5 Tricks of the Brain That Make Us Fat

21 Jun. 2019

The problem of being overweight is familiar to almost 70% of the inhabitants of our planet. Some suffer from the disease, some are overweight because of congenital problems, but overeating is the main cause of this condition. Unfortunately, people often try to solve personal problems with the help of overeating and allay emotional pain. Therefore, it is important to try to fight not only with the consequence (overeating) but also with its cause.

5 Common Reasons for Overeating

1. Low self-esteem

Excessive self-esteem issues can affect your waist volume. The representatives of the weight loss industry earn money on making people feel bad and overly critical of their body. As a result, a person is spending money on pills, weight loss products, and buys food plans that do not work.

People with low self-esteem blame their failures on themselves. Frustrated even more, they give up and cease to limit themselves in food. And then again buy products "for weight loss". But it is fraught with the fact that after strict food restrictions a person gains more than he lost.

How to fight: The easiest way to raise your self-esteem is to work with a psychologist. The specialist will “fix” the brain, and this will make life easier. There is also a plan B: put yourself in shape during working ways. For example, start counting calories. But, there is a nuance. A self-confident person will never be satisfied with the achieved result.

2. Emotional Overeating

Food gives a feeling of comfort, especially if it is fatty or sweet. Therefore, it is common for many to look for something to chew in an incomprehensible situation. Moreover, studies show that women are more likely to eat during stress, while men try to replace boredom with food. As a result, you overeat, and the extra calories that the brain, and not the body, demanded are transformed into fat.

How to fight: If you are experiencing emotional overeating, start a food diary. And write in it not only what you ate, but why.

3. Depression

Studies indicate a direct link between depression and weight gain. It is established that this disorder is one of the factors by which obesity in a person can be predicted in the future. Feedback is also noted: people with obesity have a higher risk of depression.

How to fight: Depression is not just a problem with mood, but serious illness, so you need to contact a psychiatrist with it.

4. A wrong approach to food

The owners of taut bodies, earning through social networks with the sale of programs for losing weight, often tell others to stop seeing food as pleasure and treat it as fuel. The problem is that you are not a car. The taste buds are not given to you by chance. If someone told you, for example, to consume more chicken breasts, but you can not stand them, you don’t have to guess how quickly this food strategy will come to a standstill.

How to fight: It is much easier to stick to a healthy diet, according to your gastronomical preferences. But you have to build the menu yourself. That’s because no one knows your preferences better than you.

5. Too strict of an approach to losing weight

You started counting calories, went to the gym and introduced an army discipline. But such a strict approach may not bring the desired results. If you don’t eat enough and workout too much, the brain will prevent weight loss from occurring. Also, such a lifestyle may have many serious effects on your health: dysmenorrhea, hair loss, hormonal imbalance, and sleep disorders.

Firstly, the body is not aware that you artificially created harsh conditions. Therefore, it switches to survival mode. Studies show that brain cells are able to prevent fat burning under conditions of severe calorie deficit. This mechanism was developed in antiquity when food entered the body irregularly and it had to correctly distribute the energy reserves between meals. In addition, stress leads to the production of cortisol, which prevents weight loss.

Secondly, strict restrictions lead to food obsession, which makes you overeat as soon as you stop following the diet.

How to fight: Do not chase fast results. Choose a balanced diet and workouts that make you stronger and happier, and do not turn into a squeezed lemon.

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