Important Facts About Weight Loss

by Paul Simpson
(UK)

If people want to lose weight, it is very easy to sit around and say ‘make the correct food choices’. In fact, many people, even those who are overweight, have at least a rough idea of what constitutes good and bad foods. You don’t need to be a nutrition expert to know that a salad is a more healthy option than a calorie-packed pizza.

It is therefore true that a lot of people who indulge in eating fast foods and other unhealthy choices, over more healthy ones do so fully aware of what they are doing.

Tackling weight loss involves tackling the mind as much as it does the waistline. It may be necessary to look beyond the simple choices we make and instead look at the causes or ‘triggers’ behind our conscious decision making.

For instance, are your food motivations based on nostalgic feelings you have for a particular food? Do certain foods stir up a particular emotion, which stems back to your childhood?

When we talk about learning to eat again this is not meant in a patronising way. Instead, you should view it as learning to separate the act of eating from the emotional conditioning of food.

With this knowledge in mind it will become a lot easier to tackle the root causes behind the choices you make. Understanding a problem is half the battle. Once you understand why you have cravings, you can then undergo a process of detaching the process of eating from your emotions.

Think about it this way: you are preparing to have a meal and are tempted to eat something you know is bad for you. The emotions towards eating it are overwhelming. However, on this occasion you make a conscious effort to think the following: ‘I am in a different space to what I used to be, I want what is best for my body.’

On a very simple level this is a form of conditioning, but on the other hand this is also a process that allows you to start taking control of your life.

Of course nothing is going to happen overnight just because you have changed your attitude towards food. By consciously changing your attitude and detaching the emotions from food, you have won half the battle. The next step is to create a system whereby your new food attitudes can be reaffirmed and reinforced.

The best way to do this is by replacing this conditioned response with a new, healthier response. A good idea is to devise a set of guidelines to consistently follow that relates to what and when you eat. Crucially, this will give your mental state a physical form and structure that will boost your confidence.

Spend time developing your new dietary routine but be careful not to make changes that are too excessive in the beginning. If you deprive yourself of everything you have identified as bad from the beginning, chances are you will become depressed and unenthusiastic about the routine. Create a routine that is on a gradual scale. Look to phase out ‘bad’ fats and refined sugars from your diet rather than just removing it all together at once.

With the new attitude and routine in place your goal now should be to sustain it. One of the best ways to achieve this very important goal is to reward positive behaviour and chastise negative behaviour. With this in mind, you should think about incorporating a reward and punishment scheme into your routine.

There are various ways you can do this but here are some examples. For instance, add an incentive to achieving a weekly target of weight loss. This may be something material such as a DVD or healthy meal out.

Punishment of failure should be done in a serious but light hearted way. Think about setting up a bet with a friend that causes you to pay out if you don’t reach your target. As an added bonus you will find that the competition gives an added incentive for you.

Rewarding good behaviour whilst punishing bad forms the backdrop to all of society’s teaching methods. Apply these principles to yourself and reap the rewards.

Losing weight should be a productive and positive experience. The last thing you want to end up as is somebody whose heart is no longer in it. The experience of losing weight should be as enjoyable as the end result when you stand on the scales and see the pounds falling of your body.

You should therefore make sure of one crucial thing- enjoy yourself! When it comes to exercise for instance you do not have to stick to a rigid routine when there are so many ways to lose weight. Think about taking up a sport that you love or getting involved in a group activity.

Basically losing weight should be a positive experience otherwise how else do you expect to achieve your goals?

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