The Psychology Of Weight Loss

The Psychology Of Weight Loss

While the diet industry might have us still believe that weight loss is all about maths, and the food industry seems happy to support this belief (with all of it’s fat, protein, carbs, sugars, salt and grams of fibre on the nutritional facts label), it’s simply not the truth – weight loss is not all about maths – it’s intrinsically connected to our psychology, our emotions, and our beliefs. 

In some ways, it would be a lot simpler if it was just about the maths. Then we could easily get those 50 grams of protein, and 40 grams of fibre that have the right caloric load with the right minerals and vitamin needs, and we’d be all set. But there’s a way that we can be sure that losing weight isn’t just about the numbers – and that quite simply, is this: it hasn’t worked.  

Now, to be fair, it has worked – for some – for a little while at least. And that’s the reality right there. Time. Because when we do go on a numbers-based-diet, the results are never truly long-lasting. In fact, 98% of people who diet, end up gaining their weight back if they do not attempt to understand the underlying psychology.  

If we want to create a lasting impact on unwanted weight, then we have to step into the realm of psychology of weight loss for 3 primary reasons: 

1. Stress 

Stress has a direct impact on our ability to lose weight. When we experience stress, whether it’s the external stressors of our busy life – or our internal stressors of being unhappy with unwanted weight or eating behaviours – our cortisol (stress hormone) levels go up. When cortisol is high on a daily basis, fat storage metabolism increases. This is due to the fact that our body is in a survival response. Our body will not release weight when in survival mode, it’s going to slow down our metabolism so that we have extra energy stores in case they are needed. 

If we are indeed faced with a stressful life – but still want to lose weight – we need to learn how to shift our body out of our chronic stress response and into a relaxation response. Breathing, slowing down and bringing mindfulness into our eating and life are all powerful tools when it comes to shifting from stress to relaxation. 

2. Pleasure 

This is another foundational key in the psychology of weight loss because it has a direct link to reducing stress. And reducing stress, as we mentioned above, is crucial to creating an internal environment that supports weight loss. 

Pleasure is essentially a shortcut to shifting our body from sympathetic nervous system activation (fight or flight response) to parasympathetic nervous system activation (relaxation response). When we access the things in life that make us go, “aaahhhhh” in relaxation and contentment, we are turning on our supportive biological systems. When we take a moment to enjoy the aroma of our meal, we are engaging the cephalic phase digestive response, which is the very beginning of our digestive process.  The cephalic phase response alerts our digestive enzymes and digestive tract that food is on its way: “be prepared for digestion and assimilation.” 

Pleasure brings us into the moment of enjoyment of our food. When we are truly in the moment of eating and tuning into our body, we are much more likely to make food choices that support our health and listen to the cues that tell us when we’ve eaten enough. 

3. Behaviour 

Weight loss tips often focus on changing our behaviour.  “Drink more water, eat more greens, cook at home, don’t  eat out, reduce processed foods,” and more. These are behaviours that change what actually gets consumed. And it’s true that behaviours are fundamental to creating healthy habits, however, underneath our behaviours are values, feelings, and beliefs. The foundation of our behaviour is our psychology. 

If we don’t believe that we can actually impact our health in a positive way, it’s unlikely that our healthy behaviour will become a habit. 

If we don’t feel that we deserve to be happy, we’re less likely to take action that supports and champions our health and well being. 

We can be offered a list of 100 or even 1000 tips to help us lose the weight, but until our feelings and beliefs (our psychology) is in alignment with our desire to feel our best, it’s unlikely we’ll follow through with our well-intentioned health tips. We think it’s about will power, but it’s not. The Psychology of weight loss is based on the tenet that there is more to losing weight than “eat this and don’t eat that.” We are complex beings in a full-tilt world, and we need compassionate support on the deeper levels of our feelings, thoughts and beliefs when it comes to being able to release weight in a healthy way that lasts. 

Have you downloaded our weight loss guide?

Ian Weight Loss

Lost 5st 4lbs
in 12 weeks

Best thing since a slice of cake.! After seeing a picture of myself at Christmas 2015, l decided to do something so l took the plunge and phoned Alevere.  Hard bit done, the diet is simple, follow it as advised, and watch the pounds fall off, and they literally did.  The hardest thing is walking through the doors, but remember everyone there is in your shoes. I feel 21 again.

Ian Kitchingman