Believe it or not, the psychology of weight loss plays a major role in how successfully we lose weight and keep it off.
More than anything, weight loss is about mindset. For women especially, there’s a lot of cultural programming to incessantly think about weight loss, diet, and exercise. Most diet programs reinforce this notion and tell women to exercise more and eat less.
The reality is, this is counterintuitive to how weight loss actually works. Let’s dig a little deeper and explore the science and psychology of weight loss.
Weight Loss is About Mindset
Most diet regimens, exercise programs, and other weight loss strategies place heavy importance on losing weight. More often than not, these programs encourage their participants to eat less and exercise more to reach that goal.
In reality, this is usually to the detriment of the person trying to lose weight. Why? Because obsessively thinking about losing weight, over-exercising, and undereating all cause stress.
A shift in mindset is necessary to lose weight. When the emphasis is on getting healthy and maintaining a nutritious diet, we start to see real results.
Focus on Getting Healthy
What does it actually mean to focus on getting healthy? What does this look like in practice?
In many cases, getting healthy and losing weight are used synonymously. This isn’t always the case.
Getting healthy means choosing the right foods that will nourish your body and sustain your energy. It also means eating for nourishment, not for weight loss. With the right guidance, it becomes easier to choose foods that benefit your body and your metabolism. It’s all about practice.
Stop Thinking About the Scale
Weight loss is not about perfection, it’s about becoming better for you. Hyper-fixation on the scale and stressing about what to eat simply doesn’t work. In fact, this actually works against sustainable weight loss.
The body thrives on safety. If you’re stressed about the scale, your body won’t feel safe enough to shed the pounds and keep it off.
Remember, the scale isn’t a reflection of your worth.
The Science of Losing Weight
The psychology and science of losing weight go hand-in-hand. Our psychological mindset heavily impacts the way our bodies function, and vice versa.
Here’s a bit more in regards to the science of weight loss.
Losing Weight Without Exercising: Is it Possible?
Most weight loss programs focus on eating less and exercising more. This actually throws your body into a panic mode, which makes it extremely difficult to keep weight off.
Of course, exercise definitely has its benefits, but if your body is undernourished, it will actually have adverse effects. Exercising without proper nutrients poses negative effects on your hormones, and therefore your metabolism.
You do not need to obsessively exercise to lose weight. In fact, it goes against the grain of how weight loss actually functions.
Stress Makes You Store Fat
Not eating enough and exercising too much causes spikes in stress and cortisol, which is a chemical that sends signals to your brain that it’s in danger.
The problem is, your brain and your body cannot tell the difference between starvation and dieting. Because of this, even if you’re just dieting and exercising, this stress causes your body to store excess fat as a means of protection. This is what keeps women in an endless cycle of losing weight and gaining it back.
Yo-yo dieting needs to end here. Leave the stress behind, and stick to a health plan that works with you, not against you.
How to Start Losing Weight Fast
If you’re ready to take back your life and start losing weight fast, contact an expert team member today. You can book a free consultation and start losing weight the right way, without any of the stress. Our clients see results in as little as 6 weeks.
Start feeling better, start eating healthy, and change your life with the Metabolism Reboot.