Unmanaged Stress Can Cause Your Self Control to Fail

Being overweight is a common problem in the United States and most people would prefer to shed those extra pounds. Unfortunately, most people find that they are unable to do so. If you believe you can muscle your way to weight loss success, you might think again. Although super frustrating at times, your psychological well-being may be equally as important for shedding pounds.

Your perceived health related quality of life is most closely tied to your weight management, so health related quality of life should be expected to improve even more than your body image. It is not selfish to say no to others for self-preservation. Staying in control of your food thoughts involves reprogramming your mind to remain focused on achieving your weight loss goals.

• Establish the Right Mindset - Giving yourself a pep talk before tackling a challenge can help prepare you to perform better by telling yourself you can. Try chanting to yourself, "I can do it" to bring your "A" Game.
• Ditch Dieting - Let everybody know about your decision to lose weight and improve your health. Being accountable to others for your goals is often a great motivator for those trying to lose weight.
• Reward Yourself - Although seeing the numbers drop on your bathroom scale is important, daily weight fluctuations have little to do with actually achieving your long-term weight loss goals. Instead, pay attention as to how much better you feel.
• Start Moving in the Morning - To avoid food temptations and maintain your health and wellness, strive for at least seven hours of quality sleep every night. Sleep deprivation can quickly lead to hormonal imbalances that affect hunger.
• Tell Yourself You Can Do This - Research studies suggest that dieting alone does not work well for long-term weight loss as the body has a natural tendency to maintain body weight to prevent starvation when food is scarce.

Everyone has something that is more important to them, so figure out what's going to drive your motivation rather than waking up every morning and winging it. Spend a little time worrying about what comes next. Weight loss does not remain linear over time. Once you cut calories, you may drop weight for a while but your body will stabilize. So, to continue losing weight week after week, you should be making subtle adjustments.

Most experts agree that you don't have to work out every day and you can even have a cheat meal on occasion, since both give you time to recoup physically and mentally. So, give yourself a break with the goal of sustaining your motivation. Since stable blood sugar levels equate to stable stress hormone production, eating nutrient rich foods may help heal the body rather than simply mask symptoms.