The Virtual Gastric Band
The Virtual Gastric Band Programme is conducted over a four week period.* the four one-hour sessions are designed to bring about a permanent change in the client’s eating habits, and focus on the person the client wants to be. This is not a short-term fix. Creating the new habits desired. To get clients to where they want to be, and to enable them to remain there – will generally take 28 days. The VGB Programme includes a support CD, which the client is asked to listen to every day, and which will reinforce the new messages that will bring about the permanent change in their eating behaviour. Other resources are also made available to clients to support their new behavioural patterns. If you would prefer a group programme then contact me.
Weight Control without dieting
Most people who follow any sort of weight loss dieting system will lose weight whilst on the diet. As soon as the diet “ends” the weight invariably returns, often leading to a further increase in weight beyond the original starting point. It is estimated that 95% of all people who diet experience this cycle.
Most diets involve some form of deprivation or denial; some involve counting calories or points, but all serve to programme the mind to focus on food. This means that when a person finishes following a diet, they think about food even more than before.
In the denial of an individual’s comfort foods, in eating different meals to the rest of their family or friends, three things happen:
The brain fights against it
The body fights against it
The day to day environment fights against it
Each New Year, or new month, or Monday morning you hear people say to themselves, “That’s it! I’m going to stop eating. I’ll just eat this and then I’m on the salad!”
Of course the good intentions quickly lapse and it’s back to square one - and the misery starts again. Because most eating habits are deeply engrained in the subconscious, the outcome is programmed to be the same each time a certain set of circumstances prevail.
Conscious self-denial of something can often increase the desire for that very thing, so eating a little less than we did before – but eating anything we want – can actually lead to weight loss. Cutting out favourite foods completely is virtually impossible for many people, but cutting down on those same foods is achievable and sustainable. Everyone knows that eating less and exercising more will lead to better body-shape, improved fitness and all round health. This in turn leads to reduction in weight related health issues including diabetes, joint pain and digestive issues.
This process involves a Virtual Gastric Band and other mind management techniques, and is not a diet. It enables patients to form new habits that they can maintain: there is no deprivation and thus clients are liberated from having to think about food all the time; they eat consciously, and are able to listen to what their stomachs are telling them. The result is steady, progressive weight loss – without dieting.
Once we have created a habit of eating mindfully and listening to the stomach, then we can move on to healthier choices of food.
"I have never been able to stick to a 'diet' because I always feel hungry and want more food than I am 'allowed'.
This process however, stops me from feeling hungry, and providing I eat consciously, I feel full on much less food." R.W.
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*The 3rd and 4th sessions may be spaced over a longer period for some clients. Many clients also benefit from regular top-up sessions every 4-6 weeks and these can be delivered either 1-2-1 or as group sessions.