In my last column, I mentioned that it is often said that weight loss is 70% diet and 30% exercise. Those who say that do not understand the depth, the problems and the anxiety that can come with weight gain.
People who say “abs are made in the kitchen” have no idea what they are talking about.
Successful weight loss is neither about diets nor exercise. It’s about understanding the underlying reasons for the weight gain. What makes you unable to slow down your eating?
In other words, successful weight loss is one hundred percent a matter of psyche. Nothing else.
Most people start by asking themselves the question “how do I lose weight?” when the question should really be “why do I want to lose weight?”.
“Looks” is the most common answer to that question, but experience shows that those who want to lose weight to look good are very likely to fail. You have to find a “why” that is stronger than vanity. Something that means something – for real.
Vanity can only sustain motivation temporarily. Sooner or later you come across a situation where motivation stumbles before the choice to treat yourself to a cold beer or something else that makes you feel like a failure.
Weight loss is tough, and the majority of times you put on your workout clothes, you’re not motivated. You can’t rely on motivation to be permanent, it comes in waves. That’s how it is for everyone.
The key to weight loss lies in discipline and the willingness to take personal responsibility.
There is another important question to ask yourself, namely: “Why do I eat so much?”.
Being overweight is often linked to emotions. The reasons are many, but the most common are stress and anxiety. Many people are comforted with food and sweets when they are children and a connection to comfort is created there.
In adulthood, the emotions are then so tied to food that you subconsciously reach for something to put in your mouth as soon as the emotions storm.
It becomes a downward spiral: Comfort eating dampens the emotions temporarily, then creates more anxiety, which is dampened with more food, which is followed by more anxiety, and so on.
For many, successful weight loss is about self-awareness. You have to identify the emotions that are the basis of the destructive eating and deal with them. That’s the key. You will find the answer in yourself.
To summarize: Step one is to become aware and start questioning. Step two is to stop comforting.
Stop telling yourself, food in hand, that you “deserve this”. You’re not worth a damn.
So the next time you eat a chocolate bar, it should be because you want one. Not as therapy.
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