The Noticing A GUIDE TO START LOSING WEIGHT AND LOVING YOUR LIFE
Table of Contents 2 4 8 9 10 11 12 13 Introduction My Story The Noticing: An Insightful Journey Question One Question Two Question Three Question Four Conclusion 1
INTRODUCTION As women we have all looked in the mirror at some point in our lives and hated at least one part of our body. The struggle with weight has become big business and there is so much conflicting information out there with new diet trends, theories, and different fads. It s impossible for someone to keep up on the latest diet news let alone figure out what works for them. All of these diets have one thing in common though; they promise a quick fix. They don t actually give advice that is tailored to you and your lifestyle; they give everybody the same generic tips. The weight loss industry has also kept us distracted from the truth. Don t get me wrong, as a Holistic Nutritionist I definitely acknowledge the importance of a clean diet and eating right for your body s individual needs. I also recognize the importance of the physiological balance of hormones and the biology that can contribute to stubborn weight in women. However, beyond all this at the deepest level is that: Behind every weight or body image issue is an underlying need or hunger that must be addressed 2
. INTRODUCTION - continued It s not enough to follow a diet plan or take the newest weight loss supplement as I ve done, seen and prescribed over and over again in my practice before I found a lasting solution. The reason we fall for the get thin quick schemes is because we feel we need to feed a hunger and fill a void. These voices in our heads cause us to turn to food as comfort and medicine. Now it s time to change that pattern of thought and fill our minds with something else the truth! BUT first we need to find out what is blocking us before we can transform it. The very thoughts and beliefs and emotions that are stressing the physical system and causing the external symptoms (weight gain) are at the core of this struggle. The emotions that you cover up and hide are being stored in your body. Your weight, or health in general, is the physical manifestation of a far greater and far more important secret than the next new diet trend. 3
MY story I am Italian Canadian and although I have fond memories of my childhood up until the age of eight, a traumatic move to another country; which separated me from part of my family at age eight marks the start of a lifetime struggle to love myself. After spending many fearful, uncomfortable, and unhappy months in Italy (a place I later grew to love and crave) my parents decided that it was best to move my sister (one of three that made the move with us) and I back to Canada. When I returned I did not return to the home and school and friends I had known, instead we moved to a new neighborhood which may as well have been on the other end of the world and just as traumatic as the original move. I didn t know at the time that I was suffering from separation anxiety and my parents did not notice that I was not coping well with all the changes. It even took my Mother many attempts to enroll me in school because of my separation anxiety. I was too afraid to leave my family in case they decided to run off with out me. When I finally did join school I was teased and bullied first because I couldn t be apart from my mom and progressed towards the size of my body. It got to the point where I experienced complete isolation and deep depression 4
. MY STORY - continued YOU MUST REWIRE YOUR BRAIN AND FIND THOSE NEGATIVE DEEP-ROOTED BELIEFS YOU RE HOLDING ONTO AND TRANSFORM THEM. THIS IS THE KEY. 5
. MY STORY - continued The impact of these events may not have been traumatic to anyone else but for me they triggered a deeply seated fear of abandonment inside me. This was the start of what became years of more bullying, self-hatred, and self esteem issues. I can recall looking in the mirror with absolute disgust and hate. I began hitting and punching myself almost to the point of bruises because I felt so fat and ugly and so disgusting and unlovable. As I went through grade school I tried to harden myself against this bullying and abuse by coping as best as I knew how, which was to seek the comfort of food. As the years passed I increasingly gained weight and the self-hatred only increased. I tried to suppress it and distract myself with a busy social life and my studies. By the time I was finished high school my horrible self-image was so deeply entrenched that it functioned on autopilot, running my whole life and all my relationships; even my decisions. For example, I remember one year I declined to go on vacation with my skinny friends because I couldn t bare the thought of being in a bathing suit with all the pretty people. This is one of many events I decided not to attend and instead stayed at home with some form of comfort food. Years later it became clear to me that the struggle with my weight was about so much more than what I was eating and how often I was working out... I was at war with myself and I didn t even know it! 6
. MY STORY - continued Yet, this knowledge was purely intellectual and I hadn t really gotten it, you know down deep in your soul, in your knowingness? I hadn t really had my ah-ha moment with it. At the same time in reality I DIDN T want to look! I didn t want to go there, to see how badly I hated myself. I thought it would be much too painful, so I put it off. To become aware of the silent war you wage against yourself is not enough. You must rewire your brain and find those negative, deep-rooted beliefs you re holding onto and transform them. This is the key. BUT first we need to find out what is blocking us before we can transform it. The very thoughts and beliefs and emotions that are stressing the physical system and causing the external symptoms (weight gain) are at the core of this struggle. The emotions that you cover up and hide are being stored in your body. It was not until I became aware that my weight gain had started affecting every area of my life that I DECIDED to make a change. That s really the first and most important step you can take is to simply decide you want to change. After you make the decision comes the hard part; figuring out what is causing this inability to lose weight. How did I do it? I took it step by step looking at what was holding me back, issue by issue. Not only changing my diet and lifestyle, but also by making small changes in my habits, perceptions and the way I spoke to and saw myself. I used all of the tools and knowledge I had accumulated over the years to battle these issues. Now I want to share this knowledge with you! 7 That s really the first and most important step you can take is to simply decide you want to change.
The Noticing : AN INSIGHTFUL JOURNEY Below you will find four questions to ask yourself every time you eat or have a craving. These are the starting point to discovering those deep-seeded issues that are contributing to your weight gain. I call this process of inquiry and curiosity The Noticing. It s important, as you ask yourself these questions, that you remain nonjudgmental about your findings. When you notice something come up, approach it with the thought; Hmm... That s interesting. As opposed to Oh my God I can t believe I m feeling that, I m so horrible! It s all about getting to know the hidden parts of yourself that motivate your choices. These are the parts that fight against your ability to see or feel for various reasons. It s about uncovering the hidden secrets of your body. For now, as you ask yourself the four questions I only want you to notice your thoughts and feelings, but if you would like to take it a step further grab a journal and put those thoughts and feelings in writing. So here is your kick-start to unveiling the not-so hidden secrets behind your weight. The process of inquiry I call The Noticing. The following questions are meant to be asked when you start to feel hunger. Read through them now and when you do feel hungry or the need to eat than I want you to sit in a quiet place (with your journal if you choose) and ask yourself the following questions: 8
uestion 1: Does it feel safe being hungry? This may sound like a weird question but this can unearth a plethora of primal fears that we all carry. Ask with the intention of truly knowing and being truthful with yourself. I found that when I started my weight loss journey and purposefully noticed my hunger what I really found was that being hungry made me nervous and anxious. I noticed the need to fill it immediately with something, anything just so I would stop feeling. When I allowed myself to sit in this anxiety I realized that there was a deeper fear and need behind it that food would only superficially fill. Once I dealt with this issue I began to feel safe and changed the way I made decisions. My fear of being hungry was actually a fear of abandonment. The separation anxiety I felt at the early age of eight had remained with me for many, many years. Once I was able to address this issue I not only let go of my fear of abandonment, but also I let go of the need to seek out food to stuff, so to speak, these feelings back down. Once I dealt with this issue, I began to feel safe and changed the way I made decisions. 9
. THE NOTICING - continued 2. QUESTION TWO: What is my body feeling right now? With this question you are going to take three deep breaths and tune into your body, give yourself at least a minute of analysis here. Are you feeling tension anywhere? Is there anxiety about someone, or something on your mind that you may be feeling in your arms, legs, stomach or chest? Remember, no judgment, just think Hmm...Interesting. When you start to feel your body it will reveal to you your motivations and intentions behind your choices. At first you may say, Well I m just hungry and that s it! If you allow yourself to sit with your body longer you ll notice that you re carrying stress in places that you have not allowed yourself to feel. We tend to plaster over our emotions and carry on but the fact is that pushing them down is never a good idea. Becoming more present in your body allows you to be more present in the moment and acknowledge these emotions. In addition, if you can learn to start listening to your body you won t overrule clues that you re full or that a certain food is not sitting well with you. This will lead to your discovery of the hidden emotions that are sabotaging you and your weight loss. 10
. THE NOTICING - continued QUESTION THREE: What am I really hungry for right now? The importance of this inquiry is to see that often what we re really hungry for or craving is something that food can only temporarily satisfy. Sometimes it s safety, security, validation and/or love. If you re truthful with yourself you ll see that sometimes the hunger or craving is just another way for you to go outside of yourself to cover-up or avoid dealing with the fact that you re angry with your spouse, sister or friend. Additionally, it could be related to the fact that you didn t get promoted or didn t speak up for yourself in line at the grocery store. 11 3 When we start to notice our triggers we can identify the number of times we reach for food instead of dealing with or noticing where we are at emotionally. You may still choose to eat after this, knowing full well that you are eating because you re angry, but at least you are now making an informed and aware decision. Remember this is a step in the right direction. When you re ready you will start to choose differently.
. THE NOTICING - continued 4. QUESTION FOUR: Are my actions, choices and decision in this moment an act of self-love? We all know deep down on a level beyond intellect what foods feel good in our soul and feed our energy system with nutrients and high vitality. For example, if someone loves you how do they make you feel? How do they treat you? Do they hug you and support you? Or do they hurt you and behave in a toxic way toward you? You see where I m going with this? If your goal is to love yourself and your body then your choices will reflect this. Your choices will also reflect back to you when you re punishing yourself or when you re being uncaring toward yourself. For example, choosing to eat a food that you know is not good for you or will make you feel sick. Don t get me wrong, this doesn t necessarily mean always eating like a saint, but it does mean that you become aware of the choices you make surrounding food. Are you making a choice to love yourself in the moment or are you using food to cover up some of the issues you may have unearthed in your process of noticing? 12
the conclusion So there you have it. Your first baby steps to The Noticing. This noticing is about getting curious about your motivations instead of judging them. When you notice and gently question, without judgment, you can empower yourself with knowledge. This will in turn lead to making different choices and truly creating lasting change. The process of inner awakening and noticing all these emotions may unearth some really painful and traumatic events for some, so it s important to find a professional to work with to help guide you through this process. Your journey to weight loss should include first and foremost, before diet, nutrition and physiological components, the journey within. This is a journey back to the true you and to uncover the hidden secrets behind your weight. A journey back to self-love! 13
Giovanna s specialty is working with the underlying psychology or false filter that rules our experiences in the world, including the state of health in our body. She s had 7 years clinical experience as a Homeopathic Doctor, Holistic Nutritionist and Energy Medicine Practitioner before she transitioned into coaching & mentoring women full-time. Giovanna has studied with some of the world s most successful and influential personal development & mindset experts. She is known as a Woman s Empowerment Coach, Mentor & Speaker. A proponent of the quote when sleeping women wake, mountains move, she believes that it is every woman s right to live a life that fills her soul up with joy and excitement and that the key to this is self love. She is founder of the Love Blueprint program, which helps women create a deeper level of self worth, understanding and personal power to overcome dis-eased states of mind & body. To learn more about Giovanna s programs visit her site - http://www.giovannacapozza.com Photography: Melissa-Mercado.com ebook design: DigitallyBrewed.com