This is the uplifting story of one Blenheim family’s journey thanks to a mother’s virtual gastric banding, weight-loss programme.
Sally, a very attractive mother of two teenage boys, was worried about her appearance, feeling (probably wrongly) that her boys were ashamed of her weight. The family were about to go on holiday, where walking on the beach and swimming were the main attraction. And that meant, wearing togs.
As always, during the first session of four, I spend some time finding out more about Sally, and her goals, what she wanted to achieve (not only weight-wise, but how she really wanted to feel.)
Clearly concerned about body image, she admitted that she often felt tired, frumpy, didn’t sleep well, and often felt ‘down’. When we talked about her eating habits, and I asked her where she normally ate, in common with, astoundingly, 98% of my clients, she said the whole family sat in arm chairs, watching TV, or playing with electronic gadgets while they ate.
So picture the scene: everyone mindlessly shovelling food into their mouth, quite literally hypnotised by the telly. So, do you talk about your day with your family? No. Do you find out what’s going on at school, or with friends? No. Do you notice what you’re eating? (be honest here!) No. Do you know when you’ve had enough to eat? No. I could go on in this vein, but I’m sure you get the idea. Sally certainly did. I asked her to start eating at table, with no electronic distractions.
By the fourth hypnotherapy session, Sally greeted me with a large and beautiful bunch of flowers. “Chris,” she beamed, “You have changed our family life. Though very reluctant at first, my husband and boys joined me at table. No telly, no phone, just us. But a strange thing happened. After four days, the boys were setting the table without even being asked. The next day, a friend of theirs was invited and, surprised, was shown his seat at table. Mindlessly, he took out his phone, upon which the boys gently frowned at him, and asked him to put it away.”
Sally continued “We now TALK as a family. We’re finding out so much more about each other, and what goes on in our lives. We eat slowly, we savour our food and I’m now aware of how much I eat and when I feel satisfied. The family now even join me on my evening walks. I have lost four kilos, but, more important, I feel so much better. I have more energy, no more indigestion, and I can’t wait to stroll down that beach in togs, feeling incredible!
