Weight Off Your Mind

How to Change your Mind about your Body

Research shows that 80% of people who diet fail in their attempts to lose weight and maintain their weight loss. How do the other 20% achieve success?

Unlike other diet and/or exercise based methods, psychologist and weight management researcher Dr Katie Richard outlines her scientific and evidence-based approach to:
end binge eating
improve body image and self-esteem and
facilitate weight management

Dr Katie shares the secrets of successful weight management in her new book, Weight Off Your Mind ($25.00). Drawing upon over 16 years' clinical experience helping 1000's of clients achieve their weight loss goals, the book includes extensive research as well as Dr Katie's personal experience of overcoming binge eating disorder and losing 22 kg herself.

Using a step-by step guideline Dr Katie provides the 3 key steps to unleash the power of hypnosis to reprogram your mind to help overcome barriers that have prevented you from succeeding in the past.

Practical and packed with examples and real life case studies, Weight Off Your Mind empowers you with the tools to achieve real, lasting change with information about:
Why weight loss is not about motivation and attitude
The importance of NOT going on a "diet"
How to eat anything you like
How to make hypnosis work for you even if it hasn't before
How to overcome food addiction, binge eating & emotional eating
How to overcome psychological barriers
How to address medical/physical barriers

Dr Katie Richard (Clinical Psychologist/Hypnotherapist/EMDR Practitioner) is a USA-trained Clinical Psychologist and a graduate of the Academy of Hypnotherapy (UK, 1991). She has presented the results of her research of her clinical trial of her unique treatment for Binge Eating Disorder and weight problems at conferences in Europe and Australia (including the Eating Disorder and Obesity Conferences). She has been published in the Drug & Alcohol Review and is the producer of the Hyp2Hip Slimming DVD. She presents her personal and 16+ years of experience with weight management with solid scientific evidence.

Weight Off Your Mind
InHouse Publishing
Author: Dr Katie Richard

ISBN: 9781925497151
RRP: $25

 

 

 

Interview with Dr Katie Richard

Question: What inspired you to write Weight Off Your Mind?

Dr Katie Richard: I've had a problem with my weight, body image and binge eating since I was a teenager and had been actively trying to find a solution to these problems. I then studied psychology and during the course of my studies found some, but not all answers to my own questions about weight loss and binge eating. After completing my Doctorate in Psychology and finally also achieving my ideal weight and quit binge eating, I went further by helping others who experienced weight/eating problems with hypnosis and other psychological methods. As a psychologist and a role model, I felt I was in the ideal position to help my clients who were in therapy with me. Whereas I achieved a great success rate with helping people lose weight and end binge eating, I still had some who didn't respond successfully. I consequently perused hundreds of journal articles, attended conferences and decided to do a formal research study on a method called EMDR that hadn't been used for binge eating and weight management before. Despite the great outcomes of the EMDR therapy, I discovered through my research that psychological therapy is a necessary and very helpful aspect required for change, but there are other aspects that need to be identified including medical conditions, nutritional deficiencies and basic lifestyle choices. One of my aims with Weight Off Your Mind was to make people aware that the billion dollar weight loss industry tends to perpetuate the idea that diet and exercise is the solution. I wanted to clarify that this diet-and-exercise formula is oversimplified – that binge eating is actually recognised as a mental health disorder and may be related to other mental health disorders, and that willpower and motivation is simply not adequate.


Question: Why do only 20% of those who diet achieve success?

Dr Katie Richard: The research shows that weight and binge eating problems are due to a variety of underlying factors. It is unlikely to be a case in which someone simply needs education about nutrition and encouragement of regular exercise. It may be also a matter of identifying biological obstacles but more than likely, a matter of resolving psychological obstacles. Successful weight loss and maintenance can be achieved only if you're able to stick to a particular 'diet.' Restrictive diets that forbid certain foods not only often lead to nutritional deficiencies but also are likely to involve effort that is unsustainable. Several researchers have confirmed it has to be easy otherwise failure is inevitable. Psychological therapy is a necessary component. The majority of dieters fail because they simply cannot sustain a diet that is overly restrictive and don't have the motivation to exercise – this is not because they are lazy or don't have the willpower or the right attitude – it's very much a matter of needing to overcome psychological barriers.


Question: Why should we not diet and what should we do instead?

Dr Katie Richard: Repeatedly dieting has been shown to negatively affect self-esteem which is known to further fuel the binge eating cycle. Many fad diets are overly restrictive and do not teach people how to eat according to their nutritional requirements and energy needs. Prescribed diets tend to disconnect people from their body awareness which alienates them from their natural body signals. Successful weight loss and maintenance involves getting reacquainted with your body so that you eat intuitively. This can happen only when you trust your body. If you've experienced trauma (s) or have developed body hatred, you would need to resolve this obstacle – ideally with psychological therapy.


Question: What advice do you have to end binge-eating?

Dr Katie Richard: Binge eating may be part of a psychological disorder. Therefore, psychological therapy can help to resolve this cycle. A trained psychologist is able to assist in identifying and changing negative thoughts about your body and yourself. Hypnosis can help, provided it is done once possible biological obstacles (e.g., hormonal or nutritional disruptions) and psychological traumas have been resolved. Hypnosis is a very powerful method that can make eating like a slim person natural, provided the hypnosis is administered by a qualified, experienced hypnotherapist.


Question: How does hypnosis work in regards to weight loss?

Dr Katie Richard: Hypnosis is a method that embeds thoughts into the subconscious mind. These would involve thoughts to choose healthier, slimming foods, avoid eating on impulse, plan meals, eat only when hungry/until full but also to enjoy food rather be afraid of food or see food as "naughty." Hypnosis is also very powerful in facilitating exercise, improving awareness of how enjoyable exercise, thus improving motivation. Because these thoughts are programmed in, it does not involve conscious effort to eat like a slim person and exercise regularly. Thus, weight loss is achieved much easier.


Interview by Brooke Hunter

 

Weight Off Your Mind
InHouse Publishing
Author: Dr Katie Richard
ISBN: 9781925497151
RRP: $25