Therapy Might Be What You Need to Succeed
Every year, millions of Americans attempt to lose weight. Sadly failure is a common result despite their apparent determination. The problem is that the underlying causes of most people’s weight gain are never properly addressed. The benefits of therapy when trying to lose weight cannot be overstated. By engaging in a group therapy or individual therapy session, you may drastically improve your chances of losing weight and keeping it off for good.
Mental health professionals agree that the path to weight loss is more about addressing behavior and addiction issues, and less about technical nutrition issues (“eat this not that”). Don’t be deterred by the stigma attached to seeking help, behavioral health therapy is recognized as a highly beneficial tool for healthy living by the most well-respected healthcare institutions in the world.
Individual or group therapy sessions with a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) can help you:
- Identify and avoid eating triggers
- Utilize alternative non-eating coping skills for stress and anxiety
- Prevent binge eating
- Establish a support system
- Overcome feelings of guilt or failure
- Differentiate true hunger from food desire
To lose weight and keep it off, you must first change the foods you eat, overcome negative eating behaviors, and properly address your overall relationship with food. Sure some people can lose weight and maintain with willpower alone, however; these individuals are the exception, not the rule. For the majority of people, weight loss isn’t that simple, and real behavioral health help can mean the difference between permanent success and failure.
Triggers and stress eating are often problems of the mind and not decisions you make.
Therapy can help understand and address stress and eating and other eating disorders. Another benefit of therapy when trying to lose weight is avoiding the temptation of bad diets. Part of learning mindful eating should include mindful dieting, too. A healthy diet option is the Ideal Protein diet, which helps you maintain weight loss and works to end the cycle of starvation or bingeing with the return of bad habits.
On your quest for a healthier lifestyle, don’t underestimate the intrinsic value of weight loss therapy.
Finally, Take Control! Learning to manage these behaviors is invaluable, not just for weight loss, but also for life.