WEIGHT LOSS

There are three reasons that people want to lose weight: for better health, for enhanced personal appearance and to feel better physically and psychologically. In spite of these important motivational factors, intelligent people who are successful in most areas of their life may be unsuccessful in controlling their weight.

Some have struggled with weight problems from childhood on; for others the problem did not arise until their teen years or adulthood. Most people who consult us for weight problems have made many efforts to lose weight on their own, or by getting into some kind of diet program. Usually they have tried many different kinds of diets and have participated in many different diet programs. They usually start each program with great enthusiasm and have some initial success in losing weight. Eventually they usually go off the diet and gain back all the weight they lost plus a few extra pounds. They wind up with nothing to show for their money and efforts except the unhealthy effects of cyclical weight change and a greater sense of personal frustration.

This pattern of behaviour is common for several reasons:

(1) Some rapid weight loss diet programs put your body into a starvation mode which causes it to store fat as soon as more calories are available.
(2) Most diets create a psychological rebound effect because you feel deprived of certain tastes and favourite foods while on the diet and this feeling of deprivation leads to a burst of overindulgence.
(3) Diet programs do not take into account individual differences between people. They have everyone follow a certain "program" without taking into account the different eating patterns, personalities, and motivational factors for each individual.

Most people who have weight problems are very knowledgeable about calories and dietary matters. The problem is not a lack of information, nor is it a lack of character strength. The failure of conventional diet programs is due to the fact that they tend to create a time-limited, or temporary change in behaviour. The person learns to follow a particular diet successfully for a limited period of time, but eventually falls back into their old faulty eating habits. It is a psychological and behavioural problem, involving deeply entrenched habit patterns and impulse control problems.

We have found it to be essential to address the individual psychological and motivational factors which affect each person in a way that is unique to their life style and personality in order to establish a sound foundation for a permanent change in habitual eating habits. Usually, clients are seen for three to four visits, which are structured in a way that allows us to identify clearly and specifically the nature of the person's motivation to lose weight and the obstacles which stand in their way. We also teach them to use a form of self observation and evaluation which pinpoints the specific behavioural changes which will help them get in control of their pattern of eating. It is not sufficient to know what you are supposed to be eating, it is necessary to make some changes in the structure of your eating behaviour, environment and thoughts in order to allow you to establish good control.

At The London Therapy Centre we use a combination of hypnosis and behaviour modification to help patients establish good control over their pattern of eating. The significant motivational factors vary with the individual, sometimes centering on health issues, sometimes upon physical appearance or other personal or social issues. We design a hypnotic procedure specifically for the needs and motivation of the individual patient. While doing the hypnosis, the therapist will make a tape recording of the procedure and instruct the client in using the taped procedure at home for reinforcement because the effects of hypnosis is reinforced by repetition. It is our goal to help the patient establish a new pattern of handling food that becomes habitual and rewarding rather than continuing to vacillate between periods of over-eating and periods of dieting.