Psychology Of Weight Loss: Willpower Has Limits

Many people attempting to lose weight get caught in the vicious circle of losing a bit of fat and regaining it again, often even more than they’ve lost. In fact, the majority of dieters quickly regain the weight once they stopped dieting. Why this happens? And what can be done to avoid this problem?

Dieting is the first thing that comes to anyone’s mind when we talked about the weight loss. It is always recommended to supplement dieting with an adequate exercise regiment. In any health center or gymnasium where we go, we can see that the weight loss programs always involve both diet and exercise. But once we achieve certain progress and stop going to the gym and torturing ourselves with restricting the calories, we again start putting on those pounds.

The simple truth is that the body weight management routine must continue after achieving the desirable or reduced weight. This means that we still need to stick to certain diets and exercise regularly. But there is one problem — you can’t live your whole life in the state of starvation. And this is why most people eventually return to their previous eating habits, which inevitably leads to the regaining of weight.

The Psychological Component Is Critical For Success In Weight Loss

The whole theory of weight loss doesn’t involve only the two components mentioned above, diet and exercise. There is this third and, arguably, the most important component - the psychological factor.  

Dieting and regular exercise do require a lot of self control and willpower which somehow makes the whole process of weight loss tough and failure to a great extent. This means that in addition to losing weight, one should develop, adapt and adhere to some personal lifestyle changes that use the least amount of willpower and self-control.

Psychological research shows that for the maintaining of weight, one needs to break the patterns or habits that result in weight gain in the first place, such as having a dessert after a meal, overeating, eating to satisfy moods and emotions, eating fattening foods etc.

A study conducted on 500 obese individuals who completed their 12-month weight loss program observed that psychological distress, body uneasiness, attitude toward eating, weight loss expectations, primary motivation for enrolling in the program were some of the key factors that resulted in their successful weight loss.

Motivation Is An Important Factor In Weight Loss

Psychological factor in losing weight works on feelings, habits, beliefs, motivation and overall attitude to the whole process.

The role of motivation was explicitly demonstrated in the study conducted by Mayo clinic. The study lasted one year and involved 100 healthy adults in the broad range of ages (from 18 to 63) with a body mass index of 30-39.9. All participants were provided with some weight loss education and behavior modification program. At the end, individuals were divided into two groups. One group received some financial incentives for their success in weight loss, and the other received nothing.

The goal of each participant was to lose four pounds a month until they reached their goal weight. Those in the incentive group would earn $20 if they met their goal each month and if they fail, they’ll have to shed $20 to other group. People in this incentive group were also eligible to win the whole pool through a lottery.

See Also: Types Of Diets: Which Diet Really Works? Low-Fat And Low-Carb Diets

Results showed that 62 percent of individuals in the incentive group completed the study losing an average of 9.05 pounds compared to 26 percent individuals of the non-incentive group who lost 2.35 pounds on an average. This clearly shows that motivation, be it financial in this case, plays an important role in losing weight.

Simple Changes Can Have Big Impact On Your Weight

There are many studies that show that regular self-monitoring contributes to 25 to 30 percent of weight loss and weight control success. This includes simple things such as regularly checking your weight and writing a food diary.

Certain things can be learned from the habits of people who succeeded in losing weight and maintaining it for long period of time. This people almost universally regularly weigh themselves, record daily food intake and physical activities. This not only helps an individual become aware of his/her weight changes but also helps to reveal the problem areas and take corrective actions, both with the food intake and general lifestyle.

The right attitude is also a factor in weight loss. A study showed that people who were less prone to attributing their obesity reasons to any other factors like medical problems or bad genes were more successful in maintain their weight. They were more confident and came less under pressure from others about their weight issues.

Stress is well known to contribute to the weight gain. How an individual copes up with stress is a crucial factor in maintaining weight. People who can cope with their cravings and can work on an overeating episode with positivity rather than stressing themselves out can easily maintain their weight for a long time. These maintainers are also more effective problem solvers and can cope with the demands of life more effectively.

Depression is one of the key factors resulting in weight regain. Depression, mood swings, negative thinking usually result in binge eating, low activity lifestyle and eventually lead to the weight gain or weight relapse.

A study showed that people with high self–esteem were able to lose weight more easily and maintain it for a longer period of time than those with low self-esteem.

A Supportive Environment Helps In Achieving Weight Loss Targets

Support motivates you, inspires you and, above all, takes care of your emotional well being. 

Support can come in many different forms. This can be friends who are working on the same program. Try to learn how they are trying to overcome difficult changes and habits – doing things together motivates each other. Family members and professionals can also be helpful - they can give you feedback and back you up for your feelings. Finally, you can help yourself. Books, internet and television provide loads of information regarding diet, exercise and weight loss. Individuals who have a strong support system are able to lose and maintain weight for a longer time as compared to individuals who stay alone and rely on themselves only.

See Also: Exercise In Prevention Of Weight Regaining After Weight Loss

Psychology definitely plays an important role in losing weight since there is a connection between food and feelings. Although many individuals chose to ignore this food-feeling connection, this does not rule out the fact that psychological factors are involved in the weight loss. Many of our habits, behavioral patterns, beliefs, and general approaches to everyday challenges are related to our psychology.