I want to get thin but I have no willpower: what do I do?

"I want to lose weight and I can't, what do I do?" This is a frequent consultation of patients looking to increase their willpower to lose weight. Willpower is the ability to control one's thoughts, emotions, and attention in order to achieve objectives or goals. This ability is necessary for the realization of multiple changes in our lives, including losing weight.

Losing weight not only implies the adoption of healthy habits, but rather a change in the style of life, so it is usually difficult to maintain willpower and motivation necessary. If you want to know more about how to maintain your willpower when losing weight, keep reading this article from Psychology-Online: I want to lose weight but I don't have willpower: what do I do? In which you will find 12 psychological tips to lose weight.

Index

1. I need to lose weight
2. Psychology to lose weight
3. Mentalizing to lose weight
4. How to have willpower to lose weight: 14 tips

If you have verbalized the phrase "I want to lose weight and I can't" or "I want to lose weight but I don't have willpower", you should start by asking yourself why you think you need to lose weight. There are basically two types of motivations for considering weight loss: aesthetics and health. If the reason is solely aesthetic, it should be noted that it is necessary first of all a

Later, and from a balanced self-esteem, it is possible to carry out learning in self-care. This care of one's own person, among other areas, includes healthy habits as a form of physical and mental care. In the event that the reasons for weight loss are health, losing weight is a consequence of the adoption of health habits, but the main objective is to take care of both the body and the mind. However, you may have ever thought I want to go on a diet and I have no willpower or I want to lose weight and I am not able.

You are probably wondering "how do I start taking care of myself to lose weight?". As in any important change, advice from professional areas is recommended also in the transformation and variation of diet and other behaviors, where you will receive advice to lose weight healthily. The professional follow-up allows a personalized adaptation and adjustment of the guidelines, the monitoring of the health status and the introduction of adjustments and alternatives if necessary. All this allows an optimization of the process and ensures adherence to an effective methodology, based on evidence and healthy for the body.

As explained in the previous section, it is advisable and important to professionally advise and monitor changes in lifestyle and eating guidelines. But, Do I need a psychologist to lose weight? From Western culture there has been a dissociation between mind and body, but the reality is that they maintain a very close relationship and influence each other. That is why psychology also plays a vital role in physical changes, and the psychological support to lose weight.

In the process of losing weight and adopting new habits and routines, both thoughts and behaviors, so that a professional psychologist facilitates the identification and proper management of these. A professional will be able to provide you with psychological advice to lose weight.

The introduction of changes in lifestyle and diet implies a mentalization about them. Mentalizing is a predisposing factor in the adoption of healthy habits in the beginning, as well as in maintaining these throughout the entire process. How to mentally prepare to diet? To know how to become aware to lose weight, it is necessary to know and work on the processes of discipline, self-control and motivation, since these have a vital role in weight loss and health care in general. Therefore, psychological factors in the change towards a healthier life must be taken into account and addressed.

The psychological processes involved in the adoption of changes in our daily routines, attitudes and behaviors are difficult to control and maintain over time. Therefore, in addition to recommending professionalized help to address these, below, we show you a series of tips to increase willpower to lose weight:

1. Inform: The first step towards a true commitment to change is to have truthful information about eating and healthy habits, since without a knowledge objective and well-founded, it is difficult for us to introduce cognitive and behavioral variations that involve an effort, because we may feel that it does not compensate us Really.
2. Become aware: The adoption of healthy habits and new patterns in eating are not specific behaviors that once carried out it is not necessary to repeat over time. To increase the willpower to lose weight, it is necessary to become aware and mentalize that It is about a permanent change of habits and in a certain way of lifestyle with the aim of living best.
3. Evaluate your own habits: To identify those behaviors or attitudes that need to be modified, it is necessary to analyze current behaviors and habits and their consequences. Willpower may be affected by the prospect of absolute changes, but it is very likely not. it is necessary to totally change your routine, but rather those aspects that are making it difficult to Health. Once what is subject to improvement has been determined, the goals can be established.
4. To establish objectives: How to motivate yourself to lose weight? One of the drivers of motivation and willpower is setting plausible and achievable goals. The determination to lose weight is important, as well as the establishment not only of realistic goals, but also defined or specific and short-term. In addition, the specificity of the goals helps to focus and focus the behavior. Therefore, the objectives must be specific, measurable, achievable and of limited duration.
5. Measure changes: These types of objectives allow a monitoring of changes from the beginning, as well as an early appreciation of them. How to have willpower to lose weight? The observation of positive changes in a short time is a factor that contributes to the increase and increase of motivation, which helps to maintain willpower.
6. Focus on the process: How to have willpower to lose weight? It is much more effective for weight loss to focus on the process and not the result. The result or what is intended to achieve in the end is to lose weight, but it does not provide information on how it will be achieved. Instead, process goals are those steps or means necessary to obtain the result, such as eating five pieces of fruit or vegetables a day or walking a total of half an hour daily. Focusing on the process implies change habits and behaviors that are necessary to achieve weight loss.
7. To plan: The planning and organization of your routine is a fundamental aspect for the achievement of the objectives. This structuring avoids improvisation and setbacks, as well as promotes the targeting of behavior. For example, it is very useful to plan in advance the meals for the week, the foods you need to buy, as well how to manage time and establish a schedule for it and for the performance of sports based on availability temporary.
8. Reward: setting rewards in advance is also recommended; what they will consist of and the reason for which the prize will be available. The awards serve to celebrate and reinforce the behaviors that we want to be repeated.
9. Stimulus control: the environment in which the person is found greatly influences the behaviors that are carried out. The control of stimuli is the alteration of this to reduce the probability of the appearance of behaviors contrary to the set objectives. For this, for example, it is necessary not having unhealthy food at home, as these increase temptation, which is contrary to willpower. It is also important to raise awareness of the nearby environment, so that it contributes to stimulate control.
10. Monitor the process: It is advisable to record food, thoughts and emotions before and after. Activity monitoring is also recommended as a way to monitor progress and identify any difficulties encountered. It can be useful and motivational to capture the process and achievements graphically and visually.
11. To anticipate: How to have willpower to lose weight? Determine those factors or situations that hinder the achievement of your objectives based on the records and supervision carried out. Once recognized, analyze the approach so far and think of a number of alternatives or solutions that could be implanted. You can prepare, visualize or rehearse the reactions that you will carry out. In this way, you reduce the surprise factor and setbacks.
12. Be flexible: Losing weight and adopting healthy habits requires discipline and effort, but it is It is advisable not to exert excessive pressure on one's behavior, since it is counterproductive. For example, there are many healthy foods but this does not imply that you have to consume absolutely all of them in forced way, you can have a healthy and balanced diet with the part of them that you like or are less unpleasant. Decreasing the level of aversion and the amount of negative stimuli favors the maintenance of motivation and willpower. It is also necessary not to blame and relativize the failures and relapses.
13. Emotional health: Emotions and mood play a very important role in weight loss processes and in the self control. Therefore, it is important that attention is paid to the psychological and emotional state in general, activities that are rewarding are carried out and social support is counted in the process.
14. Reevaluate the plan: it is essential to carry out a reassessment of the plan on a monthly basis. The planning of objectives and the tasks and established methodology are not invariable, in fact it is It is necessary to adjust them based on the progress and difficulties for a greater effectiveness of the long-term plan. term.

If you want to know more, in the following article you will find more information about How to have willpower.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to I want to lose weight but I don't have willpower: what do I do?, we recommend that you enter our category of Personal growth and self-help.

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• Palmero, F., & Martínez-Sánchez, F. (2008). Motivation and emotion. Madrid: Mc-Grawhill Interamericana of Spain.
• Sánchez, M. I. S. (2006). Application of the self-control technique to obesity using the modification of eating habits and physical activity. Readings: Physical Education and Sports, (100), 32.