Being overweight is a problem for most women. Perhaps every lady at least once in front of the mirror uttered the phrase "It's time to lose weight", even if she was overweight. Until recently, pharmaceutical companies and the media actively supported the idea of turning yourself into a stick, but the trend is gradually disappearing.
Many companies include normal weight girls in advertising photo shoots. How do you know if you are overweight? When should you really cut back? And how do I do it right? More on that below.
Overweight: how to understand the norm and whether to lose weight
There are several formulas for calculating normal weight:
- Women: height minus 100. Men: height minus 110. Thus, the permissible body weight for a woman with a height of 175 cm is 72-75 kg.
- Lorentz formula. (Height (cm) - 100) - (Height (cm) - 150)/2.
- Calculating body mass index: body weight divided by height squared. Example weight 75 kg and height 180: 75/1, 8 · 1, 8 = 23, 15, which is a normal weight. An index below 20 means underweight, above 30 means overweight.
But you should not pay attention only to the weight. It is necessary to take into account your body type, as well as the amount of fat tissue. There are many women with low weight and clearly visible fat folds on the abdomen. Remember that ladies should have at least 25 percent body fat for normal body function.
Psychologist-coordinator of treatment programs
If you have calculated your weight and it is exceeded by 5 kg, you should not immediately undergo a strict diet. This may be your normal body weight as all numbers are approximate. But if it is difficult for you to walk, shortness of breath bothers you, as well as other health problems, then your body weight should be reduced.
We clarify right away that no pills, enemas or spells will help you get in good shape. The only option is to eat well, watch your calorie intake and increase your level of physical activity.
The problem of losing weight would not be so acute if people accepted the above fact and stopped believing in quick, magical ways to lose extra pounds.
How to start losing weight psychologically?
From a psychological point of view, there are several factors that interfere with weight loss:
- The ability to derive pleasure from food alone.
- If a woman has successfully lost 5 kilos in 5 days by giving up most foods almost completely, then this experience instills in her mind the idea that the less you eat, the better. But the body, trying to achieve its own, constantly demands food, and man inevitably decays.
- Lack of love for yourself and your body.
- Unconscious benefits that a woman receives due to being overweight. For example, she once experienced harassment or even violence. The result is excess weight as protection from prying male eyes (although excess body weight does not guarantee complete safety at all).
- Eating disorders. This problem is diagnosed in most overweight women who want to lose weight.
Is it possible to lose weight forever?
Losing weight is not as difficult as maintaining weight as many people think. Is this really true? Indeed, 58% of women who lost weight regained the weight within a few years of losing weight. But often the meaning is this: after reaching the desired body weight, a person relaxes and stops monitoring his diet.
To maintain your weight, you need to maintain your calorie intake, that's the whole secret. And it is not at all necessary to constantly count calories and weigh food, it is enough just to limit (not exclude) flour, sweets, fatty foods, eat more vegetables and fruits, a sufficient amount of proteins and carbohydrates.
And of course, working with your internal problems and complexes will help you maintain your weight. Psychological weight loss for a woman is self-acceptance and independence from other people's opinions.
Why do people gain weight: is it always due to poor nutrition?
Most often yes, but there are also cases when nutrition has nothing to do with it:
- Hormonal disorders.
- Tendency to swelling.
- Failure of metabolism.
- Taking certain medications.
10 reasons to lose weight
TOP 10 reasons for losing weight that women give:
- Men like it.
- Wear any clothes.
- Easy to climb stairs, catch a bus, etc. n.
- Have sex without being out of breath.
- Improve your health, conceive a baby, etc. n.
- Like yourself.
- Wear nice underwear.
- Feel free to undress on the beach or in front of your partner.
- Fits easily on public transport seats.
- Improve your personal life.
If weight really bothers you, and there are a lot of them, then losing weight will certainly help to solve the above problems. But if a girl has 1 extra kilogram and already considers herself a huge mountain, then it is necessary to solve the problem of self-esteem, otherwise it can lead to anorexia.
The most unsuccessful methods of losing weight
In search of magical weight loss remedies, humanity seems to have tried all options: pills, herbs, Ayurveda, acupuncture, etc. n. And if some options are simply useless, some are downright harmful.
Magic tea
Teas that help you lose weight have diuretic and laxative effects. Due to this, the weight decreases by several kilograms, but quickly returns. In addition, tea removes electrolytes and water from the body, which are necessary for normal functioning.
Pills
Diet pills have different mechanisms of action. Those that can be bought at any pharmacy without a prescription are usually completely ineffective. The most they can do is remove excess water. The packaging of such drugs often contains a note: it is recommended to reduce portions, eliminate sweets, flour and fatty foods and increase physical activity. Under such conditions, you can lose weight on your own.
A completely different type of medication is prescription medication that suppresses appetite or removes excess fat from food through the rectum. These drugs are used for overweight people only under the supervision of a doctor. And one more thing: these are not magic pills that allow you to eat tons and lose weight. Medicines require a balanced diet and compliance with caloric intake.
Fat burning products
On the Internet you can see an impressive list of foods that "help" burn fat: pineapple, grapefruit, chili pepper, celery, coconut oil and many others. There is no evidence base, but many still believe this myth. NO products, which accelerate fat burning.
Low calorie diets
Diets designed for calories under 1200 kill the body. Such weight loss will be fast (up to a certain point), but dangerous:
- Hormonal imbalance.
- Stopping menstruation.
- Hair loss, deterioration of skin and teeth.
- Sudden weight loss leads to sagging skin and the appearance of wrinkles.
- Memory is deteriorating.
- Productivity decreases.
- The body turns on energy-saving mode, so there is a complete lack of libido and erectile dysfunction is possible in men.
After some time, the body adapts to such savings and stops "giving away" excess fat. How does a person who wants to lose weight think? "We still need to reduce the diet. "This already threatens with anorexia, acute lack of nutrients and exhaustion.
Why do you gain even more weight after dieting?
The answer is clear: strict diets make you attack food with triple strength. In addition, it is almost impossible to give up your favorite foods again, so the weight accumulates again. Diets with strict restrictions are especially dangerous: 1000 calories, protein, salt-free, green, etc.
Psychological training for weight loss
The basis of any training is the initiation of positive thinking, the clearing of all negative attitudes and the normalization of the emotional background. During the process, a psychologist is always present in the group to help the participants relax. A positive psychological attitude very often triggers and accelerates the process of losing weight.
TOP 5 tips from a psychologist for losing weight
- Decide if you really need to lose weight. It's entirely possible that you're comfortable being curvy, and your desire to lose weight is just a result of public opinion.
- Set realistic goals. Healthy weight loss does not include losing more than 3, maximum 4 kg per month.
- Learn to enjoy the process of losing weight: cook delicious meals yourself, serve them beautifully, buy a new sports uniform, look for new recipes for low-calorie dishes.
- Stop weighing yourself every morning, telling yourself you've gained 100 grams. You can weigh yourself once a week, and fluctuations in weight are quite natural, especially for women (for example, before menstruation, body weight increases due to fluid retention in the tissues).
- You should love your body regardless of your weight. So pamper and please your body, don't postpone the purchase of beautiful underwear or a dress for "later".
Anorexia: antimotivation to lose weight
Anorexia is a form of eating disorder in which a woman (girl) simply stops eating because she constantly feels fat. The disease often leads to death, so the disease must be treated together with a psychiatrist. Anorexia occurs in three stages:
- Dysmorphomania. Criticism of appearance, scathing remarks lead to the first thoughts of losing weight as quickly as possible. A person concentrates on his shortcomings and stops seeing his advantages.
- Anorectic. The lady cuts portions to microscopic sizes, almost all foods are removed from the diet. If food is eaten, the person induces vomiting.
- Cachectic. Stage of complete exhaustion. Even if a woman weighs 30 kg, she is still considered fat.
If you have signs of anorexia, you should consult a specialist:
- Obsessive thoughts about losing weight, your whole life starts to revolve around ways to lose weight.
- The desire to eat separately from everyone else to hide your disorder.
- Exclusion of almost all foods from the diet; the menu includes only lettuce, kefir and water.
- Sudden weight loss, deterioration of hair, skin, cessation of menstrual cycle.
- Mood swings, depression.
Consequences of radical weight loss without working with a psychologist
The most dangerous thing when losing weight without psychological work is the development of an eating disorder. In this case, a person either completely excludes food (anorexia), or eats excessively, then causes vomiting (bulimia). These are the most popular types of RPP. In addition, the lack of work on the complexes will lead to the appearance of a new "flaw" with which a person will struggle. And so in a circle.
Help from a psychologist in losing weight
Specialists help not only with chemical dependence, but also with weight loss. First you need to decide if you are really overweight. If weight loss is really important, then the psychologist uses some methods of working with the subconscious in the program:
- Arrangements.
- Psychophysiological.
- Games.
- Art therapy.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy.
And of course, the specialist first collects a complete medical history: what kind of family the patient grew up in, what kind of relationship he had with his parents, what kind of relationship he has now and much more.
Classes are held individually and in groups. You won't get a list of "bad" and "good" foods, but you will learn to control your emotions and distinguish between emotional and physical hunger.