motivation to lose weight

Why does motivation suddenly spike at the beginning of a weight loss process and then die off somewhere? What demotivates people and who can be the best motivator? These questions interest many people who want to lose weight. In this article, we'll look at what's stopping you from starting a new "harmonious" life.

It is an obvious fact that a person, regardless of gender and age, is not indifferent to his own appearance and the appearance of others. One of the most interesting things is to stare at an attractive person and fantasize about his personality and lifestyle. Our own appearance is also something we pay close attention to. We try to understand our preferences and perhaps hide things from ourselves and others.

Throughout our lives we work hard to create an image of ourselves – you can imagine how important the impression we make is to us! This is especially true for women.Paradoxically, physical attractiveness is often more important than health concerns.Man is a social being. Therefore, it is important to consider the role of appearance as a very powerful motivational factor. But here comes the question: Why do overweight people often lack this factor to create the image that a person has needed since time immemorial?

what is motivation

The word "motivation" comes from "motive" (Latin movere - "to start, to push"). Motivation is not only a set of internal forces but also external forces that encourage a certain activity. Needs and feelings are the primary motivational factors. Hunger, lust, thirst, insecurity are always associated with emotions.Emotion is a psychological factor. For example, positive emotions indicate needs that are being met, while negative emotions indicate needs that are not being met. Because women have higher moods, they often experience intense emotional stress.The experience of an unmet need causes discomfort and a desire to eliminate the need. For example, if a woman is dissatisfied with her weight and wants to get rid of this shortcoming, it seems likely that she should be motivated enough to achieve this goal.So why is this driver problematic? How to find motivation to lose weight? It is important to understand that human activity is polymotivated, that is, it is simultaneously influenced by different motivations that may contradict each other. This is where the problem starts.

Lack of motivation factor

• Lack of knowledge. First, ignore the psychological causes of excess weight. But it's worth noting that more and more dietitian clients and dietitians themselves are talking about possible causes of overeating.
• Lack of support, even if your loved ones wish you nothing but the best. That's why they might think everything is fine with you. If you can't find support in your environment, you can contact a psychologist.
• Future experts are unscrupulous and only focus on quick results, which can be harmful to health and psychology. They do not teach how to maintain the results obtained and what to do if relapse occurs.
• Ongoing meltdowns and relapses (which require specialist support when treating an eating disorder) can reduce motivation and mood.
• Lose weight slowly with the right comprehensive approach, so choose a short-term plan. An example of this choice is the "lose weight by summer" goal.

These factors can negatively impact your motivation when losing weight and prevent you from dealing with the problem on your own. A person goes through certain stages in losing weight: at the beginning of the weight loss marathon, under the influence of a collective sense of euphoria, he strictly follows the recommendations, and then the enthusiasm disappears. There is apathy, usually protest, and then collapse.

food addiction

Almost everyone who is overweight has a food addiction. This conclusion is self-evident due to the link between happiness and behavior. That is, a person who does not have any addictive behaviors may change their behavior when their health deteriorates. If behavior does not change and continues to harm a person's health, we can talk about the hidden reasons for being in this state. Being overweight can cause a series of physical problems (disease, lack of energy, poor skin and hair condition) and psychological problems (low self-esteem, shame, guilt, persistent anxiety, depression, chronic depression), but people are in no rush to change anything. He then went on to overeat, which is what we call a food addiction.

Day in and day out, food is used as an antidepressant and sedative to suppress the feelings and emotions that arise during the game: dieting - crashing - guilt - dieting. Food can relax, improve your mood, and even relieve pain.

The child's psychology develops on the basis of "pairing relationships": mother-child, breast milk-milk, mouth-stomach, care-support. Food fulfills an important desire of the baby from birth.For him, delicious food is the ideal mother. A mother who understands and accepts anyone or anything. It is important to remember that food has not only physical but also psychological significance for people. It is a powerful regulator of mental balance. This is why fighting overweight and food addiction, meltdowns, setbacks and relapses is so difficult and takes so much time.

Reasons for lack of motivation

In the process of overworking, a person is affected by multipolar motivations at the same time: on the one hand, there is the fear of losing the ideal image and social condemnation, and on the other hand, there is the fear of losing a powerful tool for maintaining emotions. balance.Emotions and feelings that throw a dieter off balance are quite serious situations. The most common ones are: shame, guilt, fear, anxiety, helplessness, despair, depression, boredom, and fatigue. Every day we experience many different feelings and emotions.Let’s consider some of these issues in detail so that you can understand the depth of the problem and don’t be too quick to condemn yourself next time your motivation wanes. Try to figure out where the negativity comes from.

1. fatigue. This is the loss of physical strength after long hours of work. But this need requires sleep and rest, not food. However, in addition to physical fatigue, psychological fatigue can also occur when suppressed emotions take up too much energy. The inability or unwillingness to find other self-regulatory tools can leave exhausted people scrambling for food. The idea of constantly overcoming yourself for something or someone is combined with an inability to replenish your resources through rest. How to solve problems? Take a walk in the fresh air, meditate, read a book, plan to go to bed early, take a magnesium bath.
2. boring. Did you know that waiting too long can lead to burnout and lingering feelings of boredom? As life loses meaning and what is happening seems meaningless, it is pointless to talk about motivation to lose weight. Melancholy, hopelessness, emptiness. . . strong and complex emotions can cause discomfort, and in the case of food addiction, only food can help cope. How to solve problems? Find something that sparks your passion! When was the last time you painted? Have you picked up a new book? Have you ever tried cooking a new dish?
3. fear of hunger. Genetically and historically, fear of hunger causes increased appetite. As a result, many people eat far more than their stomachs can handle. Having a festive table or cupboards and refrigerator full of food is sure to slow down motivation. How to solve problems? Don't forget to drink water! Eat slowly and don't get distracted by gadgets and conversations. The salad plate should be deep - a bowl is ideal. The size of the tablet should not exceed two palms. Remember the principle of balance – the right combination of protein, fat and carbohydrates helps satisfy hunger for at least 3-4 hours.
   Macronutrient and water intake cheat sheet:
   • Protein - 1 gram per 1 kilogram of body weight;
   • Fat - 1 gram per 1 kilogram of body weight;
   • Carbohydrates - 3-4 grams per 1 kg of body weight. Don’t forget the fiber! The standard is 20-30 grams per day;
   • Water - 30–35 ml per 1 kg of body weight.
4. shame and guilt. These are the two strongest feelings. Losing weight is a process that often has its ups and downs, crashes, and setbacks. With each relapse, a person feels shame and guilt about their weakness. To punish himself for this transgression, he went on a strict diet, which again led to a breakdown. And so on, forming a circle.

When I eat, it means I exist. A strong desire to exercise is one of the motivations for overeating. Being in a society where material values are the measure of social success leads to a host of negative emotions, and you won't be able to increase your motivation without putting in the effort.

How to set goals correctly to boost motivation

Therefore, negative emotions can interfere with weight loss. In other words, consciousness is flooded with too many experiences that take away the energy necessary to mobilize the power to lose weight. These feelings range from finding yourself to fighting loneliness.It turned out that there was a desire to lose weight, but the motivation quickly passed. The truth is that people who dream of losing weight ignore issues that are truly important to them and are guided only by secondary, superficial desires in formulating their motivations.Many girls really want to lose weight and force themselves to lose weight again and again, but despite trying different methods at the same time, they are still overweight. Have you ever thought this is weird? The only correct strategy: The important thing is to work 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 plan for "something. "Goal setting training is based on this secret and essentially teaches you "the right way to wish". Losing weight is difficult if you don't understand in great detail what it will do for you. If a girl doesn't remember the swimsuit she wore when she paraded down the beach and notices the look, it's hard for her to say no to another piece of candy. No sound nutritional principles will help you lose weight unless you have exciting fantasies about yourself and how you'll feel when you're slimmer, wearing different clothes, and in different life situations.

Swimsuits aren't the only motivation. Overweight people put severe stress on their bodies. The consequences of fat tissue deposition and lack of muscle tissue are premature aging, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, disruption of detoxification processes. . . This is not an exhaustive list of the consequences of being overweight.It's best to forget about the abstract words that once failed to help you find harmony - "I will lose weight, become more confident, healthier and more beautiful" - and start thinking about the joyful moments that await you.Properly set goals are the best motivation for losing weight.List of basic rules for goal setting:

1. Your goals (in our case, these are ideas about being slim) should be framed in a mini-plot (story, screenplay, history, essay—you name it) in which you are the protagonist, in which you describe in detail where you areThe case will be very comfortable due to your slim figure. These stories should start with a detailed description of how you look in one or another piece of clothing (or not), then - your overall appearance, including accessories, hair and makeup; your behavior in the situation (how you came to, sit down, turn your head, move your eyes, etc. ) and most importantly - a description of how you feel and feel (how you feel about your body, how happy you are, proud of yourself, how confident and satisfied you are). The result of this design is that the fantasy acquires an emotional energy that fills you with a desire for happiness—it guides you even if you are not fully aware of it.
2. IMPORTANT: In your goals, only describe what you will gain in harmony, what you will become, not what you will get rid of! And this is all in the present tense, as if it has already happened. You cannot write about disappearing folds, swelling, shortness of breath for your own purposes! Describes slender legs, graceful ankles, thin waist, and easy breathing. Our unconscious, the girl within us, cannot see what is no longer there. All you need is wishful thinking - and then your unconscious mind will accept these images as a fait accompli and cause your body to shed the extra pounds.
3. You should have several of these 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 not an end in itself, but a means to improving all aspects of life. Being thin itself does not bring happiness, but oddly enough, it can be planned in the form of pleasant situations associated with thinness. Remember, achieving your goals should bring you true joy, not profit, so that your inner child will appreciate and support your goals. You dream and write down goals for him.
4. Every goal of yours should have a time and space framework so that at some point you can say to yourself, "Oh! Done! I motivated myself. I'm losing weight. "
5. To ensure that goals are achieved, they must be realistic and must depend solely 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 in certain important situations, and your mood will come into play. . .
6. Your goals should be both immediate and short-term, as well as distant and long-term. You need to spread them throughout your weight loss period so that, as they are gradually achieved, they "warm" you and stimulate you to new achievements. You need to be proud of yourself, praise and reward yourself for every goal achieved. Please remember to update Project Happy as they progress. There's just one condition: the reward shouldn't be in the form of a sweet bun or a burger. what do you like? New clothes, going to the theater, meeting friends? There must be at least seven goals scored at any time. Once the target is exhausted, the weight will stop.
7. If in the process of fantasizing, thinking, and writing down your goals, you feel the joyful excitement, the impatience, the itch in your fingertips: "Oh, I wish I could hurry up! ", then you are on the right track. Oh, how I want this! How great that would be! "You can "test" an accomplished goal by holding and weighing it mentally with one hand while holding your favorite product in the other. Imagine what it smells like, what it tastes like. . . what's more important? If the product is still top choice, your goals may not be complete or may not be completely accurate.

Goals are a powerful driving force in your fitness journey. They work somewhere deep in your consciousness to point you in the right direction.

What to do – a step-by-step plan

This article is not an instruction or action guide. It may force you to start analyzing the possible reasons for the loss of motivation. Practice shows that the motivating factors of overweight work are significantly less than the inhibiting factors, so the latter need to be carefully studied.

• Determine the relevance of your goals: Do you really have a desire to lose weight?
• Remember the importance of a balanced diet. A lack of vitamin D, chromium, B vitamins, and complete fats in the diet can lead to increased appetite.
• Seek professional help. If you are convinced that you have a desire 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 deal with this problem alone due to internal resistance.

Before you start putting into practice what you've learned, we'll give you our top advice: Don't fight tough fat and force yourself to lose weight. It’s important to develop a friendship and partnership with your body. The most valuable motivator is yourself.