Day 1

I purchased Susan Hepburn's Hypnodiet from itunes today in an attempt to see how it could change my views on eating. After hearing so many reviews on the diet, on its renowned success for curing A list celebrities, footballers and regular average Joe's of their unhealthy eating habits, I was interested to see if it could work for myself.

The idea behind the diet is to listen to Hepburn's 25 minute hypnosis, through which see gets you to fall gently and slowly into a state of complete calm and serenity. You become detached from your body and focus on you breathing and mind. She then asks you to imagine yourself in front of a full length mirror, looking at your reflection as your desirable size (however unlikely you think that image might be). She encourages you to think that she can almost certainly help you achieve that size if you listen to the hypnosis every day until you reach the goal.

Hepburn also asks you to return to you baby state, where you knew exactly when you were hungry and when you were full. She wants you to recall that feeling of knowing and control over our digestive system. You are then told that you will be able to eat whatever you want, so long as it is healthy and good for your body. Treats are not exempt form the diet, and Hepburn encourages you to treat yourself but to stop when you've had enough. At last a diet where chocolate and cake is still ok!

Another important factor that the hypnotherapist asks you to recognise, is that exercise should no longer be thought of as a chore; that it should come naturally and be as important as eating.

The audio book starts off with about an hour of Hepburn talking about the diet, its benefits and issues she will cover in the hypnosis. She gives countless case study examples of her clients and unfortunately it can become very repetitive and longwinded. Thankfully you need only listen to this once, as it is strictly the intro to the program. You do, however have to listen to the hypnosis every day (which is about 25 minutes in length).

My hypnosis was a very enjoyable experience. I fell into a quiet zone very quickly, shutting my curtains, turning off my phone and locking my door. I was warm, comfortable and calm listening to Hepburn's rhythmic voice. Though there is a tendency for the northern hypnotherapist to sound like mystic Meg, its remarkable how soothing her voice sounds and how quickly you fall into the sleep-like trance. Hypnosis takes you to a place somewhere between sleep and consciousness. Hepburn is attempting to reach our subconscious mind but the proof is in the results, so I have yet to see if my subconscious has listen to a word she has said.

I woke up feeling very sleepy but incredibly relaxed. It almost felt as though I had taken drugs and was on some kind of trip and it did feel amazing. Funnily enough it was a similar feeling to that I had experienced at the end of my yoga class after 5 minutes of laying in Savasana (the corpse pose).
My ideal body image was of myself but as I was over a year ago, just over 9 stone and a size 8. The happiest I've ever been and full of energy. For me, my goal is reachable - I know because Ive been there, though it took some rather unorthodox methods to get myself there, including extreme low calorie dieting, diet pills and bulimia. I would be interested to see whether Hepburn's method can take me again to this fantastic body in a much safer and realistic way. A way that will stay with me and continue throughout my life.