They will keep you from losing weight: 9 psychological attitudes that cause weight gain

When there is a goal – to lose weight, first of all a person starts with diet and sports. Instead of favorite sweets – a meager diet. Instead of lying on the couch – exhausting workouts. At some point there is a breakdown. Suffering from extra pounds seems easier than a new way of life. As a result – a return to habitual behavior.

Starvation and active sports – an outdated approach. In addition, they indicate the presence of autoaggression. Overweight always indicates an imbalance in the soul. If a person is in harmony with himself, he does not use food to his detriment. And often the problems lie in early childhood. Psychologists say: if you remove them, then fullness will go away.

doctor, psychosomatologist, an expert on the psychosomatics of overweight

There are a number of attitudes that affect overweight gain. They can be conscious and unconscious. It is worth starting with the origins. It is important to understand at what point the food addiction originated. It is the cause of overeating. It is necessary to look at the situation globally.

Conscious attitudes

1. Nothing should be left on the plate

The cult of food in the family circle is a frequent cause of overeating in the future. First of all, you need to pay attention to the closest relatives. It’s about grandmothers who survived the famine during the Great Patriotic War, and parents who lived during the deficit. Often they instill in the child too serious attitude to food. Forcing him to eat every last crumb.

“The plate must always be clean” – that’s how the attitude is formulated. There are also cases when they are forced to eat foods that are not too fresh. In particular, stale bread. If you throw it away instead of using it for breadcrumbs or feeding the birds, it means that you do not respect such a sacred thing as bread.

How to get rid of this attitude? Realize that we live in an era of food abundance. They will not run out. It’s important to give yourself permission to be malnourished. Especially not to “clean” the plate, if you have already satisfied the physiological hunger. In one day to change the belief will not work. It will take time for the brain to form a new habit. How long? At least a month. It is important not to give up.

2. Eating will make you feel better

Who was not soothed in childhood through sweets and desserts? Many. So formed the idea that food is the best option for getting rid of “bad” emotions.

Growing up, a person begins to experience stressful situations incorrectly. He gets the attitude that any negative emotions are bad. And also that they should not be shown and lived in any way. This contributes to the fact that all unpleasant feelings are suppressed by eating.

Alas, in this case, a long work with a psychologist or psychosomatologist will be required. The duration will depend on the “seniority” of the addiction.

3. food is a prerequisite for socializing

This belief is also imposed by society. Many people are led to believe that food is associated with communication, recreation, expression of love and respect. For example, a person comes to visit his relatives. What is the first thing they offer him? Sit down at the table and have a good meal. In our culture in general, tea parties are popular for conversation.

Even if a person is not physiologically hungry, he still accepts the invitation. Why? To avoid offending people and to show them respect. Of course, hospitality is in our blood. But you can not do it to the detriment of your own health.

What should we do? For example, organize a meeting on neutral territory. It could be a park. A place suitable for walking and talking.

4. Men like slim

Such thoughts occur when a woman feels that her partner has cooled down to her. First of all, she sees the reason in excess body weight. As a result – an active struggle with excess weight. This means dieting, exhausting workouts and breakdown. And so in a circle. Only after each race gained kilograms are much more. In general, it is wrong to link appearance and the attitude of others.

What to do? In this case, you need to realize for whom all these tortures of your own body are intended. It is important to realize that love is not for a flat stomach and slender legs. Then contact a qualified nutritionist. He will form a balanced diet and moderate the physical load. Weight loss should be competent, and not to the detriment of your own health. A slim body will be a bonus here.

This is something we often do not realize…..

5. Overweight is a defense against men

The reason for the formation of this attitude is violent actions committed against a woman. As a result, the unconscious mind forms the belief that it is dangerous to be slender and feminine. Overweight acts as a protective shield. There is an accumulation of fat deposits.

There is an unconscious desire to always be fat and unattractive. “No one else will approach, notice, touch. And therefore, will not hurt,” – so the logic is built.

Similar logic can work for other trauma. For example, if a woman has been cheated on by a man, she stops trusting anyone. She fears being rejected again. This contributes to excess weight gain. The purpose is to protect the mistress from potential suitors and possible worries.

Here can be superimposed and resentment, which the woman tries to eat. On this negative feeling, a lot of energy is spent. This means that you must necessarily eat something to quench emotions.

6. If I am bigger, I am noticed/respected/feared

There is this logic: “The more space I occupy, the more I am respected by others.” Of course, this is not true, but in the subconscious mind of many people this correlation works.

The problem comes from childhood. There are several reasons for this. It is peculiar to those children who were brought up by their parents under hyper-parenting. Most often this was done by mothers or grandmothers.

Also, a child can eat much more in order to pay attention to him. For example, if the parents are constantly at work. Or because of competition with siblings. When he grows up, he still has the habit of drawing attention to himself. As a result, he gains excess weight.

7. Weight is a wall to protect

If a person feels hostility and aggression from the outside world, he wants to hide in his “house”, because no one will find him here. When there is a lack of internal psychological resources, defense mechanisms are activated. Overweight is one of them. A person “puts on” an armor of fat deposits in order not to feel pain.

If we look deeper, it is “guided” by high anxiety, distrust of everything around us and rejection of ourselves. In most cases, the world is a prototype of the mother. Most likely, it was not safe around her or she had high anxiety. As a result, her fears were passed on to the child.

8. Being overweight is a way of not standing out

Who tends to avoid good and kind words? People who were over- and under-appreciated as children. This can apply to behavior, personality traits, and appearance.

The over-appraised have the attitude that beauty is the only difference between them and others. The overpraised do not believe compliments. They are used to thinking of themselves as ugly. They have been indoctrinated with this from their earliest childhood. When such children grow up, they simply can not withstand praise. They find it easier without it. The way out is to become imperfect.

If there was more than one child in the family, then they are indoctrinated “do not stand out among brothers or sisters.” Then there will be no jealousy. All these reasons serve the appearance of overweight.

9. Food can replace socializing

Scientists have long proved that there is a connection between the social activity of a person and his physique. Most often this applies to women. But the reason for loneliness is not so important. Whether it is the inability to find a couple, divorce or death of a spouse. In any case, it is about stress due to lack of communication, so the stress is relieved through food.

Food also serves as an imitation of interaction. It gets to the point where some people put food on two plates. Literally eating for two. This contributes to excess weight gain.

What to do?

First of all, you need to turn to a psychologist, psychotherapist or psychosomatologist. The specialist in individual work will help to identify the attitudes that you have, as well as select effective ways to work through.

The topic of eating disorders is very complex. It is not solved overnight. Alas, you can’t handle it on your own. It requires long-term work with specialists of different profiles: psychologist, nutritionist and fitness trainer.