Dr. Mercola Reviews:
Enjoying Weight Loss

Enjoying Weight Loss -- A seven session audio hypnosis program designed to help you stick to a healthy eating and exercise routine.

*First, for full disclosure, it has been almost a year since we received this program for review and in this time I have become friends with the founder, Michael Lovitch, of the company that publishes this hypnosis program. We share the same values when it comes to marketing with integrity and transparency.

Peer-reviewed research indicates that hypnosis can be an effective tool in a person's weight loss efforts. It works by helping your unconscious mind with your conscious goals. In the area of weight loss it helps you stick to a healthy eating plan and helps motivate you to stick to your exercise program

The problem and the reason I have never recommended a hypnosis program before is three-fold:

1. 99% of the people who practice hypnosis are not licensed mental health professionals and it would not be wise to allow them to use hypnosis with you.

2. Finding a licensed professional with an expertise both in hypnosis and in weight loss psychology is extremely difficult -- there are very few.

3. If you do find someone, it will cost you at least $250 a session and it takes from 4-6 sessions to make the changes effective for the long-term.
   

The Therapist

This program is created by Dr. Roberta Temes who is the editor of Medical Hypnosis, a textbook used in some medical schools. She is also the author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Hypnosis.

More importantly, she bases her suggestions on research being done on The National Weight Control Registry. This database consists of people who have lost over 30 pounds and who have kept it off for over one year.

Currently, Dr. Temes is a clinical assistant professor in the department of Psychiatry at the SUNY Health Science Center in Brooklyn, NY.

The Research

Research indicates that medical hypnosis supports weight loss and more importantly supports long term weight loss. There are three studies that come to mind:

Study One: Bolocofsky, David N.; Spinler, Dwayne; Coulthard-Morris, Linda (1985). Effectiveness of hypnosis as an adjunct to behavioral weight management. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 41 (1), 35-41.

The first study, published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, divided 109 people into two groups for a 9 week study. The first group were treated with changes in diet and exercise habits (the only way to lose weight) without the addition of hypnosis. The second group was given the same diet and exercise treatment and was also given hypnosis for reinforcement.

After 9 weeks, not surprisingly, both groups lost weight due to the changes in diet and exercise while under supervision.

What happened after the 8 month and 2-year follow-ups might surprise you. The group that did not have hypnosis did not lose anymore weight and in fact most gained most of their weight back.

The hypnosis group, however, continued to lose weight during both intervals and the studies showed that far more people in the hypnosis group met their long term weight loss goals.

The take home is that the hypnosis group continued the eating and exercise habits learned in the experiment while the non hypnosis group did not.

There is no magic pill for weight loss and you simply have to follow a healthy eating and exercise plan -- from this study, I believe it is clear that hypnosis supports diet and exercise adherence.

Study Two: Cochrane, Gordon; Friesen, J. (1986). Hypnotherapy in weight loss treatment. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 54, 489-492.

The next study, published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, investigated the effects of hypnosis in weight loss for 60 females at least 20% overweight and not involved in other treatment. The researchers interviewed each participant this time about their family background, educational background, and their belief as to their hypnotizability.

The group was split into hypnosis and non hypnosis groups with both groups being given weight loss behavioral treatments and counseling. The results were very interesting. The group using hypnosis lost an average of 17 pounds at the 6 month follow up. The group that did not receive hypnosis only lost a half of a pound. They also found that "hypnotizability" and social and educational backgrounds had nothing to do with the results.

Study Three: Kirsch, Irving (1996). Hypnotic enhancement of cognitive-behavioral weight loss treatments--Another meta-reanalysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 64 (3), 517-519.

In this meta-analysis, (which is when researchers look across multiple studies), the results of the two studies I just mentioned and other studies were confirmed.
In the studies of hypnosis versus no hypnosis the average short term weight loss was 6 pounds for those not using hypnosis and 11.83 pounds with hypnosis.

Even more importantly, over the long term the average weight loss without hypnosis remained at 6 pounds, but with hypnosis it jumped to 14.88 pounds -- indicating again that the effects of hypnosis seem to continue over time.

What is impressive about these results is that doing hypnosis under controlled conditions is extremely difficult, and to have the research indicate that people are losing anywhere from about 2 to on average 16 1/2 times more weight under hypnosis than when they do not use it, I believe clearly indicates that hypnosis should be used by anyone who is serious about weight loss.

The Program

The seven sessions in this program are short, to the point and actually kind of fun to listen to. Dr. Temes has a warm style and knows that if you are going to lose weight that it better be enjoyable.

She uses hypnosis to get you into a light trance and then makes healthy suggestions that actually make you want to make changes you need to make on any weight loss plan like:

1. Drinking more water instead of sodas and sugary juices
2. Eating more green foods
3. Eating less processed foods
4. Eating smaller portions
5. Feeling satisfied without overeating
6. Exercising at least five times a week
7. Staying away from foods with simple sugars
8. And a whole lot more ... .

This is really just the beginning, as she then addresses the most important aspect of weight loss, which is sticking to a plan and measuring your results. The program is plan agnostic, meaning you can apply it to any healthy plan. She helps make it so it becomes second nature to plan your meals, and develop a method to track your results so you know whether you are on target.

The next step is helping you begin to appreciate your journey. I have found that she makes you feel good about yourself and your progress so it becomes fun. This really helps with emotional eating.

Finally, she has a session for when you do hit your target weight. This session helps to ensure that the changes in your lifestyle remain to help prevent the yo-yo dieting syndrome.

What I also like about this program is that it allows you to reward yourself. It is OK to occasionally have a treat. It also helps prevent you from blaming yourself and getting down when you happen to go off of your plan. It slowly but surely puts you back in control.

Finally, unlike some other audio programs I have seen, the sessions are short enough so they will not conflict with your schedule. Almost everyone has 15 minutes a day that they can spare in order to listen to a session.

Summary

In short, if you are interested in using hypnosis to help you with your weight loss efforts, then I give this program my highest recommendation.

I know from working with the publisher that they support the product and give you one full year to use the program -- and if it does not work for you they will give you a complete refund on the product price less shipping. The price on this program is extremely low for what you get. It is less than $125 for all seven sessions, less than the cost of just one session in person.

Start Using Hypnosis to Lose Weight Now.