Working with Weight Management Clients

A Solution Focused Hypnotherapist’s Perspective

When clients come to me for help with weight management, I understand that it’s never just about the weight. It’s about the whole person their habits, mindset, emotions, stress levels, and often, their sleep quality. Weight can sometimes be a symptom of deeper issues, and that’s where solution-focused hypnotherapy can offer a truly holistic approach.

Understanding Habits and the Brain’s Role
One of the key areas I focus on when working with clients is the way habits are formed and stored in the brain. Often, people develop eating habits that go beyond the physical need for food. Emotional triggers, such as stress or anxiety, can lead someone to seek comfort in food. This pattern of behaviour can become so automatic that it feels impossible to change.
This is where the hippocampus comes in. The hippocampus, which is responsible for memory and habit formation, stores these eating habits over time. For example, if a client has always reached for sugary snacks when they feel stressed, this behaviour becomes ingrained and stored as a response pattern in the brain. However, it’s important to remember that while these habits are stored, they aren’t fixed. The brain has the ability to change through neuroplasticity, meaning that with the right approach, new, healthier habits can be formed.
In our sessions, I work with clients to address these patterns, helping them recognise when they’re acting out of habit rather than hunger. By using solution focused hypnotherapy techniques, we can access the subconscious mind, where many of these automatic behaviours are stored, and begin to create new, healthier responses.

It’s Not Just About the Weight
One of the first things I discuss with my clients is that weight management is about much more than just the numbers on the scale. Many clients come in feeling frustrated, having tried various diets and exercise programs without lasting success. Often, that’s because these approaches focus on the symptoms (the weight itself) rather than the underlying causes, such as:

•    Stress: Stress plays a significant role in weight gain for many people. When we’re stressed, our bodies produce more cortisol, which can lead to weight gain, particularly around the abdomen. Not only that, but stress often triggers emotional eating. Hypnotherapy helps clients manage their stress in a healthy way, reducing the likelihood of turning to food for comfort.
•    Sleep Issues: Poor sleep is another common issue that can affect weight management. When we don’t get enough sleep, our bodies produce more ghrelin (a hormone that increases hunger) and less leptin (which signals fullness). As part of our work together, I often focus on helping clients improve their sleep patterns, which can have a significant impact on their overall health and well-being.
•    Self-Esteem and Body Image: Weight issues can also be tied to negative self-image or low self-esteem. Many clients have spent years feeling uncomfortable in their bodies, which can lead to feelings of guilt, shame, or frustration. In our sessions, I help clients reframe how they see themselves, building a more positive relationship with their body and fostering a sense of self-compassion.

The Miracle Question: Keeping It Realistic
A key part of my solution-focused approach is using the Miracle Question (MQ). This technique helps clients visualise what their future could look like if they achieved their goals. When it comes to weight management, it’s important that this vision is both realistic and meaningful for the client.

Rather than focusing on an ideal weight, I might ask:
“If a miracle happened overnight and you woke up feeling healthier and more in control of your lifestyle, what’s the first thing you’d notice?”
This shifts the focus from a specific number on the scale to the broader benefits of living a healthy life. It could be that the client feels more energetic, more confident, or sleeps better. By keeping the MQ focused on the client’s overall wellbeing, we can work toward practical and achievable goals, rather than setting unrealistic expectations that could lead to disappointment.

Defining a Healthy Lifestyle: What Does It Mean for You?
One of the most important things to remember is that every client’s idea of a healthy lifestyle is different. As the expert in their own life, the client knows best what changes they want to make and how they want to measure their progress.
For some clients, a healthy lifestyle might mean becoming more physically active, choosing nutritious foods, or reducing portion sizes. For others, it might involve addressing emotional eating, reducing stress, or improving sleep. My role is not to dictate what “healthy” should look like for them, but to guide them in defining it for themselves.
I often ask questions like:
•    “When you imagine yourself feeling your best, what kinds of habits do you see yourself having?”
•    “What small changes would make the biggest difference for you?”
•    “How would your life look different if you felt more in control of your health?”
These kinds of questions allow the client to visualise their version of success. They help me tailor my approach to each individual, ensuring that the changes we work on together are both meaningful and sustainable.

The Client is Always the Expert.
In solution-focused hypnotherapy, the client is always the expert in their own life. When it comes to weight management, this principle is especially important. No two clients will approach their journey in the same way, and it’s crucial that I respect each person’s individual preferences and pace.
I like to explore the client’s previous experiences with weight management. By asking “What’s worked for you in the past?”, I encourage them to reflect on their strengths and build on those. It’s also important to ask “What do you feel ready to start with?”, which helps the client take ownership of their journey and feel empowered to make changes that feel achievable.
Another essential aspect of this work is understanding that success isn’t always about the numbers on the scale. While some clients may use weight as a marker of progress, others may focus on how their clothes fit, their energy levels, or how they feel mentally and emotionally. I help clients identify these alternative measures of success, so they can celebrate the small victories along the way. It is key to remember here too that the human body is only designed to lose 2lbs of excess weight a week, so it is imperative that all goals are small and manageable. Even a 1lb loss weekly, leads to a Stone overall loss in 3 months. 

Conclusion
Working with clients on weight management requires a holistic approach that looks beyond the surface-level issue of weight. By addressing the deeper factors at play, such as stress, sleep, and self-esteem, we can create lasting change that goes far beyond the scale. Using solution focused hypnotherapy, I empower clients to take control of their health in a way that feels right for them. Together, we work to uncover their unique vision of a healthy lifestyle, helping them achieve their goals in a realistic and sustainable way.

 John Lowson (J Lowson Hypnotherapy) has worked for many years with clients for weight loss and weight gain and created long term changes for many clients. 

John Lowson is a clinical hypnotherapist and psychotherapist, hypnotherapy lecturer and clinical hypnotherapy supervisor based at the Halifax Hypnotherapy Clinic Ltd 12 Wade House Road, Halifax HX3 7PB Tel - 01422 861989