Losing weight with ChatGPT : His master’s voice

Like so many good things, let’s start with a graph. Don’t worry, we’ll get to AI in a minute.

This is my weight since January 1st 2020. At the start, I hadn’t really done any proper exercise or maintained a decent diet for a long time. I’d previously had decently long periods where I’d either swim a mile twice a week or run 5k in the gym weekly but, by this point, they were many years in the past.

I’ve highlighted the following points of interest.

1. I took up running. No-one was more surprised than me. My wife, Annie, started first and motivated me to give it a go. I stuck to it in a bloody-minded fashion as a late-night way to get out of the flat during lockdown and then just kept going. Eventually I was running 10k twice a week. Then I got a combination knee / ankle injury.
2. Grumpy me couldn’t exercise for ages and ate way too much pizza.
3. I was finally able to start running again and started to get back into exercise, while Annie started her diabolical plan to feed us more vegetables.
4. See that sheer drop? Don’t get gastroenteritis.
5. That’s the point where I started to have gall-bladder issues and couldn’t exercise again. It was over a year from my first symptoms to having my surgery.
6. Before my surgery, it got to a point where I couldn’t eat much without triggering the problem. Don’t recommend.
7. Post surgery — OMG I can eat anything again!
8. This is where it gets interesting.

That’s half of the story. The other half relates to a good friend of mine (hello, if you’re reading 👋). This person has many interesting hobbies, one of which is hypnosis. More than once over the years, he’s offered to hypnotise either me or Annie to try and help with various issues. We’ve always politely declined (in fact, I think the phrase “stay the **** away from my brain!” may have been uttered by me at one point 😅).

Time passed and, for no particular reason, I was thinking about this about four months ago. This was around the time I’d started to use ChatGPT for a significant number of things, from helping with coding projects to often just replacing what I’d normally have used a Google search for.

In this instance, I found myself thinking, “I don’t trust anyone else to mess with my brain. But what if I did it to myself?” Shut up. It made sense in my head at the time.

So, I asked ChatGPT if it could write me a self-hypnosis script to help me achieve some of my goals. I shouldn’t have been surprised when the inevitable answer was: “Sure! What objectives would you like to achieve?” After a few rounds of examples and prompt-tweaking, it produced a script that I decided to test out. I’ll include an example script at the end of the post, although it’s not the one I’m using.

If you pay for ChatGPT, you can get it to read it out for you. Instead, I chose to use the daily free allocation on Natural Reader because I prefer those voices. I captured the sound output from that site using Awesome Screenshot, stripped the MP3 from the video using Free Convert and then trimmed the extraneous bits at the start and end with Audio Trimmer. I also quite significantly slowed it down, again using a different service from Audio Trimmer, after Annie pointed out it sounded like I was getting meditation instructions from a Smurf. It’s a little bit of a faff but takes less than 30 mins if you know what you’re doing.

At this point, it was time to give it a go. I started listening to the recording every day, usually shortly after I woke up.

To my somewhat concern, it turns out I’m very suggestible. Almost immediately after I started listening to the recording of the self-hypnosis script, I started significantly changing my behaviour with regard to what kinds of things I was eating and when. Not quite believing the correlation / causation link, I updated the script to add a section designed to change when I went to bed and what time I got up. That worked pretty much immediately too. Several weeks later, despite the very occasional slight wobble, those changes are still in place at least 95% of the time.

Annie, on the other hand, has had a slightly different experience. Here’s her version.

“It turns out that I’m not nearly so impressionable as Dave — but I wanted to give another perspective on the ChatGPT self-hypnosis experiment to encourage those who might be sceptical that it’s still worth a try. On hearing about Dave’s success with his daily listening (and seeing the amazing results!), I asked him to create a script for me about making better food choices to help manage my diabetes. And, while it hasn’t had the dramatic effects Dave has been experiencing, I still think it’s a worthwhile thing to do.

Once you get used to the robotic voice, the introductory sections do provide a relaxing meditative vibe, and listening to the affirmative statements about being ‘strong, disciplined and capable’ do make me feel better about myself! On top of that, I think a daily dose of good advice about food choices keeps my desire to maintain better habits top of mind, which makes it easier to stop and take stock in any moment of bad impulses.

In the weeks that I’ve been using the self-hypnosis script, my glucose levels have been better than ever before — and, while I believe that’s more to do with a change in my medication than anything else, I also think the self-hypnosis exercise has helped in cementing better decisions over that time.

There was a time a few days ago, where my glucose was a bit low and I decided I would allow myself a treat on the way home from the shops, so I stopped off at Waitrose to choose some chocolate to enjoy. I then spent about half an hour wandering around the shop, stopping and picking up about twenty different options, looking at the calorie and sugar content, and putting them back on the shelf again. Even in a situation where something sweet was actually a good idea, I couldn’t bring myself to buy anything — so maybe ChatGPT’s hypnosis has been more effective than I realised!”

Having a computer telling you what to do gave me an intensely vivid recollection of a tiny snippet from a TV show I must have seen when I was maybe six or seven.

As someone who’s spent their life focused on tech since I was 10, that scene has periodically haunted me for over 40 years. It’s like an early precursor to Black Mirror. How did I find out what show and episode number it came from? I asked ChatGPT, of course…

We’re obviously a long way from what’s depicted but, still, food for thought.

Also, because I have an incurable case of Derek’s Disease, I also obviously started thinking about whether this could be useful in a government context. If it works for me, how many other people could benefit from tailored scripts to help with stopping smoking, sleeping better or anger management?

Imagine a free service provided by the NHS that could be prescribed by GPs, alongside other supportive non-medical treatments like social prescribing. At the very least, putting together a simple system to support a proper randomised control trial feels like something that wouldn’t be that expensive.

The alternative, obviously, is a start-up. Every time I mention this to Annie, she, quite rightly, gives me The Look.

This isn’t the whole story, of course. Friends will know that, before my weight started going down I’d already started doing a fair amount of regular exercise. That said, I’d been doing that for several months while still paying no attention to my diet and my weight stayed exactly the same. It was only after I started self-hypnosis, and my eating habits significantly altered, that my weight started to drop fairly dramatically.

So, there you go. Turns out my brain is easy to hack. I’m sure that’s not a problem at all! 😅

If anyone reading this is interested in giving it a go and would like me to work with you to build a recording, just drop me a line at dave@bowsy.co.uk.

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Here’s the example script I promised above. This was generated by just asking ChatGPT for a self-hypnosis script designed to help someone stop smoking.

Introduction:

Find a comfortable, quiet place where you won’t be disturbed. Sit or lie down, close your eyes, and take a deep breath. This script will guide you into a relaxed state where your mind is open to positive suggestions that will help you quit smoking. As you follow along, allow yourself to fully embrace each suggestion.

Induction:

Relaxation:

• Take a deep breath in… and slowly breathe out.
• With each breath, feel your body relaxing more and more.
• Breathe in calmness… and breathe out any tension or stress.
• Focus on the feeling of relaxation spreading from the top of your head, down your neck, shoulders, arms, and all the way down to your feet.
• Imagine a wave of relaxation moving through your body, releasing any tension with each breath.

Deepening the State:

• As you continue to relax, imagine yourself descending a staircase. With each step down, you feel more and more at ease.
• Step 10… you are beginning to feel deeply relaxed.
• Step 9… going deeper into relaxation.
• Step 8… your body feels heavy and at peace.
• Step 7… your mind is calm, focused, and ready to accept positive change.
• Step 6… deeper and deeper relaxed.
• Step 5… halfway down, feeling wonderfully calm.
• Step 4… almost there, every part of you is relaxing.
• Step 3… deep relaxation.
• Step 2… so peaceful.
• Step 1… completely relaxed, at the bottom of the staircase, feeling safe and at peace.

Main Script:

Positive Suggestions:

• Imagine yourself in a beautiful, peaceful place, where you feel completely relaxed and at ease. This is your safe space, where you can focus on making positive changes.
• As you stand in this peaceful place, you see a version of yourself in the distance. This version of you is strong, healthy, and free from the need to smoke. Notice how confident and happy this version of you appears, living a life free from cigarettes.
• As you approach this version of yourself, you realize that you have the power to become this person. You are ready to let go of smoking, because it no longer serves you.
• Imagine holding a cigarette in your hand. Notice the smell, the texture, the weight. Now, as you look at it, realize that this cigarette has no power over you. You don’t need it, and you don’t want it.
• In your mind, say to the cigarette, “You have no control over me. I am free from you.”
• Now, see yourself throwing the cigarette away. As it leaves your hand, notice how much lighter and freer you feel. You are letting go of the past and embracing a healthier future.

Empowerment:

• From this moment forward, every time you think about smoking, you will remember how strong and capable you are. You will feel a deep sense of pride in your decision to quit.
• Imagine your lungs filling with fresh, clean air. Each breath you take is full of life-giving oxygen, nourishing your body and mind.
• You no longer crave cigarettes. In fact, the idea of smoking becomes less and less appealing to you with each passing day. You prefer the taste of fresh air, the feeling of being in control, and the pride that comes with knowing you are healthier and stronger.
• See yourself in the future, living a life free from cigarettes. You are proud of your decision, and you feel more energetic, more alive, and more in control.

Affirmations:

• Repeat to yourself, either out loud or in your mind:
• “I am strong, and I am in control.”
• “I choose health and freedom.”
• “Each day, I become healthier and happier without smoking.”
• “I am free from the need to smoke.”

Awakening:

Returning to Awareness:

• Now, it’s time to return to full awareness, bringing with you all the positive feelings and new habits you’ve embraced.
• Imagine yourself ascending the staircase you descended earlier. With each step up, you feel more awake and alert.
• Step 1… beginning to wake up, feeling refreshed.
• Step 2… feeling your energy returning.
• Step 3… becoming more aware of your surroundings.
• Step 4… starting to move your fingers and toes.
• Step 5… feeling awake, energized, and confident.
• Step 6… almost there, ready to open your eyes.
• Step 7… coming back fully to the present.
• Step 8… fully awake, fully aware.
• Step 9… feeling fantastic and free from smoking.
• Step 10… open your eyes, feeling refreshed, empowered, and ready to live your life smoke-free.

Conclusion:

You are now fully awake and aware, feeling strong, confident, and committed to your decision to quit smoking. Remember, each day is a new opportunity to reinforce your choice, and with every breath, you are healthier and stronger. You’ve made a powerful decision, and you have the strength to see it through.