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Weightloss With NLP
Author:
Karen Hastings, Hertfordshire 
NLP can be useful for people struggling to lose weight. In fact, wanting to lose 
weight is a fairly common reason for why people seek NLP, Herts. Whilst NLP is by 
no means a magic diet pill, it can be very useful in addressing the issues associated 
with over-eating such as confidence, self-esteem, motivation and negative coping 
strategies. This article discusses seven NLP tools, which can help you in being 
slim and healthy. 
 
1. NLP Communication Model - This model underlies any change work in NLP and a good 
therapist will explain this model to you. It is very important as it tells us how 
people use language in specific patterns, during thinking. Depending on the nature 
of the way you talk to yourself when thinking, you could be undermining the efforts 
you make to eat healthily and be slim. The NLP communication model can help you 
to begin to be much more aware of the language you use during thinking, in order 
that you can develop positive thinking habits. Since how you think has a massive 
effect on how you feel, it also effects how you behave. Change your thinking patterns 
and you will get different behavioural results. In the case of weight loss, this 
can be a change in your eating or exercise habits. 
 
2. NLP Presuppositions - These are a set of convenient beliefs which if you subscribe 
to them, can lead to you feeling much more empowered. For example, one of the presuppositions 
is that all behaviour has a positive intention. This does not mean that everything 
a person does it morally good or good for society. It means that each person, only 
always carry out behaviours that are positive for them in some way, i.e. meet some 
higher human need. So, if you feel frustrated at yourself for overeating when you 
feel you really shouldn't, its time to begin to think about what needs you meet 
through food. Only, then can you acknowledge that you have been doing the best with 
the resources available to you at the time and begin to plan how to meet the need 
met by food in a more positive way. 
 
3. NLP Frame - Cause is greater then effect. NLP frames are frames of reference 
that guide the individual towards taking responsibility for themselves, how they 
feel and what happens in their lives. During NLP therapy you will be encouraged 
to BE at CAUSE. This means that things happen in your life because of you, not too 
you. NLP does not claim this to always be the case, it asks you to try to live your 
life guided by the frames. Being at cause means you get the credit for all the great 
things you achieve, of course, it also means that you have to take responsibility 
for outcomes that your not so proud of. How does this relate to dieting? Well as 
a person who used to smoke and who tried to stop for several years before I was 
successful, I know that I felt much more comfortable about lighting up, if I had 
a reason (excuse). So, it was the fault of my stressful day, argument with boyfriend, 
because I'd had a glass of wine, because I needed to relax and not because I was 
choosing to smoke over other behavioural options. This can be the case, with bingeing 
or snacking. Once you begin to stop kidding yourself during thinking and actually 
begin to stop and say, actually I don't have to eat this, I can act in a different 
way, I take responsibility, you have taken a big step towards the slimmer you. 
 
4. NLP Formal Change Techniques - There are several formal change techniques, which 
are useful for helping with weight-loss. The most appropriate technique will depend 
on your unique problem. Here are a few: 1) The Swish Technique can be used if you 
wish to replace a highly contextualised problem behaviour with a more positive behaviour. 
It works to eliminate behaviours that occur in specific situations after specific 
triggers. 2) Parts Integration is very useful at uncovering the positive intention 
of your unhelpful eating habits and dealing with incongruent behaviour and feelings. 
If you've had the experience of thinking 'how have I just eaten that, I've been 
doing so well', this technique could help you! 3) Like To Dislike - This technique 
is based on information about how we code memories in our brain. We tend to code 
things we like in a different way to things we don't like. So, if you have a particularly 
problematic food type, its possible to change the memory of the problematic food 
type into the memory of a food you can't stand. This technique works really well 
if you have a food that you really hate! 4) Hypnosis with positive suggestion - 
many NLP therapists will have studied hypnotic techniques based on the Ericksonian 
model, during NLP training and will utilise these techniques during therapy sessions. 
 
5. Getting Leverage - NLP therapists are skilled at getting leverage. This basically 
means helping the client to recognise and experience the impact of the problem behaviour, 
such as overeating, on themselves and those around them. It will help you find your 
motivation and will identify those who are not motivated. 
 
6. Setting Well Formed Goals. NLP takes goals setting seriously and has developed 
criteria for goal setting that results in the goals being much more achievable and 
likely to be reached. Your therapist can support you in working towards your weight 
loss goals. 
 
7. Developing Positive Coping Strategies. Acknowledge that your problematic eating 
has served a purpose in the past, in that it has likely been a method for coping. 
Now you want to develop positive coping strategies that serve you in the present 
and future. When would now be the right time to be good to yourself? 
 
These are just a few of the ways that NLP can help you develop new options in thinking 
and behaviour. I have found these techniques effective during NLP, Herts at my NLP 
practice, Herts, when supporting clients in losing weight. 
About the Author: 
Karen is a mental health occupational therapist. Karen practices privately in Hertfordshire, 
where she employs NLP and Hypnotherapy techniques to help people with weight loss, 
as well as many other emotional, psychological and behavioural issues. Visit
http://www.karenhastings.co.uk
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com -
Weightloss With NLP 
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