Motivation to lose weight.

Why does motivation spike at the beginning of the weight loss process and then disappear somewhere? What can demotivate and who can be the best motivator? These questions interest many who want to lose weight. In this article we will see the reasons that prevent you from starting a new and "harmonious" life.

The fact that a person, regardless of his gender and age, is not indifferent to his appearance and the appearance of other people is an obvious fact. One of the most interesting things you can do is stare at an attractive person, fantasizing about their character and lifestyle. Our own appearance is also the subject of a lot of attention. We are trying to understand our preferences and, perhaps, hide something, both from ourselves and from others.

Throughout our lives we work on our own image. You can imagine how important the impression we make is to us! This is especially true for women.

The paradox is that external attractiveness is often more important than health concerns.

The man is a social being. Therefore, it is important to consider the role of appearance as a very strong motivational factor. But the question arises: why then do overweight people often lack this factor to create the image that a person has so needed since ancient times?

What is motivation?

The term "motivation" is derived from the word "motive" (from the Latin movere - "to set in motion, to push"). Motivation is a set of not only internal, but also external forces that encourage some type of activity. Needs and feelings are the main motivating factors. Hunger, sexual desire, thirst and the feeling of insecurity are always accompanied by emotions.

Emotions are a psychological factor. For example, positive emotions indicate a satisfied need, while negative emotions indicate an unmet need. Due to the increased emotionality of women, it is they who often experience strong emotional stress.

The experience of an unmet need causes discomfort and the desire to eliminate it arises. For example, if a woman is not satisfied with her weight, she wants to get rid of this defect and, it seems, there should be more than enough motivation to achieve the goal.

Why then are there problems with this driving force? How to find motivation to lose weight? It is important to understand that human activity is multimotivated, that is, it is simultaneously influenced by different motives that may contradict each other. This is where the problems begin.

Factors of lack of motivation.

• Lack of knowledge. First of all, ignore the psychological causes of excess weight. Although it is worth noting that more and more clients of nutritionists and dieticians are talking about the possible causes of overeating.
• Lack of support, even if your loved ones only wish you the best. That's why they may think that everything is fine with you anyway. If you do not find support in your environment, you can contact a psychologist.
• Lack of scruples on the part of aspiring specialists and focusing only on results that are obtained quickly and that are traumatic for both health and psyche. They do not teach how to maintain the results obtained, what to do if a relapse occurs.
• Constant crises and relapses (which require specialist support when working with eating disorders) reduce motivation and mood.
• Slow weight loss with the right comprehensive approach, which is why short programs are chosen. An example of such a choice is the goal of "losing weight by the summer. "

These factors negatively affect the motivation to lose weight and cause the inability to cope with the problem alone. A person who loses weight goes through certain stages: at the beginning of a weight loss marathon, after the euphoria of the group, he strictly follows the recommendations, and then the enthusiasm disappears. Apathy appears, often protests, followed by a nervous breakdown.

food addiction

Almost all overweight people have a food addiction. This conclusion arises from the connection between well-being and behavior. That is, a person who does not have any addiction will change their behavior when their health worsens.

If the behavior does not change and continues to destroy a person's health, we can talk about a hidden reason for being in this state. With excess weight, a lot of physiological problems appear (illness, lack of energy, poor condition of the skin and hair) and psychological problems (low self-esteem, shame, guilt, constant anxiety, depression, chronic depression), but the person is in there is no rush to change anything, then you continue to overeat, that is, we are talking about food addiction.

Day after day, food is used, among other things, as an antidepressant and sedative, to dampen the feelings and emotions that arise in the circle race: diet - collapse - guilt - diet. Food relaxes, improves mood and even relieves pain.

The child's psyche develops on the basis of "couple relationships": mother - child, breast milk, mouth - stomach, care - support. Food satisfies important desires of a baby from the beginning of his life.

For him, delicious food is an ideal mother. A mother who understands and accepts anyone or everyone. It is important to remember that food has not only physiological meaning for a person, but also psychological one. It is a powerful regulator of psychological balance. That is why it is so difficult and time-consuming to work with excess weight and food addiction, with crises, setbacks and relapses.

Reasons for low motivation

In the process of working with excess weight, a person is simultaneously affected by multipolar motives: on the one hand, the fear of losing the ideal image and condemnation from society, and on the other, the fear of losing a powerful tool for maintain emotionality. balance.

The emotions and feelings that unbalance those who lose weight are quite serious conditions. The most common: shame, guilt, fear, anxiety, helplessness, despair, melancholy, boredom, tiredness. Every day we experience many different feelings and emotions.

Let's consider some of them in detail to understand the depth of the problem and the next time motivation declines, do not rush to condemn yourself. Try to find out where the demotivating factors come from.

1. Fatigue. This is a loss of strength after prolonged work. But this need requires sleep and rest, not eating. However, in addition to physical fatigue, psychological fatigue can also appear when repressed emotions consume too much energy. The inability or unwillingness to seek out other self-regulation tools causes tired people to reach for food. The idea of constantly outdoing yourself for something or someone is combined with the inability to replenish resources with rest. How to solve a problem? Take a walk outside, meditate, read a book, plan to go to bed early, take a magnesium bath.
2. Boredom. Did you know that feeling of waiting too long leads to exhaustion and persistent boredom? With the loss of meaning in life and the apparent meaninglessness of what is happening, it makes no sense to talk about motivation to lose weight. Melancholy, despair, emptiness. . . Strong and complex emotions cause discomfort and, in the case of food addiction, only food helps to cope with the situation. How to solve a problem? Find something to do that sparks your passion! When was the last time you drew? Have you picked up a new book? Have you tried cooking a new dish?
3. Fear of hunger. Genetically and historically, the fear of starvation causes an increase in appetite. Therefore, a large number of people eat much more than their stomach capacity allows. A festive table or pantry and refrigerator full of food will definitely reduce motivation. How to solve a problem? Don't forget to drink water! Eat slowly, without being distracted by devices or conversations. The salad plate should be deep; The ideal is a bowl. The size of a flat plate should not exceed two palms. Remember the principle of balance: the right combination of proteins, fats and carbohydrates helps to satisfy hunger for at least 3-4 hours.
   Water and Macronutrient Intake Cheat Sheet:
   • protein: 1 g per 1 kg of weight;
   • fats: 1 g per 1 kg of weight;
   • carbohydrates: 3-4 g per 1 kg of weight. Don't forget fiber! The norm is 20-30 g per day;
   • water: 30 to 35 ml per 1 kg of weight.
4. shame and guilt. These are the two strongest feelings. Weight loss is a process usually with ups and downs, failures and setbacks. And every time a relapse occurs, the person experiences a feeling of shame and guilt for his weakness. And to punish himself for this offense, he goes on a strict diet, which again leads to a nervous breakdown. And so on in a circle.

Like, which means I exist. The passionate desire to feel active is one of the reasons for overeating. A society in which material values are the measure of social success generates a series of negative feelings, without which you will not be able to increase your motivation.

How to set goals correctly to increase motivation

So, negative emotions interfere with weight loss. In other words, consciousness is overloaded with experiences that take away the energy so necessary to mobilize the strength to lose weight. And the variety of these feelings is wide: from finding oneself to fighting loneliness.

It turns out that there is a desire to lose weight, but the motivation passes quickly. The fact is that those who dream of losing weight ignore issues that are really important to them and, when formulating motivation, are guided only by secondary and superficial desires.

Many girls really want to lose weight, trying again and again to force themselves to do it, but at the same time they remain overweight, having tried different methods. Have you ever thought this strange? The only correct strategy: it is important to strive not to get rid of something, but to get something.

The most important thing to increase your motivation to lose weight is to have a clear vision and planning for that "something. "Goal-setting workouts are based on this secret, which, in essence, teaches you how to "make wishes correctly. "It is difficult to lose weight if you do not understand in great detail what losing weight will do for you. It is not easy for a girl to reject another candy if she does not remember the same swimsuit in which she will parade on that same beach and catches those same glances. No principle of rational nutrition will help you lose weight without exciting fantasies about yourself and how you feel with a slim body, in different clothes and in different life situations.

The swimsuit is not the only motivator. The body of overweight people experiences serious stress. The consequences of fatty tissue deposition and muscle tissue deficiency are premature aging, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular diseases, impaired detoxification processes. . . This is not the complete list of the consequences of excess weight.

It is better to forget the abstract words that once did not help you find harmony: "I will lose weight, I will become more confident, healthier and more beautiful, " and start thinking about the happy moments that await you.

A correctly set goal is the best motivator for losing weight.

List of basic rules for setting goals:

1. Your goals (in our case, thoughts about being thin) should be framed in small plots (stories, scripts, stories, essays, whatever) with you in the main role, where you describe in detail the situation in which you find yourself. You will be very comfortable thanks to your slender body. These stories should begin with a detailed description of your figure in one or another clothing (or without it), then - your appearance as a whole, including accessories, hairstyle and makeup; your actions within this situation (how you arrived, sat down, turned your head, moved your eyes, etc. ) and most importantly, descriptions of your sensations and feelings (how your body feels, how happy you are, how proud you are of yourself). yourself, how confident you are and satisfied). As a result of this design, fantasy acquires the energy that is in the feelings and that charges you with the desire for happiness, and will guide you, even if you are not fully aware of it.
2. Important: in your goals, describe only what you will gain with harmony, what you will become and not what you will get rid of. And all of this in the present tense, as if it had already happened. You can't write for your own purposes about missing folds, swelling and difficulty breathing! It describes slender legs, graceful ankles, thin waist and easy breathing. Our unconscious, our inner child, cannot see what is no longer there. He just needs to create illusions: then the unconscious will perceive these images as a fait accompli and will make his body lose extra kilos.
3. You should have several of those fantasies or stories, at least seven. They should be reflected in different areas of your life: personal life, communication with loved ones, work, leisure, health, self-realization. Everyone has their own list. After all, harmony is needed not as an end in itself, but as a means to improving life in all its manifestations. Being thin in itself does not bring happiness, but, oddly enough, it can be planned in the form of such pleasant situations associated with thinness. Remember that achieving your goals should bring you true joy, not profit, so that your inner child will appreciate and support you. You dream and write goals for him.
4. Each of your goals should have a time and space frame so that at a certain moment you can say to yourself: "Oh! It's done! I'm motivated. I'm losing weight. "
5. And for goals to come true for sure, they must be realistic and depend only on you. For example, you can't plan for someone to fall in love with you, but you can assume and describe your confidence, joy, pride and admiration for yourself in some important situation, and your mood will do. . .
6. Your goals should be both immediate and short-term, and distant and long-term. You will need to distribute them throughout the entire period of weight loss so that, as they come true, they "warm up" you and stimulate you to new achievements. You should be proud of yourself, praise yourself and reward yourself for every goal that comes true. Remember to update your "joyful plans" as they progress. There is only one condition: the reward must not consist of a sweet bun or a hamburger. What do you like? New dress, going to the theater, meeting friends? There must be at least seven goals at all times. Once the goals are gone, the weight will stop.
7. You are on the right track if, in the process of fantasizing, thinking and writing down goals, you experience joyful excitement, impatience and itching in your fingertips: "Oh, I wish I could hurry up! "Oh, how I want this! How great it will be! You can "test" an already completed goal by holding it and mentally weighing it with one hand, while placing your favorite product in the other. Imagine its smell, its taste. . . What weighs more? If the product is still preferred, your goal may be unfinished or not entirely accurate.

Goals are a powerful driving force in your journey to get fit. They will work somewhere in the depths of consciousness, showing the right direction.

What to do: step by step plan

This article is not an instruction or guide to action. It may force you to start analyzing the possible reasons for your decreased motivation. As practice shows, there are much fewer motivating incentives when working with excess weight than demotivating ones, so the latter must be carefully worked out.

• Determine the relevance of the goal: do you really want to lose weight?
• Remember the importance of a balanced diet. A deficiency of vitamin D, chromium, vitamin B and complete fats in the diet causes increased appetite.
• Seek professional help. If you are convinced that you want to lose weight and it is relevant today, it is better to seek help from a psychologist or psychotherapist, since it is often difficult to cope with the problem on your own due to internal resistance.

And before you start putting the acquired knowledge into practice, we will give you the main advice: do not fight with deceptive fat, force yourself to lose weight. It is important to build friendships and associations with your own body. The most rewarding motivator is yourself.