I have been a clinical hypnotherapist since 2003 and have helped many people lose weight. The surprising thing I’ve noticed is that many overweight people eat quite a healthy balanced diet.
Overweight people don’t always eat unhealthily
I find it annoying when therapists assume ALL overweight people have poor diets. This may be true sometimes, but not ALL the time.
Many overweight people are food lovers. Food lovers tend to acquire good cooking skills, know where to buy the best ingredients, and learn where’s the best places to eat. They often eat well made high quality nutritious foods. The problem is not the quality of the food, but the quantity. Being able to cook great food does have its consequences. It’s easier to overeat tasty food!
Too many calories
I have met many people who don’t need to go on a complete overhaul of their diet, to lose weight. Their diet and activity levels are fine – it’s just that they regularly eat too many calories.
You don’t have to overeat by much to put on weight over time. One pound of body fat takes about 3500 calories to create. So you only need to overeat by 500 calories per day to put on a pound of fat in a week. This is what happens to many people.
500 calories overeating is not really that much, and you’ll not feel you’re overeating. However it’s the consistency of overeating that causes the problems.
Putting on a pound of weight every week is barely noticeable. But in just 6 months that can be a weight gain of 26 pounds. Suddenly you realise you’ve put weight on, and wonder where it came from.
Typical weight loss plan
Many ‘dieters’ try to lose weight by radically overhauling their diets and introducing a rigorous exercise regime. The problem is this is usually not sustainable. Too big a lifestyle change is rarely followed for long. Then they become depressed, and end up putting on more weight than before.
The diet industry loves this behaviour as that person is a perpetual customer. They try the latest fad diet, lose some weight, then put it back on again. Perfect. They don’t want you to lose weight permanently, which is why most of these fad diets don’t work in the long term.
Solution
Most people need to cut their calories so they are in a slight calorie deficit. That way they lose weight gradually, instead of putting it on gradually. They can eat a similar diet, just a little less. This takes time, but is a far better tactic for permanent weight loss.
Use smaller plates in order to give yourself smaller portions. A 20% reduction in the calories you consume makes a BIG difference over time. Aim to eat a maximum of 2000 calories per day if you’re female, and 2500 if you’re male. If you eat slightly less than these amounts, then you should lose weight.
Final thoughts
You don’t have to go crazy to lose weight, unless you have a LOAD of weight to lose. If you gradually piled on the pounds by slightly overeating, you can gradually lose the pounds by slightly under eating.
Find ways to reduce your calorie intake without leading a joyless existence. Then you can find the plan that’s right for you. One you can stick to for good.
Remember, permanent weight loss requires permanent changes to your lifestyle!
