150 days

I almost  missed the 150 day milestone ( It was actually last Tuesday) - 150 days without chocolate or toffee or Haribos!
Why did I nearly miss it? Well, I think that the main reason is that I just don't really think about chocolate anymore. It's a habit I have broken - and to be fair it wasn't hard to do. The hard part was in not drifting back into it in a thoughtless, careless moment.

Of course I have tried other things in the past to ditch the chocolate:

•  Stopping on a memorable date such as a birthday
• Stopping a month before a memorable date
• Cutting up the chocolate into ridiculously tiny pieces
• Eating a 1lb of Thornton's misshapes in one go thinking that I would sicken myself ( I did feel sick but it didn't stop me!)
• Sharing
• Leaving all of my money at home so that  I wouldn't be tempted to visit the shop on the way home ( great until I needed petrol)

And the list goes on...

And any or all of those  might work for others, but in the end the thing that worked for me was exactly the same thing that I would use with a client: Hypnotherapy and EFT.

I'm now looking forward to making it a full year without chocolate, toffee and Haribos.

Roll on December 31st!

50 days Without Chocolate...

I have been 50 days without chocolate, toffee and Haribos - and for anyone who knows  me, that is a tremendous achievement!
 I  grew up in very poor circumstances - we had a very meagre existence - but one thing we did have, was access to a very good market with not one, but two brilliant sweet stalls selling all manner of sweet, chewy special treats.  My mum would go out shopping and come back with sweets for myself and my brother - and if we were upset or ill, had a trip to the dentist or the doctor, we would be rewarded with sweets.
Even today, when I am ill and return from the GP my natural inclination is to stop at the Village Shop and buy something sweet, to"make me feel better" or  " because I deserve it".
As a Clinical Hypnotherapist, I know that chocolate and sugar addictions are very common and often the root cause of weight problems, not to mention life threatening conditions such as diabetes. Many people know that they will need help and support to overcome these addictions, but the idea of giving up something so lovely can be a step too far. It is easier to make up excuses than to make a lifestyle change.
When I was first training  as a Clinical Hypnotherapist I also took a short course in EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique). EFT is a therapy which involves tapping on the meridians of the body ( principally on the face and hand) whilst making positive statements about a problem or perceived problem.  I remember that a group of us all tapped for our addiction to chocolate; it took about 10 minutes in total and I didn't touch chocolate again for something like 8-9 months.
This time I have combined EFT with self hypnosis. I have set myself the challenge of having a chocolate free 2012 and so far, so good. 
It really is quite difficult to explain  my new relationship with chocolate, toffee and Haribos. Whereas before Christmas I was regularly eating a couple of bars of chocolate  or a whole bag of toffees ( Morrisons own brand chocolate eclairs being amongst my favourites) per day, I now have no interest in eating them. I do not crave the taste or the texture. The smell has no effect on me whatsoever. I find it easy to say no thanks when offered sweets and feel only disinterest when I am around them.
What I have noticed is that my tastebuds are recovering,  so that I enjoy the sweetness of fruits again; mandarins and strawberries have easily replaced the chocolate eclairs.  I have also noticed a difference in my skin and general energy levels.
The EFT, combined with self hypnosis,  have worked perfectly for me and I would recommend this to anyone who wishes to disassociate themselves from chocolate or any other food issue.
 Visit my website http://www.annestagghypnotherapy.co.uk/ for details of how to contact me.

Anne Stagg Hypnotherapy:Chocolate sprouts!

Wow! How great minds think alike!
For years I have been slipping "Sprouts are the secret ingredient in chocolate - allegedly!" in to conversations, and sitting back to see how long it took for someone to tell me that as a fact...
When I have felt particularly wicked, I've even elaborated to wide-eyed children and told them it was a government ploy to ensure that children were receiving essential vitamins and minerals.
Now I find that someone has actually gone and done it! And they look good too!
Earlier this week I switched on the TV to see beautiful,chocolate covered raw sprouts displayed artistically and looking, for all the world to see, just like a selection from one of the high class chocolatiers.
Now, if this had been January 2011, I suspect that my tiny little chocolate-centred world would have comprehensively fallen apart.
But this happened to me in January 2012 - and I have been 29 days without chocolate( and toffees and Haribo); something inside me is secretly pleased, and I feel just a little bit smug...
How did I kick my habit? A combination of EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) and self hypnosis have rendered chocolate something of a neutral food. I can look at it and not be bothered for it. I can appreciate the aroma without wanting to taste it. I don't just pick up chocolate and eat it endlessly without even registering the taste or texture. I'm just not interested.
Will I ever eat chocolate again? Possibly.
But for now I am happy to enjoy the novelty of being chocolate free, and I know that I can boost my resolve with a quick EFT tapping session or a top up of self hypnosis.

 

 www.annestagghypnotherapy.co.uk