The good news is that I am booked to appear on AM BUFFALO on Monday, March 11, 10:00 AM, channel 7. This is the Monday before the book launch, which is perfect timing. The show and the launch are both a reminder to me that yes, after 25 years or so of struggling, I am still overweight. Most maddening is that I lost it a few years ago and then gained most of it back.

I’ve tried it all – diets, “life-style changes”, exercise… I know about toxins and all the things I shouldn’t eat. Hence, my latest attempt that I have never tried before. Hypnosis. While I would love for there to be a magic pill where I could eat whatever I wanted and still be healthy, I’m pretty sure that won’t happen in my lifetime. So I’m not trying to find the fast cure, just trying to find some motivation. I WANT to eat bad stuff. I DON’T WANT to eat healthy proteins and vegetables. Maybe hypnosis can help.

I had my first session on Friday. To my great surprise, I went under very easily. You know everything that is happening so it’s not scary or anything. First he had me do some image work. This kind of thing always fascinates me, or I guess I should say what comes out of it. The side of me that wants to be healthy and trim took on a red color, heart in shape but it was very fluid and flowing. The side of me that is stuck was a solid black rectangle, non-moving. I thought the image work would have the red swallow the black. However, my brilliant hypnotist wanted me to blend them together because both “sides” serve a purpose in our lives. (Remind you of the glass half-empty and half-full?) So the black became an outline around the heart, but the heart still moved around. It kept more form but it still was fluid. Interesting.

Then I got to picture all the foods I love but are unhealthy for me on my kitchen island. I’m not lucky enough to have one vice like sweets or salts. I love them all. So my island was full of cookies, potato chips, doritoes, cake, and carbs like breads and stuff too. While I was drooling on myself, he then added to the image that all of those foods were dripping with thick, white, slimy fat. He pointed out how disgusting they all looked. Makes me want to throw up even as I’m writing this. Then he told me to knock it all off the counter. When he said this, he snapped his fingers and said “Beets!”. We had discussed earlier that beets are a food I really hate. He wants me to associate those yummy but bad foods with beets. Interesting though, it’s not so I see them as just “bad”, but to break down the hard line barriers of good and bad food in my head.

Lots of homework. Cds to listen to, a workbook to read and do exercises in. So much for the magic pill theory. But I think I’m ready to take this on. All the exciting things that are coming up are making me be a little more willing to face my life-long demons. You ought to try it. I’m not sure yet how it will “work”, but so far it’s been fascinating and fun. Gotta go and make my protein shake 🙂