Weight Management: Powerful Help From Psychology

You may have already tried many different diet and exercise plans and found that sooner or later the weight came back, motivation flagged and you were back in old patterns. It is true that you can lose 10-15% of  your weight by many different plans. That feels great at first. However one year later about 1/3 of individuals regain the weight. After 5 years, almost everybody is back where they started or even heavier. This doesn't help motivation.

Psychology can help with this pattern and it may be easier than you think. Yes, you do need to have a healthy food and exercise plan. Consult with your health care practitioner on this. It is always a good idea to keep a daily food diary and exercise log as well. This shows you your little successes. Every day that you have healthy eating and exercise is a success. Feel good about this. It all adds up.  Then look at what you want to achieve by losing weight. How will your life be different? Will you go to the ocean and enjoy swimming again. If so, do it now. A great motivator is enjoying your life and not holding off on activities that bring pleasure.

Then take a look at three tools from the field of psychology: Hypnosis, Energy Psychology and Imagery. Hypnosis has a proven track record in boosting motivation, reducing cravings and setting a positive framework for achieving goals. Energy Psychology is derived from Chinese Traditional Medicine and utlizes the body's energy system. It is effective in reducing cravings, strengthening motivation and removing blocks or self-sabotage. Imagery provides a powerful way to reinforce your goals and bypasses negative thought patterns. All these techniques can be self-taught. However, for very stubborn issues that get in you way of success, you will benefit from consulting a psychologist.

You need more than diet and exercise. Your emotional self has a big impact. If you are stressed out or have self-sabotage tendencies,  you won't get there.  Stress puts on weight and won't let you take it off. Learn some good stress management techniques and practice the ones you have. The self-sabotage may be conscious or less than conscious. Here is where especially a psychologist can help. You may have a worry about the impact of a slimmer you on reactions from others. Are you comfortable with sexual attention? Will your spouse/partner be jealous? You may have some old beliefs about yourself and about weight that need to be eliminated. Do you believe that weight loss is hard for you because everyone in your family is heavy? These are just some examples of psychological issues that can get in your way. The three tools of Hypnosis, Energy Psychology and Imagery can eliminate these obstacles. Check them out.

Twice a year I offer a Weight Management Class that utilizes hypnosis, energy psychology and imagery. The class material can also be presented on an individual basis. I am also offering a Weight, Hypnotherapy and You Weight Reduction Program on an individual basis.There are other resources as well. Steven Gurgevich, Ph.D. has published material on hypnosis and weight loss. See his book The Self-Hypnosis Diet. Gary Craig teaches Emotional Freedom Techniques, an Energy Psychology approach that is easy to learn and use.