"Right now I have to warn you that you are too fat and I am concerned," I explained to my sister. It was the line that made her sit up and listen, and go on to lose six stone. I recall the time I would see my sister struggle because she was carrying too much fat. Being out of breath walking upstairs, struggling to play with her kids, and not feeling confident when she went out with friends was not nice to observe, so I decided to apply the Authoritarian and Motivational Weight Loss Hypnosis approach to help her lose weight and change her life.
Back then my sister would blame her under active thyroid and rely on that as an excuse to cushion her lack of motivation to lose weight. Deep down she was not happy at all, and I could see it. But there had to be a way to help her regain a sense of belief that she could lose weight and have the life she wanted. Having warned her that she was getting too fat, she eventually agreed that I could support her. Having tried numerous diets it was now time to help get her mindset and motivation in the right place so that she could take back the control over food and ignite her self motivation.
I decided to implement the Authoritarian and Motivational Weight Loss model which involved the following:-
1. Conducting a number of strong, direct hypnosis sessions. Rather than using gentle relaxation hypnosis this meant using a delivery of hypnosis that was direct and strong. I hammered in the suggestions that she was in control of food and that she was now waving good-bye to a life of fat. What my sister needed was a strong no nonsense motivational style of hypnosis as opposed to a walk in the meadows relaxation. If I had used a gentle permissive style of hypnosis she would not have responded, and in fact I believe it would have given her permission to stay fat.
2. Daily and weekly accountability. I was determined to make my sister accountable. I would call and text to ensure she was staying on track and implementing what we agreed. I reminded her that if she started to suffer with 'can't-be-bothered-itis' she would stay fat, but at the same time made sure I gave her a cuddle telling her how well she was doing. Tough love was needed and it was essential all excuses were eliminated. Eventually she agreed that she had used the under active thyroid excuse for far too long and it was now time to let that rest.
3. Living life by the 80-20 rule. Having tried numerous straight jacket diets I directed her to live life eating 80% healthily and 20% a bit of what she fancied. This meant that she could still enjoy a glass of wine, some chocolate, and a Chinese take away each week. It has always been my belief that rigid diets fail because they not only deny you of a treat, but also make you think of food even more. I also guided her to implement a number of portion control techniques such as eating in front of a mirror to remind her that she had the control over food. I also coached her to 'bank' calories meaning that if she wanted a night out with friends she had the calorie space to enjoy it without putting on weight.
As time went on the fat melted and my sister's confidence increased. Breakthrough moments included clothes shopping without paranoia, and being able to let go of the fat friend reputation. I observed the change month by month seeing a surge in self esteem and a renewed energy. Such joy made me a very proud brother.
One thing for sure is that weight loss for so many is a constant battle. It is a battle of the mind, but one that can be won. There is always a way.