Why does motivation go through the roof early in the weight loss process and then disappear somewhere? What can demotivate and who can be the best motivator? These questions are of interest to many who want to lose weight. In this article, we will consider the reasons that prevent you from starting a new, "harmonious" life.
It is a clear fact that regardless of gender and age, a person is not indifferent to his appearance and the appearance of other people. One of the most interesting things is to stare at an attractive person and imagine their personality and lifestyle. We also pay attention to our appearance. We are trying to understand our desires and perhaps hide something - both from ourselves and from others.
Throughout our lives we work on our image - you can imagine how important the impression we make is to us! This is especially true for women.
Paradoxically, physical attractiveness is often more important in relation to health.
Man is a social being. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the role of appearance as a very powerful motivating factor. But the question arises: why is it that overweight people often lack this factor to create the image that a person needs from time immemorial?
What is motivation?
The term "motivation" comes from the word "motive" (Latin movere - "to set in motion, push"). Motivation is a set of not only internal, but also external forces that motivate some activity. These needs and feelings are the main motivating factors. Feelings of hunger, sexual desire, thirst, insecurity are always accompanied by emotions.
Emotions are a psychological factor. For example, positive emotions indicate a satisfied need, while negative emotions indicate an unmet need. Because women are more emotional, they often experience strong emotional stress.
The experience of an unsatisfied need creates discomfort and a desire to eliminate it. For example, if a woman is dissatisfied with her weight, then she wants to get rid of this defect and, apparently, there should be enough motivation to achieve the goal.
Why are there problems with this driving force? How to find motivation to lose weight? It is necessary to understand that human activity is multi-motivated, that is, it is influenced by various motives that may conflict with each other at the same time. This is where the problems begin.
Factors of lack of motivation
- Lack of knowledge. Ignore the psychological causes of excess weight in the first place. It is worth noting that clients of nutritionists and nutritionists talk more about the possible causes of overeating.
- Lack of support even though loved ones wish you only the best. So they might think you're fine anyway. If you can't find support in your environment, you can turn to a psychologist.
- The dishonesty of future professionals and focus only on quick results is traumatic for health and psyche. They do not teach how to maintain the obtained results, what to do in case of relapse.
- Frequent breakdowns and relapses (requiring professional support when dealing with an eating disorder) reduce motivation and mood.
- Slow weight loss with the right integrated approach, as a result of which short programs are selected. 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 lead to an inability to deal with the problem on your own. A person who loses weight goes through certain stages: at the beginning of a weight loss marathon, in the flow of group euphoria, he strictly follows the recommendations, and then the enthusiasm disappears. Apathy sets in, often frustration, then breakdown.
Food addiction
Almost every overweight person has a food addiction. This conclusion follows from the relationship between well-being and behavior. In other words, a person without any addiction will change their behavior when their health deteriorates.
If the behavior does not change and continues to harm a person's health, then we can talk about a hidden reason for being in this state. With excess weight, many physiological problems (pain, lack of energy, poor skin and hair condition) and psychological problems (low self-esteem, shame, guilt, constant anxiety, depression, chronic depression) appear, but do not rush to change anything. . Then he continues to overeat, that is, we are talking about food addiction.
From day to day, food is used, among other things, as an anti-depressant and sedative, to extinguish the feelings and emotions that arise in the race in the environment: diet - disorder - guilt - diet. Food relaxes, improves mood, and even relieves pain.
The child's psyche develops on the basis of "pair relations": mother - child, breast - milk, mouth - stomach, care - support. Food satisfies the most important needs of a baby from the very beginning of its life.
Delicious food is ideal for him. A mother who understands and accepts anyone. It should be remembered that food has not only physiological, but also psychological meaning for a person. It is a powerful regulator of psychological balance. This is why working with overweight and food addictions, disorders, relapses and relapses is so difficult and time-consuming.
Reasons for low motivation
In the process of working with excess weight, a person is simultaneously affected by multi-polar motives: on the one hand, fear of losing an ideal image and condemnation by society, on the other hand, fear of losing a powerful tool for maintaining emotional strength. balance.
Emotions and feelings are serious conditions that can throw dieters off balance. The most common are: shame, guilt, fear, anxiety, helplessness, hopelessness, melancholy, boredom, fatigue. Every day we experience different feelings and emotions.
Let's look at some of them in detail, so that you can understand the depth of the problem and do not rush to blame yourself the next time you lose motivation. Try to identify where the demotivating factors are coming from.
- to be tired. This is a loss of energy after a long period of work. But this need is not food, but sleep and rest. However, in addition to physical exhaustion, psychological exhaustion can also occur when repressed emotions demand too much energy. Reluctance or unwillingness to seek other tools of self-regulation drives exhausted people to food. The idea of constantly beating oneself for something or someone is combined with an inability to replenish resources with rest. How to solve the problem? Take a walk in the fresh air, meditate, read a book, plan to go to bed early, take a magnesium bath.
- boredom. Did you know that waiting too long can lead to fatigue and boredom? With the loss of meaning in life and the sense of 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 food addiction, only food can help. How to solve the problem? Find something that sparks your passion! When was the last time you drew? Got a new book? Have you tried a new recipe?
- Fear of hunger. Both genetically and historically, fear of starvation increases appetite. Therefore, many people eat much more than their stomach can handle. A festive table or cupboards and a fridge full of food will definitely reduce motivation. How to solve the problem? Don't forget to drink water! Eat slowly without getting distracted by gadgets and conversation. A salad bowl should be deep - a bowl is ideal. The size of a flat plate should not exceed two palms. Do not forget the principle of balance - the right combination of proteins, fats and carbohydrates will help to 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 about fiber! Norm - 20-30 g per day;
- water - 30-35 ml per 1 kg of weight.
- Shame and guilt. These are the two most powerful feelings. Losing weight is usually a process of ups and downs, crashes and failures. And with each relapse, a person experiences shame and guilt for his weakness. And to punish himself for this crime, he goes on a strict diet, which causes him to break down again. And so on in a circle.
I eat, therefore I exist. One of the motivations for overeating is a burning desire to feel active. A society in which material values are the measure of social success leads to a series of negative feelings through which you cannot increase your motivation without working.
How to set goals to increase motivation
Thus, negative emotions prevent weight loss. In other words, the mind is overloaded with experiences that take away the energy needed to mobilize the strength to lose weight. And the range of these feelings is huge: from finding yourself to dealing with loneliness.
It turns out that there is a desire to lose weight, but the motivation quickly passes. In fact, people who dream of losing weight ignore issues that are important to them and are guided only by secondary, superficial desires in creating motivation.
Many girls really want to lose weight, try again and again and force themselves to do it, but at the same time they use different methods and remain overweight. Have you ever thought it was that weird? The only correct strategy is to try to get something, not to get rid of something.
The most important thing in increasing your motivation to lose weight is having a clear vision of "something" and planning. Goal setting trainings are essentially based on this secret of how to "make a wish". Losing weight is difficult if you don't understand the details of what it will give you. It's not easy to pass up another piece of candy unless a girl remembers the swimsuit she'll be parading down the beach and gets those looks. No principles of rational nutrition will help you lose weight without interesting fantasies about yourself and how you feel in a slim body, in different clothes, in different life situations.
The swimsuit is not the only motivator. The body of overweight people is under serious stress. The results are deposition of fatty tissue and lack of muscle tissue, premature aging, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular diseases, impaired detoxification processes. . . This is not the whole list of consequences lishnego weight.
Forget the abstract words that once did not help you find harmony, forget about "I will lose weight, become more confident, healthy and beautiful" - and start thinking about the joyful moments that await you.
A well-set goal is the best motivator in weight loss.
Here is a list of the basic rules of goal setting:
- Your goals (in our case, it's thoughts about getting fit) should be created in small plots (stories, scripts, histories, essays - whatever you want) with you in the lead role, where you describe in detail how the situation happened. It will be very comfortable thanks to your thin body. These stories should start with a detailed description of your figure in (or without) a certain outfit, followed by - your overall look, including accessories, hairstyle and makeup; your actions in this situation (how you come, sit down, turn your head, move your eyes, etc. ) and most importantly - a description of your feelings and emotions (how you feel about your body, how happy you are, proud of yourself, how confident and satisfied you are). As a result of this projection, the imagination takes over the energy that resides in your senses and charges you with the pursuit of happiness - and guides you even if you are not fully aware of it.
- Important: in your goals, describe only what you will have, what you will become, and not what you will get rid of! All this is as it is now. You can't write about lost folds, swelling, breathing for your purpose! Describe thin legs, slim calves, a slim waist and easy breathing. Our unconscious, inner girl can't see what isn't there right now. You just need to dream - then unconscious people will perceive these images as reality and will make your body get rid of extra pounds.
- You should have several such fantasies or stories, at least seven. They should be reflected in various areas of your life: personal life, communication with loved ones, work, leisure, health, self-realization. Everyone has their own list. After all, harmony is needed not as an end in itself, but as a means to improve life in all its manifestations. Being skinny doesn't bring happiness in itself, but surprisingly, it can be planned in the form of favorable circumstances associated with being slim. Remember, achieving your goals should bring you real joy, not profit, so your inner child will appreciate and support them. You dream and write goals for it.
- Each goal should have a time and space frame so you can say to yourself, "Oh! Done! I'm motivating myself. I'm losing weight. "
- And for goals to 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 predict and describe your confidence, joy, pride, and admiration in an important situation, and you will be in a good mood. . .
- Your goals should be immediate and short term, long term and long term. You will need to distribute them throughout the period to lose weight, they will be implemented gradually, they will "warm" you and motivate you to new achievements. For each accomplished goal, you should be proud of yourself, praise and respect yourself. Don't forget to update your "Happy Plans". There is only one condition: the reward must not be in the form of a sweet bun or a burger. What do you like? New clothes, going to the theater, meeting friends? There should always be at least seven goals. When the goals are exhausted, the weight stops.
- If in the process of dreaming, thinking and writing down goals, you feel joyful excitement, impatience and itchy fingers: "Oh, I wish I could come sooner! "Oh, how I wish it was! How wonderful! »You can "test" an already completed goal by holding and weighing it on one hand and placing your favorite item on the other. Imagine its smell and taste. . . What is better? If the product is still a priority, your goal may be incomplete or unclear.
Goals are a powerful driving force in your journey to fitness. They work somewhere in the depths of consciousness, pointing in the right direction.
What to do - step by step plan
This article is not a guide or a guide to action. This may force you to start analyzing the possible reasons for your low motivation. Practice shows that when working with excess weight, motivational incentives are much less than demotivation, so the latter should be carefully developed.
- Determine the relevance of the goal: do you really want to lose weight?
- Remember the importance of a balanced diet. Lack of vitamin D, chromium, B vitamins and saturated fat in the diet leads to increased appetite.
- seek professional help. If you believe that you have a desire to lose weight and it is relevant today, it is better to seek help from a psychologist or psychotherapist, because it is often difficult to deal with the problem on your own due to internal resistance.
And before you start putting the knowledge you've learned into practice, we'll give you a basic piece of advice: don't fight fat, force yourself to lose weight. It is important to build a friendship and partnership with your body. The most useful motivator is yourself.