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While some people seem to lose weight effortlessly, others struggle to lose every gram. According to experts, one of the reasons for this may be the way of thinking. What is behind this and how can you train your psyche to be "slim"?
The body and psyche go hand in hand, as they say: crisis situations "hit us in the stomach", grief "breaks the heart", and when we are scared, "words get stuck in the throat". Everything is going fine. But what's the point of losing weight?
“Our brains are pre-programmed with our past behaviors and beliefs. The key to success in losing weight is to work on your own attitude to the topic of losing weight," says the nutritionist.
Losing weight is the goal of many people. Many people want to eat healthier.
However, only 20-30 percent of people who want to lose weight manage to permanently reduce their body weight. So why is it that some people are doomed to diet for life, while others seem to stay slim without much effort?
In addition to genetic aspects, such as metabolism, individual success in weight loss is particularly influenced by mental state.
"Psychological factors, such as self-control, motivation or the ability to cope with emotional stress, have a significant impact," says the nutritionist.
"Self-fulfilling prophecy"
As the doctor explains, our internal attitude towards weight loss and ourselves is influenced by what and how much we eat, and even determines our behavior during sports. Success in losing weight is largely related to our self-image.
It is based on the following basic provisions:
- A person's body weight depends on his self-image.
- If you consider yourself athletic, active and fit, you act like a person who likes to move.
- If you think of yourself as fat, unathletic, and lazy, you are doing the opposite. Faithful slogan: "Sports and sports are not for me, I have come to terms with it."
These factors create a kind of "self-fulfilling prophecy." Because people tend to have patterns and habits that seem to them to be the "one truth," they tend to identify with them.
For example, many people are convinced that they are fat, unathletic, and lazy, and according to their beliefs, they adhere to their behavior in order to steadily restore the state they are familiar with.
The result: a constant vicious circle. If your own weight loss plan fails over and over again, each failure will be punished with anger and further self-depreciation. You give up on yourself again and go back to your old behavior.
Losing weight puts pressure on you
Another problem is that most people think of losing weight as stressful.
The fear of failing and thereby "revealing" your perceived lack of discipline exerts pressure and usually ends up in two scenarios:
- You no longer feel the pressure and give up right from the start.
- The level of cortisol increases due to constant stress in the body and makes its reduction almost impossible.
Cortisol is also known as the "stress hormone" and, together with other messenger substances, regulates carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism.
"If its concentration is too high, the hormone causes the breakdown of protein in the blood and the release of glucose. As a result, the body is in a state of combat readiness - ready to act at any moment to quickly respond to perceived danger."
Eight steps to the figure of your dreams
To avoid a constant cycle of self-sabotage, the doctor recommends eight steps to help you lose weight.
1. Get rid of the idea that others think you are fat
Don't always think about what others might think about you.
“Most people don't care what you look like. Don't let anyone influence your self-esteem—you're your own biggest critic, and you can also be your own biggest motivator."
2. Let bygones be bygones
Stop blaming yourself and look to the future with optimism. Finish what happened.
"You didn't sabotage yourself on purpose. If you could do it better, you would. What matters is what you can and want to do today."
3. Be kind to yourself
Feel yourself: how do you talk to yourself? How does your inner critic express himself? Become aware of your negative thoughts and reprogram yourself. Try to look at your body neutrally and appreciate it for what it is - a miracle of nature. What do you value in yourself?
4. How does a healthy lifestyle fit into your daily life?
Try to combine your current daily life with new positive activities. Examples of this:
- Walk 10 steps every day for 000 days.
- Choose the stairs instead of the elevator,
- Do two workouts a week,
- Eat a large portion of vegetables with each meal
- Drink enough water every day.
5. Take it one step at a time
Gradually introduce more and more exercise into your daily life. Take the stairs, get off the train one stop early and walk the rest of the way, walk every night. Make it a game by finding more and more ways to incorporate more exercise into your daily life.
6. Have fun
A simple but even more valuable tip: enjoy what you do. Don't force yourself to do something you don't want to do. Combine unfamiliar new activities with existing positive habits. Instead of reading on the couch, you can listen to a book as a radio show while walking.
7. Find a partner for losing weight or doing sports
"It's easier, it's more interesting and fun in the community. You don't have to be a lone fighter."
Whether in a club or just as a couple: motivate each other and stay true to what you do. It unites you and binds you to your activity.
8. Stay with us
After all, the most important keyword: routine. Set certain days or times when you do things.