The Weigh We Were
By Orli Katz CH
Published in Binah Magazine 2018

Did you ever wonder why so many diets don’t seem to work? Or why you keep reaching for that gooey chocolate rugelach when you know it’s not good for you?
The answer is very simple. It comes down to a competition between our conscious and our subconscious minds.
As a hypnotist, I see many clients for a gamut of reasons, but one of the most common goals is weight loss.
According to hypnosis theory, there are three parts to our mind: the unconscious, the conscious and the subconscious. The unconscious mind regulates everything in our autonomic system — respiratory function, heart rate, blinking, etc. The conscious mind helps us make decisions on a daily basis and stores our most important short-term memories. For instance, it will help you remember your cellphone number and the birthdays of your loved ones, however, it has a limited amount of available storage space, so it will dump any information it deems unimportant, such as whom you sat next to in third grade, into the subconscious mind.
The subconscious mind, in contrast, is where all of our long-term memories and deeply rooted beliefs are stored. It’s our protective mind. In comparison to the conscious mind, it’s sort of like a supercomputer versus a pocket calculator.
The subconscious mind holds within it every memory of everything we have ever experienced throughout our entire lifetime, in crystal-clear detail. It also contains our deeply rooted beliefs about self.
The problem is that although our conscious mind is the one in the driver’s seat most of the time, and may be instructing us to lose weight, our subconscious mind often contains contrary programming — and it’s the one holding the keys to long-term change. Think of it in terms of a cellphone. If you’re having a problem synchronizing your contacts or accessing your calendar, where do you go to fix it? To your settings, of course.
Our subconscious mind is where our “settings” are located.
One of the reasons many diets don’t work long-term is because they fail to address the emotional aspects of eating, which are tied into our subconscious minds. Eating, for most people, is not simply a means of obtaining nutrition — it’s an emotionally charged experience. We use food to reward good behavior, to escape sadness, to commemorate milestones, and to connect with our loved ones. For example, the smell of chocolate chip cookies brings back cherished memories to me of my grandmother, who lovingly baked them when I was a child. These positive associations are the reason it was hard for me to resist eating cookies. In my mind, cookies equaled love-until I was able to break that emotional association. Now I carry the memories of my grandmother where they belong, in my heart, instead of in my belly. One of the goals of hypnosis, in regards to weight loss, is to address any emotional attachments that clients have to food and to reframe them in a more positive way.
Another reason diets typically fail is because our subconscious mind often holds negative beliefs about self that run contrary to weight loss. For instance, our conscious mind may be instructing us, “Don’t eat that, you need to lose weight,” whereas our subconscious mind is sending us a contrary message such as, “You’re fat” or “You’ll never be thin, so you might as well enjoy that piece of cake.”
People hold deeply rooted beliefs about themselves for a variety of reasons. Often, these beliefs stem from early childhood conditioning. For instance, one woman may believe she will always be overweight because her mother used to call her heavy. Another may resist weight loss due to guilt for not consuming all of the food on her plate because she was scolded to “Eat everything on your plate because there are children starving in Africa.” Yet another may feel she is essentially “not good enough” or “not worthy” of feeling good and being healthy. This sentiment of being “not good enough” is the single most insidious thought pattern that I see in my practice. Once a woman looks within, however, and learns that she is indeed good enough and is absolutely worthy of feeling and looking her best, positive changes are inevitable. Hashem, after all, wants us to be healthy and happy.
To combat any of the above thought patterns, I help my clients access their subconscious minds through guided visualization and deep relaxation techniques. Once they have gained access to the subconscious mind, they are then able reprogram themselves to adopt healthier eating patterns and release old, self-limiting beliefs. The goal here is long-term health and positive lifestyle changes, not simply short-term weight loss.
A third reason that diets traditionally fail is that our subconscious, protective minds interpret diets as a form of deprivation, or starvation, which is dangerous to the body and must therefore be stopped. The goal of hypnosis in this case is to get all of the various parts of the mind working together to create a healthy eating regimen that prolongs life. To achieve this, I instruct clients while they are in a hypnotic state to ask their own bodies which foods they need in order to achieve optimal health. Because the suggestions are self-generated and come from within, clients are far more likely to stick with them long-term.
Aside from seeing a hypnotist to address these mental roadblocks to weight loss, what can you do to help yourself win the battle of the bulge? The good news is that hypnosis is a natural state that your body enters into multiple times throughout the day, especially right before you go to sleep at night and as you awaken in the morning. These two times, referred to respectively as the hypnogogic and hypnopompic states, are times when your subconscious mind is accessible and open to receiving suggestions. In order to take advantage of these times, the first step is to create a catchphrase or mantra for yourself. Thoughts have power and when you learn to take control of your thoughts, you can begin manifesting more of what you want in life, as opposed to what you’re afraid of. To create your own personal mantra, sit down and think about what you desire most. Do you want to be calmer, happier, more productive and fit? Then write it all down and compress it into a short, positive, believable sentence, beginning with the words “I am.” Your mantra might look something like the following: “I am healthy and beautiful, calm and free, becoming the person I am meant to be.” Or “I deserve to feel good and I make healthy eating choices every day and in every way.” Next, place your mantra near your bed and make a point of saying it each night before you fall asleep and every morning as you awaken.
Additionally, any time you catch yourself reaching for unhealthy food or thinking negative thoughts about yourself throughout the day, repeat your mantra. The more often you repeat your mantra, the more deeply it will become ingrained in your mind and the easier it will become to shed unwanted pounds.
Here are some other tried and true techniques that I teach my clients. (Disclaimer: I am a hypnotist, not a doctor. Before beginning this, or any weight loss regimen, consult your physician.)
1) Daven! That’s right. We need help from Hashem with everything we do in life and reaching a healthy goal weight is no exception.
2) Avoid white. If it’s made from white sugar or white flour, put it down. These highly refined products are poison to your system. Instead, reach for sprouted grain breads, quinoa, natural sweeteners, such as honey or agave nectar, and whole fruit. For many people, cutting out dairy as well, helps shed unwanted pounds.
3) Think thin to be thin. You have the ability to reprogram yourself, even on a conscious level. First, find a picture of yourself from a time when you were at or near your ideal weight and place it on your refrigerator. Next, imagine yourself once again being at that ideal weight and hold that image in your mind as often as you can throughout the day. Think about how great it felt to be healthy and move so freely! Picture yourself on a scale with your goal weight showing. Repeat a mantra to yourself (see above), such as “I am losing weight and feeling great!” as often as you can throughout the day, especially when negative thoughts creep in.
4)If it’s late, just wait. Try not to eat later than 8:00 PM every night. Your body and digestive system need the rest.
5) Hydrate to feel great! Remember the 8×8 rule: 8 ounces of water, 8 times a day. Your body often experiences thirst as hunger, so make a point of drinking a glass of water before every meal. I like to juice a lemon as well and add it to my drinking water. Lemons contain numerous health benefits, such as antioxidants, calcium and folate. The added vitamin C will also boost your immune system during the cold winter months ahead. Combine your hydration with imagery — as you drink, imagine the cool water flushing all of the toxins out of your system, leaving you feeling refreshed and invigorated. Also, remember not to drink your calories. Cut out sugary, high-calorie beverages. Your body will thank you for it.
6) Move it to lose it! Every person has their own ideal form of exercise. You may have to try out a number of different modalities until you find one that resonates with your body. For instance, following the birth of my second child (and my 50-pound weight gain!), I went through swimming, yoga, step class, walking and jogging until I finally found my true passion — dance. Hashem created our bodies to move — get in touch with yours and it will tell you what works best for you.
7) Attitude is everything. Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right. If you occasionally slip a bit and eat something you shouldn’t have, forgive yourself and move on. The goal here is to develop overall healthier eating patterns, not just to lose weight. Know that you CAN do it.
8) Look at your palm. The size of your palm is a good barometer to help you calculate the amount of food you should consume at any given meal and can teach you proper portion control. According to researchers at Arizona State University, you should aim for a lean protein (fish, chicken, etc.) that is the size and width of your palm; a starch (such as pasta) that is the size of a closed fist; and fats (such as butter) that measure half the size of your thumb. Fruit portions should fill one palm and vegetable portions should equal two palms.
9) Get help. I have found a direct correlation between emotional baggage and excess weight. You deserve to be healthy — physically, spiritually and emotionally — so do yourself a favor and get the help you need in order to succeed.
10) If you don’t buy it, you won’t try it. Know your food weaknesses (mine are chocolate chip cookies and homemade cakes), and make a point of keeping them out of your house. Instead, keep a good supply of healthy snacks on hand — apple chips, almonds, rice cakes, non-buttered popcorn, fresh fruit and cut up vegetables. That way, when hunger strikes, you can easily reach for a healthy snack instead of junk food.

Finally, remember — nothing tastes as good as being thin feels.

Self-Hypnosis Script: The Island of Tranquility

Hypnosis is a very deep state of relaxation that enables you to access your subconscious mind. Generally, the more intelligent and imaginative a person is, the deeper they can enter into this relaxing state. Here is an exclusive hypnosis script that I created just for Binah readers. Begin by reading it through a few times to familiarize yourself with the process. Similar to meditation, the more you practice it, the easier it becomes to slip quickly and easily into a relaxing state of mind and enter your own unique island of tranquility.

First, find a quiet, comfortable spot, such as an easy chair or couch. Choose a time of day that you are not likely to be disturbed. Turn off your phone and then prepare to relax. Next, set your intentions, such as, “I intend to release excess weight and worries, and replace them with a deep sense of calm.” Now take a few deep breaths in. As you inhale, imagine a wave of relaxation building up inside your body, then hold your breath for a count of 10 and look up into your head as far as you can, rolling your eyes upward, as if you are gazing into your own mind. Slowly exhale, allowing your eyes to gently close. As you exhale, picture a wave of relaxation moving all the way down your body, down to the tips of your toes. Feel your body begin to relax as you mentally push your breath downward. When you sense that the relaxation has reached your toes, inhale again, this time more deeply, and repeat the entire process five more times, allowing yourself to grow more and more relaxed with each breath.

Now, imagine taking that bit of relaxation you have achieved and placing it into a bowl that is balanced on top of your head. Imagine the bowl slowly filling up until the liquid relaxation begins to spill down the sides of the bowl, spreading relaxation and calm wherever it touches. Imagine the liquid relaxation trickling down your face, relaxing your facial muscles as it travels downwards. Allow your jaw to lie slack —loose, limp and relaxed — and place your tongue comfortably on the tip of your palate, as the relaxation continues to travel downward. Continue to imagine the liquid relaxation traveling down, spreading relaxation throughout your entire body, from your shoulders and arms all the way down through the muscles of your back, your abdomen, and then down your legs to the tips of your toes, feeling your body growing more and more relaxed as it settles comfortably into the chair beneath you.

Now you’re going to help your mind catch up to the relaxation your body has begun to achieve. Picture in your mind’s eye a spiraling staircase.Whenever you’re ready, step onto the staircase and begin your descent downwards, imagining yourself growing 100 times more relaxed with each stair that you descend. Taking all the time that you need, continue traveling downward until you reach the bottom.

At the bottom of the staircase, you’ll notice a long hallway with a series of doors. Choose one that feels right to you, open the door and then step through it. As you step through the doorway, you emerge into a place and space that is most relaxing for you. It might be a beautiful tropical beach, a tranquil lake, or even your own cozy bedroom at home. Whatever form this place takes, imagine yourself fully immersed in it. Build up the imagery as strongly as you can, feeling the warmth of the sunshine on your skin, the relaxing sounds of nature around you, and soaking in the beauty and calm of the tranquil water. Gaze at the scenery as it unfolds and then allow yourself to go and relax as much as possible in that personal, private space.

If there is a body of water in your imagery, imagine throwing your worries and fears into it one at a time, or sending them up into the air in little balloons and watching them disappear. Now replace each of those worries with a deep sense of calm and wellbeing. Next, imagine taking a stick and writing your current weight in the sand and then watch as the waves come up onto the shore and wipe that number away. Now write a new number, this time carving your goal weight into the ground. Imagine yourself having reached that goal weight, feeling healthy, invigorated and alive. You can and will reach that goal, your body is already making the necessary shifts to help you achieve it. Picture yourself drinking lots of cool, refreshing water, your old weight simply falling away as you become the new, healthy you.

After completing these relaxing visualizations, count backwards from 5 to 1, picturing yourself walking back up the spiraling staircase until you return your senses to the room, gently emerging from your self-hypnotic state.

Congratulations! You have reached the center of calm inside of your own mind. You can choose to return to this relaxing place whenever you like, simply by thinking about it and repeating the steps above. Each time you visit this island of calm, it will become easier and easier for you to return..

Orli Katz is a hypnotist, writer and lecturer with a private practice located in Waterbury, Connecticut. She welcomes readers’ questions and comments, and may be reached through Binah Magazine