The Trouble with Diets
If you have ever been on a diet, which I am guessing you have, as more than half of British adults try to lose weight by controlling their calorie intake each year, you will know how hard it can be. Food is everywhere and we can’t live without it. The trouble with diets is that most of them are based on deprivation.
Why is dieting so difficult?
When we are hungry, the hormone gherlin stimulates the brain, which means we notice food cues more. Unfortunately, researchers have found that our brains pay more attention to cued for unhealthy foods; those which are high in sugar and fat, than healthy foods when we are hungry. These calorific foods grab our attention presenting a significant challenge for those trying to loose weight.
Forbidden foods are more tempting. Diets involve “giving up” the more pleasurable foods. Research has shown that avoiding food that we enjoy causes us to crave it. In other words deprivation only makes us want it more.
Sticking to a rigid diet plan means that we make decisions about what to eat based on a set of rules rather than listening to the physiological signals of hunger. This is actually more likely to make us overeat. This can cause the “What the hell effect”. When people feel that they have broken the rules of the diet this can kick in. They begin to feel that all their good work has been lost and as a result begin to overeat. In real terms the extra calories from an occasional slice of cake are unlikely to have a detrimental effect on a diet, however the psychological effects can be significant. Believing that you have “failed” at a diet can cause stress and guilt; both of these emotions are know to be a trigger for overeating.
We are all human
Diets which encourage you to stick to a set of rigid rules can paradoxically can lead to overeating. Dieters are only human and it can help to understand that we are programmed to want to choose the high calorie foods when we are hungry. Hypnotherapy help you to change your habits around eating and is not based on deprivation and strict rules.
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