Obesity is a problem for most women. Perhaps every woman has said the phrase "It's time to lose weight" in front of the mirror, even if she is overweight. Until recently, pharmaceutical companies and the media actively supported the idea of turning yourself into a stick, but the trend is disappearinggradually.
Many companies include girls of normal weight in advertising photo shoots. How do you know if you are overweight? When do you really need to reduce it? And how do you do it correctly? More on this below.
Overweight: How to find out the norm and 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.
- Calculation of body mass index: body weight divided by height squared. Example weight 75 kg and height 180: 75/1. 8 x 1. 8 = 23. 15, which is normal weight. An index below 20 means underweight, over 30 means overweight.
But you shouldn't just pay attention to weight. It is necessary to take into account your body type, as well as the amount of fatty tissue. There are many women who are low weight and have clearly visible fat folds on their stomach. Remember that for normal body function, women must have a body fat percentage of at least 25 percent.
Psychologist-coordinator of treatment programs
If you have calculated your weight and it is exceeded by 5 kg, you should not immediately go on a strict diet. This may be your normal body weight as all numbers are approximate. However, if you find it difficult to walk, experience shortness of breath, and other health problems, your body weight needs to be reduced.
We want to make it clear right away that no pills, enemas or magic spells will help you get a good figure. The only option is to eat well, respect calorie intake and increase 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 affect losing weight:
- The ability to feel pleasure just from eating.
- If a woman has successfully lost 5 kilograms in 5 days, almost completely avoiding most foods, then such an experience brings into her consciousness the idea that the less you eat, the better. But the body, trying to impose its will, constantly demands food, and the person inevitably collapses.
- 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 weight gain as protection from prying male eyes (although excess body weight by no means guarantees complete safety).
- eating disorders. This problem is diagnosed in most overweight women who want to lose weight.
Is it possible to lose weight permanently?
Losing weight is not as difficult as maintaining weight as many people think. Is that really true? In fact, 58% of women who lost weight gained it back within a few years of losing weight. But often it comes down to this: after the desired body weight is reached, a person relaxes and stops paying attention to his diet.
To maintain 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 and fatty foods, eat more vegetables and fruits, and eat enough protein and carbohydrates.
And of course, working with your internal problems and complexes will help you maintain your weight. Psychological weight loss for a woman means self-acceptance and independence from other people's opinions.
Why do people get fat: is it always due to poor nutrition?
Most of the time yes, but there are also cases where diet has nothing to do with it:
- Hormonal disorders.
- Tendency to swelling.
- Metabolic failure.
- Taking certain medications.
10 reasons to lose weight
TOP 10 reasons women give for losing weight:
- Men like it.
- Wear any clothing you want.
- Easily climb stairs, catch a bus, etc.
- Have sex without shortness of breath.
- Improve your health, have a baby, etc.
- 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 is a lot of it, then losing weight will certainly help 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 with self-esteem, otherwise anorexia may develop.
The most failed weight loss methods
In the search for magical weight loss remedies, humanity seems to have tried every option: pills, herbs, Ayurveda, acupuncture, etc. And if some options are simply useless, others are also downright harmful.
Magic tea
Teas that help you lose weight have a diuretic and laxative effect. This reduces the weight by a few kilograms, but quickly returns. In addition, tea depletes the body of electrolytes and water necessary for normal function.
pills
Diet pills have different mechanisms of action. Those that you can buy in any pharmacy without a prescription are usually completely ineffective. You can remove maximum excess water. There is often a note on the packaging of such drugs: it is recommended to reduce portions, avoid 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 drugs that reduce appetite or remove excess fat from food through the rectum. These medications are only used under medical supervision in severely overweight people. And one more thing: These are not magic pills that allow you to eat tons of food and lose weight. The medications require a balanced diet and compliance with calorie intake.
Fat burning products
On the Internet you can find an impressive list of foods that "help" burn fat: pineapple, grapefruit, chili, celery, coconut oil and much more. There is no evidence of this, but many still believe this myth. There are NO products, which accelerate fat burning.
Low calorie diets
Diets designed for calories under 1200 kill the body. Such weight loss will occur quickly (up to a certain point), but dangerously:
- Hormonal imbalance.
- stop menstruation.
- Hair loss, deterioration of skin and teeth.
- Sudden weight loss leads to sagging skin and the development of wrinkles.
- Memory deteriorates.
- Performance decreases.
- The body switches to energy saving mode, so that libido is completely absent and erectile dysfunction is possible in men.
After a while, the body gets used to these savings and no longer releases excess fat. How does a person who wants to lose weight think? "We still have to reduce the diet. "This already threatens loss of appetite, acute nutrient deficiency and exhaustion.
Why do you gain more weight after a diet?
The answer is clear: strict diets force you to attack foods with triple power. In addition, it is almost impossible to give up your favorite foods again, so the weight increases 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 introduction of positive thinking, purification of all negative attitudes and normalization of the emotional background. During the process, a psychologist is always present in the group to help those present 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 whether you really need to lose weight. It's quite possible that you feel good about being curvy, and the desire to lose weight is just the result of public opinion.
- Set realistic goals. Losing weight healthily is not about losing more than 3, maximum 4 kg per month.
- Learn to enjoy the process of losing weight: cook delicious meals, serve them beautifully, buy new sportswear, look for new recipes for low-calorie dishes.
- Stop weighing yourself every morning and berating yourself for gaining 100 grams. You can weigh yourself once a week, although weight fluctuations are completely natural, especially for women (e. g. before menstruation, body weight increases due to fluid accumulation in the tissues).
- You should love your body, regardless of your weight. Therefore, pamper and delight your body and do not postpone the purchase of beautiful lingerie or a dress until "later".
Anorexia: anti-motivation to lose weight
Anorexia is a form of eating disorder in which a woman (girl) simply stops eating because she constantly feels like she is fat. Since the disease often leads to death, the disorder must be treated together with a psychiatrist. Anorexia progresses in three stages:
- Dysmorphomaniacs. External criticism and snappy statements lead to initial thoughts of losing weight as quickly as possible. A person focuses on his shortcomings and no longer recognizes his advantages.
- Anorexic. The lady cuts portions to microscopic sizes and almost all foods are eliminated from the menu. When food is eaten, the person induces vomiting.
- Cachectic. Stage of complete exhaustion. Even if a woman weighs 30 kg, she still considers herself fat.
If you have signs of anorexia, you should consult a specialist:
- Obsessive thoughts about losing weight, your whole life begins to revolve around ways to lose weight.
- The desire to eat separately from everyone else to hide your disorder.
- Almost all foods are excluded from the diet; The menu only includes salad, kefir and water.
- Sudden weight loss, hair and skin deterioration, cessation of menstrual cycle.
- Mood swings, depression.
Consequences of radical weight loss without working with a psychologist
The most dangerous thing about losing weight without psychological work is the development of an eating disorder. In this case, the person either abstains from food completely (anorexia) or eats excessively, which then leads to vomiting (bulimia). These are the most popular RPP types. In addition, the lack of work on one's own complexes leads to the emergence of a new "deficiency" with which the person has to struggle. And so on in a circle.
Help from a psychologist to lose weight
Specialists offer help not only with chemical addiction, but also with weight loss. First, you need to decide whether you are really overweight. If losing weight is really important, then the psychologist in the program uses some methods of working with the subconscious:
- Arrangements.
- Psychophysiological.
- Play.
- Art therapy.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy.
And of course, the specialist first collects a complete medical history: in which family the patient grew up, what relationship he had with his parents, what relationship he has now and much more.
Lessons take place individually and in group format. You won't be given a list of "bad" and "good" foods, but will learn to control your emotions and differentiate between emotional and physical hunger.