I'm not losing weight: the 3 major possible psychological causes

Weight loss: the body is not a machine

Many psychological factors come into play and each contribute in their own way to the failure of weight loss. "The fact remains that some elements have more impact than others," says the dietitian.

It is not enough to stop eating to lose weight

“The champion in all categories consists in considering oneself as a machine and in believing that it is enough to prevent oneself from eating to lose weight, as if it were a simple matter of willpower. It may work in the short term for some, but only in the short term. For others, it is simply not possible to stop eating. ". Deprivation often leads to compulsive behaviors afterwards. Commonly referred to as the "yo-yo effect", the rapid weight loss associated with overly strict dieting leads to equally rapid weight gain afterwards.

Don't underestimate the mind-body connection

"There is no partition between body and mind, rather a form of interdependence and a need for mutual support", explains Marie-Sophie Tentillier in her book. "If we only intervene at the physical level, it amounts to considering ourselves as a machine, forgetting our emotional, psychological, etc. dimensions". By doing so, "the problems come back periodically, increasing" details the specialist before adding that "all the dysfunctions of the body have an origin in the mind". To successfully lose weight, it is therefore necessary to “cultivate an ideal state of mind”. This starts with “accepting the current situation” and believing in it, “a sine qua non for being able to lose weight”.

Overweight: being overwhelmed by guilt

“The second factor is the sense of guilt that many feel about themselves. A feeling that will not create, but maintain eating disorders, ”explains the dietician.

"Stop beating yourself up"

In her book Why All These Pounds?, the therapist gives an important place to the feeling of guilt, as it is deleterious in weight loss. “Respect and benevolence towards yourselves are essential”.

She advances several expressions such as “I should have” or “I could have”, to be absolutely banned from the vocabulary. "The 'should's' and 'coulds's try to make you believe that things could have been different. It is not so: when you acted, you did it to the best of what you could at that time. The look you have today on the past does not take into account the context of the time: if you could have done otherwise, you would have done it”.

The dietician and hypnotherapist recommends using a more benevolent expression towards oneself, such as "in a similar situation, in the future, I wish to act differently and I will do what is useful and necessary to achieve this".

Lose weight yes, but for what reason?

Why do you want to lose weight? According to the specialist, it is important to start by asking this question. “If you want to lose weight to please others, it will be much more difficult than doing it for yourself”. This risks, in fact, creating a lack and a disappointment in the event of non-return on their part.

Marie-Sophie Tentillier also warns against weight loss linked to a problem of self-acceptance. “If you believe that you will accept yourself more easily by having lost weight, you are fooling yourself,” she warns. On the other hand, “if you want to lose weight to feel better in your body, regain mobility and lightness, you are in tune with your body and this harmony will be useful for losing weight”.

Do not be too rigid about the weight goal to achieve

When we have decided to lose weight, we hope to have very fast results. But wanting to control weight loss, "by deciding how many pounds and when they should be lost, regardless of the rhythm of the body or that of the mind" is not a sustainable approach. for the dietitian. It may work for a while, but sooner or later the mind will no longer be able to bear such strict constraints. "What's more, the energy you expend exerting this pressure is not available to help you lose weight."

Sophie-Marion Tentillier therefore advises to remain flexible about the weight to be achieved, also because your ideal weight, in which you feel good, may not correspond to the initial objective. “By avoiding any rigidity when setting your weight goal, you avoid the corresponding mental load: you are more relaxed and you move forward more easily”.

Avoid deadlines

"Rather than a date, you can set a goal to lose weight when you're ready, when it's right for you." It is, in fact, difficult to predict how long your body may need to lose weight. It can be more or less long depending on the individual and it is important to respect your pace to achieve this.

Finally, the specialist insists on the importance of treating the origins of the weight problem. “Believing that you can lose weight permanently without treating the reason(s) for which you have gained weight or for which you eat this way is a very frequent illusion”. The help of specialists is then sometimes necessary, in order to carry out a more in-depth work on oneself.