Can you lose weight with E.F.T.?

January 14, 2018 Ashley 0 Comments

“A minute on the lips, forever on the hips.”

This regrettably accurate phrase haunts us in the midst of all our awful cravings. And, now that the holidays are gone, so are our excuses. We’re not eating badly for festive reasons. We’re doing it for emotional reasons. Or ’cause it’s become a habit. Or maybe we’ve gained so much weight, we don’t even wanna be seen walrusing up to a treadmill (who’s dreading the moment we mount it and pound it). And, ya know, maybe you’ve have even tried hacking fatness from the inside out. But, alas, hatha yoga hasn’t made you feel balanced enough to eschew chewing late night cookies. And meditation hasn’t enlightened you past the point of popping half the basket of queso covered buns in your gullet before the main course arrives. You’ve tried. But, so far, no cigar. Just lots of cigar looking biscottis and sugary coffees (which are also decimating your weight loss goals).

So, is there a way to beat the bulge from the inside out?

Sure there is. First off, let’s get one thing clear: yoga and meditation may still help. So don’t give up on those. The thing is, they’re just like anything else when it comes to fitness. You’ve gotta keep consistent with them to see results. It’s a definite investment – but a sustainable and free one. And speaking of “free”, there’s another internal re-programming you may not have tried yet: emotional freedom technique (AKA: E.F.T.)

What E.F.T. does is attack those outta control cravings at their core: cortisol (the stress hormone). See, generally when we overeat it’s because of exactly that. We’re stressed. Stressed about our pasts. Stressed about our identity. Stressed about what looms ahead tomorrow. And, as a result, we get energetically congested and emotionally constipated. So how do we tap into these backed up areas to free ’em up? By literally tapping.

Like this:

(Click image for video)

I’ll admit, the first time I saw this, I was full-head-tilt style perplexed. How could knocking my noggin around possibly help? Sure, the idea of meridians and stuff sounds super mystical and lovely. But, as with everything that potentially works, I had to see for myself if maybe there was another explanation. And, after trying it, I “got it”. To me, it seemed to work the same way that yoga works for a great many folks. You see, whenever we feel a feeling – something happens in our bodies. Something very physical. For most, stress makes the chest and shoulders tighten up before we even have a chance to think about it. And the face is a slave to these reactions, too. Your forehead might furrow. Your jaw might clench. And the worst thing? You might not even recognize it straight away. Yoga forces us to recognize it. You breathe into a stretch where you’re holding emotional tension and can (finally) get that release. But the tension you hold on your face? Sure, there’s special yoga for that. But it’s so much tougher because, first off, it’s hard to stretch our mugs without feeling dumb, (so we don’t usually do it). Anything we do with out faces means something to other people. So we tend to just do what comes natural, lest we seem fake… or insane.

Take, for example, the facial yoga asana called “Lion pose”:

(Ironically, it looks just like the chick eating, two images up… *insert pensive emoji*)

Also, our feelings and physical face reactions are so much more immediate and ingrained than for our other muscles. But, by issuing an interrupting, tactile cue – just as you would if you were trying to retrain a muscle in physical therapy – you’re providing new sensory information to that muscle. What’s more, as you’re doing so, you’re forcing a re-association for that new feeling via the affirmations you say out loud. Something opposite of what you’ve been subconsciously thinking when you see a See’s candy stand and make a beeline for it. The new input coupled with the affirmations are powerful enough to overthrow those old go-to thoughts and cravings. In fact, they’re powerful enough that after practicing the pairing of words with tapping for even just a few weeks, the tapping alone for a minute or so can kick your cravings. No words needed. Your brain remembers the feeling you got saying the phrases. And that’s enough. But don’t take my word for it. Take the evidenced based practice showing its effectiveness. Subjects practicing this E.F.T. approach lost and kept off over twelve pounds within less than two months. How? Because reported anxiety (and subsequent cravings) was collectively and significantly reduced after performing this technique consistently.

So, instead of spending a minute on the lips, spend a minute on the lips, fist, face and chest.

And leave your slim hips out’ve it altogether.