Hypnosis is the process of putting your mind in to a hyper-attentive state where it becomes very open to suggestion and a person in this state will do things that they wouldn't normally do, which is one of the reasons why hypnosis stage shows are so popular as the guests are told to do strange and bizarre things.

Hypnosis can also be a powerful ally in the fight against weight loss. Most of us know that the three key factors to lose weight are to eat healthy food, to eat smaller portions and to take regular exercise. Some of us try crash diets and for several weeks we restrict our calorie intake and appear to lose a lot of weight. Unfortunately not only is this an unhealthy way to lose weight as you are mostly losing muscle mass rather than fat, it also causes a yo-yo effect where gradually we go back to our old eating habits and we can end up even bigger than we were before.

What's required is a whole new approach to how we think about food. From a very early age it is often drilled in to us to eat everything that's on the plate regardless of how much is on there. While our parents may have had the best intentions at heart the sad truth is that the portions they were feeding us were far too large for our dietary requirements and how many times were you refused seconds if there was still food left over? This becomes a subconscious need to clear any plate put infront of you regardless of how hungry you are.

Another reason why people tend to overeat is down to the way they feel about themselves. Some people who feel particularly depressed use binge eating as a coping method and until the core problem is dealt with on a subconscious level no amount of dieting is going to help weight loss if there is still a need to binge eat to feel good about oneself.

This is where hypnosis for weight loss can be used. By visiting a hypnotherapist they can add suggestions in to your mind that you are a lean, healthy person who has a good approach to food. Even if visiting a hypnotherapist doesn't appeal to you there are also numerous self-hypnosis audio packages available that will help you achieve the super-relaxed state of mind to the point where it becomes open to suggestions via the calm voice on the CD or DVD.

Hypnosis can also help combat the depressed feeling some people feel about themselves and helps them perceive themselves in a more positive light. This helps with the binge eating which is often a major cause of being overweight. There are no diet plans available that target psychological problems for over eating which is why so many people in America and around the world are turning to hypnosis for weight loss.