Does the psychology of weight loss come to your mind when you are trying to lose 10 or more pounds and maintaining a perfect weight?
We have been told repeatedly that losing and maintaining that perfect weight is all about having healthy programs like Prolon diet and, most of the time, exercises. They are important. However, losing weight has a lot to do with your mindset as well.
Your mindset will keep you motivated to lose weight and it’s the same mindset that will make it hard for you to get off the bed.
“What is stopping me from losing weight?” Many people keep asking this, especially after religiously following biohacking weight loss tips and sometimes getting into rigorous exercise routines.
To acquire and maintain your weight goal, you need to have the right mentality. Do you want to lose weight, tried many meal plans and exercises, but you still don’t shed any weight? There could be a psychological barrier preventing you from getting your dream weight.
Are you wondering how to get the mentality to lose weight? This article has the information you need to incorporate the correct mindset for your weight loss journey. Keep reading to make your weight loss success story come true.
Psychology of Weight Loss
Many people have the right information on what to eat and what to avoid when they want to achieve their weight goal. However, sometimes, our emotions let us down.
So that’s how the psychology of weight loss comes into play.
Getting back to your routine, poor eating habits give pleasure for a moment. And if it gives pleasure, why not go for it at the moment? This is why a lot of people know what to do but still do it.
Let’s find out how our emotions affect our eating habits and weight loss and how to fix that.
Understand Why Changing Eating Habits is Difficult
Your favorite social media influencer has been giving you many tips on achieving your weight goal. They have told you to ditch your diet, given you a lot of inspiration, sometimes biohacking weight loss tips, but ditching your menu for a new one seems like a battle you are losing. Every time you try to quit your eating patterns, the cravings get even more overwhelming.
Are you wondering why it is so? Making menu adjustments (1) is an issue to many people, and it’s because changing your lifestyle heavily involves your psychology. If your mental well being is not taken care of during the adjustments, chances are you will keep relapsing back to your regular menu. And this is why a lot of people are resorting to psychologists for their weight control.
Binge eating and taking junk gives you short-term relief. This is why you will always crave foods you are trying to quit. You keep going backward because of the psychological barriers.
Psychology of Weight Loss – Main Blocks
Your mind is more in charge than you think. You know what to not eat and when to not eat but still do the opposite. It’s because of the self-sabotage you need to work on. No, this does not mean you don’t have the will power to get on your weight loss journey. This means that you need to work on getting the psychological blocks out of your way before your weight loss journey kicks off.
To help you understand the psychology of weight loss, let’s review the psychological blocks and their side effects on your weight loss journey.
Stress
Stressed people tend to resort to comfort eating. So that’s why biohacking stress is super important for permanent slimming down.
- When you are battling stressors, cortisol levels (stress hormone) will increase in your body.
- Cortisol helps the body stay in survival mode by storing more fat and reducing the rate of metabolism. These are mechanisms to help your body have enough energy when needed. You do not want a slower metabolism rate or more fat storage when you are trying to shed weight.
- Furthermore, when stressed, you will crave foods with more calories and added sugars, which may equate to several steps back in your weight loss journey. Also, when stressed, people tend to eat more.
Depression
According to multiple studies, depression can cause weight gain or can prevent weight loss. Sometimes, however, depression is linked to lack or reduced appetite.
Depression related symptoms like fatigue and sleeplessness will make your weight loss journey a nightmare.
Besides, the side effects of some antidepressants will sure take you further from your goal because they make you gain weight.
Pleasure
When it comes to food, sugary and junk food are a sure giver of pleasure. First, the sensation of junk food can quickly make people addicted. The taste and the feel will keep you craving for more when you know that you should not be eating it.
Secondly, the high-consumption of calories triggers the release of a feel-good hormone called dopamine. Dopamine gives you a moment of ‘high,’ which is the pleasure we are looking for.
And for the love of the pleasure, you will keep having more and more.
Behavior
For a lot of people shedding weight is not a big issue. The actual problem is weight management. It feels like one step forward and two others behind because of your behavior. And behavior and psychology go together.
You already have enough information on keeping your body weight in check, but your behavior will pull you back if you don’t tune your mind to adapt to your new routine. The chances are that healthy eating choices will never be a habit if you don’t have it cemented deep own in your mind and beliefs.
Your food intake, fitness journey, lifestyle and routine, including both evening and morning routine for weight loss will determine whether you will maintain the perfect weight forever.
Personal or Childhood Trauma
Some studies show that victims of sexual abuse, physical abuse or bullying are at an increased risk for obesity. Emotional trauma may result in binge eating, which has a negative effect on your body weight.
The statistics do not apply to anyone. However, if you are struggling with weight loss, and you experienced issues such as neglect, abuse and trauma, this could be the reason you are not achieving your dream weight.
You may want to solve these first by visiting a psychologist.
You Have Negative Body Image
If you are working to lose weight, the chances are that you don’t like your body image right now. It is entirely okay to want to make your health and appearance better, and you should go for it. However, if you have a negative body image, you will most likely experience problems shading that weight.
Many people trying to shed weight cannot stand even looking at themselves in the mirror because they detest what they see. This creates a psychological roadblock towards your desired weight.
You are a Foodie
When food is your source of joy, you soon will be addicted. Unfortunately, if your love for food is high, you psychologically block your body from achieving your long term weight goals.
Why do you down snacks when you get back to the house when you are not even hungry? It is because you do not have other sources of comfort and joy.
And truthfully, chances that you will shovel vegetables are low because vegetables lack the high amounts of sugars and calories that will give you the joy you are looking for. Foodies, especially those with obesity, make horrible food choices. Also, foodies tend to take a lot more than the recommended portions.
To get over your foodie behavior, start by getting some other joy sources, such as hobbies.
You are Stressing Over Food Because You Gain Weight
We have been conditioned to believe that ridiculous diets are our avenue towards long-term weight control. We stress over it a lot and end up creating a psychological barrier for weight loss.
Do you remember when you were stressing over something, just anything, even sleep or love, and trying too hard to find it, but it didn’t come your way until you stopped trying too hard? It is the same psychological idea. Trick your brain that you don’t need it, and you will soon have it.
You are Restricting Your Diet
Adapting ridiculous diets and menus is a sure way to keep losing the same few pounds and reacquiring them in a few weeks. Your aim is to achieve something long-term and not to meander around the same 10 pounds for ages.
When dieting, you deny yourself some food and build up your craving for them. You will realize you the more you try to avoid them, the more craving gets overwhelming.
You Are Obsessed with How Much you Weigh.
Checking your weight every morning is harmful to your weight management. You will start stressing over it when you add a pound, start rejoicing when you shed a few. This stresses your body and mental health.
Putting your body through this will not let you shed any weight. Stressing over your weight too much increases your chances of going back to your unhealthy behaviors.
You Cannot Throw Away Food.
If you hate wasting food, you will have food you should not consume. Either way, whether it goes into your body or dustbin, it all goes to waste. So, quit your obsession with saving food and get rid of unhealthy foods now.
You Overuse our Will Power
You have enough will power for shedding weight. However, you use it on the things, such as dieting and gathering information that will not help you in weight management. Use your will power in getting into the right mindset to lose weight instead.
You are Afraid to Lose Friends who you eat together with
Your girls’ day out may be the reason you do not shed any weight at all. If you are afraid to leave behind such relationships, you may never lose weight.
If your friends are not supportive of your journey, quit the friendships. You can create friendships that will support you in your journey.
You Have no Idea What Your Psychological Blocks are
If you don’t know what psychological block is hindering you from shedding weight, chances are you will keep on making wrong choices. This is because you will not know what to work on to trigger your weight loss and weight management journey.
Psychology of Weight Loss – Changes Your Need
It is not just enough to look at the psychological barriers. Now that we have already identified how the common beliefs will not help you shed anything, we should look at how to fix that (2).
In this segment, we look at how you can sync your choices, diet, and behavior to trigger weight loss. Read on to find information on how to achieve your dream weight loss.
Lifestyle Commitment is the key to the psychology of weight loss
If you have to adopt a diet, ensure it is something you will sustain for the long-term.
To adopt diets, you cannot sustain, you will be taking your body and mind through the emotional roller coaster, which has no benefits to your weight loss journey.
If you want to achieve and retain your ideal weight, adopt healthy behaviors, you can sustain forever.
Think of exercise as a fun activity – it Releases Endorphins.
Exercise feels like chores for a lot of people because they do what they don’t like. If you do not like morning runs, do not do it. Go for an evening walk, and it will yield better results. Choosing an exercise routine that you can stick with will yield permanent results.
Alternatively, exercise with music and friends can make the experience more worthwhile.
12 Steps to set yourself for success, progress, and improve
We all want to see have a weight loss success story. However, most of the time, all we have is losing and gaining the same 10 pounds. Here is how to shed that weight
Practice self-discipline
One reason our weight loss efforts bore not enough fruits is that we lack self-discipline. Self-discipline is something you can sync your mind to develop over time.
Practice mindful eating
Your food choices will play an essential role in the psychology of weight loss. Be more attentive when you buy food, prepare it, and when you eat it. Avoid distractions such as TV or mobile phones while eating to ensure you consume the right portions.
Identify your emotions.
To deal with psychological barriers to weight loss, you need to identify the stumbling block first. Psychologists can help you identify your emotions and manage them better. Have your mental state in check, and it will be easier to shed excess fats.
Surround yourself with supportive people.
Going to the gym alone can feel like a chore on some days. You may be tempted to skip some days if you do not have a support system. Get positive friends who are working towards achieving weight control, and it would feel a lot easier.
Plan your meals
If you don’t plan your meals, you are more likely to dive into junk. Plan what you will eat for the entire week on weekends, and have it ready. This way, you will reduce your chances of resorting to junk when you are too lazy to prepare healthy food.
But we also know planning your meal can be a little tedious task considering you’re busy with work and home deliverables. Well, in such cases, what if someone else planned your meals? Maybe your spouse or kids or even parents?
But considering everyone of us are busy, you can let meal delivery partners like BistroMD and ProLon plan your meal. Easy peasy?
Dear Prolon! Would You Plan My Meal? Sure! BistroMD would!
Exercise
Exercises help in burning calories, thus helping you shed excessive fats. The exercises are also ideal for weight control. You don’t have to go for strength training, simple Power Plate Vibration therapy can help you lose weight easily.
The idea is to stay consistent with exercises.
Power Plate! Burn My Calories!
Avoid psychological and emotional eating
Instead of seeking comfort from food, try finding it from music, sports, books, friends, and maybe taking a walk.
Manage stress
When stressed, the cortisol hormone will increase the number of fats stored in your body, especially around the well. When it gets out of hand, it may cause a health issue. Start by identifying your stressors and working on them. Mindful breathing is also suitable for stress management.
Sleep a lot
Sleep replenishes the energy we use during the day. If you sleep less, you will be more tempted to eat more sugars and calories to replenish yourself. To keep your eating behaviors in control, ensure you sleep for at least 8 hours per day. Craving snacks and junk food will be a step backward in your journey.
Also, sleep may help you manage stress better.
Tips to manage sleep
- meditate with brainwave technologies
2. eat healthy, non-stressful meals before sleep
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3. add more magnesium to your diet
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4. cancel the noise around you
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5. sleep on comfortable mattresses like Chilipad and Ooler for prolonged cycle
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Keep healthy snacks if you are on a small portion lifestyle
When getting snacks, do not go for unhealthy junk food. Go for healthy snacks such as fruits, apples, and bananas. Replacing your regular snacks with healthy snacks will go a long way in helping you shed weight.
Understand that new foods can be Exciting
Trying new healthy foods can be exciting, but getting adapted to a healthy diet could the problem. Take it slow, and your brain will soon be adapted to it. However, you if you still can’t resist to eat new food, the least you can do is balance it with weight loss supplements.
The weight loss supplements and less healthy food together might not help weight loss, but may keep you in the same shape. 🙂
There are healthy replacements for cravings
When you crave sugary foods and junk, consider going for healthier snacks such as fruits. The effect will almost be the same as your system, but it will be healthier. Find information about healthy options for cravings, and it will be worth it.
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Find out more about biohacking HERE >>>
Sources
1 https://www.apa.org/topics/weight-control
2 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7670443/