Safe methods for fast and effective weight loss

Hypnosis is well-known as a tool to manage weight, in fact, many people seek help from their local hypnotherapist to lose weight each year. I find it's particularly common during the summer months when we can no longer stand the discomfort of the heat inside a baggy jumper.

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While most hypnotherapists have some idea of what constitutes good enough nutrition and know-how to guide people towards a healthier lifestyle. We are, however, not nutritional therapists and do need our clients to have some idea of what they need to change to achieve their goal weight.

It's widely recognised that to lose weight, you need to eat differently and/or exercise more. My perception is that more recent research tells us food has a bigger part to play than exercise, though doing no exercise at all does not constitute a healthy lifestyle either.

Hypnotherapy for weight loss

A hypnotherapy session can help you to lose weight effectively and at a moderate pace in the following ways:

Aversion

If there is a specific food or drink that you cannot stop yourself from reaching for with willpower alone a hypnotherapist can help you. When I was in the early stage of my career, I became friendly with another hypnotherapist who told a story about having not eaten chocolate for 12 years after using hypnosis. Recently, I spoke to a client that I worked with 6 years ago for the same thing, and she told me that she has not eaten chocolate since our session… it works!

When you use hypnosis to focus your mind and visualise in a deeper way you can make strong connections that you might find harder in a default state of mind. A hypnotherapist will help you associate the thing you need to step away from with something that is awful for you. So, every time you see or think of ‘your weakness’, you will also think of the awful thing and feel like moving away, rather than grabbing and eating.

This is something you can try at home by using guided meditation or following online instructions to bring your mind into the deep state of hypnosis/meditation.

Imagine yourself taking a bite of the thing you cannot stop eating and while you chew, imagine that it has turned into the thing you detest. Use all your senses to feel, taste, smell the disgusting thing. Bring as much depth to the exercise as you can and practise it regularly to strengthen the association.

Exercise motivation

Exercise is as important for mental health as it is for weight loss – some say more important. Exercise gives you a feel-good boost and triggers lots of positive movements within your body. If, however you need the motivation to exercise to aid your weight loss, a hypnotherapist will first help you explore what exercise is right for you, so that it feels enjoyable.

You also need to spend time exploring when you will fit exercise into your schedule. This is, in my opinion, the most important thing. It's no good me spending an hour helping someone feel motivated to exercise, only for them to wake up the next morning and realise they literally do not have a spare moment in their diary to do the exercise.

Science shows us that a one-minute fast-paced walk, six times a day has a bigger impact on internal body reactions than a 30-minute walk. Exercise does not need to be an hour of intensity in the gym each day. Your hypnotherapist will help you navigate the challenges of time, enjoyment, commitment, and motivation so you make the lifestyle change needed to exercise daily.

Kindness towards your body

The human body functions better when it is a healthy weight, in addition to this, it functions better when exercised and nourished. When you fill your body with harmful foods you are not showing kindness to your body.

Many of us hold the thought that eating harmful food is a treat. This is a bit of a paradox because it is a treat to your tastebuds, but harmful to the rest of your body. When you nurture yourself through loving-kindness you will have less desire to eat harmful foods. Your hypnotherapist will help you love your body, so you feel a greater desire to nourish it rather than harm it.  

Who are you and what do you need?

Very often, overeating or eating harmful foods stems from emotion, feeling bored, sad, lonely etc. Or not really knowing what you need, so choosing food to satisfy the need to do something. When you explore yourself with your hypnotherapist you will understand yourself on a deeper level. Although this does not necessarily change the habit overnight, it does give you space to stop and consider your feelings and needs.

Using mindfulness techniques, you will take a moment before you eat to consider whether it is hunger or something else you feel. If it is something else, you will have the support of your hypnotherapist to navigate that feeling. When you consider your needs, you can take action to meet them. Food will no longer need to be the answer to everything.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author. All articles published on Hypnotherapy Directory are reviewed by our editorial team.

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Farnham GU9 & GU10
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Written by Juliet Hollingsworth, MSc
Farnham GU9 & GU10

Juliet is a trauma-informed therapist. Her passion is helping people reach their potential through a combination of hypnotherapy, psychotherapy and transpersonal psychology. Juliet works online and face to face with clients across the world. (DHP Clinical Hypnotherapy & Psychotherapy. MSc Consciousness, Spirituality & Transpersonal psychology.)

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