Sunday, March 22, 2015

A Bikini Brain

With the holiday season slowly creeping up on us I thought I'd write a shot blog on hypnosis for weight loss. After all; when the sun starts peeping through, the shops start stocking bikinis. 

In my personal opinion the most important thing is health. Second to health is confidence in YOU whatever you look like. Of the least importance to me is what the scales say. For many though despite being healthy and having a weight that is within an acceptable range (you know, what the doctors say is ok) confidence is lacking and wearing a bikini is scary.

I believe in using hypnotherapy techniques to improve each of the above. Healthy eating these days is a minefield. Do we go with low fat, low sugar, eat what we want, stop fat and sugar, count calories, juice, shakes, fast, 5-2, 2-5 etc etc. Every one of my weight loss clients confesses to having tried everything and I suspect this is part of the problem. I personally have a vested interest in sugar, research is starting to show us links between sugar, alzheimer's and heart disease. Having researched this myself I decided to quit sugar around 6 months ago. With of course a break for Christmas and another one due for Easter! This is not particularly straightforward though. I was shocked at some of the foods that contain sugar; mayonnaise, stock cubes, gravy, most salad dressings, most crisps, many breads. The likelihood is, if you quit sugar you are going to be healthier. It does not however guarantee weight loss, or body confidence. Weight loss (I mean fat loss), realistically can only be achieved by eating less, exercising more or a combination of the two. Body confidence - well that's a whole other matter! 

When I use hypnosis to help others lose weight I try not to harp on about quitting sugar. Hypnosis for weight loss is not another fad diet, it's a change for life. It's about finding a realistic way of eating and exercising (when possible) that can be maintained for life. If you can't live without chocolate cake you gotta eat the chocolate cake ... but sensibly! 

I want to help others lose weight but going back to my original point the most important thing is health. I know plenty of slim people that live on chocolate - literally. The calorie count of a few chocolate bars a day isn't huge. If not much else is being consumed they probably aren't too overweight. They probably aren't too healthy either! I recognise though that whilst some may say they'd feel happy if they lost two stone, the reality is it might not bring the happiness and confidence they thought it would.  I feel a huge part of weight loss hypnotherapy is about ensuring confidence in yourself. When a client comes to see me I give them my special weight loss rules that can be maintained for life, I do not recommend cutting out any foods or eating different foods. I generally recommend a session with a nutritional therapist, this is included in the hypnogastricband programme, as I do not have any qualifications in nutrition. I spend sessions working on reasons for over eating if this is a problem and ideas to change this habit. I do work on enhancing the desire for healthier options and aversions to foods if requested. If achievable I will help you to find motivation to exercise. I will also spend a large part of sessions working on body confidence. It is so important to feel comfortable with who you are - of course providing you are healthy with it. I hope that the combination of a desire to eat healthily, an increase in body confidence and a reduction in fat (where necessary) = a bikini brain.