A doctor told why you can’t lose weight permanently without liking yourself overweight

We are used to explaining problems with excess weight superficially – low physical activity, increased appetite. Few people think about what is the reason for these things? Where does this appetite come from? Why is there no desire and possibility to move more? Of course, the answers are to be found in our psyche.

The process of accepting ourselves plays a huge role here . But there is a problem. Here we often confuse and substitute concepts. Sometimes the topic of acceptance is interpreted so wrongly that if we take this path, we are more likely to harm our health and fitness. Often people have thoughts like: “If I accept myself with all the excess, then I don’t need to lose weight…”. Someone in principle can not understand how to combine total self-love with the desire to improve themselves.

Let’s look into the details, start calling things by their proper names and lose weight forever.

doctor, psychosomatologist, neuropsychologist

Self-acceptance is a healthy relationship with food and the ability to recognize body signals. These include hunger, satiety, and thirst. The process of eating should be a response to these. Alas, sometimes through food we try to carry out other internal dialogs and close other needs. This is where the theme of not accepting ourselves comes in. It is this process that prevents us from correctly building a dialog with our body. Why does it start and how does it work against us?

Acceptance and food

This always comes from childhood. When a young adult was not accepted in its true manifestation, this “habit” was formed. It leads to certain patterns of behavior: punishment and reward. All of this carries over to the relationship with food. Why? There are several reasons.

• Reason #1. Food is the easiest way to increase levels of exorphins in the blood. These are hormone-like substances that are similar to endorphins. However, they work for a very small amount of time. The pleasure effect is present, but not as strong.
• Reason #2. Modern man is exposed to enormous stressors. Food is a very easy way to get pleasure and somehow relieve stress. It often becomes the only source of getting joy. The habit of “snacking” is formed. As a result – uncontrolled eating.

When overweight appears, a person who has learned patterns of behavior – encouragement and punishment – begins to use them to fight the hated pounds. He continues not to accept his body, tormenting it with diets and unbearable physical exertion. In other words, he uses emotional and bodily self-punishment.

“I can’t squeeze into this beautiful dress, so I will punish myself with a grueling diet” – this is how the thought works, and after it the destructive mechanism of weight loss is built.

This is a key mistake and a real tragedy of the whole sphere of weight loss. Why? This is how an eating disorder (ED) is formed. Weight begins to grow uncontrollably and does not go anywhere.

Psychological functions of excess weight

1. Protect by making more (weightier).

Overweight people often have unprocessed internal conflicts inside, from which this “layer” protects them. The person needs to become “bigger” so that no one will hurt him.

2. Stifle stress

When his level is very high, food can be used as a way to relieve stress. Here the metaphor of a “stifler” is very apt. The weight gain is a result of its regular use.

3. Become a “fortress”

Overweight can play the role of a fortress wall, behind which the traumatized inner child, his past painful experiences are hidden.

Sometimes this fortress is built against the experience itself or against the person. The goal is to protect oneself. “I don’t want to accept myself and I am trying to shield myself from the unpleasant emotions I feel inside myself with the help of extra weight” – this is how the rationale behind the process can be described.

How acceptance works

You need to love yourself as you are – with all the extra pounds. Only then it is possible to recognize the true needs and understand what method of weight loss will suit you specifically. As long as a person does not hear himself, excess weight will not go away.

Full acceptance of yourself is the restoration of dialog with your body. As soon as a person stops fighting, punishing and encouraging himself, he begins to listen to the body’s signals.

It is important to remember – as long as the system of non-acceptance and self-punishment works, it is impossible to force yourself to readjust to a smaller number of calories. Why? It’s an addiction. The body will demand it. Without a conscious approach, it will not be possible to reverse the situation. You can do it through violence against yourself, but the result will not be sustainable, and the consequences can be dire for your overall health.

About the best version of yourself

Does acceptance negate the desire for a trim body? No. By loving ourselves with all the extra pounds and centimeters, we take the most important step – we gain the ability to regulate our internal (bodily and emotional) processes.

Acceptance is a focus on self. The desire to become a “better version” should happen in this scenario. A destructive approach is when we don’t recognize the needs of the body and the problems that being overweight brings, but simply don’t want to be worse than others. We adopt a perfect picture and start fitting ourselves to it. This is where . focus immediately shifts away from ourselves. It’s turned outward.

Striving for a normal weight and good shape is right and positive, but only when it comes from a focus on ourselves. From an awareness of your needs. The trick is that without that, sustainable results are impossible. Until you love yourself, the topic of weight gain will continue to be a hot topic.