NLP techniques for weight loss. NLP method for losing weight: effective techniques for blocking the feeling of hunger. NLP techniques for weight loss using the sense of smell

“Why do I need a psychologist, I know everything myself?!”, many of us may say.

Everyone knows that losing weight depends on the quantity and quality of food and physical activity. Or is this not all and there are other factors that affect our weight?
And what does a psychologist have to do with it? He is not a nutritionist or a trainer...

So what is psychological help for losing weight?
What techniques do psychologists use to combat excess weight?

Of course, many people who have been struggling with excess weight for many years can even write a PhD in dietetics. Both the diet and the training plan are written out, and everything is thought out, but the result does not last long. And if you manage to maintain the desired weight, then it requires such colossal strength that you don’t have the strength to think about anything else. And if suddenly strict control is removed, there is a breakdown - and everything starts all over again.

I think you have heard this expression more than once: “ We eat to live. We don't live to eat" We all know that excess weight appears when we consume more calories than we expend. But it’s impossible to eat more food than you need (than you want) - you say.

But an overweight person will not understand you. Him the mechanism of perception of hunger-saturation is disrupted. Therefore, he is ready to eat almost all the time: when it smells delicious, when there is food on the table, when he is bored, when he is lonely, when he is scared, when guests have arrived, when he is sad, when, when...

There is no feeling of hunger as such, but there is an appetite. And if suddenly an unpleasant feeling of heaviness appears in the stomach, you can induce vomiting and eat again after 15-20 minutes. These are real examples from practice.

So why do you need a psychologist when losing weight?

To build new neural connections in the brain, which means new patterns of behavior in humans. Nowadays, the term eating behavior is becoming more and more famous - our habit of dealing with food: when we eat, what and how. There are various eating disorders: bulimia, anorexia, binge eating and other less serious ones. Each of them is characterized by certain habits. And with each of them, the functioning of the hypothalamus is disrupted, in which we develop feelings of hunger, satiety, as well as pleasure, calmness, anxiety and tension.

With psychogenic overeating, the mechanism works like this: feeling discomfort, being in a state of stress, a person wants to calm down and feel better, the brain needs dopamine or serotonin. You can get them in different ways: by getting out of an unpleasant situation, in a conversation with someone you love, in sex, sports, cognitive activity and many others, but most quickly - with the help of food.

Many people have this stereotype from childhood: a child screams because he is wet and scared, and his mother immediately slips a breast or a bottle to him to keep him quiet. In general, we can talk about the reasons for formation for a long time; they are often very individual.

Work on harmonizing eating behavior is not a matter of just one consultation. I usually suggest starting with the Dutch Eating Questionnaire to get the basics down. Next comes the work of several months, during which we figure out how this behavior model was formed, why it no longer suits the client and how to modernize it.

With my support, a person learns to track his psychological and somatic experiences, keeps a food diary, tries to understand his true needs, looks for new ways to respond to anxieties and stress in his life, new opportunities to satisfy his desires. We talk about what her/his life would be like if the person were slimmer, what she/he loses and what she/he gains from being addicted to food. And we are looking for something to fill the void that will open when there is less food in life.

After some time, when a person becomes aware of the processes that are happening inside him, he can change his behavior. When he is anxious, lonely, sad, he can eat - or he can consciously choose a different course of action. And so little by little, every day, his habits, and therefore his lifestyle itself, change, excess weight goes away, new interests appear, new acquaintances and the desired lightness in body and soul.

Unfortunately, no specialist has magic diet pills. But a good psychologist will have an understanding of how to help you reconfigure your relationship with food and change your figure and life for the better. To do this, you will have to go through a difficult path, but you will not be alone on it, a professional escort will walk next to you. And it’s easier to go together.

You can talk a lot about excess weight and its causes, and give advice. However, people who are struggling with excess weight may say reproachfully: “Yeah, it’s good for you to give out advice! Try it yourself, and then talk.”

So, I’ll start with the fact that I myself lost 20 kg in 1.5 years. It was difficult and unpleasant. I didn’t feel much joy. While I was losing weight, my friends’ opinions were divided: you need to lose weight, you don’t need to lose weight, you feel good as is.

Some people can overcome their cravings for sweets and other tasty things on their own, but not everyone succeeds on the first try. And my fellow psychologists also helped me at one time, although I am a practicing psychologist myself. One thing is for sure, until you yourself want to change something in your life, not a single psychologist will help.

What is psychological help for losing weight?

1. The first thing that communication with a psychologist gives is the opportunity to figure out where the habit of eating a lot comes from and since when did excess weight gain begin in the light of psychological reasons?
2. Secondly, it is necessary to identify how strong the motivation to lose weight is in reality, since the person himself is not always fully aware of this. On a conscious level, a person seems ready to do anything to lose weight, but on an unconscious level, he doesn’t need it. And so good. Therefore, there may be resistance during psychotherapeutic work on weight loss.
3. Third, with the help of a psychotherapist, try to understand what benefits excess weight brings to a person, although many people who are losing weight are surprised by this issue. Find out what good does being overweight bring to a person? What needs are satisfied when a person eats a lot and often?

Most often, a person says that with the help of food he reduces anxiety, improves his mood, food allows him to communicate with friends, or, on the contrary, it is associated with loneliness. This is protection from... and the person begins to list what it is in his life.

There are also hidden motives for increased appetite. And these motives can be identified with the help of a psychotherapist. Sometimes excess weight hides serious psychological trauma. This is the loss of a loved one, violence, divorce, betrayal, depression, family conflicts, sexual dissatisfaction, etc. Therefore, with the help of a psychologist, specific psychological traumas are identified and worked through, tension is relieved, and the person is taught relaxation techniques.

And, of course, the psychotherapist asks the person a question: “When you lose weight, how will others react to this, what will change in your life, what advantages will come from your slim figure, what are you ready to do to achieve the desired results, what have you already done for this?"

So, what techniques does a psychotherapist use when working with excess weight?

• Method of positive psychotherapy by Dr. N. Pezeshkian.
  Using this method, pressing problems of today and basic conflicts from the past are worked out. The current human abilities that influence eating behavior are considered.
• NLP techniques.
  Allows you to form new eating habits. In addition, the work is aimed at forming new goals.
• Trance techniques.
  Aimed at learning to relax and cope with anxiety.
• Self-hypnosis.
  Independent work with eating problems. Controlling the food eaten (volume and quality).
• Hypnoanalysis allows you to get to the bottom of the true problems of eating disorders, helps to identify the primary source of eating disorders, early psychotrauma that affected a person’s life, including his eating habits, which led to weight gain.
• Art therapy.
  Art therapy techniques also allow you to work with eating disorders. These are isotherapy techniques (working with drawings), fairy tale therapy, sand therapy, metaphorical cards, phototherapy (working with client photographs).
• Body-oriented therapy.
  Working with the body. Removing muscle tension. Holistic massage is good.

Of course, the psychologist also consults on proper nutrition, monitors the client’s food diary, discusses with the person what he is doing, where the difficulties are, what thoughts were between sessions, what happened during this period, what his mood was. A psychologist can even give elements of physical activity. In special cases, a nutritionist and fitness trainer are involved if necessary.

However, when working with an overweight person, we only talk about and work with psychological problems, and do not take into account problems that relate to medical indications. This is what doctors do. As psychologists, we do not prescribe any pills.

In addition, there may be psychiatric diseases that lead to excess weight gain. Psychiatrists deal with these issues.

Often an overweight person dreams of losing weight quickly and without much effort in a few months. However, you need to understand that the body also needs to be prepared for weight loss. At first, the weight will come off faster, and then slower. Sometimes the weight will stay the same or even increase.

There is only one rule: the slower the weight comes off, the longer the weight loss results will last. Although there are other opinions on this issue. This is just my point of view and my experience.

The process of losing weight is a complex, complex process that is associated not only with a diet schedule, but also with changing the nature of nutrition, habits and life in general.

In addition, it applies to all family members who live together. It is quite difficult for one person to lose weight if those who live together have special food preferences that are aimed at increasing weight.

A person with increased weight always has psychological problems. Usually this is low self-esteem, non-acceptance and misunderstanding of oneself, problems with loved ones, job dissatisfaction and much more. In the process of advisory, psychocorrectional and psychotherapeutic work, these parameters change, which helps a balanced diet have a beneficial effect on our body.

It is important to form new eating habits as a different way of life. In my psychotherapeutic work with clients, weight loss is usually a side effect of the work. And this suggests that a person is changing and satisfies himself to a greater extent. I work in the direction of integrative existential psychotherapy.

There are many examples of people successfully losing weight, but... after a while they gain it back or even gain even more weight. Diets and fitness trainers are definitely needed, but we can conclude that they help fight the consequences.

You can effectively lose weight, but the reason that led to weight gain is not eliminated. And if the cause is not eliminated, then we can conclude that very often the weight “takes its toll” again. The reasons can be both physiological and psychological. A psychologist works with psychological reasons.

The task of the psychologist is to understand What a person “eats”, then the cause is eliminated, after which the weight does not gain again after dieting and exercise. A person begins to live in harmony with himself and does not solve his problems by eating excessively.

There are objective reasons for excess body weight

Physiological, for example, endocrine system failure, metabolic disorder, hormonal problems;

Psychological: when people are simply trying to eat away their anxiety or stress;

Behavioral: improper lifestyle, diet or sleep.

All three reasons are interconnected, and the main reason is in our head and in our thoughts and judgments, and health problems are a secondary factor.

If the hormonal levels are normal, then we can talk about food addiction if you are overweight. Its main characteristic is obsession in a state that is difficult to control from the outside. As a rule, eating food gives a feeling of calm and security, satisfaction.

If you find yourself describing a similar problem, then it is better to contact a psychologist and together figure out and understand exactly your reasons and conduct psychodiagnostics. After which the specialist will prescribe an integrated approach to the treatment of food addiction. The efforts and desires of the person himself to cope with the task are very important here, and joint work will bring harmony to his inner world.

How can a psychologist help a person who wants to lose weight, who wants to weigh 60 kg instead of the existing 75 kilograms, who wants to have a slim figure? This is how it is important to formulate your request, and not “I want to lose weight!”...

Yes, yes, words mean a lot! Lose weight = become worse?! No! Therefore, start by formulating (and writing down!) what and in what time frame you want to have... If you think, for example, that 15 kg of excess weight prevents you from doing something, divide 15 by 4 (for example) period:

• the first minus 3 kg is a gift to yourself (write which one),
• another minus 4 kg - again plan and write down what you will give yourself for this intermediate weight,
• then another minus 3 - a gift,
• and another 5 kg (hurray, here they are - minus 15!) - a super gift! To yourself, beloved, renewed!

Yes, and at the very beginning of the process, meditate and imagine yourself in the form, in the clothes, with the mood, with the resource that matches your dream! I had IT, the red dress!

Incorporate a certain style of nutrition (and these are NOT DIETS, which give plus 3-5 kg ​​after their completion after a while!), which will be easy to follow, having a strong motivation for change.

At the initial stage, you will work with a psychologist to find out the “secondary benefits” of being fat, fat, a “bun”, “fat trust”, etc. :)

Yes, they will be, you will see them and be surprised! I still have somewhere this “magic” circle with eight segments, and in each one it is written (by me) why I need (was!), well, simply necessary:) to be overweight!

Describing what and how happens during a personal consultation with a psychologist, or during a training/seminar is a thankless task... It will sound clumsy, and it’s not particularly clear what it’s about... It’s important to be inside the process and have an inner true desire, and not at head level... Try it!

Why does a person gain weight? At first glance, everything is simple, he eats much more than he needs, and all the excess is deposited in adipose tissue.

Why does this happen?
Why do people eat more than they need?
How to understand this and what to do about it?

This is where the help of a psychologist is needed. Obesity is often a symptom of an imbalance in a person's life. And the first thing you need to start with is to try to understand yourself, to understand what is wrong in my life. Maybe I’m protecting myself with my excess weight, like armor, from some kind of relationship, experience...

How do I understand what I want, what I need, what I want to get in this life?
What does food give me?

When overeating, as a rule, a substitution of needs occurs: I want something, but I can’t get it, but I can eat!

• I want peace, security, love, I suffer from the inability to get what I want, there is inexplicable anxiety all the time, and I go to the refrigerator.
• I want sex, but it’s difficult to admit it, and sometimes it’s somehow embarrassing to even think about it, so I eat half a cake!
• Or I want to pamper myself, but I don’t know how, because I don’t really understand what I want, and I eat a jar of chips or a full bowl of jam.

Only with substitution the basic need is not satisfied, moreover, it becomes even more acute. After all, in fact, if you want to drink, then you can only quench your thirst with water. Such simple examples are clear, but admitting to yourself that you need love, support, security is difficult...

And therefore, the most important thing is to figure out exactly what I really want, how I live, why I cannot get what I want. And how can I get this?

This is exactly where a psychologist can help. Firstly, help in clarifying the need, and secondly, help in finding ways to satisfy it.

And miracles happen. “I just wanted to lose weight, and at the same time my relationship with my husband improved and it turned out that he was not at all embarrassed by my kilograms. It wasn’t about them! But I don’t even want to eat enough, why? It turns out that there is a lot more in life.. .

Or “I gained weight because, due to depression, I wanted to isolate myself from others. But my mood improved, and there is no need for excess weight!”

These are not made-up stories, I heard and learned all this from my clients. So my belief is that obesity therapy should begin not with a debilitating diet, but with solving internal problems. And then everything is resolved, life goes on and you want to look at yourself in the mirror!

“How to lose weight quickly”, “How to lose weight by ... kg in a week”, “How to lose weight at home by ... kg”, “How to lose weight without dieting” - monthly 1.5 million people search for this information on Yandex and 1.5 million people on Google. There is probably not a single person on this planet who is always 100% happy and satisfied with their weight or their figure. Modern civilization, etc. “beauty standards” provide stable support for this interest: how can you be satisfied with your figure when thousands of slender and fit women and men are constantly looking at us from TV screens and magazines?

Of course, being slim and fit is also associated with success, efficiency, popularity, wealth, in a word, the idea is constantly conveyed to us - “ If you are thin, you will be happy!“Marketers and advertisers of all stripes successfully use this idea to promote their products. Countless dietary supplements, super programs, fat burner pills, more and more new diets and other “magic pills” are pouring in on those who are thinking about losing weight. Today one remedy is considered the most effective and efficient way, but tomorrow it will be completely different. How to figure it out?

The first target (and often victim) of this idea is women. However, in recent decades there has been a growing interest in losing weight among men. Just because weight loss and interest in dieting have always been considered the prerogative of women, men worry about their weight or figure without particularly talking about it.

But there is also a great danger in this idea: under certain circumstances or characteristics of physiology and psyche, the process of losing weight is so absorbing that a person becomes a victim: this happens in up to 4% of all those who once go on a diet. 90% of them are women. If a strict diet begins in adolescence (before 20 years), the risk of anorexia increases.

In this article, I am not going to advise any diets or sell any “magic pills”; I will not give recommendations on what specific exercises and how long to do in order to quickly and effectively lose weight. In addition, this article is not for those who, at the cost of any effort, have managed to lose weight and manage to maintain this weight. You are undoubtedly great, no matter how you achieved this; and this article is for those who still can’t do it. There are many more of them.

So, since I am not a nutritionist or a fitness trainer, I am interested in a slightly different aspect: psychology of weight loss.

What is the psychology of losing weight?

Human psychology is an important component in what we eat and how we eat.

Losing weight is usually considered a purely physiological process: losing weight, changing diet, increasing activity - all this concerns human physiology. How about these moments:

• I went on a strict diet, one day I “lost it” - ... and that’s it. Did not work. Did not help. Again. I’ll probably never be able to lose weight, I don’t have the willpower... I got upset, spat, and gained weight again.
• I started actively playing sports, ran on the treadmill for an hour until exhaustion - ... no results! Or even weight increased! I was disappointed, upset... and everything returned to how it was.
• I was on Atkins and lost weight quickly, but then the weight came back. Then I was on 2000 calories, on Dukan, on the Pugacheva diet, I didn’t eat after six, I was on a fermented milk-protein-nut-Japanese diet, but every time it was the same thing - the weight came back. Diets don't work? Or is there something special that is just worth finding?
• I was on a diet, but it was the most terrible period in my life: I limited myself in everything, I couldn’t go to any event (there were temptations everywhere), I was constantly terribly hungry, I couldn’t think about anything else except food. As a result, after a year everything came back.
• Why does it work for others, but not for me? Why can others lose weight very quickly, but I cannot? What is wrong with me? Why such injustice? It's probably not worth trying... I can't control myself.
• I can't live without sweets (flour, meat, salted, fried). I just can not. No diet suits me.
• I can easily lose weight to ... kg, but I can’t get below this figure, no matter what I do.

All this is not physiology. This is real psychology. It “turns on” in you at the slightest fluctuations in motivation, if failure occurs, if you have difficulties with self-control. Don't underestimate her. On the contrary, knowledge of the psychology of weight loss can set you on the right path.

My personal weight loss story

I hope everyone remembers that diets don't work?

Those who know me can, of course, say “why should you lose weight!”, but this nevertheless does not prevent me from being dissatisfied :) Like everyone else. I needed to lose a little, only 5 kg, not even 10 kg.

Over the past 15 years, I have been on Dukan, on a protein diet, on a diet “no flour and sweets”, “don’t eat after 6”, “don’t eat at work”, but all that I achieved in the long term was... nothing and various restrictions in progress. After some time, the weight returned or even gained. Maybe I wasn't persistent or persistent enough. Maybe I have a weak will. Maybe these diets weren’t right for me (I can’t not eat after 6, because for me it’s actually the middle of the working day).

Besides, I can’t live without sweets, and I don’t have time for the gym, because I work a lot :) All of this could certainly be wrong, but what can you do, that’s how it is. Add in the normal annual weight gain associated with growing older. In general, the scales in the bathroom began to make me very upset and sad. Even if I didn't stand on them. And in general, any thoughts about my figure when looking in the mirror were rather bleak and far from optimistic.

The only thing that really helped me - and the effect is still lasting - is knowledge of the psychology of weight loss. This allowed me to gradually reduce weight to desired level(and even a little more, and even more than my “stable” figure, below which it was not possible), and most importantly - hold this weight. I don’t limit myself to the range of products or when I can or can’t eat.

No magic or wizardry and no pain or dietary restrictions. No extra costs or running until you're exhausted every day. This was the result of working on my thoughts using the method of cognitive behavioral psychotherapy by Aaron Beck. But I repeat - I needed a little, only 5 kg. If you need to lose more, you will have to pay more attention not only to your thoughts, but also to your sports activity and your nutrition, and maybe figure out the reasons overeating.

Special circumstances

Firstly, I would like to draw the attention of readers that if you have been trying to lose weight for many years without success or with varying success and at the same time:

• your body mass index (BMI) is within 10% above or below normal (normal BMI is from 18.5 to 25);
• if you are under 20 years old;
• if you have any physiological characteristics that affect your weight or shape;
• if you have the appropriate heredity;
• or if you periodically experience binges that you cannot control;
• if you resort to a variety of ways to “drive away” excessively consumed calories, for example, inducing vomiting, taking laxatives, exercising excessively, etc. - precisely for the purpose of controlling calories or weight;
• if success in your profession depends on your weight (gymnastics, figure skating, modeling, etc.),

It is recommended for you instead of diets and sports exercises. If you are underweight or overweight (above or below the normal BMI), in addition to consulting a psychotherapist or psychologist, you are recommended to visit your doctor. In some cases, it is necessary to prescribe antidepressants. In some cases, long-term psychotherapy is required (especially if your story has been going on for many years).

What should you do to lose weight?

What will you do if something so tasty and appetizing is looking at you from the refrigerator?

Well, finally, to the point :) Of course, it’s impossible to fit everything into one article, and there is no such task. I will give basic, most important recommendations. Ask yourself, are you Thus thought the last time you tried to lose weight or not?

Preparing for weight loss

Firstly, and this is the most important thing - no diets or restrictions. We are talking about a normal diet, a balanced one, which includes all types and forms of food if you want them. And when you want. You need to take this path with preparation.

I bet that when you were losing weight on diets, you did this: you just decided something like “that's it! I’m going on a diet starting Monday!” - and started on Monday. Or: “there’s only one month left until summer, so it’s time to lose weight” - and they started. How so? You prepare for any event in your life in advance, think through the conditions, circumstances, resources - and then bang! and let's get started right away. If you realize that maintaining weight is a permanent skill for example, like playing a musical instrument or driving a car, then you will understand why you are acting carelessly and taking great risks. The probability of failure is actually quite high . Especially considering that diets don't work at all., and will have to work out your own path.

What are the goals? have you set yourself a goal? Lose 5 kg in 2 weeks? Lose 15 kg in a month and a half? It's possible that if you stop eating altogether for a while and run in the morning, you will achieve your goals. But what then? Not eating all your life? You know what will happen next: with a high degree of probability, everything will return in a couple of months.

It is believed that The optimal rate for weight loss is 1-2 kg per month. Per month!! Because anything faster comes with the risk of reverse dialing.

How did you previously control and resist your tempting thoughts like: “ One piece won't hurt..." or " You have to finish everything on your plate."? What kind of nutritional education did you receive as a child? What unshakable rules did your mother or grandmother teach you? Are you familiar with the idea " If no one sees it, it doesn't count."? Can you tolerate hunger, and if not, why not? Do you eat every time because you hungry(and not because you are angry or upset)? Do you eat too quickly and are constantly distracted? You can and stay?

All this and much more can be successfully resolved and organized using the Aaron Beck method, and I can help you:

• organize your space correctly;
• I will teach you how to deal with temptations on vacation and at corporate events;
• you will be able to set correct goals and stick to them for a long time;
• you will know exactly what your individual tempting thoughts are and how to resist them;
• you will learn to distinguish between real hunger, an emotional desire to eat something, and a craving for a certain type of food;

When you were losing weight in the past, did the diet you chose ensure that you were getting enough of all the nutrients, vitamins and minerals you needed (or was it simply a ban on a certain food group)? What do you know about proper, balanced, sufficient nutrition, which does not harm your health and does not allow you to gain excess weight?

You should not perceive your body as a mechanical structure made of muscles, fat and internal organs. This is a very complex self-regulating thing, and if you deliberately deprive him of some substances, he will still find where to get them. Either from your internal tissues (and this will not be your “extra fat” at all, I dare to assure you), or at some point you will find that right now you are uncontrollably and non-stop eating bread, sausages, halva, cheese and everything that comes your way under your arm. If you chain yourself up and throw out the refrigerator, then your body will go into severe energy saving mode, and you will not have enough energy to study, work and maintain relationships with other people. You will only think about what to eat - because you have forced your body to function in the “look for food, nothing else matters” mode.

Do you know how to determine what real hunger is or do you eat on a schedule? What do you know about fluid in the body, and why do women easily manage to lose 1-1.5 kg in a week, but no more? Did you know that results achieved slowly last much longer than results achieved quickly? How many kilograms can you real and without harm to the body reset in a month?

For some reason I'm almost sure that you haven't thought about these things before.

Preparing for this process may take you a month or a month and a half, or until you are definitely ready. It may well turn out that you will begin to lose weight already at the preparation stage.

Power Establishment Period

How to behave at a family dinner so as not to offend anyone? How to react to stress after work, when you just want to eat a whole can of Baskin Robbins ice cream, or better yet two? Why haven't you lost even 200g yet? Is it really possible to calmly eat ice cream and cake, and not celery and carrots?

During this difficult period for you, you remain face to face with your habits, thoughts, fears and anxiety, failures and insufficient results. You need psychological support to continue. During this period, it is especially easy to give up, become disappointed and begin to blame yourself for a lack of willpower or something else. Here everything you did at the preparation stage will come to your aid. Conversely, if there was no preparation, then all environmental factors will suddenly become acute problems for you.

What to do at this stage:

• stop self-deception;
• constantly train to resist tempting thoughts, which are especially active during this period;
• plan meals in advance;
• keep a record of successes and failures;
• have a reward system that can be applied even in case of failure;
• correctly cope with feelings of disappointment and injustice;
• choose suitable sports exercises, in addition to targeted ones, do not forget also about spontaneous sports (for example, instead of taking the bus to the metro, walk at a moderate speed).

Support stage

You will not be able to follow any of the available diets for the rest of your life; it is incredibly difficult and unrealistic. Therefore, if you want to maintain an acceptable weight for a long time without dieting, you will have to change your lifestyle and your attitude towards nutrition. In other words, you will have to change yourself. This is only possible with the help of psychology, not with diet or exercise.

At some point, you may encounter the fact that you have reached a certain number on the scale, after which the weight has stalled and does not move. Some nutritionists call this weight “ optimal biological weight". This means that this particular weight is for your body a certain optimal limit for maintaining life, taking into account the metabolic characteristics of your body, your constitution and your heredity. What did you think? Did you think that you could change your physiology and your genes so easily? After all, it happens that you have difficulty controlling some of your emotions, and at the same time pretend to change such a complex biological structure as your body. I think this is quite an ambitious and risky sentiment.

Some people are born with a metabolism and constitution that makes it easier for them to stay slim. Some people receive fairly adequate nutritional education. Some are less susceptible to stress. But not everything, and to each his own. You should not compare yourself with other people, because you and your life are unique. You need to learn to live comfortably with yourself as you are and deal with your individual difficulties on your own. Universal recipes are not suitable for everyone.

However, nevertheless, with some patience, and most importantly, with proper preparation and attitude, you can successfully maintain weight for a long time. To do this you need:

• reduce the amount of stress in life. Learn to live in the “problem solving” mode, rather than in the “suffering over problems” mode. Learn to distinguish “pseudo-problems” from real ones;
• learn relaxation and be able to apply relaxation methods in everyday situations;
• consciously fill your life with pleasant things and events;
• in fact, maintain weight, if necessary, reminding yourself of what you have learned during previous periods of preparation and dieting periods.

Now that you've read this article, ask yourself: the last time you went on a diet, did you act and think like this? Then you've probably successfully lost weight and are continuing to keep it off. If you did it wrong, and if your previous attempts to lose weight were not successful, then think about how much attention you paid to the psychological component? Or did you treat your body as a biomechanical structure, trying to influence purely physiology?

The images that arise with nutrition (food) and physical exercise (movement) are decisive in victories and defeats on the path to losing excess weight.

So what images arise for you personally?

What images will there be today? Any person has images, this is how we are psychophysically structured. There is a famous saying, “What you think is what you are.” To paraphrase, we can say that whatever framework we set is how we exist, that is, our images are determined by our own framework. I don't know your images related to food. I only know that they exist. It is a proven, ongoing set of sensations, actions and thoughts that are associated with nutrition, eating and exercise.

What frame images do you have associated with nutrition?

Perhaps it is: “I consume food because I want to feel rewarded and loved,” or “The process of eating calms me down and captivates me,” or “Refusing food means suffering deprivation.”

I don’t know whether your images are healthy, which give energy to your body, contribute to improving your appearance and well-being, or whether your images are ridiculous - they ruin your efforts to stay in good shape and manage your diet. I cannot know whether they add vitality and energy to you or cause loss of strength and heaviness. To find out, just ask a few questions:

Do you like your food-related images?

Are they able to provide you with energy and vitality and maintain a slim figure?

Would you like to have new images?

Are you willing to learn this?

Are you ready to improve and change old images associated with exercise and nutrition, or change them to ones that help you control your food and sports activities?

Why the “diet” image is ineffective

I'll tell you a story related to the girl Ekaterina.

Katya was one of fifteen people who were the first to try the model described here. Before this, for many years, she tried to lose weight. I studied and tried various nutrition systems, including blood type, Kremlin, Katya Mirimanova and others. Having read a lot of literature on this topic, she knew very well what proper nutrition was and how to change her eating behavior. But a couple of years ago I gave up programs and diets because... could not achieve sustainable results.

“After 9 months of using the next system,” said Ekaterina, “I suddenly noticed that I was gaining weight again. One day it dawned on me: the problem is not in me, but in the diets.”

My food failures

My failures due to overeating

My failures due to poor nutrition

My failures are in myself

And others

That is, Katya’s ideas, her mental framework about diets and nutrition aggravated their ineffectiveness.

In the story with Katya, you can understand the meaning of frame images for a person. So what is a “frame image”?

Frame-image

This phrase is based on two aspects - image and frame:

1. An image is not only a certain visual series, but also a way of action - a series of actions that we perform. What we feel, do, what we talk about. For an outside observer, these are our images. They say: “His way of thinking,” “His way of acting,” “His way of living.”

Some people eat everything in sight. This is their image (of nutrition). Others always finish the contents of the plate. This is a different image.

2. Frameworks are our beliefs, values, views, ideas, etc., which set the rules for images (actions, thinking, behavior, etc.). Some mental frames are simple: “Finish your plate, there are so many hungry people in the world.” Others are more complex and more veiled. For example, sweets after a meal are perceived as a reward. Perhaps, at an early age, this was a form of reinforcement, and we automatically continue to use the frame ingrained in the brain.

It may seem that problems with weight, obesity, overeating, loose muscles are only behavioral, but this is not so. Images are a manifestation of our framework. We act one way and not another because we have certain ideas and rules in our heads. Therefore, attempts to change eating behavior without changing the rules (framework) end in failure. As long as we retain the framework of ideas about exercise and food, we are doomed to the images defined by them. But this is not the whole truth. We act according to our images because they are familiar and we have been doing this for many years. These images are familiar to us and make sense, although they are harmful.

From the article “Images of Thin People”, which I introduced Katya to, she learned something new - she learned a different attitude towards food and exercise. This happened after she herself came to understand the harmfulness of the “diet” image, but was not yet able to improve her lifestyle. She didn't have the necessary framework. In addition, she did not understand how to get rid of the image of “self-blame” and replace it with the images of “recognition” and “food is fuel”, which would help her cope with weight. She had to learn new images, and she did it. In three months, without even thinking about it, she lost 9 kilograms and maintains this weight steadily. After some time, she decided to change her image of physical exercise, and brilliantly solved this problem too. It was a new way of life. She began to think not about eating less, but about what to eat to increase her vitality. She liked food that brought benefits and health to the body.

“This is a completely different life. I’m used to constantly thinking about food, I’ve always controlled what I can eat and what I can’t. But now I don’t think about it,” wrote Ekaterina, “Today I’m attracted only to healthy food that gives energy to my body. I can’t imagine how I could like food that is harmful. It’s like it wasn’t happening to me.”

These lines describe one of the goals of this series of articles. I hope to teach you new ways of thinking that apply to nutrition, food, weight, exercise, etc. These are not articles in the spirit of instructions and recommendations, the articles will provide tools for successful weight control and fitness, i.e. The articles are not a reference guide on the disease, it is the pill itself for it. With this loop, you:

Create new images of “Nutrition” and “Exercise” and new mental frameworks for them;

Are you motivated to change your lifestyle?

Learn the processes and patterns that will allow new images to become your way of life.

Why the emphasis on nutrition and exercise? There are many reasons for this, but the main one is:

Our images determine our lives. The quality of our life - our health, vitality, level of intelligence, physical fitness, emotions, appearance, thinking, etc. - are a consequence of the quality of our images (life, thinking, etc.). Therefore, if you want to live a higher quality life, then you need to learn high-quality images. And for this we need new frameworks.

I would like to warn you: new images are not a panacea! Three of the first fifteen who read the articles were never successful. This is a stable percentage of failures, and it remained the same in the future. Why you ask? They didn’t even get through the first chapter, didn’t try to understand and comprehend. One of the women wrote that she was counting on a “magic recipe”, but to think... she has enough household chores. Therefore, she is not interested in articles. She never read a single line of them.

This is a clear example of incorrect thinking frames. Mental frameworks can erase everything that goes beyond them - any interest, commitment, perseverance. If you take this into account, it will lead to images of “impatience”, “inability to finish what you start”, “a tendency to look for the easy way out”. This is why articles are not for everyone. If your internal framework does not even allow you to read the articles and you cannot (or do not want) to overcome them, if you decide to remain faithful to them until the end of your life, then these articles are not for you. They won't help you. They are not intended for this. Articles for those who want to change their lives, they help to understand the ways of change and make the road easier.

The articles do not contain magic or a panacea for all problems. Only the yellow press promises help without personal effort. If your mental framework leads you into the arms of this kind of unscrupulous “healers,” then do not read this series of articles. After all, you prefer the images of a “sobbing victim” (“I tried so hard. I tried the advertised ultra-modern method, and even that didn’t help. There’s something wrong with me. I’m not like an ordinary person”). Many people continue to be guided by images that came from childhood, they are contained in the words “Still, there must be a quick, simple and convenient way to be slim and energetic!” As a child, when starting to explore the world, there were always easy ways to solve problems, because there were elders who could take the decision upon themselves. Such frameworks force us to continue the same way of life, because of which we remain fat, depressed, absent-minded people.

Our body is designed in such a way that such images based on these frameworks will never work. They only complicate the situation. Proponents of diets are very familiar with the “yo-yo” effect, when the result of weight loss, at the end of the diet, is offset by weight gain. Wrong frames nullify all efforts and only add fat.

You will be able to master frame images for weight control and excellent physical shape, which are described in the articles, provided that certain conditions are met:

Recognize and recognize the existence of your mental frames and behavioral patterns;

Get into the essence of the articles, spend time and energy on it, and practice. You must not only read the articles, but also let them pass through yourself, realizing that it is written about you. Find similar examples in yourself;

Open yourself to learning new images;

Treat yourself kindly (the image of “condemnation” will only hinder);

Learn to be able to refuse, without regret, from previous images;

Give yourself permission to feel, look, and enjoy strength and energy.

In the initial articles we will talk about nutrition and food. But this does not mean that it will be enough for you to create a new image of “Nutrition”. It is impossible to lose weight irreversibly on diet alone. You will have to lead an active life every day, strengthening your cardiovascular system and increasing your metabolic rate. This will allow you to get rid of fat faster and more reliably. And one more thing: to read the articles you will have to call on your intellect.

I can't chew every moment down to the most basic things. A text written for a schoolchild will scare off a thinking person, and an overly academic narrative can intimidate a non-specialist, so the articles are written for the average thinking person. If you have the determination to become fit and slim, come with me, we will create completely new lifestyles. I promise that the articles will be interesting and exciting - of course, if you are interested in how to stop being shapeless and fat.

P.S. As a method of semantics, I will use some linguistic features, even if it does not seem strange. For example: "etc." or "etc." they allow you to abandon dogmatism, which implies that what is said once and for all. The ellipsis in the text means: stop, hesitate, think about the phrases and their varied meaning.

“There is a non-stop connection between the mind and body, but the brain still takes priority because it controls our behavior,” says Janet Thompson, author of Think More, Eat Less. She is convinced that extra pounds are nothing more than a consequence of contradictory, confusing signals coming to the body from the brain, sabotaging weight loss.

Have you ever been told that you are already thin? Or, on the contrary, that you are plump and will remain that way forever, because it’s better not to argue with nature? Has someone you value highly mentioned that dieting is a waste of time?

Any of these messages can get stuck in your head and become a source of problems with weight loss, turning into beliefs. There is a dangerous emotional connection with food: we only stop eating when we are hungry and stop when we feel full. But don’t rush to run to the store for a cake and chocolate - all is not lost! There are special psychological exercises that will help change the situation for the better.

1. Think about how you will look and feel a month after you reach your goal of losing excess weight, becoming slim and healthy. Now imagine yourself three months after that, and then six months later.

Concentrate on these images for exactly one minute before you fall asleep in the evening, and for another minute immediately after you wake up in the morning: while you are in a half-asleep state between sleep and reality, which is very reminiscent of a trance. Creating powerful positive emotions helps build confidence in your ability to succeed.

2. Be sure to record in writing (it’s better to do this on a separate card made of thick cardboard) what exactly you want to achieve, why you are losing weight, what is your goal?

Put on “control” jeans, run a marathon, become more resilient, healthier, do the splits, completely change your wardrobe?

Also write down what you are ready to do (and will do) for this result: “I will eat less” or “I will train in such and such a mode.” Read this card out loud at least twice a day. (Editor's note: with all due respect to Janet Thompson, we still recommend using the present rather than the future tense in these formulations, so that both you and your subconscious do not have additional temptations to postpone the start of active actions. “I want to achieve this -that? and from now on, for this I do such and such.”)

3. Find out what unconstructive thoughts and behavioral patterns prevented you from achieving your goals in the past.

Make a list of all the habits that are preventing you from losing weight (ordering pizza too often, drinking too much alcohol or sweets, etc.). Then write a list of alternative behaviors that you intend to pursue.

4. Keep a food diary and write down everything you put in your mouth.

5. Research confirms that even if you don't consciously restrict your diet, journaling can make you more conscious of what you eat.

Spend time in the company of like-minded people who have either already achieved their goals or have plans similar to yours.

In this case, your subconscious will constantly process not only your personal experience, but also the general one..

6. Never use food as a reward or treatment.

Eat only because your body needs fuel, but give it the best quality fuel.

7. Never forbid yourself anything from food.)

A popular psychological technique called neurolinguistic programming is used in a variety of areas of life. The attitude towards it is ambiguous, because it invades the consciousness of the individual. But sometimes its use is justified, and its success is confirmed by specific stories. An example is NLP for weight loss. Many people dream of getting rid of extra pounds, but not everyone decides to resort to NLP, since they have heard a lot of conflicting reviews about it. The effectiveness of the technique largely depends on the efforts of the person himself.

Principles of NLP for weight loss

When using the neurolinguistic programming technique, a change in consciousness occurs due to the instillation of certain thoughts in a person, provoking the manifestation of emotions. When dealing with the problem of excess weight, the main idea is: having a slim figure is great, a slim person achieves greater success at a faster pace, others are drawn to him.

Negative emotions are contraindicated at the beginning of weight loss work using NLP: a positive psychological attitude is important. You can’t scold yourself for being overweight or allow other people to humiliate you.

It is necessary to set a goal for yourself, it should not be narrow - to lose weight, it is better to get a slim figure. But this is a visible goal, and you need to see all the hidden benefits from such a state, visualize them. Among them can be both small ones - to buy a fashionable dress, and global ones - to get married. The desire to achieve them will inspire you to quickly become slimmer. It wouldn’t hurt to start implementing these goals even before completing the NLP weight loss course.

Another important component is a relaxed state; the whole body and brain must be ready for changes. You should forget about problems. If possible, then temporarily reduce the number of contacts with the outside world so that your attention does not wander.

Internal dialogue is a useful tool for those who want to lose weight.

You need to try to look into the very depths of your subconscious to understand what pushes you to eat an extra piece. Possible reasons include:

• stress, anxiety are a reaction to certain events that cause negative emotions, you want to eat them faster;
• the presence of free time and the inability to organize one’s leisure time lead to increased absorption of food;
• food for company, when, while spending time with family or friends, there is a desire to eat more than necessary;
• a daily routine in which a lot of time is spent at work, which is why there is no normal nutrition, instead of which there are snacks on the go, a person learns to eat this way at home.

You should be prepared to completely change your lifestyle: the success of the NLP technique does not negate the need to maintain an appropriate lifestyle:

• compliance with the daily routine;
• exercises to maintain physical fitness;
• proper organization of meals.

A well-developed imagination helps in the fight against overeating: just imagine a piece of meat in detail, what it is made from, and a plate of salad. In most cases, preference will be given to the latter.

Barriers to the effectiveness of NLP methods

There are several statements, under the active influence of which a person cannot lose weight. Among them are:

• the abundance of various products in stores that look extremely appetizing, which encourages them to try;
• behavioral stereotypes - an established habit of consuming large amounts of food;
• the conviction that it is impolite to refuse when offered a treat;
• the desire for pleasure that food brings;
• the belief that fatness is an excellent means of self-expression that should not be gotten rid of.

Each of these stereotypes must be broken for the neurolinguistic programming technique to be successful.

Basic NLP techniques for weight loss

These methods are extremely popular among people who dream of losing weight quickly and permanently. The success of their use depends on the efforts of the person himself.

Snowball

Under such a strange name lies a proven method of influencing the psyche. Thanks to Australian scientists, it was found that the contemplation of sweet foods awakens pleasure hormones in a person, and the sweet tooth begins to look forward to devouring the treasured delicacy. These sensations can be interrupted by looking at the “white noise” (flickering) on ​​the TV screen. It causes unconscious anxiety, which blocks the development of the pleasure hormone.

You can watch “snowball” on TV by unplugging the cord from the outlet or turning the antenna. To always have such an image at hand, just download it from the Internet to your phone.

Food photos

Looking at pictures of food can help reduce your appetite. The peculiarity of this method is that the diet does not need adjustment. You should take pictures of the plates with the food you want to eat. Further, to successfully implement this method, you must adhere to several conditions:

• while contemplating a photograph (preferably without processing by photo editors), you should not smell the food on the plates; it is better to leave the room;
• after 15-20 minutes you need to return to the plate, smell the food, but do not eat right away, but wait until the picture of food is strengthened in the brain;
• This procedure must be repeated once every 2 weeks, then take a month’s rest; if the amount of food consumed has not decreased, then repeat the method again.

Male gaze

It is generally accepted that victims of overeating, especially women, react violently when a man looks at them reproachfully. If this happens at the moment when they are preparing to eat a hearty meal, then with a high probability many of them will refuse the extra portion. The solution to the problem is obvious - print out a photo of a man with the most stern expression on his face and hang it next to the kitchen table or refrigerator.

Reading books

This option is seen as the equivalent of delicious food. You need to find an interesting book, immersion in which will allow you to forget about food. You can also take a book with you to the table; it has been proven that reading reduces the amount of food eaten by several times.

Conclusion

Neurolinguistic programming is a controversial technique for weight loss, which is best used under the supervision of a weight loss specialist. He will be able to suggest all the pitfalls, see the risks and choose the most suitable NLP method for a given person.