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Holistic weight reduction - Part18 - Motivation, Commitment and Discipline
For sustained and permanent weight reduction and the maintenance of body weight as close to the ideal as possible, there is no substitute whatever for a clear understanding of the psychology, anatomy, physiology, biochemistry and arithmetic of energy production, expenditure and storage. But even that is not enough. For success to be guaranteed, such understanding has to be supplemented with motivation, commitment and discipline. MOTIVATION, COMMITMENT AND DISCIPLINEMOTIVATION COMMITMENT Almost every individual who has ever tried to lose weight will recognize the difficulty in maintaining a diet for longer than a limited period, which varies from individual to individual. At that time ‘withdrawal reactions’ in the form of irritability, cravings and the constant search for particular food items that one misses displaces the desire for weight loss. The immediate satisfaction of the ‘urge to eat the forbidden fruit’ shatters all sense of control that one exercised before. Once a person falls off the ‘bandwagon’, depression sets in and all hope of success is abandoned and binge eating begins again. This phenomenon is so common among those who are significantly obese that many of them end up heavier than before and more depressed than ever. This phenomenon is so similar to drug addiction that one must wonder whether at least for some individuals there may not be a yet unexplained and unrecognized neurological mal-adaptation that is responsible for morbid obesity. But for the majority of those who attempt weight reduction, this phenomenon can be prevented and commitment to their goals maintained by simple methods. It is important to recognize that some individuals perform better in all aspects of their lives if they are part of a community of persons with the same goal. If during the self-evaluation that is an essential part of the psychological preparation for weight loss, it is recognized that a person has this type of temperament, then it is imperative that the individual seeks one companion or more to participate in the program for weight reduction. The companion could be a spouse, a friend or an organized group with the same objective. The success of Weight Watchers, and other clubs for weight reduction is an admission of the psychological reality that some persons perform better as members of a group rather than individually. However, if an element of competition should be introduced or creep in, such situations may hamper the achievement of the goal, because inability to keep pace with others may act as a precipitating factor for depression. The other important point in this connection is not to establish unachievable goals, but to take pleasure in small successes serially achieved. It is better to lose 25 pounds a year at the rate of half a pound per week than to aim for 2 pounds per week and end up 25 pounds heavier at the end of the year. In fact there is plenty of evidence to show that the most obese people are often ones who have lost the maximum amount of weight, but gained it all back later! Success is the essential ingredient for maintaining commitment, because success reproduces success. This positive feedback of achievement creates motivation towards further progress. Withdrawal reactions can be dealt with by reducing hunger pangs that are precipitated by acid production in the stomach by eating low calorie fillers such as chilled vegetables, slices of raw apple or sometimes even by a glass of water. A vegetable salad at every meal as a low calorie filler has a great deal to recommend itself. Sometimes even small doses of antacids will reduce hunger pangs. Craving which probably is due to the demand of brain centers for specific food items such as sugar, chocolates and highly salted foods is more difficult to deal with and may require a program of desensitization using decreasing doses of the desired food over a long period of time. Techniques of behavior modification may often be necessary. Nervousness can often be abolished by physical activity, which depletes stress hormones. Components of diets may sometime require modification on the basis of withdrawal reactions that becomes too intense and cannot be pacified by other means. Total caloric intake also may have to be modified to reduce the fat weight loss per week to a more appropriate level that makes it possible to continue the program instead of totally abandoning it. DISCIPLINE What is the nature of this discipline? First of all, it is the drawing up of a plan of action to achieve a realistic target of weight loss for each month, rather than for each day or week. As has been pointed out already, because of the vagaries of water excretion from the body, micromanaging weight loss on a daily or weekly basis is doomed to recurrent disappointments. So is the tendency to weigh oneself on too frequent a basis. If the average daily expenditure of calories has been calculated and a deficit of an appropriate amount of Calories has been featured into the energy intake for each day, then there is no reason to weigh more frequently than once a fortnight as a general indicator of the direction of one’s journey. Secondly, it is more important to note whether there has been significant departures from the appropriately calculated daily caloric intake in its relation to the average daily energy expenditure, than be preoccupied with standing on a scale everyday. If such a departure has occurred, it is important to correct that deviance by additional energy expenditure in the form of exercise rather than by denying oneself an equivalent energy intake, because such a move is more likely to be associated with symptoms of fatigue and malaise than the additional physical activity. Physical activity in this context also acts as a mood elevator and counteracts any tendency to suffer from guilt that can accompany such a transgression, which is not unusual among those who get obsessive and compulsive about their dieting. Thirdly, the discipline of dieting must also include the ‘freedom’ to enjoy occasional departures from the dietary regimen without the guilt that has been mentioned above. That liberty must be a freedom born of deliberate decision making and not a laissez faire abdication of one’s integrity of commitment and purpose in weight reduction. There is no virtue in denying oneself an occasional departure from the laws of body physiology and biochemistry, if one has the motivation and commitment to return to them soon afterwards. For those to whom this might be a slippery slope, the advice is not to tempt oneself with such ‘privileges’. If there are specific food items to which one is ‘addicted’, it is best to avoid such substances altogether just as an ex-alcoholic addict does and find appropriate substitutes. ENLIGHTENMENT About the Author : Abe Kurien MD, is a proponent of holistic medicine. He writes profusely on subjects of Weight reduction. His enlightening articles can be found on the smatix weight reduction section : Health and Nutrition Guide
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