself through someone else eyes… I didn’t like that view.

I was ready!

Visual your goals and know your weak points

Knowing what you want to achieve is extremely important. You have to have a clear vision as to what you want and why you want it, as well as an understanding of what is standing in the way to your goal. You need to face the fact and analyse your life and get to the bottom of your problem – are you an emotional eater, are you just overeating or are you simply having an unhealthy or unbalanced diet? Knowing where the problem lies is necessary, otherwise you can’t target it, which means you can’t fix it.

It’s harder than it seems to actually admit to our weak spots. For me it is cake. I love baking and I especially love eating cake but having half a loaf tin cake in an evening whilst watching TV isn’t really the best idea is it?

Pick what’s right for you and ask for help

Don’t follow after the masses. The fact that celebrity A is using diet B really doesn’t mean it will be good for you. Once you know where your problem lies and what are your weak points, you will be much more able to pick the diet which strikes at the heart of it.

There is no shame in asking for help. Even if you are super strong willed, you can’t do it by yourself. Talk to people, join or start a Facebook group, read about and learn how others have tackled any given problem.

Currently I am having double support; I am using:

XLS-Medical Max Strength which is a fat binder. Additionally a weekly consultation with a dietician to chat about my progress
Slimpod from Thinking Slimmer, which is designed to help deal with my sugar intake with the support of a Facebook group.

I have to admit at first it wasn’t easy to talk and write about my problems and concerns but it gets easier and it helps to know that you are not alone in your struggles.

Be kind to yourself and learn to trade

Setting rules and following them to the letter isn’t easy. I know it, you know it, we all know it. I hate rules and as long as I know that I can’t have something then inevitably it ends up that all I can think about is exactly that something and so I want it more than ever now… Well depending what type of diet you choose for yourself you may well have to learn to live with some restrictions in your life or learn how to trade. Think about it as a type of swapping game – trade a piece of cake for a longer walk; have a glass of beer or wine if this is what you fancy but then later on go and play with the kids in the garden… You have to learn how to allow yourself some of your guilty pleasures but you have to remember that everything has a price… learn to pay for your moments of indulgence with some other small sacrifice. Ying and Yang.

Think long term

Let’s be honest with ourselves, most “diets” simply don’t work, especially the “magic diet” types. Yes, they might help you shed a few pounds but not forever… once you stop and go back to your old habits the weight will creep back most likely with some additional lbs. This is why it is so important to think long term. Don’t think about a “diet” as a short term fix… think about it as a new beginning, as a start to a new you and a new chapter in your life’ think about it as a long term commitment which hopefully will be transformed over time into a new healthy lifestyle.

That’s it from me.

This is my guide and the stages I went through in my process of getting to the point in my life where I am now… I am ready for a change, I know what I want and with help of others I will achieve it. I am learning to deal with my personal “trading game” to find the right balance in swopping goodies for hard work afterword’s and I believe over time this new routine, which I am developing now, will stick and then stay forever.

Happy dieting everyone!