THE PSYCHOLOGY BEHIND WEIGHT LOSS

EMOTIONS AND WEIGHT LOSS

You might have said at some point, or you’ve heard someone else say, losing weight is easy; you just need to eat less and exercise more.

Yet, I might ask; are you unsatisfied with your current weight? Have you been unable to lose weight? Are you finding yourself jumping from one diet to another? Do you stick to healthy eating but still not reaching the weight you want to be? Does it all seem overwhelming and complicated, so you’ve given up on your weight-loss goals?

Did it occur to you that there could be a psychological obstacle in your way?

Our lifestyle choices reflect where we are psychologically as well as where we want to be.

Identifying the issue is the first step toward a healthy resolution. You may discover that there are multiple obstacles to overcome. The good news is that these roadblocks can be conquered.

When it comes to exercising and eating healthy more regularly, most of us have good intentions. Even though we are familiar with the fundamentals of what to eat and what to avoid, we frequently end up limiting our progress when we are tired, stressed, bored, or frustrated. And, let’s be honest, these feelings arise often.

All of us are creatures of habit. We find comfort in routine. So, if your routine includes eating and activity patterns that have led you to an unhealthy weight, it is natural to seek out those pleasant habits when times are tough.

However, if you want to change your habits for weight loss, all is not lost. Weight loss psychology can work in your favor in many ways. To get past your setback, you must first identify what that setback is.

PSYCHOLOGICAL BLOCKS

These are the most common emotional disturbances that come into play when people struggle to lose weight.

All-or-Nothing Thinking

If you find yourself standing between sticking to your food plan perfectly or falling off the wagon entirely, you may be undergoing a cognitive distortion called all-or-nothing thinking. This refers to persistent thoughts that are not in line with what is actually going on.

People who have this type of thinking believe that their food choices determine whether they are a complete success or a complete failure. This is correlated to an apparent lack of control over eating and an inability to maintain a healthy weight.

You will most likely find it difficult to return to a healthy eating pattern after a small indulgence. Instead, you give up and overeat because you believe your diet is a total failure.

Negative Self-Talk

It’s important to turn your negative self-talk into more positive and productive inner dialogue. Why? Because we know that your thoughts impact our emotions and behaviors.

Negative self-talk can lead you to overeat as a way to soothe or make yourself feel better. It’s like a reward you like to give yourself. But let me tell you, this reward is only temporary, commonly followed up with some feelings of guilt, shame or even anger.

This sense of “failure” re-creates additional negative self-talk that keep so many people trapped in a cycle of restriction and overeating, as we feel like we’re always trying to “make up” for being bad while continuing to overindulge on comfort food.

Moreover, the physical stress issued by negative thoughts can disturb the metabolic state which makes weight loss difficult, if not impossible.

Stress

There is a good reason why it is labeled comfort food. Most people, enjoy eating. And in times of stress, some of them use food to help them relax and calm their emotions. Which it is found to become a chronic coping mechanism for managing life’s stressors.

And it’s not only about overeating. When you are anxious, your food preferences are likely to change. Not only do we eat more when we are stressed, but the foods we consume are most of the time unhealthy and must be avoided for weight loss or health reasons.

Lastly, when we are whether experiencing internal or external stressors our body produces more stress hormone called cortisol. When the cortisol level is high on daily basis, despite all our efforts, fat storage metabolism increases. This is due to the fact that our body is in a survival mode. Our body will not release weight when found in that state, it will slow down our metabolism so that we have extra energy stores in case they are needed.

TIPS TO OVERCOME BARRIERS

• Learn Relaxation Techniques: Tap into a relaxation state, using: Breathing Technique, Mindfulness Meditation, Visualization, Yoga, Taking a walk in nature. These techniques are essential tools for effective and long-term weight loss. It may take time to master them, so be patient with yourself.
• Journaling and Habit Tracker: They Provide you a better understanding of your current eating habits by keeping track of any situation, or foods that may feel triggering to you, this can help you limit your exposure or avoid them entirely.
• Make Small Changes: Take small steps, for the reason that, if you do many changes all at once it can be easy to get overwhelmed and lose motivation. This is why, changing one thing at a time is the key for success. This also gives you satisfaction of accomplishment which will push you to keep on going.
• Write Affirmations and Mantras: Start paying attention to the messages you send to yourself throughout the day. Recognize the negative thoughts. You can write them down, read them one by one, and see how you can replace them with powerful mantras and affirmations. For example: “I came a long way”, “I am proud of myself and my accomplishments”, “I believe in myself and my capabilities”. Keep repeating them over and over again.
• Prioritize Sleep: Create a routine that feels the most suitable for you, which you know you can stick to it. When you wake up, do your bed, this way you are making your bedroom a sanctuary for sleep only. Remove all electronics. Try to get to bed at the same time each night. Make it a habit.
• Find pleasure in the process: If you do not, you will always criticize it. Learn how to fall in love with the process, I can guarantee you, your body will thank you.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Although society has made it seem like losing weight only comes with counting calories, this is not the case. It also comes down to the right mindset, emotions, habits and beliefs. We know by now that weight loss is not a physical challenge it’s a mental one. If you learn how to control your mind and body the right way, the weight loss will follow.

It is not unusual to experience multiple bumps throughout your journey. But these roadblocks don’t need to prevent you from reaching your goal.

To set yourself up for success, your desire to change must be more than your desire to stay the same. It is important to keep reminding yourself that perfection is not the goal, but rather, discipline, patience, commitment, awareness, mindfulness and any step done toward the right direction no matter how small it is, is a progress. A progress that you should be proud of.

So change your mindset, change your life!