In many cases over eating is a psychological problem more than it is one of need or hunger.  People can over eat for all sorts of reasons, which causes them to put on weight.

Even those of us who don’t necessarily count as ‘over eaters’ but who have a tendency to put on a few pounds because of eating the wrong things, or those of us unable to stick to a diet, usually do so for psychological reasons rather than biological ones.

Losing weight is about willpower, and one of the best ways that you can help boost your willpower is by teaching your brain to think in different ways, to not crave that which is bad for us or helping us put on a bit too much weight.

What we are not talking about here is teaching you not to eat, to become too thin.  Such actions are dangerous.  What we are talking about is making healthy changes to your mindset to help encourage a healthy body from the right diet and nutrition.

The Psychology of Weight Loss

For some people weight loss is easy.  What is surprising is this is not always to do with their biology, in many cases it is simply because of their mindset.  They are able to overcome cravings without too much of a difficulty, or fight off the need to eat at the wrong times.

This is because their own psychology makes life easier for them than other people.  But the good news is that such an outlook is possible to be taught.

The two most important aspects to consider when you are looking to use psychology to lose weight are resolution and affirmation.

Resolution

First you have to want to change.  It is impossible to have willpower if you are unclear about whether you want change.

This means a few things:
1.      Picture yourself slimmer, how you want to look.  This is an important visualisation, it is the goal you will come back to again and again, and it is what will give you long term motivation for weight loss.

2.      Goal setting.  It is important to have short term goals as well as long term ones to give yourself a feeling of progress and achievement.  This should not be overstated in importance.

3.      Rewards.  Reinforce good efforts by giving yourself tangible rewards at certain weight loss levels.

4.      Write a food diary.  If you are resolved to losing weight then resolve to keep a food diary so you can see exactly what you are eating. Also write down mood, level of hunger and what you were doing when you ate so you can recognise triggers in your behaviour.

5.      Avoid triggers or give yourself something else.  When you recognise the triggers in your food diary, work out ways to avoid them, or to give another ‘reward’.  For example if you find you eat a sandwich after completing a project start substituting that for a healthy cup of tea.

Affirmation

Whilst the resolution techniques should help you through long term, sometimes you need a short term boost to your willpower.  This is where affirmation comes in.

Often you simply need to remind yourself why you are doing what you are doing.  The best way of doing this is with something physical – so look to carry affirmation cards around with you at all times.

These cards can be inspirational quotes you have read somewhere, or pleas with yourself to overcome your willpower.  Maybe even they are pictures of what you want to look like after losing weight, or the reason you are losing weight in the first place.

By combining these techniques you should have all the help you need to boost your willpower and help you lose weight.

Article by Joseph Szenasi. All rights reserved.

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