3 Tips For Integrating Psychology Into Your Weight Loss Plan
The basic strategy of losing weight is to achieve a calorie deficit by eating fewer calories, exercising, or ideally using a combination of both methods. Since losing weight is often more complicated than food and exercise, taking a psychological approach to your weight loss can give you a few more tools to help you reach your goals.
Find Positive Reinforcement
When you are not naturally inclined to eat healthy foods or exercise, the positive changes to your lifestyle can often feel like a punishment. You will need to find ways to reinforce your healthy behaviors beyond using the numbers on the scale or wearing smaller clothes. For many people, the lose and regain cycle occurs because they reach a point where the scale or their clothing size is no longer a positive reinforcement. This can occur because they have plateaued or reached their goal. Finding sustainable methods of positive reinforcement can make it easier to stick with a healthy lifestyle. For example, eating more vegetables at each meal may not be fun, but you may notice you feel more energized. Additionally, maintaining an exercise regimen is difficult, but many people feel proud after they finish and feel better mentally and physically.
Avoid Negative Reinforcement
When you are struggling with your weight, it may seem like any tactic is better than nothing at all, but this is not true. Avoid depending on negative reinforcement as a weight loss strategy. Using negative reinforcement means you maintain the targeted behavior because you are trying to avoid something bad happening. Although you may exercise or eat better to avoid gaining weight, this approach can lead to an unhealthy obsession over your weight or binges. Other methods that can be considered negative reinforcement is working toward a weight loss goal due to a fear or threat of being left by a romantic partner or because of bullying.
Consider Hypnosis
Hypnosis can be a helpful tool on the road to weight loss. If you have the opportunity, consider speaking with a certified hypnotherapist. Fortunately, there are other avenues to utilize hypnosis, such as purchasing audio recordings. The goal of hypnosis is to help you reach a relaxed state where you are open to suggestive messages. You may want to preview various types of weight loss hypnosis recordings until you find one or more that works for your needs. The typical recording will have messages related to eating healthier and increasing exercise. You may want specific messages if you struggle with snacking, cravings, or body image issues.
When improving your diet and increasing your exercise is not enough, finding methods of encouragement can help. Integrating some aspects of psychology into your weight loss strategy can increase odds of success. For more information, you may want to contact Dick Sutphen.
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