Losing weight, just like stopping smoking, is one of the hardest things a person may attempt.

We want to lose weight fast. Unless we do, we find ourselves not seeing the weight loss happening fast enough and we will simply return to our old habits and not lose the weight we want to. We will remain unhealthy, tired, out of breath, and we will finding excuses not to do things because of the extra weight and generally miserable feeling.

Those who want to lose weight commonly have internal issues preventing it. And so, they continue to feel badly about themselves.

Once the key to one’s low self-esteem, confidence or self-image is discovered, the person seems to have no trouble losing the weight. In broad terms, once a person has discovered what is making him or her overeat, they acknowledge the issue, understand that it took a long time to become the size they are and begin the process of losing weight.

A multitude of programs out there promise weight loss quickly, and in large amounts.

Unfortunately, those who adopt these programs do well for awhile. Ultimately, though,they put the weight back on as quickly as they lost it.

Losing weight is a slow process. I look for a client to lose no more than 1 to 2 pounds a week. Most realize it will take awhile to lose all of it. One to two punds a week does not seem like a lot. But over a year, it can mount to between 50 to 100 in a year, a huge difference accomplished over an extended time.

The Client Who Needed to Fatten up

As the program takes awhile, it helps to change habits and stick with those changes. By losing a small amount of weight each week, a person is not inclined to gorge or to overcompensate. They see a pattern of healthy eating and increased exercise on a gradual basis. They tend to lose the weight and to adopt as permanent the dietary and exercise habits they have learned..

I remember a client who wanted to drop from 185 pounds to 125, and that she had been successful in the past. The problem was, when she reached her goal, she celebrated by eating more than usual. Before she knew it, she was back to 185. It was interesting that she never went over 185. This told me she was locked in a circular routine of not eating and then overeating.

She was asked to come back for weight loss when she reached 200. She was shocked by this suggestion, but, dutifully, she set about gaining more weight.

A few weeks later, she came back at 190, asking to start her weight loss program. It was again suggested that she come back when she had reached 200. She returned, instead, at 198. She begged to start her weight loss program. Again she was told to come back at 200.

She finally reached the goal and began her diet. To her amazement, she lost the weight in an even, prolonged period. She was extremely happy, and she has not regained her weight.

By having her regular lose weight / gain weight routine broken, she became concerned enough to recognize that by gaining more weight than she usually did, she was truly not enjoying the extra 15 pounds that she was asked to gain. She really recognized how she truly hated what she was doing to herself. She was so relieved to be able to finally take the weight off that she chose to never put it back.

Methods to Help You Shed

Here are useful tips for weight loss.

Please remember, some weight gain is as a direct result of medical issues. A doctor should be consulted before trying to diet to ensure that losing weight will not further aggravate the medical condition.

Research shows sugar can weaken the immune system, contributing to the aging process, raising stress levels, contributing to Type II diabetes, and creating more fat in your body (sugar is a carbohydrate). Sugar and sweets are fine in small, infrequent doses. Reducing sugars and sweets will help to keep you healthier and happier.

Stop night time snacking, a common issues. It may be boredom, loneliness, anger, sadness or any of our emotions that direct us to eat when we're not hungry. If you aren't hungry, emotion may be the only motivation to eat. It is wise to not eat unless you are hungry.

Hypnosis is the perfect tool for re-educating your subconscious mind to reduce your cravings and food impulses, and to give you back your choice as to what healthy foods to eat.

Permanent weight loss occurs with a change in lifestyle. Hypnosis helps you make those changes.

Weight loss begins in the mind.

The simple truth is that every weight loss program works better if you exercise.

Hypnotherapy gives you the motivation to exercise.

Hypnosis changes the way you think about food and yourself. It stops the struggle, and it helps you to enjoy exercise. It will stop your self- sabotage,

Work out more. Feel better about yourself as you lose the excess weight.

Hunger is a physiological need of the body. Watch for cultural or habitual eating. These may inadvertently stimulate your appetite.

A person on a diet has to control his or her appetite. Otherwise, they will increase the chances of swelling because of fats. Both terms should not be interchanged however. Hypnotherapy helps to control the appetite, not the hunger.

The brain transmits hunger to the body when the body lacks the calories to maintain sufficient energy to be capable of doing the needed tasks, thus stimulating hunger.

Though the body functions when one is hungry, hunger can weaken a person and cause the body’s internal activities to slow down. As the body slows, weight loss is reduced. Weight loss occurs with the right foods in moderate amounts with a solid exercise routine.

Starvation is NOT recommended. It can produce negative, harmful effects to the body.

A clinical hypnotherapist, handwriting analyst and expert master hypnotist, Nicholas Pollak may be contacted at nickpollak@hypnotherapy4you.net