Food for thought in the fight to stay trim

“I felt that their symptoms were being treated rather than their issues,” says Clare, 42, from East Cowick in East Yorkshire.

And Clare knows what she is talking about, having lost nearly four stone in the past only to regain much of it again.

“Once I learned about how the mind works, I understood why dieting was never going to work for me,” said Clare, who not only took up a new way of life, but a new profession.

Then followed an extensive study and training course to become an accredited and fully-insured member of the General Hypnotherapy Register, operated by the General Hypnotherapy Council.

She now operates hypnotherapy practices in Leeds and London’s Harley Street specialising in helping people to lose weight without the need for surgery, including where appropriate providing hypnotic gastric band treatment – making clients feel fuller sooner without the risks and after-effects of surgery .

“I’ve always been interested in what makes us all tick and I get a real buzz out of helping people to make lasting and profound change in their lives” said Clare.

“No two clients are the same and I am constantly inspired and amazed by the tenacity of people to overcome their biggest challenges and refuse to be beaten. I’m more than happy to be most people’s ‘last resort’ to change!

“Once you discover how the mind works, it’s easy to see why conventional weight loss methods don’t have a higher success rate,” said Clare. “Hypnotherapy helps you regain control over what you eat and how much. Your subconscious mind is amazingly powerful.”

One of Clare’s success stories is Tina Mason, the Town Clerk at Selby Town Council. But it was the responsibility of her job, bringing with it regular evening meetings and functions, coupled with a busy family life, which also gave Tina her greatest challenge: keeping her weight in check.

“So many women will relate to this,” said Tina. “Juggling work and family commitments, snatching a snack before an evening meeting – never the right foods. I seemed to spend my life on one diet or another, losing some weight, only to put it on again.”

Tina, 56, who lives with her partner, David, in Selby, has a son, daughter and two grandsons.

When she couldn’t keep up with the two boys, asking her to run and play with them or “climb that fence grandma” she decided to try a different route to weight loss.

“I was sceptical, of course. I didn’t really understand what hypnotherapy would entail. The only images I had in my mind were swinging watches and Paul McKenna!” said Tina. “I am so pleased I overcame my preconceptions..”

Tina had four sessions with Clare and listened daily to a specially prepared CD.

She lost four stone in just seven months, dropping from 14st 2lbs to 10st 2lbs and the weight has stayed off. “From day one I thought and behaved differently,” said Tina.

“I enjoyed my evening meal, but had to leave a substantial amount: the portion was just too big. I didn’t need the quantities I usually ate. I haven’t touched Coca Cola since and I used to have at least six glasses a day. I never felt I was denying myself, I just wanted to eat less and more healthily.

“I now have a fabulous wardrobe of clothes that fit. I’m more adventurous, shopping in interesting vintage stores, for example, and have so much more confidence when meeting people, or standing up in public to speak, which is an important part of my job.

“Food is no longer a priority – not the thing I wake up thinking about and go to bed feeling guilty about.”

Stars who turn to hypnotism

Tina Mason is not alone when it comes to turning to hypnotherapy to lose weight.

Hypnotherapy is often favoured by celebrities as a way of shifting those extra pounds. Singer Lily Allen went from a size 12 to a size eight after sessions with a hypnotherapist. She claims that Susan Hepburn “reprogrammed her brain” to like healthy food and associate going to the gym with being happy.

Other celebrities turning to hypnotism to lose weight include Geri Helliwell and Sophie Dahl.