One of the first things I say when I'm asked about hypnotherapy for weight management is: If you're looking for a diet, you've come to the wrong place!
Often the response is a sigh of relief, though there's sometimes a hint of confusion there, too. Which isn't surprising when you consider that diets are being sold to us from just about every angle you can think of. Why eat plain old yoghurt when you could eat DIET yoghurt? Planning on a holiday this summer? You'll need to DIET so you can wear a bikini! Want to be thinner, happier, more successful? All you need to do is DIET! If you believe what you hear in the media, a diet can fix just about anything. Children as young as 6 are dieting, and the average UK woman embarks on 16 diets throughout her lifetime. Open a woman's magazine and there will almost always be a new diet to try, with recipes for 100 calorie meals, and pictures of the celebrities you could look like if only you stick to this regime (forget about the expensive clothes and make up, the stylists, and the airbrushing - it's all about the diet).
Something is wrong here.
The diet industry in the UK is worth £2 BILLION, so it's no wonder dieting is marketed so aggressively. And it's no wonder that diets don't actually work. If they did, the industry would collapse - we'd all just go on one diet, lose weight, become healthier, happier, and never need to diet again. And that wouldn't sell many diet books, special low-calorie "milkshakes", or weight loss videos.
Instead, diets are designed to be a short term solution. Yes, if you eat nothing but cabbage soup, cut out entire food groups, or spend X days per week starving yourself, then you will lose weight. However, the vast majority of diets are so restrictive that you will not be able to keep this up for the rest of your life. You'll become so frustrated at the lack of variety, or simply so hungry, that you'll HAVE to "give up". Your body, which is programmed to protect you from famine, will be so grateful for every morsel that you'll quickly regain anything you may have lost, and more. Not only do you end up as heavy, or heavier, you're also left with the feeling of guilt and failure that comes from "giving up" yet another diet. We're told that diets make us thin, when they're really more likely to make us overweight, and much less happy than when we started.
So, yeah, I don't do diets. I don't do weight loss, either, not really. If the only reason you're coming to see me is to lose a certain amount of weight then, sorry, but I can't really get on board with that. Not only do I feel that prioritising weight loss over every other aspect of your life is a fast track to madness, I know that it's just not sustainable. Sooner or later, no matter how dedicated to weight loss you are, something will happen that's just more important - and that's exactly as it should be! And so, while you're enjoying your holiday, or focusing on your career, or moving house, or a dealing with a family illness, or any other life event that is just more important than losing weight, you will ditch that diet and your weight will yo-yo straight back up.
There has to be more to it than that.
But if you have health problems, if you can't keep up with your children, if you're struggling with motivation or body image or self esteem, if you want to respect your body with more nourishing foods, if you'd love to make movement a part of your life, if you're sick of the diets... THAT is what I do!
I won't help you get thin, but I will help you respect and honour your body.
I will help you tackle cravings by giving your body what it really needs.
I will help you make choices that help your body and mind, rather than harm them.
I will help you eat because you're hungry, not because you're bored, or sad, or lonely, or angry (and I'll help you deal with all of those things without using food!).
I will help you make movement enjoyable, not a chore.
I will help you move away from viewing food as a punishment or a reward.
I will help you increase your self esteem and confidence, and improve your body image until you love your body no matter what size it happens to be.
And most of all, I will help you say "NO!" to diets.
And if those changes mean that your body naturally shifts to the weight and shape that it's most healthy and comfortable at, then so be it.
I will help you gain energy and vitality, improve your physical health and fitness, and give your mental health a boost as well. I don't want to talk about "losing weight" - I prefer to focus on what you can gain!
I'd love to hear from you, if you've got any comments or questions you can post them below or message me privately on lily@lilycameronhypnotherapy.com
No comments:
Post a Comment