Excess weight is not so much a burden on the body, but also on the soul. When we are overweight, we often get a guilt complex that builds up with body weight. From time to time, we resume the struggle with kilograms to once again be convinced of the futility of this venture and our own inferiority. Is there a way out of the vicious circle?
How many times have the world been told about the only sure way to lose weight – you just have to eat less! But can this be achieved without daily violence against oneself?
Physiologists answer this question in the negative. Indeed, in order to lose weight, one must not only give up bad eating habits, but also crush the most ancient biological drives in oneself.
It turns out that if our gaze stops at the third piece of cake, this is not a craving for gluttony, but a very natural desire of the body to get enough “in reserve”. Once upon a time, our ancestors, having killed a wild beast and had eaten their fill, went hunting again. The harsh reality forced a person to strive for the accumulation of nutrients in the body.
The physiological foundations of our “eating behavior” have not changed at all since then. Of course, there were some social and psychological layers – we learned to eat with a fork and knife, and learned what to eat. After midnight – it is harmful, etc. However, the centers of hunger and satiety, which are located in the hypothalamus and guide us, work in the same way as in ancient people.
It turns out that trying to sharply limit your diet is contrary to our deepest drives. What willpower you need to have to overcome your physiology! And, nevertheless, most diets are built on rigid self-restraint. It is very difficult to change the eating behavior that took shape millions of years ago.
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Sadly, for some of us, food is the only pleasure available. Why does our mood improve in the first minutes of the meal? Everything is very simple. Glucose, which enters the bloodstream during meals, quickly activates the satiety center and the nearby pleasure center. And chewing food, like any rhythmically repetitive movements, acts on the nervous system like a good tranquilizer.
And one more thing: in the process of eating, special substances are released – endrophins – the so-called hormones of joy, which turn lunch into a “feast for the stomach.” We are all to some extent food addicts.
Gastronomic fantasies and appetite play an important role in the development of this addiction. Physiologists believe that appetite is just the anticipation of the pleasure of eating. And he is also a trap that most often falls into people who are deprived of other joys of life. Lunches and dinners become for them the most pleasant pastime, a kind of hobby.
Interestingly, in women, appetite is associated with the menstrual cycle. At the beginning, when there are a lot of female sex hormones estrogens in the blood, you want to eat less. But before menstruation, some women are ready to chew without stopping, especially for sweets.
Think, are you ready for the sake of harmony to give up the usual positive emotions associated with the food ritual?
It would seem that if a person passionately wants to lose weight, he should know why he needs it. However, many of those who addressed the problem of excess weight to a psychotherapist could not explain why it is so important for them to change.
What does not suit you in yourself and why? Do you want to lose weight so that you can easily and beautifully go through life, or do you want to lose weight by vacation, or are you offended by the comments of a loved one?
Sometimes the desire to lose weight is just a massive psychosis: from time to time we get into its “stream”. Sometimes, working on our body, we are trying to win someone’s love, but more often – to find a reason for self-respect.
It is interesting that men are much less likely than women to go on a weight loss experiment and prefer to love themselves in any form – even with a double chin and a “beer” belly. According to the observations of psychotherapists, for one fat man who dreams of a slender figure, there are a hundred fat women obsessed with the same idea.
Try to figure out the real reason why you are unhappy with your weight.
Why do actresses and other celebrities lose weight in a matter of days? What is needed for this – an iron will, strong motivation, or a clearly perceived goal?
The thing is that for an actress, losing weight is a creative task, so she solves it in an unconventional way. Well, it’s easier for her to get used to a different image than for an ordinary woman, because she is a professional transformation.
In general, any professional environment where it is customary to look slim and youthful creates the strongest motives for losing weight. Even in America, where the percentage of obese people is quite high, you will not find fat businessmen or singers. But housewives, salesmen, police officers can afford a “non-standard figure”.
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Perhaps it is worth learning from those who have already mastered completeness. Observe these people, remember the features of their behavior. Let them tell you about their personal weight loss experience. Try to imagine yourself with the perfect figure more often. “Tie” your desire to lose weight to the most important values in life – business success, creativity, the desire to love and be loved.
Before you declare war on body fat, go to see a physician. He will prescribe you an examination that will show you if you have diseases that usually accompany obesity – diabetes, cardiovascular problems, hormonal disorders.
The closest attention should be paid to the peculiarities of your metabolism. A biochemical blood test and other laboratory tests will help to find out how impaired metabolic processes in your body are.
Analyze your diet and exercise. Don’t be lazy and write down all the grams and calories consumed. Sometimes it seems to a person that he is eating a little. But, having calculated all the numbers, he understands that the calorie content of his diet greatly exceeds the energy costs.
Sometimes extra pounds are the result of taking any medications. Talk to your doctor about the possible side effects of the pills he has prescribed for you. So, make sure that you do not have serious medical conditions, find out the internal and external causes of obesity.
Can psychotherapy help you cope with your problem? Of course, if you need such support. By the way, if overeating has taken the form of food addiction, you cannot do without consulting a specialist. Only you need to contact a professional psychotherapist who has been working with obese people for several years. Psychotherapy, which deals with weight correction seriously, has nothing to do with conspiracies, shamanism and so-called coding.
A competent psychotherapist will first find out why you are so eager to lose weight and whether you are not getting unconscious benefits from your fullness. Then he will personally choose a strategy for you to get out of the problem situation. Moreover, a variety of methods of psychological correction can be used – the self-hypnosis system, hypnotherapy, the so-called “12 steps” technique.
If you feel that the desire to lose weight has become an obsession, see a therapist. And the last thing. Ways that promise quick weight loss (all kinds of Thai pills and Guo extracts) are for the lazy and short-sighted. After all, they do not affect the deepest cause of completeness, but only its external manifestations. Is it worth risking your health for dubious and temporary results?