Does Hypnosis Really Work for Weight Loss?

Weight loss is one of the most common areas that people come to me for hypnosis – or it was before weight loss injectables entered the market. This has been a double blessing for me. Not only do I no longer get people who are expecting a quick fix, but I now get people who often know what they need to do to change a lifetime of bad habits.

Let me explain myself - if I’m honest I never really enjoyed working with weight-loss. Hypnosis is seen as a magic wand for many things, people expect really fast results, but with weight-loss more so. If the weight isn't falling off by session two or three people would start to give up the hypnosis. 

There is the other odd aspect of hypnosis in that clients don't notice that they are not snacking!  We are working with the subconscious.

It's happened many times, where we have had to go over a week consciously for the person to realise that they didn't buy all the snacks in Waitrose, and have eaten well that week. 

If you have been yo-yo dieting all your life and are familiar with weight-watchers and other similar approaches to weight-loss you are undoubtably familiar with the pattern of up and down, possibly gaining more weight in the year following dramatic weight loss.  Sustainable changes, are steady, slower, but they are sustainable. 

There is often an emotional root to this that needs resolving and people often drop out of hypnosis when a) they don’t want to do that or b) realise it’s going to take a while.

I always ask these questions before taking on a client 

1. Are you in a place where you have gained a bit of weight, know exactly what to do and feel that it’s like flicking a switch?
2. Have you yo-yo dieted and been on any of these diets in the past.

If you’ve fallen out a gym habit, know what works for you and have a goal then hypnosis is AWESOME and a couple of sessions can do the trick. 

If you are planning to drop 4 dress sizes, you’ll need ongoing support, short, medium and long term goal setting, accountability continued motivation....and more than two sessions.

My approach is that hypnosis is for well-being not weight-loss. 

The evidence shows that hypnosis can support weight loss, but it isn’t in the way you may think.

Let’s unpack that. 

What Hypnosis Can (and Can’t) Do

Hypnosis won’t “melt away fat” or replace healthy eating and movement overnight.

What it does is work on the psychological drivers behind habits 

• Emotional eating or cravings 
• Late-night snacking
• Self-sabotage after making progress 
• The inner dialogue that says “I’ll start again tomorrow”

By addressing the patterns beneath behaviour, hypnosis makes it easier to stay consistent with the practical changes you already know you need. 

It can also

• Teach you self-hypnosis for motivation 
• Tried and test sports psychology techniques such as rehearsal imagery to get you exercising
• Help you set values based intentions for weight-loss that align with what you really want

The Evidence

Research has shown hypnosis can: 

• Improve self-control and reduce emotional eating 
• Support sustainable lifestyle change when combined with nutrition and exercise
• Help people shift their mindset around food and body image

Injectables and hypnosis

Injectables and hypnosis can work very well together. They can give you the rapid weight loss, WHILE working on the emotional ties to food and snacking.

Hypnosis can help you set goals to maintain muscle mass and to create habits around nutrition and food which can stick for the long term.

One of the most interesting things is that many people who I worked with didn’t know what it was like not to be hungry or thinking about food. When they are on weight loss medication we can train their brain to recognise that feeling and root rewire itself to apply that experience in the long term.

Does Online Hypnosis Work for Weight Loss?

Yes. In fact, being in your own kitchen or home environment can be an advantage. When hypnosis is delivered online, you can immediately apply it to the exact situations where habits show up. With recordings to reinforce sessions, the new patterns sink in faster.

The Bottom Line

Hypnosis can’t do the work for you. But it can make the work feel easier. By rewiring the way your mind responds to food, stress, and habits, it creates the conditions where weight loss becomes more natural and sustainable. 

Learn more about online hypnosis for well-being and book a clarity call with me if you want to get started.