Weight gain and weight loss are supposed to be guided by a simple formula – you have to burn more calories than the ones you receive from food. As simple as it is to understand, the equation often fails delivering the desired results.
Are you one of the avid dieters, who spend days without any food and who continue to gain weight? Sometimes, the causes of weight gain are hidden and difficult to understand.
Eating when you are not experiencing any hunger is one of the main reasons for weight gain. Many people are unaware of the fact that they constantly snack on something. The habit is frequently much more powerful than the need for nutrition.
Have you noticed yourself snacking on something at the office? Do you need to have some biscuits or crisps next to your computer, just because you feel more comfortable this way? Many people consume too much food without even realizing how unhealthy such habits are.
Even if something appears to be healthy and perfect for a diet, it may contain hidden calories that will make you gain weight.
Many people fail accounting for the liquid calories they consume. Fizzy drinks, juices and flavoured waters are all nutritional. Water is the only beverage that is suitable for a person on a diet. Other sources of hidden calories include ketchup, vegetarian wholegrain bread sandwiches, salad dressings, cheese and all other kinds of condiments.
Many people are convinced that certain foods are healthy and as a result, they never take the time to read the label before buying. Very often, “healthy” foods will be high in calories and containing unhealthy fats, colourings or preservatives.
All of these ingredients will be making you gain weight, not to mention how unhealthy they all are. Reading labels carefully and figuring out what your food really contains is the only way to stop gaining weight.
Stress is a major cause of weight gain that many people underestimate. We are all subjected to stress but each body copes with it in a specific way. Some people may lose a lot of weight due to stress while others will pile those pounds on.
To overcome stress, many people turn to comfort eating. This is one of the most detrimental habits and one of the stress coping mechanisms that are exceptionally difficult to root out.
A balanced lifestyle and proper relaxation are of uttermost importance for sustainable weight loss. Getting enough sleep should be a top priority for you because it will help your body recover from everyday negative influences. Hypnotherapy is the perfect way to start sleeping better and to learning how to relax properly.
Once you learn how to relax properly and how to counter the effects of stress, you will become capable of controlling comfort eating and the cravings that are causing you to gain weight.
David Samson is a member of the General Hypnotherapy Register and voted Hypnotherapist of the year at the 2012 Austin Hypnotherapy Awards, London. A regular advisor to BBC Radio London, he has also been featured in The Times, The Telegraph, Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and the Evening Standard.