the mental side of weightloss

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Grimmerick
Grimmerick Posts: 3,342 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I would have to say for me the hardest thing about weightloss is the mental side of it. I eat healthy food, I like healthy food, but that just isn't enough when your brain keeps telling you to eat and eat. My own brain is my worst enemy when it comes to weightloss. So I decided to repattern my brain, and like changing any habit it took some time, I heard roughly 21 days for your brain to accept a new habit. I have been listening to weightloss guided meditation cd's and I have found after listening for 3 weeks that my brain has really started to repattern itself. I notice it in the smallest ways, and it is helping in the biggest way. Diet and exercise only wins half the battle, in the end you have to change your mind for lasting benefits. How important do you feel retraining your brain is and what are some things you do to help repattern your brain (doesn't have to be meditation) ? I am just curious what others are doing mentally to aid in their diet plans.

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  • CricketKate
    CricketKate Posts: 3,657 Member
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    I would love to know as well. I definatley struggle with the mental side of weight loss.
  • getsveltEagain
    getsveltEagain Posts: 1,063 Member
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    I agree that the mental side is equally if not slightly more important on this journey.

    I have read may threads that talk about how people don't SEE their progress. Well I had a super day yesterday that made me SEE my progress. I know that I am doing good but sometimes I look in the mirror and see that I am still "fat" even though I know I have lost over 25 pounds since Oct.

    I just know that I will never be the stick thin girl that can wear anything. I have curves and I want to keep them, just define them more!
  • luvgreen25
    luvgreen25 Posts: 202
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    I struggle with the mental side of weightloss too. I'm going to have to try listening to those weightloss cd's. I need some kind of extra boost here - I go to the gym every day and I have definitely changed my eating habits, but for some reason, I'm still not getting the results I expected. I'm sticking with it, but it is becoming harder and harder to deal with not seeing results.
  • jackiekjames
    jackiekjames Posts: 89
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    Bump
  • sushilicious
    sushilicious Posts: 53
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    If I think I'm going to stuff myself, I picture poor defenseless kittens dying. The horrendous act is enough to disable my brain from craving everything. Pavlov would be proud.
  • VixFit2011
    VixFit2011 Posts: 663 Member
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    Excellent post! and so true. Since I've been here I no longer have the intense sweet cravings I had in the evenings and don't eat a "snack" of a sandwich before bed. After dinner now I allow one snack like sugar free jello or something "healthy" and I'm find. Another thing is I'm retraining my brain to drink water (which I still need to increase) so I keep a bottle of water with me at all times, since then I haven't drank many drinks like ice tea, soda, fruit drinks and I'm drinking less coffee.
  • Grimmerick
    Grimmerick Posts: 3,342 Member
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    If I think I'm going to stuff myself, I picture poor defenseless kittens dying. The horrendous act is enough to disable my brain from craving everything. Pavlov would be proud.

    Wow, a touch radical there. Glad that works for ya but somehow I don't think the majority of people on here are going to use that technique, thanks for sharing though.
  • jb_2011
    jb_2011 Posts: 1,029 Member
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    It's a struggle, for sure. Always having to tell yourself "No no no, don't eat that, it's bad for you", along with the self-hatred thoughts of "look how fat you are, you're out of control, you'll never be skinny", etc, etc. It's sort of a negative thing in that respect, and we all know how suseptible we are to the least bit of negativity in our lives. In order to combat negativity we eat, attempting to put a cushion of good feelings around us, and, well, we all know what happens then. That's why we're all here in the first place.

    But I have to tell you, I've been really paying attention to a couple of very important things lately, nutrients that I've read about that work to keep our brains healthy and happy, thus allowing us to move forward in a positive way. Potassium is one. I've added a potassium column on my food diary page and track it every day, making certain I get at least 3500mg. I'm amazed at how different I've felt since doing this. The other thing is Omega-3s. I've added walnuts, flax seed and soy nuts on a daily basis. Again, I'm still noticing more positive changes. I just don't feel bad anymore. Oh, and water. It clears out bad juju. Drink the 8 glasses, it helps refresh your whole being.

    Try raising your potassium to 3500mg a day. Here's a good place to read about it, with a foods chart: www.krispin.com/potassm.html

    And get some Omega-3s into your foods every day. Fish oil capsules will help there, too. Our brains need health as well as our bodies. And water. I know these things will help you. They're working wonders for me.
  • jlsAhava
    jlsAhava Posts: 411 Member
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    I've been doing pretty well with my weight-loss so far - 21 lbs since January. But I'm getting to the point where I've felt fairly "comfortable" in the past, even though I have a good 20+ lbs to go before I hit a healthy BMI. While I'm still pretty good with my food intake (that's never truly been my issue) I feel myself slouching off on the exercising. I have dysthymia (mild chronic depression) which makes me doubt myself big time, and often prevents me from working toward my goals. I'm actually really nervous about my ability to stay motivated until goal, and then maintenance.

    You say you've found listening to meditations to be helpful? I think this is something I need to consider.

    Can anyone recommend some motivational meditations I can borrow from the library??
  • absolament
    absolament Posts: 278 Member
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    The mental checks I do to ensure I don't overeat is simply that I continuously remind myself that I only need so much. Sometimes I mentally say it's okay to have extra on this special occasion. But usually I keep in my head that I only need so much based on my height (5-3).
  • Soooze
    Soooze Posts: 122 Member
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    What my brain says has a lot to do with weight loss, maintain or gain. Whenever I'm motivated to lose, when I NEED to lose, I lose. Whenever I have lost and get to my 'weight comfort zone' I tend to slack off and remain at comfort weight for a while, then gain again and start the damn cycle again! I need to get out of the comfort zone, which for me is still about 15lbs over and into the slim zone. I need to stop feeling comfortable with 15lbs over and lose that 15lbs.
  • jill5280
    jill5280 Posts: 117 Member
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    I agree that getting in to the right frame of mind about my relationship with food is key to long term success. I am reading and recommend the book "Intuitive Eating." It is written by two very forward thinking registered dieticians and some of the stuff they are writing about is tough for me to consider. The entire book is about our relationship with food...why we eat, what we eat and how to have a healthy relationship with ALL food. No good and bad, just a good healthy way of eating and living into the future. I find a great deal of the book as a challenge to my way of thinking and that it will take me awhile to get to that healthy relationship with food, but it is a great place to start.
  • jb_2011
    jb_2011 Posts: 1,029 Member
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    I agree that getting in to the right frame of mind about my relationship with food is key to long term success. I am reading and recommend the book "Intuitive Eating." It is written by two very forward thinking registered dieticians and some of the stuff they are writing about is tough for me to consider. The entire book is about our relationship with food...why we eat, what we eat and how to have a healthy relationship with ALL food. No good and bad, just a good healthy way of eating and living into the future. I find a great deal of the book as a challenge to my way of thinking and that it will take me awhile to get to that healthy relationship with food, but it is a great place to start.

    Sounds interesting, but I totally relate about some of the info we read being tough to consider.

    Also, I love your profile pic, really caught my eye. A girl from my mom's era there. Love it.
  • CricketKate
    CricketKate Posts: 3,657 Member
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    If I think I'm going to stuff myself, I picture poor defenseless kittens dying. The horrendous act is enough to disable my brain from craving everything. Pavlov would be proud.

    You made me laugh today, not that there is anything funny about poor defenseless kittens dying, of course.:wink:

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