Think: Use Your Mind to Shrink Your Waistline

Meine (Ideal Shape for Life, 2012), a certified hypnotherapist specializing in weight loss, writes persuasively about helping dieters harness the power of their minds to change negative behaviors.

This self-help book includes stories of the author’s and his patients’ weight-loss struggles and explores the importance of the mind-body connection. “If the brain is not engaged in creating your ideal shape, ultimately any weight you lose will eventually come back—plus a few more pounds,” Meine writes. The way to optimize one’s brain, he posits, is through motivational hypnosis, either with a certified hypnotherapist or an audio program. Such an approach, he explains, “quiets” the conscious mind and allows the subconscious mind to more readily accept positive, healthy suggestions. Meine describes studies, quotes experts and cites statistics to convincingly support his method. For example, he details 10 negative behaviors that derail individuals from creating and sustaining their ideal weights: not getting a good night’s sleep, not drinking enough water, eating until (or after) one is full, self-sabotage or sabotage from others, not dealing with stress, not being able to visualize an ideal shape, eating too infrequently, eating quickly, eating and drinking too much sugar, and lacking the motivation to exercise. While many of these ideas have been explored in other diet books, the combination of all 10, with clear, well-supported explanations, sets this book apart. Meine not only defines each behavior, but also offers coping strategies to curb each one. The book includes a personal contract for readers who want to take the plunge, as well as charts, questionnaires and exercises; this interactive approach may inspire readers to better understand and take control of their lifestyles. The author suggests that a person can change a negative behavior in just 28 days, but “it’s critical to take them one at a time.” Meine has also developed an audio hypnosis program, “Brain Training for Effective Weight Loss,” for readers who can’t afford hypnotherapy, feel uncomfortable working with a hypnotherapist or want to augment one-on-one sessions.

A well-researched, smartly written self-help book that encourages readers to achieve their ideal shape.