Does hypnotherapy work for weight loss?

How does hypnotherapy for weight loss work?

As a hypnotherapist my job is to keep you in the left pre frontal cortex of your brain for as long as I can and to teach you how to stay there when you are not in hypnosis. When we are operating from this part of the brain we make more sensible and measure

d choices, I help you set goals - not woolley 'maybe if i could just lose a bit' kind of goals but exciting goals, that when you hit it will feel like a lottery win.

As a hypnotherapist and psychotherapist I help you do something called future pacing- How will it feel when you achieve these goals? What will you do differently when you have achieved these goals? We also look at what has been achieved in any one week and is there anything coming up that might affect your goal and how are we going to deal with that. It really is mindset mentoring. I also use powerful embedded commands which bed it all in to the thought process.

How does hypnotherapy for weight loss work?

This is a very personal story but one I am happy to tell because the one thing I do know is that in my weight loss journey, I simply did not know how to break the cycle, I was so stuck, its lonely out there! Hypnosis was the starting block for me to fix my own weight issues. I want to bring value, knowledge and honesty by dispelling some myths and getting real. In doing so I have to open up. I have carried too much weight for 50 years. Being overweight in my case carried shame, embarrassment, self- doubt and hits self-esteem hard. The added challenge is that unlike ditching alcohol or nicotine we actually need food to survive, its not like its something we can just stop doing.

Get honest with yourself

We have to challenge that inner voice (your thoughts) the one that constantly makes excuses as to why its just not the right time for me, why its too hard, too inconvenient, I don't have time to focus on this now, i'm too busy. That inner voice that uses food or booze as a pleasure seeker or reward. The one that says - ' you've had a really hard day today, you worked hard, you haven't stopped. I know! Lets make you feel better with a 'nice' dinner or a bottle of wine, you deserve this' The irony was it's that same voice that rewarded my great days too. 'You've had a great day, you have achieved loads, lets celebrate with a 'nice' dinner or a bottle of wine.' its seems utterly ridiculous now I write this. These thought processes can also be referred to as 'eating your feelings' good or bad. emotional eating in times of anxiety, depression, sadness or boredom, stress or joy. In most cases eating makes us happy, it's the brains hedonic system, also known as the reward system. In a nutshell, we are seeking dopamine, it feels good when the dopamine is flowing. The other system is our homeostatic system, the body naturally seeks homeostatis. When a person starts to lose weight, a lot of processes begin in the body to return it to its accustomed weight (who knew!?) For instance Leptin which is our hunger trigger hormone will increase as your body fights to restore its weight that has been lost. Anyway, this is not a science lesson, I am not a scientist, but I do believe a bit of knowledge is powerful.

Happy chemicals

In my case I absolutely use food and wine in so may ways. My pleasure seeking doesn't just extend to me but to my friends and family. I'm a feeder. So much so that the house we now live in was bought largely due to the fact that I have a big kitchen and can get loads of people in to feed them up and show them how much I love them. Food preparation, the act of cooking and being social with food. I am hell bent on keeping the tradition of the 2pm Sunday roast going. This is no doubt my way of re-living lovely homely Sundays my mum created for us as kids (thanks mum love you!) So my emotional relationship with food runs deep. Its not just the eating, its the hunter, gatherer, provider, its primitive stuff. The joy of watching those I love enjoy the fruits of my labour. So now, not only am I getting a dopamine hit, I'm also getting the serotonin happy chemical and oxytocin the neuropeptide that plays a role in social bonding, love and mothering.

Primitive behaviours

Many of our 'habits' are primitive behaviours. Food, triggers so many emotions for me, some happy...… my grandad shouting from the kitchen 'how do you want your eggs, sunny side up?' Some sad... ironically I dropped a lot of weight following a horrible divorce. I convinced myself that my ex husbands infidelity was obviously down to me being overweight but that's another blog! After all those Sunday lunches and Friday evening prosecco's I would lie in my bed on a Sunday night and think 'this week I'm going to start to live healthier, tomorrow I will do something different' and on Monday and Tuesday I did and then i'd get wrapped up in my week and it would all go pear shaped, until the next Sunday when I had the exact same conversation with myself. This was my cycle.

Hypnotherapy for weight loss. What shifted? What changed?

I got serious about addressing my weight in April 2022. A number of things happened that kick started me and most of these things surrounded mindset. Through hypnosis, I had got myself to a place where I started to value myself, actually like myself, accept myself- another irony there. I had to have self acceptance to deal with the thing that made my weight unacceptable to me. Not to anyone else but to me. I have a family, a young daughter, I was 40 when I had her (apparently according to the NHS I was a geriatric mum -what is that phrase all about?) Surely the biggest gift I could give to her is a healthier mum? Not surprisingly I didn't feel too well I'd had Covid, which then became long Covid. I was knackered, out of breath and feeling a bit rubbish and then had a bit of a shocker when renewing my life insurance they declined me. My blood pressure was too high.....consistently too high.

Now I cannot downplay the part that my good friend Karen played in this. Karen my brilliant friend who knows pretty much everything there is to know about me. I was sharing my shock and indignation at my declined health insurance, long Covid and lethargy with her (poor Karen gets it all) She asked me if I fancied going with her to Slimming World. I semi reluctantly agreed.

We sat in that first meeting I was a bit complacent and rolling my eyes. I'm ashamed to admit the happy clapping made me cringe, ashamed now because I should know better. That negative voice was only me masking my fears of my own capability -What if I fail? What if I don't stick to it? What next if this doesn't work? I got on the scales muttering something to the tune of 'it is what it is' honestly not wanting to look at the actual number. The meeting was busy, it seemed a long wait for the Slimming World consultant to start 'her bit'. I recall saying to Karen 'shall we just go? This is taking ages' and with the look only Karen can give, a kind of steely glare, she told me 'no, sit down' And so it began....

Changing your mindset

So what am I saying here? Join Slimming World and all will be well? Not at all. What I am saying is that mind set has to come first, a pivotal part of your weight loss journey is how you think about yourself, your reasons for wanting to get healthier, how you value yourself and for that hypnosis is an amazing tool. For anybody controlling their food in any way, you do have to look at your emotional relationship with food, once you recognise it you become more consciously aware of what you are or are not putting into your mouth, in the words of Karen 'I am the gate keeper of my own mouth, only I am responsible for what I put in it'

Track your small wins

To be clear I am not a nutritionist, I know a great one if you need that help Lisa Knowles @nutriality is brilliant but you have to find your own way nutritionally, that might be Slimming World, Weight Watchers, Intuitive eating or your own plan that you follow to get your nutrition right. Find ways to move more, no you do not need to do eight spin classes a week and join a shiny gym, that's great, if that's your thing but find ways to move more that fit your life. Make your goals time restricted and break them down. If you stand at the bottom of a mountain and look up its daunting, but maybe, this week you can get yourself up on the first ledge and even though that first ledge may seem like a small win but it's a step in the right direction.

I still enjoy my decadent Sunday lunches, its remains a main event in our home. We have stopped doing the goose fat roasters, just a light spritz of olive oil. I had a great Christmas but this one was different...did I miss the Baileys? Don't be ridiculous! I enjoyed it all but it was different this year because I am now in control of it all. I just ate and drank less and this was not planned or strategic it was just natural, my neuropathways have changed and in turn my habits. I am now more intuitive in my choices. So I enjoyed all of it and I future paced it. I factored in 'I know I will gain weight, it's Christmas and I am now aware and in control enough to get it off' and do you know what? I have.

The powerful mind

That is the power of mind set and that is where hypnosis for weight loss is the game changer. I am happy to say my blood pressure is great now and I am two stone lighter than I was that day in April at my first weigh in. It really isn't the number that is important, it's being brave enough to face it, you then have the starting point of where you are at. Get realistic in your journey, I am a natural hedonist, I enjoy the good stuff, if I know I have a meal out or drinks, I factor it in. Its fine, I just get back on the bus and chalk it up to I having a good time and enjoying my life. As our lovely Slimming World consultant says there are twenty one meals in a week if you have a decadent meal it's fine you have twenty others to balance it out.

Most important of all recognise weight management for what it is- a really vital part of loving yourself and self care. So that's my two pennyworth .....so what now? Am I off to the gym or to eat a salad? No, that's not me. I just heard my air fried jacket potato ping and my chilli is ready to go on top I'm off to fuel my inner comfort and put my feet up before I get cracking with some more clients.

Free consultation what have you got to lose?

If you do want to know more about psychology and hypnosis for weight loss your first consultation is free but just know this- those that choose hypnosis as part of the journey are proven to not only increase the weight they lose but are more likely to make permanent change, this is according to Harvard University not me! Be nice to yourself.

I am a qualified psychotherapist and master hypnotherapist. If you would like to get in touch visit my website or simply fill out this form.

You can also read more on my weight management page.

As a qualified hypnotherapist I am a member of the National Council for Hypnotherapists. I also treat people for low self esteem anxiety sleep disorders and many other things.

Now here is a nice picture of some lovely bums for you to look at 🤣 and remember no matter what shape or size you are as long as you are happy and healthy is really what its all about.