Early on in my career I saw that more and more people were getting in touch looking for hypnotherapy to lose weight. I am proud of my hypnotherapy programme which addresses overeating and ensures all factors around your relationship with food are addressed. I have also taught many students to become life coaches specialising in overeating and emotional eating. Here are five tips gained from my many years of experience using hypnotherapy to lose weight.
Five hypnotherapy tips to lose weight
Tip One – You aren’t what you eat!
By this I mean that you don’t need to define yourself by what you eat. How many times have you met someone and they tell you that they are a vegan, lactose intolerant, a vegetable hater, allergic to wheat and so on? Food is wonderful and yes, sometimes we choose to not eat some food due to ethics or the horrible taste. Other times we might not eat something since it’s unhealthy, or we simply can’t eat it due to a medical condition, allergy or intolerance. Don’t let that choice define you. Don’t allow attitudes to food become a straight jacket or a part of your identity. Each of us has a different relationship with our bodies and food too. You don’t have to put yourself in a box. Of course, if you have a food allergy, for your own safety, you must tell people. My first hypnotherapy to lose weight tip is to always check and don’t allow yourself to become defined by the food you eat or don’t eat. You’re more than what you put in your mouth!
Tip Two – Do you know what feeling hunger or feeling full is truly like?
Perhaps a strange sounding question, you might reply. However the only way we know when it’s time to eat is by listening to the body. Just think about when you do eat. Are you eating at set times, no matter whether you are hungry or not? Do you eat food even when you are full? In other words, did you really need that extra dessert?
For me, personally, a big one is eating whilst watching TV. I may be full but put me in front of Netflix or a movie and immediately I’m heading to the cupboard or fridge, scavenging for something to snack on. I don’t need it really since I’m not hungry – simple as that. To be very honest, I’m also probably not looking for carrot sticks or cucumber either. I’m looking for those sweet, salty or oily snacks. The first step to losing weight is to begin to befriend the natural signals of the body. During hypnotherapy to lose weight sessions, this is something we discuss. I use some wonderful hypnotherapy visualisations to help you get back more in touch with a more natural and balanced way of eating. Of course it can be tough to say no to food, especially when bored, down, feeling anxiety or are alone. This brings us to the next hypnotherapy to lose weight tip.
Tip Three – Be honest about WHY you are eating
This is probably the most important tip of the hypnotherapy to lose weight set. Indeed, food, just like any decision in life has its reasons. Be honest! You don’t just accidently buy all those cakes, just like you don’t accidently buy a pair of shoes. You have good reasons. You might buy shoes since you hope you will look sexy and cool or they will match an outfit. You buy cake since you want that cake to do something for you. It’s about more than just simple hunger.
Food has many meanings. For many, as we grow up, cakes can be associated with celebrations such as birthdays, graduation, or weddings. Simplistic as it sounds, it’s then not a big leap to assign to cake, in general, meanings such as celebration or reward. For example, after a long day’s work, you feel tired and you want a reward. Before you know it you are in a cafe eating a muffin. On some level, cake feels like a comforting reward and you feel drawn to buy one and find yourself feeling calmer as you eat it too. Food is often associated with love. We show love by cooking for people. Growing up you may have received love through parents or relatives cooking for you and feeding you meals. Simply fast forward to adulthood and when you feel low, down or simply need a pick me up, food then naturally seems like a good way to give yourself that little extra love. Does that sound at all familiar?
This is the real work needed to heal or balance your relationship with food. Through hypnotherapy to lose weight therapy exercises and hypnotherapy visualisations, you can begin to see the true reasons why you eat as you do… and begin to truly change them.
Tip Four – Cut out one food you can probably (or definitely) do without
This is a practical tip. In general I am against labelling food as good or bad. These are, in actual fact, moral words. Good and bad should apply to actions like stealing or murder. Eating too much pizza or extra chips is unhealthy. It’s not about right or wrong but about healthy or less healthy choices.
With clients who wish to lose weight, I like to use hypnotherapy to help them feel less compulsion for certain foods. What might be a food which is high in calories, low in nutrition and if you never ate it again would not make a big difference to your life? Don’t choose something that you would miss or feel deprived about if you didn’t have it. Something that wouldn’t be a struggle to live without. Everyone has their likes and dislikes. Choose something you could easily not miss. Then decide right now to simply not have it again! Simple as that.
Tip Five – Eat slowly and enjoy each mouthful
If you asked me for one tip that you can do today which would make a difference, eating more slowly might well be it. With hypnotherapy to lose weight clients I talk about ‘Mindful Eating’. Mindful or intuitive eating involves becoming more conscious and aware of how you eat, slowing it down, and really tasting your food as well.
Do you eat quickly? Do you sometimes ‘inhale’ your food rather than chew it properly? Even water has a taste if you drink it slowly. Our tongues have hundreds of taste buds and eating is one of life’s greatest pleasures. When you slow down your eating, you get to taste food properly. You also will allow your body time to digest and you will notice more easily feeling full up. During hypnotherapy to lose weight sessions I give guidance on Mindful eating and during hypnotherapy itself provide suggestions and visualisations to ensure you slow down and really taste your food and enjoy it too. Often when you no longer enjoy each new bite, that is the signal to stop eating. Losing weight is about eating less. Mindful eating is the natural first step to noticing whether you need more food. Slowing down ensures you do indeed eat less.
I help people in London lose weight using hypnotherapy. Sessions are interactive and you receive the tools you need for improving your relationship with food life long. If you would like to hear more about my hypnotherapy to lose weight sessions get in touch today.