Burlington Hypnosis

Of 43 consecutive patients undergoing this treatment protocol, 39 reported remaining abstinent at follow-up (6 months to 3 years post-treatment). This represents a 90.6% success rate using hypnosis. (Int J Clin Exp Hypn. 2001 Jul;49(3):257-66. Barber J.)

Paul Gustafson, R.N., C.H. is an ‘A List’ provider on Angie’s List. Check out his Smoke-Free hypnosis program. Also available as cd or download.

A study published in the March 2012 issue of the Journal of Applied Physiology revealed the affect exercise has on regions of the brain associated with food reward. Researchers tested healthy young men and women who are habitually active by testing their reactions to food cues after exercise or after rest.

Exercise lowered participants’ reactions to both high-energy and low-energy food. The findings suggest exercise reduces pleasure of food, incentive motivation to eat, and anticipation and consumption of food when compared to responses at rest. A separate University of Colorado study of obese participants in an exercise program saw a similar result, with chronic exercise showing a reduction in the response of visual food cues.  ( carolyn_r 050212)

Paul Gustafson, R.N., C.H. is an ‘A List’ provider on Angie’s List. Check out his Gastric Band weight loss hypnosis program. It is also available as cd or download.

A study by researchers in the UK found hunger hormones were affected differently depending on the type of exercise. Resistance training and aerobic exercise were compared in a small group of healthy males in which three 8-hour sessions monitored ghrelin and peptide YY during exercise and two meals. Aerobic exercise beat out strength training for suppressing hunger.

Specifically, ghrelin, a hunger-stimulating hormone, decreased and peptide YY, which suppresses hunger, increased during aerobic exercise. Though strength training also decreased hunger, it only lowered ghrelin, while peptide YY did not change significantly. The effect of the hormone changes lasted about two hours. ( carolyn_r 050212)

Paul Gustafson, R.N., C.H. is an ‘A List’ provider on Angie’s List. Check out his Gastric Band weight loss hypnosis program. It is also available as cd or download.

Many are curious if their obesity is passed down. The heritability of obesity is a concept that points to genetics for the variation of weight in the population. Scientists have discovered a “fat mass and obesity associated” (FTO) gene that is strongly associated with BMI and obesity.

But a fat gene doesn’t have to dash your healthy weight dreams. That is, if you’re willing to get more zzz’s. A large scale study of twins found that those who slept under seven hours a night had greater genetic influences on BMI than environmental factors such as diet and exercise. The reverse was true for those who got more than nine hours of sleep. Specifically, genes accounted for 70% of the differences in body mass index for the sleep-deprived twins, as opposed to just 32% in well-rested participants.

Sleeping more therefore helps your healthy habits like diet and exercise count, while lowering how obesity genes affect you. While those with the FTO gene were found to be around seven pounds heavier, the effects of additional sleep on turning off that gene could help make up the weight difference. (carolyn_r 050512)

Paul Gustafson, R.N., C.H. is an ‘A List’ provider on Angie’s List. Check out his Gastric Band weight loss hypnosis program. It is also available as cd or download.

I remember my days working at Mass General Hospital and how many of my colleagues saw getting by on minimal sleep as a badge of honor . I talk about sleep with my weight loss clients and hear the same story.  As Rodney Dangerfield might say “sleep gets no respect”. Living a healthy fit healthy life is all about balance and routine quality sleep is a big part of the plan.

Beware of falling below the six-hour mark. A review of studies reveals the role inadequate sleep may play in increasing the vulnerability to obesity. Those who fall below six hours of sleep a night have an increased body mass index, diabetes and hypertension. This may be due to the fact that lack of sleep negatively affects your ability to make good food choices.

Not only does sleep loss boost appetite, but it may also make you less discerning. A separate University of Chicago study found subjects who slept just four hours, two nights in a row reported a 24% increase in appetite and their cravings for sweets, salty, and starchy foods greatly increased. (carolyn_r 050512)

Paul Gustafson, R.N., C.H. is an ‘A List’ provider on Angie’s List. Check out his Gastric Band weight loss hypnosis program. It is also available as cd or download.

If changing the effects of your genes isn’t reason enough to get to bed earlier, maybe keeping your metabolism revved will help pull up the covers. A new Brigham and Women’s Hospital study kept subjects in a completely controlled environment nearly six weeks. Initially participants were given optimal sleep, about ten hours a night, followed by three weeks of sleep deprivation, a mere 5.6 hours a night. The last nine nights of the study allowed recovery sleep at the usual ten hours.

The results showed a significant decrease in resting metabolic rate, as well as an increase in glucose concentrations after meals. According to researchers’ results, the effects of lack of sleep could translate to a yearly weight of over ten pounds if diet and activity go unchanged and an increased risk of diabetes.

Bottom line, shooting for seven to eight hours of sleep a night is adequate, while more is optimal. Yet even if you have healthy habits for diet and exercise, getting less than seven hours of sleep could increase your incidence of chronic disease and cause weight gain long term. (carolyn_r 050512)

Paul Gustafson, R.N., C.H. is an ‘A List’ provider on Angie’s List. Check out his Gastric Band weight loss hypnosis program. It is also available as cd or download.