Why does motivation go through the roof 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 people who want to lose weight. In this article we will look at the reasons that prevent you from starting a new, "harmonious" life.
The fact that a person, regardless of 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 and fantasize about their character and lifestyle. Our own appearance is also the focus of our attention. We try to understand and perhaps hide our preferences - both from ourselves and from others.
We work on our own image all our lives - you can imagine how important the impression we leave is for us! This is especially true for women.
The paradox is that physical attractiveness is often more important than health concerns.
Humans are social creatures. Therefore, it is important to consider the role of appearance as a very strong motivating factor. But the question arises: why then do overweight people so often lack this factor to create the very image that a person has needed so much since ancient times?
What is motivation?
The term "motivation" is derived from the word "motive" (Latin movere – "to set in motion, to push"). Motivation is a set of not only internal, but also external forces that encourage a certain activity. They are needsand feelings, which are the main motivating factors. Hunger, sexual desire, thirst and a feeling of insecurity always go hand in hand with emotions.
Emotions are a psychological factor. For example, positive emotions indicate a satisfied need, while negative emotions indicate an unsatisfied need. Due to women's higher emotionality, they are often the ones who experience severe emotional stress.
The experience of an unmet need causes discomfort and the desire to eliminate it arises. For example, if a woman is dissatisfied with her weight, she wants to get rid of this shortcoming, and it would seem that there should be more than enough motivation to achieve the goal.
Then why are there problems with this driving force? How do I find motivation to lose weight? It is important to understand that human actions are multimotivated, that is, they are 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, ignoring the psychological causes of obesity. However, it should be noted that clients of nutritionists and dietitians are increasingly talking about the possible causes of overeating themselves.
- Lack of support, even when your loved ones wish you the best. That's why they may think that everything is fine with you anyway. If you cannot find support in your environment, you can contact a psychologist.
- Unscrupulousness of aspiring specialists and focusing only on results that are achieved quickly and are traumatic for both health and psyche. They do not teach how to maintain the results achieved and what to do if a relapse occurs.
- Constant breakdowns and relapses (which require specialist support when working with eating disorders) reduce motivation and mood.
- Slow weight loss with the right comprehensive approach, choosing short programs. An example of such a choice is the goal of "losing weight by summer. "
These factors have a negative impact on motivation to lose weight and mean that you cannot cope with the problem on your own. A person losing weight goes through certain phases: At the beginning of a weight loss marathon, he strictly follows the recommendations as part of the group euphoria, and then the enthusiasm disappears. Apathy occurs, often protest, followed by collapse.
food addiction
Almost every overweight person has a food addiction. This conclusion is obvious because of the connection between well-being and behavior. That is, a person who does not have an addiction will change their behavior as 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 this condition. When being overweight, a number of physiological problems (illness, lack of energy, poor skin and hair condition) and psychological problems (low self-esteem, shame, guilt, constant anxiety, depression, chronic depression) arise, but the person is in no hurry to change anything. Then he continues to eat too much, 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 race in circles: diet - collapse - guilt - diet. Eating relaxes, improves mood and even relieves pain.
The child's psyche develops on the basis of "couple relationships": mother - child, mother - milk, mouth - stomach, care - support. Food fulfills important desires of an infant from the beginning of his life.
For him, delicious food is an ideal mother. A mother who understands and accepts anyone and everyone. It is important to remember that food has not only physiological but also psychological significance for humans. It is a powerful regulator of psychological balance. That's why it's so difficult and time-consuming to deal with obesity and food addiction, with breakdowns, setbacks and relapses.
Reasons for low motivation
When working with excess weight, a person is simultaneously influenced by multipolar motives: on the one hand, the fear of losing an ideal image and condemnation from society, and on the other hand, the fear of losing a powerful tool for maintaining emotional balance.
Emotions and feelings that unbalance those who are losing weight are certainly serious illnesses. Most common: shame, guilt, fear, restlessness, 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 do not rush to condemn yourself the next time motivation wanes. Try to figure out where demotivating factors come from.
- fatigue. This is a loss of strength after prolonged work. But this need requires sleep and rest, not food. However, in addition to physical fatigue, psychological fatigue can also occur when suppressed emotions consume too much energy. The inability or unwillingness to seek other means of self-regulation causes tired people to turn to food. The idea of constantly overcoming yourself for something or someone goes hand in hand with the inability to replenish resources through rest. How do you solve a problem? Take a walk in the fresh air, meditate, read a book, plan to go to bed early, take a magnesium bath.
- boredom. Do you know the feeling when waiting too long leads to burnout and persistent boredom? Given the loss of meaning in life and the seeming meaninglessness of what is happening, it is pointless 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 it. How do you solve a problem? Find something 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?
- Fear of hunger. Genetically and historically, fear of starvation leads to increased appetite. Therefore, many people eat much more than their stomach capacity allows. A festive table or cupboards and fridge full of food definitely reduce motivation. How do you solve a problem? Don't forget to drink water! Eat slowly without being distracted by gadgets and conversations. The salad plate should be deep - a bowl is ideal. 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 satisfy hunger for at least 3-4 hours.
Macronutrient and Water 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 - 30-35 ml per 1 kg of weight.
- Shame and guilt. These are the two strongest feelings. Weight loss is a process that usually involves ups and downs, breakdowns and setbacks. And every time a relapse occurs, a person feels shame and guilt because of his weakness. And to punish himself for this offense, he goes on a strict diet, which leads to collapse again. And so on in circles.
I eat, which means I exist. The passionate desire to feel active is one of the motives for overeating. A society in which material values are the measure of social success leads to a number of negative feelings, without which you cannot increase your motivation.
How to set goals correctly to increase motivation
So negative emotions affect weight loss. In other words, the consciousness is overloaded with experiences that rob the energy necessary to mobilize the strength to lose weight. And the range of these feelings is wide: from self-discovery to the fight against loneliness.
It turns out that there is a desire to lose weight, but the motivation quickly passes. The fact is that those who dream of losing weight ignore issues that are really important to them and are guided only by secondary, superficial desires when formulating their motivation.
Many girls really want to lose weight and keep trying to force themselves to do it, but at the same time they remain overweight after trying different methods. Have you ever thought that was strange? The only correct strategy: It is important not to strive to get rid of something, but to get something.
The most important thing to increase your motivation to lose weight is a clear vision and planning for this "something". Goal setting training is based on this secret, which essentially teaches you to "correctly express desires". It's difficult to lose weight if you don't fully understand what losing weight will do for you. It's not easy for a girl to refuse another piece of candy when she doesn't remember the very swimsuit in which she parades along this very beach and attracts these very looks. Without exciting fantasies about yourself and how you feel in a slim body, in different outfits, in different life situations, no principles of rational nutrition will help you lose weight.
A swimsuit isn't the only motivator. The body of overweight people is exposed to great stress. The consequences of fat deposition and lack of muscle tissue are premature aging, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular diseases, impaired detoxification processes. . . This is not the complete list of the consequences of being overweight.
It is better to forget about the abstract words that once did not help you find harmony - "I will lose weight, be more confident, healthier and more beautiful" - and start thinking about the joyful moments that await you.
A properly set goal is the best motivator when it comes to losing weight.
List of basic rules for goal setting:
- Your goals (in our case these are thoughts on the topic of thinness) should be framed in small storylines (stories, scripts, histories, essays - whatever you like) with you in the main role, in which you describe in detail the situation in which youYou will feel very comfortable thanks to your slim body. These stories should begin with a detailed description of your character in one or another clothing (or without), then – your overall appearance, including accessories, hairstyle and makeup; Your actions in this situation (how you came, sat down, turned your head, moved your eyes, etc. ) and most importantly – descriptions of your sensations and feelings (how you feel your body, how happy you are, how proud you are of yourselfhow safe and satisfied you are). Through this design, the imagination receives the energy that lies in the feelings and charges you with the desire for happiness - and it will guide you even if you are not fully aware of it.
- Important: In your goals, only describe 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 cannot write about disappearing wrinkles, swelling and shortness of breath for your own purposes! Describe slender legs, graceful ankles, thin waist and easy breathing. Our unconscious, our inner girl, cannot see what is no longer there. You just need wishful thinking - then the unconscious will perceive these images as a fait accompli and force your body to lose extra pounds.
- You should have several such 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 needed as an end in itself, but as a means to improve life in all its manifestations. Being thin in itself does not bring happiness, but strangely enough, it can be planned in the form of such pleasant situations associated with being thin. Remember that achieving your goals should bring you real joy, not profit, so that your inner child values and supports them. You dream and write down goals for him.
- Each of your goals should have a time and space framework so that at a certain point in time you can say to yourself: "Oh! It is finished! I motivate myself. I'm losing weight. "
- And in order for goals to definitely come true, 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 an important situation, and your mood will do the trick. . .
- Your goals should be both immediate and short-term and distant and long-term. You need to distribute them throughout the entire period of weight loss so that they gradually "warm" you and stimulate you to new successes. You need to be proud of yourself, praise and reward yourself for each achieved goal. Remember your "joyful"Plans" to be updated over time. There is only one condition: the reward should not be in the form of a sweet bun or burger. What do you like? New dress, go to the theater, meet friends? At least seven goals must always be scored. Once the targets are used up, the weight stops.
- You're on the right track if, as you fantasize, think, and write goals, you feel excitement, impatience, and an itch 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 achieved goal by mentally holding it in one hand and weighing it, while placing your favorite product on the other side. Imagineits smell and taste before. . . What outweighs If the product is still preferred, your goal may not have been achieved yet or may not be entirely correct.
Goals are a powerful driving force on your journey to getting fit. They will work somewhere in the depths of consciousness and point in the right direction.
What to do – step by step plan
This article is not a guide or how-to. It might force you to analyze possible reasons for your reduced motivation. As practice shows, when working with excess weight, there are significantly fewer motivating incentives 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 how important a balanced diet is. A lack of vitamin D, chromium, B vitamins and whole fats in the diet leads 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 contact a psychologist or psychotherapist, since internal resistance often makes it difficult to cope with the problem on your own.
And before you start putting the acquired knowledge into practice, we will give you the most important advice: do not fight the tricky fat, but force yourself to lose weight. It is important to build friendships and partnerships with your own body. The most rewarding motivator is yourself.