Do you have a lot of weight to lose?

Do you have a lot of weight to lose? I frequently hear the hopelessness and despair from potential Slender For Life™ hypnosis weight loss clients when they tell me their life-long battles of losing weight only to gain it back. After more than 19 years of successfully teaching people weight loss hypnosis that “a lot” is relative. For some people a lot means 10 pounds and for others it’s 200 pounds. The truth is that the struggles are very similar.

If you a lot to lose or just a little, you can have success with Slender For Life™. What if you have a whole lot to lose? is this weeks reading from my book, Becoming Slender For Life.

What if you have
a whole lot to lose?

The medical term for people with 100 pounds or more to lose is morbidly obese. Now that’s a scary term, and it should be. If you’re in that boat—make that an ocean liner, because you have a lot of company—then you’ve already heard all the dire warnings about your health. (Reread Chapter One if you skipped it.) I know all too well about this category, because I spent way too many years of my life languishing in it. Which is also why I can state with every ounce of what remains of my being, that you can release a huge amount of weight—if you decide you want to.

There’s no doubt, you face special hurdles. From bathroom scales that can’t measure your weight, to exercise equipment built for someone half your size, to the health problems associated with being extremely overweight, frustrations are a daily reality.

Warren Huberman, PhD, a behavioral consultant for the weight loss program at New York University Medical Center, writes: “You can’t just toss a very overweight person the latest diet book or piece of exercise equipment and expect it to work. There is a whole different mindset to large-scale weight loss, and a whole different approach becomes necessary.”

Anyone can drop off the 10 or 20 pounds they picked up when they weren’t eating consciously. However, to permanently alter your body by 100 pounds or more requires a special commitment. I will not lie to you and say how easy it will be. It won’t be. It took you years to get in the shape you’re in, and it’ll take more than a year to reach any state of what feels like normalcy. You may well come from a family who also is extra heavy, and they will very likely be forced to face their own issues if you go down this path. Some of them may join you, but others may not. So you need to prepare yourself mentally and emotionally for possibly having to take this journey to better health without their help or support. If your own children are also overweight, then at least consider doing this for their sake.

You’ll need to work extra hard on all the intangible factors. And that’s where I can offer some encouragement. Self-hypnosis will be your new best friend—for the rest of your life. This is the tool that can make the difference between one more bounce of the yo-yo and sustaining a new you.

So where do you start, and how do you stay motivated, when your goal is to lose 100 pounds or more? Here’s a collection of tips, some from people who used to weigh over 100 pounds more than they do now.

1. Seek medical supervision. Whenever you start a new diet or exercise plan, it’s always wise to visit your doctor, but that’s especially important if you’re undertaking a radical change like releasing 100 or more pounds. Janet Finestein, MS, RD, a nutritionist and dietitian at the Comprehensive Weight Loss Center of New York-Presbyterian Hospital advises: “The more overweight you are, the more likely you need to be monitored—and the more you need some type of medical supervision, at least at the start.”

Because obesity contributes to other health problems, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and insulin resistance, Finestein says medical care is a must. The good news is, learning how to control your insulin levels may also help you control your hunger, which in turn can make it easier for you to release your excess weight.

Some of my clients have attended Dr. John McDougall’s weekend and live-in programs in Santa Rosa, California. For more information visit his website at www.drmcdougall.com.

2. Seek out a Slender For Life™ Hypnotherapist. Check out the list at www.slenderforlife.com. If there is none in your area, go to www.iact.org or www.imdha.com to look for a qualified hypnotherapist who deals with weight issues. You can also schedule with me via Skype at HypnosisHealthInfo.

3. Join a support group. Being in this category can be isolating enough, but when you decide you are ready to change you situation, it can get even lonelier. Whether you seek the friendship of established groups, such as Overeaters Anonymous, or whether you create your own circle of support, having peers to discuss all your challenges with will be tremendously helpful. You might ask your doctor if she has other patients who might be interested in starting an informal group. Or go online. Today there are endless sources of support and guidance that you can access with a few clicks.

4. Be careful how you cut your calories. A low-calorie diet may be right for people who only need to lose 20 or 30 pounds. But if your goal is 100 pounds or more, you need more calories just to survive. “The more you weigh, the higher your caloric needs,” Finestein says, “so you can eat more than a person who weighs less, and still lose an equal amount of weight.” If you can eliminate 500 calories out of your diet every day, you could see a one-pound weight loss each week, she says.

5. Get moving. Being super-sized offers special challenges when it comes to exercising, but no matter what your current fitness level is, you can always do more. Just start gradually and congratulate yourself for all progress, no matter how small it may seem to someone else. If you aren’t comfortable exercising in public yet, then there are still plenty of things you can do at home until you are ready to venture out. See Chapter Six for all kinds of good ideas. Even the smallest changes to your routine will add up. Hide the remote and walk across the room to change the channel. Do some stretches before you even get out of bed in the morning. Rely less on others to do things for you.

6. Get lifting. Experts believe that one of the most important exercises for very overweight folks is lifting weights. Resistance training builds muscles, which in turn burn more calories. And you know what—many weight lifting exercises can be done sitting down, making them ideal for people who need to start from that position. Start small with things you have around the house—cans of soup, bags of rice, then liter bottles of water. (A gallon of water weighs a little over eight pounds.) Especially if you’ve been inactive for a long period of time, you really need to do something to convert fat to muscle. Once you feel up to going to a real gym, you’ll discover a huge array of machines specifically designed to isolate and exercise each part of your body. Many people are surprised to learn that they enjoy lifting weights—partly because the results are noticeable fairly quickly.

While releasing this much weight is truly life-altering, it would be the best gift you could ever give yourself and your family—the gift of a longer, healthier life. Scientific studies continue to reveal the mysteries of obesity, and there is a lot of ongoing research into the biological causes and cures, including the genetic component, but don’t use that as an excuse to wait for a magic pill. The power is all within you.

From Becoming Slender For Life, second edition,
page 205 – 208

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