01 Oct Enjoyable Weight Loss Without Dieting
The method that I use is really a mind-body approach. It combines changes in mindset through hypnosis and EFT (a tapping technique) as well as dietary and lifestyle advice, but it’s not a diet.
Clients find it really easy and enjoyable to lose weight, because while there are guidelines on what and how much to eat, it’s not really a strict program and they can choose what they eat.
Eating The Right Foods
Now there’s so much conflicting advice out there, about what people should and shouldn’t be eating, and it’s no wonder most people have absolutely no idea about the right foods to eat for weight loss.
Over the last 40 years or so there’s been a lot of propaganda in the media about diet, which has caused many people to gain weight and have difficulty losing it. Plus some of the so-called healthy foods that are being highly promoted are very allergenic, and they could be contributing in causing weight gain, and difficulty losing it for some people.
Many foods people often eat when dieting actually trigger hormonal messages that tell the body to store fat and hold onto it, and many of the well-known diet programs out there completely ignore this. And that’s one of the factors that causes rebound weight gain, after a person stops dieting, as well.
As a naturopath I’ve specialized in hormonal imbalances, so I have a pretty good understanding in this area, and I also understand the role of stress, and other lifestyle factors on hormones that tell the body to store or release fat.
Changing Behaviour Through Hypnosis
Not only do I give advice about what foods are more beneficial to help the body burn fat, but through hypnosis it’s possible to change the subconscious programming that drives a person’s behaviour, so that they automatically make healthier food choices and limit their portion sizes without really having to rely on willpower alone and without any feelings of deprivation. We all know that willpower crumbles when we’re under stress.
However, one of the biggest factors we need to address is the emotional component. Many overweight people are carrying extra weight as a mean of protection. They may not realise this, but until the reason for this is addressed, a person will never let go of their excess weight. They might lose a little bit, but they’ll gain it back again.
Through EFT and hypnosis we’re able to release this need for protection and we can also rid them of the need to eat for emotional reasons, like when they’re stressed or anxious or lonely or feeling worthless, and so forth. Once again through hypnosis, and some simple strategies to better manage their stress, they can more easily handle the day-to-day stresses and life becomes much easier.
Apart from releasing the emotional component that may have been keeping the weight on and keeping them eating for emotional reasons, through hypnosis it’s possible to help people feel more motivated to eat healthier – to make the right food choices, and to exercise.
some people when they come to me say, “Look, I’m happy to make some changes in my diet, but I really don’t enjoy exercise.” And so through hypnosis they actually find that they’re starting to enjoy exercise; that they actually want to exercise, and this is one of the really great things about hypnosis.
This is one of the frustrations that I had previously, before I was practicing hypnosis; where people would start off with some exercise when they wanted to lose weight, but for one reason or other, they weren’t able to maintain that exercise.
Through hypnosis they are able to feel more motivated to, as I said, not only make the right choices, as far as food goes, but also to start exercising and start enjoying exercise.
I’ve had some clients that have told me they’ve never enjoyed exercise and that to their surprise they are really starting to enjoy it.
Are You Wasting Your Time With Cardio Exercise?
There’s another thing that I really like to look at. A lot of people are still wasting lots of time on cardio and not getting the results that they want. People can save themselves so much time, and reduce the stress on their body and their joints, by changing to a more efficient type of exercise, which will help to speed up their progress. I can advise my clients on this, or in some cases I might refer them to a personal trainer.
Using Science To Track Results
Another unique way I help my clients is with a test called a cellular health analysis. This is a far more accurate way of tracking their progress then weighing or measuring, though it does require their weight and waist measurement. It uses something called bio-impedance technology, which was developed by NASA.
It gives me a report which shows fat and muscle mass, as well as some other measurements which indicate how well the person is aging. Now while some scales do use bio-impedance this test is a far more accurate one, and I generally recommend that people either get rid of their scales, or that they don’t get on them any more often than once a week, because they might give themselves misleading results and get despondent, when in fact they’re actually losing fat, but gaining more muscle.
Muscles Burn Fat
Through the cellular health analysis we can actually track a person’s fat loss and make sure that they’re not losing muscle, which is really important for burning fat. I find that when most women come to me, they have a muscle deficit to start with, and this is one of the reasons why cardio is not the right exercise for them. We need to make sure that they’re actually building their muscle up, not losing it.
Gastric Banding Hypnosis
Depending on how much weight a person has to lose, or wishes to lose, I also offer gastric-banding hypnosis as an optional part of the program.
This is usually more appropriate where someone needs to, or wishes to lose more than about 10 or 12 kilos, or overeating is one of their major problems.
What Kind Of Results Can You Expect?
Everyone is different, and it really does often depend on how much emotional baggage we need to overcome in the beginning, and how overweight a person is to start with. So as I said before, this is not a diet per se and sometimes it takes a little bit of fine-tuning in the beginning, as people adjust to the changes in their food choices initially.
And the weight tends to come off steadily, but it’s not uncommon for people to lose, say 4 to 7 kilos in the first month, and then over a three-month period a total of 10 or even 12 kilos.
It’s actually good for it to come off steadily. I really prefer that, much more than someone losing dramatic amounts of weight, if it’s muscle that they’re losing. Because as I’ve mentioned it’s muscle that burns fat, so the more muscle that you can maintain, the easier it is to keep burning fat.