Your Energy Balance Depends on How You Sleep

Whenever your weight changes, your brain will intervene, as it is responsible for maintaining the correct weight. However, what you think your weight should be may or may not be consistent with what your brain prefers. If you avoid yo-yo dieting, you can ultimately lower your set point weight, so that your body is satisfied with a smaller, lighter you. Start by adopting a diet of unrefined, simple, low calorie-dense foods.

When it comes to weight loss, most people favor tangible efforts like counting calories and measuring portions. However, the physical aspects often need to take a back seat to mental issues, such as the reasons for overeating in the first place. If you believe you can muscle your way to weight loss success, you might think again. Your psychological well-being may be equally as important for shedding pounds.

• See the Future You - Seeing yourself as if you have already achieved your goal is incredibly powerful and helps replenish your willpower. So, set your goal and picture your achieving it.
• Visual What You Want - A 2012 study published in the journal Obesity concluded that being surrounded by others with a similar weight loss goals can boost everyone's weight loss efforts.
• Chant Your Mantra - There are so many diets and exercise programs available for today's dieter but none of them will work for you if you are not mentally ready to change your life.
• Get Enough Zzzzs - Your body needs a certain amount of calories to maintain its weight. If you think in terms of your "energy balance", you will feel less tempted to consume more food than you really need.
• Avoid Emotional Eating - Don't give up on your deepest heart desires in order to please others. Put yourself "unselfishly" first and make sure you honor your own desires. It is not selfish to say no to others for self-preservation.

It is important for you to start from where you are and focus on what is attainable. If you want to cook more healthy meals but have limited experience with food preparation, checkout the recipes at the Metabolic Research Center and get acquainted with using healthy ingredients. If you practice stress reduction and mindfulness in food choices, you will be asking yourself whether your lifestyle and food choices are optimal for your needs right now.

Never try to eat when you are feeling over-excited or frustrated. In the future, weight loss plans may take more of a multidisciplinary approach to maintaining a healthy weight through self-regulation and activation of certain regions of the brain. Bad food habits don't have to sabotage your weight loss efforts. Instead, use your brain to control the situation, fight these bad habits, and make good food decisions about your source of nourishment.