Losing weight is about more than just the diet

One of the most common reasons that people turn to hypnotherapists for help is to lose weight. Celebrities like Lily Allen have made dramatic changes to their appearance through hypnosis. The internet is full of their success stories.
I think people recognise that inevitably, no matter how easy an eating plan is advertised to be, ultimately only motivation and commitment will enable you to stick to it. There are thousands of diets out there for those who are uncomfortable with the way they look. There are the big slimming clubs like Weight Watchers and Slimming World. There are hundreds of book-based diets like Atkins and the G-plan, and there are quirky diets like the ‘cabbage soup’ diet.
If I was being cynical I would begin to wonder if pretty much any diet, whether based on science or otherwise will help some people lose weight.
The wonderful thing about using NLP and Hypnotherapy to help with weight-loss is that:

  • it works with any respectable diet or eating plan
  • it can even work independently of any specific diet
  • It actually makes you feel better about yourself now
  • you can get all the benefit of a surgical intervention without any pain or risk

What exactly does a therapist do?

There are many different approaches and techniques that may be involved in helping somebody lose weight – as many as there are reasons for becoming over-weight in the first place. The longer someone has struggled with their body image, the more complex and deeply embedded the negative associations and habits that lead to weight problems.

Change what you believe about dieting

The therapist may begin by trying to find out if the client has any limiting beliefs around their body. Perhaps they have found their size fluctuate significantly as they shift from diet to diet and they feel they have no control. Perhaps they have developed an unhealthy lifestyle that they believe they cannot change. There are specific and powerful techniques that can change your limiting belief to something more positive. It may seem strange to suggest that you need to love your body now, but if you love your body as it is, aren’t you more likely to try to take better care of it in the future?

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Social pressures

For some of us, friends and relations may not have been our best supporters in our aim to lose weight. Perhaps your parents have been critical of you and made you feel inadequate because of your weight, or perhaps they have been well-meaning but contributed to your problems by a poor understanding of healthy eating while you were younger. Maybe your friends encourage you to drink more or buy you cakes as comfort food? NLP and Hypnotherapy can help release you from these social pressures and even teach you how to respond to people who unwittingly undermine you.

Food fads and obsessions

Do you have a passion for a food or drink that you would rather not have? Do you binge on chocolate or drink too much coke? There are several powerful techniques that can make you stop liking biscuits, or coke or chocolate or whatever your weakness is, often in just one session or part of a session. The reverse is also true, in that you can learn to like something that you previously detested. Think how much of a difference this can make to your weight loss over even a short time.

Healthy eating

Everybody knows that if you consistently eat sensibly, and look after your body properly, you will gradually become the weight you should be. Wouldn’t it be great if we could just do that? Eat the right amounts of fresh fruit and veg, get regular exercise and just generally have a healthy lifestyle. So why don’t we? Bad habits and lack of motivation are often the root of the problem and NLP and hypnotherapy have specific strategies to deal with these issues. Every worthwhile diet should be designed toward living and eating healthily and so getting the psychological support can make all the difference to achieving your goal. It would be great to feel good and enjoy the foods you need to eat.

Interventions

And for those who really want to go to the ultimate lengths to reduce their eating and shed the pounds there is even hynotherapy that can make you feel less hungry, including the currently very popular Gastric band hypnosis which offers clients a simulated experience of the drastic operation without any of the risks or side-effects. Imagine finding that you just physically can’t manage a large meal because your stomach believes that it is only the size of a peach? Not for everyone of course, and there are less dramatic but equally powerful approaches offered by hypnotherapists which enable you to choose more wisely and naturally lose weight.
The most wonderful thing about these therapies is that not only are they safe and effective, but they actually make you feel better. People come away from a session of hypnotherapy reporting that they feel relaxed and rested. You enjoy the sessions and often feel that a load has been lifted from your mind.

Robert Sanders is a therapist and life coach, supporting people in their present and helping them create their future.

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