The psychology behind weight loss

First, you need to identify and make realistic, attainable weight loss targets. Numerous studies show that losing just 10% of your body weight can have a significant impact upon your health- decreasing your blood pressure and cholesterol, and reducing your risk of developing diabetes and heart disease.

To lose 10% of your body weight, all you need to do is to make a few simple lifestyle changes to your lifestyle. Try cutting out one daily treat, or try and take a lunchtime walk every day. If you eat one chocolate bar on a daily basis, stopping this can help you lose 5kg in the space of twelve months.

Find what truly motivates you 

Setting small goals and taking small steps you know you are prepared to take helps to lay down the motivation that’s needed to successfully lose weight. The goal can be something simple like taking the recommended number of steps per day (which you can keep track of using a pedometer, or weighing food at mealtimes to ensure portion control.

 

In a similar way that a smoker will only successfully stop smoking if and when they are ready, you’ll only lose weight if you really want to. Psychologists believe people will only make the lifestyle changes needed to lose weight if an emotional attachment is involved.  So imaging how your family would cope if your health was under duress due to your weight can help to spur you on with your weight loss.

 

To make sure your motivation stays strong, psychologists suggest leaving physical reminders for yourself. This can involve simply writing post it notes and putting them in places where you’ll regularly see them, such as on your fridge, computer or in your purse. They also recommend telling others about your weight loss plans, as this has also been shown to help people stick to, and achieve their goals.

 

Eating when you’re not hungry 

Indentifying and understanding why and when you need to eat is considered to be a vital weight loss tool. Most people eat for other reasons other than hunger 50-80% of the time. The most common reasons to eat other than hunger are; eating because you know food is there, the worry of getting hungry later, habit, emotional triggers and eating all the food on your plates out of habit. It seems the majority of the people have lost the ability to listen to their body’s hunger signals.

 

Multiple studies have shown that people increase their risk of becoming overweight by as much as 50% if they eat too quickly, and eat until they are full, rather than satisfied.

 

Next time you are enjoying a treat, consciously ask yourself how much you’re enjoying it. And before eating, stop for a moment to see if your body is actually hungry. To avoid mindlessly eating, make an effort to avoid eating in front of the TV, eat slowly and monitor when you feel full. It takes twenty minutes for your brain to register that you’re full; meaning that eating quickly can easily lead to overeating.  Finally, shifting your focus onto the small changes you’re making, and how they make you feel can help you to see success every step of the way, which has been shown to motivate you much more than simply focusing on your final goal.