SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – Your New Year’s resolution to lose weight has been made, but how are you going to do it? And could losing weight really be as simple as changing your mindset?
Yes.
Here are a few changes you can make in your mindset that studies have proved to help you lose weight.
Why weighing yourself matters
A study of Louisiana women has proven the importance of self-weighing to stay on a weight loss trajectory. The study even proved that initial weight loss, when combined with daily weigh-ins, was significantly associated with weight change.
So if you’re ready to lose weight, one of the first things you need to do is buy a decent set of scales.
Weight loss psychology is critical
Harvard University says that losing weight is hard in today’s calorie-rich, ultra-processed, “toxic” environment. However, 29 long-term weight loss studies have proven that more than half of the weight lost is regained within two years, and by the time you hit the five-year margin, more than 80% of lost weight will be regained.
These figures meant that only one in five overweight people would be successful in losing weight long-term.
But there’s good news. Experts at Harvard University also maintain that a lifestyle where you do not feel hangry can make all the difference. And evidence confirms that weight loss psychology is critical for losing weight.
Monitor your plate, not your waist!
A Nov. 2023 study on perceptions of dietary intake according to a plate-based approach has suggested that behavior changes help elicit dietary changes over time.
One wayto change your dietary intake is to switch to the Canadian food guide, which teaches you that 1) Half of your plate should be fruits and veggies, 2) you should eat protein foods such as eggs, nuts, cheese, beans, and meats, 3) you should always choose whole grain noodles, breads, etc…, and 4) healthy eating is more than what you eat.
By cooking more often, being mindful of your eating habits, eating meals with others, enjoying your food, paying attention to food labels, limiting processed foods, and learning to ignore food marketing, you can eat well and live well.
Make water your drink of choice
Carbonated beverages are made from Carbon Dioxide, which is an interesting subject of its own.
But drinking water for your beverage of choice has incredible benefits. Water has no calories and hydrates your entire body. While drinking soft drinks is associated with increased body weight.
One study found that drinking 34 ounces of water per day can result in a 4.4 lbs weight loss in a 12-month period.
And drinking water can save you money, too. It’s cheaper at restaurants, and carrying a refillable water cup around with you is good for the environment, too.
And if the water’s cold, you’ll burn calories as your body warms the water up to your body’s temperature.
Drinking water before meals can reduce your appetite, too. And it can help your headache, get you out of a bad mood, and help you concentrate. How? Mild dehydration has unpleasant symptoms.
Shrink with the Shrink
We humans can have unconscious attachments to food, and harsh diets can cause conditioned responses when we’re in deprivation mode. That makes us want to eat the very things we shouldn’t eat.
But changing your relationship with food is a good way to get out of your deprivation mindset.
To learn more about your relationship to food, ask yourself questions like 1) What was my relationship like with food when I was a kid? 2) What’s it like when I first feel hungry? 3) What foods am I currently choosing to eat, and why am I eating them? 4) Am I eating certain foods when I’m emotional, whether the emotions I’m experiencing are sad or happy? If I want to have seconds, why do I want seconds? Can I eat smaller bites, or chew more slowly, and change the amount of food I’m consuming?
But no matter how you choose to change your food mindset, know that a diet that makes you feel deprived is illogical behavior. The feeling of not having enough in love, food, friendship, and in other areas can lead to anxiety and anger.
When we stop thinking about food scarcity as a way to achieve weight loss, everything changes.
Being deprived of food can even drop your IQ.
How do you overcome the scarcity mindset? You don’t compare yourself to others, and you stop obsessing over what you’re not eating. Take a list with you to the grocery store and don’t take too much money with you, either. Practice gratitude in all areas of your life, including those who support you and those who live in your community.
And don’t be greedy. When you’re sharing a meal with someone else, it’s not a race to get the biggest portion. It’s actually a great opportunity to share and be grateful to have a meal with someone that you love.
