We are rapidly approaching that time of year when most people's minds turn to, among other things, their stomachs. Christmas is a time for over-eating - and inevitably a time, shortly afterwards, when many people turn to hypnotherapy for help with weight loss.

Weight loss is simple, right? You just have to eat less and exercise more. Easier said than done sometimes, but now scientists have come up with an interesting new theory that could make it easier for all of us. And, as so often, they seem to think it's all in the mind.

Their studies found that people who repeatedly IMAGINED the consumption of an item of food subsequently consumed less of that food than people who imagined consuming the food just a few times or performed a different task.

The result, from a study of more than 300 volunteers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania, seems to fly in the face of intuition that imagining a meal will make your mouth water even more.

Carey Morewedge, an assistant professor there, said: "Trying to suppress one's thoughts of desired foods in order to curb cravings for those foods is a fundamentally flawed strategy. We have two components in our desire for food: liking and wanting. You may very much like ice cream but not want it for breakfast. We also have a more motivational aspect called wanting, and that's more of a desire to consume this thing right now or to obtain more of it."

Morewedge and his team saw a reduction of around 50% in the amount of food consumed by participants who had been told to imagine eating before being given the bowl of food.

So there you have it: think hard enough about that extra chocolate and you might find yourself eating only half of it. And if you decide you need to train your mind further in your approach to food, you might find that cognitive hypnotherapy is the route for you. You can find out more about this at www.nickjenkinshypnotherapy.co.uk.

Losing weight - the thinking person's way

Want to lose weight? Almost certainly, the answer to that question is "yes". Some people are lucky to be naturally slim, burning up all the energy they consume. I used to be like that when I was younger but, like most people, I've found it harder as I've got older. When I exercise hard - like when I was training for the London Marathon this year - I can keep my waistline under control. In fact, that is one of the great things about running a marathon: in the days leading up to it, you can eat as much as you like, knowing you are going to burn it off!

But, in the long run, many of us need help to stop our waistlines expanding as we grow older. And cognitive hypnotherapy is a proven way of helping with that. It doesn't involve tough diets - or drinking weird "milkshakes". Nor does it involve counting the calories in everything you eat. What it does do is re-educate your mind, helping you to CHOOSE to eat more healthily - and therefore to BE healthier. And that is the natural way of losing weight.

And now there is an interesting new website that allows you to try out this new way of losing weight for yourself. Take a look at

http://www.thinkingslimmer.com/thinking_slimmer_weight_loss_home

It gives you the chance to lose weight while listening to downloads using the voice of Trevor Silvester, the creator of cognitive hypnotherapy. He is the man who trained me at the Quest Institute, which he founded, and I can vouch for the fact that he is a great communicator. And what he wants to communicate to you is the knowledge that you already possess the strengths and abilities within yourself to lose the weight that you want to lose - and become the person you want to be. I would definitely recommend giving thinkingslimmer.com a go.

Afraid of flying?

Hypnotherapy is a great way of conquering a fear of flying. This is something that can afflict anyone - whether they are usually the fearful type or not. And like many phobias, it might be amusing to others, but if you suffer from it, then it is definitely a serious business.

Cognitive hypnotherapy doesn't just tell you to stop being afraid. First of all, I would find out the cause of your fear and the form your fear takes. Because we are all different. Then I would address your individual fear - the one that stops YOU getting on a plane.

And hypnotherapy really does work. Have a read of this story from East Yorkshire:

http://www.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk/news/Man-terrified-flying-goes-pilot-s-licence-hypnotherapy-sessions/article-2797079-detail/article.html

So if you'd like to find out what hypnotherapy can do for you, take a look at www.nickjenkinshypnotherapy.co.uk. Speak to you soon!

What does it take a get a smoker to want to quit? One told me recently that there was no point telling her about the poisons in cigarettes. Nor would telling her how much money she could save influence her.

So what would influence her? Pressure from her children or from her partner? Children can be very persuasive. Or concerns about health? Doctors can be even more persuasive when they tell you to stop - or to expect a greatly reduced lifespan.

Of course, every smoker is different. Every smoker does it for a different reason - and the same goes for reasons to quit. But there can be few smokers unaware of the world closing in on them.

Researchers at the University of Aberdeen found recently that nearly nine out of 10 mouth, oesophagus and larynx cancers in the under-50s were caused by smoking tobacco, along with drinking too much and a poor diet. Just one of the reasons, no doubt, why ASH has called for a consultation on banning smoking in vehicles in Scotland. It's bad enough for adults to be harming themselves, without passing on the habit to their children.

Meanwhile, the Welsh medical chief has called for a widening of the existing smoking ban and one doctor has even called for a complete ban on parents smoking in their homes.

Even if money isn't a factor in stopping smoking - and in these straitened times, it perhaps ought to be - this seems like an excellent time for smokers to be thinking seriously about how they can stop smoking. And cognitive hypnotherapy is an excellent way of doing it.

Many smokers will have thought of trying stop smoking hypnotherapy, and many will have tried it - some successfully, some less so. But it really is worth considering cognitive hypnotherapy if you want to stop smoking.

Of course, cognitive hypnotherapy is not a magic wand. But what it does do is identify the reasons and motivations that are specific to you. I don't just read out a stop smoking script that is the same for everyone. As a cognitive hypnotherapist, I want to know what makes you tick - because it is only by getting to the heart of what motivates you, that I can help you in the most effective way possible. It's no good me telling you I would do in your place... I need to know what YOU need to do, and to help you to do it.

If this sounds like it make sense, and you are a smoker in south east London who wants to quit, take a look at my website, and find out more about how stop smoking hypnotherapy can help you to change your life...

www.nickjenkinshypnotherapy.co.uk