Sometimes I am able to do this. But most of the time, overeating is often a symptom of something deeper. Just like the alcoholic, the overeater is often craving for the next 'fix'; only the poison is not alcohol - it is food. The first step to overcoming food addiction is to recognise the reasons why you do it. We are all different, but here are the 4 most common reasons why my clients eat too much:

ONE: Stuffing Down Emotions

Many of us grow up in culture that frowns upon expression of negative emotions. We are told to 'put on a happy face', or that 'you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar'. It is true, sometimes we have to be diplomatic; but what exactly are we expected to do with all that leftover vinegar?

Many people the answer is to ignore it. They grow up believing that they are not allowed to feel angry because anger is a negative emotion. The truth? All emotions have a purpose. Anger, sadness and fear can all useful emotions in different circumstances, and we can learn to express all of these emotions in a logical, rational and respectful way.

The problem is that most people are not taught how to do this, so instead of developing healthy communications skills, they find themselves using food to repress or 'stuff down' those unwanted feelings. Food becomes a numbing device.

TWO: Filling a Hole

Do you ever get the feeling that something is not quite right with you but you can't put your finger on it? Your subconscious mind is very intelligent, and it often knows exactly what the real problem is. It offers us clues and signals as to how to address our internal issues; but it can be difficult to recognise the signals. Many people misinterpret these signals as hunger.

When 'Julie' made her first appointment, she was fiercely adamant that there was no emotional reason for her overeating. Her hunger, she said, was insatiable and never-ending. If I could just 'flick the switch' inside her, she was sure everything would sort itself out. However, further investigation revealed that 'Julie' was in fact using food to fill an emotional void. She had had a string of failed romances and her problem worsened after each break-up.

During hypnosis I addressed both the physical and psychological elements of her overeating, and after 3 sessions she was a new woman. Her insatiable hunger had disappeared, and she was well on the road to recovery.

THREE: Because Someone Tells Us Not To

Is there someone in your life who says 'should you be eating that....?' The one sure way do make sure a person does something is to tell them NOT to do it. It is human nature to resist another person's attempted dominance. Many people think they can help their partner or friend to lose weight by 'encouraging' them. However, there is a very real difference between encouragement and nagging. One works, the other doesn't.

'Cathy' had been married for 33 years. It was an unhappy marriage, and she came to me not only to lose weight, but also to work on her self-esteem, which had eroded to almost non-existence. During our work together, we discovered that Cathy's overeating was directly related to her husband's constant criticism of her weight and her eating habits.

Our sessions were focused on helping 'Cathy' to break ties from the negative effects of her husband's behaviour. She was able to get in touch with her subconscious mind and let it know she was making these positive changes for her, and NOT her husband. Once she did this, she was able to lose weight easily. Her overeating vanished and her self-esteem blossomed.

FOUR: Because We Can

One of the biggest blocks to weight loss is unwillingness to take responsibility. Do you honestly believe that you cannot control your eating? Or is it simply that you love to eat too much? This was the case with 'Jan', who was sent to me by her children. They believed she needed to lose weight. She didn't. End of story.

Grudgingly, she attended her sessions. In her second session, 'Jan' revealed to me that she had no intention of changing her behaviour. That she liked herself the way she was and that was that. We agreed to end the session there and then, with the understanding that I as a hypnotherapist simply don't have the ability to make someone do something that they don't want to do.

If you want to stop overeating, examine your motivation. Are you changing your behavior because you think you should, or because you truly want to? A little self-evaluation goes a long way when we want to make life changes.