Are you one of those people who gains weight almost without realizing it? Each person’s genetics and metabolism are closely linked to a greater or lesser propensity to gain weight. The (somewhat uncomfortable) reality is that There are factors in your body that are difficult to change and therefore having a few extra pounds is something that many people cannot easily remedy.
However, there are reasons (scientifically proven) that invite optimism for those who want to lose weight. We don’t just gain weight by having “bad genetics”, nor by eating a lot or playing too little sport. In fact, recent studies show that, more than the amount of what we eat, the quality (the low qualityit is understood) of what enters our mouth, and that usually ends up in the adipose tissues (love handles, cartridge belts, belly…).
Luckily, for the problem of poor nutrition there are a series of resources available to mitigate its effect, learn new and better habits and thus be able to feel lighter and healthier.
The psychology and the nutrition They are study disciplines that are increasingly more related, as we saw in a previous post:
exist several psychological tricks that can be very useful when losing weight The latest trend in researchers who study body transformation processes (gaining weight 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 develop nutritional and eating guides in the United States.
Culture and habits are the best allies of obesity
Wansink poses the importance of the family and social environment in the development of overweight and obesity :
“Many people I know eat much more than is recommended. And they don’t eat so much because they have an excessive appetite, but because their closest environment (family, friends) encourages them to do so. Besides, There is a whole marketing of XXL food that is responsible for presenting food to us in an inappropriate way : packaging, portion size, names, colors, labels, shapes, colours, smells, ingredients… We do not realize the perversion of the food industry because we have always lived in a culture that conceives food in this way..
Psychological tricks that will help you lose weight
Wansink’s advice uncovers the crucial habits, senses and psychology in general in the way of eating. By following them, it is possible to create the appropriate psychological and nutritional dynamics to lose weight and maintain good health.
These are the tricks that Wansinck proposes:
1. Remove from your sight those foods that you do not want to eat
If you have foods before your eyes that for you are irresistible temptations (normally they tend to be foods rich in fat or sugar…), it will be more difficult for you not to take a bite. Stimulate your eyesight with healthy foods: display fresh fruit and healthy foods and hide soft drinks, junk food and sweets.
2. Get used to practicing sports little by little
Food is important, but the calories you eat daily have to be burned if your goal is to lose weight. It is obvious that practicing physical exercise will help you lose weight. Furthermore, you must keep in mind that Playing sports brings you multiple benefits on a psychological level which can make you start living 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 you to eat between meals and/or eat more than necessary …do you know what binge eating disorder is? If you manage to control your anxiety, you will notice that you do not feel as much need to eat.
4. Never go shopping at the supermarket hungry
It is more than proven that shopping on an empty stomach is a bad option. Being hungrier, you will be more inclined to buy foods that seduce your eyes, especially those that contain high doses of glucose (sugars), which is precisely what your blood lacks when you are hungry. By the way, don’t go shopping angry either you will also tend to overbuy.
5. Put little food on your plate
For the same reason that going shopping while hungry makes you make bad decisions, The same thing happens when we are hungry and we are going to put food on our plate We tend to put on too much. If you eat less, you’ll probably eat enough but not to the point of feeling bloated… and you won’t accumulate calories you don’t need.
6. Eat slowly and without rushing
When we eat, The signal that the stomach sends to the brain to tell it that it feels full takes 20 minutes to arrive. If you eat slowly and without rushing, you will feel satiated and avoid eating more food than your body demands. If, on the other hand, you eat in a hurry, you will eat more calories. Give your body time and it will tell you when it is enough.
7. Don’t put too many ingredients on the same plate
A golden rule: Just put two ingredients at a time on the same plate (without taking into account oil, salt and stuff, of course). If you put a lot of ingredients you will tend to perceive the food as a pleasure. The idea is not that you start hating food, far from it! But sobriety at the table works 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 who do special diets to lose weight They end up frustrated by not achieving the desired results in the time they had estimated (a classic to illustrate this is “operation bikini”). Diets to lose weight must be oriented so that the evolution is constant and lasting… not abrupt and after two months it will be the same or worse again. That is why it is important that you realize that having a body free of fat is not a sprint but a long-distance race : slowly and good writing.
Emotions can hinder your progress, as we explained in another post:
9. The importance of the spiritual
Although some people do not give it the importance it deserves, the meditation feeling good about oneself, self-esteem and healthy men in healthy corporeThey are crucial factors to lose excess kilos An activity that combines the spiritual and the physical and that has magnificent results is yoga We explain more about yoga in the following text:
10. Be aware of what you eat and inform yourself
Knowing the ingredients of the foods you eat is key when it comes to losing weight. For a simple reason: Information is power When we go out to eat, we do not have that information and we are likely to eat poorly and stuff ourselves with saturated fats and sugars. If you buy your own food and look at the nutritional contribution With each food, you will progressively become aware of what feels good to your body.
