Look Into My Eyes…Now Put Those French Fries Down!

When you think about hypnotism, images such as a creepy old guy dangling a gold watch in front of some unsuspecting stranger and making him do crazy stuff like backflips and squawking like a chicken tend to float towards the front of your mind (or if you’re as obsessed with Harry Potter as I am, the Imperius Curse that Moody cast on that poor spider).

But can it help you lose weight?

Hypno-dieting, a new trend that just emerged in the U.S., has been popularized by its celebrity following, including former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell and British model Sophie Dahl. Recently, Lily Allen made headlines when she too endorsed this new type of fad diet, claiming that after several sessions she felt more inclined to choose healthy, low-fat meals rather than junk food. All of which made her lose 2 dress sizes! It’s also helped her give up her beloved bottle of booze, a feat in itself (of which many of my dormmates might take note).

Personally, I think all of this is just hyped-up mumbo-jumbo. I do realize that a healthy approach towards food is a key aspect of living a healthy life, and that counseling could help you get there, but a hypnotist? That seems a little extreme. This reminds me of other weird diets that have gone in and out of fashion, like the Breatharian Diet (yes, a diet based on living off of air- so chock full of nutrients, I suppose) or the diet that Emily from The Devil Wears Prada is on, which she describes as:

“I’m on this new diet where I don’t eat anything until I feel like I’m about to pass out, then I eat a cube of cheese.”

Ok, so it’s not as crazy as that, but giving someone else control over your mind so they can order you to eat healthier? And for 300 euro/hr? Now, that just makes me laugh.

Have you ever gone on a strange diet like the hypno-diet? And I’m curious, did it work?