Train Your Brain and Body to Get Thin

If you've been struggling with fat for years, here's another safe bet: You spend far more time feeling anxious tension than total relaxation. To get and stay thin, you must reverse that balance.

If you've ever fallen in love, you probably did this by accident. In the throes of new romance, our beastie brain is focused on bonding and mating, not food. Emotional eating? Who needs it? Staying active? No problem! "The pounds just melted off," people say of their falling-in-love phase.

You cannot force this brain state into being. Doggedly thinking "loving thoughts" while beholding your own cellulite creates a rebound effect that will have you drinking chocolate syrup right from the bottle. The successful participants in the ACT study simply learned to observe their self-loathing thoughts—calmly. It's like hiring Cesar Millan to train your inner schnauzer: Peaceful presence triggers the calm brain state that allows permanent weight loss.

I use the mnemonic "so far" to remind me of my own technique for staying in my calm (read thin) zone. If you use it consistently, I believe you'll find yourself struggling less and less to eat right and stay lean.

Step 3: Practice the "So Far" Technique