Psychology of weight loss or how to live calmly and not get fat. About the Shichko method. How to work with diaries. Self-hypnosis formulas Psychology of weight loss. dominant weight loss

03.08.2023

A popular psychological technique called neuro-linguistic programming is used in various areas of life. The attitude towards it is ambiguous, because it invades the consciousness of the individual. But sometimes its use is justified, and success is confirmed by specific stories. An example is NLP for weight loss. Many people dream of getting rid of extra pounds, but not everyone decides to resort to NLP, as they have heard a lot of conflicting reviews about it. The effectiveness of the technique largely depends on the efforts of the person himself.

Principles of action of NLP for weight loss

When using the technique of neurolinguistic programming, a change in consciousness occurs due to the suggestion of certain thoughts to a person, provoking the manifestation of emotions. With the problem of excess weight, the main idea is: having a slender figure is great, a slender person achieves more success and at a fast pace, people around him are drawn to him.

Negative emotions are contraindicated at the beginning of work on weight loss with the help of NLP: a positive psychological attitude is important. You can not scold yourself for being full or allow yourself to be humiliated by other people.

It is necessary to set a goal, it should not be narrow - to lose weight, it is better - to acquire a slender figure. But this is a visible goal, but you need to see all the hidden benefits from such a state, visualize them. Among them can be both small - to buy a fashionable dress, and global - to get married. The desire to achieve them will inspire you to quickly become slimmer. It will not be superfluous to start realizing these goals even before the end of the NLP weight loss course.

Another important component is a relaxed state, the whole body and brain must be ready for changes. You should forget about problems. If possible, then temporarily reduce the number of contacts with the outside world so that attention is not scattered.

Internal dialogue is a useful tool for those who want to lose weight.

You need to try to look into the very depths of your subconscious in order to understand what pushes you to eat an extra piece. Possible reasons include:

stresses, experiences are a reaction to certain events that cause negative emotions, they want to eat them faster;
the presence of free time, the inability to organize one's leisure lead to increased absorption of food;
food for the company, when, spending time with family or friends, there is a desire to eat more than necessary;
a daily routine in which a lot of time is spent at work, which is why there is no normal nutrition, instead of it - snacks on the go, a person learns to eat like this at home.

You should be ready to completely change your lifestyle: the success of the NLP technique does not eliminate the need to maintain an appropriate lifestyle:

compliance with the daily routine;
exercises to maintain physical fitness;
proper organization of meals.

A well-developed imagination helps in the fight against overeating: it is enough to imagine a piece of meat in detail, what it is made of, and a plate of salad. In most cases, the latter will be preferred.

Barriers to Effective NLP Methods

There are several statements, with the active influence of which a person cannot lose weight. Among them are:

the abundance of various products in stores that look extremely appetizing, which encourages them to try;
behavioral stereotypes - the formed habit of consuming a large amount of food;
the conviction that it is impolite to refuse when offered a treat;
desire for the pleasure that food brings;
confidence that fullness is an excellent means of self-expression, from which you should not get rid of.

Each of these stereotypes must be broken in order for the Neuro Linguistic Programming technique to work successfully.

Basic NLP Techniques for Weight Loss

These techniques are extremely popular among people who want to lose weight quickly and permanently. The success of their application depends on the efforts of the person himself.

snowball

Under such a strange name lies a proven method of influencing the psyche. Thanks to Australian scientists, it was found that the contemplation of sweet foods awakens the hormones of pleasure in a person, the sweet tooth begins to look forward to the absorption of the treasured delicacy. These sensations can be interrupted by looking at the "white noise" (flickering) on the TV screen. It causes unconscious anxiety, which blocks the development of the pleasure hormone.

You can watch “snowball” on TV by unplugging the cord from the outlet or turning the antenna. To always have such an image at hand, just download it from the Internet to your phone.

Photos of food

Looking at photos of food is helpful in curbing your appetite. The peculiarity of this method is that the diet does not need to be adjusted. You should take pictures of the plates of food you want to eat. Further, for the successful implementation of this method, several conditions must be observed:

while contemplating a photo (preferably without processing by photo editors), you can’t smell food on plates, it’s better to leave the room;
after 15-20 minutes, you need to return to the plate, smell the food, but do not eat immediately, but wait until the picture with food is strengthened in the brain;
this procedure should be repeated every 2 weeks, then take a month's rest, if the amount of food consumed has not decreased, then repeat the method again.

Male look

It is commonly believed that victims of overeating, especially women, react violently when a man looks at them reproachfully. If this happens at the moment when they are preparing to eat a hearty meal, then with a high probability many of them will refuse the extra portion. The solution to the problem is obvious - print a photo of a man with the most stern expression on his face and hang it next to the kitchen table or refrigerator.

Reading books

This option is seen as the equivalent of delicious food. You need to find an interesting book, immersion in which will allow you to forget about food. You can also take a book with you to the table, it has been proven that reading reduces the amount of food eaten by several times.

Conclusion

Neuro-Linguistic Programming is a controversial weight loss technique that is best used under the supervision of a weight loss specialist. He will be able to suggest all the pitfalls, see the risks and choose the most appropriate NLP method for this person.

Olga Puzyreva, philologist

“I want to lose weight” - how often this thought spins in our heads and haunts us, prompting us to experiment with diets, exercise, pills, creams, and even shorts and earrings for weight loss. But for some reason, all this vigorous activity of ours often does not bring tangible results, or success turns out to be sadly short. What is the matter here?

You are probably familiar with the phrase “begin to lose weight from the head”. Not in the literal sense, of course, although this happens to some. So, maybe it's worth looking for a clue in the psyche and subconscious of a person?

From the works of the founders of the doctrine of the unconscious Z. Freud and C. Jung, it is known that the subconscious mind does not obey the laws of logic, manifesting itself at the most unexpected moment, so powerfully that we do not even have time to understand where the wind is blowing that blows everything, including ourselves , on his way. However, through the language that the subconscious perceives, we can enter into communication with it and convince it to become our friend and helper.

Any language is a system of signs and codes; the words in it not only have a direct meaning, but also convey information laid down by our ancestors centuries and centuries ago. Let's try to decipher this original meaning.

Take, for example, the word "SLIMMING". It is based on the word "POOR", that is, "BAD, POOR, WRONG". Is it any wonder that the body does not want to get worse when we persistently try to make it lose weight. But “GET RECOVERED, that is, become CORRECT, CORRECT” - this is please, with great pleasure! "GET FULL" - to become fuller, to be filled. And the body stubbornly bends its line, leading us astray with sudden bouts of hunger, helpfully looking for plausible excuses and excuses for violations of the diet, in a word, it wages a guerrilla war with us. And, fair.

So what do we do now, shut our mouths and ears, throw all thoughts out of our heads? Or surrender to the mercy of the winner?

No, these are not our ways. We will better use military cunning, take the power of words and thoughts into our arsenal and play with our own subconscious in an exciting game that unfolds according to special rules. What?

The subconscious mind does not perceive the words “NO” and other denials, that is, all our thoughts like “I don’t want to eat”, “I’m not fat”, “I won’t pounce on this cake, it’s tasteless” are translated exactly the opposite, automatically causing the corresponding reactions. You say: "I'm losing weight, I'm on a diet, I want to lose weight." And the subconscious does not like to drop something, get rid of something. It seeks to preserve what it has already taken possession of.

So the first thing we need to learn is to think positively. Instead of “I am losing weight”, you need to say to yourself: “I am becoming lighter, more graceful and graceful every day”, “I love healthy and wholesome food”, “I LIKE physical exercises”, - that is, “they suit me, they correspond to my character fit me."

Our subconscious operates with images. Therefore, let's turn on the imagination and make it work in full force. Imagine yourself in your best shape, your dream self, imagine in detail, with all the details, in color. What is your figure? Skin, hair? Imagine a bright sunny morning, you wake up in a room overlooking the sea, get up easily, take a shower or bath with fragrant foam, put on beautiful underwear. Look at yourself in the mirror, you are so beautiful! Then you put on the best dress, it elegantly emphasizes your magnificent figure. A couple more strokes, and you go out into the street. Your gait is light, your look radiates kindness and calmness. Men do not take their eyes off you, women look with envy. Complete strangers compliment you. You meet friends and acquaintances, they admire you, it is easy and pleasant to communicate with them. Birds sing around, flowers radiate the finest aroma, the wind pleasantly caresses the skin.

Stroke your hand lightly, imagining the caress of the wind. Do you remember this amazing feeling? From now on, every time you feel the desire to empty the refrigerator or laziness begins to do exercises, stroke your hand in the same way, remember yourself, a dream. What is this? For some reason, you bypassed the refrigerator and headed to the gym?

Make a mental movie starring your dream self. Shoot more and more takes of different scenes as often as possible, adding picturesque details. I am sure that every day you will get closer to your goal. And the following rules of the game are just about the goal.

The subconscious needs a clear goal. Having said "I want to lose weight, I'm losing weight", you give the subconscious a task that is equivalent to "go there, I don't know where ...". These words mean nothing to him. It is necessary to clearly and unambiguously determine what kind of person you will be in a month, in a year. What will be your weight, volume, clothing size.

It is even better to write all this down and re-read it more often, fixing intermediate results on paper. So, “by the first day of the next month, I will be lighter by .... kg.” I only ask you, do not engage in postscripts, set realistic goals for yourself. It is better to write "one kilogram", and to become lighter by two.

The subconscious takes words and parts of words absolutely literally. Think about deciphering the words, and you will have very amusing and effective images in front of you. For example, the word “CHOCOLATE” can be decomposed into the words “SHOCK-COL-HELL”, or, even more strongly, “SHOCK-KAL-HELL”, which carry a strong negative charge. Well, do you want to eat this? That's what chocolate is made of, not the sweet-tasty-addictive-supposedly-essential components.

Transcripts do not have to comply with spelling rules, the main thing is that they evoke vivid, memorable images in you. Let's try again.

CHIPS: "WHOSE DOGS?" (not very appetizing).

CANDIES: "CON-FAT-YOU" (fat you are at stake).

CAKE: "You're Risking Your Body Again!"

Bad CARBOHYDRATES: "COALS - IN - WATER"

But CABBAGE: "Calories - EMPTY."
Try it, I'm sure that you will have your own interesting ideas that will have a much stronger impact on you than those suggested by someone else.

Start practicing the exercises described here, at least for five minutes a day, morning and evening, turn on your imagination, create without prohibitions and boundaries. The result will not keep you waiting. And the result is a lightness in the body, a light gait and a slight smile on the lips in response to compliments.

Auto-training for weight loss as an independent technique was first used by American psychotherapists in the late seventies of the last century. This method of treatment is somewhat reminiscent of today's popular affirmations. Its goal is to influence the subconscious of a person in order to help him adopt new healthy habits as soon as possible and more effectively. Similar methods were used in the Vedic tradition - there they were called tattvas. The attitudes of warriors, healers, moods for self-healing, for getting rid of "passions" are known. In general, attempts to influence the subconscious have a rich history, and have helped many people. In our country, academician G.A. Shichko. He, in fact, is the author of the methodology used by most people to reduce weight.

Autotraining for weight loss according to G.A. Shichko

Psychologists believe that overeating, physical inactivity and insufficient care for one's own rest are not just bad habits. Due to repeated repetition by entire generations of people, they take on the character of behavioral stereotypes. The program with the conditional name "overeat, rest lying on the couch, avoid physical activity" is firmly rooted in the subconscious of modern people. Excess weight is a natural reaction of the body to such human behavior, and it can be lost only by reprogramming the subconscious.

It is commonly said that losing weight is difficult because of a lack of willpower. Here are the auto-training exercises and are aimed at developing the so-called volitional qualities. The essence of the technique is that you give yourself a command to act as a healthy, slender person does, the subconscious “records” it, and with repeated repetition, it literally “erases” the stereotype “move less, eat more”. As a result, human behavior changes, and extra pounds go away without much violence against oneself.

For successful "self-programming" you need:

A self-recorded attitude that would include all the elements of a healthy life;
10-15 minutes of time right after waking up and just before going to bed.

G.A. Shichko noticed that it is better to influence the subconscious precisely in this “borderline state”. Before going to bed and early in the morning, our "inner critic" - consciousness and its attitudes - are still silent, and you can try to reach out to deeper levels of the psyche.

How to do auto-training for weight loss at home

Write on a piece of paper the mood for auto-training. Words can be anything, but the text should contain 3 semantic blocks - convincing yourself that you are healthy and can lose the right amount of kilograms quickly and easily, assurances of the absolute effectiveness of the auto-training technique, and indications of direct measures to combat excess weight, as well as that you perform them easily and with pleasure.
An example of a mood: “I am a healthy, strong, slender person. I easily lose 20 kilograms of excess weight. I am aware that I can do this. I believe in the effectiveness of my technique. I eat very little. I eat exactly as much as my body needs to restore vitality and not a piece more. I am indifferent to the requests of others to eat more than I need. I enjoy doing morning exercises and running. I do exercises every morning. I run 3 km every evening. I ignore people who judge me. I allow myself to be healthy and slim.”
We read the mood before going to bed several times, first on paper, then gradually memorize it. In the morning, immediately after waking up, the first thing we do is repeat the mood.
Do not forget that in real life you should follow the rules that we ourselves have programmed in the mood. Simply put, we decided to run and reduce the diet - be sure to run and reduce.

If your visual perception is well developed, you can try to prepare a presentation with pictures that would symbolize your actions on the path to harmony, and the corresponding text, and play it before going to bed and immediately after waking up.

The images that arise with nutrition (food) and exercise (movements) are decisive in victories and defeats on the way to losing weight.

So what images do you personally have?

What images will be today? Any person has images, so we are psychophysically arranged. There is a well-known saying "As you think, so you are". Paraphrasing, we can say what kind of framework we set, and we exist, that is, our images are conditioned by our own framework. I don't know your images related to food. I only know that they exist. It is a tried and true set of sensations, actions, and thoughts that are associated with nutrition, eating, and exercising.

What frame images do you have associated with food?

Perhaps this: "I consume food because I want to feel rewarded and loved," or "The process of eating calms and captivates me," or "Refusing food is deprivation."

I don't know if you have healthy images that energize your body, make you look and feel better, or your images are ridiculous - they ruin your efforts to stay in good shape and manage nutrition. I cannot know if they add vitality and energy to you or cause you to lose strength and heaviness. To clarify, just ask a few questions:

Do you like your food related images?

Are they able to provide you with energy and vitality, to maintain a slim figure?

Would you like to have new images?

Are you willing to learn it?

Are you ready to refine and change the old exercise and nutrition habits, or change them into ones that can help you control your food and exercise?

Why the image "diet" is ineffective

I will tell you one story connected with the girl Catherine.

Katya was one of the fifteen people who were the first to try the model described here. Prior to that, for many years, she tried to lose weight. I studied and tried various nutrition systems, including blood type, the Kremlin, Katya Mirimanova and others. Having read a lot of literature on this topic, she knew perfectly well what proper nutrition is and how to change your eating behavior. But a couple of years ago I refused programs and diets, because. could not achieve sustainable results.

“After 9 months of using another system,” Ekaterina said, “I suddenly noticed that I was gaining weight again. One day it dawned on me: the problem is not with me, but with diets.”

My failures due to food

My failures due to overeating

My failures due to malnutrition

My failures are in myself

And others

That is, Katya's ideas, her mental box about diets and nutrition exacerbated their inefficiency.

On the story with Katya, you can understand the meaning of frame images for a person. So what is a "frame-image"?

frame image

This phrase is based on two aspects - the image and the frame:

1. An image is not only a kind of visual range, but also a mode of action - a series of actions that are performed by us. What we feel, we do, what we talk about. To an outside observer, these are our images. They say: "His way of thinking," "His way of acting," "His way of life."

Some people eat everything, everything that catches their eye. This is their image (food). Others always finish the contents of the plate. This is a different image.

2. Frames are our beliefs, values, attitudes, ideas, etc., which set the rules for images (action, thinking, behavior, etc.). Some mental boxes are simple: "Finish your plate, there are so many starving people in the world." Others are more complex and more veiled. For example, sweet after eating is perceived as a reward. Perhaps, at an early age, this was a form of encouragement, and we automatically continue to use the frame that has settled in the brain.

It may seem that problems with weight, obesity, overeating, muscle looseness - are only behavioral, but this is not so. Images are a manifestation of our framework. We act this way and not otherwise, because we have certain ideas and rules in our head. Therefore, attempts to change eating behavior without changing the rules (framework) end in failure. As long as we retain our exercise and food frames, we are doomed to the images they define. But this is not the whole truth. We act according to our images because they are familiar and we have done so for many years. These images are familiar to us and have meaning, although they are harmful.

From the article "Images of thin people", with which I introduced Katya, she learned something new - she learned a different attitude towards food and exercise. This happened after she herself came to understand the harmfulness of the "diet" image, but was not yet able to improve her lifestyle. She did not have the necessary framework. In addition, she did not understand how to get rid of the image of "blaming herself", replacing it with images of "confession" and "food is fuel", which would help her cope with weight. She had to learn new images, and she did it. In three months, without hesitation, she threw off 9 kilograms and stably keeps this weight. After some time, she decided to change the image of exercise, and brilliantly solved this problem too. It was a new way of life. She began to think not about how to eat less, but what to eat for a surge of vitality. She liked the food that brings benefits and health to the body.

“This is a completely different life. I used to constantly think about food, I always controlled what you can eat and what you can’t. But now I don’t think about it,” Catherine wrote, “Today I am attracted to only healthy food that gives energy to my body. I can't imagine how I could like food that is harmful. It was as if it was not with me. "

These lines describe one of the goals of this series of articles. I hope to teach you a new mindset that applies to nutrition, food, weight, exercise, and more. These are not articles in the spirit of instructions and recommendations, the articles will present the means for successful weight control and fitness, i.e. the articles are not a reference for the disease, it is the pill itself. With this loop, you:

Compose new images of "Nutrition" and "Exercise" and new mental frames for them;

Motivated in an effort to change your lifestyle;

Get familiar with the processes and patterns that will allow new looks to become your way of life.

Why is there an emphasis on nutrition and exercise? There are many reasons for this, but the main one is:

Our images define our life. The quality of our life - our health, vitality, intelligence level, physical form, emotions, appearance, thinking, etc. - are a consequence of the quality of our images (life, thinking, etc.). Therefore, if you want to live more qualitatively, then you need to learn qualitative images. And for this we need new frameworks.

I would like to warn you: new images are not a panacea! Three of the first fifteen who read the articles were never successful. This is a stable percentage of failures, and it persisted in the future. Why ask you? They did not master even the first chapter, they did not try to understand and comprehend. One of the women wrote that she was counting on a "magic recipe", but to think ... she had enough household chores. Therefore, she is not interested in articles. She never read a single line of them.

This is a clear example of the wrong thought frame. The mental framework is able to erase everything that goes beyond its limits - any interest, commitment, perseverance. Take this into service and it will lead to images of "impatience", "inability to bring what has been started to the end", "tendency to find an easy way". That's why articles are not for everyone. If your internal framework does not even allow you to read the articles and you cannot (or do not want to) overcome them, if you decide to remain faithful to them for the rest of your life, then these articles are not for you. They won't help you. They are not designed for this. Articles for those who want to change their lives, they help to understand the ways of change and make the road easier.

There is no magic and panacea for all problems in articles. Only the yellow press promises help without personal effort. If your mental box is directed into the arms of this kind of unscrupulous "healers", then do not read this series of articles. After all, you prefer images of the "weeping victim" ("I tried so hard. I tried the advertised cutting-edge method, and even it did not help. Something is wrong with me. I'm not like an ordinary person"). Many people continue to be guided by images that came from childhood, they are enclosed in the words "Still, there must be a quick, easy and convenient way to be slim and energetic!". In childhood, starting to explore the world, there were always easy ways to solve problems, because there were elders who could take the decision on themselves. Such limits force us to continue the old way of life, because of which we remain fat, depressed, absent-minded people.

Our body is arranged in such a way that such images based on these frameworks will never work. They only complicate the situation. Proponents of diets are well aware of the "yo-yo" effect, when the result of losing weight, at the end of the diet, is blocked by weight gain. Wrong frames nullify all efforts and only add fat.

You will be able to master the frame images for weight control and excellent physical shape, which are described in the articles, under certain conditions:

Recognize and recognize the existence of your mental boxes and behavioral patterns;

Understand the essence of the articles, spend time and energy on it, practice. Articles should not only be read, but also passed through yourself, be aware that it is written about you. Find similar examples in yourself;

Open to the knowledge of new images;

Treat yourself kindly (the image of "condemnation" will only hinder);

Learn to be able to refuse, without regret, from former images;

Allow yourself to feel good, look good, enjoy strength and energy

In the initial articles, we will talk about nutrition and nutrition. But this does not mean that it will be enough for you to create a new image of "Nutrition". It is impossible to permanently lose weight on one diet. You will have to lead an active life every day, strengthening the cardiovascular system and increasing the intensity of metabolism. This will allow you to get rid of fat faster and more reliably. And one more thing: to read the articles you will have to call on your intellect.

I can't chew every moment down to the most basic things. A text written for a schoolchild will scare away a thinking person, and a too academic narrative can intimidate a non-specialist, so the articles are written for the average thinking person. If you have the determination to become fit and lean, come with me, we will create completely new lifestyles. I promise that the articles will be interesting and exciting - of course, if you are interested in how to stop being shapeless and fat.

P.S. As a device of semantics, I will use some linguistic features, even if it does not seem strange. For example: "etc." or "etc." they allow us to abandon dogmatism, which implies that what is said once and for all. Dots in the text mean: stop, slow down, think over the phrases and their diverse meaning.

“How to lose weight quickly”, “How to lose weight in a week by ... kg”, “How to lose weight at home by ... kg”, “How to lose weight without diets” - monthly 1.5 million people search for this information on Yandex and 1.5 million man on google. Probably, there is not a single person on this planet who would always be 100% satisfied and satisfied with their weight or their figure. Modern civilization and so-called. “beauty standards” provide stable support for this interest: how can you be satisfied with your figure when thousands of slender and fit women and men are constantly looking at us from TV screens and magazines and showing us their bodies?

Of course, slenderness and smartness are also associated with success, efficiency, popularity, wealth, in a word, we are constantly broadcasting the idea - " If you are skinny, you will be happy!» Marketers and advertisers of all stripes successfully use this idea to promote their products. Countless dietary supplements, super-programs, fat-burning pills, more and more new diets and other “magic pills” are pouring down on those who are thinking about how to lose weight. Today, one means is considered the most effective and effective way, and tomorrow it will be completely different. How to figure it out?

In the first place, the target (and often the victim) of this idea is precisely women. However, in recent decades there has been an increase in interest in losing weight among men. Just because weight loss and interest in diets has always been considered the prerogative of women, men are worried about their weight or figure, not particularly spreading about it.

But there is a big danger in this idea: under certain circumstances or peculiarities of physiology and psyche, the process of losing weight is so absorbing that a person becomes a victim: up to 4% of all those who once went on a diet happen. 90% of them are women. If a strict diet is started in adolescence (before the age of 20), the risk of anorexia increases.

In this article, I am not going to advise any diets or sell any “magic pills”, I will not give recommendations on what specific exercises and how long to do in order to quickly and effectively lose weight. In addition, this article is not for those who, at the cost of any effort, managed to lose weight and manage to maintain this weight. You are undoubtedly great, no matter how you achieve this; and this article is for those who still can not. There are many more.

So, since I'm not a nutritionist or fitness trainer, I'm interested in a slightly different aspect: psychology of weight loss.

What is the psychology of weight loss?

Human psychology is also an important component in what we eat and how we eat.

Losing weight is usually considered a purely physiological process: losing weight, changing your diet, increasing activity - it's all about human physiology. How about these moments:

I went on a strict diet, one day I "fell off" - ... and that's it. Did not work. Did not help. Again. Probably, I will never be able to lose weight, I have no willpower ... I got upset, spat, and gained weight again.
I started to actively go in for sports, ran on the track for an hour until exhaustion - ... there are no results! Or even weight gain! Disappointed, upset ... and everything returned as it was.
sat on Atkins, quickly lost weight, but then the weight returned. Then I sat on 2000 calories, on Dukan, on the Pugacheva diet, didn’t eat after six, sat on a sour-milk-protein-nut-Japanese diet, but every time it was the same thing - the weight returned. Diets don't work? Or is there something special just worth finding?
I was on a diet, but it was the most terrible period in my life: I limited myself in everything, I didn’t go to any event (temptations are everywhere), I was constantly terribly hungry, I couldn’t think about anything else but food. In the end, a year later, everything returned.
Why do others succeed and I don't? Why can others lose weight very quickly and I can't? What is wrong with me? Why such injustice? Probably not worth trying... I can't control myself.
I can't live without sweets (flour, meat, salty, fried). I just can not. No diet suits me.
I can easily lose weight to ... kg, but below this figure it does not work out, no matter what I do.

All this is not physiology. This is real psychology. It “turns on” with you at the slightest fluctuations in motivation, if a failure occurs, if you have difficulties with self-control. Don't underestimate her. On the contrary, knowledge of the psychology of losing weight can set you on the right path.

My personal weight loss story

I hope everyone remembers that diets don't work?

Those who know me can, of course, say “where do you want to lose weight!”, But this nevertheless does not prevent me from being dissatisfied :) Like everyone else. I needed to lose a little, only 5 kg, not even 10 kg.

For the last 15 years I have been on the Ducane, on a protein diet, on a diet of “no starchy foods and sweets”, “do not eat after 6”, “do not eat at work”, but all that I have achieved in the long term was ... nothing and various restrictions in progress. After a while, the weight returned or even gained. Maybe I wasn't persistent or persistent enough. Maybe I have a weak will. Maybe these diets didn't suit me (I can't stop eating after 6, because for me it's actually the middle of the working day).

In addition, I can’t live without sweets, and I don’t have time for the gym, because I work a lot :) All this can certainly and certainly be wrong, but what can you do, that’s how it is. Add the normal annual weight gain due to growing up. In general, the scales in the bathroom began to upset and sad me greatly. Even if I didn't stand on them. And in general, any thoughts about the figure when looking in the mirror were rather bleak and far from optimistic.

The only thing that really helped me - and the effect still holds - is knowledge of the psychology of weight loss. This allowed me gradually reduce weight to desired(and even a little more, and even more than my "stable" figure, below which it did not work), and most importantly - hold that weight. I do not limit myself in a set of products or in the time when you can or cannot eat.

No magic or sorcery and no torment or dietary restrictions. No additional expenses or daily running around the track to exhaustion. It was the result of working on my thoughts using Aaron Beck's Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. But I repeat - I needed a little, only 5 kg. In case you need to lose more, you will have to pay more attention not only to your thoughts, but also to your sports activity and your nutrition, and maybe figure out the reasons overeating.

special circumstances

Firstly, I would like to draw the attention of readers that if you have been trying to lose weight for many years, unsuccessfully or with varying success, and at the same time:

your body mass index (BMI) is within 10% above or below normal (normal BMI is from 18.5 to 25);
if you are under 20 years old;
if you have any physiological features that affect your weight or figure;
if you have the appropriate heredity;
or if you experience occasional bouts of "binge eating" that you can't control;
if you resort to various ways to “drive away” excessively consumed calories, for example, induce vomiting, take laxatives, exercise excessively, etc. - precisely in order to control calories or weight;
if success in your profession depends on your weight (gymnastics, figure skating, modeling, etc.),

you are recommended instead of diets and sports exercises. In case of underweight or overweight (above or below the BMI), in addition to consulting a psychotherapist or psychologist, you are recommended to visit your doctor. In some cases, it is necessary to prescribe antidepressants. In some cases, long-term psychotherapy is required (especially if your history has been going on for many years).

What should be done to lose weight?

What will you do if something so tasty and appetizing is looking at you from the refrigerator?

Well, finally, to the point :) Of course, everything cannot be fit into one article, and there is no such task. I will give the main, most important recommendations. Ask yourself are you Thus thought the last time you tried to lose weight or not?

Preparation for weight loss

First, and most importantly, no diets or restrictions. We are talking about a normal diet, a balanced diet that includes all kinds and forms of food, if you want them. And when you want. You need to be prepared to take this path.

I bet that when you lost weight on diets, you did this: you just decided something like “everything! I'm going on a diet from Monday! and started on Monday. Or: “There is one month left until the summer, so it’s time to lose weight” - and they started. How so? You prepare for any event in your life in advance, think over the conditions, circumstances, resources - and then bang! and let's get started right away. If you understand that keeping weight is a constant skill, for example, like playing a musical instrument or driving a car, then you will understand why you are acting imprudently and taking great risks. The probability of failure is actually quite high. . Especially since diets don't work at all. and have to work out your own path.

What are the goals did you put in front of you? Lose 5 kg in 2 weeks? Lose 15 kg in a month and a half? It is quite possible that if you stop eating altogether for a while and start running in the morning, you will achieve your goals. But then what? Not eat all your life? You know what will happen next: with a high degree of probability, everything will return in a couple of months.

It is believed that the optimal rate for weight loss is 1-2 kg per month. Per month!! Because anything faster comes with the risk of reverse dialing.

How did you control and resist your seductive thoughts like: One piece won't hurt..." or " You have to eat everything that is on the plate"? What was your upbringing regarding nutrition as a child? What unshakable rules did your mother or grandmother teach you? Are you familiar with the idea If no one sees, then it doesn't count."? Can you tolerate hunger, and if not, why not? Do you eat every time because you hungry(and not because you're angry or upset)? Do you eat too fast and are constantly distracted? you can and stay?

All this and more can be successfully solved and organized with Aaron Beck's method, and I can help you:

properly organize your space;
I will teach you how to deal with temptations on vacation and at corporate parties;
you will be able to set correct goals and stick to them for a long time;
you will know exactly what your individual seductive thoughts are and how to counter them;
you will learn to distinguish between real hunger, the desire to eat something on an emotional basis and cravings for a certain type of food;

When you lost weight before, did the diet you chose assume that you were getting enough of all the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals you needed (or was it just a no food group)? What do you know about proper, balanced, sufficient nutrition, which does not harm your health and does not allow you to gain excess weight?

You should not perceive your body as a mechanical structure of muscles, fat and internal organs. This is a very complex self-regulating thing, and if you deliberately deprive him of some substances, he will still find where to get them. Or from your internal tissues (and this will not be your “excess fat” at all, I can assure you), or at some point you will find that right now you are uncontrollably and non-stop eating bread, sausages, halva, cheese and everything that comes up. under the arm. If you tie yourself up with chains and throw out the refrigerator, then your body will go into severe energy saving mode, and you will not have enough strength to study, work and maintain relationships with other people. You will only think about what to eat - because you forced your body to function in the "look for food, the rest does not matter" mode.

Do you know how to determine what real hunger is or do you eat on a schedule? What do you know about fluid in the body, and why is it easy for women to lose 1-1.5 kg per week, but no more? Did you know that slowly achieved results last much longer than quickly achieved ones? How many kilograms can real and without harm to the body reset in a month?

For some reason, I'm pretty sure you haven't thought about these things before.

Preparing for this process may take you a month and a half, or until you are definitely ready. It may well turn out that you will begin to lose weight already at the preparation stage.

Power establishment period

How to behave at a family dinner so as not to offend anyone? How to deal with post-work stress when you just want to grab and eat a whole can of Baskin Robbins ice cream, or two is better? Why haven't you lost even 200 grams of weight yet? Is it really possible to eat ice cream and cake so calmly, and not celery and carrots?

During this difficult period for you, you remain one on one with your habits, thoughts, fears and worries, failures and insufficient results. You need psychological support to continue. During this period, it is especially easy to give up, get frustrated and start blaming yourself for a lack of willpower or something else. Here everything that you did at the preparation stage will come to your aid. Conversely, if there was no preparation, then all the factors from the environment will suddenly become acute problems for you.

What to do at this stage:

stop self-deception;
constantly train to resist seductive thoughts, which are especially activated during this period;
plan meals in advance
keep a record of successes and failures;
have a reward system that can be applied even in case of failure;
deal appropriately with feelings of disappointment and injustice;
choose suitable sports activities, in addition to targeted ones, also remember to do spontaneous sports (for example, instead of taking the bus to the metro, walk at a moderate speed).

Maintenance stage

You will not be able to sit on any of the existing diets for life, it is incredibly difficult and not realistic. Therefore, if you want to maintain an acceptable weight for a long time without dieting, you will have to change your lifestyle and your attitude to nutrition. In other words, you will have to change yourself. This is only possible with the help of psychology, but not with the help of diet or exercise.

At some point, you may encounter the fact that you have reached a certain number on the scale, after which the weight has stalled and does not move. Some nutritionists call this weight " optimal biological weight". This means that it is this weight that is for your body a certain optimal limit for maintaining life, taking into account the characteristics of the metabolism in your body, your constitution and your heredity. What did you think? Did you think you could change your physiology and your genes so easily? After all, it happens that you can hardly control some of your emotions, and at the same time you pretend to change such a complex biological structure as your body. It seems to me that these are quite ambitious and risky moods.

Some people are born with such a metabolism and with such a constitution that it is easier for them to stay slim. Some people receive a fairly adequate education regarding nutrition. Some are less susceptible to stress. But not all, and to each his own. You should not compare yourself with other people, because you and your life are unique. You need to learn how to live comfortably with yourself as you are and deal with your individual challenges on your own. Not everyone is suitable for universal recipes.

However, nevertheless, with a certain patience, and most importantly, with proper preparation and attitude, you can successfully maintain weight for a long time. For this you need:

reduce stress in life. Learn to live in "problem-solving" mode, not in "problem-suffering" mode. Learn to distinguish “pseudo-problems” from real ones;
learn relaxation, and be able to apply relaxation techniques in everyday situations;
consciously fill your life with pleasant things and events;
in fact, to maintain weight, if necessary, reminding yourself of what you have learned from previous training periods and dieting periods.

Now that you have read this article, ask yourself: when was the last time you went on a diet, did you act and think this way? Then, probably, you have successfully lost weight and continue to maintain it. If you did something wrong, and if your previous attempts to lose weight were not successful, then think about how much attention you paid to the psychological component? Or did you treat your body as a biomechanical structure, trying to influence purely physiology?