Naturally Lose Weight: Is Hypnosis the Answer?
Regardless of how many people campaign for body positivity, weight loss still seems to be a thing. It’s mostly women that feel pressure. Recently someone said to me “I’m not sure there is any woman who doesn’t feel it to some extent”. I believe this. There is pressure for men too, but it feels acceptable for men to carry excess weight.
I personally don’t like using the term weight loss. Like the words naughty and good, it lacks meaning…unless you just want to lose weight with nothing else in mind. Possibly you want to reduce your body’s fat mass. Or perhaps you want to increase your muscle percentage to achieve a more toned body. Regardless, the scales are not necessarily the best indicator of what you want to achieve when you create a clear description of your goal. Actual weight loss does not always bring happiness, especially when a lower weight doesn’t have the effect you desire. And sometimes we chase a weight on the scales that doesn’t change anything, because the true problem is something else.
Having said all that, taking the term weight loss colloquially or as it says on the tin, if you want to naturally lose weight, you may find hypnosis is the answer for you.
In general, the way to lose weight is to consume less calories than you expend. However, this is not always the answer, it’s easier said than done, and it disregards health – there are approximately 322 calories in an avocado and 337 calories in a medium box of McDonalds chips!
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Trauma
Studies show that childhood abuse or neglect can lead to hormone dysregulation, which increases the risk of developing obesity, diabetes or other metabolic disorders in adulthood. In addition, these adults face a higher risk of developing excess belly fat. Another reason counting calories is not foolproof.
Trauma survivors have a greater risk of excess weight, sometimes because of emotional eating. However, it’s not always the case. PTSD, for example, has an association with physical inactivity, increased consumption of unhealthy foods and drinks, or a need to eat because of dependence on activation of the brain reward system brought on by eating certain foods. People with PTSD might experience a dysregulated neuroendocrine system, which increases the negative feedback sensitivity of glucocorticoid receptors, blunts cortisol levels, and increases the catecholamine response to trauma related stimuli. This causes metabolic imbalance, potentially altering fat production and distribution.
A hypnotherapist will help you eat differently and exercise more. A trauma informed therapist will help you therapeutically, so you process your trauma, reducing the chance of it affecting you in this way.
Eat Differently
With the choice of foods on the supermarket shelves and the pace of life leaving little time for food prep, it’s easy to understand why most people could do with a shape up in their diet. A nutritional therapist is the expert in how to nourish your body. You’ll leave with some wonderful ways to provide your body with the fuel it needs to thrive. However, as most people who come to me for hypnotherapy say, they know exactly how they should eat, they just don’t have the capacity to do it.
I’m not sure they know exactly what they should eat. Courses in nutrition, and personal nutritional therapy sessions have given me a fraction of the knowledge of a nutritional therapist, but I believe most people would benefit from doing the same. I notice misleading advertising and outdated advice create confusion.
Your hypnotherapist will help you form a realistic plan to adapt your diet. It’s important to create something that fits your lifestyle, or include lifestyle changes to fit the new plan. The hypnosis will help you find your internal discipline, so you stick to the new way. Also draw out the reasons you want to do this, and keep them at the forefront of your mind so it’s more desirable than the way you previously ate.
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Self Care
Self care is important for this journey. It includes, but doesn’t limit to, exercise, time for yourself and time for the things you enjoy. Your body expects gentle movement throughout the day. If your body does not get this opportunity, a formal exercise plan will help your mental wellbeing. Self care creates a ‘kind of’ positive feedback loop. Self care improves your mental health, which increases the kindness and care you show yourself. As good nutrition is a form of kindness towards yourself, the more self care you take, the more you want to fuel your body with healthy food. Your hypnotherapist will help you bring more self care into your life, including the motivation to exercise, which will help strengthen your body and change your body shape.
Trauma
Trauma is currently a buzzword, and rightly so. The understanding we have about certain behaviours is increasing dramatically, as we learn more about the effect of adverse experiences on the human brain and therefore the body. Trauma is the effect of an experience that left you feeling out of control and frightened for your life. It’s not what happened to you, but what happened inside of you because of what happened to you. The symptoms of trauma can last a lifetime.
Your hypnotherapist will work with you over a series of sessions to recover from your trauma. Healing is a lifelong process, and because your experiences will always be part of your history, the freedom you desire isn’t necessarily what you’ll experience. However, with each therapy session, you’ll take one step more on the ladder of quality of life. More able to live in the present and safe in your body. As you let your traumatic experiences stay in the past, process the feelings that linger, and look forward to your future, your body can release any excess weight that is there because of your trauma.