If you’ve struggled with your weight for a while, you may reach out to try any programme or product to lose weight you see marketed that appeals. Or that is promoted by a celebrity or influencer.
Or have you given up altogether? Maybe told yourself… well, this is just how I am?
Many people still turn to the latest diet, lifestyle programme, smoothie, etc. Often, because they hope that will finally help them lose weight and keep it off… despite many warnings to the contrary.
Dieting & “Life style” programmes, or medication and even surgery, are methods people who want to lose weight may turn too. And despite the best intentions, and starting well, many find that these don’t produce the desired results long-term.
In this blog, we’ll explore some of those reasons for this, what you can do to help yourself, and how hypnotherapy can help you. .
Some of these reasons are.. .
- Unrealistic expectations: These is some of the biggest reasons: unrealistic goals or unrealistic expectations about what you can achieve and when. When you focus too much on numbers on the scales, you can lose sight of the bigger picture and become discouraged when you don’t see the results you wanted.
- Restriction leads to rebellion: This often involve food rules that are restrictive and/or hard to follow long-term. They may eliminate entire food groups or require you to eat a very limited number of calories each day. While these types of diets may produce “quick” results short term, they are really unsustainable long-term.
- Restrictive diets can also be emotionally taxing. When you deny yourself the foods you enjoy, you may end up feeling deprived and resentful. This can lead to overeating or even that “can’t stop eating” feeling. This can easily sabotage your weight loss efforts.
- Quick fixes don’t work: Many diets promise quick or fast results, but these often come at a cost. “Crash” diets or extreme calorie restriction can lead to rapid weight loss short term, but they are often unsustainable and can actually lead to weight gain long-term.
- Losing weight for a specific event like a holiday or wedding exacerbates this problem. Becasue you’ll usually relax after the event or holiday is over, and the whole cycle starts again!
- Emotional eating: You may turn to food as a way to cope with stress, anxiety, or other emotions. If you don’t address the underlying emotional issues that may be driving your eating habits, it can be hard to make lasting changes. Having to count calories or weigh your food is just getting you to focus on what? Food – right!
- Emotional eating is NOT about the food – As a hypnotherapist that specialises in helping people reduce weight, trust me on this. If you find yourself eating when you’re not hungry or reaching for food as a way to numb your emotions, think about where that behaviour may have started. There may be a number of “triggers” in your past, where you reached for food.
- Lack of Consistency: This can be when you’re on a “strict diet” for a few weeks or even months, but you find it hard to stay on track. You fall off the wagon, maybe two or three time, give up and revert to old habits. Or maybe you’ve bought into a supplied meal plan, but it just gets too expensive to keep up.
- It can be a huge blow to your self-esteem and confidence, when you start a programme that offers great results, and then it becomes too hard, too expensive, etc. If you keep doing this you will likely stop telling people you’re “trying to lose weight”, in case you fail yet again.
- Lack of proper support: Losing weight can be a challenging journey, and it can be even harder if you don’t have a proper support system in place. If you’ve got to weight yourself each week, maybe in front of others, this can be embarrassing. Nor is it helpful. Without proper encouragement and support, it can be easy to slip back into old habits and undo all your progress.
If you’re struggling to stick to a diet, you can consider joining a group of like minded people that will give you effective support. Having someone to talk to and share your experiences with can make all the difference.
When diet and lifestyle programmes don’t work out, it’s easy to become frustrated when you don’t see progress as quickly as you’d hoped. This can lead to feelings of discouragement: it becomes too hard and ultimately cause you to abandon whatever programme you’re on. And then you beat yourself up because it didn’t work, thinking it;s your fault you couldn’t stick to it. .
Redcusing weight is a gradual process – It’s important to remember that it takes time and patience. There are no “quick fixes.” Setting realistic goals for yourself, and celebrate small victories along the way. Focus on making sustainable changes to your lifestyle rather than trying to achieve a drastic transformation in a short period of time.
To be successful with weight loss, it’s important to develop healthy habits that you can stick to over the long-term. This may mean making small, gradual changes to your diet and exercise routine, rather than trying to overhaul everything at once.
You can increase your chances of success and achieve your weight loss goals. Despite the many reasons why diets fail, by addressing these common pitfalls above and focusing on making sustainable changes to your lifestyle.
Some other strategies…
- Mindful eating – this involves paying attention to the present moment while eating. Eating without devices, TVs, or other distraction, and focus totally on your food. Savour each bite, eat slowly, and pay attention to their body’s hunger and satisfaction signals. Mindful eating can help you develop a healthier relationship with food and reduce emotional eating.
- Eat smaller portions: Go to a smaller plate, so you eat smaller portions. Ensure you have sufficient protein at each meal to carry you through to the next meal. This can take a bit of trial and error to get right, but once established can really help you cut out cravings and snacking.
- Eat more fibre: Eating plenty of fibre with each meal, will help with the feeling of having “had enough”, as it slows the digested food as it goes through the stomach and gut. Focus on making healthier, balanced choices. Eat a variety of nutrient-dense foods, and allow yourself to indulge in moderation occasionally.
- Increase your movement*: By increasing your movement and following the above guidance, you will soon begin to notice a difference. Haven’t done any exercise for a while? Start small, walk for 5 mins, then return. Increase the following week, then again, and again.
- No need to join a gym – you just need to start increasing your movement. And there are plenty of YouTube programmes that can help you, whether you are starting from scratch or already powering through exercise.
For those who have struggled with losing weight, hypnotherapy can be a viable option.
Hypnotherapy can help you,,,,
- Set realistic expectations for your weight loss journey. Through hypnosis, a person can become more aware of their own abilities and limitations, leading to a more realistic approach to weight loss.
- Overcome the emotional attachment you may have to certain foods. By identifying and addressing the underlying emotional issues, a hypnotherapist can help you see the emotion and food as separate elements, address the emotions and develop healthier eating habits without feeling deprived or restricted.
- Reset your mind around eating behaviours, so you eat less. It can also help motivate you to increase movement, help you understand why you’ve been doing what you have been doing, and inspire and support you in making those changes.
- Build support through visualization techniques. By imagining what you can do, how you will do it and what your future can look like, during a hypnosis session, you can develop a stronger sense motivation, confidence and accountability. .
- Identify causes of your emotional eating and develop healthier coping mechanisms. You can break free from the cycle of emotional eating and develop a healthier relationship with food.
- Develop new habits and make lasting changes to your lifestyle. By reinforcing positive behaviours during a hypnosis session, you can become more motivated and committed to your goals.
Hypnotherapy can be a powerful tool for those looking to lose weight and improve their overall health. By working on the underlying emotional issues that may be hindering your progress, you can develop healthier habits and achieve long-term success. If you’re struggling with traditional weight loss methods, consider exploring hypnotherapy as a viable alternative.
While there are a number of ways to help with weight loss, it’s important to find an approach that works for you. Make sure you feel comfortable with any therapist or weight loss consult you are considering working with.
I offer a Free 30 mins chat, so you can find out if you feel comfortable working with me and my Healthy Mind Body programme can help you.
Call now on +(64) 09-8377877 or Click here to send an email
*NOTE: If you have a medical condition or are severely obese, please consult your GP or health care specialist before starting any programme.