Keeping It Fruity

We all know that eating at least 5 a day helps us stay healthy. But what if we just don’t enjoy fruit or vegetables that much? What if we don’t naturally look for fruit when we are hungry & seek instead something sweet & chocolatey?

Fruit
Keeping it fruity

Well there is hope! EFT can be very useful when it comes to helping us choose healthy foods. Generally chocolate and cakes etc give people some sort of comfort. You might like to look at what drives you to eat this kind of comfort food. You can use tapping to help you identify the triggers to this kind of eating.

In the meantime, here’s a tapping script that can help you choose to eat more fruit and vegetables.

Tap on the Karate Chop whilst repeating three times:

  • Even though I don’t naturally reach for fruit,  I’m open to accepting myself anyway
  • Even though I’d rather eat a chocolate bar than an apple, I’m ok
  • Even though I’m finding it hard to eat fruit and vegetables, I accept my feelings about this

Eyebrow: I just don’t think about eating fruit
Side of Eye: I’d rather eat a chocolate bar {or your comfort food}
Under Eye: I find it so hard to eat fruit and vegetables
Under Nose: It’s so easy to reach for a cake instead
Chin: I just don’t fancy eating fruit
Collarbone: Why is it so hard for me to eat healthily
Under Arm: It’s so hard to eat enough fruit and veg
Top of Head: I don’t naturally look for fruit to satisfy my hunger

Eyebrow: I’m open to letting it be easier
Side of Eye: Maybe I can enjoy fruit more
Under Eye: Maybe if I plan things better, I’ll enjoy eating fruit more
Under Nose: What if I started enjoying fruit more
Chin: I know I’d feel healthier if I ate more fruit
Collarbone: Maybe I can choose different fruit
Under Arm: What if I felt satisfied after eating some fruit
Top of Head: I wonder if I can enjoy fruit more

Repeat using your words where appropriate. Ask yourself some questions like:

What does chocolate {or insert your comfort food} do for me?

Why do I need to feel comforted by food?

What am I trying to comfort with food?

Remember to tap on any emotions that come up until you feel they have been fully addressed.  You can use the choices method to help you choose to eat more fruit and veg. E.g. Even though I still naturally choose other food, I choose to reach for fruit more often.

Keep tapping!

Louise
07866 013 637
louise@freeflowingenergy.co.uk

 

I Feel SAD Autumn is Here

The temperature has dropped, the nights are drawing in and the leaves are falling. Autumn is definitely here! If you hate the season change you are not alone. Many people get affected by it. We want to carry on doing what we have all year, yet we don’t seem to have the same energy levels.

Many of us feel like hibernating as we don’t fancy going out in the cold, dark and often wet evenings. The days will seem even shorter when the clocks go back at the end of the month. At this time of year, some people suffer from SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder.  SAD symptoms include low energy levels, mood changes, depression, anxiety, loss of concentration, overeating and sleep problems.

We may start craving stodgy, comfort food and put on a bit of weight. One thing is for sure, our ancestors were much more in tune with the seasons than we are. Lets face it – they had to be. They didn’t have the resources and technology that we have that allow us to work into the night, lit by artificial lights etc.

So one of the things that you may want to try doing is to listen to what your body is trying to tell you. Slow down if you feel your energy levels are dropping. Wrap up warm and eat more soups and stews!

You can also try some tapping statements to help you adjust. Here are a sample of setup statements that you may want to try.

  • Even though I hate the clocks going back and I find the dark nights so depressing, I still deeply and completely accept myself anyway
  • Even though I don’t want to go out because it’s so dark and cold, I accept my feelings anyway
  • Even though I feel like hibernating when autumn starts, I love and accept myself
  • Even though my energy levels drop in the autumn and I get frustrated with myself, I deeply and completely accept myself anyway
  • Even though I feel so down because it gets dark so early and I really crave sunlight, I’m ok
  • Even though I don’t want to slow down but my energy levels force me to, what if I could listen to my body’s needs
  • Even though I can’t do all the things I want to in the autumn, I’m open to accepting that
  • Even though my body feels so sluggish in the autumn and winter, I’m open to accepting this
  • Even though I crave stodgy, comfort food, what if I ate what my body needed
  • Even though I put weight on at this time of year because I eat stodgy comfort food, I love and accept myself anyway
  • Even though I feel so lethargic and I don’t have the energy to do much, I accept my feelings anyway
  • Even though I have to change my lifestyle because of this seasonal change and I hate doing it, I accept my feelings about it

I hope these statements have inspired you to do some tapping and release these feelings about the onset of autumn!

Autumn colours

Try to look at the positive things about this time of year – the beautiful fall colours, catching up on your projects (e.g. sorting out your photos, reading, painting), enjoying the foods you don’t fancy in the summer (soups, stews and pies) and enjoying a slower pace of life.

Keep tapping.
Louise
07866 013 637
louise@freeflowingenergy.co.uk

EFT Food Cravings Research

There are many advocates of EFT or tapping out there, yours truly being one of them! What there isn’t that much of is scientific evidence! Now of course this is not necessary for EFT to work and many people don’t give two hoots about it. Then there are the others who are sceptical and need scientific evidence before they will even consider this strange tapping thing!

A recent scientific study has been undertaken on food cravings. The study was undertaken by Stapleton, Sheldon, Porter & Whitty, 2009-2010. The research was funded by a grant from the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology (ACEP). It is hoped that the article reporting this study will now be published in a professional journal.  

Food cravings - chocolate cake

You can read the full article about the research on Dr. Patricia Carrington’s Zap Cravings website. 

These research projects are vital in promoting the effectiveness of EFT in the medical and scientific community. We are then able to talk about EFT with some scientific backing which in turn encourages even more people to try the technique on their issues. 

The research helps highlight what we already know – EFT works!

Keep tapping!
Louise
07866 013 637
louise@freeflowingenergy.co.uk

No Smoking Day 10th March 2010

Ok, so it’s No Smoking Day again on March 10th. You’ve tried to quit before but failed. You find it really difficult to control your cravings & you get irritable when you’re suffering from withdrawal symptoms.

Maybe you’ve stockpiled patches or gum to help you get through the day. Or maybe you’ve decided to take the day off because you just know you won’t be able to make it through a whole day without smoking and you don’t want the hassle off people…

If any of that sounds familiar to you then there is a different solution out there! EFT or Emotional Freedom Techniques can help you quit smoking the easy way:

  • Control your cravings
  • No willpower required
  • No patches or gum
  • Ease your withdrawal symptoms
  • Deal with reasons why you smoke
  • Ease the anxiety of losing your comforter
  • Address your concerns about failing or indeed succeeding!
  • Deal with your identity as a smoker
  • Empower yourself as a healthy non-smoker

For more information on how I can help you give up smoking, please go to my stop smoking page.

You can give me a call on 07866 013 637 for a free confidential, no obligation chat. Or use the contact form to drop me a line. Maybe you’re ready to find out how easy it is to stop smoking with EFT.

What No Chocolate Desire!

Ok, it’s been a few weeks since I created my food cravings video and blog post. I just wanted to give you some of my feedback since that blog & video. Whilst I do love chocolate, I wouldn’t say I felt I had a problem with chocolate. Sometimes I’d really fancy it and other times I could take it or leave it. I would get a craving for it at certain times of the month, like a lot of women. My boyfriend would even joke with me at those times if I was getting a bit grouchy and say “quick it’s time to break out the emergency chocolate”!!!

I can report that I didn’t have any of that this past month. No chocolate cravings. No feeling grouchy before my period.

I have also just completed my usual January detox again and usually have a bit of craving for certain food afterwards, chocolate being one of  them. I finished my detox and didn’t feel like chocolate. I just wanted to carry on eating really healthily like I had been for the past month.

Hmmm, I was thinking what’s different? Then I remembered. I’d created that blog & video!  Could that be it? It seemed too simple. I didn’t create that blog & video for me – I wasn’t tapping on my stuff…or was I?

Whilst I’m not sure if this is a permanent thing, it sure is interesting. So maybe a word of warning would be – don’t tap on your food cravings unless you’re sure you don’t want to eat that food again!

I love EFT and the wonderful ways it works. Happy tapping!

Want a session of EFT to address your cravings? Give me a call on 07866 013 637 or drop me an email – louise@freeflowingenergy.co.uk. Phone sessions available worldwide or face to face in Cardiff or Devon.

Food Cravings

If you want to lose weight, you inevitably end up trying a diet.  People on diets often live with lack and also guilt. Lack because there are certain foods that you are not “allowed” to eat, or you are only allowed a certain amount of calories, or “sins”.  Guilt often comes up from indulging in eating something on your banned list. Neither of these emotions are helpful for losing weight.

Many people find EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) very helpful with food cravings.

Firstly think about the food you are craving, e.g. chocolate.  Next score your craving on a scale of 0 to 10 (where 10 is really high craving). Then try the following script using your food craving, if it is not chocolate. If you have more than one food, then concentrate on one particular food at a time. Be specific. For example, if it is chocolate digestive biscuits then use that rather than chocolate or biscuits.

Setup:
Tap on the Karate Chop whilst repeating three times:

  • Even though I really crave chocolate, I accept how I feel
  • Even though I really want to eat lots of chocolate and I just love the taste of it, I deeply and completely accept myself
  • Even though I can’t stop thinking about chocolate, I deeply and completely accept myself and all my feelings about chocolate

Eyebrow: I’m really craving chocolate
Side of Eye: I can’t stop thinking about chocolate
Under Eye: Why can’t I stop thinking about chocolate
Under Nose: I love eating chocolate
Under Chin: Nothing satisfies me like chocolate
Collarbone: I want to eat chocolate now
Under Arm: Chocolate is always on my mind
Top of Head: When I eat it, I feel guilty

Eyebrow: This chocolate craving
Side of Eye: Chocolate is my friend
Under Eye: Chocolate satisfies my needs
Under Nose: I’m a chocolate addict
Under Chin: I love chocolate
Collarbone: I’m dreaming of eating chocolate
Under Arm: I really want chocolate
Top of Head: I have this strong craving for chocolate

Eyebrow: What if I could stop craving chocolate
Side of Eye: Maybe I can enjoy eating more healthy food instead
Under Eye: What if chocolate just didn’t do it for me anymore
Under Nose: Maybe I can feel satisfied in other ways
Under Chin: What if I just wasn’t that bothered by chocolate anymore
Collarbone: I can give it a miss
Under Arm: What if I didn’t feel like eating chocolate now
Top of Head: What if I can easily choose to eat healthy foods

Check your score again.  If you are not down to zero, keep repeating the tapping until you are down to zero.  Try testing your craving by finding some chocolate (or your food). Look at it.  Does it still look appealing?  Smell it. Does it still smell appealing? Try tasting it? Does it still taste good?  Often, you will not like the look, smell or taste of your food after tapping on it.  If you still want it, or want it more after this testing, then repeat the tapping again. 

Remember to keep tapping until your craving subsides completely.  Repeat the exercise for other food cravings.

Here is a video of me tapping for food cravings. Try tapping along with me, anytime you have a food craving.

http://youtu.be/k_ya0m1YsUA?a

Keep tapping until you no longer crave these foods. Also try tapping on any feelings of guilt etc that come up if you do eat foods that you are avoiding.

Happy tapping.