It was 2003 and Karen Anderson — who weighed 223 lbs. and wore a size 20 — was fed up. “I’d been struggling with my weight for as long as I could remember,” says the 5-foot-6 New London, Conn., resident, “and I was sick of the roller-coaster ride.” Karen, now 44, had tried nearly every weight-loss program, and even popped harmful Phen-Fen pills before they were removed from the market. “I’d always lose some pounds, then stall out and gain it all back,” she says. But then, in December 2004, she came across an article about using hypnotism to slim down. “I was probably still hoping for a quick fix,” she says. “But I’d try anything that didn’t involve counting calories or restricting foods.”

The 10 Words That Turned Her Diet Luck Around

So Karen booked an appointment with a local hypnotherapist. “The therapist wanted me to say: ‘Even though I’m overweight, I still love and accept myself,’ but I couldn’t do it without crying,” says Karen. That was her turning point. She realized that her negative thinking and insecurity were sabotaging her slim-down efforts. “As soon as I would put myself on a plan, I would start to eat exactly what I wasn’t supposed to,” says Karen. Or she’d “pretend” she wasn’t eating much at all by grazing on fattening snacks. “I’d eat an entire bag of miniature peanut butter cups,” recalls Karen.

Eating Pizza, Losing Pounds!

She also discovered that it was her bad eating habits — and not the food itself — that was making her overweight. That meant she could keep on eating the foods she loved, with a few tweaks. Portions got smaller and more nutritious. She’d up the veggies on her pizza, for instance, adding broccoli or cherry tomatoes for a jolt of vitamins and fiber. Karen also stopped kicking herself when she messed up: “Once I started loving and believing in myself,” she says, “the pounds started coming off.”

She dropped about 2 lbs. a week, and by June 2005 Karen had lost 55 lbs. and shrunk from a size 20 to a size 10. Goodbye, plus sizes! “Hypnosis taught me the power of positive thinking,” gushes Karen, “and nothing has made me feel more positive than finally getting to buy clothes in the ‘regular’ section!”