Weight Loss Archives - GW Associates Counseling & Hypnotherapy

Should I Be Gluten Free?

What? Wheat? I actually thought for some time that the concept of “going gluten free” was some new fad diet. You may have sen the term on restaurant menus or in magazines, or on products in stores. And wondered about it like i did for so long. I would like to share with you my story, and that of a few others, as well as share with you some of the readings I devoured, then shared, and helped some clients. Maybe this can help you too. For a number of years, I was plagued with mysterious rashes which appeared primarily on my face and neck. I tried creams and ointments. I tried changing shampoos, conditioners, or makeup or laundry detergents. These rashes would come and disappear, then came with greater frequency. They were ugly, embarrassing, and itchy. For one particular such breakout, ten years ago, I had a very bad one, on neck and face, and went to the ER for care, was prescribed strong antibiotics, which eventually led to a very unusual and fairly rare illness called clostridium difficile, (aka C-diff), from which I nearly died and was hospitalized for 11 days…a very unhappy memory in my life! There…

gail weissert hypnosis weight loss maryland

Lose Weight With Hypnosis

I have decided to try to help more people with weight loss issues. This is not a new subject to me; I have been using some of these strategies, un-advertised, for nearly twenty years. We have all heard the statistics about Americans and obesity; about 60% of Americans are now considered to be obese by specific operationalized guidelines about what constitutes the concept of being overweight. There are thousands upon thousands of programs, books, diets, articles, supplements, medications, remedies, and even schemes that are out there to help with weight loss. Most people diet, lose, then put the pounds back on. Some research also demonstrates that we are genetically pre-programmed to hold onto weight, something that goes along with survival instincts from the caveman days of our ancestors. I would heartily encourage any person who desires to lose weight and to keep it off to read extensively on this topic. There are many outstanding, highly educated persons who have taken existing and extensive data about diet and nutrition, and have written comprehensive books and articles about this issue. I personally have reviewed, and continue to review many of the books and information about these things. I have personal reasons for my…

On Health, Never Say ‘Diet’

I have noticed that being overweight often correlates with depression. So, a common strategy that many people choose is to go to the family doctor, who uncovers a probable depressive disorder. And the main thing that a doctor is trained to do is to prescribe a medicine such as an antidepressant or an anti-anxiety agent. Of course, people often request such a medication, because the 6 billion dollars spent each year to advertise prescription medication makes them a readily requestable solution. What many do not know that many of these prescription medications addressing emotional issues cause a person to gain weight or to hold onto weight….so that becomes even more depressing in our health-conscious and image worshipping society. This blog is not intended to be a weight-loss manual. As you might suspect, right-eating fosters improved mental health. The main reason is that the blood sugar levels, affected by the glycemic index of foods, foster peaks and valleys in performance and motivation. As you probably have read or heard elsewhere, yo-yo dieting is unhealthy. It never ceases to amaze me how many of my clients and their children consume carbohydrate-laden foods, mostly “bad carbs,” day in, day out. This affects both…

Substitutes for Unhealthy Food

It seems that part of the reason why it is difficult to take on such a big task as the lifestyle change required to lose weight is that people adopt a belief system that a certain food makes the person happy, calms a craving or satisfies a need. Some people tell me that they crave sweets, or that they will drink a milkshake and cannot stop themselves, or that they favor crunchy and salty things, and just cannot stop crunching. Others are just “bread people”…cannot give it up. One way to get around this would be to be open to learning about the many new varieties of things which are available that can potentially replace those things. There are many sweetened beverages which use sucralose (aka Splenda) or erythritol (aka Truvia) as the sweetener. This cuts out not only 200 calories per beverage, but, it also has the potential to reduce risk of type two diabetes. A digestive disorders specialist featured on Dr. Oz comments that more than two sodas per WEEK has been shown to increase the rate of pancreatic cancer by 80 per cent!! Green tea is a good choice, as it has been shown to increase the metabolism and…

gail weissert beahviour modification plan

Weight Loss and Behavior Modifications

Well, I think it only makes sense to realize that you have to do something different to get different results, pretty much in anything that one does. My first teacher of hypnosis used to say, “Hypnosis will not quit your smoking, but it will make your decision to quit so much easier!” Conscious and subconscious awareness work together. You can do your own behavior modification program. Does that sound complicated? Well, I studied learning psychology and behavioral principles in all the textbooks; they are pretty simple. I will outline some basics here for you for weight issues. The simplest of tricks is to not have “bad stuff” easily available to you. Before embarking on your weight loss program, and lifestyle change, you may want to empty your cupboards and refrigerator of carohydrates, cake mixes, sugary and starchy packages such as cake or brownie mixes, macaroni and cheese mixes, pancake mixes, sugary pancake syrups, and all the like. If you cannot bear to give or throw them away, then consider a week of eating them or having one big carb party to get these out of your house. If you live with others, they will also benefit from these changes. Even…