After 7 hours of pedaling, we managed to ride from Irvine to San Diego, California! All in all, we rode 109 miles. It was a planned 101 miles but we missed a couple of turns and got some "bonus miles" in.

In the photo above, you can see Memo (Guillermo Guiterrez) and I posing right after the ride. Before the ride, thanks to my secret project, we both lost a significant amount of weight. I’ve lost 27 pounds and he has lost over 30, and completing the 109 mile ride is a great indication of our new fitness and energy levels.

How did we do it? We did lots of practice rides. And, I managed to stay motivated by using 7th Path Self-Hypnosis®. I also couldn’t have done it without having lost weight and fully energizing myself with my secret project.

• Need motivation?

• Want to make more money?

• Want to get more energy?

• Want to improve your health or lose weight?

Email me at CalBanyan@HypnosisCenter.com and I’ll "spill the beans" as they say.

You can change your life! You can be healthier, happier and more financially secure. I’ll show you how.

(Because of time limitations I can only work with 5 new partners each month.)

With that in mind, we are going to dedicate this whole episode to answering your hypnosis & hypnotherapy questions.

Click To Play the Video
Click to Play Audio-Only Version

Subscribe to Cal Banyan’s Podcasts with iTunes – Click Hypnosis Podcast

Here are the questions we take on this episode:

1. Do you think that everyone who wants to have an Informing Soul Technique™ experience will be able to have one?

2. What do you think of regressing to a happy time before doing the affect bridge for the client’s issue?

3. If you are at a Subsequent Sensitizing Event (SSE) with a client during an age regression session, and you ask if the feeling is new, and the client says that it is "new", and then you tell her to go to the first time that she felt that way, why is this not leading?

Here are some important announcements!

• We are still providing everyone with our Economic Stimulus Package! Save $300.00 on our most popular video training program, 5-PATH® 2.0. This huge DVD and CD distance learning course. Click here for the details…

• Also, the NGH has a hypnosis community website. Go there now, www.TheHypnotistsConvention.com.

• Remember to check out the first hypnosis networking site, www.OurHypnoSpace.com!

• Email Meredith or me and learn more about our weight loss and $ income $ building program: Meredith@YourPathHypnosis.com or CalBanyan@HypnosisCenter.com. We’ll spill the beans (but you must live in the USA, Canada, Puerto Rico, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong or Taiwan).

• Reminder: Now you can save on everything you order from our website, www.Hypnosis.ORG! We now offer free shipping to all addresses in the USA when you order $95.00 or more.

Click To Play the Video
Click to Play Audio-Only Version

Subscribe to Cal Banyan’s Podcasts with iTunes – Click Hypnosis Podcast

Here are the first 3 keys on the list… 10 Keys to Successful Search Engine Optimization (Get Your Site on Google) – Part 1

1. Page titles and descriptions should be unique. Every page on your website should have a unique title and description.

2. Think about the words users would type to find your pages, and make sure that your site actually includes those words within it. Don’t get spammy.

3. Try to use text instead of images to display important names, content, or links. You can use both.

Check back next week for a few more keys! If you have a website then you should make sure you or your webmaster follow these guidelines.

That is it for this week.

Here are the websites referenced in this episode:

• www.Hypnosis.ORG

• www.FamilyFirstHypnosis.com

Leave a comment and let us know what you think!

I am astounded actually.

Here are the latest figures…

(Your results may vary.)

This is Day 8 of the Mysterious Weight Release Program.

Pounds Released: 13.8

Waist Measurement: Reduced 1 1/2 Inches

Energy Level: Very Good

Keep checking back for the latest information as it develops.

I expect that this nutrition system, which is said to contain “super foods” will enable me to do this in an healthy way, which will help me to reach my other goal, to complete a 100 mile bike race! It also appears that the system will be in-line with my mind-body-spirit approach to life that I have taught for so long, because it consists of live foods, and a balanced approach to nutrition and exercise.

What is this “mysterious weight release” program? Those who have known me over the years have heard me talk about how toxins held in the body can lead to gaining fat and excess fluid retention. This knowledge led me to using a couple of different detoxification systems in the past. Unfortunately, the ones that I have used in the past have been incredibly inconvenient. One “cleansing” system I used a few years ago had me soaking in a hot bathtub for 50 minutes every day. I did that for a year! Yes, I felt better, got healthier, but jeeeez, I really didn’t want to do that again!!! And, the weight loss was not really all that impressive.

So, I knew that detoxification was needed if I were to get down to my optimum weight, and attain the health I wanted to attain, but I just didn’t want to go through all of that mess and inconvenience I had experienced in the past. With that knowledge and experience behind me, I started looking for something else that I could test out… That is when my wife, Maureen told me about some of the results that two of our grads were having with this new mystery “weight release” program. And, once I found out that it was a super easy and super healthy way to go about “nutritional cleansing” I became interested in finding out more.

Then as “coincidence” would have it, I heard an audio recording on the Internet made my Tom Nicoli, about how it had helped him to lose 25 pounds! Since then I found out about another one of our grads who had lost 27 pounds in about a month, or so on the “nutritional cleansing” system. With that new information, I got on the Internet and started to look around. What I read was completely in line with the research that I had done on how toxins in the body can cause you to not be able to lose weight. I decided to get started, and so I ordered the system, which starts with a 30 day cleanse.

So here we are a few days later. I have my new mysterious cleansing “weight release” program and it is Day 2. I’ll let you know how it goes! I know that I can follow the program perfectly because I have the power of self-hypnosis behind me to make sure that I keep on track.

This is going to be a completely fair trial for this system. I’ll let you know how it goes! Keep checking back to see how I do.

I just posted a new audio program on my other blog, www.TheSecretLanguageOfFeelings.com. On it I tell everyone, “Yes, you can lose weight without ever feeling deprived! Here is how you can keep your New Year’s Resolution to lose weight, or really keep that promise to yourself to lose weight any time of the year.”

Have a listen and leave a comment!

This week’s question is about doing the Dave Elman Hypnotic Induction (a rapid induction of hypnosis) and a client who kept opening his eyes!

Click To Play the Video
Click to Play Audio-Only Version

Subscribe to Cal Banyan’s Podcasts with iTunes – Click Hypnosis Podcast

So, how do we hypnotize someone who keeps opening his eyes, or is otherwise non-compliant? This question was from Josh, and I suspect that perhaps this hypnosis client was conflicted about the issue that he came in for. We talk about the things that we can do to help the hypnosis professional with non-compliant clients. I also share some of my techniques for dealing with the fear of hypnosis, and some basic and advanced troubleshooting techniques.

Next, we go into what it was like for Kelsey to get her supervision time and learn more about hypnosis, and working with clients. She talks about some of the insider hypnosis tips, tricks, and techniques that she is learning at the Banyan Hypnosis Center. Kelsey shares what she has learned about how to get someone to revivify during an age regression when they are not fully reliving the situation during the hypnosis session.

Then we go over this week’s Dumb Hypnotist Trick segment of the program. Kelsey gives me three choices, and I decide to talk about the Dumb Hypnotist Trick of criticizing your clients. I cover one of my favorite Banyanisms, “Hypnosis is a confidence game, if you don’t get their confidence then there will be no game.”

This is a really helpful, information-filled episode. We hope you like it and tell your friends and colleagues.

Remember to check out other websites:

• www.Hypnosis.ORG the hypnosis resource site.

• www.BanyanHypnosisMall.com to get the good stuff hypnotists want.

• www.AskCal.OurHypnoSpace.com to send your questions in for the show.

• www.Kelsey.OurHypnoSpace.com to contact Kelsey.

• www.OurHypnoSpace.com to network with other hypnotists around the world.

• www.HypnosisCenter.com to learn about my training schedule for hypnosis certification and advanced hypnosis training.

Keep checking back to get the latest hypnosis news and information.  Remember to become a VIP to get all of the advantages of being a member of www.CalBanyan.com, the place to go for free hypnosis video training, news and opinions.

I hope you will check out The Fit Hypnotist Group on www.OurHypnoSpace.com if you are a hypnosis professional and you want to lose some weight (and have support from people who really understand – skinny hypnotists need not apply unless you lost your weight using hypnosis). I’m so glad that I’ve lost 35 pounds so far. Just about everything in my life is better. I am now making the commitment to lose 20 more pounds and ride a 100 mile bike race before the next convention! I know I can do it using my hypnosis tools!

Also, on the The Social Club Group on www.OurHypnoSpace.com, we have an area for those who are into biking or would like to get into biking. We are even talking about setting up a Ride for Hypnosis at the NGH Convention next year.

Here’s to your health, happiness and business success!

I usually weigh in on the 4^th of each month because I started this weight loss program this year on World Hypnotism Day. By the way, World Hypnotism Day is on January 4th each year. I expect that by World Hypnotism Day 2008 I will be at my perfect weight. How cool is that?!

You might have noticed that I am posting this a day early. That is because I won’t have time to weigh in and post an entry to this the blog tomorrow morning, because I will be spending the day traveling to the NGH convention.

I’m just so excited about this commitment that I have made, to become a model of how making hypnosis part of an intelligent weight loss plan is the key to weight loss success. My successful weight loss has resulted in me feeling better than I have in years. I feel 15 years younger and have lots and lots more energy. And, I have learned a lot about weight loss hypnosis along the way. I’ll be sharing that in my workshop at the convention. I hope everyone that goes to the convention will consider attending that two hour seminar. It is called, Advanced Hypnosis for Weight Loss—Go Beyond the Script For Maximum Results. To get the schedule for the entire convention go to www.NGH.net.

Oh, I am going to look so GQ in my tux! See you there. Maybe we will post some photos here when we get back. Hmmm. That is good idea. I’ll see what I can do.

Well, as you know the 4th of each month is weigh-in day for me. So I am very glad to report that I am back on track and have lost 32.6 pounds so far.

I might have lost more if I hadn’t taken some time off from the program while I was in London earlier this year, and if I hadn’t broken my arm a couple of months ago, which really reduced my exercise program. But then, that is what real life is like, we make plans and unexpected things come up, or there are unintended consequences.

Thankfully by following all the steps in my weight loss plan I was able to recover from these challenges and keep losing weight!

Next weigh-in will be August 4th, and I’d like to have lost at least 4 pounds by then. Keep checking back. I think that the most important thing is not how much weight one can lose in the shortest amount of time, but rather how one is able to learn from the experience and develop a new healthy lifestyle that will work in the long run.

Thanks for following this trek so far. I hope you are enjoying my reports, as well as my new podcasts. There are lots more to come!

Check out these weight loss groups on our new network just for hypnosis professionals.

http://the-fit-hypnotist.ourhypnospace.com Helping Hypnotists Lose Weight and Be Fit.

http://weightlosssuccess.ourhypnospace.com Helping Hypnotists with Their Weight Loss Clients.

Check back next month and help me celebrate my ongoing weight loss success.

Want to learn more about this weight loss program, one that is so good it even works for hypnotists? The check out this link and find out how to not miss out on my classes when you are at the convention like so many do each year when they find out the room is full.

I reasonably anticipated that I would gain a bit of weight while I was gone, perhaps around 5 pounds, but I have to admit that I was surprized when my monthly weigh-in showed that I had gained almost ten pounds (9.8) in just two weeks! 

So, here I am as determined as ever to get right back on track and continue my weight loss program.  I hope everyone will check back next month and see how I am doing, and also come to see me at the convention in August to check me out in my new slimmer and healthier form!  I know I can do it, and if you want to lose a few pounds before the convention, decide to do that now, and I know that you can do it too.

My current weight loss by using hypnosis program is now 18.4 pounds. 

Here is my latest report on my 9-Step weight loss program.  I am continuing to move closer and closer to my new slimmer, healthier body.  I think things went well this month, considering my mother came to visit for a few days and I had a few “goodies.”   

I’ll be writing more about this as we go along.  Next, I will be writing up a summary of the special kind of self-hypnosis that I am using called 7th Path Self-Hypnosis, my mind-body-spirit approach to hypnosis.

Keep checking back, AND come to the National Guild of Hypnotists convention this August, 2007 and see the final results.  Stop by my booth and say “hello” or if you are interested in learning how to use the program yourself, or for working with weight loss clients I want to encourage you to attend the workshop that I will be giving on the subject at the convention.

If you are not currently at your ideal body weight, join me in making the commitment to go to this year’s NGH convention as a new healthier, slimmer you!  See you there.

Also, I want to invite you all to use the “Share This” link which is at the bottom of each blog entry.

Here’s to your health and happiness!

Today I am going to expand a bit on what I have written already about my 9-Step Weight Loss Plan including hypnosis. Here is what I have written about Step #4 so far…

Step #4: Exercising Every Day – Exercising every day will be an important part of my healthy weight loss plan. But because I could overdo it, or do too little to get the kind of results that I want, I will vary my exercise program, with some days having light exercise and other days having more vigorous exercise. I will be walking, riding my recumbent trike and my new TRIKKE (a really weird but fun contraption).

From what I have read and from my experience, I have learned that exercise alone is a poor way to lose weight (unless you are a teenager or 20-something with boundless energy and lots of time on your hands). However, it is a very important part of any weight loss plan for those who are able to exercise. An active lifestyle that includes moderate intensity exercise can improve weight loss about 40%! So that is what I am going to do.

Some things that I wanted to keep in mind are that I want my exercise time to be something that I look forward to. That is why I am planning the following…

First, as you watch the video that goes with this blog entry you will see that I am very excited about my new TRIKKE, model T8. I have already put in a few miles on it, going for some rides over an hour long. It is fun, low impact and portable (i.e. it folds and fits into the trunk of my car). Check it out and if you want to learn more about it, or even get one of your own, go to the link on this site.

Another fun way for me to exercise is my recumbent trike which I showed you in a previous blog entry (Step #2). It is also a fun way to exercise. You can travel a lot of ground pretty quickly and it kind of looks like a dragster! I’m thinking of doing a “Century” (a one hundred mile bike ride) on it later this year! I’ll let you know more about that as the date approaches.

And finally, I am going to do some walking. Walking will be one of the things that I do on my less active days. To keep it fun and interesting, I am planning on listening to music and other audio programs on my Pocket PC Phone.

Well that is it for this entry. I hope you enjoyed the video. Sorry about the vertical line running up and down through some of the video. It is being caused by the glare of the sun off the metal of the bike where the handlebars connect with the rest of the trike.

I hope you will continue to post your comments and leave suggestions! I am really enjoying your input and actually it is really helpful.

View the video on YouTube

So, next I want to talk a bit about the next step in my plan…

Step #3: Eating for Healthy Weight Loss – I need to have a plan on how I will eat so that I don’t have to make it up as I go along. I will eat small and healthy portions of lean meats, fruits and vegetables, supplemented by vitamin tablets.

If someone is really interested in losing weight and being healthy, then some thought needs to be put into one’s diet. Heaven knows I have done a lot of research in this area, benefiting from both the experiences of my clients and my own experience as well. What I have settled on is a diet that is very close to the Paleo Diet. This way of eating is also called the Paleolithic Diet, Caveman Diet, or Hunter/Gatherer Diet. Basically it consists of unprocessed foods and avoiding grains, beans and potatoes.

So what can I have? I can have all kinds of fresh meats, including beef, pork, fish, foul and wild game, as well as lots of fresh vegetables and small portions of fruit.

In my experience I do best if I avoid grains, especially wheat products because they cause me to hold water and feel bloated. Later on I may allow rice, when I get to the weight maintenance phase of my program. You see, I want to come to the convention every year at my ideal weight, and of course live in a healthy manner all year round. For me it is a quality of life decision because I know that just about everything in my life will go better with a healthy, energetic, and lean body.

I plan on having 5 small meals a day. Those meals will consist of protein and some vegetable or fruit. For example, last night I had a bowl of soup and a small salad. This morning I had soup for breakfast. I find homemade meat and vegetable soups to be tasty and satisfying. So, soups and salads will make up the majority of my meals. But, man (at least Cal) does not live by soup and salad alone! I will also have grilled meats and veggies once in a while. I think that will be a great way to eat with friends, or eat when we are out. The key will be to keep the protein portions small (i.e., 3 to 4 ounces) and to avoid salad dressings that are filled with too much fat or carbohydrates.

Another thing that I like about this approach to eating is that it is pretty easy to prepare my meals ahead of time and then bringing in the soups, salads and other things into work to eat during the day.

By the way, last night I tried one of those Salad Spritzers, and I really liked it. There are three flavors and so I’ll have enough variety. They are a great way to give my salads a little “zing” while keeping the fat and carbohydrates within reasonable limits. (By the way, technically by using these prepared dressings I am breaking some of the rules of the Paleo Diet, but heck since I’m not really a caveman I’m allowed to “fudge” a bit don’t you think?)

Well, there it is, my detailed plan. Keep sending in your comments. I really enjoy hearing your advice.

Oh, and I am especially interested in hearing about lean and healthy places to eat while I’m in London teaching my Week of Power Class in April. So if any of you have any tips please leave them here in the comments section. Just click on the Post a Comment link at the bottom right of this post. Oh, and then of course there is the upcoming NGH Solid Gold Weekend in Las Vegas. I’m sure there has to be some great places to eat healthy in Vegas as well. Send me your advice and tips.

Now I want to continue to explain my 9-Step Weight Loss Program. The next step in my weight loss plan, which is really the foundation to being successful is covered next.

You can be totally motivated, you can know what you are going to do, you can be totally committed to your success, but if you don’t have the things that you need to be successful it is just going to be one big frustating project, to say the least. So here is a bit more information on Step #2. I hope that it will help everyone who is thinking about joining me on this journey to be successful. By the way, if you are seeing clients for weight loss you might want to integrate some of this into the work that you are doing.

Step #2: Being Prepared – Since eating and exercising right requires that I have the ability to eat right every day, and exercise every day, then I need to have the proper foods and equipment available for me to be successful.

What am I going to eat? That is simple, good healthy, non-processed foods. Mostly my diet will consist of lean meats, green vegitables, and fresh fruits. I will eat smaller portions, and as I do that I expect that my ability to feel full and statisfied will adjust over time to the smaller amounts of food that I am eating. I am not going to use a program where some other business prepares my food for me, or eat frozen dinners that are designed for dieters, because an important part of what I am going to be doing is to get used to eating smaller portions, and create the habit of cooking and eating meals that will keep me slim and healthy for life.

I also have three kinds of excercise equipment available to me at this time, walking shoes, my recumbent tadpole trike, and my TRIKKE T8 (click this link or see graphic on the top right hand page for a link to get one of your own). I’ll write more about them later on and give you some photos of me using them, and maybe I’ll even be able to manage some video. That will be a lot of fun! Here are a couple of photos of my two trikes. I think you will find them to be a bit different from the trikes you may have had when you were just a kid!

Bye for now. And thank you guys for sending your comments. I really appriciate your input, so keep them coming!

Oh, and one last thing if you are considering NGH Hypnotherapy Certification, I hope you will look into our training program. You get NGH approved training, and 5-PATH® and 7th Path Self-Hypnosis® as well. It simply cannot be beat if you want to start off right in this profession or if you want to take your practice to the next level. It is also available live over the Internet. Our next class is in March 2007 and seating is always limited.

If you need to catch up then make sure that you go to http://www.calbanyan.com/ and read my blog entries Confession of an Overweight Hypnotist and My 9-Step Weight Loss Plan. Then you will be pretty much up to date.

So, where am I at now? Well, I must have been a little bit crazy but once I decided to do this, I gave myself permission to really enjoy a lot of different foods (my wife Maureen says “go overboard”) over the last few months. I just love all of the wonderful foods in Singapore so I enjoyed them all while I was conducting my NGH Approved Hypnotherapy Certification in Singapore. And then when I came back home it was the Holiday Season, and boy was that fun! Christmas candy, cookies, and pies were everywhere and I did not hold back one bit.

As a result, I gained a lot of weight. And, there it is for everyone to see. That graphic on the left is a photo that I took of my weight measured by my bathroom scale this morning. (I didn’t decide whether or not I was going to post that until just now. I was thinking of keeping it secret until the end of my weight loss program, but then I thought “what the heck” and there it is, my starting point for everyone to see.)

But it’s worse than that. It is not just a number on a graphic on a website, almost none of my clothes fit! Why did I do this, you might ask? Well, I know that some of you have been in exactly the same situation, and over the next few months I am going to show you that there is hope. You can lose weight at keep it off if you:

• Use Hypnosis to Motivate Yourself
• Use Hypnosis to Remove Emotional Problems
• Use Hypnosis to Remove Old Habits
• Use A Healthy Eating Plan
• Use Your Body

With that introduction I have revealed my starting weight. My plan is to weigh in each month and share those results with you. I hope that more and more of you will be interested in joining me in this commitment so that we can be a wonderful example of how good sense and hypnosis working together can lead to a healthy and slim lifestyle.

Keep checking back because I will keep everyone up to date on my ongoing progress, as well as explaining in more detail what each of the steps are on my 9-Step Weight Loss Plan.

Have a healthy and prosperous 2007!

Step #1: Taking Responsibility – I am the only one responsible for my health and success. I am the one who is responsible for eating and exercising in a way that will make me successful.

I think that this in certainly one of the most important steps in my plan, if not THE most important aspect of the whole thing. One must take personal responsibility for the outcome of their weight loss program. This means that I am responsible for having the right foods available. I am responsible for making time for exercise, having the right equipment and doing it in a healthy way!

To many times when I have worked with clients who have come to me for weight loss sessions I hear, “I could lose weight if my wife would cook the kind of meals I need to lose weight” or “I could exercise if I had more time” and so on. My clients and I have got to accept one truth if we are to be successful, and it goes something like this, “If it is to be, then it is up to me.” Of course it is always a bonus when you have a supportive family, and if you have lots of time for shopping, cooking and exercise. However, one needs to face the reality of his or her own circumstance. It is up to us, the individuals who want to live a healthier lifestyle and lose weight that need to make it work. It is not up to our spouses, or the government, or our employer to ensure that we are happy and lose weight. Are you with me on this?

So with that in mind I proceed into tomorrow, the first day of my weight loss success. I hope others will join me in the process, and it starts with Step #1, Taking Responsibility.

I have to admit, I’m kind of excited about the whole thing. During these last couple of months I have been enjoying lots of great foods, first in Singapore and then I had all of those wonderful holiday goodies, and as a result I have gained a lot of weight! And, I have to say that it is really uncomfortable to have my weight up this high. The good in all of this is that it means I am really looking forward to dropping all these unwanted pounds!

For those of you who will be following along with my progress as I get into tip-top condition for this next NGH Convention I thought I would reveal my plan. And, perhaps this information will be helpful to those who have decided to make the same commitment for this year.

1. Taking Responsibility – I am the only one responsible for my health and success. I am the one who is responsible for eating and exercising in a way that will make me successful.

2. Being Prepared – Since eating and exercising right requires that I have the ability to eat right every day, and exercise every day, then I need to have the proper foods and equipment available for me to be successful.

3. Eating for Healthy Weight Loss – I need to have a plan on how I will eat so that I don’t have to make it up as I go along. I will eat small and healthy portions of lean meats, fruits and vegetables, supplemented by vitamin tablets.

4. Exercising Every Day – Exercising every day will be an important part of my healthy weight loss plan. But because I could over do it, or do too little to get the kind of results that I want. I will vary my exercise program, with some days having light exercise and other days having more vigorous exercise. I will be walking, riding my recumbent trike and my new TRIKKE (a really wierd but fun contraption).

5. Drinking Water for Healthy Weight Loss – I will drink a minimum of 100 ounces of water each day. I can drink more water of course, but this is more water than I am drinking now, and I know that committing to drinking at least this minimum amount will be healthy and assist in the natural detox that goes along with a good weight loss program.

6. Doing 7th Path Self-Hypnosis® – Twice a day I will continue to motivate myself for success using 7th Path Self-Hypnosis®. This will be the major hypnotic component of the program because it removes the cause of emotional eating while enabling me to program myself for success.

7. Monitoring My Internal Speech – I will monitor my internal dialog to become aware of any internal statements or beliefs that may interfere with my success, and replace them with more positive internal statements. I will use a number of ways to do this including replacing negative thinking with Recognitions from 7th Path Self-Hypnosis® system, and The Secret Language of Feelings.

8. Using The Secret Language of Feelings – I will ensure that I am not mistaking emotional conditions for cues to eat. For example, I will check before I eat to make sure that I am experiencing physical hunger rather than an emotion such as simply being tired, bored, or stressed, which in the past has lead me to eat when I was not hungry. You can learn more about this in my book, The Secret Language of Feelings.

9. Being Persistent and Adjusting As Needed – Of course life has it’s surprises, and unexpected challenges can come up, and I can learn a thing or two along the way as well. I will remain flexible and persistent as I move toward the goal remember that the goal of achieving optimum health will not change, but as new information and circumstances come the plan may change.

Well there you go; that is my plan. I look forward to reading your comments about what I am doing, and I especially like reading that others have been inspired to join me in this commitment to be in tip-top shape for this year’s NGH Convention. So, please live your comments by clicking on the link below. See you at the convention!

Confessions—it seems are always interesting. Let’s find out what you think of mine.

First off, it is not all bad. It started when I first received my certification in hypnotherapy. I started using what I knew about hypnosis to lose weight. However, it was not in and of itself sufficient to bring me much success, so the rest of what I needed to learn about weight loss came from my clients, and that information, or at least a great deal of it, is in my book, The Secret Language of Feelings. With that knowledge in hand and a very special kind of self-hypnosis, now called 7th Path Self-Hypnosis® I managed to lose about 60 pounds. But that was only a partial success.

I suppose that is when it began to happen and here comes the confession. Before I lost all of the weight that I really needed to lose, maybe another 30 pounds or so and reached my “ideal weight” whatever that means, I stopped losing weight and pretty much went into a “holding pattern.” I suppose a big part of the problem was that I was pleased with myself for doing so well, at least up to that point. The end result was that I lost motivation. After all, my life was great and no one was after me to lose another pound. And, I think my wife was even a bit relieved as I eased up on my dietary restrictions, and began to eat in a way that seemed to be more “normal” in our house.

I was pretty happy with my success for quite a while; I continued to carry on with the status quo as they say. Then we made the big decision, we decided to move to California all the way from Minneapolis, Minnesota. This was a huge undertaking; moving our entire business, including our school, and not only that, we had to sell a home, and buy another (plus all of that packing and unpacking that goes with that process). It was quite a chore, and since we just moved into our new home about a week ago, we are still up to our hips in boxes. (Life goes on, and before we get all moved in, we are off to Singapore to conduct some hypnosis classes, and I’m writing this in an airport as we wait for Singapore Airlines to ready our plane. I’ll post this as soon as we land. Oops, I am off topic, forgive me and I’ll get back to the confessions now.)

We arrived in Orange County and “hit the ground running.” We moved into a furnished apartment that we expected to serve us for a couple of months while we find a new home, and get our new office up and running. That is when it began, working late, not having a great place to cook when we got home and all of the other challenges of such a big project can provide, and the expected two month stay became six months. And, as the time went by my weight has crept up a bit, putting on about 15 pounds or so. Well, I can see that I need to get back on track, and do so pretty quickly.

Did I mention that I’m headed off to Singapore? This means that I am not going to be in the best situation for losing weight, and getting back on track. But I AM ready to make a commitment and here it is. I commit to coming to the next National Guild of Hypnotists Convention in August, 2007 at my ideal weight. I expect that I will get started right after Christmas. (It is so cliché to wait until the New Year.)

This is what I want to do between now and then:

1. I am going to research a really great eating plan, and find some really great recipes so that I can still have something good to eat each day, but lose some significant weight. I want to have a plan for this in place and kitchen fully stocked with all the right stuff so that I will always have what I need to be successful (you know, celery, lettuce, etc.)

2. I have to figure out what my ideal weight is. I am about 5 foot, 11 and half inches tall, and am 51 years old as of last week. I’m sure there is a proper chart somewhere on the Internet, or I’ll go to the doctor and get some advice here.

AND, I’d love to get your input. What kind of eating program do YOU think should I embark upon? Do you have any really great “healthy eating” weight loss recipes?

And, just to keep you all posted on my progress, I am going to report everything right here on this Web log (blog). Hmmm, I wonder how I should do that? What do you think? Would a weekly weigh-in suffice? Or would measurement be better? Let me know what you think.

Here is my plan as of now:

1. I am going to motivate myself using 7th Path Self-Hypnosis®, and reading about weight loss successes. I might also use my new TiVo to record some of those weight loss programs like “The Biggest Loser” or the “Celebrity Fit Club.” It is so fun watching others succeed. For me that is always inspirational.

2. I am going to eat in a way that is healthy and will promote excellent weight loss.

3. I am going to exercise every day, with one or two light days of exercise per week, and the rest will be moderate levels of exercise.

4. I am going to drink an ample amount of water.

5. I am going to get an ample amount of sleep, which will probably be a real challenge for me. I have always undervalued getting much sleep. I wish I could operate on 0 sleep! Alas, I hear that it is an important part of being healthy and losing weight. I just bought a great new bed and now it looks like I’m going to get some use out of it.

By the way, I invite anyone who would like to write comments here to do so. And, if there are any other overweight hypnotists who would like to join me in making this commitment, please let me know and we will be successful together!