Scientific research at Tufts-New England Medical Center has provided proof that all diets are effective when dieters can stick to them. Atkins - low carb; The Zone - low glycemic index; Ornish - low fat; Weight Watchers - low calorie.
But researchers have also proven beyond a doubt that very few people can stick to their diet because their appetite is out of control. So to be successful with a diet,
hypnosis for appetite control can be very effective.
The Webster's Dictionary defines "Appetite" as: "The desire for gratification of some want, craving, or passion." So "appetite" is eating and drinking for relaxation and pleasure.
Don't confuse appetite with hunger. Hunger is defined as "The body's call for nourishment." In other words, when the body needs energy, that's when you feel genuine hunger. By that characterization, it is actually impossible for a person who is overweight to "be hungry."
However, it is possible for you to have feelings that you interpret as "hunger." And the stomach contracting in expectation of being fed causes those feelings.
When you were an infant and you got cranky, your mother would put a nipple into your mouth to calm you down. You would get distracted, become more relaxed and often go to sleep. That sequence of events was repeated thousands of times so that your unconscious mind was programmed: When something goes into your mouth, you get relaxation and pleasure from it.
Now that you are mature, if you feel anxious or tense, you crave something in your mouth for relaxation and pleasure - food!
People Also Get Cravings and Urges Because Of Conditioning.
When you combine consuming food with any other action, the other behavior will trigger cravings for food and a strong compulsion to eat. This is called a conditioned response. For example: If you eat when you see someone else eating, you will automatically get an urge to eat each time you see someone else eating.
What About Compulsive Overeaters Who Eat Because Of Emotional Reasons?
A compulsion is defined as an "irresistible impulse." NLP (neuro-linguistic programming has a presupposition: There is a positive intention behind all behaviors. In other words, our mind only motivates behaviors that benefit or protect us in some way. In NLP terms, we say that being fat is a behavior when it provides a positive outcome or intention.
You must be wondering what the possible positive outcomes of being fat are. The list of possible positive outcomes is as long as the list of people who are fat. But I'll give you a classic example: A person gets their heart broken in a relationship. So to protect the self from getting the heart broken again, the unconscious motivates the self to become overweight to keep the self out of relationships and prevent another broken heart.
A big secret to
eliminating your appetite is reframing. With an NLP reframe, we respect the fact that the unconscious is pushing us to consume food for relaxation and pleasure. And if we are eating compulsively because being fat is protecting us, we respect that also.
In a neuro-linguistic programming six-step reframe we bargain with our subconscious. In the case of eating for relaxation and pleasure, we ask our unconscious to assume the responsibility for substituting some other behaviors. The new behaviors must be as effective and available at providing the same relaxation and pleasure. But they must also be more acceptable to us on a conscious level. When the mind is motivating us into alternate behaviors that provide the relaxation and pleasure that we require - we lose our appetite on this score.
If you are an emotional overeater we do an additional reframe. We ask your subconscious to assume the responsibility for substituting new behaviors in place of being heavy. These new behaviors must be as effective and available at providing the same benefits. But they must be substitutions that are more consciously acceptable to you and your unique personality. When your subconscious is motivating you into alternate behaviors that provide the same outcomes that you require, you lose the compulsion to overeat.
As far as feeling cravings because of conditioning (conditioned responses), we utilize various NLP and hypnotic methods that erase those conditioned responses. That breaks the connection between the behaviors, and dissolves the cravings and urges.
When your appetite has been obliterated and any compulsion to overeat has been dealt with, you can stick to any diet of your choosing indefinitely so that it becomes a permanent lifestyle change.
Appetite control and compulsive eating is a complex topic. I can only broach the surface of it in this article. But you can read several additional articles on this topic in the
hypnosis article library located on my website.
