Psychology meets metabolism
Do you know someone on a diet? Do you know anyone who has managed to KEEP the weight off? The latest fad is not to avoid carbs, or just eat grapefruit. Instead, it's to think about how your brain works and convince your brain to HELP you make good food choices, rather than sabotage you. Using cognitive therapy techniques can provide dieters with the motivation to stay on target.
11 comments:
With Summer just around the corner, people around the nation undoubtably are, or will begin to diet. Beach bodies are a must among many college students, and exercise alone doesn't do the trick for most. Personally, I've found Maslim's mantra of "No choice" to be key in many aspects of my life. One small exception can lead to bigger problems down the road. "I've already had one potato chip, two can't hurt." Soon enough one chip turns into two, and two into an entire bag. While one chip is not always bad, it can lead to a binge indulgence by the dieter. "No choice" is a motto I live by, and have found great success in its simple message.
Karl 4553
An interesting article about mindset, planning, and following through with a diet can be found here: http://www.topendsports.com/weight-loss/diethead.htm
Sarah 4128
I think the psychological aspect has a lot to do with dieting. It helps people to think before the choices they make. It is hard enough to make healthy choices, especially when there are so many, but if you think about the good outcome in the end, it is all worth it. the hard work will show and it will only become easier once you see the great changes you have made. There is always a psychological side to everything.
Found this website for healthy foods...
The World's Healthiest Foods:
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Alexandra 5802
I think that psychology and dieting are interrelated. For example, a girl, Susy, can think that she is overweight, but when the cute guy in her health class tells her she has a great body, this statement changes her mind and she now thinks that she looks good. Prior to Susy receiving the compliment, she was dieting and practically starving herself. The compliment severly affected her brain and her psychological thinking, which led Susy to stop dieting, and even allow herself to eat sweets. This is just one example of how dieting can be a psychological aspect. Every person wants to be fit and healthy, hence the concept of dieting. If a person decides to eat healthy and exercise, this is a psychological choice of the brain. In addition, if a person is psychologically convinced that they are fit and have a balanced diet, they will be more physically and mentally stable, which are two very important requirements for attaining proper psychological development.
More information can be found on (http://www.mothernature.com/library/articles/index.cfm?ID=376), which describes the benefits of dieting and fitness.
Aniela 5959
As someone who pays a lot of attention to what I eat, this blog was an obvious "duh" for me. If you want to lose weight, you have to change the way you eat, there is no way around it. The biggest challenge is winning the mental battle with yourself. The, "Oh one peice of pizza won't do anything," and the, "Skipping a day at the gym means nothing." It isn't easy and it's a neverending uphill battle. Therefore, a diet speaks for itself (if your on one) that it is 100% mental. It takes a lot of push, a lot of strength, and a lot of determintation. It is also filled with constant up's and down's. One day you will be feeling good, strong, and you feel like it's working, others you want nothing more than a drive through run to IN-N-OUT. So, this article is extremely prevalant to anyone thinking about or on diets. YOU HAVE TO BE PREPARED FOR THE BATTLE.
Here is a link to an article about mentality and fat
http://www.fitwoman.com/fitbriefings/dietmentality.shtml
In my opinion,diets, and dieting fads are plastered all over television, magazines, and just about anything else a person could come across in the real world. Americans are becoming obsessed with what they eat and how they look. Yes, healthy eating habits, and regular exercise are great habits to take up, but it seems to me that Americans over-thinking isn't "mindset" or a "cognitive technique". Instead, I feel that it leads and can lead to body image distortion.
Vanessa 5536
More information about body distortion can be found here:
http://www.emory.edu/EMORY_REPORT/erarchive/1996/April/ERapril.1/4_1_96wellness.html
Carole 2034
Trying to cut down on sweets or just unhealthy foods altogether is hard. It’s even harder when people tell themselves that they can’t do it. By telling the brain that you can lose weight is very important because its part of self control. Convincing the brain that you can eat healthy and lose weight does work, but it’s really hard. It’s just a matter of having a strong mindset and a list of benefits in your wallet that can pull through for a person.
Here is a link that provides information on what is healthy and what is not.
http://www.passionateaboutfood.net/diets.php#top
Kenny 7240
Wow, I guess the mind is more powerful than the body. When I first started reading the article, I was kind of surprised that the lady had a diet psychologist to help her lose weight. But after thinking about for a while, I realized that it makes sense to be mentally strong when there are so many temptations around. This goes hand in hand with other health problems such as smoking. One of the hardest phases in quitting is to tell yourself mentally that you have a problem and that you can stay mentally strong to quit. All of this correlates with patients taking sugar pills, thinking that the pills make them better, but really its their mind attitude.
Health Discovery
http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/health/feeds/hscout/2007/04/17/hscout603764.html
Andrew
3840
This article reminds me of my mom. She went on weight watchers and lost 50 lbs. Our whole family was proud of here. She couldn't keep it off though and she said it was hard for herself to tell herself no. I do believe staying on a diet is more mental then anything else. I'm in a Psych intro class and i can see how cognitive therapy can help you diet. It is therapy that teaches people new, adaptive ways of thinking and acting; based on that thoughts intervene between events and emotional reactions. Becks way of keeping the list is a great reminder tool. Staying the course is so mental. Pschology is a great tool for everyones use these days. There is everything from sublimal tapes to therapy. The key on staying the course is not to eat that first chip. Don't even look at the bag. The longer you can keep your mind off something, the more you forget about it.
If anyone is serious about starting a diet, then I recommend Weight Watchers. It has helped so many people. Even if your not there is ahttp://www.weightwatchers.com/templates/marketing/Landing_1col_nonav.aspx?PageId=1036481 lot of cool stuff to look at.
the website got messed up. here it is again.
http://www.weightwatchers.com/templates/marketing/Landing_1col_nonav.aspx?PageId=1036481
Davidson 8776
I think this article is something that anybody interested in losing weight should use, no matter how skinny or unfit someone may be. Losing weight isn't just about eating less, but it's all about strengthening your mental toughness. Without the right mindset, any goal is possible. I know this from firsthand experience. You have to pair the "I can do it" mindset with the exercise. Also, you have to set a goal. You have to control your own urges and be tough on yourself while also eating right and exercising. Just like any other discipline, there are many approaches and things to take into account when trying to achieve a goal.
Here's a site that has valuable information about weight loss and effective weight loss foods. Also, it has simple diet plans that you can follow.
http://www.weightlossforall.com/weight-loss-foods.htm
Justin 6844
I found this blog particularly interesting because I'm also trying to stay fit. What I'm doing, eat whatever I want but work out everyday with weights and/or cardio exercises, seems to be keeping me at the same weight and at the same time slimming down very slowly. I never really thought about the psychological impact that thinking about what I'm gaining or keeping my mind on track for loosing weight. Maybe if I try to keep a strong thought about what a diet and exercise can do for me and how it's going to help me slim down and build a higher self-esteem. I suppose that to really improve my situation is to change my diet and psychological state about how to keep my diet.
http://www.weightwatchers.com/health/hwb/index.aspx
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