Often the thought about going on a diet triggers a sense of anxiety, fear and isolation.   So many people start out with the best made plans of trying the latest weight loss programme to lose that 1 stone only to abandon it before getting started.   The ‘I’ll start on Monday’ syndrome sets in and before you know it a few Mondays have gone by without losing weight.

Often the thought about going on a diet triggers a sense of anxiety, fear and isolation.   So many people start out with the best made plans of trying the latest weight loss programme only to abandon it before the weight loss goal is achieved.   The ‘I’ll start on Monday’ syndrome may ring bells with you.   If this is so then you could be repeatedly setting youself up for failure. The mind learns emotional habits very easily and it uses your memory bank to support these habits.   An example could be that you associate winter being a time to snuggle up and have lots of rich, warm food.   Perhaps you notice that you are naturally less active during these cold months when you tend to gain weight.   It may seem strange but it doesn’t take long before your mind associates winter with overeating and before you know it you have gained half a stone.

I would like illuminate to the reader that the following approach to weight loss may seem a little unusual at first.   Having struggled for over 16 years with binge eating and hundreds of diets I have found a recipe that uses thoughts and feelings rather than focusing on food. We are all talking to ourselves all of the time.   To people in the outside world our inner talk is silent and it can self destruct any hopes and desires we want to achieve.   This inner talk is formally known as Inner Dialogue however I refer to it as ‘Radio Crazy’.   The Inner Critic is the self sabotaging voice that holds us back from believing that we can lose weight and have the right to lose weight.   It makes unkind comments like ‘What’s the point in reading this article, your not going to succeed. ’  ‘Everybody thinks you are a failure, why don’t you just eat that whole packet of biscuits.   You know you can’t stick to a diet for more than a week.   We know that you will put all back on again’.   I could go on and on but the point is this voice has a real presence and will hold you to emotional ransom.

have just had a lovely 5 days in Marbella in Southern Spain with friends. It was a great week with lots of sun, great food and wine. I often get asked how do I manage my weight when I am on holidays. The answer is I don’t. As you may be aware, I don’t weigh myself and haven’t done for over 11 years now. I go by my clothes.

Finally the media have agreed what I have been saying for more than ten years. Yes the young ones are drinking too much but they don't care. It’s the hectic lifestyle of the thirty something plus consumers that are drinking concerning amounts. These people are not alcoholics but are stress and emotional drinkers. They use alcohol as a way to cope with their lives and a way to turn off from the difficulties they have face daily.