Weight Management

The Positive Spiral Weight Management Program. This program consists of four 1-hour hypnosis session and includes the option of a one-hour consultation with a Registered Dietitian (she will bill you separately). The hypnosis package is $300.00 and includes a CD (or mp3 downloads) to use at home.

You may also be interested in our Saturday Weight Loss Club. This is a 6-week program (2 hours for 6 consecutive Saturday mornings) for people who need to lose 50-100lbs. Each session includes hypnosis and/or meditation, discussion and guest speakers, plus gentle exercise (with Lauren Fitts, certified Pilates instructor). The next program will begin Saturday, March 24 and costs $150.

• Weight loss, as modest as 5 to 15% of total body weight in a person who is overweight or obese, reduces the risk factors for some diseases, particularly heart disease.

• Weight loss can result in lower blood pressure, lower blood sugar, and improved cholesterol levels.

• A person with a Body Mass Index (BMI) above the healthy weight range* may benefit from weight loss, especially if he or she has other health risk factors, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, a sedentary lifestyle, and a personal and/or family history of heart disease.

• One small chocolate chip cookie (50 calories) is equivalent to walking briskly for 10 minutes.

• The difference between a large gourmet chocolate chip cookie and a small chocolate chip cookie could be about 40 minutes of raking leaves (200 calories).

• One hour of walking at a moderate pace (20 min/mile) uses about the same amount of energy that is in one jelly filled doughnut (300 calories).

• A fast food "meal" containing a double patty cheeseburger, extra-large fries and a 24 oz. soft drink is equal to running 2½ hours at a 10 min/mile pace (1500 calories).

  The National Institutes of Health define obesity and overweight using a Body Mass Index (BMI), which is a calculation of a person's weight in kilograms divided by the square of their height in meters. An overweight adult is defined as one with a BMI between 25 and 29.9, while an obese adult has a BMI of 30 or higher. In children and adolescents, overweight is defined as a sex-and-age specific BMI at or above the 95th percentile, based on revised growth charts by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There is no generally accepted definition for obesity for children and adolescents.

  The risk of death, although modest until a BMI of 30 is reached, increases with an increasing BMI. Obese adults have a 50 to 100 percent increased risk of premature death compared to adults with a BMI of 20 to 25. But even moderate weight excess (10 to 20 pounds for a person of average height) increases the risk of death, particularly among adults aged 30 to 64 years.