A pound of fat contains 3,500 calories, so in order to drop a pound in weight over the course of a week you need to create a deficit of 500 calories per day in your daily intake.
My first session took place on the Monday afternoon, 19-05-08. It was conducted by Marion, using the standard case conceptualisation forms and documentation, and it lasted about two hours. We would normally expect these to last a little longer with clients. I also underwent a short hypnotherapy and guided imagery introduction session afterwards, which is the normal procedure.
The second session took place on Friday the 23rd May: it consisted of CBT and hypnotherapy. I was introduced to the idea that my stomach was shrinking, that I wanted to eat smaller portions and to eat less often, also interestingly to the idea that the taste of alcohol was no longer quite as appealing as in the past.
At the end of the session I underwent a standard 'Metabolic Fingerprinting' procedure, which enabled us to confirm my exact RMR, resting metabolic rate: mine was 1,710. The test is undertaken using a hand held device from the USA, which when connected to a computer, allows the equipment to monitor the amount of oxygen you breath in and its temperature against the amount and temperature of the exhaled oxygen.
During the sessions I was continually told how my stomach was shrinking, always getting smaller. As happens with every client, I spent the second session holding a 1lb jar of simulated medical human fat, not a pleasant sight or memory. During another, I alternated between holding a melon, (quite heavy), and a golf ball in my hand: I was told to visualise the heavy melon as my large existing stomach and the little golf ball as my new miniature replacement. Other topics covered included the detailed description of a collection of some very clever portion control secrets, and some quite comprehensive information about a group of people known as diet terrorists: they really are everywhere!