The long, cold days of winter have finally arrived. The holiday season with all the beautiful lights, decorations and endless shopping seems such a long time ago. We enjoyed socializing and celebrating with friends and loved ones, eating delicious food and sharing good conversation as wine and bubbly drinks flowed. The glittering ball dropped in Times Square, signifying the beginning of a brand new year and a new beginning for us all. Resolutions were made and a few promises, perhaps, already broken.

Like many people, you may have toasted in the New Year and vowed to finally lose that excess weight, to exercise regularly, or really begin that healthy diet. You promised yourself this would be the year! You had the best of intentions but somehow your resolve and motivation simply dissolved and faded away. Unfortunately, you are not alone.

Self-Sabotage and Emotional Eating

Although you may be unhappy with the reflection in the mirror or the numbers on the scale, it can still feel difficult or even seem impossible to harness the willpower needed to lose weight. Many people feel totally out of control. Cravings, emotional eating, portion sizes and unhealthy behaviors often get the better of us. We tell ourselves we will really begin that diet tomorrow or Monday; we often give in to temptation and then give up on ourselves. The sabotaging behavior continues on and on in spite of knowing what you need to do to really lose the weight.

There is good news for those who want to make the positive changes to lose weight and gain control of their eating habits. Hypnosis is a natural, relaxing, easy solution to finally lose weight that doesn’t involve surgery, deprivation and dieting.

What is Hypnosis?

Hypnosis is widely recognized by researchers and those in the medical field as a safe, natural and enjoyable state of deep physical and emotional relaxation. Hospitals and doctors use hypnosis to speed surgical recovery, heal fractures and burns faster as well as reduce pain. Doctors recommend hypnosis for everything from stress reduction to arthritis and even childbirth. It may be best known by many as an effective tool for motivation and behavior modification for smoking cessation and weight loss.

Many of us have developed unhealthy relationships with food over the years. We eat when we’re sad, angry, lonely or stressed and even when we are happy. Over time, we have developed the habit of overeating and using food to satisfy emotional issues that we may often confuse with appetite. This habit can gain strength and power over the years to become an automatic response the subconscious uses to comfort us because of a stressful situation or event. Consciously we try over and over again to stop this sabotaging behavior but blame ourselves for our lack of ability and willpower.

 Change Your Thoughts and Change Your Body

Studies have shown that the subconscious mind manages over 90 percent of our behaviors. Traditional Therapeutic Hypnosis has been used as a tool for behavioral changes and weight loss for many years. A new technique, the Virtual Gastric Band Hypnosis weight loss program, was recently developed in Europe by Clinical Hypnotist Sheila Granger. This specialized concept gives the subconscious mind suggestions that the stomach is much smaller, as if a gastric band were surgically installed. The suggestions encourage smaller portion sizes to prevent overeating.

Those who have made a personal decision to change old negative habits and behavior to improve their life and health know how challenging it can be to introduce and continue regular and positive changes for health and happiness in today’s stressful world.

Hypnosis, whether traditional or Virtual Gastric Band, can be a solution for those in search of a natural, healthy method to lose their potentially unhealthy, excess weight. Hypnosis can naturally help people make better food choices and lose weight without the high cost, risks and side effects of invasive surgery. Hypnosis may just be the answer for those searching for a way to finally be in control of food choices and portion sizes without feeling deprived of favorite foods or dieting.

Diane Bahr-Groth, CH, TFT-Adv, director of Mind-Body Transformation Hypnosis Center in Stamford, is a registered consulting hypnotist and certified in virtual gastric band hypnosis, thought field therapy, time line therapy, neuro-linguistic programming and complementary medical hypnosis. She can be reached at 203-595-0110 or MindBodyTransformation.com. See ad, page 49.