10 psychological tricks to lose weight
Are you one of those people who gain weight almost without realizing it? The genetics and metabolism of each person are closely linked to a greater or lesser propensity to gain weight. The reality (a little uncomfortable) is that there are factors of your body that are difficult to change , and therefore have a few extra pounds is something that many people can not easily remedy.
However, there are reasons (scientifically proven) that invite the optimism of those who want to lose weight. We not only gain weight by having a "bad genetics", nor by eating a lot or practicing little sports. In fact, recent studies show that, more than the amount of what we ingest, the quality (the low quality, it is understood) of what enters us through the mouth, and that usually goes to the adipose tissues (love handles, cartridge belts, belly ...).
Luckily, for the problem of a bad diet there is a series of available resources to mitigate its effect, learn new and better habits and power, thus, feel lighter and healthier.
Psychology has a lot to say in the way we eat
The psychology and the nutrition are study disciplines that are increasingly related, as we saw in a previous post:
- "Psychology and Nutrition: the importance of emotional nutrition"
exist several psychological tricks that can be very useful when losing weight . The latest trend in researchers studying the processes of body transformation (fattening and weight loss) is to assess the impact of psychology and how it influences our silhouette.
One of the most respected theorists in this field is Brian Wansink, of Cornell University, who has the honor of being recruited by the White House to elaborate the nutritional and feeding guides in the United States.
Culture and habits are the best allies of obesity
Wansink poses the importance of the family and social environment in the development of overweight and obesity :
"Many people I know eat much more than would be advisable. And they do not eat so much because they have an excessive appetite, but because their closest environment (family, friends) encourages them to do so. Further, there is a marketing XXL food that is responsible for introducing the inadequate food : packaging, size of rations, names, colors, labels, shapes, colors, smells, ingredients ... We do not realize the perversion of the food industry because we have always lived in a culture that conceives food in this way " .
Psychological tricks that will help you lose weight
Wansink's advice uncovers the crucial the habits, the senses and the psychology in general in the way of feeding. Following them, it is possible to create the right psychological and nutritional dynamics to lose weight and maintain good health.
These are the tricks that Wansinck proposes:
1. Remove from your sight those foods you do not want to eat
If you have before your eyes foods that are for you irresistible temptations (normally they are foods rich in fat or sugars ...), it will be harder for you not to taste bite. Stimulate your sight with healthy foods: show fresh fruit and healthy foods , and hides refreshments, junk food and sweets.
2. Habitúate to practice sport little by little
Food is important, but the calories you eat daily have to be burned if your goal is to lose weight. It is a truism that practicing physical exercise will help you lose weight. Also, you must take into account that doing sports brings you multiple benefits at a psychic level , which can make you start living life in a healthier way and food becomes much less important to you.
3. Get rid of anxiety
There are a lot of bad habits when it comes to eating that are supported by the same common factor: anxiety. Being anxious can take you to eat between meals and / or eat more than the bill ... do you know what binge eating disorder is? If you manage to control your anxiety, you will notice that you do not feel so much need to eat.
- I recommend you take a look at this article: "Combat anxiety: 5 guidelines to reduce tension"
4. Never go shopping at the supermarket with hunger
It is more than proven that shopping on an empty stomach is a bad option. Having more hunger, v so to be more inclined to buy foods that seduce you by the eyes , especially those that contain high doses of glucose (sugars), which is precisely what you lack in the blood when you are hungry. By the way, do not go shopping either angry , you will also tend to buy more.
5.Put little food on the plate
For the same reason that going to buy with hunger makes you make bad decisions, the same happens when we are hungry and we are going to serve food on the plate . We tend to get too much. If you put less amount, you will probably eat enough but not to the point of feeling bloated ... and you will not accumulate calories that you do not need.
6. Eat slowly and without haste
When we eat, the signal that sends the stomach to the brain to indicate that it feels satiated takes 20 minutes to arrive. If you eat slowly and unhurriedly, you will feel sated and avoid eating more food than your body demands. If on the contrary you eat in a hurry, you will eat more calories. Give your body time and he will tell you when it is enough.
7. Do not put too many ingredients in the same dish
A golden rule: just put two ingredients at once in the same dish (without taking into account the oil, salt and those things, of course). If you put many ingredients you will tend to perceive food as a joy. The idea is not that you start to hate food, far from it !, but sobriety at the table plays to your advantage when it comes to controlling appetite and losing weight.
8. Losing weight: a slow and constant process
It is common for some people who perform special diets for weight loss They end up frustrated by not getting the desired results in the time they had estimated (a classic to illustrate this is the "bikini operation"). The diets to lose weight must be oriented so that the evolution is constant and lasting ... not abrupt and after two months it will be the same or worse. That is why it is important that you mentalize that having a body free of fat is not a sprint but a long distance race : slow and good lyrics.
Emotions can boycott your progress, as we explained in another post:
- Emotions are the main obstacle to losing weight
9. The importance of the spiritual
Although some people do not give it the importance it deserves, the meditation , feeling good about oneself, self-esteem and mens sana in corpore sano they are crucial factors to get to reduce the excess of kilos . An activity that unites the spiritual and the physical and that has magnificent results is the yoga . We explain more about yoga in the following text:
- "The 6 psychological benefits of yoga"
10. Become aware of what you eat and find out
Knowing the ingredients of the food you eat is key when it comes to losing weight. For one simple reason: Information is power . When we go out to eat, we do not have that information and it is likely that we eat poorly and stuff ourselves with saturated fats and sugars. If you buy your own food and you look at the nutritional contribution of each food, you will gradually become aware of what is right for your body.
Bibliographic references:
- National Institute of Statistics and Informatics (INEI). (2000). Demographic and Family Health Survey.
- Mazza, C. (2001). Obesity in pediatrics: Current Panorama. SAOTA, Obesity; 12 (1): 28-30.
