Psychological reasons for inability to lose weight

Weight is not just about your body mass or the figure on the scale. Since our society is fixated on body size, your weight, sadly, represents a lot more. 

People, with their biases about body sizes, measure your beauty and credibility based on your weight. Some people discriminate against others based on their weight, calling them rude names and expletives, just because. 

Whether it be job opportunities or clothing options, all are available disproportionately to people who weigh more. 

All this negative attitude from the society also then shapes one’s own opinion about themselves too, causing them severe mental trauma that merits the help from a Psychologist in Lahore then. 

Losing weight: An emotional journey

A common issue that plus-sized people have to face is the lack of empathy from people. Losing weight is not just a matter of exercising and eating less; it is a lot more nuanced journey. 

There are different factors that determine the success of your endeavor, with your psychological state being one. Some psychological problems that can pave way for weight loss issues include:

Body image issues

The lack of progress in your weight loss endeavors may be because of your negative body image. It not only leads to having unhealthy eating habits, but it may also cause you not to workout, because of the way you look when you do. 

The binary thinking

Many people are caught in the vicious cycle of weight gain and loss because of their binary thinking. Due to their all-or-nothing approach, they end up being too hard on themselves. They either stick to an austere diet, or they make bad dietary choices when they do end up falling off the wagon. 

The bouts of strict dieting and binge eating naturally make it harder for the bod ty to lose weight. This sort of thinking also makes one’s resolve to eat better weaker. 

When people give into their desire to eat unhealthy and high calorie food, it can then also morph into feelings of self-disgust, as people judge themselves, themselves. 

If this thinking pattern is something that you can relate to, you need to work on changing it. It is very much in your range to work on yourself and make your thinking more moderate. It will then allow you to continue with your diet, with a minor indulgence here and there, without completely abandoning the diet. 

Stress

Stress is the state in which the body perceives itself to be in the fight or flight mode. One of the impacts of perceiving itself to be in danger is storing food; the body makes a contingency plan for if there are not enough food sources available. 

However, not always is our body in actual danger, but we perceive it to be the case. Too much of stress then not only disturbs the hormones, but also promotes weight gain, as the food eaten is stored away by the body for safety purposes. 

Stress also makes people turn to comfort foods like mac and cheese, chocolate, ice-cream, fried foods etc. High in calories and low in nutrition, these foods also cause weight gain. 

Hence, it is vital that you address the high stress levels. There are several ways you can moderate stress, including exercise, breathing techniques, meditation, yoga, and mindfulness. 

Depression

Depression is a serious ailment that can also cause changes to appetite, that then have an impact on mental health. Since obese people are more prone to depression, therefore, it is important that you assess your mental state.

If you are suffering from blues, have a strong urge to cry, are sleeping all the time or are not sleeping at all, have thoughts about killing or harming yourself, and this has been going on for a few weeks in the very least, then you must consult a mental health expert at Mid City Hospital for diagnosis, and treatment.