As the western world becomes increasingly larger, in numbers and weight, it is becoming more and more apparent that dieting, dieting aids and diet pills rarely have any real lasting effects. The majority of people just don't see a way to permanently lose weight. More than 60 million people in the USA are obese with a doubling of child obesity since 1980. Child obesity is also taking a dramatic rise in the UK.

Developing a weight problem or being obese is much more than just an uncomfortable or embarrassing condition. With it comes a dramatic increase in the risk of developing debilitating illnesses or even death through the likes of diabetes, clogged arteries or heart disease. These are serious illness that can cause lifelong hardship or even lead to early death!

So how do we combat this? Well hypnosis is one solution! Hypnosis is a technique that spans thousands of years and is designed to gain access to your subconscious mind where your beliefs and behavioural patterns are stored. In a trance state, induced by hypnosis, it becomes easy to reprogram the subconscious mind with new beliefs and habits fairly quickly. It has consistently worked well with smoking cessation, nail biting, nervous disorders, eczema and other health and behavioural conditions. So it should come as no surprise that it can also be used to re-program your eating and exercise habits. It's a simple enough process. A hypnotherapist will work with the client until they understand the reasons for their eating habits and why they started to overeat in the first place. This type of behaviour always has its root in emotional issues that usually stem back many years, perhaps even to childhood. The client is then gently guided into a state of deep relaxation. The mind and body are brought to a resting state before the hypnotist gives them carefully worded post hypnotic affirmations that are designed to create deep changes in their behaviour and habits.

Post hypnotic suggestions are extremely powerful and work very effectively to change your habits and former conditioning. The use of post hypnotic suggestions is of utmost importance when using hypnosis. A competent hypnotist will, however, dig into the emotional issues that cause the overeating and remove these before ever giving post hypnotic suggestions to create new habits.

The key then to any weight loss program is to first address the reasons why you are overeating and eliminate them. Using hypnosis and the hypnotic state is the quickest way and most efficient way of achieving this. It can be the most efficient and fastest way to train yourself into enjoying a healthy eating plan and exercise regime.

Paul McKenna has devised a unique way of dealing with weight issues in a system he developed over two decades. It revolves around four basis rules:

1. Only eat when you are hungry. Avoid eating for any other reason except to satisfy your hunger. This may sound simple but many of us eat when we are bored, lonely, upset etc.

2. Eat what you want to eat and don't deprive yourself of anything. If you tell yourself that you can't have certain foods then you are depriving yourself of things you enjoy. This sets you up for failure. You feel like dieting is a chore and what usually happens is this ? you end up leaving the diet and eating more of those things than usual!

3. Eat consciously. Do not stuff your mouth with food and gulp it down. Chew slowly and allow yourself to savour the flavours that your palette is experiencing. When you eat slowly you enjoy your food more and get filled up quicker.

4. Stop eating once you feel full. Many people believe they must clear their plates or that wasting food is somehow a bad thing. Once you become a conscious eater you will begin to recognise the signs your body gives you telling you that it is full. At this point stop eating!

Paul McKenna's entire system is very effective and uses some of the techniques discussed in this article as well as many more. Follow his four golden rules and you will lose the weight you want and keep it off!