Liz Taylor
Management
Austin, TX
I've had mild weight fluctuations in the past, but I really struggled with my weight for the last year. I was working way too much and I had a lot of stress. When I came to see Laura, I felt like “Gollum" from The Lord of the Rings and it was horrifying to me. I had terrible boundaries with my time and I was stress eating, I wasn't sleeping, and I wasn't working out. Things had really gotten off track for me.
I was wound up and spent my nights laying in bed and worrying about my job. I felt out of control because I was angry and I didn't know how to stop myself. Because I was working such late hours, I ordered a lot of delivery food and I didn't make good choices. I was snippy and impatient because I was exhausted and stressed all the time.
I've tried regular therapy and although it has been very helpful in some areas of my life, I wasn't working on stress management there. I did Weight Watchers briefly because I was trying to curb the weight that I had gained, but I stopped going because I wasn't working out and thought, “What is the point in eating well if I'm not going to the gym?"
My friend went to see Laura and recommended her to me, so I checked out the website and decided to call. I noticed immediately after my first session that I was sleeping better because Laura's voice really helped me to calm down. I was also eating smaller portions, snacking less, and making better food choices.
The change has been very easy for me because I came to the realization that I needed to adjust the way that I was approaching my life in order to meet my goals. Laura shone a light on my situation. We had a conversation about scheduling exercise and talked about what time I would have to leave work so that I could get to bed on time. She pointed out that if I couldn't get my work done within normal working hours, there was a serious problem.
Laura also helped me to realize that when I worked 65 hours a week, I was giving my company 25 hours a week for free and that was an alarming realization for me. After talking about it, I realized that she was right and now I'm diligent about leaving work on time so that I can go to bed and get up to go to the gym. It seems so obvious, but I'd never thought about it that way.
For me, this has been more of a lifestyle change than a weight loss thing. I feel more in control now because I'm managing my energy in a positive way. People at work are calling me Liz “2.0" because I don't get as stressed about things, I leave work at a normal time, and I'm more positive to be around. I cook and bake now and my home, my car, and my desk are all spotless. I'm calm and finally back to being me. A client who hadn't seen me in a while also mentioned that I looked awesome, which made me feel great.
I feel more confident because I'm getting things under control and feeling like I'm managing things better. I'm not snacking, bingeing, and overeating anymore and I've gone down a clothing size. I have already recommended A New Day Hypnosis because I think Laura is really good at what she does. Hypnosis is a different approach and I think it's been a nice compliment to my traditional therapy because we are working simultaneously on developing new behavioral patterns. I believe that these changes will be permanent because I know that I will continue to work to maintain my energy management effectively, I also like feeling rested and happy and want that to continue in my life.