Visualization, Affirmation, and Hibernation

In the documentary Hungry for Change, Jon Gabriel and Dr. Christiane Northrup both talk about an aspect of weight loss that is new, or at least new to me. This is a really good film that I think everyone should watch so I won't rehash it all here, but I do want to share the two things that impacted me the most.

First, Dr. Northrup talks about affirmation. She advises her patients to stand in front of the mirror every morning and every evening and say 'I love you. I accept you. Unconditionally. Right now.' After 30 days, you'll have begun to change the way you think. Similar to how you begin to believe a lie if you say it enough, if you affirm yourself enough you'll begin to believe what you're telling yourself. This goes along with the visualization that Jon Gabriel talks about. He too says it's important to accept yourself the way you are now (through affirmation) and then to visualize the changes you'd like to make. He points out that our bodies are built to store fat in response to stress as a defense mechanism. Our bodies think that a crisis is coming when we are stressed and so it stores fat to help us when the crisis hits. Therefore, unless you deal with the underlying stress, no matter what you do you won't be able to experience fat loss. Through affirmation and visualization you can help deal with the stress.

I think there is a lot of merit to the mental side of weight loss. I think our mental health and our physical health are a lot more connected than it seems; for the most part we look at them as two separate things but I think God made them to work together and break together. So I decided to try affirmation and visualization. I'll be honest, I feel pretty silly standing in front of the mirror telling myself that I accept myself and love myself just the way I am and then visualizing the fat molecules breaking down and being used by my body in this time of fast. But even though I feel silly, I feel like it's effective. I've told myself a lie enough to make myself actually believe it before so I know the affirmation will change my subconscious thoughts. And I think visualizing the process of my body actually losing weight is really powerful. Picturing each and every cell in my body squeezing out every unused and unneeded bit of water, picturing each store fat deposit breaking down and being sent to my heart or my legs or wherever needs energy. Picturing it all is really positive and makes it so much more believable for me.

Second, Dr. Northrup says that our bodies are biologically built to store up food for later when food might not be as available, similar to how a bear stores up food in preparation for hibernation  But because we live in a country where there is an abundance of food at our fingertips, our bodies are storing up for later but later never comes. In Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, Joe Cross mentions at one point that he's a little hungry but reminds himself he already ate. As he shakes his belly, he says that it's time for later. I don't know about you, but I have enough stored and am ready for later. It's time for me to hibernate and let my body live off its fat deposits for a little while. Juicing allows me to get the nutrients I need while forcing my body to get its energy from where it was stored for later use - my fat cells!