5 Proven NLP techniques for weight loss

When you hit that “Oh my God, I am gaining too much weight” moment, You decide to cut off all the junk and eat healthy, But! That tub of ice cream in your fridge is not letting you do so, Right?. Everyone thinks weight loss is all about physical effort like working out and following a balanced diet. But I can tell you all of it depends on your mindset.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimates that up to 75% of overeating is induced by emotions rather than hunger. That is sometimes you are not eating because you are hungry. On the last day my friend said, “I was so sad and was in the mood for a biryani, so I just ate”. Which simply implies your emotions can control you and your meal plan. When was the last time you had this craving? Today? Yesterday?.
How can you get rid of this cycle? Let me tell you! A study in Behavioral Medicine found that addressing emotional eating through psychological interventions like NLP(Neuro Linguistic Programming) can significantly reduce the likelihood of weight gain​. Yes, NLP might be your solution.

Here I am going to reveal 5 Proven NLP Techniques that would change you and your lifestyle.

1. Visualization

So here’s our first technique, Visualization. As the name reflects you should create mental images of yourself achieving your desired output. Imagine yourself at your ideal body weight, without that big tummy fat, In your favorite outfit that you always wanted to wear. This mental “rehearsal” will keep your brain motivated to choose healthier.

What you should do:

• Define specific weightloss goals. Imagine yourself getting into your desired body weight or dress size. The clearer your goal, the higher the chances you are gonna achieve it. 
• When you are practicing visualization, close your eyes and create mental images and picture them in detail. See what you look like in your ideal body weight, your dress, it’s color. If you are visualizing yourself jogging, engage all your senses and try imagining the sound of the footsteps as well. See yourself confidently interacting with people
• Practice visualization daily, especially before meals or workouts, to mentally reinforce your weight loss journey. Over time, this consistent mental practice helps rewire your brain to favor healthier decisions.
• You will have potential blockers in your way. It can be a chocolate cake from a birthday party. Visualize overcoming these challenges, visualize choosing a healthy salad over junk food at a restaurant.

When you practice visualization consistently you are always thinking about the perks of achieving the end result. This keeps you motivated throughout your weightloss journey.
Visualization creates neural pathways in the brain related to the habits you are mentally rehearsing. When you repeatedly practice this technique, your brain will start to connect this with success and it will become easy for you to implement this in real life.
So, before an evening out with friends or family, visualize yourself making smart choices by having a healthy meal instead of junk, plain water instead of carbonated drinks and feeling proud by the end of the day.

2.Submodality shift

When you think of a packet of chips, it looks colorful and yummy, you can hear the crunch as you imagine biting one, you can feel the thinness of the chip in your hand. This is an example of submodality. Submodalities are fine details of our internal experiences, how we represent thoughts, memories, and emotions in our minds via sensory channels such as sight, hearing, and sensation.
Submodality shift is intentionally altering these sensory details to change how you feel about a memory or habit. This technique can help you reduce your cravings.

Lets see how it works:
Let’s explore how this works with the previous example. Take that yum chips packet. Normally, you might visualize this as we discussed above,  it looks colorful and yummy, you can hear the crunch as you imagine biting one, you can feel the thinness of the chip in your hand. Now shift your submodalities, start by dimming the visual brightness of those chips in your mind, make it less appealing, imagine it as tasteless and in black and white . Change the scent to a foul smell. Change the thin chips in your hand to soggy. As you adjust these sensory details, notice how your craving begins to diminish. Practicing this regularly can significantly reduce your intake of unhealthy foods.

3.Dissociation

Another powerful NLP technique is Dissociation. This involves separating yourself emotionally from unhealthy eating habits that cause weight gain. It’s like stepping out of your body and observing your actions from a distance.

How to apply Dissociation
Picture a recent time when you indulged in overeating. Now, imagine stepping out of your body and watching the scene as if you were a neutral observer, or like watching a movie of yourself. From this perspective, observe what led to the overeating—was it stress, boredom, or something else? Seeing yourself from this detached view helps you identify triggers and patterns in your behavior without self-judgment.
To make this technique more effective, imagine advising a friend who is in the same situation. What would you tell them? This external viewpoint can provide insights and solutions that are not apparent when you are emotionally involved in the situation.

4.Positive Language

Words have power, especially the words you use to talk to yourself. Positive language can help reshape your eating habits and your thoughts about food.
Implementing Positive Language: Start by listening to how you talk about food and your eating habits. Replace negative or self-defeating thoughts like “I shouldn’t have eaten that” with positive affirmations like “I choose to eat healthy because I respect my body.” Instead of saying “I can’t have that cake,” say “I choose not to have that cake because I prefer feeling light and healthy.” This shifts your mindset from one of deprivation to one of empowerment.

5.Pattern Interrupt

This technique involves breaking the automatic sequence of behaviors that lead to undesirable outcomes, like mindless snacking or overeating. It’s about inserting an intentional action to disrupt that pattern and change the course of your behavior.

How to use Pattern Interrupt: Identify a habit you want to change, such as snacking while watching TV. Create a plan to interrupt this pattern. For example, you could decide that each time you want to snack, you’ll first drink a glass of water and wait for 10 minutes. Often, this break is enough to disrupt the habitual action and reduce the urge to snack.
Or, change the environment associated with the habit. If you usually sit in a specific chair when you snack, sit somewhere else. This physical change can help break the mental pattern of associating snacking with relaxing in front of the TV.

Bringing It All Together
By incorporating these five NLP techniques into your daily routine, you can fundamentally alter how you interact with food and approach your weight loss journey. Visualization strengthens your motivation and aligns your subconscious with your goals. Submodality shifts and dissociation help manage cravings and emotional eating. Positive language shifts your mindset towards empowerment, and pattern interrupts break the cycle of habitual, non-conscious eating.

Remember, the key thing is consistent practice. Like any skill, the more you practice, the more proficient you become.