Do you struggle with your weight?
A thousand people die every week from weight-related problems in the UK. The NHS spends millions tackling the health effects of obesity.
And yet the solution is easy – according to psychologist Graham W Price, founder of Body Mind Training. Everyone knows that to lose weight we need to eat less, eat better and exercise more. It isn’t rocket science, so why aren’t we doing it?
There are numerous psychological drivers to getting stuck in the weight trap, says Price. Lack of motivation, low self-esteem, cravings, addictions, comfort eating, binge eating and excessive desires for food are just some of the drivers that cause people to overeat.
Price says modern psychological and motivational techniques can resolve all these problems. He argues that a lack of trained personnel is holding back our ability to conquer the growing weight problem. He is horrified that many are resorting to surgery to solve a problem that is perfectly resolvable by safer non-invasive means.
He also questions providers in the weight loss industry who promote approaches known to be unsustainable. Their customers will almost certainly put the weight back on once the ‘treatment’ ends.
Price advocates a natural, healthy approach to weight loss. He works with nutritionists who advocate the same. The simplest changes can make a difference, he says. Eating a bit less, replacing some carbs, such as bread, potato and pasta, or foods high in fat or, more importantly, sugar, with more protein and healthy vegetables…. and exercising a bit more, will start to make a difference.
He claims most overweight people are burying their head in the sand about the health risks. For example, just look at how many people stand on the right of an escalator, he says. Walking up on the left saves time and provides a free weight management opportunity. Go into any restaurant and look at what, and how much, overweight diners are eating. Or take a peek at the contents of their supermarket trolley.
Price suggests, a little tongue in cheek, that health warnings should be required on unhealthy foods. And how about requiring health warnings above the door of most fast food restaurants?
The obesity problem is a reflection of an even more widespread issue; the lack of control so many people have over their lives. Many people’s lives are driven by unproductive ways of thinking and behaving, and most people have no idea what to do about it.
For example; most people allow their uncomfortable feelings to determine their actions. People avoid whatever makes them anxious, withdraw if they feel depressed, eat if they have a craving, or comfort eat to control uncomfortable feelings. What they don’t realise is that every time they do this, they’re reinforcing the programming that’s driving those feelings.
Tagged in Obesity