I have a very good friend that has been a smoker for years. We're talking since jr. high or high school. We are both turning 40 this year so you do the math.
Last month she went to a hypnotist to quit smoking and guess what? It worked. To know that a woman who coveted cigarettes like there was no tomorrow could suddenly just up and walk away from them gives me great hope that willpower exists, even if you have to get in the way of some mind-fuck hoodoo-voodoo.
I actually went to a weight loss hypnotist years ago - probably much like the one Aimee went to, since it was in a hotel conference room setting with about 150 other fatties trying their last ditch effort to get skinny. I can't recall all the details or even who I went with, but I do remember not being able to concentrate because some big loud deeply entranced man was sawing big-time wood two seats away from me. So, needless to say, it didn't work for me, but that's not to say this isn't the answer for some people. Who knows - maybe the seminar I went to mistakenly booked the wrong hypnotist and we ended up with the one who normally conducts anorexia hypnosis to try to get them to love food again. In that case, my therapy was a success!
In all seriousness, Aimee's mom quit smoking through hypnotherapy so I really wish her the best for her success on this journey to Cleanerlungville. It's been just under a month and she is doing great. Her exact comment was that she just felt like smoking "wasn't for her anymore" and that she "didn't do that kind of thing"......huh? Really?
So of course that got me to thinking about food and how food is probably as much of a focus of my life as smoking was for Aimee. Both can kill you in excess - we know this. Yet Aimee lit up like the Surgeon General's warning was about as serious as a knock-knock joke and I throw my fat cells a party like it's 1999 most days of the week. We do these things not caring, or maybe we do care, but not enough to stop. And don't even get me started about the lack of exercise....that in itself is a whole other blog post (or ten).
Granted Aimee got help in the way of hypnotherapy to help her walk away, cold turkey, from those nicotine demons. But even without being hypnotized, if I could just look at cake and say, "That's just not for me anymore. That's not what I eat," and actually MEAN it - well, let's just say my pants might feel a hell of a lot looser. I know I can't walk away from all food cold turkey, but I do know that it is high time I took an extended break from my love affair with homebaked bread and all things sugary.
I actually wrote Aimee an e-mail today congratulating her on her success and I told her how proud I was of her determination to commit to a healthy life style. Truth be told, I am envious of that kind of willpower. I don't know if any amount of hyponosis could deter me from ripping into the Lindt truffles Josh's mom gave us for Valentine's Day.....a straight jacket and a muzzle might be be the only way to keep me from those little chocolate balls of heaven. Or hell, depending how you look at it.
Bottom line is I am really depressed over my current situation, and as we already know from last years posts of ups and downs on the scale, only I have the power to change it. The question is when will this change kick in. When will I care enough about myself to make it work - to say, "You know what? NO - I don't want that cake, cookie, pie, candy, doughnut (see a theme here????) pizza, or cheese laden anything you can imagine - just NO."
I'm waiting for the word to become comfortable on my lips. I am waiting to feel like being healthy is who I really am. God, I hope the wait is a short one.
No comments:
Post a Comment