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The following article was published in Your Health Magazine. Our mission is to empower people to live healthier.
John A. Mays, MSEd
Weight Loss Success and the Power Of the Human Mind
Fitness Together

Weight Loss Success and the Power Of the Human Mind

What makes others so successful with dieting and exercise? The answer lies in the power of the human mind to consistently stay positive, focused and goal oriented. People often believe that it's all about the workout that determines success or failure. If we look closely at why we do what we do, we notice that our daily thoughts interact with emotions and our behavior then follows. Our habits and routine choices are made in response to our emotions and the beliefs associated with them. If you are having trouble sticking with a fitness or weight loss program, your beliefs about food and about yourself may be undermining your efforts. Hypnosis can be a powerful tool to help us gain control of the thoughts that limit or destroy our ability to succeed in our weight loss attempts.

Beliefs About Eating

We can identify the importance of thoughts and beliefs about eating in order to build mind power for weight loss. For example, in a study comparing the habits of thin vs. obese people, researchers found that overweight people believe hunger is intolerable and must be corrected immediately. Thin people, conversely, think hunger is normal and are able to tolerate the feeling until it is appropriate and convenient to have a meal. You can strengthen your mind power for weight loss by changing some of your beliefs. “I have to eat right now” can be replaced by “I can wait 30 minutes until it is time for lunch.”

Positive Thinking

At the core of hypnosis is the premise that actions are more in line with intentions when the beliefs associated with those acts are realistic. Thoughts associated with failed weight loss attempts are often negative. Identifying these beliefs can empower you. Sticking to a diet all week and then overeating at a weekend gathering, for example, might trigger the false belief that “Dieting is too hard for me” or “I'm not strong enough to do this.” A more accurate statement is “I did very well this week except for the party. I can be better next week and learn from this.” Keeping your thoughts and beliefs accurate and positive increases your motivation and strengthens mind power for weight loss.

Emotional Eating

Food is a source of comfort in times of distress for some people. With hypnosis, you would pay attention to the emotions you experience immediately prior to straying from your weight loss program. Once these emotions are identified, you can adopt new behaviors to comfort yourself and replace the temptation to overeat or self sabotage your efforts.

Getting Help

While you can apply the general principles of hypnosis to improve mind power for weight loss, working with a professional will ensure a thorough understanding of the process and teach you the proven tools that you can use on your own and in other areas of your life. Compared with other therapies, hypnosis is very short-term and goal-directed, focusing on positive ways to remedy the immediate problem at hand, rather than on exploring your past failures. Contact me for more information about applying these principles to improve your success with weight loss and other behaviors.

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