Make me lose about 25 lbs

I hear that a lot. People often confuse hypnosis with, well, magic I guess. People misconstrue hypnosis with a panacea. HYPNOSIS WILL NOT MAKE YOU LOSE WEIGHT, YOU MAKE YOU LOSE WEIGHT! That's right, hypnosis cannot make the pounds just melt away, and nothing can. What hypnosis can do is pretty amazing; just not miraculous. So how do people lose weight using hypnosis? Good question. They don't. There is only one way to lose weight: burn more calories than you take in. It is a math problem. That simple equation becomes the biggest problem for most people losing weight. People using hypnosis to lose weight do so because they want to learn to use their brain and change the way they think about food and exercise. They learn quicker, and form new habits to replace the ones that were (no pun intended) feeding into their weight problem. If you replace the bad habit with a good one that satisfies the same need, there is no desire for the bad one anymore. Get it? Here is an example my husband uses: "I could move in with you and walk around with you all day and all night, and every time you tried to eat something unhealthy, I would knock it out of your hands. I could hold a gun to your head and make you exercise and that you are not snacking at night. After several months, you will have all new habits, and wouldn't need me there anymore. Or, I can hypnotize you to learn the habits you need and how to use them, and you will do it on your own in about 30 days. Remember, I have four kids that come with me. Which way would you prefer?" Hypnosis is, by definition, a change in state. Happy to sad, relaxed to tense, angry to calm. When you change your state, you become more suggestible. Here is where people get confused: more suggestible DOES NOT mean that someone can make you do something you would not ordinarily do. Is it possible? Yes, but with several visits and lots of work: in other words, you would know what is going on. Hypnosis just allows you to accept beneficial suggestions without you getting in the way. You're simply more open to new ideas and possibilities. People often ask me, "Can bad things happen under hypnosis?" My answer, "Not with us." Think of hypnosis like a gun. If a police officer has it, you aren't worried about the outcome or how they will use it. If a felon has the same gun, it takes on a whole different view. Suddenly, you fear the worst and are terrified of what can happen. There are immoral and unethical people in every profession, so just be careful. Make sure you talk to your hypnotist before you allow them to hypnotize you. If you don't feel comfortable, leave. Don't be afraid to ask for referrals from people who have used the hypnotist before you. Hypnosis for clinical use is growing in popularity. Weight loss is by far the largest clinical use of hypnosis. Its popularity is largely based on the fact that there are no pills to take, no invasive procedures, no patches to stick on, and you get to relax while you do it. It is an attractive alternative for people of every age, color, religion, and sex. Hypnosis is a means to learn what you need to do, and change the habits you have in a condensed time. In comparison to other habits, weight loss is one of the most difficult habits to change... and it is a habit. To lose weight, you have to change your habit of the types of foods you eat, the habit of how much you eat, the habit of when you eat, and your exercise habits. Now, that's a lot of habits! Let's look at smoking as a counter-example. When you stop putting cigarettes in your mouth, you're a non-smoker. The habit in smoking is putting the cigarette in your mouth. Try to stop putting food in your mouth to become a non-eater. You can't do that too long. You have to develop new habits to continue doing what you do but in a new and responsible way. If your mind has a mind of it's own, find a hypnotherapist in your area.