Healthy Lifestyle: Andrea

Andrea M.
Scientist
Austin, TX

I've struggled with my weight for the last 10-15 years. It wasn't fun, I would gain and lose weight. When I got off track, I was really off track for months. When the weight came back on, I never felt like I could stop it. I didn't have faith and confidence in myself and didn't understand that I was in control of my body and not those external forces. I felt very powerless. I tried appetite suppressants, Weight Watchers, counting calories, and all the popular best seller diet books. I lost weight with each one, but they never addressed the mental component that was underlying everything.

From a rudimentary standpoint, I could follow any diet and lose weight, but the emotional issues weren't addressed. I felt out of control at times and it just seemed so overwhelming to me. If I had a day where I ate badly and didn't exercise, the next day I vowed to do better; it would just spiral and made me feel like there was something wrong with me. I felt angry and disappointed.

I heard about A New Day Hypnosis on citysearch and saw a lot of good reviews. I felt that there was a very strong mental block that I was having a hard time breaking down myself. I wasn't able to correct my thought processes on my own, so I decided to call. I started noticing changes in my behaviors within the first week. I was much more aware of what I was doing on a day-to-day basis. I was more conscious of my behaviors and more observant. It's been much easier going than things that I've tried in the past. Getting in the habit of things has come more naturally than it did in the past. A lot of the process has been about setting up my lifestyle so that I can stay on top of things, even when I am busy with work.

I notice that I'm sleeping better at night. I feel more in control and it's very empowering. I have a lot more faith in myself. The days that I get off track, I'm not hard on myself and I don't feel like it's the end of the world. I can't remember the last time that I binged on anything and I don't have the daily cravings that I used to have. My boyfriend has noticed that I'm taking better care of myself and losing weight. We're doing this together now and he is exercising with me and making changes in his diet. I feel more confident because I'm able to wear a lot of my wardrobe that I hadn't worn in a long time. I even shopped for a swimsuit recently and I felt good about it.

I feel like I've re-set myself mentally. I know that I can do the physical steps to be more healthy and I've been able to stay the course. In the past, when I was dieting, I told myself that I couldn't have things that I wanted and as soon as I lost the weight I had them all. This time, I have those things every once in a while because I'm aware now and don't want that rubber band snap back the way it did in the past.

I would recommend A New Day hypnosis to anyone who wants to change their lifestyle because I think that a lot of problems have emotional roots. This process has helped me to understand what is underlying and address the causes behind the unhealthy behaviors; that makes me feel confident that these changes will be permanent.

Healthy Lifestyle: Paige

Paige H.
Technical Writer
Austin, TX

In the past, I was able to lose a significant amount of weight and kept it off for five years. I gained it all back recently and realized when I was exercising in sweat pants in 100 degree weather that there was something seriously wrong. I felt really self conscious. I knew that I had a choice, but I wasn't choosing to control myself and that made me feel awful.

I've tried exercising and eating right in the past. I was doing pretty well with my regimen, but I hit a plateau and couldn't get past it, so I thought why bother to try. I knew that I needed to change the way that I was thinking, but I didn't know how to do it. My grandmother told me that she'd had an issue with her weight in the past and thought that hypnosis was a great way to go, I decided to look into it.

I went to Positive Changes and it was way too expensive and from what I understood, you just went in and sat in an armchair and listened to a tape that they had there. I needed something more personalized, so it wasn't for me. I drove past A New Day Hypnosis and saw the sign, so I decided to take a look at the website and schedule an appointment.

Laura was very articulate and knowledgeable about hypnosis. She explained the process thoroughly and I felt more comfortable when I realized that I wasn't going to do anything that I didn't want to do. I really connected with her; she heard what I was saying and also heard what wasn't said, so that made me feel really good. She does a great job and I really like the way that we chat before my sessions. She helps bring ideas into my mind and it's a really important part of the service.

The first change that I noticed was that I had better eating habits. I'd bought some junk food when my children came to visit and it just sat there and I didn't have the desire to eat it. It's been really easy. I'm always afraid to go to my medical doctor because I'm scared that she'll yell at me, but I don't get that feeling from Laura. Even if she tells me strongly to do something, I don't feel like she's going to make me feel bad.

I'm now eating three balanced meals a day and I have more energy because I'm feeding my body the right foods. Hypnosis has helped me stop eating cereal at night and I never eat peanut butter out of the jar anymore. I make better food choices when I'm out with friends and instead of ordering an enchilada plate, I'll get a bowl of chicken soup. I've also noticed that exercise has been easier and I've been more enthusiastic about doing it. I have more tools, so that gives me more control. When I hear the little voice in my head that tells me not to exercise, I can push it away.

Getting healthy has given me more confidence. I know what to do now and I've got another tool in my toolkit to work with. I've learned more about myself and because of the focus on my personal issues, I'm noticing results. I don't feel lost and I know that the things that I've learned will always be a part of my thinking. It's all coming together for me and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to help getting control with their own issues.

Healthy Lifestyle: Valerie

Valerie Ward
Quality Reliability Engineer
Austin, TX

I've had problems with sweets for over twenty years. In college, after a test, I'd be tired and reward myself with a bag of cookies or some other sweets. After college, I didn't have problems again until I got into my thirties. It got harder and harder for me and then in my forties I started thinking about sweets almost all the time. I tried to stop myself by telling myself that I wasn't going to have a binge. I told myself that it would be okay this time, but that didn't work very well. I would save up and have a big binge and once it came on, I couldn't stop it. After having cancer, I felt that I needed to do everything possible to stay healthy. Sugar feeds cancer, so I didn't want to give the cancer an opportunity to grow in my body. Because of my sweet binges, I felt like I wasn't really doing everything that I could to stay healthy, which made me feel out of control and anxious. I was seeing sugar as a coping mechanism and after a binge I felt bad about what I had done.

I heard about A New Day Hypnosis at Austin Integrative Health. I decided to call and set up an appointment. We did a visualization during the hypnosis and I saw what I looked like having a binge, that was very powerful for me. I started to feel differently about sweets. When I was around them, I didn't feel drawn to them the way that I had in the past. I don't have the sugar highs and crashes anymore and it's all become easier. I'm not thinking about chocolate and making plans to add it into my day and I've developed other coping mechanisms to deal with stress. I'm more prepared and I have snacks with me so that I can avoid the vending machine and because I'm not having sugar binges, my anxiety has gone down quite a bit. I know that I'm doing everything possible to be healthy and I feel more in control. When I go to a party with sweets, I don't stand around by the dessert table anymore and I feel better about being in those situations. I feel more confident because I'm doing the things that I need to do to be healthy.

I have a real sense freedom now because I'm not obsessed with sweets. I love the fact that I'm able to go into Whole Foods and walk by the desserts without staring at them. I don't have to feel guilty and I like having the sense of control. I would definitely recommend A New Day Hypnosis because it has helped me. It's so hard to do it on your own and it's much better to change your way of thinking than trying drugs or a crash diet that doesn't work long term. I have healthier ways of looking at food and I'm very confident that I'm on the right path to making a change in my life.

Healthy Lifestyle: Dolores

Dolores Groves
University of Texas
Austin, TX

I've struggled with my weight for the last twelve years. It was kind of depressing, the older I got, the more weight I gained. I refused to buy bigger sizes and things had gotten pretty tight. I was like a drug addict; I knew it was bad for me, but I did it anyway because it felt good. I would wake up in the morning and start thinking about what I was going to have for lunch that afternoon. I knew I was letting myself down, but I couldn't stop. I felt like healthy foods weren't going to taste good and I was really closed minded about what was out there. I also bought unhealthy food because they was cheaper.

I used to set goals, but never really work towards them. I tried Weight Watchers and lost ten pounds, but gained it back. I did group hypnosis in the past and cut out bad things like coke and chocolate. The cravings weren't there and it was a noticeable difference. In fact, I still don't drink soda very often and it's been seven years. After the group, I decided that I needed more reinforcement and saw an individual hypnotherapist in Pflugerville. I didn't feel like we were compatible and it was a long drive, so I decided to stop.

I thought about trying hypnosis with someone new and found out about A New Day Hypnosis on yahoo local. I decided that it was time for me to take care of myself. I know that hypnosis works for me and when I read other people's testimonials I decided to give Laura a call.

It's been easier to change my behaviors this time. The difference was subtle at first and then all of a sudden it just kind of snuck up on me and I realized that I was doing things differently and wasn't thinking about food all the time. Everything just hit at once and fell into place. I think I'm more open-minded about foods that are good for me; I even tried tofu last week and liked it. I feel more in control now. I'm buying more vegetables and I don't care what the price is. I'm making healthy eating the main priority because I know that it's better for me. I've always gone the cheap route, but now I'm more willing to spend money on quality food.

Hypnosis has helped me stop having cravings. Today, I met my husband for lunch and we went to the Catfish Parlor. I noticed immediately that I was grabbing sautéed vegetables and I ate that first before I touched anything else. We went to dinner last night and my mom was shocked that I was ordering water instead of tea.

The biggest benefit for me overall has been the change in my self image. I feel slimmer and my clothes are loose; I feel better about the choices that I'm making. I want to be healthy and I'm working towards it because I'm more flexible about what I am willing to eat. I would recommend A New Day Hypnosis to anyone who wants to improve their lifestyle. In fact, I have a good friend who has been asking about my progress. She's tried Weight Watchers three times and it hasn't worked. I just keep telling her that change has to come from within. I know that I can do this now and I have a much better outlook about where I'm headed.

Healthy Lifestyle: Hope

Hope Camacho
Social Worker
Austin, TX

I've struggled with my weight for most of my life. As a kid people made fun of me and as an adult they were more low-key about it. I felt like I wasn't good enough and didn't like the way that I looked. I felt fat and out of control. If it was there, I would eat it; if it wasn't there I would go get it. I was eating sweets every day and drinking lots of Mountain Dew and coffee, the equivalent of about ten cups of coffee a day. I was overeating as a coping mechanism for the high stress levels in my life. I was doing more than is healthy to be doing and it was affecting my eating habits.

I've tried Weight Watchers and lost weight with it, but years later I had a problem again. South Beach was really good, but I just didn't stick with it, mentally I wasn't prepared to do it. I tried exercise by itself and sometimes found that it just gave me an excuse to eat more.

I heard about A New Day Hypnosis on citysearch and decided to schedule an appointment because I realized that my problem was in my head. I noticed pretty quickly that I had started becoming more assertive. I was taking the time to slow down and get in touch with myself. I think my body has become more in line with what it ought to be. When I make a bad choice, I notice the difference in the way that I feel.

My eating habits are better and my sleep is good. The physical need for coffee is way down and now I only have one cup a day. I'm wearing a smaller size and I'm not drinking sodas or using artificial sweeteners anymore. I feel much more in control; sweets can be around and they just aren't calling my name. Candy is everywhere at work and now, if I want something sweet, I can stop after a couple.

People have commented that I look smaller and my Dad recently mentioned that it looks like I'm losing weight. I feel more confident about myself. My salsa practice is on youtube and when I watched it recently, I noticed that I didn't look bad. I'm happy to pose for photos and that is not typical for me at all.

The biggest benefit that I've gotten out of this process has been the ability to stand up for myself more. I was doing too much and once that got under control, I was better able to focus on my health. My attention has shifted over to taking care of myself and I have noticed that when I take care of myself, I don't need food to cope.

My attitude and my mindset have changed. I would recommend A New Day Hypnosis because it worked for me. My focus isn't about weight anymore, so it's easier for me to stay consistent. When I changed my lifestyle, I realized that I might have a day that is different, but that overall I am focused on health. I know that these changes and my healthy lifestyle will be permanent because it's a better way to live and the changes that I've made are more about my thinking and the way that I'm living than anything else.