Does hypnosis actually work for weight loss?
According to the World Health Organisation, worldwide obesity has nearly tripled since 1975 (Keaver et al, 2020). The UK is known as the FAT MAN of EUROPE.
In 2016, more than 1.9 BILLION adults were overweight, and of these, 650 million were obese. The prevalence of overweight and obesity among children aged 5-19 has risen from 4% in 1975 to just over 18% in 2016. Now we are post Pandemic, this figure is likely to be much higher.
We become trapped in our own unhealthy bodies. When we are overweight, we tend to move much less, and when we move less, we gain weight... so you see, it’s a vicious circle.
Overweight is linked to more deaths worldwide than underweight. Common health consequences of overweight and obesity include cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders (especially osteoarthritis) some cancers (including endometrial, breast, ovarian, prostate, liver, gallbladder, kidney and colon).
The psychological effects are unquantifiable, but they range from fear of illness, to depression, to living with shame and frustration. This has a huge impact on confidence; seriously affecting personal, professional and romantic relationships. Often problems with confidence are closely tied to perception of the physical self. Quality of life is dependent on weight too; people are more active and adventurous when they have body certainty.
Did you know that the NHS now can insist on weight reduction before surgery, because of the risk involved with anaesthesia and obesity?
The only way to safely lose weight and keep it off is to commit to a healthy lifestyle which involves eating more fresh fruit, vegetables and legumes, reducing fat sugar, salt and alcohol, reducing processed food, portion control, and increasing physical activity.
You probably already know that.
In fact, I’m willing to bet you already know that.
So WHY is this so hard to do?
Almost impossible for many?
So, WHY don’t you do it?
Excessive weight is caused by - overeating.
That sounds simple enough, so then WHY can’t you just eat less and lose weight?
The reason why diets often fail is -------
BECAUSE YOU’RE ON A DIET
NOBODY likes being told what to do, habits are hard to break, and many people claim that they are hungry, just simply overeat, or have a slow metabolism. If I had a pound for every time someone had told me that, I could afford to have dinner once a week at Scott’s.
BUT
The most likely cause of your obesity could be psychological issues, making the mission of losing weight turn into, well, a mission.
You see,
Your thinking is the problem here.
That’s where hypnosis comes in, because the decision to eat comes from your UNCONSCIOUS; you are making choices either from habit or emotion.
- Let’s investigate what is motivating your behaviour, and then unscramble it.
- We need to fiddle about a bit with your unconscious, so that you can make better choices, using the lovely sophisticated part of your inner mind.
In other words, if you’ve been trying to lose weight for years, you probably need to consider another way.
YODA SAYS; "THERE IS NO TRY...”
There are many ways to approach this, from psycho-education to visualisation techniques to aversion therapy and masses of other therapies.
I have been treating a woman in her late fifties, who has consistently lost a pound or two a week, for the last six months, including festive season, even through personal challenges, including a marriage breakup. She’s never looked or felt better. We didn’t do anything as drastic as gastric band hypnosis, just the gentle suggestion of being more healthy, evolving over time, without much hoo ha.
Keaver, L., Xu, B., Jaccard, A. and Webber, L., 2020. Morbid obesity in the UK: A modelling projection study to 2035. Scandinavian journal of public health, 48(4), pp.422-427.
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