#180 / Vol. 35, No. 1, JANUARY / FEBRUARY / MARCH  2008

A Healthy Resolution to Achieve Your Ideal Body Weight

By Beverly E. Taylor

Beverly Taylor, Certified Medical Consulting Hypnotist and longtime OPEN EXCHANGE lister, offers Transformational Healing and HypnoCoaching in our hypnosis category.

The months from November, when Thanksgiving starts the “eating season,” through March, when it’s often still raining or cold, can be especially difficult for those struggling with overweight or even obesity. The holidays bring special foods, special occasions, and special temptations; the rain can cause or exacerbate seasonal blues or simple overeating from boredom or inability to exercise outdoors. January also brings the desire for healthy New Year’s resolutions.

Do you find that you have problems keeping your New Year’s resolutions? Do you diet and lose, then gain it all back again? Are you sabotaging yourself? Do you know how to do it right, but you just can’t do it? Do you ever think you don’t have enough willpower?

In addition to the standard New Year’s advice of “eat well, exercise moderately but regularly, and keep a good attitude,” a good understanding of some root causes of overeating and/or inability to lose weight can also be of real value. Putting the weight on was done unconsciously, and the easiest way to take it off is unconsciously also! You probably didn’t wake up one day and say, “Gee, I want to gain weight now.”

The best is an integrated program of healthy eating and moderate exercise. This can be much easier by combining optimum nutrition with releasing negative emotions and limiting beliefs. What is your self image? If it’s good, then your body follows. If it’s negative, then, well your body follows, too. It’s not about the weight. It’s about what drives the excess weight to exist.

Hypnosis can help you recognize and acknowledge your personal challenges in the weight arena. Hypnosis is very safe and supportive. With interactive hypnosis, such as the Easy Key to Life method, you can create your own imagery and suggestions together with the consulting hypnotist. When a client requests support in taking weight off, a consulting hypnotist delves into the individual’s situation and personal history regarding food and exercise. One, two, or perhaps all four of the “addiction drivers” may be at play:

1. emotions
2. beliefs
3. habits
4. brain chemistry

Your body is a reflection of your emotions, thoughts and chemistry; so create success by changing what’s inside you!

1) EMOTIONS

Many people are aware of emotional eating: “When I’m unhappy, I eat ice cream/chocolate/cookies/bread until I feel better.” Or perhaps it’s more vague, and they don’t realize that they’re involved in emotional eating: “I’m bored; maybe there’s something in the fridge.”

Becoming aware of the connection between your emotions and your food intake is the first step to taking control of your diet, rather than the diet controlling you. Are you hungry, or are you lonely? Take a moment to consider, before opening the refrigerator. Perhaps you’re actually thirsty and would find a glass of cold water very refreshing? Maybe with a spritz of lemon juice? Drink that glass of water; then decide what and how much you would like to eat. Put it in a bowl or on a plate, close the fridge, and eat with a clear conscience.

2) BELIEFS

It’s easy and unfortunately common to have limiting beliefs about weight and taking weight off. “I’ll never lose this weight.” “If I lose it, what’s the use? It’ll just come back again.” Or even “Nothing will ever work.” Or even core issues such as “I’m not good enough.” “I don’t belong.” “Nobody loves me.”

Hypnosis can help you discard these mistaken beliefs and replace them with positive, healthful beliefs: “It may take a while, but I will make it!” “I’m worth the effort!” Or perhaps “I’m on the path of reaching my ideal body weight” to make success come sooner.

3) HABITS

We develop habits from childhood on: comfort foods, eating a specific food at a specific time (e.g., commercially prepared cereals always but only at breakfast, roasted chicken often but only at dinner), or as a basis of a routine (getting out of bed, making coffee). One way to begin taking control of one’s diet is to become aware of these habits and purposefully change them. Some people have a habit of skipping breakfast. It’s important to eat breakfast; many studies have shown that it is, indeed, the most important meal of the day, especially for those who are taking weight off. Hypnosis is one of the easiest ways to change habits.

4) BRAIN CHEMISTRY

Over the past 20 or so years, doctors and medical researchers have learned that our brain chemistry is crucial to our emotional well-being. Depression, for example, is generally an imbalance of neurotransmitters (particularly serotonin), and this imbalance can often be improved by supportive diet and emotional work. Low serotonin symptoms are depression, overwhelm, distress, resentment, lessened trust, lack of optimism, food addictions, and rigidity. And women’s bodies typically are low in serotonin!

But you don’t have to be depressed to suffer from poor nutrition. Even overweight people can be poorly nourished: their habitual diets may be low in crucial nutrients—vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants, or others—and high in nutrients like simple sugars or unhealthy types of fats.

Cravings for certain foods may signify emotional desires: sweets, chocolate, breads and starches to elevate mood and energy, dairy for nurturing, crunchy foods to release anger, or spicy foods for aliveness.

The United States is filled with impurities and therefore the residents are also filled with impurities. There have been some studies and newspaper research articles showing hundreds of impurities in people, even those who eat and drink very healthily. Add to this the impurities from junk food, plus those in coffee and alcohol and a person can be quite toxic. Reducing impurities helps a person not feel so many cravings and to reduce the fat that stores the impurities.

When you’re healthy, you naturally crave healthy foods. This is a natural process that is out of whack due to the impurities and emotional wounds. When we release these, then we automatically feel like eating healthy foods. Then we create bodies that are reflections of our true selves.

If you’ve tried to take weight off in the past but have experienced frustration or other unhappiness with the result, add another string to your bow: hypnosis. But be prepared to experience… success.