We’ve arrived at experiment 7, the experiment that effectively made this book famous: How to lose weight by manipulating energy.
E Squared by Pam Grout — Experiment #7
“As long as you harbour negative energy about yourself and spend time wanting to lose weight, that’s what you’ll get: negativity and ‘the state of wanting to lose weight.’ Not only is this type of thinking counterproductive, but it keeps you stuck with the body you’re currently in. Your body is a barometer of your belief system. Your cells eavesdrop on everything you say and think…” (excerpt E Squared by Pam Grout).
Don’t you think it’s a little bit weird that it’s usually the people with the most self-imposed dietary restrictions who are the ones with the most digestive issues. I was in this boat not too long ago. I was obsessively gluten-free while also experimenting with a vegan diet, while also trying to eat entirely organic… I was driving myself insane.
But not quite as insane as when I counted every calorie and hyperventilated after looking up the amount of calories in six wings after a wing night with Greg. During both of these periods in my life, I was either constantly bloated, gassy or experiencing a range of digestive problems… which led me to obsess more, cutting out and vilifying more and more foods.
Meanwhile, in university I would eat the entire left side of a 12″ garlic fingers, and a frosted cinnamon roll from Tim Horton’s without a second thought. My weight was almost exactly the same, but I didn’t have the same digestive issues in university. The difference? I didn’t think food was evil when I was in university.
Food is Energy
In this chapter from E Squared, Pam talks about how food essentially absorbs the energy that we put into it. If, prior to eating a burger or small slice of cake, you start thinking about how bad it is for you, you make it worse for you.
“The normal state of your body is healthy. It can heal and regulates itself without any prompting from you. But when you keep tabs and count calories with frenetic abandon, you refuse to let your body change” (excerpt from book).
It’s not some sort of weird coincidence that many thin people are notorious for saying things like “I can eat anything I want, and not gain any weight.” It’s an affirmation, and if you believe that it’s true, it will be.
The Experiment:
This week’s experiment involved logging your weight loss after 3 days of saying positive affirmations to every meal you put in your mouth. I don’t own a scale. Actually, I’ve never owned a scale. I came very close to buying one for this experiment, but then decided against it. I didn’t want to buy one and then fall into a (destructive) habit of weighing myself every morning.
Instead I decided to focus on feeling beautiful in my body. For three days I was kind to my reflection, and took care to especially flaunt the parts of my body that made me feel self-conscious. I didn’t change my diet or anything else and at the end of the 3 days I noticed that the appearance of my most ingrained and stubborn imperfections had actually diminished.
Weight Loss and Extreme Fitness Challenges:
I noticed this same principle at work when I completed Insanity (a 60-day workout program). My weight is actually the exact same in both pictures. The only difference is that in the before picture I’m a little bit bloated, and I also don’t think I’m beautiful.
- My before picture
Before taking the after picture, I said positive affirmations to myself and got myself into a good headspace. One where I felt attractive. This caused me to hold myself differently. In a more flattering way. Also, confidence is attractive.
How you hold yourself and the truth of your internal monologue makes a huge difference.
If you see yourself as beautiful, the rest of the world will as well. Beauty is a mindset.
[…] Experiment #7: The Jenny Craig Principle […]