Many people are tempted at this time of year to go on quite extreme diets in order to get into the LBD (little black dress) for those Christmas parties.  Whilst adopting a long-term healthy eating plan is a good idea, I would urge people not to diet strictly in the weeks before Christmas.  The reason for this is what tends to happen is that the metabolism will slow down in response to the diet, and then during the holiday time once your guard is let down and the cake, mince pies chocolates etc. that you consume in huge quantities means that the weight (and possibly more) is all put back on again.  Losing a lot of weight very quickly is generally not a good idea, as it messes up the metabolism, and as soon as you start eating ‘normally’ again, the weight piles on very quickly.

I am pleased that a number of high profile women have decided to slim down, such as Jenni Murray, Pauline Quirke, Fern Britton and more recently, Dawn French.  They have all had their different ways of doing this, but it seems to me that Dawn French appears to be achieving her new slim figure in the most sensible way, eating healthier smaller portions, whilst taking more exercise.

The others have resorted to the Dukan diet, Gastric banding and Lighterlife, and whilst these methods do seem to have achieved their goal (although Jenni Murray reports to having put back quite a lot of the weight she lost in a recent 5-week holiday), I am convinced that it is not necessary to take such extreme measures in order to lose weight in a healthy, sustained way.

Very often, the clients who I see for weight loss therapy have emotional issues which they feel unable to deal with, and so this results in a tendency to overeat to comfort themselves.  By taking a good hard look at their life, and finding ways that they can comfort themselves WITHOUT food very often puts them in such a good state of mind, more controlled, calm and confident, that they no longer feel the need to overeat.

I also stress that food can be better enjoyed much more eaten in smaller quantities, savouring the taste and flavour in each mouthful, experimenting with all sorts of different ingredients, herbs and spices.  This, along with a new-found enthusiasm for moving about more (and this does not have to mean joining a gym, but simply walking is as good as anything) can achieve that slimmer, healthier body that you know is in there!

If you feel that you would like to discuss your weight issue with me and find out how hypnotherapy and NLP can help you, please email me on wendy@wendychalk.co.uk, or call on 01449 780352 or 0781 7158429.