10 psychological tricks to lose weight

Losing weight is not only achieved by running every morning.

Are you one of those people who gain weight almost without realizing it? Genetics and each person's metabolism are intimately linked to a greater or lesser propensity to put on weight. The (somewhat uncomfortable) reality is that there are factors in your body that are complicated to changeand therefore having a few extra pounds is something that many people cannot easily remedy.

However, there are reasons (scientifically proven) that invite optimism to those who want to lose weight. We do not only gain weight because we have "bad genetics", nor because we eat too much or practice too little sport. In fact, recent studies show that, more than the quantity of what we eat, it is the quality of what we eat that influences us. quality (the low qualityThe problem is that the food that enters our mouths usually ends up in the adipose tissues (love handles, love handles, belly, belly...).

Fortunately, for the problem of a bad diet there are a number of resources available to mitigate to mitigate its effect, learn new and better habits and thus feel lighter and healthier.

Psychology has a lot to say in the way we feed ourselves.

The psychology and nutrition are disciplines of study that are increasingly related, as we saw in a previous post:

• "Psychology and Nutrition: the importance of emotional nutrition".

There are There are several psychological tricks that can be very useful when it comes to losing weight.. The latest trend among researchers who study the processes of body transformation (getting fat and losing weight) is to assess the impact of psychology and how it influences our silhouette.

One of the most respected theorists in this field is Brian Wansink of Cornell University, who has the honor of having been recruited by the White House to draw up the nutritional and dietary guidelines in the United States.

Culture and habits are the best allies of obesity.

Wansink raises the importance of the family and social environment in the development of overweight and obesity.:

"Many people I know eat much more than would be advisable. And they don't eat so much because they have an excessive appetite, but because they are encouraged to do so by their immediate environment (family, friends). In addition, there is a whole marketing of food, there is a whole XXL food marketing that is in charge of presenting food in an inadequate way.We are not aware of the perversion of the food industry because we have always lived in a culture that conceives food in this way".

Psychological tricks to help you slim down

Wansink's advice uncovers the crucial importance of habits, senses and psychology in general in the way we eat. in the way we eat. By following them, it is possible to create the right psychological and nutritional dynamics to lose weight and maintain good health.

These are the tricks proposed by Wansinck:

1. Remove from your sight those foods that you do not want to eat.

If you have in front of your eyes foods that for you are irresistible temptations (they are usually foods rich in fat or sugars...), it will be more difficult for you not to take a bite. Stimulate your sight with healthy foods: put fresh fruit and healthy foods on display, and hide sodas, junk food and sweets.and hide sodas, junk food and sweets.

2. Get into the habit of practicing sports little by little.

Food is important, but the calories you eat every day have to be burned if your goal is to lose weight. It is obvious that physical exercise will help you lose weight. In addition, you must take into account that to do sport brings you multiple benefits at psychic levelthat can make you start living your life in a healthier way and food becomes much less important to you.

3. Get rid of anxiety

There are a lot of bad eating habits that are underpinned by the same common factor: anxiety. Being anxious can lead to snacking and/or overeating.... do you know what binge eating disorder is? If you manage to control your anxiety, you will notice that you don't feel the need to eat as much.

• I recommend you take a look at this article: "Fighting anxiety: 5 guidelines to reduce stress".

4. Never go shopping at the supermarket hungry

It is more than proven that shopping on an empty stomach is a bad option. When you're hungrier, you will be more prone to buy foods that seduce you through the eyesespecially those containing high doses of glucose (sugars), which is precisely what you lack in your Blood when you are hungry. By the way, don't go shopping angry eitherYou will also tend to overbuy.

5. Put little food on your plate

For the same reason that shopping hungry makes you make bad choices, the same thing happens when we are hungry and we are going to put food on our plate.. We tend to put too much on our plate. If you eat less, you'll probably eat enough but not to the point of feeling bloated... and you won't pile up calories you don't need.

6. Eat slowly and slowly

When we eat, it takes 20 minutes for the signal from the stomach to the brain that it is satiated to arrive. to arrive. If you eat slowly and without haste, you will feel satiated and you will avoid eating more food than your body demands. If, on the other hand, you eat in a hurry, you will ingest more calories. Give your body time and it will tell you when enough is enough.

7. Don't put too many ingredients on the same plate.

A golden rule: only put two ingredients at a time on the same plate. (without taking into account oil, salt and so on, of course). If you put too many ingredients you will tend to perceive food as an enjoyment. The idea is not that you start hating food, far from it, but sobriety at the table plays in your favor when it comes to controlling your appetite and losing weight.

8. Losing weight: a slow and steady process

It is common for some people on special diets to lose weight special diets to lose weight end up frustrated when they do not achieve the desired results in the time they had estimated (a classic illustration of this is "operation bikini"). Weight loss diets must be oriented in such a way that the evolution is constant and lasting... not abrupt and two months later you are back to being the same or worse. That is why it is important that you mentalize that having a fat free body is not a sprint but a long-distance raceSlow and steady.

Emotions can boycott your progress, as we explained in another post:

• Emotions are the main obstacle to weight loss.

9. The importance of the spiritual

Although some people don't give it the importance it deserves, meditation is meditationand self-esteem, and the importance of mens sana in corpore sano are crucial factors to reduce excess kilos.. An activity that unites the spiritual and the physical and that has magnificent results is yoga. yoga. We explain more about yoga in the following text:

• "The 6 psychological benefits of yoga".

10. Be aware of what you eat and inform yourself.

Knowing the ingredients of the food you eat is key when it comes to losing weight. For one simple reason: information is power. When we eat out, we don't have that information and are likely to eat poorly and gorge ourselves on saturated fats and sugars. If you buy your own food and pay attention to the nutritional nutritional contribution of each food, you will gradually become aware of what is good for your body.