Managing weight problems

Why do you gain weight?

Weight gain often occurs when you regularly consume more calories than you are burning through your normal bodily functions and physical exercise. Losing weight means eating fewer calories whilst burning more energy through physical activity. 

 It sounds easy, but more than 60% of adults in England are categorically overweight or obese due to our lifestyles that see many of us eating more calories than we need to function alongside not doing enough exercise. 

Stress can significantly impact your ability to maintain a healthy weight and can also prevent you from losing weight. Whether weight gain is a result of high levels of the stress hormone cortisol, unhealthy behaviours induced by stress or combination, there is a distinct link between stress and weight gain. 

Changing your habits

 These steps can be helpful in changing your unhealthy eating behaviours and thoughts and can help manage the weight problems you are having:

Monitor your behaviours. 

Research is clear that people who write down what they eat in a daily log are more successful at losing weight. Record your thoughts, feelings, and information about the environment such as where you ate, when, and what you were doing. This will help you understand your eating behaviours and identify areas to change.

Track your activity level. 

This is another important aspect of self-monitoring. It includes not only how much you exercise but also the extent to which you move around during the day rather than remaining seated or inactive. One helpful tactic involves using a pedometer to record the number of steps you take each day. According to the NHS, the average British person walks between 3,000 and 4,000 steps a day. The current recommended activity target is to walk 10,000 steps per day, if you’re new to exercise, this may be too much to begin with and you may want to build up your steps gradually. Aim for 4,000 steps initially and then add 1,000 steps each week until you reach 10,000. Walking at a moderate pace is approximately 100 steps per minute.

There are also many mental health benefits of exercise; it is a natural mood booster, it is a positive distraction from daily stressors, it helps to improve our confidence and increases our social activity.  

Eat regular meals. 

Patients often skip breakfast with the thought they are reducing calories or can “save up” calories for later. But skipping meals can slow your metabolism, make you prone to later eating binges, and have a negative effect on your health.

Practice “mindful” eating. 

Research shows that individuals with eating problems often don’t pay attention to whether they are really hungry when they eat. Psychologists can help you learn mindfulness exercises to heighten your awareness of hunger levels and to make eating more enjoyable. Often, we confuse thirst for hunger which often makes us consume more calories than our body requires, prompting weight gain. If you only ate a few hours ago and have started to feel hungry, drink some water first to eliminate mild dehydration before grabbing a snack. 

Understand the things you associate with food. 

Behaviors are habitual and learned. Sometimes people may associate certain emotions, experiences or daily activities with particular behaviors. For example, if you typically eat while watching TV your brain has made an association between food and TV. You may not be hungry, but in your mind TV and eating are paired together. So, when you watch TV you suddenly feel the urge to eat. You can begin to break this association by not eating while watching TV.

Identify your emotions. 

It’s important to figure out what is happening emotionally while snacking, overeating, or choosing unhealthy foods. Identify the feeling: is it boredom, stress, or sadness? Individuals need to determine if they are really hungry or just responding to an emotion. If you aren’t hungry, find another way to meet that need.

Modify your unhealthy thoughts and behaviours. 

Reinforcing healthy behaviors is important to achieving your weight management goals. Too often, people have negative thoughts and feelings about changing their health behaviors and see the process as punishment. Some people have an “all or nothing” attitude and think about weight loss in terms of being “on” or “off” a diet. Psychologists work with people to address negative feelings and find ways to reward healthy changes to their eating habits.