Impressions of My Weight Loss Journey by Pat C.

     First let me say that I’ve never thought of myself as vain. I don’t want to be a fashion plate. I do not like being the center of attention. I pride myself on deeper concerns – health, spirituality, mental accomplishments.  I love adventure that broadens my understanding of people and places. I have traveled extensively and spent the past few decades raising children and building a career.
     So, on a positive note…I am happy with most areas of my life.
     On a negative note…I can see that some of my decisions are not leading me to strong, healthy, adventure-filled senior years.
     It is time for change.
     Over the years, I have tended to put on a couple pounds every year. Sometimes, I’ve put some focus on losing weight – Atkins, fasting, shakes, etc. The result?  An extra 100 pounds on a 5 foot 5 inch frame.  Not my ideal size and shape. Not my ideal philosophy of living lightly in the world. And, I don’t have the strength and stamina to walk around the block! How can I plan on traveling in my senior years if I can’t walk around the block?
     I’ve known Jan for over 30 years. I love and trust her like a sister.  I was intrigued by her work in hypnotherapy and past life regression. My first regression was eye-opening and enlightening. I didn’t know what to expect with a weight loss hypnotherapy session. It was surprisingly open and effective.
     The most important question was what was my motivation for losing weight? The mere fact of being overweight wasn’t compelling for me. Did I want new clothes? No. Was I planning for a big event? No. Was I motivated to live a long and healthy life, and be available for my loved ones? No.
     With Jan’s help during our initial intake session, I was able to pinpoint a real motivator for losing weight: I want to be able to spend the rest of my life enjoying an active lifestyle in which I can travel easily, walk everywhere, and explore new places.
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Here are my observations since beginning Jan’s Control Your Weight Effortlessly hypnotherapy sessions...
Week 1:
- I’ve hidden the kids’ snacks from my view so that I’m not tempted to “sneak” treats.
- I’ve started to walk to my corner and back.
- I’m surprised to see I’m just “tasting a bite” of cookies and cake at work.
- I’m beginning to believe I actually can lose the weight.
Week 2:
- Jan has been available for mid-week encouragement and feedback by phone and text. I’m keeping her up-to-date on the big and little changes I’ve noticed.
- I seldom snack at night any more although, until now, I have always looked for a bowl of ice cream or some cookies in the evening.
- My food choices have shifted drastically to the fresh and nutritious. When I’m hungry, my selection is less about what is expedient and more focused on quality and the exact sensation I crave. I’m much more convinced this will work.
- I’m walking down the corridor at work, but surprisingly not interested in going to the gym.
Week 3:
- A couple times, while reviewing my day, I’ve noticed that I must have skipped lunch – although I hadn’t noticed it at the time (that’s never happened before)
- ​Another first. I work in a small department – about 20 people. When someone has a birthday, we gather in the morning to celebrate with cake. The other day, I had just put my English muffin in to toast when cake was announced. I sang with the group, then turned down cake in favor of my planned breakfast. I wasn’t even interested in taking a piece for later.
- ​Food triggers on the way to work and home no longer call to me. Panera? Not interested. Baskin Robbins? Not really.  Hot Fudge sundae (Wednesday is Sundae at Carvel)? No need. I did stop at my favorite frozen custard stand on the first day of warm weather and celebrated with a small chocolate cone, enjoying every lick. I thoroughly enjoyed my son’s birthday cake – as much as I wanted, which turned out to be pretty small slice. No guilt.
- ​I’m walking around the whole block at home; still walking the corridors at work.
- ​My appetite has shrunk and so have my urges.
- ​I eat to live…and no longer live to eat. Thoughts of food don’t consume my days.
Week 4:
- I lost 7 pounds my first month. After years and years of failed diets and fasting, I’m now losing weight slowly and steadily without ever ‘consciously’ making a decision to eat anything other than what I’m the mood to enjoy at the time.
- My subconscious believes I can lose 100 pounds in 15 months although my conscious mind thinks that 24 months is a reasonable time period. I’m excited to see which side wins out.
- My coworkers often bring in desserts from home and put them out for public consumption. This has been irresistible to me in the past. Free treats! Yesterday, I looked at a beautiful Black Forest cake and thought “hmmm…I could have some…but I’m not really feeling it…another time, perhaps.”
- Sporadically throughout the day I’ll notice my body is doing isometric exercises – tightening my abdominal muscles while walking or driving.
The four sessions are finished and my eating habits have changed without dieting, but I’d like to be more interested in exercising to boost my weight loss. In my younger years, I loved physical activity. Running. Climbing trees. Dancing. Walking. More recently, I’ve done some yoga, Tai Chi and Qi Jong. ​Jan’s bringing me in for a special session to resolve the conflicts….
​Week 5 (Special Session):
I had been surprised that it has been so hard to follow through with the hypnotic suggestions to incorporate more physical activities into my day. When I explored this with Jan in a special session, we discovered I had other subconscious messages (such as ‘work before play’) that were taking priority and keeping me from taking the time out of my busy day to do the fun, physical stuff!
- I have been surprised at how willing I am lately to push away from my work and leave the house for a quick errand. Usually I’ve let others run the errands…or I’ve grouped a bunch of things together so I don’t have to be out for long.  The other morning, I decided to fix a door that had been out of commission for weeks. This involved running out to the hardware store to buy a part, and then actually installing the part. Done. Yea me!
- I notice I’m allowing myself more free time to play and have fun.
- Now I’m walking a couple days a week, and going greater distances.
- ​I did my walk to the other side of the building at work. As I reached the far side I decided to go out and complete the return trip outside to enjoy the lovely weather. I felt like I was playing hooky. DELIGHTFUL!