Article 104: Common Psychological Barriers and Behavioral Therapies Among Weight Losers

How a dieter views their weight loss plan has a significant impact on its success or failure. A challenging mindset and a willingness to overcome obstacles make dieting more likely to succeed. Typically, dieters face three main psychological obstacles:

(1) Is my current effort worthwhile? Many people trying to lose weight often have doubts after going through a lot of hardship: I've worked hard for a long time and I'm still far from my ideal weight. Is it worth continuing? Sometimes I even have the urge to overeat and drink to relive the "delicious food" I missed while trying to lose weight. In fact, losing weight is not an easy thing. Weight gain doesn't happen overnight, so losing weight will naturally take even longer. As long as you persevere, the light at the end of the tunnel is just around the corner.

(2) Dieting is the only way to successfully lose weight: Adhering to a diet and exercise plan will eventually yield good results, but dieting and exercise are not the only factors at play. Good lifestyle habits, a stable mental state, and scientific auxiliary treatments all play important roles. Although weight loss is effective, it does not mean that the weight loss plan can end, nor should you return to your original lifestyle. The healthy lifestyle that weight loss brings you is a more significant gain than dieting itself.

(3) I've tried this method before, or others have tried it, and it didn't work, so there's no need to use it anymore: In fact, different methods are suitable for different people or different periods of the same person. As long as you understand that the method is correct, scientific, and applicable, you should persevere in it. You should constantly look for the reasons for your past or others' failures, and try your best to avoid or correct them, so that you can get on the road to success sooner.

(4) The psychological barrier of "tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow." Have you noticed that the more you want to lose weight, the more you think about delicious food, and then feel miserable, having to say goodbye to all kinds of delicious food? So you often deceive yourself, telling yourself to enjoy this meal to the fullest and start dieting tomorrow. If you say this every day, you will eat more than before and become fatter. To break through this psychological barrier of "tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow," you need to adopt the right attitude, and losing weight will no longer be a chore.

Regardless of the cause of obesity, it is primarily related to inappropriate eating habits. Therefore, behavioral therapy advocates that obese individuals control their diet and correct unhealthy eating habits. A key characteristic of behavioral therapy is that it involves the patient's active participation to achieve self-control. It should be noted that the number of obese children is increasing. When implementing weight loss behavioral therapy for children, parental involvement is necessary. Parents should provide analysis and evaluation, and implement the plan. Because children are highly imitative and easily influenced by suggestion, parental behavior, language, and other environmental factors (such as television advertisements) will play a crucial role in the treatment.

Behavioral therapy, also known as "behavioral modification therapy," is a novel psychotherapeutic method that utilizes the principles of conditioned reflexes to correct erroneous behaviors in psychosomatic illnesses, neuroses, and mental disorders. Under the guidance of a psychologist and with the help and supervision of family members, patients gradually and consciously change the psychological states and lifestyle habits that easily lead to obesity, replacing them with those conducive to weight loss. Behavioral therapy plays an important role in the treatment of obesity and has attracted considerable attention. Weight loss requires overcoming abnormal eating patterns through behavioral therapy.

Before treatment, it's essential to analyze and evaluate the psychosomatic factors and environmental conditions related to one's diet to identify the internal and external factors contributing to unhealthy eating habits. This evaluation includes the following: ① Psychological factors: Emotional disturbances, tension, anxiety, and depression can all trigger overeating. Identify the psychological factors that cause these emotional changes. ② Behavioral factors: Analyze behaviors associated with eating to identify unhealthy habits. For example, some people like to eat while reading novels, and many girls have the habit of eating while walking. These are unhealthy eating behaviors; reading novels and walking can become conditioned signals for extra eating. ③ Environmental factors: Some extra eating is caused by environmental conditions. Some people's homes are always full of candy, chocolate, and other foods, making it easy to reach food and unknowingly eat more. Specific work environments can also increase extra eating. For example, chefs or other participants in food preparation processes have more objective eating conditions than others, and people who like to watch food advertisements are exposed to more food stimuli than others. These factors should not be ignored when conducting self-behavioral analysis and evaluation.

After analyzing and evaluating eating-related behaviors, the following steps can be taken:

Understand the patient's motivation for wanting to lose weight and provide targeted education, explaining the dangers of obesity and encouraging them to commit to weight loss. Let them know that weight loss is a long-term and arduous process, and stopping halfway will lead to weight gain, even exceeding pre-treatment levels. Encourage patients to establish a weight loss plan, eliminate any interfering factors, and ensure the plan is followed consistently to maintain its effectiveness.

To study your eating habits, keep detailed records of the amount of food you eat each day, when you eat, how long you eat, how many times you eat a day, how your three meals are distributed, where you eat, who you eat with, and how you feel after eating. It has been found that obesity is negatively related to meal timing, and that for people within the standard weight range, energy intake is positively correlated with physical activity, while for overweight individuals, it is positively correlated with the number of chews and the amount of water consumed during meals.

Whether a patient's diet reduction behavior meets the requirements of a weight loss plan and whether they are diligently following the various therapies can be closely observed through a weight diary and a food diary to determine if it is appropriate. Record the time of each meal, the food consumed, and any stimuli related to eating, including the location, people eaten with, feelings of urgency, and hunger. Also record exercise, weigh yourself, and mark the date. These records, along with a weight curve graph (horizontal axis: date, vertical axis: weight), can help analyze the relationship between eating, exercise, and weight, and summarize the optimal pattern suitable for your individual characteristics. For example, how much to eat at each meal, what to eat to feel good and lose weight effectively, and how much exercise to do each day; if you eat a lot at home, try to eat in the cafeteria, etc. Continuously try and adjust until you develop correct lifestyle habits. When the person trying to lose weight sees a downward trend in their weight curve, their confidence will surely increase.

Try to minimize contact with food, and ideally, avoid buying groceries yourself. If necessary, make a shopping list beforehand and choose low-calorie options after meals. Store food in places that are not easily visible or accessible. Avoid cooking at home as much as possible. If you must cook, keep it simple and avoid spending too much time in the kitchen. Also, break bad eating habits, such as eating chocolate while reading or snacking when stressed. Control extra food intake and eat regularly, but avoid skipping meals or overeating.

Avoid eating quickly. Eat slowly, one bite at a time, chewing each bite thoroughly before swallowing. After a few bites, put down your utensils and savor the food; this helps with digestion and creates a feeling of fullness. Use shallow bowls or plates. After your meal, immediately discard any leftover food to prevent overeating.

Change unreasonable mealtime habits, maintain three regular meals a day, and reduce snacks. Change the bad habit of snacking between meals. Focus on the content of regular meals, giving less or no of the patient's favorite foods; initially, regulate the frequency and timing of snacks, then completely eliminate snacks, especially prohibiting snacking just before meals to gradually break the habit. Keep food out of reach; do not store snacks or other foods in easily accessible places for the patient, especially preventing them from seeing their favorite snacks, candies, etc., to avoid stimulating their appetite and making it difficult to control their eating. Reduce the amount of food consumed at each meal in a planned manner, leaving no leftovers. Correct the bad habit of wolfing down food; persuade obese individuals to chew slowly and thoroughly. Encourage focused eating; avoid watching television, reading newspapers, or books while eating, especially those related to food.

To establish a weight loss plan, encourage weight loss activities, publicize the results, and gain the support of parents and relatives. Encourage obese individuals to do more housework. Once the ideal weight is reached, do not assume you have succeeded and begin abstaining from all food. In fact, maintaining a healthy weight requires a considerable period of time. During this period, you can slightly increase your food intake, but only at each main meal, with the aim of preventing further weight loss.