Most people would opt. for dieting and exercising during their weight loss journeys, but what can one do when these methods fail? Dieting may fail if food cheers you and soothes your worries, as you would often go back to binge eating when anxious. No diet can manage the overwhelming feelings that result from cravings. Again exercises are hard to follow, especially if you fail to develop an exercise routine. You should consult an Ashburn weight-loss counseling therapist who can guide you through the weight loss journey. Here is why weight loss counseling is effective during your weight loss journey.
Why a Diet Cycle Fails
Dieting can fail as it affects how you think and act around food. Dieting can make you obsessively think about food leading to anxiety which results in binge eating. You can over-eat during the depressive periods leading to weight gain, which results in a destructive dieting cycle. The food would feel forbidden, leading to more temptation on tasting it. The moment you start tasting the forbidden food, you may start thinking if you already tasted it, you might as well finish it. Once you gain weight, you may start dieting again, and it might leave you feeling shame, guilt, and failure.
How Weight Loss Counseling Helps
- The psychologist can help you determine the overeating triggers.
People overeat for different reasons, as they eat due to psychological issues like stress, boredom, anxiety, anger, and sadness. Social pressure can lead to anxiety attacks which result in overeating. Your psychologist will ask leading questions to help you identify the over-eating triggers leading to effective ways of dealing with stress.
- They help you manage your triggers.
Once the therapist identifies the triggers, they educate you on dealing with them. Unlike dieting, therapy prevents the triggers which cause overeating. You can be more assertive, as it helps change your thinking patterns when dealing with difficult situations.
- They teach you how to trust your body’s signals for food.
When you don’t follow your body’s signal for food, you start overeating, leading to weight gain. However, you can trust your body’s signal for food instead of following strict dieting rules that indicate when to eat. You can discover how, when, and what you like eating. You should try working with your body until you develop new healthy habits. The approach is individually tailored to fit your lifestyle instead of going with the one-size-fits-all approach.
- They help you improve your relationship with yourself.
A psychologist can free you from self-criticism patterns that can drive you from overeating. Repeated attempts to diet might damage your self-esteem and confidence, which leads to self-judgment—the self-judgment results from guilt and emotional distress due to repeated weight loss and weight gain cycles. You can rebalance your life with psychological help.
Final Thoughts
The weight loss journey is challenging when you don’t have a support system. Dieting does not always work as you would be tempted to eat food that seems forbidden. This leads to binging, which results in obesity. However, your psychologist can help you overcome dieting issues by accepting yourself, making it possible for the diet to work.
