Top 5 Lessons About The Role Of Emotions In Weight Loss
Anyone who has ever tried to lose a few pounds and keep them off knows that doing so isn't easy. The good news is that research and clinical experience have shown that, in addition to behavioral approaches, cognitive-behavioral therapy that targets emotional barriers helps people lose weight.
Dr. Norman B. Anderson ‧ Former CEO and member of the Board of Directors of APA
For many people struggling to lose weight, willpower and physical activity are not what is hindering their efforts. Instead, they may struggle with emotions that are interfering with their ability to lose weight. Emotional issues such as neglect, depression, bullying, abuse and stress can all affect your ability to lose weight and create a positive self-image.
State of mind, feelings, and resistance to weight loss can live side by side. You might not be able to lose the weight you want until you accept your past. There are some ways to overcome your emotions and get your weight loss on track.
#1. Emotional Eating And Cravings
If you tend to eat because you’re sad, angry, tense or just feeling overwhelmed, you’ll never reach your weight loss goals. Instead of eating to soothe your emotions, find other ways to nourish your mental health.
Make a list of things you can do instead of eating to help you relax and take charge of your emotions. Meditation, yoga, and relaxation techniques are all excellent places to start.
TIP: If you eat because you’re sad, angry, or tense, you’ll never reach your weight loss goals.
#2. Start Journaling To Clear Your Mind
Writing down your thoughts and emotions helps clear your mind and rid your body of bad feelings. You should keep a journal to record your thoughts, doubts, feelings and stumbling blocks and reflect on these to make positive changes in your life.
Analyse your writing and decide how you can make changes and what thoughts and feelings are irrational and replace them with more rational thoughts. Keeping a journal is also an excellent way to get to the root of your emotional issues, so you can make positive changes and reach your weight loss goals.
Simple and Easy
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#3. Make Changes To Eliminate Negativity
Sometimes being stuck in a certain job or hanging around with certain people can be the root of your emotional problems. If you keep a journal or just take time to sit down and analyse your life. Sometimes it’s best to take a risk and eliminate any negative people and unsatisfying work commitments in your life.
#4. Start Taking In The Beauty Of Nature
We spend so much time cooped up inside, caring for others, or working to pay the bills. When you have free time, it may tempt you to crash on the sofa or go to bed, but time spent outdoors can be much more beneficial for your mood, weight loss, and fitness overall.
TIP: Walking barefoot on the beach or doing manual labour in the garden can reconnect you with the earth and lift your spirits.
Walking barefoot on the beach or doing manual labour in the garden can reconnect you with the earth and lift your spirits. Direct sunlight on the skin increases the production of vitamin D, which can lift your mood and provide energy.
#5. Seek Help From Experts
No matter what your weight loss goal is, whether it's to lose 20 pounds or 200, understanding the role your emotions play in weight loss is one of the best things you can do for yourself. When you understand how your emotions affect your ability to lose weight, you can use this newfound knowledge to change how you feel about food and how that, in turn, causes you to make different eating choices. The resulting behavior changes will help you reach any weight loss goal you have.
You don’t have to see a professional for help, but you can if you feel the need. Other types of support include groups, online forums, life coaches and supportive friends and/ or family. Seeking help in times of emotional difficulty can help you overcome and reach your life goals.
The Bottom Line
Emotions can affect every aspect of your life, including your weight loss goals, so take time to take care of yourself emotionally and you can improve other areas of your life. Your body is designed to protect you, even from hidden wounds.
The first step to feeling your best is to explore, honour and release the feelings you carry inside you. When you control your emotions instead of letting them control you, you may be surprised by how good you feel – and how well you can look!
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FAQ
You may turn to food for comfort — consciously or unconsciously — when facing a difficult problem, feeling stressed or even feeling bored. Emotional eating can sabotage your weight-loss efforts. It often leads to eating too much — especially too much of high-calorie, sweet and fatty foods.
While long-term anxiety leads to weight gain, the initial symptoms of anxiety and the fight-or-flight response actually do increase your metabolism, at least temporarily. Some people may experience more burned calories than others.
Instead of eating your emotions, write them out. If you crave more and more food after a meal, literally write down exactly what's on your mind instead of going to the cupboard for more. You can do this in a notebook, on your phone, literally anyway you want.
'Emotional starvation' is really a metaphor for not getting your dependency needs met. In this context, we are not referring to relying on others to make your decisions. Instead, we are referring to the basic need that we have to perceive that we are important to others.
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