Gaining weight can happen for many reasons, but getting back to your goal weight can require serious mental and physical discipline. Sheer willpower is often not enough when you’re trying to make lasting changes to the way you approach losing weight. Educating yourself on healthy food, exercise routines, and other physical necessities is important, but mastering your mind is equally important. In addition to seeking out recipes and weight loss medications, here are some psychological tricks that can help you in your journey to lose weight.
Embrace Moderation
When starting a new diet and exercise routine, it may be tempting to completely revamp the way you eat immediately and throw out all of the foods you typically reach for. While it may be wise to keep unhealthy foods out of reach, too much restriction can cause a cycle of binging because you haven’t allowed yourself to have foods you really love in moderation. By allowing yourself to do this, your brain doesn’t feel that you’re depriving yourself, and you’re more likely to stick to your diet for the long haul.
Pay Attention to Calorie Density
A cup of raisins contains around 500 calories, while a cup of grapes contains only 60 calories. Fresh foods that have water and fiber fill you up faster, and you’re able to eat more of them. When you eat less calorie-dense foods, your brain is signaled that you are full before you overeat. Your brain also interprets a bunch of grapes as a lot more food than a handful of raisins, leading you to feel less deprived. Pay attention to the caloric density of your foods when you are grocery shopping, and you’ll be able to snack more throughout the day.
Participate in Activities You Enjoy
Not only is it better to eat foods that you enjoy in moderation, but you should enjoy the activities you participate in as well. You may be tempted to try out certain intense exercise routines when you hear how many calories they burn in a session, but if it’s not something you enjoy, it won’t be pleasurable for you to stick to in the long run. Instead, choose activities that you like, and mix them up as often as you’d like. Your results may not come as quickly, but you will change your habits for good.
Increase Positive Self-Talk
Losing weight can be challenging, and your brain can think up all types of excuses before you even get out of bed in the morning. Get out a pen and paper, write down some of these negative thoughts you have, and counter them with positive thoughts. Once you get into the habit of doing this, you will train your brain to do this automatically. You can also look up affirmations that aid weight loss and write some of these down each morning to get yourself into the best headspace.
Weight loss can be an uphill battle, but if you master your mind with some of these tips, you will be one step closer to reaching your goals and feeling great.
