We all know diets don’t work – that is, if you want the weight to come off and stay off!  But why?  What effect does dieting have on our brain to make us ultimately put on weight again.

But if you just want a quick fix to lose fat for a couple of months, then you want to return to the eating habits which caused you to put on weight in the first place;  by all means, go ahead and find a diet to obsesses about – any one will do and there are hundreds of them.

The weight loss industry is a multi-billion pound industry which plays on people’s insecurities and fears – the emotional eater, and then promises the easy, quick fix.  Its a money making machine.

The sad thing is that when you put the weight on again, you don’t just go back to where you were in the first place, you will put on more weight because in the process of dieting, you have caused your mind to go into survival mode because it thinks there is some sort of problem causing a shortage of food, so it sends out messages to the body to store any energy (food) it can, which we store as fat.  So even if you eat the same amount as before, you will store more of it.

If you want a long term solution where you can lose the excess weight for good and have a healthy relationship with food, something else needs to change.  This is where hypnotherapy helps with weight loss; hypnotherapy helps you to come up with the solution of what really needs to change, what needs to be different because after all, if we keep doing the same thing over and over again, we will get the same results.  We can fix the symptoms as many times as we want, but if we don’t find a solution to the problem, the symptoms will return.

Look at it like this:-  If you are allergic to a soap powder which causes a rash, do you just keep taking the antihistamine or rub in creams to make the rash go away, but continue to use the soap powder or do you eventually realise you have to change your soap powder?

It’s not a lot different, overeating is a symptom, so are eating disorders, it is not about the food, there is something else which is invoking a reaction, in this case the unwanted habit of overeating, resulting in weight gain.

Problems, Reasons & Excuses

What would you say if I told you that you didn’t need to identify the problem in order to find a solution?  Focussing on the problem isn’t going to help either because you can’t find answers in problems, look hard into the problems and all you find is more of the same and they will make you feel even more miserable and send you running for the fridge or larder.

Reasons = excuses; and we can all find plenty of them, something to blame and blaming something or someone else is a way of not taking responsibility for our own actions.  But, at the end of the day, you are the person putting the food into your mouth, no one is forcing you, it is a voluntary choice.  When you are ready to take responsibility for your own actions, then you are ready to change your eating habits for ever.

I also hear a whole host of reasons in medical conditions causing the excess weight, real and imagined and I don’t deny there are some external factors which make it more challenging, but its a matter of adapting and working harder at it.  If you are unfortunate enough to genuinely have something which is attributable to the weight gain, you may have to work harder at keeping it off, you might have to adapt in other ways, but does it mean you give in, do nothing and live miserable with your weight or size? – you choose.

When you are focussing on your problems, be it job, stress, relationship, money, health etc. you are tipping your brain off that there is some sort of crisis, emergency or danger and the more you worry about these things or think the situation is hopeless, the more you are focussing your brain on the problem which increases your anxiety levels.  As your anxiety levels rise, the primitive part of your brain takes over more and more and part of that primitive brain is the hippocampus which holds our habits and behaviour patterns.  So our anxiety rises, we refer to habits and if your eating patterns has become distorted over the years, then you will feel compelled to eat.

Solutions

So how do we find a solution to a problem we don’t need to know, so we can stop repeating the overeating symptoms?  Surely you need to know its the soap powder which needs changing before you can change it and stop getting a rash?   Well, yes in the case of soap powder, that does seem sensible doesn’t it.  But when it comes to habits or patterns of behaviour it’s important to understand how the brain operates so we can take control and operate it effectively instead of letting it operate us.

You have an immensely powerful intellect (yes, you do!) it will work out what needs to change in your life; it will come up with those solutions, all you need to do is activate that intellect – simple 🙂

Activating the Intellect

The intellect is activated by being stimulated with things it enjoys and things which create the neurotransmitters needed to make the connections between the brain cells – sound complicated?  It’s not really, it’s much easier than you think – and fun!

If you have a car, you will know that the engine needs oil to run smoothly, if the oil runs out, the engine will dry up and seize up.  Neurotransmitters, in particular seratonin, are the oil for the brain engine.

Creating Seratonin = Activating the Intellect

Your intellect will not only work out what needs to change in your life, but naturally wants to eat sensibly and healthily.  It doesn’t obsess about food, either restricting it or getting hold of it, it doesn’t even think about it when you don’t need it.  Food is fuel, when the fuel gage drops towards empty, it will give you a natural hunger signal to refuel with what it needs, not wants.

Creating Seratonin

Seratonin is the feel good neurotransmitter.  When you creating seratonin you know about it because you feel good, happy, rewarded, on a high – call it what you like, but you do know the feeling.  So it stands to reason that when you feel good, you are doing something which is creating the seratonin you need to eating healthily and it basically falls into three main categories;

1. Positive Activity (physical activity and exercise, but also doing hobbies or things you enjoy)
2. Positive Interaction (being with people who are positive for you, helping people, making other happy or just hanging out with friends)
3. Positive Thinking (focussing on what you do want, not on what you DON’T want, being positive, finding the silver linking, thinking about things which give you pleasure or you are pleased about)

Summary

Focussing on problems = Anxiety = Activating the primitive brain = Overeating Habit = Weight Gain

Positive Activity, Interaction & Thinking = Creating Seratonin = Activating the Intellect = Health Eating

Anyone can learn how to better control how their brain is operating and become aware of which part is in control leading to habits good or bad.  It is a choice; we don’t always realise that and it’s easier sometimes to transfer responsibility to some thing or someone else, but if your weight is an issue and you want to change, you can learn how to break that constant diet cycle.

If you would like help with understanding more about natural, sustainable weight loss, please feel free to get in touch.

Number of Weeks

12

Time :

Every Tuesday 6.30pm to 8.30pm

Next Start Date :

Tuesday 3rd April 2018

Cost :

£20 per session

(payable in 4 week blocks in advance)

Location :

Kingshill House, Kent Road,

Old Town, Swindon SN1 4NH

Maximum Course Size:

20 Delegates

Workshop Instructor :

Emma Triplett DHP HPD MNCH(Reg)

Clinical Hypnotherapist & Psychotherapist

‘The Hypnosis’

Hypnosis is a natural but nonetheless powerful tool in helping you to let go of unwanted unhealthy habits and set positive intentions at a subconscious level.

Each session concludes with a relaxing hypnosis session that helps motivate you in your goals and keep you on track.  You will leave each session feeling relaxed, happy, content and motivated instead of diving into the first chip shop to reward yourself for losing 2 lbs.

Every delegate also receives hypnosis tracks to use at home in between the weekly sessions

“I had been considering Hypnotherapy for weight loss for some time and a friend recommended Emma, although I was initially nervous it was one of the best decisions I’ve made.

I’ve had a constant battle with my weight for years and i could get so far on my own and then the weight would slowly creep back on. Emma helped me to learn why my brain works the way it does and what I needed to do to keep myself on track.

The hypnotherapy itself is the most amazing feeling and every week i would leave feeling 10 feet tall and ready to tackle anything, if Emma could bottle this feeling she would be a millionaire!!

My weight is steadily coming off and I’m well on my way, and I know if I stumble with my new positive attitude I can get straight back on it.

I cannot recommend Hypnotherapy enough and especially with Emma, go on give it a try!!” Louise*

* Individual results may vary, please read our disclaimer page for further details.