Mind Over Munch:The Use of Hypnosis in Achieving Permanent Weight Loss
It’s time to overcome your fear of the dreaded bathroom scale. One of the biggest struggles burdening Americans is weight control. It is no secret that the key to weight loss is reducing calories daily by eating well and increasing physical activity. However, there is no quick fix. Fad diets, pills, and other short-term scams advertised in the media aim at an easy, effortless means to weight loss, but people are starting to see through them as they gain the weight back immediately.
What people really want is permanent weight loss and the key to success is changing the way you think about food through the power of the mind. Behavioral therapist, Dr. Steven Rosenberg, Ph, D., of Elkins Park, has been helping people lose weight for over 30 years. Through a combination of nutrition lessons and hypnotherapy sessions, Rosenberg has guided his patients to ditch their bad eating habits, and adopt healthy lifestyles to not only lose weight but also keep the pounds off.
Mindfulness is the foundation of healthy eating patterns. Rosenberg says, “Basically, how we eat is all originated in our minds. It starts at the head, the stomach is controlled by the brain, so how we think is critical to how we eat.”
Dr. Rosenberg has an extraordinarily high success rate, as his process promotes long-term behavioral changes. He works with individuals in assessing their diet and weight goals and gets a feel of what they like to eat. He then assists in finding healthier alternatives to those foods, lower in fat and carbs, to give them the tools to fine-tune their eating behaviors. After they are made aware of their nutritional needs, Rosenberg begins the hypnosis sessions. He defines this process as “systematically desensitizing the individual from eating the junk they are used to eating. I tell them they don’t want it, they know better. You want to make the right choice.”
Rosenberg suggests not making any of your favorite foods forbidden; it is okay to integrate them into your caloric intake for the day, but the key is portion control. “If you want chocolate chip ice cream, by all means, have some, but just have a single ½ cup serving, not a ½ gallon.” Being mindful of what you consume is what you need to move your life in a healthier direction.
Weight loss does not have to be a struggle. When you eat foods you like, are mindful, and make healthy choices at the same time, you can enjoy feeling good about yourself and the weight loss will follow.
Dr. R’s 5 Easy Steps to Effective Weight Loss:
–Be prepared:
Have good food available to you. When you have healthy food around you, you will always find something you’ll like. Also, when going out to eat, check out the menu online first to see what kind of healthy choices you can make beforehand.
–Be mindful
of all foods you consume: When you go to bed at night, you should be able to recite to yourself each food you ate that day.
–Eat slowly and chew thoroughly:
Savor the flavors. You’ll end up eating less because you feel more satisfied. Also, this helps digest your food better!
–Set reasonable goals:
You can eat what you like and see results. Through mindful eating , portion control, and making healthy choices, you can lose however many pounds you’d like. Aim for 1-2 lbs per week, depending on your personal needs.
–Be positive:
You have the power to change your life for the better! Believe in yourself! Don’t be hard on yourself!