The Edinburgh Reporter’s Mike Smith is a fully qualified hypnotherapist. In the latest of a series of articles, Mike offers some help if you have over-indulged in Easter eggs this weekend.
Have you had a good Easter? How many chocolate eggs have you consumed? You can tell us, we won’t tell anyone!
Many of us over-indulge at Easter (as we also tend to do at Christmas) which can be demoralising if one is trying to lose weight. Have you been on a calorie-controlled diet with the daily battle to try and lose a pound or two a week? If so, you may recognise that, at the end of the week, you step on to the scales, possibly with some trepidation, to discover you have lost a couple of pounds. Great! Then you decide to ‘treat’ yourself to that chocolate bar (or Easter egg) that’s been tempting you all week or that brightly coloured cake that’s been winking at you from the baker’s shop window every day when you go to work. Thus, all your hard work is undone….
Many of us enjoy a wee indulgence occasionally. However, for many, snacking can evolve from a wee indulgence to a regular way of managing emotional problems. How often have you said, ‘I know I shouldn’t but it’s been a tough week/I need some comfort/just one won’t hurt me?’
Or how often have you phoned your partner on the way home from work on a Friday evening after a tough week and said, ‘do you fancy a chippy tea?’ as you really can’t be bothered to go to the effort of cooking anything? Aye, I’ve got the tee-shirt (previously XL but now Medium)
This psychological drive to consume unhealthy, sugar coated food such as chocolate, biscuits, cakes etc. or fried food such as chips can be worsened by the addictive aspect of such foods; thus, begins a vicious circle where you eat because you feel stressed – subsequently you put on weight – therefore your stress increases….
Does this sound familiar?
If it does, don’t worry – you’re not alone. It’s part of our culture to ‘reward’ ourselves with food and even to mark celebrations such as Easter, Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries etc. When this is done on moderation it’s perfectly fine. If you’re a member of a gym, going out for a meal on a Friday night can be balanced by an hour or so at the gym on a Saturday morning. It becomes a problem when this behaviour becomes excessive and/or regular and you begin to ‘reward’ yourself with food more often than is healthy for you. Then it becomes more difficult to keep your weight under control.
So, okay, smart-Alec, I hear you ask. What’s the solution? Well, it’s worth considering that everyone is different and what works well for one person may not work at all for someone else. What you need to consider from a personal point of view is the deep-rooted reasons for you snacking as this works in cahoots with your subconscious mind. And this is where hypnotherapy can help.
Perhaps your snacking habits developed as a child. Did your family ‘reward’ you with a bag of sweets for doing well at school or learning to ride a bicycle or learn to swim? Did your grandparents always ‘treat’ you to some sweets when they saw you? As a grandfather to four little brats young people, I stand guilty as charged over this – my two daughters lecture me about how I should take round some fruit for the wee ones rather than chocolate, cakes etc. And, of course, they are quite right.
So, how can hypnotherapy work to help you stop snacking?
Rather than attempting to work with your will power – which may be a losing battle – hypnotherapy will work with the main cause of your snacking habit and re-educate your brain with different, positive thoughts.
A hypnotic approach helps people shed unwanted weight and stay slim for the foreseeable future. This is done by using the power of positive suggestion. You will be in a conscious, yet deep state of relaxation. No, you’re not put to sleep and made to dance like a chicken around the room like some stage hypnotists. You are awake, aware and in control at all times. I can help embed new strategies to replace the old, habitual snacking process which has developed over the years.
After a few sessions, your aim will be to decrease your wish to have snacks, meaning that healthy diet plans are much simpler to sustain.
I have had great success with clients who have come to see me with weight management issues. One client has lost nearly three stones in five months.
Interested? Contact me at Mind Generating Success today. I can start helping you to re-educate your brain and make snacking history.
Weekend and evening appointments available. Home visits by arrangement. If you’re a public sector employee and a member of Premium Benefits, you’ll get 20% off each session.
Web: www.mgs-hypnotherapy-services.co.uk
Phone me on 07521 353 787 (24 hours)
Email: mike.smith@mgs-hypnotherapy-services.co.uk
Author of The Team for Me - 50 Years of Following Hearts. Runs Mind Generating Success, a successful therapy practice in Edinburgh. Contact me if you want rid of any unwanted habits. Twitter @Mike1874
