Christmas just around the corner for a lot of people means Christmas dinners, family get togethers and Christmas parties. And of course overindulgence! For a lot of people , especially for the over 40’s there is an inward groan as the festive season approaches as it is almost impossible to keep those calories under control or to avoid those extra pounds creeping on .

So what practical weight loss tips would I give to my clients at this time of year?

Firstly, with summer nearly over, those long summer days drawing to a close, and summer holidays already a memory, now is the best time to shed the excess pounds you may have picked up whilst on holiday. By shedding any excess pounds now, you are already heading into the holiday season with your weight firmly under control, and when the festive season is over you are heading into the New Year with only have a few pounds to lose instead of a few stone.

When I work with clients for weight loss, I always give them a food diary to fill in during the early weeks of the programe. By scrutinising a client’s daily food intake we can address empty calories (such as alcohol) hidden calories, e.g. sugars in fruit juices or fat free yoghurts. We then look at what conscious changes the client wants to make (e.g. cutting down on sugary foods) then we look at practical ways in which the client can help themselves. Once we have agreed on a new and healthy sustainable eating plan, I install this plan under hypnosis. The subconscious working in conjunction with the conscious mind gives the client a much greater chance of success.  Below I have listed some weight loss tips taken from my weight loss hypnosis course of treatment (the hypno-band).*

Weight loss tips for a sustainable healthy lifestyle

• Ditch the diets. Permanent weight loss will only happen through lifestyle change. *YO-YO dieting does not work. There are many reasons why diets work initially but ultimately fail. But the main reason diets fail is because of the ‘PSYCHOLOGICAL DEPRIVATION’. If you deprive yourself of something long enough, you are eventually going to cave in. The key is to eat a little of what you like IN MODERATION. A healthy balanced diet means that you will not crave the wrong foods. Many diets have ‘free’ foods as part of the diet plan. But what happens when the client comes off the diet? They think that because these foods are ‘free’ whilst they are following the diet plan, it means that they can eat as much of this food when they are not following the diet plan , because their mind has been programmed that this food will not incur weight gain. I find that I have many clients coming to me after being on certain diets and they tell me that they eat huge portions of pasta , because on the diet it is ‘free’, and yes it is free whilst on the diet plan, but eat this amount of pasta on a normal day and you will pick up weight .
• Eat protein with every meal (up to 30 grams per meal, but do check your RDA (recommended daily allowance). Protein burns fat and helps you feel fuller for longer. Do stick to organic lean meat though where possible and white meat such as chicken and fish is always much better for your health.
• Reduce your carbohydrate intake. Carbs convert to sugar. Opt for low and complex carbs rather than high carbs. Follow this link for information on carbs. http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/loseweight/Pages/the-truth-about-carbs.aspx
• Opt for an egg breakfast a couple of times a week rather than a sugary cereal. Full English? Go for it! Choose organic low fat sausage and lean bacon. Grill your breakfast, don’t fry, and opt for poached eggs instead of fried. Ditch the bread and butter, and add mushroom and tomatoes to fill the plate. This will keep you going all day and will burn fat in the process! Yummy!
• At lunch replace white bread sandwiches with wholemeal bread, or ditch the bread altogether and opt for a protein alternative, tuna or chicken salad with an olive oil and balsamic dressing.
• At dinner reduce fill your plate with lots of veg, a lean protein source, and reduce the carbs. Go for a smaller baked potato and fill it with cottage cheese instead of butter and cheddar, better still replace the potato with lentils or pulses.
• A really good rule of thumb when trying to reduce calories is…avoid anything white ,think white flour, white bread, white rice, white sauces ,white pasta, obviously there are exceptions such as white fish and cauliflower so use your common sense on this one
• Cut out sugar for ten days. Research now shows that sugar is addictive as cocaine. Come off it for ten days and you will not be craving that chocolate bar or those boiled sweets any longer. *Fruit will taste sweeter, and in general all food taste’s more delicious. Be prepared for withdrawal symptoms though! Expect flu like symptoms as your body detoxes! For help in coming off chocolate there is a chocolate addiction download on my site https://www.dohypnosiskent.co.uk/product/chocolate-addiction-mp3-download/
• HIDDEN SUGARS! Check the sugar content in everything you buy. Anything that says low fat is usually high in sugar. Some fruit juices are loaded with sugar and this is the same for low fat yoghurts. Many Pasta sauces are often loaded with sugar as well.
• Ditch the take away – take away curries, chinese and fish and chips all exceed in excess of 2000 calories per meal. Add your lunch and breakfast to that and you are easily on double your calories for the day. Cook a homemade curry, cook double the amount, then freeze it for those days when you are too busy to cook and tempted to buy take away. If you love pizza, try doing a homemade option with brown flour and healthy toppings.

For many people all of the above advice is old hat. They know what they should be doing but just cannot get the motivation, determination or will power. If you feel that you need that extra helping hand, I can help with my weight loss hypno-band course of treatment.* Not only do I look at and help you change your lifestyle and eating habits, but with hypnosis I can help increase determination, will power and even help you to feel less hungry. If you would like more information on this please take a look at my hypno-band page for more information, or go to my website www.dohypnosiskent.co.uk.