For anyone wanting to lose weight hypnosis can be a helpful strategy; for those wanting to maintain that weight loss, however, Mindful Eating is a much superior strategy.
United States of America (Press Release) October 24, 2007 --
As a retired psychologist with experience in hypnosis, I know that for people who are highly motivated to lose weight, hypnosis can definitely be beneficial. Actually, there is much evidence that it can be a helpful aid in changing a wide array of bad habits. As is true of the vast majority of weight loss methods, however, there is much less evidence of its long-range effectiveness in maintaining weight loss.
Sadly this is true for most weight loss strategies. Research indicates that 80-85% of those who lose large amounts of weight gain it back very quickly. Even worse, they commonly regain more than they lose. A major reason for this is that reduced caloric intake tends to lower metabolic rate, resulting in the increased conversion of calories to fat.
It is also now well known that many health problems are worsened by repeatedly losing and then regaining weight through what is commonly referred to as "yo-yo dieting."
In summary, other research shows that healthy weight loss occurs gradually, with a loss of 1 to 2 pounds per week, and is successfully maintained only through major lifestyle changes. These include following a healthy, reduced-calorie diet, burning 1,500 to 2,000 calories per week through regular exercise, and some form of ongoing social support.
Through my personal experience over the past 30 years, along with my clinical experience in working with hundreds of clients, I have come to regard the skill of mindfulness as being second to none in effecting positive and enduring lifestyle changes. Its specific application in the form of Mindful Eating can be particularly powerful, both as a means of healthy weight loss and in maintaining that loss over time.
Since the terms, "mindfulness" and "mindful eating," are unfamiliar to many people, let me define them briefly. Mindfulness is simply being fully aware, moment to moment, of whatever you are experiencing, without judging it. It can be applied anytime and anywhere to all of our activities. To be fully and continuously aware of the process of walking, for example, is "mindful walking;" to be similarly aware in this way while driving is "mindful driving," etc.
As simple as it sounds, however, it's actually quite rare for most people to be fully and continuously aware in this way; instead, most of us spend the vast majority of our waking moments "lost in thought," so to speak. That is, during our waking hours, we are almost constantly engaged in some form of thinking either about the past or the future. Major exceptions to this occur for people, such as athletes, musicians, and surgeons, who engage in activities that intrinsically demand their continuous highly focused awareness.
Although everyone is endowed with the intrinsic capacity for mindfulness in everyday life, most people develop it as a generalized skill only through devoted practice. Those who have done so, however, commonly regard this skill as one of the most valuable they've ever acquired.
The application of mindfulness to eating--that is, Mindful Eating--is particularly powerful as a means of gaining complete control over food. Healthy weight loss and subsequent maintenance of that loss are two of its major beneficial effects.
As is true of all applications of mindfulness, Mindful Eating is profoundly simple. It consists in maintaining full, continuous awareness of all aspects of eating. Very importantly, this includes full awareness of the rich array of ever-changing visual, olfactory, auditory, textural and gustatory sensations associated with the food being consumed. The richest and most subtle flavors of most foods can be savored fully only by chewing them thoroughly with full, continuous awareness.
Mindful Eating, then, entails relating to food in a very full, one-pointed and leisurely way--much like listening to one's favorite music. Not uncommonly, the time taken in eating just a few bites mindfully in this way is greater than the duration of eating a full meal for most people.
An inevitable result of this marked slowing down of the eating process is that the appestats in the brain signaling satiety are activated by a much reduced intake of food (and calories) from what occurs through "normal" eating.
By applying this simple strategy consistently over time, then, the bottom line result is the consumption of far fewer calories and concomitant healthy, gradual weight loss. Its continued application after achieving one's goal weight is an equally effective means of stabilizing and maintaining this result.
Mindful eating has other major benefits as well. As is true of applying mindfulness to ANY form of pleasureful activity, it greatly enhances the conscious levels of pleasure and satisfaction in eating. In brief, then, it's a way of eating much less while enjoying it much more.
Moreover, since it places absolutely no restrictions on the particular foods one eats, it removes the common feeling of being deprived that often sabotages other weight loss strategies.
People who eat mindfully commonly discover that they gain far greater enjoyment and satisfaction from markedly smaller portions of their favorite calorie-laden foods than when they eat them "mindlessly."
Finally, since mindful eating entails thorough chewing of all food, it's a helpful aid to complete digestion. The intrinsic relaxation and stress reduction that accompanies all forms of mindfulness also has some major health benefits.
In conclusion then, to lose weight, hypnosis--along with many other healthy weight loss strategies--may be very helpful. In terms of long-lasting success in weight loss maintenance, however, Mindful Eating as a lifestyle change is a much superior strategy.
More information about mindful eating can be found at the website below.
* This news item has been submitted by George Shears
Sadly this is true for most weight loss strategies. Research indicates that 80-85% of those who lose large amounts of weight gain it back very quickly. Even worse, they commonly regain more than they lose. A major reason for this is that reduced caloric intake tends to lower metabolic rate, resulting in the increased conversion of calories to fat.
It is also now well known that many health problems are worsened by repeatedly losing and then regaining weight through what is commonly referred to as "yo-yo dieting."
In summary, other research shows that healthy weight loss occurs gradually, with a loss of 1 to 2 pounds per week, and is successfully maintained only through major lifestyle changes. These include following a healthy, reduced-calorie diet, burning 1,500 to 2,000 calories per week through regular exercise, and some form of ongoing social support.
Through my personal experience over the past 30 years, along with my clinical experience in working with hundreds of clients, I have come to regard the skill of mindfulness as being second to none in effecting positive and enduring lifestyle changes. Its specific application in the form of Mindful Eating can be particularly powerful, both as a means of healthy weight loss and in maintaining that loss over time.
Since the terms, "mindfulness" and "mindful eating," are unfamiliar to many people, let me define them briefly. Mindfulness is simply being fully aware, moment to moment, of whatever you are experiencing, without judging it. It can be applied anytime and anywhere to all of our activities. To be fully and continuously aware of the process of walking, for example, is "mindful walking;" to be similarly aware in this way while driving is "mindful driving," etc.
As simple as it sounds, however, it's actually quite rare for most people to be fully and continuously aware in this way; instead, most of us spend the vast majority of our waking moments "lost in thought," so to speak. That is, during our waking hours, we are almost constantly engaged in some form of thinking either about the past or the future. Major exceptions to this occur for people, such as athletes, musicians, and surgeons, who engage in activities that intrinsically demand their continuous highly focused awareness.
Although everyone is endowed with the intrinsic capacity for mindfulness in everyday life, most people develop it as a generalized skill only through devoted practice. Those who have done so, however, commonly regard this skill as one of the most valuable they've ever acquired.
The application of mindfulness to eating--that is, Mindful Eating--is particularly powerful as a means of gaining complete control over food. Healthy weight loss and subsequent maintenance of that loss are two of its major beneficial effects.
As is true of all applications of mindfulness, Mindful Eating is profoundly simple. It consists in maintaining full, continuous awareness of all aspects of eating. Very importantly, this includes full awareness of the rich array of ever-changing visual, olfactory, auditory, textural and gustatory sensations associated with the food being consumed. The richest and most subtle flavors of most foods can be savored fully only by chewing them thoroughly with full, continuous awareness.
Mindful Eating, then, entails relating to food in a very full, one-pointed and leisurely way--much like listening to one's favorite music. Not uncommonly, the time taken in eating just a few bites mindfully in this way is greater than the duration of eating a full meal for most people.
An inevitable result of this marked slowing down of the eating process is that the appestats in the brain signaling satiety are activated by a much reduced intake of food (and calories) from what occurs through "normal" eating.
By applying this simple strategy consistently over time, then, the bottom line result is the consumption of far fewer calories and concomitant healthy, gradual weight loss. Its continued application after achieving one's goal weight is an equally effective means of stabilizing and maintaining this result.
Mindful eating has other major benefits as well. As is true of applying mindfulness to ANY form of pleasureful activity, it greatly enhances the conscious levels of pleasure and satisfaction in eating. In brief, then, it's a way of eating much less while enjoying it much more.
Moreover, since it places absolutely no restrictions on the particular foods one eats, it removes the common feeling of being deprived that often sabotages other weight loss strategies.
People who eat mindfully commonly discover that they gain far greater enjoyment and satisfaction from markedly smaller portions of their favorite calorie-laden foods than when they eat them "mindlessly."
Finally, since mindful eating entails thorough chewing of all food, it's a helpful aid to complete digestion. The intrinsic relaxation and stress reduction that accompanies all forms of mindfulness also has some major health benefits.
In conclusion then, to lose weight, hypnosis--along with many other healthy weight loss strategies--may be very helpful. In terms of long-lasting success in weight loss maintenance, however, Mindful Eating as a lifestyle change is a much superior strategy.
More information about mindful eating can be found at the website below.
* This news item has been submitted by George Shears
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