Friends, in this article we will tell you how you can lose those extra pounds using "healthy" methods without mindless radical diets. Some of the tips in this article are unique and cannot be found anywhere else. Consider both "traditional" and "non-traditional" weight loss methods: the psychology of weight loss.
If your goal is to lose weight, follow our simple tips to steer your thoughts, feelings, and actions in the right direction - you are sure to succeed!
Psychology: How to lose weight? Let's go!
Of course, since we don't know your weight and other data, it is impossible to build a specific plan that will allow you to lose X kg in Y weeks.
But we will give you the best advice, the effect of which has been scientifically proven many times. We won't burden you with terms, numbers, and other boring stuff. We will briefly review nutrition and physical activity and delve into the psychological aspects of weight loss.
How much weight can you lose in 1 week?
On the Internet, you will find many articles and sites where you are promised that you will get results in a short time. Unfortunately, much of the information they contain does not apply to real life. Don't believe in fairy tales. Check everything first.
There are many factors to consider when losing weight, there is no magic pill. These factors include your age, height, body fat percentage, current diet, physical activity, etc.
Still, there is a general rule of thumb about how much weight you can lose in a week. Nutritionists believe that you can lose up to 1. 5 kilograms without harming your health. Therefore, do not be fooled by the promises of the ignorant, consult and reflect on their advice before applying.
Excess weight is fat! Of course, you always want to lose fat, but you can also lose water or glycogen (sugar in your body). The latter often occurs when you start a carbohydrate diet.
4 ways to lose weight
There are 4 types of weight loss. If you look at any diet, it will somehow refer to one of these four ways:
- Food;
- Movement;
- Stress management;
- Thinking.
In order not to overwhelm you with information, we have divided the 16 tips given in the article into these 4 categories. Therefore, everyone will find something of their own.
But first, let's compare weight loss to diet and exercise.
Diet or movement
If you look at studies that lasted longer than 15 weeks, you can see the following results (number of kilograms lost after 15 weeks):
- Group “Diet without exercise”: weight loss of 10. 7 kg.
- Movement without diet group: 2, 9 kg.
- Exercise diet group: 12. 0 kg.
It's easy to see that nutrition is more important than exercise.
1. Diet
8 of the 16 tips in this article are related to diet. Almost all affect the quantity and quality of the food consumed. With the help of them, you can lose weight even without playing sports.
Tip 1:Eat slower. This may seem like a joke, but you will be surprised how effective this trick is.
Fast eaters are 115% more likely to be overweight compared to slow eaters.
Here are some explanations:
- On average, a person's meal takes 10-15 minutes. If you eat slowly, during this time you eat less, consume fewer calories. This is logical.
- You chew hard, which also cuts down on calories.
- Blood sugar levels are less pronounced, making it easier to burn fat.
"A healthy lifestyle will take away bad health, lethargy and fat"
Jill Johnson
Tip 2:Start your day with protein like cottage cheese!
Many people start their day with carbohydrates. Here are the downsides:
- Carbohydrates have a high "nutritional factor" that makes you eat more and more.
- Carbohydrates cause an increase in insulin, which leads to the accumulation of fat in the tissues.
Instead of carbohydrates, you should eat protein for breakfast. Research has shown that eating protein for breakfast leads to:
- People think 60% less about food;
- People have 50% less appetite for snacks at night;
- People consume 400 fewer calories per day.
This is a great way to cut calories and lose weight fast.
Tip 3:Drink half a liter of water before each meal.
This will speed up your weight loss by 40%! Studies in adults and the elderly have shown that drinking a pint of water 15-30 minutes before meals accelerates weight loss by 44% over a 12-week period compared to people who do not drink before meals.
There is an explanation for this: by drinking half a liter of water before a meal, the feeling of hunger decreases, which ultimately leads to a decrease in the amount of food consumed.
Also, people often confuse feelings of thirst and hunger. Drink a glass of water to make sure you are very hungry.
Tip 4:Avoid sodas and sweetened fruit juices.
The problem for many people is that they don't read the composition. You should know that soda and fruit juices are your biggest enemy because they are loaded with sugar.
But there is a nuance here. This does not apply to freshly squeezed juices, as they contain fruit fibers. This slows down the absorption of sugar. If these fibers are removed from fruit juice, the body will absorb them poorly.
Replacing high-calorie drinks with water can help you lose weight.
Here is some information about soft drinks:
- The likelihood of developing diabetes increases dramatically with the use of carbonated beverages (compared to water and even juices).
- The risk of diabetes increased 33% with a daily glass of soda.
- Daily consumption of carbonated beverages is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes by up to 67%.
- Artificial sweeteners are addictive, making soda hard to give up.
- In an animal study of rats consuming artificial sweeteners, the following happened: They ate more and their metabolism slowed. The same thing happens with a person.
Tip 5: Avoid “hidden” sugar.
About 80% of everything sold in the supermarket contains sugar. Even if it is not written directly on it. The fact is, manufacturers often "code" sugar using words that customers don't understand. Most of these aliases end with "ose" or contain terms like "syrup" or "molasses. "
"If you don't give your body the best, you are simply robbing yourself"
Jilius Irving
Then we get a splurge. In fact, if we do not recognize the keyword, we will assume that the product does not contain sugar.
There is also another trick. Often manufacturers of sugar-containing substances indicate at the end of the composition. Many people simply do not read the composition to the end, being fooled.
Important! Always read the ingredient list and look for hidden sugars by code names.
Tip 6:Eat less carbohydrates.
People eat too many carbohydrates. If you compare our current eating habits with those of people living in the wild, then you can understand that we, the townspeople, have strayed quite a bit from the right path.
In a 2000 study, scientists determined how many carbohydrates people eat when living in harmony with nature. If we compare this with the average diet of a modern person, we come to the following conclusion:
- Man of nature: Proteins 19-35% Fats: 28-47% Carbohydrates: 22-40%;
- Urban Man: Proteins: 15% Fat: 30% Carbohydrates: 55%.
So you need to cut out some carbs and replace them with healthy fats and proteins.
Tip 7:Eat more fiber.
Adding fiber to your diet lowers blood insulin. Fiber is found in vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, dark chocolate, cereals, and legumes.
Dietary fiber also provides a faster feeling of fullness, which means you automatically eat less. The reason for this is that fiber takes a long time to digest.
Therefore, it is recommended to add one of these foods to each meal.
Tip 8:Eat carbohydrates and protein after exercise.
If you consume carbohydrates immediately after exercise, your body will continue to burn fat.
Carbohydrates also help regenerate muscles by activating the growth hormone HGH. Protein is needed to build muscle.
2. Movement
The next 2 tips are related to exercise.
Tip 9:Short but intense workouts.
When it comes to sports, people often start off with cardio. But cardio has some drawbacks.
So with short, intense workouts, you can burn 7 times more fat than cardio. Because in them you train in short routes, alternating them with breaks. For example, 30 seconds of very intense exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest.
5 sets of high intensity exercise for 20 minutes will be much more beneficial than the same 20 minutes of cardio.
Tip 10: Exercise before meals.
This is a one-time tip.
The weight loss is due to the fact that less insulin is released, because it just becomes unnecessary. Excessive insulin release is your enemy because it causes fat to form and store, especially around the abdomen.
Exercising right before a meal will provide muscle cells with energy.
"A man who can eat everything without gaining weight should not do this in the presence of a woman"
Rita Radner
Of course, you won't be able to train hard before every meal, but you can only do a few short exercises like squatting, imaginary punching, etc.
3. Stress management
Stress is an underrated topic when it comes to losing weight. If you've been under a lot of stress recently, you'll lose weight more slowly as you do.
Let's continue with our line of advice.
Tip 11: Avoid chronic stress.
Stress releases cortisol, the anti-stress hormone.
If cortisol levels are high, fat deposits form in the abdomen. Also, blood sugar levels rise, making weight loss very difficult.
If you follow a radical diet, you can be exposed to high levels of stress. It will also lead to an increase in the amount of cortisol.
By the way! Cortisol is not your enemy. It is a hormone designed to reduce the harmful effects of stress. Cortisol itself is not bad, it shows you how stressed you are. In this sense, it is similar to cholesterol.
Here are some ways to significantly reduce your stress levels:
- Meditate;
- Move more at home or at work;
- Listen to your favorite music;
- Not following a radical diet;
- Being in nature more often.
Tip 12:Get enough sleep.
Sleep has a huge impact on weight loss. Here is some data:
- Lack of sleep increases the probability of obesity by up to 50%;
- Lack of sleep leads to fluctuations in the hormones leptin and ghrelin, as a result of which the appetite is poorly regulated;
- People who lose 15 hours of sleep per week from their normal cortisol levels increase by 50-80%.
A person needs at least 6-7 hours of sleep. For some, more, but not more than 9 hours. Here are some tips for getting the best possible sleep:
- Don't use your devices after 20: 00. And don't watch TV. Better, of course, not to watch at all, but at least after 20: 00;
- Do not drink caffeinated beverages at night, such as coffee, cola, tea;
- Go to bed at the same time;
- Don't look at your watch while lying in bed.
"The only way to lose weight is to reconsider your goals in life"
Cyril Connolly
4. Think
Thinking is also an underrated topic when it comes to losing weight. In the meantime, this is extremely important. It's not about losing weight with the power of thought, but about the inner core and motivation.
With the wrong mindset, of course, you can lose weight. But the effect will be short-lived. In this case, the rollback is a matter of time.
Internal or external motivation? How to find the motivation to lose weight?
Often people say, "I HAVE to lose weight. "The word "must" implies that the desire comes from outside. These people do not want to lose weight for themselves, their desires are imposed, they want to do it for others.
There are two reasons for this:
- Lose weight for a partner or loved ones.
- Lose weight to meet certain social norms.
But to lose weight, there must be an intrinsic motivation, you must make it move forward. The only person you want to lose weight for is yourself!
Therefore, you must convert "I have to lose weight" to "I WANT to lose weight" and honestly admit why you want to. Better to write these reasons down on paper, then you are more likely to see the big picture.
Note! You should always think - "I want to lose weight" (internal, the best motivation to lose weight), instead of - "I have to lose weight" (external motivation).
It should be noted separately that women need more motivation to lose weight than men. Women are more susceptible, making them more likely to get lost and therefore need more motivation.
Tip 13:Food should not be seen as filling the stomach.
Many people see food as simply filling the stomach. It's a shame, because we need food for more than that.
There are two main purposes:
- Get energy to maintain the psyche;
- Get nutrients to support the body.
If you focus your mind on these two goals, you will automatically eat healthier foods. Hunger will no longer be the signal for a quick stomach filling. You will choose cleaner, natural and fresh foods.
In addition to the result in the form of weight loss, health and joy will come to you as a bonus. Okay, not bad?
Tip 14:Get help.
Seeking support is a good idea to increase your chances of losing weight. You don't have to go through all the steps yourself.
There are several possibilities:
- Find a boyfriend or girlfriend to play sports together;
- Share your weight loss plan with family and friends who can help or just support you;
- Join a group of people who are losing weight just like you.
All of these can give you the extra motivation you need. Losing weight is a difficult and slow process, the support of other people is very important here, because inevitably situations will arise that will make you regress. To overcome them, the shoulder of a friend will come in handy.
Tip 15:Set realistic goals.
People overestimate what they can achieve in the short term and underestimate what they can achieve in the long term.
Many people who lose weight like to believe in extremely rapid weight loss. They have very high expectations in the short term, which of course do not come true. Therefore, people lose motivation and faith in success.
Long-term prospects are understated not only with weight loss. This often happens with aspiring entrepreneurs: they want to become millionaires right after starting a business and they don't think about the size of their company if they work for 5 or 10 years.
I've been on a diet for 14 days and I've already lost. . . 14 days!
Tommy Cooper
Important! Set realistic weight loss goals. Divide each goal into small subgoals and achieve them gradually. Every little victory will give you confidence.
As a result, you will have the strength to solve your main task and the process of losing weight will not be hell for you.
Tip 16: Don't force yourself on radical diets.
Diet is often not so good because it prohibits a person from satisfying her needs. Yes, throwing cakes at night is very necessary, but you should also work with it carefully and smoothly.
Very often, a diet makes a person think even more about the foods they want to eat. You have to repress unwanted thoughts. As a result, a person is constantly in a tense state, and in the meantime, the desire only increases, this will not lead to anything good.
If you artificially repress your desires, sooner or later the mind will not resist the pressure and will explode. This principle applies to all areas of life, not just weight loss.
Therefore, you should not constantly think: “I want this, but I can't”, on the contrary: “I can, but I don't want it”.
Psychological tricks to lose weight
So, we get to the fun part. How to make you lose weight?
Psychological tricks: read and memorize.
Tip n. ° 1. Use small plates.
A series of studies shows that you automatically eat less when you use small plates. People always fill their plates the same way, no matter how big they are.
If the plate is large and you have little food, you will have the impression that you have eaten very little. If the plate is small but full, it will seem that you have eaten a lot. Check it out.
"My wife started seeing a nutritionist and lost three hundred dollars in two months"
Order of Robert
Tip # 2. Wear tall, narrow glasses.
According to scientists, you can drink up to 50% less when using tall, narrow glasses. This is because the glass looks large to you, but actually it is not. When you drink from it, your psyche sends the same signals to your brain as if you were drinking from a large glass.
Therefore, use tall glasses when consuming alcoholic or high-calorie beverages.
Use low and wide glasses when drinking water and herbal teas.
Tip # 3. Use red plates for fatty foods.
Another trick: eating high calorie foods from red dishes will be produced in much smaller quantities than from all the others.
We associate red with "stop", so we will subconsciously shorten lunch time.
Everyone knows there are times at the table when you seem to have had enough, but there is still food on the plate. We often eat from the machine, not realizing that the body is already full. So the red plates will not allow you to do this, at the first signs of saturation we will stop, we will not overeat.
Recommendation n. 4. Eat in company.
People eat almost 40% less when guests or strangers are at the table.
Its presence creates additional pressure and does not allow a person to forget and overeat. . .
Recommendation n. 5. Don't look at food ads.
People who watch food on television regularly eat 30% more than those who do not watch television.
"The fewer substances, the better the exchange"
So be careful when watching TV.
Recommendation n. # 6. Hang a mirror in your kitchen.
Many studies show that a mirror in the kitchen can help you lose weight.
This is due to the fact that it is often unpleasant for a person to watch you eat. Also, you can look at their inappropriate behavior in relation to food from the outside. It can be exhilarating.
Tip # 7. Make junk food harder to find.
The likelihood of snacking that is harder to obtain is significantly reduced.
For example, if you store candy in a transparent container, you will be more likely to open it and consume more calories per day than if the container is opaque.
Better to keep all the nasty stuff out of the kitchen somewhere. This is the psychology of nutrition for weight loss.
Conclusion
It is impossible to grasp the vastness. Even this article contains too much information to digest and start applying at once. Even if you try, you won't get any good.
It is better to move gradually, choose 2-3 methods for yourself, study them and gradually, day after day, introduce them into your life. This will help you achieve results much faster. This is the whole psychology of weight loss.