Healthy Lifestyle: Maggie

Maggie Jofal
Brokerage

I've struggled with my weight all of my life and bounced back and forth since puberty. In high school, I took diet pills and lost weight, but then I had a fungus in my mouth and had to stop. I was on the root beer diet in high school; back then it was diet root beer and ice milk. I've yo-yoed a lot. I tried Weight Watchers, but didn't watch my portions. When I tried the grapefruit diet, I broke out in my mouth because of too much acid.

I lost a lot of weight right before I got married, but gained it back when I started having kids. The first place I felt fat was my back and it made me feel self-conscious. I didn't like being overweight and it was on my mind all the time.

In the last few years, I added wine to the whole picture because I felt like I deserved it after a long day, but I had to get in a two hour workout every day so that I could enjoy my wine in the evening. When I was drinking too much wine I was snacking on the wrong things and I was out of control when I ate. I grabbed cheese and crackers or tortillas and baked chips. I sat in front of the computer and drank wine and snacked for two hours and end up making dinner really late.

It had gotten to be a really bad habit. I was like Pavlov's dog, I would be tired and worn out and just want to have some cheese and wine and relax. I think people fall into a rut of being stressed and wanting to relax, but the worry about my wine intake was consuming me. I'd drink at night and then wake up and obsess about it all day long.

I heard about A New Day Hypnosis at Back in Alignment Chiropractic. I'd tried hypnosis in the past, so I knew it wasn't hocus-pocus. After the first session, I stopped drinking at home and I immediately noticed that I felt so much better in the morning. I sleep so much better now and I have a lot more time.

I'm not fanatically going to the gym to make up for all those calories. I feel better in my clothes because they fit a lot better. It's gotten to where I don't even want to drink when I am out for dinner. The other night, I just had a couple sips from my husband's beer and that was it. It's been remarkably easy and I feel much more in control now. Now that I'm this far out and I feel so good, it's not worth it to jeopardize my progress.

I don't need wine to relax anymore and everybody in the family is so proud of me. My daughter brings her wine over and when I walk by and smell it, it doesn't even smell good, all I can smell is the alcohol. At this point, if I had a glass of wine it would have to be really good. I feel like now if I go to a happy hour with people or have a glass of wine with somebody, I know that I won't drink too much; I'm drinking lots of Pellegrino instead.

This process has been fun and I've really enjoyed the friendship. Being able to relax with my hypnosis CDs has replaced the wine. I believe that these changes in my lifestyle will be permanent because I don't want to go back and be consumed with worry the way that I was before. I would definitely recommend A New Day Hypnosis because it has helped me.

Healthy Lifestyle: Michelle

Michelle C.
Transportation Planner
Austin, TX

I struggled with my weight for the last eight years and it was both uncomfortable and overwhelming. I would attempt healthy behaviors, but not be able to stick to them because of stress eating. I would have an aggravating day at work and I would eat to make me feel better at night when I got home. I was shoveling food in my mouth without thinking about it or considering the implications of my choices.

I’ve used a couple of diets and I saw a personal trainer for a while to lose weight. I did a high protein diet and it was too hard when I was travelling and didn’t fit with my lifestyle. Another diet required supplemental things that I had to buy and that got old after a while. With both diets, there was short term weight loss until I couldn’t keep up with them. The trainer was fine until I changed jobs and income brackets and couldn’t continue that level of activity.

I heard about A New Day Hypnosis on Google. I know that people don’t just give away their testimonials, so after I saw all the testimonials online, I decided to look into making an appointment. I think that I was a little concerned that I wouldn’t know what was going on or that someone would be getting in my head, but I soon realized that my fears were probably just from watching too many movies and I decided to make an appointment.

After starting my program, I noticed a mental shift. Every time that I started to do something unhealthy, I would be reminded of my sessions and it would give me pause. It wasn’t as much fun to do unhealthy things anymore because I knew better. Subconsciously, I had a gentle reminder that I was on the path to my goals.

I’m feeling better about myself and I realize now that I’m worth it to make a change. I’ve noticed that I have healthier sleep patterns and I’m exercising more, I’m also more patient and less agitated. I feel more in control. I have tools now and I’m just more self-aware. I am conscious about what I am doing and I don’t make bargains with myself on my health. I plan better and I’m not eating for emotions anymore because I don’t use food to self-medicate.

Hypnosis has helped me to stop bingeing and snacking on unhealthy foods. Some family members have commented that I’m not ordering dessert when I’m out or eating as much during meals. Some of my coworkers and family have also commented that I’ve lost weight.

The biggest benefit for me has been that I care more about myself. I count in the equation of my life and I have greater self-worth and a sense of well-being. I feel more confident because I’m focusing on what is going on inside of me. Being healthy is the most important thing to me now and I’m not overextending my resources and time anymore; my own needs are just as important as everyone else’s.

I believe that these changes and my weight loss will be permanent because I see food differently now. I don’t think that I can go back to eating whatever I want whenever I want or believing that overeating is a good way to deal with stress. I’ve crossed this mental line where that is not okay for me anymore. There are permanent changes in the way that I want to proceed with my life going forward.

I would recommend A New Day Hypnosis to anyone who wants to work on developing a healthier lifestyle. In my experience, there seem to be so many people and services out there that don’t help, but are willing to take people’s time and money without any regard to whether the person will be successful. There is sustainability to what Laura provides in her service and she has given me something that is tangible to take with me out in the world.

This experience has changed my attitude and the way that I see myself and I haven’t seen that from most services and products. I think that people should know that there is something out there besides fad diets or pills. I don’t give endorsements ever, but I want to let people know that his has been extremely helpful and for the first time I’ve walked away from a weight loss program with tools to continue to use on my own.

Healthy Lifestyle: Eva

Eva Huddleston
Consultant
Austin, Texas

I’d gained about thirty pounds in the last five years and it had really started to bother me. It was difficult for me, because I’d always been the skinny kid. I went from being “Boney Maroney” to my boss giving me an end of year gift to a personal trainer. A lot of the weight gain was due to my unhappiness. I changed my job from clinically treating patients to sitting at a desk eight hours a day. I was learning a lot of new things and I was working 60-70 hours a week. Because I was working nights and weekends, I forgot to live. I got tunnel vision and I got unhappy and didn’t know how to make the changes to create something new and different. I got bogged down in the unhappiness and sat on my couch and did nothing for a very long time.

Every Friday night, I was in the ice cream aisle at Target. I bought two pints of ice cream and ate them for dinner. I felt very out of control. It was nerve-wracking and depressing. I felt like I was a boat in the ocean with no rudder or oars, just going wherever the current took me. It got to be so overwhelming, instead of trying to do something to control the boat, I just threw my hands up in the air and said “forget it.” I felt lethargic and fat and I was uptight and anxious. I felt so bad about myself that I didn’t want people to look at me. I wanted to hide myself and fade into the background. In my family, it was always about making people happy and keeping the peace. I listened to everyone complain and tried to make it all better.

I’ve read every diet book in the world. I tried South Beach and that was horrendous and didn’t last long at all. I did much better with Adkins because you could have eggs and bacon, but then I got tired of the same things all the time and I felt lethargic. I tried Weight Watchers, but I didn’t go to the meetings and just tried to do it myself, so it didn’t work. I did personal training, but when the studio closed, that was the end of that. I read “Body for Life” and the Jillian Michaels books. I tried to follow them, but the longest it lasted was a couple of weeks. I thought that I could stick to these very strict rules that I had no hope of following long term. I set myself up for failure before I even got started.

I was talking to a coworker who had used hypnosis in the past and really liked it. I got on Yelp and searched for hypnotherapy in Austin. I looked at ratings and customer reviews for A New Day Hypnosis and just thought, why not? When I came in and spent time talking to Laura she explained to me that weight wasn’t the real problem, that made sense because I knew that I was unhappy and that was causing the other issues in my life. I trusted her to help me make my life better and I was willing to take her recommendation.

I knew at the first session that I could really do this; I felt like this was my answer, I was going to get help and I was going to be able to do this. Gaining that mindset helped me push forward and gave me the momentum to keep going. My attitude changed, I was happier and my stress levels went down. During that first week, I was on a business trip that is always hugely stressful. People constantly get upset and angry. For the most part, it was tiring, but it was pretty much stress-free for me.

I think I’m well on my way to becoming an even happier and healthier person. I am so much less stressed. I’m sleeping better and I have broken some Obsessive Compulsive patterns that were causing me stress and a lack of sleep. I had to check the windows, the doors, the closets and under the beds. Even when I checked everything, I would wake up and think that I heard noises. I don’t feel that need anymore to constantly check everything. People at work are amazed that I’ve managed to stop doing it as quickly as I did. It’s wonderful and I’m so happy about it. It really shocks me how easy it was to break habits that I had struggled with for years and I’m so much more relaxed and happier when I’m at home now.

I am making better food choices and I’m controlling my impulses, which isn’t something that I’ve done in the past. I have drastically cut down on the sweets. I feel more in control because I have goals and I feel like I can follow through and meet those goals. I know that I can do it because I have the motivation, the willpower, and the desire.

Several people in my office have said that I’m laughing and talking more. The office manager commented that in the last few weeks, I’ve reminded her more of who I was five years ago. She said that I’m more friendly and likeable and that I hadn’t been a very nice person to be around in a long time.

My cousin Kim mentioned that I seemed happier when I went home for Thanksgiving. She said that I also seemed much less stressed. I feel more confident because I have a better image of myself and I’ve started taking more care of my appearance. I make sure that my earrings are in and my hair is done every day and that makes me feel good.

The change in my attitude has been the biggest thing for me. I don’t have this feeling of constant anger at everything. I’m fixing the problem and I’m getting things under control. I’m learning to be happy and I know that I don’t have to give in to guilt trips. It’s okay for my life to be about my own needs.

I believe that these changes and my healthy lifestyle will be permanent because my attitude has changed. I know that my life has already changed and I will continue to make strides to improve my life because my whole outlook has completely changed. I would recommend A New Day Hypnosis to anyone who wants to change their life. If Laura could help me change after I had been mired in my own crap, she can help anyone. I would highly recommend A New Day Hypnosis to anyone who wants to have a better life because it works.

Healthy Lifestyle: Dawn

Dawn
Austin, Texas

I’ve had a problem with using food as an emotional crutch for the last 25 years. I never focused on the emotional aspects of my problem and instead I tried every diet method known to man, if it was “As Seen on TV”, it was for me. If a celebrity was doing it, I was trying it too. I was always trying to find the next great thing. I did Weight Watchers for years. I started it with a friend and it became a competitive thing for me.

I think that with Weight Watchers, Spark People, and everything else, it turned into such a chore. I put so much of my energy into counting calories, creating charts, and logging my food that all of the logging became very stressful. If I went on vacation, I felt like I needed to have a computer to do all of the logging and charting. I was getting depressed and feeling isolated because my emotional life was tied to the scale. If I gained weight, I felt mad, if I lost weight, I felt happy.

It was a never-ending circle of frustration and it had become an obsession for me. It was overwhelming and I felt like I was doing all of these things and it didn’t even matter. At some point, I would always go to the flip side and just give up. I would go crazy and binge and then I would beat myself up and start the whole process again.

I heard about A New Day Hypnosis on citysearch. I read some reviews and I was very intrigued. I did a lot of research and a lot of reading to find out if it would really help me. After reading about so many successes that people have had, I decided to try. I thought that I would just be hypnotized and all would be magic and changed and because I had never tried any type of therapy, so I wasn’t sure what to expect.

I noticed right away that I was able to focus on chewing my food slowly, I was sitting at the table instead of sitting at my desk to eat, and I was paying more attention to my hunger signals.I feel a lot more aware of everything around me and the actions that I take. I’m more conscious and aware of the portions that I eat. I don’t stand in the cupboard and eat unconsciously anymore. I feel like I am in control of my life instead of having everything based on my accountability and the charts. I’m not charting my weight or my food anymore and that has been a relief.

I started digging deeper and realized that this was a lot bigger than just changing my eating habits. This process has helped me to do things that I’ve never done before. I’ve noticed that I am able to put myself out there and try new things. I joined a pottery class and it’s easier for me to make myself happy. I feel more confident and now I’m doing things and meeting other people. I have more confidence in my ability to say “No” and to set healthy boundaries in my life. The most important benefit for me has been that I am more social; I’m meeting new people, and putting myself out there. My husband and my kids have noticed that I’m taking classes and they were shocked and surprised that I was doing things by myself and having fun.

I would recommend A New Day Hypnosis to anyone who wants to work on a healthier lifestyle because it is a real eye-opener to talk about things out loud and understand why you’re was doing certain things. I was shocked at how easy it was for me to talk about my emotions and it seemed like something that I enjoyed, so that was a real surprise for me.

It’s good to have the reinforcement around what I am trying to change. The portion control and balance have definitely helped me a lot. I just have to continue to be aware. I’m really glad that I did it because I would have never guessed that all of these things would have boiled down to understanding myself and my emotions.

Healthy Lifestyle: Cynthia

Cynthia Brinson, MD
Physician
Austin, Texas

I’ve always had unhealthy eating habits; I ate what I wanted all the time, but I would eat candy bars instead of food. I would just stop myself from eating and rarely overate, but the quality of the food that I was eating was very unhealthy. For the last two years, I started eating everything that I wanted in addition to regular meals and I really couldn’t see a way that I was going to work myself out of that. I felt like I had lost the ability to do what had always worked for me and I didn’t see an end in sight.

I was trying to control my eating by daily deprivation, but I would get so hungry that I would throw caution to the wind and eat everything that I could. In the evenings I would overeat and tended to eat high carbohydrate and high fat foods. I would open a bag of cookies and the next thing I knew I had eaten them all, I didn’t know how it happened or how I would stop myself from doing it in the future. After a full dinner, I would sit down and eat eight ounces of cheese and crackers. I felt out of control and desperate; I was gaining weight and I didn’t see a way to stop that from happening. I didn’t have hope that I could fix the problems on my own, so I decided to try something else.

I heard about A New Day Hypnosis on Urban Dealight; I wanted to try something out of the box because I thought I would have more success with an alternative method of weight loss. It intrigued me and I felt that this could be successful for me. I could tell the first time that I came in that this was something that would be effective for me. I was aware of my eating problems right away and I was paying more attention; I was mentally open and thinking about what I had learned. The hypnosis is easy, I love it because it’s very relaxing and it makes me happy. The sessions have been very beneficial for stress reduction and a better quality of sleep.

I understand now that eating disorders come in all shapes and sizes and it has made me more accepting of that with other people. I’ve been eating food during the day and not snacking at night. I’m happy about incorporating fruit into my diet. The other day, for the first time, I heated up something at work and I relaxed and ate it. I have cut back completely on after-dinner snacking. I’m eating reasonable amounts of higher quality foods and I’m savoring food and taking the time to sit down and eat.

I feel more in control. I don’t have cravings all the time and I’m able to negotiate with myself if I have one. I understand why I made the mistakes that I made in the past and I’m now making plans and recognizing mistakes that may have led me to overeating. I don’t lose control and I can override the desire for cheese. An employee noticed that I always have bananas on my desk and my husband commented that he is happy that I’m eating during the work day.

I feel confident that I can continue to have a healthier relationship with food; the biggest benefit for me has been recognizing the habits that I had gotten into and understanding that the way that I was dealing with things was not going to be successful for me.

I know that these changes and my healthy lifestyle will be permanent because I believe in them. I know that the approach that I had was destructive and I can see at this point that it would be very difficult to go back to my old mentality of eating.

I would recommend A New Day Hypnosis to anyone who wants to change their habits and their lifestyle. If you are willing to listen and change, it is a way of changing from the inside-out. It’s not a gimmick or a shortcut; it is about becoming friends with food rather than having an enemy relationship. I am a happier person now and I feel confident that I can live without binging and not let food take over my life.

Healthy Lifestyle: Kelly

Kelly Mormon
Semi-Retired
Austin, Texas

I had been procrastinating doing something about my weight for the last two years and it was unpleasant. I wasn't comfortable, I didn't feel healthy, and I didn't look good. I felt guilty that I was eating unhealthily and not exercising. I didn't have a set schedule anymore and my life was lacking the structure that I'd had before, so my healthy routines had fallen apart.

I was inconsistent with both exercise and diet and I could always figure out a way to put off either meal planning or exercise. I was pretty miserable not carrying through with things. I have a lot of company visiting me regularly and I always ate like I was on vacation when a friend came in town. I felt out of control because I wasn't able to get myself on a schedule or a good eating or exercise plan. I would tell myself that I was going to do something at a specific time or day and then I would put it off. It made me feel lazy and disorganized. I had become less sociable because I was always putting off committing to anything. Procrastination was an across the board behavior and it really affected my health.

I knew that I was going to be responsible for my elderly father-in-law and I needed to be healthier and stop procrastinating before he moved here, so when I drove past A New Day Hypnosis, I decided to call and schedule an appointment. I noticed changes immediately, I wasn't procrastinating anymore and I started enjoying healthier foods. I also stopped putting off and dreading meal planning.

It's been surprisingly easy to continue to eat well even when the people around me are not making healthful choices. I've noticed that I sleep better and overall I feel more energetic and stronger. I feel more in control, I can make a list and I know that I will do the things on that list. My eating is healthier and more thoughtful and I am exercising regularly. My weight loss has been pretty easy and I have gone down three clothing sizes.

I have eliminated eating fattening or "super-carb" food and I have better portion control. Family and friends have noticed the weight loss and my daughters are seeing that I am getting things done in a timely fashion.

I feel more confident. I look better and I'm taking better care of my appearance. I am in better shape and it's nice to know that when I visit friends in Denver that I can handle more. I know my legs aren't going to give out because I have built up my strength with regular exercise.

Overcoming the procrastination has been the biggest benefit for me in all of this. That was the one thing that we worked on that had been a life-long issue. I think I always thought that being a procrastinator was just how I was and the fact that I can change something so fundamental about myself has been pretty big.

My social life has improved; I don't put off making plans or avoid committing to things. Overcoming procrastination has given me health benefits because of the exercise and grocery shopping. I realize now that procrastination is not some central part of how I operate and knowing this helps me think differently about other behaviors that I thought were ingrained.

I believe that these changes and my healthy lifestyle are permanent. It's a more pleasant way to live. I take things in bits and pieces and it's so much better. I would recommend A New Day Hypnosis to anyone who wants to overcome procrastination or create a healthy lifestyle. It's so wonderful because it's effective and painless. I have recommended this to friends and relatives because it's been enlightening for me. I can't believe how effective this has been and I wouldn't hesitate to utilize hypnosis again if something else comes up for me in the future

Healthy Lifestyle: Leslie

Leslie Engles
Semi-retired
Austin, Texas

I have struggled with my weight for the last forty years. It was miserable and frustrating; I always felt self-conscious and thought that I was a disappointment to my mother. I felt constrained and thought that people were judging me. I felt out of control about my eating. If you put something in front of me that I wanted, I would just eat it without question. I was bingeing a couple of times a week. I would eat ten individual chocolates or five individual packets of potato chips or a whole box of cookies over a couple of days and then go out and buy a new box to replace what I had eaten so that no one would know.

I tried Weight Watchers to lose weight, but it was too regimented for me with too much measuring. I tried Nutri-System very briefly as a teenager. I thought it was very unrealistic and knew it was not going to work for me. I've tried low-carbohydrate, high carbohydrate, the grapefruit diet, the cabbage diet. Some things worked temporarily, but I just kept gaining it all back.

I found out about A New Day Hypnosis on Google. We studied hypnosis in medical school, so it didn't seem scary to me. I had a friend who had used hypnosis to stop smoking and thought it might be able to help me with weight loss.

I noticed changes after a couple of weeks. I was eating smaller portions and controlling my snacking. Listening to the sessions seemed to make it easier to make good choices without feeling that terrible deprivation that I was so used to. It helped me focus on achieving a goal that I wanted and it made the choice process a less painful one for me.

I have really appreciated the fact that Laura creates a really safe, warm environment that makes it a lot easier to bare your soul and I've noticed that I feel happier in general. I'm less stressed and I no longer obsess about what I look like or worry about whether people are judging me. I feel a lot more confident about accepting myself.

This has been easier than I thought it would be. I feel more in control and I haven't wanted to binge or hide my eating. I can just eat something and stop. It has helped reduce a lot of the cravings and I don't crave things the way that I used to. I used to want to go get a dozen donuts and now I crave things like orange juice.

My cousin noticed that my face looks a lot thinner and my hairstylist commented that I had lost weight and looked good. My clothes fit better and I feel more confident because I have accepted myself. The biggest benefit for me has been that I am not focused on what everybody else thinks about me. I'm getting my eating under control and I continue doing healthier things. I think about food in a healthier way and think about myself in a healthier way, which has been a relief. I am eating better and I am taking better care of myself and I would recommend A New Day Hypnosis to anyone who wants to have a healthy lifestyle because this process has made me feel a lot better.

Healthy Lifestyle: Meagan

Meagan
Public Relations
Austin, Texas

I've had an unhealthy fixation with weight and my body over the last twenty years. My time was consumed with worrying about food and exercise and I almost felt crazy from it. It was like being on a roller coaster and it was maddening. When I was exercising a ton and not eating very much I would be at an emotional high point, but when I was eating what I wanted on the weekend, I would hit a deep emotional low. I beat myself up and I just didn't like myself.

It was an internal struggle and I felt out of control all the time. I was starving a lot of the time and then I would binge. If I didn't exercise enough, I felt out of control and very unhappy. My obsession with food in my life chained me down, but that was the only way that I knew, so I felt stuck.

I tried Weight Watchers in college to help me with my problem. I went a few times, but hated to go to meetings. I realize now that I didn't need to lose weight and what I really needed wasn't there. I tried every diet book, counting calories, and lots of self-deprivation and over-exercising. All of these were temporary solutions and I needed something permanent.

I heard about A New Day Hypnosis on citysearch, but I had my reservations. I felt like it was a last resort because people make hypnosis sound like a silly thing to do. After the first session, I noticed that I started accepting myself more and caring less about food. At that point, I realized that hypnosis was something that could have been resourceful for me a long time ago. It wasn't about losing weight anymore because I understood that I needed to fix the emotional problems instead.

It's been almost effortless to change. All the healthy lifestyle choices came naturally because I put my body and my physiological needs before my emotional ties to food. I realized that it's about listening to my body and eating until I'm satisfied, not bingeing. I eat foods that are naturally good for me and I have been able to eliminate overeating, bingeing, and cravings, it has literally all gone away.

My husband has noticed a change in me. He has more fun with me because I enjoy cooking and going out to eat. He's noticed that I talk about it less and I'm not standing in front of the mirror, picking and poking at myself anymore. The word calorie is rarely muttered in the house, which is pure joy to him.

I feel more in control now. Exercise and food used to be my primary thought processes and now they have become secondary to the other parts of my life. I've been able to focus on work, my future, and my marriage and that makes me feel more confident. I can stand up to people now and I've stopped blaming myself for every fault or feeling guilty and disgusted with myself. Now that I devote time to other things, I pursue my passions and tie them into my life. I'm writing more and looking at freelance jobs, which I had never had the courage to do before.

The most important benefit that I've received has been the freedom to live. I feel for the first time that there is so much more to me than food and I'm finally learning to live in a world where my thoughts are not dictated by my weight or my food choices. I sleep better, I have a positive outlook, and I have mental clarity. I'm much happier and my pants even fit better.

I would recommend A New Day Hypnosis to anyone who wants to overcome a fixation with food because it's been extremely successful for me. This is a total inside and out makeover and because this process has been about my emotions and not just my body, I know that it is forever. This process delves deeper than just the issue at hand and I found out more about the root of my problems than I could have ever imagined on my own. I am confident that I have the tools and the understanding to move forward. I know that I will hit bumps in the road, but now I know what to do about them. I won't end up in the same downward spiral because I've changed my perspective on everything and that feels wonderful.

Healthy Lifestyle: Liz

Liz Taylor
Management
Austin, TX

I've had mild weight fluctuations in the past, but I really struggled with my weight for the last year. I was working way too much and I had a lot of stress. When I came to see Laura, I felt like “Gollum" from The Lord of the Rings and it was horrifying to me. I had terrible boundaries with my time and I was stress eating, I wasn't sleeping, and I wasn't working out. Things had really gotten off track for me.

I was wound up and spent my nights laying in bed and worrying about my job. I felt out of control because I was angry and I didn't know how to stop myself. Because I was working such late hours, I ordered a lot of delivery food and I didn't make good choices. I was snippy and impatient because I was exhausted and stressed all the time.

I've tried regular therapy and although it has been very helpful in some areas of my life, I wasn't working on stress management there. I did Weight Watchers briefly because I was trying to curb the weight that I had gained, but I stopped going because I wasn't working out and thought, “What is the point in eating well if I'm not going to the gym?"

My friend went to see Laura and recommended her to me, so I checked out the website and decided to call. I noticed immediately after my first session that I was sleeping better because Laura's voice really helped me to calm down. I was also eating smaller portions, snacking less, and making better food choices.

The change has been very easy for me because I came to the realization that I needed to adjust the way that I was approaching my life in order to meet my goals. Laura shone a light on my situation. We had a conversation about scheduling exercise and talked about what time I would have to leave work so that I could get to bed on time. She pointed out that if I couldn't get my work done within normal working hours, there was a serious problem.

Laura also helped me to realize that when I worked 65 hours a week, I was giving my company 25 hours a week for free and that was an alarming realization for me. After talking about it, I realized that she was right and now I'm diligent about leaving work on time so that I can go to bed and get up to go to the gym. It seems so obvious, but I'd never thought about it that way.

For me, this has been more of a lifestyle change than a weight loss thing. I feel more in control now because I'm managing my energy in a positive way. People at work are calling me Liz “2.0" because I don't get as stressed about things, I leave work at a normal time, and I'm more positive to be around. I cook and bake now and my home, my car, and my desk are all spotless. I'm calm and finally back to being me. A client who hadn't seen me in a while also mentioned that I looked awesome, which made me feel great.

I feel more confident because I'm getting things under control and feeling like I'm managing things better. I'm not snacking, bingeing, and overeating anymore and I've gone down a clothing size. I have already recommended A New Day Hypnosis because I think Laura is really good at what she does. Hypnosis is a different approach and I think it's been a nice compliment to my traditional therapy because we are working simultaneously on developing new behavioral patterns. I believe that these changes will be permanent because I know that I will continue to work to maintain my energy management effectively, I also like feeling rested and happy and want that to continue in my life.

Healthy Lifestyle: Maria

Maria Hartman
RN and Graduate Student
Austin, TX

I've struggled with my weight for the last 20 years. It was frustrating and self-destructive. I ate too many sweets and it was all about immediate gratification for me. I got tired very easily and it was difficult to exercise. I ate Long John Silver's because it was convenient. I was also noticing that I had more pronounced age spots on my skin. I felt out of control because I was eating sweets every day and making bad choices. I was even drinking hot chocolate every day consistently.

I didn't want to end up with health complications, so I did a Physicians Diet and I did lose weight, but it came back. I tried Slim-Fast off and on, but my blood sugars bottomed out and it gave me hypoglycemic side-effects. I did the Michael Thurman's six week makeover along with acupuncture and exercise and I lost 50 lbs and that lasted for a year, but I recently started to gain it back, so I decided to try something else.

I heard about A New Day Hypnosis on yellowpages.com. I had tried hypnosis in the past and it had worked for me to stay away from chocolate and Gatorade and it was helpful, so I decided to try it again. When I started listening to the CDs consistently, I noticed that I was more focused on accepting myself and I had a better self-image. Feeling better about myself made everything else seem to work.

Laura gave me a lot of helpful information about nutrition and I'm not eating processed foods anymore. I'm honoring myself enough to buy good quality food. Hypnosis has made a real difference for me, I really think about the fuel that I put in my body now and it's so simple.

I'm consistently taking vitamins and Chinese herbs. I haven't bought any candy at all and I only have hot chocolate once every couple of weeks. I feel more in control because I realize that I'm making good choices and I'm thinking more before acting. I'm not so impulsive anymore; I allow myself a sweet once a week and now it's a treat for me. Sometimes I even skip my weekly sweet and I'm fine with it. On Sunday morning, I have one taco and that is enough because I know that there is no need to eat more than one.

I savor my bites of food and I eat with meaning, which helps me to appreciate foods more. My friends have commented that I've lost weight and my brother noticed that I have more muscle tone. My coach even mentioned that I was lighter on my feet. This weekend, family members commented that I wasn't eating very much and that made me feel proud.

Exercise has been relatively easy to keep doing. I had a punching bag and a speed bag at home and Laura encouraged me to take boxing classes and I'm really enjoying it now. She gave me permission to do it and she allowed me to be nice to myself, which has always been hard for me. It's easier to ride my bike now, so I can give my dog a workout. I have better endurance and I can keep up with everybody else.

I feel more confident. I went out with a friend to see a band the other night and I noticed that I was getting more looks from people. I know that my better food choices are going to bring me better health and I've even noticed that my skin looks better. I believe that these changes and my weight loss will be permanent because I'm dealing with the root cause instead of just the manifestation. I would recommend A New Day Hypnosis to anyone who wants to make a lifestyle change because it works.