The Psychology of Weight Loss: Why It’s So Hard to Lose Extra Weight

Being overweight is a problem faced by most women. Perhaps every woman has said "it's time to lose weight" in front of the mirror at least once, even if she is overweight. Until recently, pharmaceutical companies and the media actively supported the idea of "making yourself a stick, " but this trend is slowly disappearing.  Many companies invite girls of normal weight to take advertising photos. How do you tell if you are overweight? When do you really need to cut it back? And what is the right way to do it? More on this below.

Being overweight: how to find out what's normal and whether to lose weight

The formulas for calculating normal weight are as follows:

• Women: Subtract 100 from height. Male: Subtract 110 from height. Therefore, the permissible weight for a woman with a height of 175 cm is 72-75 kg.
• Lorenz formula. (Height (cm) - 100) - (Height (cm) - 150)/2.
• Calculation of body mass index: weight divided by height squared. For example, the weight is 75 kilograms and the height is 180: 75/1. 8·1. 8=23. 15, which is normal weight. An index below 20 indicates underweighting, and above 30 indicates overweight.

But you shouldn't just focus on weight. It is necessary to consider your body shape and the amount of fatty tissue. There are many women who are underweight and have clearly visible abdominal fat folds. Remember, women must have at least 25% body fat for the body to function properly.Psychologist-Treatment Program CoordinatorIf your calculated weight exceeds 5 kg, you should not immediately go on a strict diet. This may be your normal weight as all numbers are approximate. But if you have difficulty walking, shortness of breath, and other health problems, you need to lose weight.  We want to make it clear right away that no medicine, enema or spell will help you get in shape. The only option is to eat well, respect your calorie intake, and increase your physical activity level.If people accepted the above facts and stopped believing in quick, magical ways to lose weight, the weight loss problem would be less serious.

How to start psychological weight loss?

From a psychological perspective, factors that interfere with weight loss include the following:

• The ability to derive pleasure from food alone.
• If a woman manages to lose 5 kilograms in 5 days, almost completely giving up most food, then such an experience will introduce into her consciousness the concept of "eating less is better". But the body tries to have its own way, constantly demanding food, and the person inevitably breaks down.
• Lack of love for yourself and your body.
• The unintended benefits women gain from being overweight. For example, she has experienced harassment and even violence. The result is weight gain to protect against male prying eyes (although excess weight doesn't guarantee complete safety).
• Eating disorders. Most overweight women who want to lose weight face this problem.

Is it possible to lose weight permanently?

Losing weight is not as difficult as many people think. Is this true? In fact, 58% of women who lose weight gain it back within a few years of losing weight. But the usual gist is this: after reaching a desired weight, a person relaxes and stops paying attention to what he or she eats.  To maintain weight, you need to maintain your caloric intake, that's the whole secret. There is absolutely no need to constantly count calories and weigh food; just limit (not exclude) flour, sweets, fatty foods, eat more vegetables and fruits, adequate protein and carbohydrates will be enough.Of course, addressing your internal issues and complexes will help you maintain your weight. For women, psychological weight loss is about self-acceptance and independence from the opinions of others.

Why do people gain weight: Is it always due to malnutrition?

In most cases, yes, but there are some cases that have nothing to do with nutrition:

• Hormonal imbalance.
• There is a tendency for swelling.
• Metabolism fails.
• taking certain medications.

10 reasons to lose weight

Top 10 reasons for women to lose weight:

• Men love it.
• Wear whatever you want.
• Climb stairs, catch the bus, etc. with ease.
• Don't breathe quickly while having sex.
• Improve health, pregnancy and more.
• Just like yourself.
• Wear nice lingerie.
• Feel free to take off your clothes on the beach or in front of your partner.
• Easily installed on public transportation seats.
• Improve your personal life.

If weight is really bothering you, and it's a lot, then losing weight will definitely help with the above issues. But if a girl has gained 1 kilogram and she already thinks that she is a huge mountain, then she needs to use her self-esteem to solve the problem, otherwise it will lead to anorexia.

The most failed way to lose weight

In search of a miracle cure for weight loss, humans seem to have tried every option: pills, herbs, Ayurveda, acupuncture, and more. If some options are simply useless, then some are downright harmful.

magic tea

Tea to aid weight loss has diuretic and laxative properties. As a result, a few kilograms were lost, but they were quickly regained. Additionally, tea removes electrolytes and water that are necessary for normal functioning of the body.

pill

Diet pills have different mechanisms of action. Medications that can be purchased at any pharmacy without a prescription are often completely ineffective. The most they can do is remove excess water. The packaging of such drugs often states: It is recommended to reduce portion sizes, eliminate sweets, flour and fatty foods, and increase physical activity. In this case, you can lose weight on your own. An entirely different type of medication are prescription medications that reduce appetite or remove excess fat from food through the rectum. These medications should only be used in very overweight people under a doctor's supervision. One more thing: These aren't magic pills that make you eat a lot and lose weight. These medications require a balanced diet and compliance with caloric intake.

fat burning products

On the Internet, you can see an impressive list of foods that "help" burn fat: pineapple, grapefruit, peppers, celery, coconut oil, and more. Although there is no evidence base, many people still believe this myth. There is no product that can speed up fat burning.

low calorie diet

A diet of less than 1200 calories can harm the body. This kind of weight loss is quick (up to a point), but dangerous:

• Hormone imbalance.
• Stop menstruation.
• Hair loss, skin and teeth deterioration.
• Sudden weight loss can cause sagging skin and the appearance of wrinkles.
• Memory loss.
• Performance degrades.
• The body switches into energy-saving mode, so libido is completely lacking and men may experience erectile dysfunction.

After a while, the body adapts to this saving and stops "releasing" excess fat. What does a person who wants to lose weight think? "We still need to eat less. " This has created the threat of anorexia, severe nutritional deficiencies and exhaustion.

Why do I gain weight after dieting?

The answer is clear: a strict diet forces you to attack food with a triple force. Also, it’s almost impossible to give up your favorite foods again, so the weight comes back on. Strictly restrictive diets are especially dangerous: 1, 000 calories, protein, no salt, greens, etc.

weight loss psychological training

The basis of any training is to activate positive thinking, clear out all negative attitudes, and normalize the emotional background. During this process, a psychologist is always present in the group to help those present relax. A positive mental attitude often triggers and accelerates the weight loss process.

5 weight loss tips from psychologists

• Decide whether you really need to lose weight. Chances are you're comfortable with your curves and the desire to lose weight is simply a result of public opinion.
• Set realistic goals for yourself. Healthy weight loss does not mean losing more than 3kg per month, but up to 4kg.
• Learn to enjoy the weight loss process: cook for yourself, serve beautiful meals, buy a new set of workout clothes, find new recipes for low-calorie dishes.
• Stop weighing yourself every morning and beating yourself up for gaining 100 grams. You can weigh yourself once a week; weight fluctuations are natural, especially in women (for example, before menstruation, weight gain occurs due to fluid retention in the tissues).
• No matter your weight, you should love your body. So pamper and please your body and don't wait until "later" to buy beautiful lingerie or a dress.

Anorexia: Suppressing motivation to lose weight

Anorexia is an eating disorder in which women (girls) stop eating simply because they constantly feel fat. This disorder often results in death, so it must be treated with a psychiatrist. Anorexia occurs in three stages:

• Abnormality. Criticisms and mean remarks about appearance make our first thought be to lose weight as quickly as possible. A person only focuses on his own shortcomings and fails to see his own advantages.
• Anorexia. This woman cuts portions into microscopic sizes and eliminates almost all foods from her diet. If food is eaten, the person will vomit.
• Cachexia. The stage of total exhaustion. Even if a woman weighs 30 kilograms, she still thinks she is fat.

If you have signs of anorexia, you should consult a specialist:

• Obsessed with losing weight, your entire life begins to revolve around ways to lose weight.
• The desire to eat separately from others in order to hide one's illness.
• The diet contains almost no food; the menu consists only of lettuce, kefir and water.
• Sudden weight loss, deterioration of hair and skin, cessation of menstrual cycle.
• Mood swings, depression.

The consequences of losing weight completely without working with a psychologist

The most dangerous thing about losing weight without psychological work is the development of an eating disorder. In this condition, a person either refuses food completely (anorexia) or eats too much, which then leads to vomiting (bulimia). These are the most popular types of RPP. Furthermore, a lack of effort on one's complexes can lead to the emergence of new "shortcomings" with which a person struggles. And so on, forming a circle.

Psychologists help with weight loss

Specialists not only provide help with chemical dependency, but also with weight loss. First, you need to determine if you are actually overweight. If weight loss was really important, then psychologists would use in the program some methods of working with the subconscious mind:

• arrange.
• Psychophysiology.
• gamble.
• Art therapy.
• Cognitive behavioral therapy.

Of course, the expert first collects a complete medical history: what kind of family the patient grew up in, what kind of relationship he has with his parents, what kind of relationship he has now, etc.Courses are conducted individually and in small groups. You won't receive a list of "bad" and "good" foods, but you will learn to control your emotions and differentiate between emotional and physical hunger.