Getting to the Heart of the Matter: Core Beliefs that Are Keeping the Weight On

In my last post, I discussed strategies for letting go of limiting beliefs about weight loss. There are MANY types of limiting beliefs you can have on just about any subject. While I do believe there is value in eliminating any limiting beliefs you can identify (such as "it's hard to lose weight", "I gain weight just by looking at food"), the deepest and most powerful transformations usually come from identifying and releasing core beliefs.
Core Beliefs are deeply held beliefs that run to the core of your sense of who you are. They can be positive or negative, and held at either a conscious or subconscious level. Some examples of limiting core beliefs related to weight that come up frequently with clients are:

-I don't deserve to be thin (I'm not good enough/not worthy/unlovable)

-I'm afraid to succeed because I don't know who I'll be without this extra weight

-I want to know I am valued for who I am and not what I look like

-Skinny people are weak

-My mother/sister/friend will be too jealous of me if I lose the weight

-It's not safe for me to be sexually attractive

You might find some of these statements resonate with you, and if they do, it's certainly worthwhile to spend some time tapping on them. Don't assume you are done with locating core beliefs related to your weight just because you have tapped on some of these statements, though! You may find as you tap that specific events come to mind that helped you to form these beliefs, and it's a good idea to spend some time tapping on those specific events until there's no intensity left around them. It's likely there will also be some other areas you need to explore to get to the heart of your core beliefs.

The following statements can help you to detect further limiting core beliefs:

It's not safe for me to lose this weight because....

If I lost the weight, it would mean that...

If I wasn't putting all my energy into my weight issues, I might have to deal with...

The downside of losing this weight would be...

Repeat each statement out loud, then listen closely for whatever comes up. You may be surprised at what spontaneously pops out of your mouth. It may seem like something ridiculous or trivial. It's important not to dismiss anything that occurs to you when using these statements. In my experience, it's sometimes the things that seem "trivial" which can lead to the biggest breakthroughs and "aha's"!

As I mentioned in my previous post, it can be difficult to identify your own limiting beliefs. This can be especially true of core beliefs that are such a big part of who we think we are. I highly recommend finding someone to partner with to do this work. If you are not able to work with an EFT practitioner, you might want to check out the Tapping Buddies site to find another EFTer who is interested in forming a mutually supportive partnership.

I would love to hear about any big "aha's" you get while doing this work!

This is the fourth post in a series about Using EFT for Weight Loss. Earlier posts can be found here:

Using EFT for Weight Loss: 3 Key Areas to Address
Tuning in To Your Food Vibration
Letting Go of Limiting Beliefs About Weight Loss

Image by Maggie Smith, courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net