Cant Lose Weight? 

Emotional Roadblock 6:   Secondary Gain

This is an issue that also must be addressed or you are wasting your money on any weight loss program. Secondary gain is when a person unconsciously holds on to the pounds for some sort of protective reason.

Often, it is to protect the client from having to become intimate or sexually active. It can happen just as often with men as with women. The client was promiscuous in youth and is now happily married and fearful that if the weight comes off, they will again be promiscuous. It sounds preposterous but it is very real and firmly embedded in the inner mind.

The reasons for this protection are endless. I once had a client say that they "like to be in charge of more atoms." As a person of small stature, I completely understand this. It is easy to feel vulnerable when you perceive yourself little.

And then there is the issue of attention. Women often feel uncomfortable having men notice them. Sometimes husbands will sabotage their wives' (or vice versa) so that no one else will be attracted to them. It is quite common for a person to feel very uncomfortable when being complimented for having lost weight. They don't want the attention and wonder why they are receiving attention just for weighing less. Sometimes this can even result in anger as in "I'm the same person as I was before, what was wrong with me then?"

Many clients are totally unaware that their weight is protection and they really don't want to let go of the excess weight. It's as though they have 2 parts that are in conflict. One wants to let go of the weight and another wants to keep that instant satisfaction that sugary, fatty foods provide.

Again, like the other roadblocks, this issue is easily neutralized with discovery and therapy in hypnotherapy.

**Slender for Life™ Hypnosis and Slender for Life™ Program are trademarks of Abundant Living Resources LLC.