Change Your Mind to Change Your Body: Weight Loss is More Psychological Than Physical

Posted by Rick Murphy _Featured_, Conscious Living Thursday, August 23rd, 2012

The majority of people who embark on a diet will fail within just a few months. If you are fighting to lose weight, you may already be aware of this. The term yo-yo dieting refers to people who lose weight then gain it back, only to lose again and gain it back again. Not only is this cycle frustrating, its damaging to the body on a long term basis. If you want to lose weight and keep it off for good, make small changes that will help you in your fight against excess pounds.

Weight Loss is More Psychological Than Physical

When you lose weight you will have to eat healthy and exercise. What most people don’t realize, however, is that the process of losing weight is more psychological than physical. In order to change your body, you have to first change your mind. By changing the way you think about food and exercise, you will find weight will happen more easily.

Food, like any other drug, activates the pleasure sensors in the brain. When we eat a food that we like, the brain sends signals to the body that flood it with feel-good hormones. To put it quite simply, your body gives you a strong incentive to eat foods you like, even if those foods are harmful. This is why people with taste related disorders rarely have weight problems. There is a wealth of taste-related disorders information on the Web that explain this. Supplements like Sensa help you to control your appetite and eat healthy foods.

To combat this, engage in an activity every day that gives you the same pleasure sensation. Exercise releases endorphins into the bloodstream that give you a rush of positive feelings. By replacing unhealthy eating with regular exercise, you will be able to trick your body into rewarding you for healthy habits.

Change The Way You View Food

Food is simply fuel for the body. If you treat it like more than that, you are going to sabotage your weight loss efforts. Food, like any other substance, is harmful when taken in excess. Many people see food as a way to express appreciation and love. Others see it as a reward for a job well done. If you were ever treated to ice cream for getting good grades, your brain made the connection between unhealthy food and achievement. These thought patterns are hard to break. If you can, however, you will be able to lose weight.

Change The Way You View Your Diet Plan

It is not unusual to hear people describe to others that they are “on a diet.” By simply saying those words, they are giving the brain the idea that they are “doing” something different than its regular routine. Instead of telling others that you are “on a diet,” tell them that you “are a healthy eater” or that you “are a fitness buff.” By describing your weight loss efforts as part of who you are instead of something that you are doing, you can trick your brain into helping you lose weight.

When you are losing weight, change your mind first and your body will follow suit.