We can all gain weight unintentionally; it's easily done.
Whether it's a hangover from the festive season, a poor diet, or difficulty getting as much exercise as you need or used to, we’re all feeling it. Especially as a result of the pandemic causing many of us to move less and drink more.
In fact, 40% of adults surveyed by Public Health England have gained an average of half a stone over lockdown - and that’s just the ones that admit to it!
You, your diet, stress and worry
When you’re not yourself, you think, feel and act in different ways. When it comes to diet, you might perhaps comfort eat. What this means is that you’re eating more than your body needs. You’re eating to release the ‘feel good’ hormone Dopamine.
Yes, exercise and healthy eating that’s proportionate to your metabolism is always the right course - even if it’s a gentle stroll to take in some fresh air - but for some of us, the root cause of weight gain and the inability to lose it can be a mental problem rather than a physical act.
You don’t need to diet, you need to change your mindset
If you’re struggling to get in shape, despite your best efforts, something deeper could be at play and it could be time to address it - perhaps with the help of Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy.
How can weight gain be in my head?
Like I said earlier, if you’re stressed, anxious, or suffering from low self-esteem, you can easily drift to the fridge or biscuit tin.
So, what are we looking to do? That’s ‘we’ as in me and you: working together to change the way you think about food - making food matter less to you.
Learning to relax, staying calm. Retraining your brain, so that you don’t think or feel that food is the answer.
It’s not dieting – it’s simply changing the way you think about food. For good.
For example, if you grew up in a household that had a ‘clean plates’ rule, you’ll be more likely to feel mentally obliged to finish each morsel of every meal - not necessarily because you’re still hungry, or you’re not satisfied.
This is a learned behaviour that may have become deeply ingrained in how you behave at mealtimes and has become your ‘normal’. On some level, you may associate it with negative feelings (such as being told off or punished), so even if you are not actively thinking about this when eating, your subconscious is - and it remembers.
For others, it can be hard to build up the drive to actually get up and go and do exercise, perhaps because of negative associations which could be just as deeply ingrained.
How can hypnotherapy support weight loss?
Okay, this is where I would ask you to consider it less about losing weight and more about cultivating healthier habits
In the long term, this helps you to shift the excess pounds - and keep them off.
I treat my clients with a carefully balanced regiment of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) and hypnotherapy, which combine to give the best results. Together, they help you to change your thoughts, feelings and actions for the better.
We start getting to the bottom of what you're worried about and dealing with the root causes of your behaviours and breaking any unhelpful connected feelings or associations you have which might stop you losing weight.
We use hypnosis as a way to relax you, so you just focus on one thing: receiving messages that help you relax and be kind to yourself.
The cognitive behavioural bit is the message you receive under hypnosis that we discuss.
I use the word ‘we’ because we work together to crack this. To actively change your behaviour to benefit your life, your mood and your waistline.
Listen, I’m not here to judge. If you’re happy with your weight, whatever your size, then I’m happy for you and you should be too - but if you’re not happy or if you’re unhealthy, it’s important to address the reasons why so you can move forward with positivity and without mental barriers holding you back.
Actually, it’s something I’ve lived through myself.
If you read ‘my story’, you’ll see I was twenty stone from over-eating and drinking. I’ve been there, and I get it.
What comes next?
If you are unhappy, if you are struggling to understand or reconcile your habits, then I’d urge you to consider getting in touch with me so that we can shift your thoughts away from the scales and lift the weight off your shoulders.
