Do you think part of weight gain is psychological, and if so, how can I help myself lose weight? -

Question Details: My Mom died 9 years ago in August, and I have put on weight since then. I was thin until she died because she would watch me like a hawk, and since she is no longer around to watch me, I eat like there is no tomorrow.I want to figure out how to lose weight without someone looking over my shoulder. I used to hate her nagging, but I needed it, and miss my Mom so much.

One of the problems of losing weight is the brain...The brain is very clever and if it thinks you have lost something it will do its best to find it again for you. In the case of losing weight this is the last thing you want. You don t want the brain to slow your metabolism down so that you find your lost weight. What can you do about this? talk about your weight differently. If you are 20 stone and you want to be lighter, start off by telling yourself that you are 19 stone 12 and have gained 2 pounds (this will eventually get your brain to start trying to get rid of the extra for you) Remember though, if you don t believe it, it wont work (your brain is clever). lets face it, it is true...you do have extra pounds, so y do we start talking about losing weight? we are just getting back to normal weight.As to eating like there is no tomorrow......well that is your choice. If you eat too much you will put on weight. You are bound to miss your mum, and maybe you haven t dealt with all the issues of loss yet and that makes it more difficult,. Maybe you think that if you start watching your own weight it s as though you have forgotton your mum. Only you can answer those sorts of things. You know best about yourself. What about if you wrk out how long you would have to walk for or run or swim or something else to work off that bar of chocolate? maybe that way you could work off the calories BEFORE you eat them. If a bar of chocolate is half hour wal then do the walk before you eat it. (You might not want to eat it and spoil all your hard work that way, so you win both ways)Whatever you do, be happy.

You are welcome! I agree with your husband, I did the same with smoking as well, it really does work. (You do have to believe what you are saying though) Report Abuse

Well to be brutally honest there is a psychological factor, and saying that your mom is all that stopped you from gaining weight is an excuse to avoid accepting that you can t stop your own eating. In which case I recommend you first accept yourself (Seeing a counsellor or psychologist is nothing to be ashamed of if it can help you feel better) and then get comfort in the idea your mother loved you and then work to losing weight by trying to eat smaller balanced meals more regularly and possibly going to see a trainer (certified of course) to help you reach your weight lose goals. And maybe a dietician for help with meal planning and such. Sorry if I came on strong I m just trying to help

I did the same after my mum passed, comfort eating, all the bad things are the tastiest because they are full of salt and sugar and your body get s addicted without you knowing. I m doing weight watchers diet it s the only one that works for me, having a daily points allowance and writing down everything you eat will put it into prespective. If you only have say 20 points for the day and a chocolate biscuit is 2 points you will realise how much you are eating and snacking throughout the day without realising. You can do it online it is cheaper than the meetings, or go once get all the start up books and do it alone. Once you get into it and the weight starts to come off it gives you more confidence. Good luck.

I m really sorry to hear about your mom firstly - I imagine you do miss her very much, and I do agree with you that a lot of issues surrounding weight is psychological. It sounds like you may be comfort eating more than anything. The main thing is that you ve realised you re over-eating, and now you can do something about it. I don t think you need anyone to tell you how to eat. Everyone knows that a healthy balance of excercise and smaller food portions is the best way. Try not to miss out meals either. I m sure you have a good idea of which foods are bad for you and which are good. By eating lots of fruit and veg, it should help improve your moods and outlooks on things too. I ve put on about 2 stone myself over the last couple of years, since I met my future husband! - but that s my thing, I always lose weight with unhappiness, and gain when I feel settled and happy! So I have some weight to lose myself!! Keep your chin up -I m certain things will get easier for you in time.Good luck

Of course it has a psychological aspect, it s not called comfort eating for nothing! We need to want to lose weight for ourselves though, someone else nagging is not going to work, my wife tells me that (and yes, I do need to lose weight!), so I am really trying to diet, although she does help (I m not married long, so obviously I try harder).The point remains though, that we are fat because we eat and drink too much, and until we indulge less, we will stay fat or indeed put more on!If only it were that simple in practice!

I am not sure if this is the kind of thing that you are looking for but this is what has helped me to lose weight. It s a website. This is 100% free. You put in how much you are trying to lose, and by when and it will tell you how many calories you would have to eat per day. It will give you a workout routine if you want one and if you don t it will tell you how many calories you would have to eat without exercise and still lose the weight. Although, keep in mind that exercixe will help it to come off faster. Plus the website offers meal plans too.This is a website that has helped me to lose weight (34 lbs. since Jan. 08). I could have actually lost more but I have been slacking a lot. It allows you to create a blog, keep track of what you ve eaten, and your fitness. Along with some other things.It is kind of set up like myspace if you are familiar with that, but it is only for weight loss. It is www.SparkPeople.com, and if you decide to do it you can tell them I sent you or stop by my page, my name there is Tryin2Lose2

Breezer - I miss my mom every day. She passed away 3 years ago. I left home back in 1974 and have never lived with my family since..... But I was always a mamma s boy. Anyways, back to the weight situation..... Now that we are on our own we are the ones that need to take control. I say smaller portions.... and snack, if you must, with fruit, raw veggies and water. But, it s the smaller portions that you ll have to get used to. You ll see that after not long you ll get used to it.

Sorry about mum...yes,weight gain is an emotional stuff...to lose fat is the same for all- good combination of cardio toning exercises added with a portion controlled diet...

How to lose weight...? -

im 14 and currently weigh 163, and i am 5 3... i currently play soccer, with practices on tue,wed, and thursday. and i have games during the week.. i am really giving up on everything because im not that fast, but i can run a mile pretty easily.. basically how do i lose 20 pounds, as quickly as possible? i wanna be able to keep up with my teammatees.. thank you!

losing weight may not make u as fast as ur teamates, u say u can run a mile so u have quite good fitness.to lose weight try not eating big meals( breakfast, lunch, dinner), instead have occasional snacks during the day e.g. for breakfast have a fairly big meal to give u a kick start to the day, when u get hungry again eat some thing healthy like carrot sticks, peanuts, apples, bannanas etc. dont eat any fast food and not sweets, lollies and cans of soft drink. try and drink at least 1.5 litres of water a day and stay away form any other form of drink (can of softdrink,apple juice etc.) unless u make some orange juice yourself with fresh bought oranges, dont add anything to the orange juice.for fitness go for a light jog until ur sweating then stretch, then skip for ten minutes flat out with out stopping. 20 push ups and at least 40 sit ups.

It s dangerous if anyone who want to lose weight fast. Losing weight always requires a combination of diet and exercise. You may want to try adopting a detox diet, that can help you cleanse and remove unwanted toxins including fats. Also, ensure that you adopt a good exercise program that allows you to really work out.Find out more from this site: http://blog.health-sex-money.com

I use to be 208 pounds and i lost 40 pounds quickly in a month but i did it stupidly i stopped eating and did a lot exercise. My body was was able to endure the quick weight lost but i dont thing yours will.

Exercise tips on how to lose weight but NOT gain muscle? 10 points!? -

I do a lot of running already but now my legs have gone all bulky. What exercise tips will help me lose weight overall and NOT gain muscle?I m 5ft7 and weight 130 pounds, by the way if that is needed.Also any diet tips, mainly what would be teh best to eat or not eatThanks!=]

well your legs are bulky because that s what there supposed to do if you run don t run as much start walking or sprinting it works to loose weight your 5 7 130lbs if your under the age of 35 that s the perfect weight for you.you will be under weight if you lost any more and that s just as bad as being over weight but Society don t tell you because it looks better to eat good eat fresh food no processed foods like hot dogs or pre made hamburgers portion 6 small meals a day so your metabolisum keeps going all say and not just 3x a day eat more fruit like straw berrys stay away from bananas except 1 a day they have a lot of sugar but u need 1 a day for potassium I hope I helpedGod Bless

At 5 7 and 130 lbs your legs are not bulky -- You are an athlete and fall into a different category so don t confuse weight gain with dress size. You are currently at a perfect athletic weight and size.Guessing you are already a size 0 or 2. What you are trying to accomplish is to go from athlete to Dieter -- and that s a 6 month leap backwards for most people. I would recommend run longer distances at a slower pace and avoid hills and running at no more than 70% of your heart rate -- basically baseline training to maintain endurance but not build muscle.

You need about 2,000 calories a day just to survive so if you cut that to 1,500 calories per day you would intake 3,500 less calories a week. There is 3,500 calories in 1 pound of fat. If you due cardio exercise on top of that you will burn more calories and gain minimal muscle mass. Just stay away from strength training if you want to not gain muscle. You never know though, once you lose the fat you may need to tone some muscle to fill out your shape.

intake less calories than your BMR (basal metabolic Rate) for weight loss) continue the cardio, but do not do anything high Impact! Sprinting,Jumping, stay away from exercises that creates resistance or fast twitch muscle Response, walk! Do 45 minute sessions to burn fat!you should eat five times a day, one half hour from waking up, then every three hours from there on. Have breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, with two samll snacks between. always have carb, fats, and protiens in every meal.

you can t exercise and not gain some muscle, that is just the way the body works. so you would have to really cut way down on your running. eat lean meats , whole grains fruits and veggies.

walking.it burns fat.

try the Little Jack workout http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKCGe2Ezr�� it really works

i would said dont lift weights then

How to lose weight? -

this page has lots of different diets and exercise regimens you can try: www.ivillage.com best of luck :)

try tabooWHAT to eat for losing weight? Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, especially NC (negative calorie) food.* Print these lists. They will be your ... Bible , from now on !* Dill and parsely - include them in all your salads. Also ognion + garlic.* Try eat mostly fresh vegs fruits (whenever possible, of course)* If you really want a book, then check this out: The Negative Calorie Diet Workbook Cookbook - eBook (Win95/98 only). Read more about this e-book here.? Eat fish, chicken, beef, pork. (preferences are in this order)* If you are a vegetarian, then ignore this!* Avoid fat meat? Eat 2-3 slices of bread/day. Don t EVER exclude bread from your diet!? Snacks between meals (if needed): apples, oranges, grepfruits and other NC fruits* Don t cheat ... NO cookies, chips, candies, brownies etc! * EVEN if they have low fat indication... They might have low fat, yet they can have lots of CALORIES !!!? About rice, potatoes, beans, [xxx]nuts, pastry, pasta... you know!* Don t eat too much of those, at least during the first weeks of the diet. I m not a low carb addict, but I ve noticed weight gains if consuming those in large quantities, especially when associated with other foods.* If you like them a lot, try and eat them like one meal. A nice delicious plate of spaghetti could be your lunch (never dinner!), followed by a nice big apple. These rich starch foods are not good for dinner!* At dinner time, chose mainly large mixed veggies salads... with fish, lean meat or cheese (if you are not a vegetarian). if u want to lose weight the best food to it are baked potatoes with nothing on it. no salt no nothing just plain. u can eat a 10000000000 baked potatoes till ur stuff and not gain a pound. i heard that from a weight loss tape. the best drink is water or gatorade. thats a start then when you work out do some taeboo. if u want a macine. run with dumbells on a treadmill. u could do the rocky workout. but thats a new story. u could use a butterfly macine i think it works the abs1) It is not just the amount you eat, but what you eat. Lean meats and vegtables that snap are a good place to start. And by snap I mean fresh and not boiled or doused with better or whatever.2) Exercise moderatly but for about an hour every other day. Spend half of that walking or running at a good enough pace for you to feel labored. The other half of the time use weights, or exercises such as push ups or situps to get a muscle burn . A gym is also an option, but I don t know if you have the money for or want to spend the money on it.3) Sleep well. To bed earlier and up earlier. Exercise in the morning when you wake up, not in the evening before bed. 7 hours of GOOD sleep is a must.4) Occupy yourself with a hobby that keeps your attention for a long period of time. A hobby like this keeps your mind focused and gives less of a chance for snacking from boredom.That is a good place to start... if you see good results, keep it up and modify to fit you... if it does not, see a doctor AND a trainer Keep working out, drink water a lot, eat 5 to 6 meals a day but in small quantities, vegtables are important specially cucumber and lattice, fruits not be eaten after meals except by 2 to 3 hours, minimize the starch quantities in your meals lots of salad is important, your last meal must be before you sleep by 2 to 3 hoursthe most important thing is you don t lose patient wait and have a strong will to be as what you wantyou might have some more ideas from www.ivillage.comgood luck

stop eating oily food. i reckon you are from kerala, where coconut oil is used more. exercise well. go for long walks

Sleeping really helps. So get more sleeping!

eat healthy and excerise. When that fails seek professional help

Diet and exercise. The only healthy way to do it.

do a lot of walking, eat healthy and work out 2-3 times a week for at least 30 min.

walking 30 min a day/ yoga (yoga for dummies is awesome) replace white stuff in your diet for whole wheat, even pasta(healthy harvest actually tastes good) eat small amounts more often. the thing that helped me was a book called the 5 day miracle diet it is not a diet really, because you eat a lot of food, you just eat healthier and eat the right stuff at the right time so that your blood sugar is not screwed up, and making you crave bad things! You eat protein+a whole wheat carb in the am, then have 2 fruit/veggie crunchy snacks before lunch. lunch is low fat protein+veggies salad, etc however much you want of the veggies/salad. 2 more snacks fruit/veggie of any kind except grapes before dinner. dinner you have type of combo as lunch, and once/twice a week you can have spaghetti/pizza, or whole wheat bread w/dinner. Once a week you eat something yummy that you love, but you still have to eat your snacks anyway! After 3 days I was not hungry after dinner at all, and this shocked me! Everything else I have tried I have been starving and tired!!! More details in the book, and its cheap!!! hope it helps! (: