A large number of specialists from different professions deal with the problems of excess weight: a fitness trainer helps you choose exercises and determine a suitable exercise regimen, a nutritionist can give recommendations on how to adjust your diet, doctors make diagnoses and prescribe treatment (for example, in case of hormonal imbalance).What role does a psychologist play in the process of losing weight, and how can he be useful to a person losing weight?1. Analyze your current lifestyle: diet, bad habits, level of physical activity. For example, during the conversation it may turn out that you go hungry all day and only find time to eat in the evening. Of course, this diet most likely provokes overeating, because in a state of hunger and fatigue it is very difficult to control yourself and not exceed your daily calorie intake. The thought “I haven’t eaten all day, so I don’t have to deny myself anything” can also add fuel to the fire. And then it turns out that you relax and eat much more than you planned. It turns out that, due to a disrupted diet, you have thoughts that provoke you to eat more. This habit greatly affects your weight. There can be several “bad” habits, which is why it is so important to recognize them and correct them.2. Identify thoughts and beliefs that negatively affect eating behavior. Often, in response to the complaint “I’ve gained weight,” you can hear advice from friends: “Just eat less and that’s it.” Usually such recommendations only cause irritation, because this is the main problem: it is very difficult to simply stop and stop eating. Therefore, it is important to find out in what situations and conditions you overeat. Often food helps cope with emotions: anxiety, boredom, sadness. This process is often called “emotional eating.” Also popular is the habit of eating “for company” when you are not at all hungry. For example, you can easily give up baking when you are at home, but if you meet with friends in a cafe, you have a “belly celebration” and overeat on desserts.3. Learn to cope with emotions without the help of food, consolidate new eating habits. After the main habits have been identified, we need to think about how we can correct them. For example, after weighing, if the result is “bad,” you eat this problem with ice cream/chips/buns . If we analyze the situation, we will find that the logic here is broken: it turns out that you have gained weight, found out about it and decided to take an additional intake of high-calorie food. But if we analyze this situation in more detail, then, most likely, we will find provocative thoughts: “ You will never lose weight”, “you are weak-willed and weak”, etc. In the moment we believe in these thoughts, and in order to somehow ease our worries about this we eat. Working with a psychologist, you will have the opportunity to learn to realize what thoughts you provoke overeating, cope with emotions without the help of food, and master self-regulation techniques. Also, in difficult moments, you can get support from a specialist. Later you will realize in what situations you are most vulnerable, and you will be able to understand how to help yourself in such moments. Psychological factors are very important to consider in the process of losing weight, but do not forget about physical health. Somewhere I heard the expression “a fat man is a hungry man.” This phrase means that the body does not receive the necessary nutrients in the proper amount; it lacks something. The problem may be in the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, for example, or in a lack of vitamins of some group. It is better to approach the problem of excess weight comprehensively. Therefore, if you suspect that there are health problems, then it is better to consult a doctor. What else do you think a psychologist can be useful in working with excess weight? If the topic resonates, sign up for a consultation with me. I will help you get rid of overeating and normalize nutrition through working with your emotional state.