Most daily food choices are a trade between now and later. The biscuit is right here; the benefit of leaving it is somewhere far off and fuzzy. When later feels vague, now wins almost every time. Nothing is wrong with you. Attention simply works that way.
One of the techniques I use most in hypnosis is called future pacing. It means vividly imagining a future version of yourself, so that later becomes something you can see, hear and feel. Below I explain how it works in plain terms and why it can make small choices easier, then share four sessions that use it in different ways.
What future pacing actually is
Future pacing is a rehearsal. In a relaxed state, you picture yourself at some point ahead, having kept up the habits you care about. You notice what you are wearing, how you move, what you say to people and how it feels to be that version of you. Then you look back and notice the small steps that got you there.
Performers often run through an event in their mind beforehand so the real thing feels familiar. With eating habits the aim is similar: to make the choices of your future self feel like your own choices now, rather than rules handed down from outside.
This is not wishful thinking. You are not telling yourself that change will happen by magic. You are giving your mind a clear, detailed picture of where you are heading and how you got there, which tends to make the steps in between feel more natural.
Why it makes everyday choices easier
When the future feels real, small decisions start to carry more weight. Choosing water over a fizzy drink stops being a sacrifice and becomes a vote for someone you have already met in your imagination. Many people find it feels less like resisting and more like remembering who they are becoming.
It works best when the picture is specific and kind. A vague wish to be thinner has little pull. A clear scene of you walking along a beach feeling relaxed, or keeping up with friends on a long walk, has much more. Include the bumps along the way too, so your future self is someone who handled setbacks, not someone who never had any.
There is a second benefit. When you picture yourself further ahead, you also see the cost of carrying on as you are. Some of my sessions show two futures side by side for this reason. Seeing both, calmly and without fear, can help you make a decision you have been putting off.
- Make the scene specific: place, clothes, people
- Focus on how it feels, not only how it looks
- Include the setbacks you got through
- Look back at the small steps that led there
Something to try: a short visit to later
Find a quiet moment and close your eyes. Picture yourself some time from now, on an ordinary day, having kept up one habit you care about. Notice where you are, what you can hear and how your body feels. Then ask that future you one question: ‘What did you do today that helped?’
Listen to the first answer that comes. It is usually something small and practical. Open your eyes and do that one thing before the day is out.
If nothing comes at first, that is fine. Try again tomorrow, or picture a slightly different scene. Like any skill, it gets easier with practice.
Episodes to listen to
Each of these sessions takes you forward in time to meet a future version of yourself. The settings and tone are quite different, so try a couple and see which one stays with you.
Meeting the Slim You of Your Future
You meet the future version of yourself who has already made the changes, and interview them about how they did it. A wobbly bridge stands for the unsettled stage of changing habits before a new routine feels steady. The session also encourages slowing down to get more flavour from your food.
Good if you want practical answers from your future self rather than a pep talk.
The Photo Album of the Compelling Slim Future
An imagined photo album shows scenes from a fuller, more confident life ahead: travel, friends, work you enjoy. When you look closely, the pictures come to life. The idea is that changing your body becomes a side effect of building a life you want, and past attempts become useful learning.
Good if you feel your reasons for changing have been weak or mostly about pleasing others.
The Perspective to Decide to Lose Weight for a Desirable Future
This session splits your future into two timelines: one where current habits carry on unchanged, and one where you eat good food you enjoy without dieting. Seeing both clearly is meant to help you decide, from a calm place, which way to go. It puts consistency ahead of perfection.
Good if you know you want to change but have not quite made the decision.
A Slim and Confident Future: Weight Loss Hypnosis
This is a longer, deeper session. After relaxing in an imagined forest, you travel forward to a beach party and step into a more confident future version of yourself in front of a mirror. From there you look back at the small choices and wins that led there, including how you handled setbacks.
Good if you have time for a longer session and like to go deep.
Common questions
What is future pacing in hypnosis?
Future pacing is a technique where you vividly imagine yourself in the future having made a change, then rehearse how you got there. It helps the change feel familiar and within reach. Many people find it makes everyday choices feel more natural.
Does visualisation help with weight loss?
Visualisation will not change your body on its own. What it can do is strengthen motivation and make healthy choices feel more like your own. It works alongside the practical habits you build each day, not instead of them.
Can I picture my future self without hypnosis?
Yes. You can sit quietly, close your eyes and picture a specific future scene for a few minutes. A guided session can make it easier to relax and stay focused, which is why I record them.
Please read
Hypnosis works with habits, feelings and attention. It is not medical treatment and does not replace your GP. If you have, or think you may have, an eating disorder, or you are pregnant, diabetic or taking weight-loss medicine, please speak to your GP first. Beat, the UK eating disorder charity, is on 0808 801 0677. The podcast sessions are for adults: listen somewhere comfortable, never while driving.
Where to go from here
Listen on The Hypnotist Podcast
Every session above is free to hear on The Hypnotist Podcast, along with more than 200 other weight and eating episodes.
Is hypnosis right for you?
Take my free four minute suitability test. You get an honest answer about whether hypnotherapy is likely to help with your goals, and how.
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More on this topic: whether hypnosis works for weight loss.