Don’t think it is only you. This happens to almost everyone who loses weight. 98 percent, to be precise. And to make matters worse, the failures lead to a lack of confidence, sadness and misery.

You might think you don’t have the willpower to be successful. It might always seem like the wrong time. Past failures may have drained your enthusiasm and left you with no motivation.

It gets worse. Frustrating to many people trying to lose weight is that even when they do eat properly and exercise regularly they still don’t see results. Or they put the weight they lost back on, with interest. Why?

Contrary to what many diet centers would have you believe, weight loss is not a simple matter of balancing calories in and calories out, or even of nutrition and exercise. There are other factors that make the process much more complicated.

We tend to think of the weight loss process as a matter of physical change. However, this is only partly true. The physical changes are governed by the brain, through a complicated system of electrical impulses, hormones and neuro-transmitters. If the brain sends the wrong signals to the body the weight loss process can become completely ineffective, despite your physical efforts.

What are the wrong signals? They are natural survival instincts, and they can wreak havoc with weight management. When they are activated, the brain coaxes the body to conserve energy. Metabolism lowers. ‘Stress hormones’ cause an excess of blood sugar to be converted into fat, and also inhibit the breakdown of body fat to energy.

In these circumstances the body naturally seeks the most convenient and simple sources of energy – sugars and simple carbohydrates. This explains those cravings for sweets and simple carbs? Fat is last on the list to be burned, because the process is less efficient and takes longer. That is not good for survival, and survival is the priority in these circumstances.

So how are these survival instincts activated? They can be activated by ANY danger or stress – real or imagined. This even includes obsessive thoughts about dieting which alert the brain to a false starvation scenario.

As far as our brains and bodies are concerned: stress is stress. ALL stress puts us in an ‘emergency’ state. It doesn’t matter if the stress is life-threatening or simply everyday hassles of life. When we get overwhelmed, traffic jams, parenting, school, bills, work or practically anything can trigger the same negative effect.

There is no doubt about it: Worry, anger, stress and all negative emotions are fattening!

Since the body is controlled by the brain, and the brain is so easily influenced by the mind, your thoughts can make or break you, regardless of how much physical effort you expend.

Basically, before changing your body you must change your mind – specifically, the subconscious mind. Many of my clients see a shift in their weight loss and metabolism only AFTER they learn to control stress, worry and negativity.

How do you accomplish this? The only way I know to quickly and effectively change the subconscious mind is to use hypnosis. It is easy, safe and can work with anyone.

Why does hypnosis work so well? It is quite simple really. Hypnosis allows you to ‘re-program’ your subconscious mind. If you don’t change the subconscious you could be setting yourself up for another failure. The subconscious is simply defending what it is accustomed too. It just doesn’t understand your conscious goals. We have all experienced this!

Using hypnosis, removing stress and other blocks to weight loss opens the doors to success that may have been slammed shut in the past. For so many who have lost all hope, this really provides a refreshing and realistic opportunity.

Hypnosis and hypnotherapy are sweeping the nation. Its effectiveness has been well documented in countless studies and trials. Hypnosis has become so popular that millions have benefited from its use. It is used daily in medicine and dentistry, psychology, law, education, sports improvement and general self-improvement.

Everyone can be hypnotized. When in hypnosis you are completely aware and in control, so it is completely safe. It is also fun!

So instead of just imagining, you can actually experience having tremendous willpower and self-control. You can enjoy healthy exercise. You can naturally maintaining your ideal size. And all the while feeling relaxed, confident and positive. What could be better?

Remember the rule that you must change the mind before changing your body. Then you can finally experience lasting success.

You know the problem. You’re tired of losing the same weight over and over. You’ve tried every diet and fad imaginable. All your well-intentioned, painful efforts failed.

You are not alone. Only 2% of dieters keep the weight off for 5 years. More than 60% of Americans are overweight. Even worse, because it can be so hard to stick to a diet plan most people ultimately just give up, and suffer many negative emotions. Sound familiar?

Also, many believe that they don’t have the strength or willpower to succeed. Or it is just never the right time. Desperate people hope in vain that the results will be different next time. And the next. This is the dreaded ‘yo-yo’ dieting syndrome.

Over $30 billion spent on diet products, pills, fads and centers each year has proven one undeniable fact: DIETS DON’T WORK! So what can you do? Is there hope? Yes… read on.

One of the most interesting and revealing weight loss challenges of our time was witnessed by millions of viewers. “Dateline” put six methods to the test in front of millions of viewers; Atkins, Weight Watchers, Slimfast, Jorge Cruise, Marathon Training, and Hypnosis.

Many were surprised by the results. All but one of the methods showed poor to terrible results – even though the participants had unfair coaching and advantages not available to ordinary people. There were also painful side-effects.

Only one method really succeeded – hypnosis. And this was with the hardest case – a pastry chef with cravings, and a difficult schedule. Yet after three months under hypnosis he had lost the most – a staggering 40 pounds. Also, he was the only participant who did not suffer. He was happy. Changes occurred naturally. Not to mention other positive benefits and feelings. Also, he was the only one who had started a reasonable lifestyle change that could be maintained. None of the other methods can do that.

This televised study shows without a doubt how many popular weight loss programs fail. Yet I hear all the time; “I must go back to ’so-and-so’ because it worked last time.” Let’s be serious; if it worked then why do you need to go back? Did you regain the weight plus interest? Then it failed! I am appalled that most diet centers thrive on repeat business. It is just not fair to exploit people that way.

So let’s redefine success as life-long freedom from a weight problem. And to make it a reality, perhaps it’s time for a different strategy – one that actually works! To paraphrase Albert Einstein: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.”

Hypnosis is clearly a superior method for making lasting and natural changes in behavior. The evidence supporting this is overwhelming. The incredible long-term results put other methods to shame.

With the aid of hypnosis you have it within you to enjoy freedom from cravings; have the energy and desire to exercise; naturally choose and enjoy healthier foods and portions; achieve freedom from stress and stress-eating and enjoy amazing confidence.

The use of hypnosis is sweeping the nation. Clinically tested and proven, hypnosis is a fresh approach to eliminating problems and modifying behavior. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Americans are using hypnosis every day. Old myths and misconceptions about hypnosis have been replaced by its ethical use in law, medicine, psychology, dentistry, education, sports and self-improvement. Millions have benefited from its use.

Imagine having tremendous willpower, enjoying healthy exercise, naturally maintaining your ideal size and figure and always being calm and relaxed. Why imagine? Everyone can be easily hypnotized. Hypnotized people are fully aware and in control, and cannot be made to do anything against their will. In fact, hypnosis is as safe as falling asleep at night, as well as being relaxing and fun.

Slimfast

Mark Giordani, using Slimfast started to complain of hunger all the time. And nothing seemed to satisfy him. “I went back to the attitude where I’m hungry, I’m going to eat and I don’t really care.”

Despite expert intervention that is not available to most people, he couldn’t wait for the diet challenge to end. To quote Mark: “I’m going to IHOP tomorrow, and I’m getting the whole left side of the menu.”

Obviously, if it needs expert intervention, it’s not likely to work on its own. Also, a lot of specialized food has to be bought. Hardly a recipe for success if you attempt to live life normally.

Atkins

The Atkins participant, Rick Burnes, had headaches, terrible constipation, and developed a painful case of gout, that he believed was a result of the diet. He gained 24 pounds, despite having specialized help from a leading Atkins expert, special meals and even medical attention. Enough said.

So, could this plan be called a lifestyle? Definitely not. As well as having to buy expensive food, there had to be intervention from an expert.

Weight Watchers

Kathy Wynters, doing Weight Watchers, refused to weigh in, but after the diet immediately went for deserts and chocolates. To quote her: “The desserts and the chocolates. I had them, I wanted them and I had them.”

And she began putting on weight. Despite having expert help, this occurred twice.

The fact that this woman had used this program previously is very important. Since she weighed even more than before when starting the program this time it is clear that doing it in the past had not created any worthy changes in her lifestyle of metabolism. Also, expert ’supervision’ was required again. Obviously things go downhill when the supervision is ended?

Jorge Cruise

Eleanor Talbot, did the Jorge Cruise program. After having problems, Dateline arranged a weekend retreat to help Eleanor, and intervention from the programs founder.

Further, because of emotional issues she had, she required more expert help again. Most people do not have access to this extra support. And it didn’t really help her.

Again, she needed constant, expensive personal support. Keep in mind that although it is often vital to address emotional problems when losing weight, this is generally ignored with most programs.

Marathon Training

Lynn Frank tried marathon training. She also stuck to 1300 a day. She was trained by a leading expert. But progress was unsatisfactory. So Lynn received expert intervention from a nutritionist and exercise physiologist. Even though she did lose weight, she required extensive coaching and suffered a lot of pain and injury.

Let’s face it – expert coaching is not a realistic lifestyle.

Keep in mind that all the above participants had expert intervention not available to most. This shows that it’s not likely to work “out of the box”. Much expensive, specialized food had to be bought. Despite all the extra support the results were not at all good.

Hypnosis

Marc Merlis tried Hypnosis. No doubt he was the toughest case – a pastry chef with cravings, and a difficult schedule. After only three months Marc had lost more than any of the other participants – an incredible 40 pounds.

Hypnosis motivated Marc to enthusiastically work with a fitness trainer, and to eat properly and with natural control

That’s when his wife got in on the action. The hypnotist helped her to stop smoking. And guess what? Smoke free, and fat free.

Very interesting is that using hypnosis, Marc did not suffer. He was happy. Changes occurred naturally. Not to mention other positive benefits and feelings. AND he established a true and realistic lifestyle.

In summary, losing weight successfully is not about dieting, but rather a sensible lifestyle that can be readily accepted. Hypnosis facilitates this admirably. Instead of being an instant fix, it aims for long-term results. Another significant fact is that the problems other participants had with emotions, willpower, self-discipline and enthusiasm could also have been helped with hypnosis.

Study after study shows that hypnosis is the most successful and affordable method for weight loss, as well as many other behavior changes. Hypnosis can truly be a light at the end of the tunnel for so many who have failed with other methods, or simply given up hope.

I hope you agree that hypnosis was the clear winner.

Consider a parallel – another problem that many people struggle with – quitting smoking. There are all types of programs to help you quite smoking. There’s nicotine gum, and the patch, and counseling, and hypnotherapy. But for many people who have successfully quit, what it all comes down to is just making up your mind to do it – quitting cold turkey, as it were.

Of course, weight issues are a little more complex because you can’t just ‘quit’ eating! But essentially, it’s the same issue. We each have control over what we put into our mouths, even if it feels out of control at times. We all have choices. Also, in this day and age, we all have a pretty good idea of which foods are causing us to gain weight. We all know what a healthy diet looks like, and we all know that exercise helps a lot, too. The trick is to start acting on all of these things that we already ‘know’!

It’s simple mind over matter, really. The ‘matter’ is that the food is there, and we want to eat it. The ‘mind’ means having self control. If you know you shouldn’t eat it, then don’t. It really is as simple – and as hard – as that.

Most weight problems, when you come right down to it, are behavioral issues. That means that there is seldom any medical reason for gaining weight and keeping it on (though there may, of course, be exceptions to this. Some people do have legitimate medical conditions that make it more difficult for them to lose weight.) For most of us, though, it’s because of bad habits. We all know what they are. We know that eating at night is bad, for example, because there’s no opportunity to work off those calories – but we do it anyway. Everyone knows that snack foods and candy don’t do you any favors, but the impulse to snack on them may seem overwhelming.

Start by taking stock – make a list of all the unhealthy eating habits you plan to eliminate. Be firm, yet realistic. If you find it difficult to assess your eating habits by yourself, you can enlist some help, of course – ask your doctor to refer you to a nutritionist or dietician to go over your eating habits in detail, or join a personalized weight loss program where the same type of service is provided.

Once you have a clear idea of which foods need to be eliminated and how you can improve the quality of your meals, just start doing it. Don’t wait until next week, or until after the holidays – just start. Be determined and single minded. Keep in mind that this lifestyle change may end up saving your life, or at least improving your quality of life in a big way. You are doing it for yourself, and for everyone in your life who would like to see you healthy and happy.
Here’s another hint – if you slip up and make a mistake, don’t let it stop you. Start again, with the very next meal. Your whole plan will not be ruined because of one or two mistakes, but if you use those mistakes as an excuse to abandon the plan altogether, that’s a totally different story.

Here’s the last step – even after you have achieved your weight loss goal, make those changes permanent. All too many of us become ‘yo-yo dieters’ – we diet successfully, then gain everything back, then have to diet again. Over time, this can put more strain on your body than if you had never lost the weight in the first place! So make sure that you come up with an eating plan you can live with, and be prepared to live with it for the rest of your life. That doesn’t mean you can never enjoy your favorite dessert again – but it does mean that, the morning after, you get back to healthy eating.

The escalation of obesity rates in this country has sparked a flurry of activity among both serious researchers and charlatans to discover the perfect weight loss method. A recent study of four diets revealed that the key to weight loss success isn’t the diet, but how closely you follow it. Investigators from Tufts-New England Medical Center (Journal of the American Medical Association, January 2005) have determined in a study of four popular diets that the key to successful weight loss is not the diet itself, but actually following the diet. In this one-year study of 160 overweight adults, the researchers split people into four diet groups:

· Weight Watchers (low calorie)

· The Zone Diet (low glycemic index)

· The Ornish Diet (low fat)

· The Atkins Diet (low carb)

The conclusion of the investigation was that all of these diets worked when the participants in the study followed them. The problem is that less than one in four were able to stay on their given diet for just this one year.

It should be noted that the hardest diet to follow was Atkins, followed by the Ornish Diet, but according to the authors of the study, “no single diet produced satisfactory adherence rates.” Hypnosis has been recognized as a both a method for helping people to adhere to their diets, and for re-training the mind to “think” like a lean person, in order to be able to give up dieting completely and to develop healthy eating habits that parallel the eating habits of lean people.

That being said, wild and exaggerated claims abound regarding hypnosis as it one of the more appealing methods dangled before the eyes of those who are hungry for a seemingly easy solution to a complex problem.

A careful review of the scientific literatures exposes many of the claims about weight loss through hypnosis on the internet as overly optimistic at best and openly fraudulent at worst.

Considerable controversy swirls around the mechanisms by which hypnosis actually contributes to weight loss. Leon (1976) suggested that hypnosis can help obese people team new healthier eating patterns and retain them. One author remarked that the hypnotic state is characterized by heightened concentration, suggestibility, and relaxation (Mott, 1982). Certain individuals are thought to be capable of achieving this state more readily than others. A so-called hypnotic “induction” whereby a hypnotist using certain procedures to bring an individual into the hypnotic state is not a prerequisite for achieving the state (Mott, 1982). Hypnosis, contrary to the claims of some intemet advertisers cannot magically reprogram people’s minds. In short, methods of hypnosis run the gamut from simple relaxation techniques to formal inductions administered by hypnotists, but should not be considered supernatural in its effects.

Studies showing weight loss as a result of hypnosis alone are few in number and suffer from methodological problems. Andersen (1985) reported that following 8 weekly treatment sessions and 12 weeks of practicing self-hypnosis subjects lost an average of 20.2 pounds. Cochrane and Friesen (1986) concluded that moderate weight loss was obtained by subjects using hypnosis. The experimental group, lost more weight than the controls and maintained the weight loss at a six month follow-up.

Mott (1982) stated that “although hypnosis is sometimes referred to as a method of treatment, it is more accurate to regard hypnosis as a facilitator of a number of different treatment methods.” The study concludes that the use of hypnosis for a moderate weight loss is effective using hypnotherapy. Hypnosis Plus Behavioral Weight Management A number of studies indicate that hypnosis combined with a behavioral weight management program contributes significantly to weight loss. Bolocofsky, Spinler, and Coulthard-Morris (1985) revealed that the addition of hypnosis to a behavioral program designed to alter eating patterns increased the amount of weight loss at 8-month and 2year follow-ups. Both the behavioral and hypnosis programs were tailored to each subject individually in the study. Bolocofsky et al. (1984) acknowledged that “the less a person weighed at the start of the program the more likely he was to lose weight and maintain the reduction”. Hypnosis combined with behavioral weight management seems to be more effective for small amounts of weight loss. Another study of 45 females found that supplementing a basic self-management program with hypnosis resulted in a slightly greater amount of weight loss at a 3-month follow-up (Barabasz and Spiegel, 1989). The group for which individualized hypnotic suggestions were developed lost more weight than those exposed only to a group procedure. Kirsch (1996) noted a weight loss of 6.00 pounds without hypnosis and 11.83 pounds with hypnosis based on a meta-analysis of six studies. Allison and Faith (1996), however, disagreed and maintained that hypnosis only enhances cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy slightly if at all. Long-term individualized hypnosis combined with a behavioral weight management program appears to contribute to modest weight loss and helps maintain it.

Hypnosis operates mainly as a way to increase participants’ attention to suggestions of behavioral programs as well as to reinforce their weight loss. Studies using behavioral treatments successfully “typically have developed incentive systems to bridge the gap between the short-term -reinforcers provided during treatment and long-term goal of weight reduction” (Bolocofsky et al., 1985). Hypnosis can fulfill this role by stepping in as a psychological reinforcer. Hypnosis may assist subjects in learning positive eating behaviors and creating healthy long-term patterns of food intake. Subjects are then more likely to incorporate the rules of a particular program into their behavioral regimes (Bolocofsky, 1985). Kroger (1970) points out the similarities between hypnosis and behavioral treatments which share an emphasis on visualization and imagination. The literature suggests that hypnosis is an ideal addition to behavioral weight management programs which tend to need supplementation to achieve long-term results.

The Hodgepodge Problem in Weight Loss Studies The use of subjects of varying ages and backgrounds represents one challenge that plagues studies of hypnosis as a useful treatment for weight loss. Andersen (1985) utilized subjects ranging in age from 21-56 years, a considerable spread. Subjects in another study ranged in age from 17 to 67 resulting in considerable potential differences between the control group and the hypnosis group (Bolocofsky et al., 1985). The fact that subjects were not matched with regard to age could exaggerate results of weight loss as a result of hypnosis that may more accurately be attributed to age differences. McCabe, Jupp, and Collins (I985) suggested a tendency for younger women to drop out of weight loss programs relative to older women leading to a possible masking of potential effects of age. Bolocofsky et al. (1984) indicated that successful hypnotic weight loss participants were higher in self-control, weighed less at the start of the study, married, and more expressive. A wide variety of factors influence whether a given subject will lose weight through a hypnotic weight loss program. Anderson (1985) cites the absence of matched subjects as a weakness in her experiment. More studies with subjects closely matched on various characteristics should be conducted to substantiate claims about the effectiveness of hypnosis for weight loss when combined with a behavioral program.

Most studies require weekly consultation with a hypnotist for 8 weeks or more in addition to self-hypnosis (Bolocofsky et al., 1984; Bolocofsky et al., 1985, Andersen, 1985; Cochrane & Friesen, 1986; McCabe et al., 1985). Internet advertisers who claim weight loss will occur following a single hypnotic session, especially a group hypnotic session, are frauds selling dreams to desperate customers. Allison and Faith (1996) underscore that “there is currently no panacea for the treatment of obesity and hypnosis is no exception”. Treatment using hypnosis then is not a quick and easy way out of weight troubles. In order to achieve any benefits from its use, hypnosis must be practiced on a regular basis for a significant period of time.

Conclusions and Limitations

Hypnosis has been shown to be an effective treatment for low to moderate amounts of weight loss. One qualification of this statement is that the hypnotic program should be tailored to each individual. Hypnosis is a process by which an individual enters a state of relaxation and heightened suggestibility, Transformation of the brain through some mysterious process defines only the hypnosis of pseudoscientists. Quick-fix hypnosis is probably much less effective than an 8 week program using both in-session hypnosis, at-home self-hypnosis, and behavioral weight management. The only people who claim hypnosis is easy, simple, and quick are those trying to sell people on their program. The largest obstacle in weight loss is its long-term retention, but follow-ups of hypnosis as a weight loss treatment have been conducted at the longest after two years. Weight loss tapes lack scientific evidence to support their success and should be purchased with this knowledge in mind. Weight loss through hypnosis has been largely ignored by scientists and more studies with control groups and large subject pools are required to understand its action and import.