WEIGHT LOSS

Sixty-five per cent of men and 45 per cent of women are now overweight or obese, says the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. That's an increase of around 15 per cent among both sexes since 1980. Even children are getting fatter, according to the recent NSW Childhood Obesity Summit.

Obesity is associated with numerous health problems. In a study conducted for Australia's Healthy Weight Task Force in 2001 it was found that heart disease is 40 per cent higher in people who are obese, while diabetes is 30 per cent more common.

Arthritis, when compared with people of acceptable weight, is 50 per cent more prevalent in those who are overweight and 70 per cent more prevalent in the obese.

At the 2002 Sydney Eat and Run conference, the head of the World Health Organisation's nutrition and cancer unit, Dr Elio Riboli, noted that excess weight has also been linked to colon, endometrial, oesophagus and renal cancer as well as post-menopausal breast cancer. "Obesity is set to be the single biggest disease this century," he said.
As if all of this wasn't enough, obesity has been shown to have a negative effect on levels of functioning, mood and self-esteem.

Financially, too, the cost to the community is high. Australia's annual health bill for the treatment of illness associated with overweight and obesity exceeds $800 million, according to the National Health and Medical Research Council.

Hypnosis is a very effective way to change to a healthier way of life. This involves the person changing their eating ‘habits’. It never involves any diet of any kind. Hypnosis looks at the reason the individual eats the way they do. Once the person understands where there eating patterns came from, they are then able to change them.