Wouldn't it be great if losing weight was as simple as just wanting it to 'happen'? Unfortunately it's not as simple as wanting it to happen. If you want to maintain a healthy weight, you need do a bit more than just want it. You must want it bad enough to do something about it. Throughout the years I have had many conversations with people about hypnotherapy and how it can help people. Since many people associate hypnotherapy with losing weight and smoking, these conversations produce some very interesting insights.

For example, some people say to me: 'Oh Sonia, believe me; I really WANT to lose this weight...I have tried absolutely everything in the past'. It is usually at this point the 'buts' come into the conversation. 'But' language is insidious; it says 'I do not have a choice. I am not in control'. When you use 'but' language, you are giving away all of your personal power. So how do you know when you have a case of the 'buts'? Here are some really common signs:

* 'I want to lose weight but I have no willpower';

* 'I want to lose weight but I don't have time to exercise';

* 'I want to lose weight but I can't seem to walk past the chocolate aisle in the supermarket';

....and so the list goes on. And no, I don't always jump to the conclusion that these 'buts' are just excuses. I genuinely believe that the people I talk to actually feel they are powerless. I also know something that these people probably don't know: they are slaves to their own negative beliefs. That is, they have not yet been show how to use their minds to create what they want. They continue to focus on what they don't want and as a result, they get more of the same; more disempowerment; more disappointment; more 'blah'.

But what they don't know is that it doesn't have to be that way. Do YOU have a case of the 'buts'? If so, write them down on a piece of paper. This is probably the most constructive thing you could do for yourself, because as you do this, you will reveal to yourself your own negative beliefs; that is the beliefs that have created your current circumstances; the beliefs that have created your current weight!

It is only necessary to want to do something and to know how to do it in order to be able to do it. So maintaining a healthy weight is about wanting it badly enough; wanting it enough to make time for physical exercise; wanting it enough to pass by the chocolate aisle at the supermarket. If you are having trouble losing weight, ask yourself: 'How badly do I want this?' Perhaps you don't really want it at all. Perhaps someone else wants it for you and you don't really want it yourself. Or maybe you're so terrified of failing you simply can't get started.

But getting started so very important! On the other hand if doing it all at once is too overwhelming for you, why not start small? Take an apple into work for morning tea rather than buying a donut. Have a skinny cappuccino instead of a full-fat one. Every little bit counts. 'Anna' did exactly this. She was so morbidly obese that making huge changes was far to overwhelming for her. So she started small. She had half a donut with morning tea instead of a whole donut. She ate fresh vegetables with her meal instead of rice or pasta. That way, she didn't feel as though she was depriving herself; and yes, she DID lose weight!

One of my clients said to me: 'Sonia, I have been skinny all my life. I just want to lose a couple of kilos off my stomach. Why is this so difficult for me this time?' After we reviewed his existing diet we found lots of little ways for him to cut down on his calorie intake. We started off with the cups of coffee. When we added it up we discovered that 'Laurie' was consuming 6 cups of coffee each day, each with a whopping 3 teaspoons of sugar!!! Can you imagine how thrilled he was to find that by making a few adjustments here and there he was able to shift the weight within a month despite having tried and failed for the past two years? 'Laurie' took control, and he did it by starting small.

If you want to lose weight and keep it off, start small and build up your 'success muscles'. The most important thing is to do something different; anything different. As you do this, you begin to say 'no more ifs or buts'; you will surprise yourself at how successful you can be. So congratulations in advance!