Our Weight Loss Program Is Different From Anything That You Have Ever Tried Before! This Makes Sense and It Works

by Calvin Banyan, MA BCH FNGH CI

The hypnotist you are seeing at the Banyan Hypnosis Center has your success utmost in his or her mind. He or she understands what the challenge of being over weight is like, either because of training or personal experience. Our hypnotists can tell you about the success that they have experienced or that others have experienced because of the work we do here at the Banyan Hypnosis Center. What we do here is different in some very important ways from any weight control/management program offered anywhere else in the world.

The hypnotist is going to join you in a team effort, to help you get what you want, a slimmer healthier life, that is more satisfying than the one you have been experiencing. The experience should be one of you and your hypnotist working together to change the old habits and ways of relating to food that have left you so frustrated in the past. Remember: the hypnotist has helped others, now it is your turn.

A Brief History of Our Weight Loss Program

Hypnosis has been shown to be effective in helping people change life-long eating patterns that have resulted in being overweight. However, at first we were not going to offer hypnosis for weight loss, because until recently the technology did not exist to give everyone long lasting change. That has all changed. The Banyan Hypnosis Center began offering hypnosis for weight loss after obtaining hypnosis technology from the east coast. This new approach blends the old technology of direct suggestion (which only worked about 10 to 20 percent of the time) and the new hypnosis technology of removing the reasons that direct suggestion was rejected by most hypnosis clients. The latter is a more hypnotic approach, providing long lasting change.

The Banyan Hypnosis Center has also taken this new technology one step further, enabling the client to reduce or eliminate emotional eating. Our experience and technology is continuing to move forward as our professional staff continues to develop new techniques.

Getting Control Over Your Eating In a New Satisfying Way

We will focus on how you can begin to react to food differently! We will be doing this via hypnosis, some counseling and informational handouts. Food is no longer going to bully you around! You are going to be taking back control and even feel more satisfied than before. The long battle that you have been fighting daily is going to be over, and you will have become the winner.

I would like to give you an example of how this all works. Imagine that you had the ability to do brain transplants, and you could do an experiment with a skinny person and an overweight person. You could put the brain from the skinny person into the head of the overweight person and the brain that came with the overweight person into the head of the skinny person. Then you could come back six months or a year later. Do you know what you would find? The person who had the skinny person's brain, is now skinny, even though they weren't't before. Now the person who was skinny, is now overweight because they have the "fat brain."

What we are going to do is help you to get a skinny person's brain, without the brain transplant. How does that sound to you?

What if food was only fuel and nothing more? Well, really that is the truth! That is all food really is, and eating is simply refueling. Most "naturally" slim people often find it a bother to eat, or sometimes they even forget to eat. This is because they see food as fuel. This seldom happens to people who are overweight. This is because, we, who eat more than we need to, picked up the idea somewhere, that food was more than fuel. Some even got it confused with love!

Overweight people, almost universally, eat in response to feelings other than the physical sensation we call hunger. Interestingly enough, it is not that way for everybody. For example, when skinny people get upset, they will tell you that they are "too upset to eat!" That never happens to people who are overweight. Now we can help you stop reacting to feelings with food, and start reacting in a much more satisfying way.

You might be wondering if emotional eating has anything to do with your weight problem. Let's look at it this way. Let's pretend that I had invented a machine, the "Emotional-lipo-vac," which could remove all of the fat in a person's body that had accumulated because of eating in response emotions (boredom, frustration, loneliness, etc.). And furthermore, pretend that it is hooked up to the chair that you are sitting in, and all you have to do is push a button and all of that extra fat would be instantly whisked away. How would pushing that button change your appearance if you pushed it? I have asked a lot of people that question and I almost always get a positive response, and they become very excited about putting an end to emotional eating.

What Is Emotional Eating?

What is emotional eating? Emotional eating, is the eating that occurs in response to a feeling, like boredom, anxiety, frustration or depression, for example. Basically it is almost all eating that can occur, except that which is in response to real physical sensation of hunger.

Most of the time, we eat before real physical hunger ever happens; so let me tell you a little about real hunger. Real physical hunger is different from emotional hunger in many ways. But first off, you can tell the difference because physical hunger is not selective. It is a deep rumbling voice that comes from your stomach that says, "feed me!" It does not wonder if it wants something sweet or salty, healthy or soothing. It does not care about the texture, or whether the food is Italian, Mexican, Chinese, or home-cooked. It just wants you to put something in the stomach. This is a useful understanding of what true physical hunger really is.

A good example of emotional eating goes like this. Magalina is a typical weight loss client. She is overweight and one of her main problems is that she snacks at home in the evenings (but this could be anywhere, such as work, or driving in her car). Sitting at home with nothing to do, Magalina gets a feeling and thinks... Hmm, I think I want something. (Then she automatically assumes that it is food that she wants.) I wonder what I want? Maybe I want something sweet? Lets take a look in the cupboard. I''ll try some of these cookies, snack, snack. Nope, that wasn't it. But, I know that I want something. I'll look over here. Oh here are some potato chips, I'll try some of them, munch, munch. No, that wasn't it either. I better look into the refrigerator and see what is in there, rummage, rummage.... Oh yes, this must be what I want. I'll eat some of those leftovers, they were pretty good last night, gobble, gobble. Hmm, I still feel like I want something. Oh, I know, I'll look in the freezer. Yea, that's it! I must really want some ice-cream. That will make me feel better. Slurp, slurp.... No! That wasn't it either! Now I am even more frustrated than before, and I am stuffed too! I can't believe that there was nothing in the house that I really wanted! If I wasn't so stuffed, I'd go to the store, surely I'd find something there that I want!

Remember, when you think or say "I'm craving something" it is just another way of saying, I'm thinking of trying to satisfy a feeling with food. Cravings are not real hunger. Responding to a craving is, eating when you are not hungry. Eating when you are not hungry makes you fat, and it is easy to avoid once you realize that you are not really hungry, and that your feelings are trying to help you to do something more satisfying than eat.

Can you guess what she really wanted? From this example it is difficult to know for sure. One thing that we did find out for sure was, that it was not food! We know this to be true, because she tried it and it did not work. Perhaps she was bored, lonely, or tired. We can help Magalina discover what the feeling was really trying to tell her to do. Then she can satisfy the feeling, and from now on save her from all of the frustration and thousands of calories in the process.

Because Magalina did not understand what her feelings were trying to tell her to do, she could not satisfy the feeling, or the real needs inside of her. So, she ate and ate, trying to satisfy the feelings that had nothing to do with hunger, and she wound up feeling guilty and frustrated. What a trap! What a rut!

Magalina got a feeling, and tried to feed it. She fed it and the feeling came back because it was totally unsatisfied. What a surprise. She did not know that the only thing that food will satisfy is a physical hunger for food. If she does not get help, she might even vomit the food right up, and start eating all over again. If you know a Magalina, please tell her about us so that we can help her!

Getting the Most from Your Hypnosis Sessions

From time to time, there will be some homework, but it usually won't take very long to do. In fact, sometimes it only takes about 30 seconds a day. Some homework may take a little longer, but it is very useful in getting the conscious part of the mind involved in what we are doing, and it tends to magnify what we are doing in the hypnosis sessions.

We wish this could all be done in one session. But it usually takes about three to five sessions, depending on the individual. The good part is that the changes begin with the very first session, and the work that we do together lasts forever if you use it.

One of the things that you can do to keep the number of sessions to a minimum is to schedule the sessions somewhere between three and ten days apart (about once a week for three weeks is a common way of handling this). Any longer between sessions, and we lose some of the momentum that is built up, and we wind up having to repeat some of the work done in the previous session. If you want to schedule your sessions stretched further apart than that, it is okay, just remember that this slower pace may cause you to need a greater number of sessions. Scheduling the sessions closer together than three days, often does not give you enough time to experience the effects of how things are going for you.

The other thing that you can do to keep the number of session to a minimum is to make a 100% commitment to the work you are doing during and in between sessions. Most people never get to do anything in their lives with that level of commitment, but NOW IS THE TIME and THIS IS THE PLACE to do just that.

For the best result, you need to make losing weight your #1 priority in your life for the next 30 days. This might seem selfish, but that is simply not true! Losing weight will make everything in your life better! You will feel better about yourself, do better at work, and be a better spouse, boyfriend/girlfriend, mother/father, and friend. Everything will be better. Not only will you live longer, but also each day of your life will be of a better quality. Being overweight causes you to get less out of life. There are many things that you used to do, that you liked to do, that you don't do anymore because of your weight. Think about it, dancing, shopping, playing a sport like golf, or softball. It might be because you don't have the stamina, or it might be too painful, or because you just feel silly doing it at this weight.

Let me tell you about how being over weight robbed me of the things I used to enjoy. I used to be a professional dancer, and I used to do some modeling, but after I gained weight, I no longer felt like dancing any more, not even socially. I had given it up. To me it seemed silly to do something I no longer could enjoy, or look good doing. Now, I have been losing about a pound a week now for about 25 weeks (as of the time of this writing). I'm wearing some of my old clothes that I haven't been able to wear in years and I am beginning to enjoy shopping for new ones. It is absolutely great!

So, make a 100% commitment and make this your #1 priority for the next thirty days, because after that, living this more satisfying lifestyle will just become a way of life! It will become a part of who you are, and you would never consider trying to satisfy feelings such as loneliness or nervousness by eating an ice-cream cone. It just would not make sense to do such a thing.

The first session will focus on, identifying some practical areas of your life where a few changes would make big differences. For example: 1) no longer responding to emotions with food, 2) not eating between supper and bedtime, 3) no longer snacking between meals, 4) drinking more water, or 5) exercising in an effective and consistent way. This will give what you need to start getting results right away. It is custom designed just for you. No two sessions at the Banyan Hypnosis Center are ever the same.

It's just amazing how hypnosis works with the subconscious mind. It works so quickly because it allows communication with the part of you where habits and emotions live. The power of modern hypnosis, combined with this new understanding of emotional eating, can make all of the difference in the world in such a short time.

Hypnosis Works Directly with Habits and Emotions So You Won't Feel Deprived

There are two main reasons why our system is different from any other weight loss system that you have ever experienced, even different from other hypnosis providers: 1) this is the first time that weight control is going to be addressed at a deeper level, what we call the subconscious mind where habits and emotions are, and 2) because this is the first weight loss system that will not lead you into a state of deprivation.

We strongly suggest that you spend zero time each day counting calories, or grams, or ounces. These behaviors only make you hungry, by thinking about restricting what you eat. Our emphasis is on helping you to live a more satisfying lifestyle than eating every time you feel a feeling. This is very important!

This is all starting to make sense, isn't it? Every weight loss program is different from ours in a very important way. Every diet, puts you into a state of deprivation, which only results in you eventually longing for the day that you can stop dieting and eat "normally," which is not really normal. This always results in the subsequent weight gain that occurs after every diet is over. All diets are band-aid approaches to weight loss. This program is going to help you satisfy yourself in many new ways! You are going to distinguish between real hunger, and emotions. You will always be able to feed real hunger. It just won't have the emotional impact that it once had for you. And, now you will be able to respond to emotions in more satisfying ways.

Think about it, food can never really satisfy any feeling except real hunger. Food can never fix what is causing you to feel the emotion. It can't fix what is causing the anxiety, frustration, depression, loneliness or sadness! This is the problem with emotional eating. Food and eating, is, at best, only a distraction! It may cause you to take your mind off the emotion long enough for you to prepare and eat something, but then the thought or the feeling comes right back! Remember poor old Magalina going around in circles and stuck in the eating-for-emotions rut. This is why people compulsively eat when they are not hungry, or binge-eat. (Or, smoke, or drink, or use drugs for that matter.) Emotional eating can only successfully and reliably do one thing, make you fat!

Okay, I think we have made the point. You felt a feeling, and you ate. You fell into a rut. Now you are ready to climb out of that rut. We are specialists at helping you do this.

Not only will you lose weight, but you will also begin to listen to what your emotions are really trying to say to you. When you can do that, you can satisfy the emotion! What a great way to live. If you are really hungry, EAT, and satisfy the physical hunger. But when you feel another feeling, you will begin to satisfy THAT feeling! This is the only weight loss program on the face of the Earth that we know of, which will NOT lead you into a state of deprivation, but rather to a state of satisfaction, physically AND emotionally. What a wonderful way to be! FREE from the emotional and unsatisfying rut of eating in response to feeling. Now that you know this, the battle is half won. Finally, you will be the winner.

Some of your sessions will be directed at the emotions themselves. The sessions will reduce the amount of negative feelings that you experience each day. This is very helpful because it makes the emotions more manageable and adds to your ability to deal and understand them.

Should I Exercise?

What we are doing is revolutionary! Our whole outlook on fitness and health, and especially weight loss is different. Even our view of exercise is different! Exercise is THE MOST INEFFICIENT WAY TO LOSE WEIGHT! That's right. Exercise is a good thing, we are not putting down or diminishing that exercise is good for you. We just need to put it in the proper prospective. I am not telling you not to do any exercise. I walk on a treadmill for one hour every morning Monday through Friday. I burn about 350 to 400 hundred calories in the process. One hour equals 350 to 400 calories. That is a darn inefficient way to lose weight. Ask yourself how many minutes would it take for you to consume that many calories of your favorite food? You are probably realizing it would only take a few minutes! You see, you can never out- exercise your ability to consume. That is a simple and useful fact. Do not rely on exercise for weight loss. When you think about it, you know it is true, and you have probably tried it and you know it does not work.

So, why exercise? After all, I said that I walk for an hour each morning! I must believe in exercise. Yes, exercise is a good thing for the following reasons: 1) it keeps your cardiovascular system healthy, 2) if you are exercising each day, you are going to give a second thought to consuming that 300 to 400 calorie piece of chocolate cake, because you know how much work it takes to exercise that many calories away, and 3) most important of all, when it comes to weight loss, when the weight is gone, you will be much happier with the results because you will feel fit, energetic, and have the firm body that you wanted, that reducing calories alone cannot do!

So then, yes exercise, and yes, it will contribute to your weight loss. But, don't count on it for the majority of your weight loss. If you do, you will probably just get frustrated and want to quit exercising all together.

How to exercise correctly for weight loss. Do it often. I recommend that you do it five days a week! But it must be done in the right way. First we have to have our goals clear. You are going to do this in a way that will cause you to have a great body when the weight is gone. That is the main reason. So you need to do it in a way that will be sustainable! That is the most important part of your exercise plan. Pick something that you will always be able and willing to do. For me that is the treadmill. The treadmill allows me to do it no matter what the weather looks like. The treadmill allows me to do it in front of the television so that it is more enjoyable. When you watch television it is easy to go into trance and the time will fly by.

The other very important part of exercise is that you must do it at a low enough level so that you don't dread doing it the next day! That is right! Most people, who hate exercise, hate it because it is boring and painful. It does not have to be that way. In fact, unless you are a masochist you will find a good reason to stop.

Here is the secret to successful exercise, do it at a low enough level so that, you are not huffing and puffing, or sensing any level of pain. Fatigue and pain are signals that you are doing something wrong. Slow down. For me, if I am going so fast that I can't keep my mind on the television program that I am watching then I am going too fast! Or if I notice that my mouth is hanging open and my throat is drying out, I'm going too fast, and I slow down. You are not trying to become an Olympic athlete. You are just trying to get slim and healthy.

The natural outcome of this approach is that over time, according to your own physical make up (your genetic plan) you will begin to do more, and go faster! I know, it has worked for me and many others that have followed my advice. This will work.

The key concepts are, go slow, start off with a short duration like 10 minutes, and distract yourself with television, a videotape, or audiotape. The results will be that you look forward to your next workout! Try it; you'll like it very much.

Later on, you may actually like your body and the feeling of exercise. Then you can carefully push yourself further and further if you like. Even run a marathon! Or, get into another sport. That would be great, because it improves your quality of life. But for now, easy does it.

In Summary

Kind of exciting isn't it? You are going to do this together with your hypnotist. You are part of an experienced and winning team. Why didn't someone figure this out before? The weight was not the real problem; it was only a symptom of a bad habit, trying to feed feelings other than real hunger. Your hypnotist will also be working with you to reduce or eliminate strong emotions so that you will find it easier than you might expect to satisfy your feelings. So now you can have the change that you have always wanted, a slimmer, healthier and more satisfied you.

This is very exciting for us, because we get to be part of your success. This is simply the most exciting and satisfying thing I've ever done. I'm very happy that you have decided to be a part of it. Not only are you going to lose weight, everything is going to get better. What I like about what we are doing here at the Banyan Hypnosis Center is that, we get to see change occur so quickly. When you come back for your second session, your hypnotist will probably ask you, "Now, who's in control, you or the food?" and you will be able to say that you are in control. The other important question is "are you doing anything that you just can't keep on doing?" The answer is, of course not. In fact, you would never want to go back to the old way of responding to emotions with food. It just doesn't make any sense to you anymore. Maybe it never did!

Thanks again for coming to the Banyan Hypnosis Center, and letting us help you. Make sure you stop by after you have reached your goal weight. We really love it when clients come back and show us how successful they have been.

Learn more about using our 7th-PATH Self-Hypnosis® system for weight loss...