I think you'll agree we get fat because we eat too much (mainly of the wrong things) and exercise too little. But have you ever wondered WHY we overeat?

In my experience as a Hypnotherapist, I have discovered two main reasons that cause people to overeat:

Poor Eating Choices / Ignorance / Habit

Some people just don't know how to eat healthily, either because they've never been taught to eat sensibly (basically, if your parents eat processed junk food, then so will you) or they overeat because it's become a habit. Both these types of people just need some dietary and exercise advice, and a little help with motivation.

Emotional Overeating

This is when food is used to distract from feelings that we don’t like, or which upset us. Remember your Mum giving you a Jelly Baby to comfort you when you fell down and hurt your knees? The comfort it gave left a great impression on your unconscious mind which it’s never forgotten!
If someone comes to see me (as a Hypnotherapist) the first thing I'll do is take a history of their weight over their lifetime. If I find they have been consistently 30-40 lbs over their ideal weight, I'll start to think that their eating is a little more than a bad habit. Often these people eat to distract themselves from internal feelings that make them feel bad.

It works something like this. There is a feeling inside them that they don't like. It could be fear. Or boredom, or guilt, or loneliness, sadness, inadequacy. Maybe it’s anger simmering away there. It’s bad, and it makes them feel bad. Now, at some time in their life when they’ve felt like this – say, bored or inadequate – they’ve had something to eat. And for a short time they’ve felt better, because let’s face it; eating IS pleasurable for the vast majority of us. It’s meant to be – keeps us alive! So “our” person eats, feels better – and Bingo! Their mind makes the link “Eat Nice Food – Feel Good” They’ve successfully distracted themselves from the bad feelings.

And the connection is made. So the very next time they feel bad – what do they do? That’s right – reach for the cookie jar (or whatever. Unfortunately, distraction food does not tend to be good food like say, carrots. Sad, but true).

But of course the good feeling does not last. Soon the bad feeling comes back – because the reason for it hasn’t been dealt with. And unfortunately, no food they eat is going to solve their problem. It’s just going to make them put weight on. Which ultimately is going to make them feel even worse, and a vicious cycle has been created.
 
The only way to break this cycle is to deal with the underlying cause of the bad feeling. Once the bad feeling has been dealt with, we are just left with a bad habit which can be easily eliminated. So how do we deal with this type of weight-loss problem?

If you were to come and see me as a Hypnotherapist, I would help you identify the feeling and then we would begin to neutralise it. A very straightforward procedure for an experienced Hypnotherapist.

But before you start googling Hypnotherapists in your area, let me tell you that you CAN have a go at this yourself – and there’s every possibility that it will work for you!

So what do you do?

Start by learning to pause before you eat anything. As soon as you go to put food in your mouth I want you to STOP. Put the cookie down and step away! Now, count to ten and then ask yourself this question: “Am I hungry?”

If you are genuinely hungry, go ahead and eat it. Better still, eat something healthy! But if you can truthfully say you AREN’T hungry, scan your mind and body and try and identify how you are feeling. Are you feeling bored? angry? guilty..

Once you’ve identified the feeling, start thinking up a plan to deal with it without resorting to food. If the feeling is boredom, do something – go out for a walk, read a book,do a crossword. You get the idea. Bear in mind that exercise is a great distractor and very effective with dealing with anger and symptoms of PMS, among others.
But make sure you don’t substitute one bad habit for another. No good throwing the cookie jar in the river if you turn to alcohol instead!

But sometimes it can be difficult to identify the bad feeling on your own, and even if you can identify it, neutralising it can be a challenge. If that's the case, you need to consider contacting a Hypnotherapist trained to deal with this type of problem.

If you decide to see a Hypnotherapist make sure he / she is qualified by a reputable training body like the National Guild Of Hypnotists and ensure they are fully insured.

Never lose hope. It is always possible to lose weight steadily and safely, without having to give up all your “comfort blankets”. It’s just a matter of degree and finding the method that’s right for you.

Committed to your success,


Robert E Bartram
(Hypnotherapist & Pilates Instructor)

How To Stop Overeating