Weight Control Hypnotherapy in Bristol and Bath

Frustrated?! Help is at hand! Mindset is everything when it comes to weight control. There’s no question that our relationship to food is a complex one, but at the most basic level, the problem is often simple: food for most people equals pleasure. If pleasure is in short supply generally, then this can feel like one more dose of misery that’s just too much to contemplate. Suppose however for a moment that you could know absolutely that you will succeed? Then what? What kind of feelings would you generate when considering weight loss knowing that it’s possible? Would your life actually be a much happier place if you were in control?

 Hypnotherapy can really help with mindset. It is very flexible and can be tailored to meet your individual needs. The benefits of hypnotherapy for weight control include:

• Creating a motivated mindset which is focused on BENEFITS instead of imagined losses.

• Overcoming the “I can’t!” syndrome by demonstrating that you can using self hypnosis.

• Relaxation – When you are relaxed about your relationship to food you remove the stress of “worry”. Relaxing generally always improves your overall sense of control.

• The law of reversed effort states that “The harder we try to do something, the more difficult it becomes”. By establishing an “I’m doing this and I’m fine with it” mindset, the law of reversed effort ceases to be a problem…you stop trying and start doing!

• Hypnotic suggestions can alter the way you relate to foods, so that your subconscious mind actually craves healthy foods as opposed to fatty or sugary foods.

• Eliminate "triggers" for overeating. Changing the script!

• Ensuring that the “part/s” of yourself (your inner child for example) is/are helped to feel supported, nurtured, and cared for. By meeting the needs of the “parts” responsible for overeating we address the emotional component by having those needs met in healthier ways (You decide what these will be!)

• Connecting with the pleasure of finally doing what you’ve been wishing you would do- Self respect can be greatly improved.

• Working through any emotional “issues” related to your relationship to food.

• Professional support throughout at a pace and spacing that is right for you.

• Understanding – You will be educated about the subconscious mind, how it works, and how to work with it harmoniously to achieve your goals.

• Dealing with any traumas that might have triggered a spiral of overeating or continue to leave you feeling out of control.

• Confidence, Self Worth - Learning to believe you are worth the effort!

I recognise of course that it’s easier said than done, but it’s worth remembering that many people successfully shed the pounds. We can easily make the assumption that they are somehow different to us…better than us, but the truth is they’re not any different or any better. Instead, they found a way. Remember, that those successful slimmers were overweight once. That means they had years and years of overeating…possibly years of trying to shed the extra pounds too. Are they naturally inclined to eat less? No, of course not. But their success was born from finding a structure they could work with and then creating the mental and emotional groove required to change their eating and exercise habits permanently.  

Some people like to “diet”, to be sure that they are getting on with it in a structured way. There are many hypnotherapists that point out that the word “diet” has the word “die” within it and they argue that the subconscious mind reads this and freaks out! There might be some truth in this principle but the idea that we don’t need a structure is flawed. If you’ve struggled with weight loss before then … you need a structure! If it’s not a diet, let’s call it a plan then! In practice you begin with a “plan” and this creates new “habits”. So what begins as a new structure becomes in time the “norm”. Then we can forget about diets and just do what now comes naturally. To this end I cannot recommend highly enough the WeightWatchers “points” plan (No I’m not on a commission to say this!). I have seen their most recent creations which are pure genius! Basically you have an allocation of “points” based on your weight height age etc, which you are allowed to eat per day. They have a wonderful easy use calculator which allows you to see at a glance the “points” content of any food you buy by looking at the fat and calorie content on the labels. You simply count your points throughout the day and ensure that you don’t go over your maximum points allocation for the day. When you exercise you earn extra points which can be “saved” or “eaten”. You can “save” points which you can then use for a special occasion…say a night out for dinner and drinks or a party. This way you can live your life with flexibility, without feeling deprived, whilst creating new healthy patterns easily. Half the problem with weight loss is lack of information and confusion about what foods help and which don’t. With a plan like this, you just follow the plan and you know without question that with persistence you WILL lose that weight. So the stress of “not knowing how you did” is removed completely. This is a fabulous motivator because at the end of each day you know exactly how you did. If you were to overdo it one day you simply have a good day the next to make up the difference, so no beating yourself up! This means less stress which means MORE control! If you eat smart there is never any reason to feel hungry. You can eat all day long when you eat the right kinds of foods and that doesn’t mean just lettuce…..there are plenty of really great foods out there which can help you slim down with pleasure, but you just have to know what they are in order to make use of them.

At its simplest weight loss is a science. If you eat 500 calories less per day than your daily needs then you will shed over one pound of body fat per week. If you are seriously overweight, your body will shed fat much faster than that because you use that much more energy to move around, and your body WANTS to adjust if you give it the opportunity to do so. Eating 500 calories a day less is not as difficult as you might think. It doesn’t mean eating less necessarily, it just means eating better. If you add exercise into the equation too you’ll not only feel better generally but you’ll also create a calorie deficit which equals more weight loss. Once you are in the habit of doing so it becomes quite easy to sustain. Then you see the rewards!

It will be my pleasure to help you. If you prefer not to use WeightWatchers, I am happy to help you to devise a plan based on calories and fat content. We will calculate your calorie and fat allowance against your lifestyle and statistics and you can keep a daily food diary to record your consumption and progress. The principle remains the same as it would be with weightwatchers...we just use a different counting system. Many people already know what they need to do but just need a helping hand with mindset and motivation. I can help you in this way too. Ideally though my role is not as dietician (although I have a very good understanding of food) but as a hypnotherapist to help you with your mindset, so this treatment will benefit you most when used as a complementary therapy in conjunction with an established sensible weight management plan. Simply with regards to the use of our therapeutic time, this is preferred.

If you would like to know more about the science of the mind in relationship to food, control, and depression, you might like to read on by clicking here.

If you'd like some help with your mindset click here to contact me and/or make an appointment.