Weight loss is complex, and research tells us that eating healthy, and exercising is not enough to successfully lose weight and keep it off.
Most people know to lose weight they should eat less and eat healthier and that they should exercise more. The problem is that most people fail in changing their behavior for a longer period of time. The fact is, that most weight loss attempts are unsuccessful in the long run even though many people can lose some weight in the short term, but most of them regain their lost weight quickly and they frequently end up with more kilos than initially lost.
People who have trouble maintaining weight loss often mention that it is difficult to stick with the dietary recommendations. They say things like “I do know it, but I can’t,” “I do succeed for some days but then, in the evening, I just can’t resist,” “when I do eat something that is off-plan, it feels like my diet is ruined, and I might as well go on eating. Then it usually can take days or weeks before I am back on track again.”
The issue is that knowledge of healthy eating is not enough to change one’s eating behavior. The most important determinant of weight loss is making healthy choices consistently over time and sustaining healthy choices over time is easier when ingrained unhealthy habits are changed.
To change habits and bring about weight loss, we need to look towards psychology and remember the role our minds play in every aspect of our lives. Our inner thoughts are the ones we tend to listen to at the end of the day and when we begin to tell ourselves we can’t do this; we have a habit of listening.
Essentially, to effectively manage weight and maintain our new weight, we must train our mind to change our relationship with food. Learning these long-lasting and positive behaviour changes, which we will eventually effortlessly implement in our everyday life, will keep us driven on this weight loss journey.
Changing habits takes time, it can take up to 256 days, depending on how long you have been doing a certain habit, your personality, and other factors. Understanding the whys of the food relationship counters the stigma that weight gain is a result of gluttony or a lack of willpower.
Our programme uses a psychological, emotional and mindful approach in understanding and changing your behaviour surrounding food.
Losing weight and improving our fitness is not only a physical process but a psychological one. It requires learning new mental skills and identifying thinking patterns, which have hindered your weight loss in the past. It’s time to rewire and reignite your mind with a psychological approach that will help you change from the inside out.
CBT is a research-informed psychological approach that will help you to rewire your brain by teaching you tools that will create new neuro pathways. You achieve this by creating new habits around food and exercise. Those new neuropathways will get stronger over time and will make your new habits automatic. This process is called neuro-plasticity and will lead to lasting behaviour changes.
If you would like to find out more about the Mind Over Body Weight Management and how CBT can help you to end the dieting cycle, please email me at
[email protected] and we can arrange a chat to answer any questions you may have.
