How Tapping Helped One Woman Lose 30 Pounds

The idea of losing weight by tapping your fingers may sound too good to be true—but it's exactly how Jessica Ortner, author of the new book The Tapping Solution: For Weight Loss and Body Confidence, dropped an impressive 30 pounds in five months. 

It's not just any tapping that Ortner practiced, though. Emotional Freedom Technique (EMT) is a form of psychological acupressure designed to reduce anxiety. Here's how it works: You lightly touch eight parts of your body known as "energy meridians" in Eastern medicine: your eyebrow, the outer edge of your eye, the area under your eye, the area under your nose, your chin, the area just beneath your armpit, and the top of your head (the order in which you touch these spots doesn't matter). 

As you tap each area several times, you repeat a mantra acknowledging your feelings and affirming that you're stronger than them. For example, you might say, "I understand that this deadline is approaching fast, but I will make it work because I'm confident in my abilities." The more specifically you address the thing that's stressing you out, the better. The idea is that the combo of the kinetic energy from the tapping and the positivity from the affirmations will help to "short-circuit" whatever emotional issue you're dealing with and bring you back into a balanced state.

And since research has tied stress to overeating and weight gain, using tapping to get a handle on your emotions may also help you drop pounds (particularly if emotional eating is an issue for you). We sat down with Ortner to learn more about EMT and how it helped her achieve balance—both in her life and with her body.

WH: How were you introduced to tapping?
Ortner: My brother just found tapping online and tried it out to see if it worked. He had experienced some breakthroughs with it, so when I was sick with the flu, he had me do it. The thing about tapping is that it really centers you with your body. You're more aware of what's really going on below the surface. I started tapping and realized that [the flu wasn't the real problem]—I didn't want to get better. I felt like I was working so hard at my job and nothing was going my way. I felt stuck. I tapped around this frustration and felt my whole body relax. I took a deep breath and my sinuses cleared up. It was the first time that I realized we underestimate the impact of stress and emotions on our bodies.

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OK, so you started tapping to relieve stress. How did this start to affect your weight and eating habits? 
If I had some sort of event or wedding to attend, I'd look in the mirror and panic. I felt overweight and overwhelmed, which led me to try whatever diet was the latest fad. Most of the time that didn't work, or I'd lose a few pounds until something else stressful happened. The easiest way to escape that stress was to turn back to food for comfort.

I knew what I should be doing to be healthier, but the panic was keeping me from seeing what was really going on. Once I dealt with the initial stress response through tapping, I was able to look closer at my relationship with food. Food is one of the only ways I'd reward myself, and with diets, it's like I was taking the last bit of pleasure out of my life.

Was there a specific moment when you realized that you needed to find some coping mechanisms to handle your nerves for the sake of your overall wellbeing?
I was at a health seminar, and somebody recognized me for my tapping work. At this point, I was only using tapping for my anxiety—I still believed there was some magical fruit that burned belly fat or diet that would help my weight. I was over the moon to be recognized by this woman, but then she looked me up and down and said, "Oh, you're a lot bigger than I thought." Because she mentioned my work and weight at the same time right in front of me, something finally clicked. That wasn't the first time someone commented on my weight. Previously, I had a mentor tell me I was fat and that no one would listen to what I had to say until I lost weight. I needed to look at how stress affected my weight.

Once you began using tapping to help you lose weight, what did you begin to notice?
I would eat right before an event, even if I wasn't hungry. I'd open the kitchen cupboards to eat before heading to the front door to leave. I had a level of nervousness that I thought was normal because I lived with it for so long. If I wanted to lose weight, I had to look at my relationship with food. I'd constantly snack or, when times got really tough, I'd binge eat. 

My relationship with food has completely changed. Before, if there was any sugar in a room, the cravings were so intense that it felt like I was having an inner battle in my head for five minutes before allowing myself to eat the treat. I had little self-control. Now, I'm calm and it doesn't feel like the craving has control over me. 

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It seems like the tapping affects so many aspects of your life—in addition to the number on the scale.
This is really an overall lifestyle tool. We definitely hear of people making a shift in their body—and that's exciting. But I'm excited that tapping is an everyday habit that helps you deal with stress, which impacts every aspect of your physical body.

What's cool about tapping is that it's so easy to learn. The amygdala in your brain immediately starts firing your fight-or-flight response the moment you're in anxiety mode. If you're already panicked, you don't need to say any words—just stimulate those acupressure points. These send calming signals to your brain telling your body to relax.

There isn't a before-and-after picture. Health isn't just a place you arrive at where everything is perfect. It's a journey that you have to fall in love with, and being healthy is a decision you have to make every day.

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