When I first set out to write this article, the idea was to explain to fellow-dieters how tremendously useful self-hypnosis and NLP is to ensure weight loss success. Somehow it didn't quite turn out that way. What started as a superficial intellectual exercise ended as an in-depth personal exploration of my own weight loss theories.

How did it all come about? At the time I was preparing the material for a new e-book about weight loss through hypnosis, my personal life was rather complicated and getting more complicated by the day. Somewhere along the way I had also picked up a few very stubborn kilos that I just couldn't get rid off.

I'd start dieting (usually on a Monday), perfectly motivated and committed, but within 24 to 48 hours I would have found a very good reason to come off my diet. Sometimes it wasn't that well defined, I would just sort of slide off without noticing, until at some point I would realize that whet I am eating now could under no circumstances fit into any diet plan.

As I was working with the self-hypnosis material the whole day long, it did eventually dawn on me that I could try it on myself.

Why is it so difficult the 2nd (or 3rd or 4th or 5th) time around? First I needed to formulate the problem clearly. So what is the matter here? I can get the energy and courage together to start, but persevering beyond 48 hours seems impossible.

So how can I use self-hypnosis and NLP to keep me going? Incorporating NLP into my effort is super-easy- I create and set an anchor that I can fire each time I feel like comfort eating. I am quite susceptible to this sort of thing- so I chose to set a bursting-with-happiness anchor.

Incorporating self-hypnosis is a bit more complicated. Naturally, I will benefit from the relaxation aspect of it. My life is so stressful at the moment; I can do with all the help I can get. But if I am finally going to get rid of those extra kilos permanently, I need more.

Like I said, I don't have any difficulty starting a diet and/or exercise program, it's keeping at it that seems to be my downfall. I checked all the common ecological factors. Is there secondary gain? Does this extra weight serve a purpose? Do I really want to lose this weight? No, no and yes!

It struck me that the problem may be insufficient preparation. Not physical, I know I have to empty the cupboards off temptation and get in all the healthy stuff before I go on a diet. I mean mental preparation. So I design a bespoke program of twice a day self-hypnosis sessions that incorporates a relaxation induction, a suggestion phase with personalized affirmations based famous motivational and inspirational quotes that have been meaningful to me in my life so far, a powerful confidence boosting phase to make me feel better about myself, my favorite weight loss script, a script of help me stick to my exercise program and a chocolate aversion script to cure me of my current chocolate addiction.

Because I am a very strong kinesthetic, I chose tactile accessories: a rose quartz crystal to help me calm down, a vanilla candle to make me feel good (it brings back powerful memories of a care-free childhood) and the services of the housecat, Minuit. Stroking him while I listen to my self-hypnosis recordings does something for my soul that is difficult to put into words. Those animal therapy guys must be onto something. If you are auditory or visual, none of this will make any sense to you. But it you are kinesthetic too, you will know exactly how I feel.

I started my mental preparation 7 days before I started my diet. It worked and keeps on working. I now only listen to the recording once a day. It has become my exclusive, private, invest-in-myself me-time. I also discovered that a luxurious bubble bath is a very effective kinesthetic prop. I knew my method worked; after all I had used it with my patients many times before and with their help had fine-tuned it to the sleek system it is today. But as I had never had any weight problems before, I had never had the opportunity to try it out.

Now I have, and can say with conviction from personal experience that it works. And that it does indeed have various unexpected side-benefits. My stress levels have come down dramatically, and because I am calmer and more confident and centered, my communication skills and therefore all my relationships have improved dramatically. And I haven't touched (or craved!) chocolate in months!