Allow me to tell you a story about Helen. I was visiting Helen, a friend of a friend, in her own home. It was an early Friday evening and Helen was not long home from a tiring day, indeed a very tiring week. But her job was not over yet. You see Helen juggled a demanding career with being a working mum and loyal wife, which meant that Helen now had to create and prepare a dinner for her two lovely, but demanding children and then do it all over again, when her husband John arrived home from another punishing day. Somewhere in between, Helen had to find time for herself and yet continue to be the soul of the household, the glue that held it all together. Helen sighed, deeply. I could tell that she was near the end of her tether. Stressed out and yet batting on bravely. I could tell from her deep sigh, the sagging of her shoulders and the look on her face, that all Helen wanted to do, was pour herself a bath and a glass of wine and just relax. Take time for herself and recharge her batteries.
So why don’t you just do that, I asked. Run that bath and take some time for yourself. I can’t, she sighed again, even more deeply this time. I promised a friend that I would go with her to that diet class that she wants to join. Which one, I asked. Oh goodness knows, some new diet that she is on. I think she must have tried ever diet book and every diet class, but there always seems to be another new one promising the earth.
Are you fed up with diets? I asked. Too right she said, it’s miserable. Ironically, you are unhappy when you are on a diet, but equally miserable when you are not. It’s the social pressure these days, all this talk about that horrible word obesity, making people feel guilty, whilst constantly showing us pictures of stick thin girls apparently enjoying perfect lives all smiling and happy. I took a deep breath myself and wondered whether to let her into the secrets. While I paused, she went on, I am never happy with my weight. I don’t feel good in any clothes, I don’t even feel good inside my own skin. I can’t bear to look at myself in the mirror, or let my husband look at me. It is causing a rift between us, but I just can’t help myself. He is a good man and he tells me he loves me as I am, but how can he. He must be thinking, what a whale, what happened to the girl I married. I looked at Helen and debated whether to say something. She looked fine to me, but I knew that it did not matter what I thought, it is how you feel about yourself that is important.
So you used to be thinner, I asked. Well, she said, I was never exactly happy with my weight, but I certainly weighed less than I do now. And the other thing is, she continued, there is just not enough time. I knowwhat I should be eating and that I should be exercising more, but I eat on the run and there just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day.
She said, I’ve tried calorie counting, weight loss classes and even considered the dreaded surgery or weight loss pills, but I don’t want to do that to my body. Another year older and no further forward.
It was time to take the plunge. Look, I said, I hear your pain. I need to tell you the truth. Diets don’t work. Statistically 95% of the people who go on diets, end up putting on more weight. And as for surgery and weight loss pills, well you’ve heard the horror stories. These diet clubs tout the odd success story of the people who have had the conscious will to stay on the diet, but are they happy? The success stories are few and far between, because it is a conscious effort to stay on the diet. But your desire for food is not a conscious process. Your sub-conscious takes over and tempts you. You know that the answer is, eat less and move more, but that is easier said than done. However, it’s not your fault. It’s not a conscious process. This is obviously why Gerry suggested we talk.
You have heard that I run SlenderThinking, yet I have never explained what it is. What I show you, is three easy to do steps:
1. I use advanced psychological techniques to remove and neutralise any emotional attachments that you have around food;
2. I train you to think about food the way that slim people think about food; and
3. I show you how to use self-hypnosis to programme so that your body can burn fat whilst you sleep.
That way, there is no conscious effort. It is simply done for you. I have the tools to help you succeed. That sounds fabulous, she said.
If you want to lose weight, if you are fed up living on shakes or measuring what you eat. If you have had enough of trying to be good and passing up the tastiest foods on the menu, just because you think you should, then now is the time to change all of that.
If you are fed up being unhappy, fed up passing up invitations because of what you are restricted to eating. If you have you tried a number of diets with little or no success? Indeed, overweight, it’s wait over!
If you would like to see yourself slim, imagine fitting into that summer dress that you bought. You can book that holiday that you really wanted because you have the confidence to wear what you want. If you want to get away from other people dictating what you eat and instead be able to enjoy all the foods that you love, knowing that you will still lose weight, then you need to choose to come along and join us. I promise you no shakes or calorie control and no rigorous exercise. Instead you will simply listen in a nice relaxed environment and see the secrets revealed as to how you can get thin without really trying.
One of my recent attendees said “I am relieved to have broken the habit of either being on a diet and feeling miserable or being off my diet and feeling miserable. By taking control back I feel much more empowered. Thank you so much ....”
What if it doesn’t work, Helen said. What if it does, I asked. What would it do for you to reach your ideal weight and feel happy and confident in your own skin. Try that on for a second. She positively beamed at me.
Tell you what, I said. Why don’t you come along to one of our “taster” sessions – pun intended and listen to what we discuss, see if it feels right for you and then you can decide to join. You know it makes sense. You have to change the pattern you are living right now.
I am running a number of these “taster” sessions in different venues. There is bound to be one that suits you. I gave her the card with my website address www.loseweightclasses.com
So, what will happen, 6 months from now, if you do nothing and just continue the way you are? You’ll be 6 months older and still as stuck and unhappy. Imagine, six months on, people still whispering about you, your kids still making comments about mum’s spare tyre and how she goes on about it but does nothing. Or:
Alternatively, you could try us out:
1. Having applied psychological techniques to remove and neutralise any emotional attachments that you had around food;
2. Having been trained to think about food the way that slim people think about food; and
3. Having used self-hypnosis to programme so that your body has been burning fat whilst you sleep and you have reached your ideal weight.
Imagine how you will look, the compliments you now receive from people, what will you be saying to yourself, picture the expression on your face. Most importantly, how good do you feel now?
So check it out I said, visit our website and register for the classes. You know this will change your life. For a tiny little commitment of £1.14 per day, less that the cost of a skinny latte, for 5 months, you can change your future to the one you’ve always dreamed about.
When I left Helen’s house that day, she seemed revitalised. Almost as if someone had thrown her a lifeline. She was positively beaming and she seemed to have more energy already. I love that part. I would love to do the same for you. Go on. You know it makes sense.