As levels of
obesity go off the scales we are becoming a nation of sad
losers. In a typical dieter’s lifetime it is possible to
lose the equivalent of your entire body weight several times
over. And the tragedy is that, in order to do so, we are
repeatedly piling the weight back on again.
Adding insult to injury is
the perception that those who struggle with their weight are
somehow morally inferior to slimmer counterparts, as if
strength of character can be judged by tape measure.
Compounding the misery is the belief that we must suffer the
prolonged deprivation of a diet programme in order to
achieve our ideal body weight.
The social and cultural
attitudes surrounding obesity are a unique kind of cruelty.
We are surrounded with the most delicious and bountiful
choice of flavour-enhanced food ever known to mankind which
food manufacturers spend billions on exhorting us to
over-indulge in. But the same media which advertises
excessive consumption damns those who do with obsessive
coverage of lollipop-headed celebrities, portraying them as
ravishing icons of starvation as a lifestyle choice.
This is not a political
rant but an observation of how difficult it is to feel happy
in your own skin, whatever your shape or size. It’s no
wonder that teen eating disorders are becoming more
widespread with cases emerging of middle-aged sufferers of
anorexia and bulimia.
Everyone has their own
unique relationship with food based on a complex combination
of nature and nurture. An emotional connection with food is
established from birth with feeding always accompanied by
comforting cuddles. From an early age we have clear personal
tastes and quickly learn that our eating behaviour can be a
means to achieve control, win attention or gain rewards.
Then there’s our appetite and individual physiological
response to the nutrients we consume. Another variable is
how active we are. Some people simply enjoy moving around
more than others.
In an age of consumer
abundance, all these factors lead to an almost inevitable
epidemic of excess. We’ve literally forgotten how to listen
to the signals our very efficient bodies give us when we
need refuelling or when the tank is full. Many overweight
people rarely experience hunger, eating before the pangs
begin, except when suffering the discomfort of constant
starvation on the latest fad diet. And instead of stopping
when full, many of us are conditioned by the ration-book
generation of parents and grandparents to ‘waste not want
not’ and be grateful we’re not ‘starving Africans’.
A lot of this unhealthy,
self-esteem sapping behaviour is habitual and seated deeply
within the subconscious, outside of our conscious control or
rational powers of reason. Thus it is easy to be overweight,
believe you don’t eat very much and be genuinely baffled as
to how this could have come about.
The process of
deconstructing misleading beliefs and expectations starts
with our emotional state. Many people think they can only be
happy when they are thin when, in fact, creating a happy,
positive and motivated state of mind is the first step
towards a slimmer waistline rather than the end result.
It is then possible, using
the ‘modelling’ principles of neuro-linguistic programming
(NLP), to start thinking, feeling and behaving like a person
with a healthy body and lifestyle. NLP is a powerful force
for change which enables people to see their world
differently and work towards realistic goals using all the
skills and resources available to them. Applied to weight
control objectives, it provides the vision to break the
painful and destructive feast-famine cycle of binge-dieting.
Hypnotherapy helps by
accessing the habitual hardwiring within the subconscious
mind which creates the compulsion to overeat. New eating
patterns and a routine increase in physical activity which
take into account personal preferences and lifestyle choices
can be easily assimilated on a permanent basis. It’s this
that is the key to long term weight control. A combined
programme of hypnotherapy and NLP provides the awareness,
desire and capability to stay slim for life.
Be
confident, more relaxed and in control. Be successful in
love, work and so much more! 
