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Is losing weight mostly psychological?
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Kimblesnbits13
Posts: 369 Member
in Debate Club
I'm wondering everyone's thoughts on this. I'm very big into mindset changes along with permanent habit and lifestyle changes. In my opinion, losing weight and even maintaining the lost weight is mostly psychological than anything else. I dont think people realize how much internal mindset affects the whole process and because of this, when they've reached goal weight, many will gain it back. It all comes from "within". Whether they lose the motivation, or forget the "habits" that were supposed to be built for a lifetime etc. Unless there is a health issue on hand, do you mostly agree or disagree?
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The only way I'd know for sure is if my mental state was altered to the opposite - food is only fuel, not enjoyment, celebrating, or tasting good - or a totally removal of my id.0
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I think it depends on where you're coming from. I put on about 10 Lbs every winter and take it off every spring...I'm not really like OMG, I need to take this weight off...not really worried about it. Cycling season starts in earnest in May/June, so my training picks up in the Spring to be ready and I just drop weight along the way.
4.5 years ago when I started all of this, I really didn't set out with some number on the scale being a goal...I had some really bad blood work come back and I wanted to fix that...I have also been an athlete on some level for most of my life so I really wanted to get my fitness back. I tweaked my diet for better nutrition and started exercising on the regular, and the weight just kind of came off...it was a nice bi-product of living better and just getting my crap together.
IDK...I guess I had to psychologically want to change for the better, but there were a whole lot of other reasons behind that than a number on the scale...namely wanting to be alive and healthy for my wife and kids for a good time to come.3 -
One of the biggest psychological problems is that my culture presents unhealthy food as fun, popular, and delicious and healthy food as a chore, bland, and a punishment that needs to be rewarded by eating unhealthy food. Movies and commercials do not show fun attractive people eating broccoli and having good times. And so the unfortunate consequence of this constant barrage unhealthy eating on all the billboards, trucks, commercials, movies, TV shows, etc. is that we come to believe that unhealthy eating is fun and desireable. We believe that eating cake is the reward we need for eating the broccoli for example or that eating the cake is the reward we earned for completing the 10K.
Overcoming this mindset is critical for weight maintenance. Otherwise we (rhetorical 'we', not everyone but many people I know) gain the weight back because no one can stay in a perpetual cycle of what they believe is deprivation. We accept the idea of 'all things in moderation' and so we add moderate amounts of unhealthy food to our diet because we believe we need to, want to.
I guess just count in one day how many images of unhealthy foods you see promoted to you or suggested to you as sexy, fun, popular. And then count how many times you see a whole grain, nut, bean, fruit, or vegetable in its whole form (not in a pie!) promoted to you as sexy, fun, popular. Count the billboards, commercials, sides of trucks, movie scenes, etc. You will be hard pressed to find any advertisement that creates a positive spin for healthy foods. Usually it's a negative spin.
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laconrad2013 wrote: »One of the biggest psychological problems is that my culture presents unhealthy food as fun, popular, and delicious and healthy food as a chore, bland, and a punishment that needs to be rewarded by eating unhealthy food. Movies and commercials do not show fun attractive people eating broccoli and having good times. And so the unfortunate consequence of this constant barrage unhealthy eating on all the billboards, trucks, commercials, movies, TV shows, etc. is that we come to believe that unhealthy eating is fun and desireable. We believe that eating cake is the reward we need for eating the broccoli for example or that eating the cake is the reward we earned for completing the 10K.
Overcoming this mindset is critical for weight maintenance. Otherwise we (rhetorical 'we', not everyone but many people I know) gain the weight back because no one can stay in a perpetual cycle of what they believe is deprivation. We accept the idea of 'all things in moderation' and so we add moderate amounts of unhealthy food to our diet because we believe we need to, want to.
I guess just count in one day how many images of unhealthy foods you see promoted to you or suggested to you as sexy, fun, popular. And then count how many times you see a whole grain, nut, bean, fruit, or vegetable in its whole form (not in a pie!) promoted to you as sexy, fun, popular. Count the billboards, commercials, sides of trucks, movie scenes, etc. You will be hard pressed to find any advertisement that creates a positive spin for healthy foods. Usually it's a negative spin.
once you realize that there are no unhealthy foods, just unhealthy diets; you can free your mind and meet your weight loss goals.
there are plenty of commercials about how x product has no 'added sugar' or has x amount of protein or whole grains, or do you now see those?4 -
Kimblesnbits13 wrote: »I'm wondering everyone's thoughts on this. I'm very big into mindset changes along with permanent habit and lifestyle changes. In my opinion, losing weight and even maintaining the lost weight is mostly psychological than anything else. I dont think people realize how much internal mindset affects the whole process and because of this, when they've reached goal weight, many will gain it back. It all comes from "within". Whether they lose the motivation, or forget the "habits" that were supposed to be built for a lifetime etc. Unless there is a health issue on hand, do you mostly agree or disagree?
Unless you are a child, in an institution or other situation where your calorie intake is controlled by outside forces then yes there is a mental component to weight loss.
Most of us have to recognize there is an issue and want to change or it won't happen.
I think some people after that step often will decide they need a total "lifestyle change" and do not consider what really suits their real world and preferences so they can't sustain it long term.3 -
I would say the number one factor in me successfully losing weight has been my mindset. I was morbidly obese for about 10 years. I would sometimes say to myself "things would be so much easier if I wasn't so big" or "I wish I was smaller". I even made a few half-hearted attempts at weight loss that mostly involved replacing lunch with a can of slimfast, but my mindset was not one that would really allow change or progress. I was too comfortable with my reality even if I wasn't happy in that reality.
It wasn't until I woke up one day and was truly fed up with my current state of being that I was able to make changes. Everything changed immediately. My mind was sick of my lack of activity, my passivity in my own life, negative self-talk, my uneducated food choices and the amount of food I was eating. Overnight I made massive changes. I began exercising every day. I paid attention to the food I was eating. I ate to feed my body, not to soothe emotional needs or out of boredom. I learned about portion size and nutrition.
I have lost over 100 lbs and have maintained that loss. I'm still figuring out the right maintenance weight for myself but I am no longer morbidly obese. I've run a marathon. I've hiked 30 miles in one day just for fun. I've achieved the weight lifting goals I set for myself.
I would not have been able to have done any of those things if my mindset hadn't changed and if I hadn't been in the mental space where I could allow change. In my case mindset was the key to success.34 -
I believe it's 99% mental, at least for me. Weight loss theory is pretty simple: eat fewer calories. The end. It's how that calorie deficit is achieved that takes up most of my energy. The thought that needs to be put into developing habits and strategies, the problem solving, navigating several factors that affect the ability to achieve a calorie deficit, handling mental baggage, navigating some areas that can be pretty thin ice...etc.10
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For me it sure is.2
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I'd say mindset is one of the biggest factors in weight loss and maintenance for many. The physical part is calories in versus calories out and is relatively simple, except for that temptation to overeat.
For me, real success came from understanding what caused me to eat when I wasn't hungry (emotional eating), and changing my habits to become more active. Once I understood that, I was able to consistently lose weight and keep it off.3 -
Absolutely - like anything one first requires the mindset that they have the ability to effect change.
Note the high volume of overly dramatic posts in the general section. Many people are simply unwilling to accept that their behavior is the root cause and spend a lot of time debating on the many reasons why they cannot change, rather than focusing on the elements they have control over.
Even in issues where a medical condition exists - you make the decision on how much of an impact you are going to allow this to be. A review of cancer survivors shows a statistically significant number of positive changes in comparison to the general population. Those surveyed related an increased awareness of how short life is and stressed an urgency to make the most of it.4 -
The mental struggle is the main struggle for me too.2
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The older I get and the more i have dieted and re-gained, the more I know it is mental. I used to think i "just loved food" and was not an emotional eater. Recent self-evaluations finally showed that I eat out of boredom, loneliness, fear of failure, and fear of letting others down, to name a few.12
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100% mental for me. Every meal and snack is a battle wit myself over yummy healthy or unhealthy binging. Food is so much comfort for me. In the last month I've started making conscious decisions to eat right and have lost 6 pounds, now I'm struggling to get moving too. I used to have running which was a mental break for me, but due to knee problems, that's gone. Every workout is a mental battle to just do it.6
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dominette3168 wrote: »100% mental for me. Every meal and snack is a battle wit myself over yummy healthy or unhealthy binging. Food is so much comfort for me. In the last month I've started making conscious decisions to eat right and have lost 6 pounds, now I'm struggling to get moving too. I used to have running which was a mental break for me, but due to knee problems, that's gone. Every workout is a mental battle to just do it.
For me, working out is the easy part! It's fun for me and makes me feel good. The food part on the other hand....that's the mental battle for me! Social situations, parties, vacations, etc....those are tough because i like alllllll the foods! It's hard for me to pick and choose my favorite and just stick to that.3 -
Kimblesnbits13 wrote: »dominette3168 wrote: »100% mental for me. Every meal and snack is a battle wit myself over yummy healthy or unhealthy binging. Food is so much comfort for me. In the last month I've started making conscious decisions to eat right and have lost 6 pounds, now I'm struggling to get moving too. I used to have running which was a mental break for me, but due to knee problems, that's gone. Every workout is a mental battle to just do it.
For me, working out is the easy part! It's fun for me and makes me feel good. The food part on the other hand....that's the mental battle for me! Social situations, parties, vacations, etc....those are tough because i like alllllll the foods! It's hard for me to pick and choose my favorite and just stick to that.
I eat pretty well most of the time and enjoy eating well...I'm pretty solid in the kitchen, so my healthy food is also very delicious so it tends not to be an issue.
As social occasions and vacations go, I allow for a little latitude. I don't need to be "on" all of the time...where vacations are concerned, I'm usually way more active than I otherwise would be at home and going to work so things tend to net out. For social situations, we get together with friends about once per month...most of our friends are actually pretty into nutrition and fitness so the fare is usually relatively healthy, but I tend to do a few shots of tequila with my trainer and his wife. My family has pizza and movie night most Friday nights and I usually have something for desert 2-3 days per week.
I think part of the psychological issue and struggles that many go through stem from trying to be or thinking they need to be 100% "on" 100% of the time rather than looking at the bigger picture and what they're doing on the whole.4 -
This is where the CICO argument that comes up "it's not that simple" comes into play I think.
CICO is simple, the math is simple but the mental struggles around implementing it can be difficult.
It's a lot of trial and error for some. I know for me I had to figure out what macros keep me satisfied, that skipping breakfast helped control my appetite, how to moderate different foods in different ways. I had to stop looking for a "quick" fix and focus on a way of eating that is sustainable. I had to wrap my head around weight loss isn't linear and 2lbs up on the scale is nothing concerning as long as I'm in a deficit. I had to get brutally honest with myself.
I had to figure out what type of exercise I enjoy and that I could do at my heaviest weight.
I'm still wrapping my head around weighing food. I'm not sure why but I just don't want to. I see better results when I weigh my food but I'm ok with slower results sometimes.
The whole finding "the sweet spot" of weight loss is 100% mental for me because the math is pretty simple.5 -
leanjogreen18 wrote: »This is where the CICO argument that comes up "it's not that simple" comes into play I think.
CICO is simple, the math is simple but the mental struggles around implementing it can be difficult.
It's a lot of trial and error for some. I know for me I had to figure out what macros keep me satisfied, that skipping breakfast helped control my appetite, how to moderate different foods in different ways. I had to stop looking for a "quick" fix and focus on a way of eating that is sustainable. I had to wrap my head around weight loss isn't linear and 2lbs up on the scale is nothing concerning as long as I'm in a deficit. I had to get brutally honest with myself.
I had to figure out what type of exercise I enjoy and that I could do at my heaviest weight.
I'm still wrapping my head around weighing food. I'm not sure why but I just don't want to. I see better results when I weigh my food but I'm ok with slower results sometimes.
The whole finding "the sweet spot" of weight loss is 100% mental for me because the math is pretty simple.
True, the math part of how to lose weight is so simple! However applying it is very difficult for some. Many people think weight loss is linear, don't understand the concept of water weight etc etc etc..I agree there's so much that comes into play that people need to learn that is more on the physiological side not psychological. Good point @leanjogreen182 -
I think it is psychological in the sense that you have to convince yourself to take the time to do things you might not want to do in order to achieve your goal. But if that means its psychological then what isn't psychological?11
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Kimblesnbits13 wrote: »
Then there are quite a few robots posing as humans, even some on MFP.2
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