Hey all!
So, I've read this thread with great interest, I think the whole concept is absolutely fascinating!
I have lost the majority of the weight I needed to through WW, and am actually now in my healthy BMI. Given that, when I moved overseas for a few months a while back (mixture of living and travelling), I figure I'd just call it ''goal'' and stop. I've had no trouble maintaining, without pointing or anything.
But recently, I've decided I'd like to lose a bit more - about another 10kg. That would still be within my healthy BMI (although yes, I do know that BMIs shouldn't really be applied to individuals), and I think would suit me better (I have tiny hands, for instance, suggesting I should actually have a small frame, and some of the women in my family are very petite).
When I first did WW, I absolutely loved it. I never felt deprived, I was still able to be passionate about food but didn't have the guilt, etc. But this time round, I'm just struggling to find that same rhythm. I think it's a mixture of the way I maintained so easily that I got used to it so quickly, and the fact that I've just moved to the UK which means I've got to consciously think about everything - currency, how to get somewhere, where things are etc. All those things that you can usually put on auto-pilot are now requiring mental energy! So usually working out the best brands of foods etc wouldn't be an issue at all (I even kinda enjoy it), but it's kinda a hassle in the context of everything else.
My question then, is do you think none/any/all of general hypnotherapy/CBT/hypno-band might help me? Bearing in mind I don't have that much to lose, but even at this weight I'm kinda self-conscious - and I'm sure I don't need to tell you guys what an energy drain that is! Also, I don't want to stop enjoying food - some people talk of no longer caring or some things making them feel ill. I want to care less, but I get a lot of pleasure from food and I don't want to give that up - and I certainly don't want to be unable to eat some foods! (Before I lost the weight, I used to tell myself ''I don't smoke, sleep around, take drugs or drink, so it's fine for food to be my vice.'' With ww, I saw it didn't have to be a vice, I can still get immense pleasure out of it in a more reasonable way.) So I guess I'd be looking more at changing my attitude to exercise (!), reducing snacking and further adjusting portions, than cutting out whole types of food.
I should also say I've had CBT for depression a few years ago, and hated it because I ran rings around the therapist so I didn't respect her at all. What was interesting about that was we didn't address eating at all - the primary cause of my depression was mum's death, coupled with bullying/exclusion at school. But one of the main ways it manifest was in my over-eating and unhealthy-eating, which impacted on guilt, self-esteem, etc, and so was obviously fairly tied up in it. I've also had completely useless hypnotherapy for a needle-phobia, which did nothing, but I'm happy to concede it may be the particular practicioner. So I'm starting from a skeptical position, but the stories on this thread are just so incredible! Like I say, my eating patterns and relationship with food is radically changed after WW, but given my history I think it's probably very likely there's some deeper residual stuff lurking still as well, given my history.
I'm a student, so living on a very tight budget already, and that's even more the case when you consider the conversion rate from NZ$ into £! So I'd want to be fairly convinced, but if it was a genuine long-term solution then it seems worth scrimping for to me.
Wow, sorry this has turned into such a novel! But I wanted to give as much background info as possible, because I'd really love to hear your thoughts.