which diet is best?

[Gary Turner]

Hi,

I wouldn't recommend any 'diet' for weight loss, for the reasons I mention in my post on yo-yo dieting.

Everyone is an individual, and the approach that works for one will not necessarily work for another. Diets do not work - and that is not my opinion, that comes from systemic reviews of diets by organisations such as the World Health Organisation.

As in my last post "If you look to eat natural whole foods, properly prepared, only when you are hungry, and carry out natural movements and exercise then you won't go far wrong in losing your weight - and keeping it off."

[Adam Eason]

Some very valuable advice from Gary there.

Additionally, developing skills to help you make good decisions would be beneficial - you might therefore be interested in an article I posted here about dealing with cravings for foods which are not conducive to your goals:

http://www.talkhealthpartnership.com/bl ... -hypnosis/

Best wishes with it.

[Gary Turner]

Helen here's some tips for you.

Put your tongue hard on the roof of your mouth. For neurological wiring reasons for most people it shuts off or deadens self-talk.

Imagine the number zero in the distance. Imagine as you count from 5 to 0 it gets closer with every count, shutting out more and more of the 'outside' world, so nothing that you hear inside and out will disturb you, nothing you feel inside and out will disturb you it will all just help you focus on your task, until you get to the zero where you can imagine passing through the zero and instantly be able to focus only on the task at hand.

Stare at a single spot. In order to access thoughts our eyes need to move. This is why hypnotists often use eye-fixation - it quietens the thoughts and shuts out distractions, helping you focus on the task at hand.

Imagine the distractions getting quieter, fading out until they're gone. Imagine that. Completely imagine that, continuously imagine that and imagine it happening automatically until they are just gone now.

There you go - a few techniques to help you!

Saying that - go to Amazon and type in 'Adam Eason' in books. I highly recommend his new self-hypnosis book, and also 'Hypnosis for Running' too - both have lots and lots of self hypnosis tips and instructions to follow including how to use them.

Hope this helps!

[Adam Eason]

Hi Helen,

Some valuable tips from Gary there. I'd add the following to your queries:

Adam- I know for myself and when I speak to other people it can be difficult to 'get into the zone' for inducing self-hypnosis.

There is not really a 'zone' to get into. Self-hypnosis is a verb, it is something you actively engage in as a process - not something you enter in to. You need to have a particular set of progressive attitudes and expectancies, which form a 'hypnotic mindset' - which I guess is a similar notion to getting "into the zone" though I am not sure if you meant the same thing.

You need to be focused, attentive and purposeful - the opposite of a passive person entering into an 'altered state' which is a common misconception about what hypnosis is.

Does this get easier with practice or do you have any tips on how to switch off from other thoughts and be able to focus on following the process you describe in detail. In particular, if cravings are strong or I have other things I am thinking about, I find my thoughts get dominated rather allowing myself to focus, even though I know this will be beneficial.

It certainly does get easier with practice, yes. Evidence suggests that the more you practice with the kinds of protocols I have shared here on this site, the more responsive you'll become also.

However, be aware of what we refer to as 'the effort error' - this is whereby you try too hard to do it, or you become anxious because you are expecting something different to happen. This and/or fear of failure are the biggest obstacles to achieving success with self-hypnosis.

The reason you practice a great deal when you do not have cravings, is to equip yourself to deal with the times when you do have them. With more mental rehearsal of coping skills, you are training yourself to better deal with the issue if it occurs. You have learnt that response to cravings and that response can be as easily unlearnt - just need to be patient, persistent and focused. Be assured with yourself, and expect the positive outcome you desire; this will flavour and feed the right behaviours in turn.

Thanks for the advice and I am really enjoying reading and trying to implement the information from your blog posts and answers.

My absolute pleasure. As Yoda said - 'do or do not, there is no try' - simply follow the instructions, adopt a progressive attitude and positive expectancy with those steps, be patient without trying too hard and the results will come.

Best wishes to you, Adam.