The Psychology of Weight Management

Eating and Emotions

People often use food to suppress or satisfy emotional needs.

As babies, we cry and we get fed. It is what we learn from an early age, that food is comforting! However – using food to ‘deal’ with emotions can create an unhealthy relationship with food, creating a habit of eating every time an emotion comes up.

As children, food may have been used as a reward or punishment (eg. you got a ‘treat’ for good behaviour and it was taken away for bad behaviour) and this sometimes creates a habit that psychologically, ‘treat’ foods make you feel good so when you feel down, you can ‘treat’ yourself so that you feel better.

Managing the Psychology

It is important to address the psychological aspects when embarking on a weight loss goal:

Develop a positive, mental approach to healthy lifestyle

Focus on being healthy rather than losing weight.

See healthy food and exercise as being enjoyable (reward) rather than a chore (punishment).

Identify and address emotional issues

Identify emotional triggers for unhealthy eating and develop alternative strategies to deal with the emotion (eg, deep breathing or going for a brisk walk).

Address brain chemical contribution

Exercise to increase “feel good” feelings instead of eating. Use portion control to monitor how much to eat instead of relying on messages from the brain.

Positive thinking, affirmations and visualisation

Visualise yourself already at your goal weight. Use affirmations to reduce the effects of emotional eating.

Set realistic, achievable goals

Monitor goals through journaling and diary writing.

Good luck with your weight loss journey!

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