You may have all the right reasons to lose weight, but still be unable to cope with emotions without eating more. Internal conflict may prevent you from losing weight.
Experiencing internal conflict can prevent weight loss. When you decide to diet and set weight loss goals for better health, to extend your life, to have a happier day-to-day life and to increase your energy, it seems like your motivation would be enough to help you lose weight. But that isn’t always the case. Losing weight is just as much about emotions as it is about diet and exercise.
The problem occurs when an internal issue causes conflict and prevents you from losing weight. You try problem solving techniques to fire up your metabolism and push yourself to lose weight, but nothing seems to work. A closer look at your emotional well-being may hold the answer to your weight loss problem.
Emotional Eating
Stress, disappointment, deprivation, loneliness, feeling discouraged, guilt, and worrying can all lead to emotional eating. Food is a quick answer for common emotions. Foods, especially carbs and junk food, temporarily make you feel better, but after consuming the extra calories the problems that cause the emotional eating remain.
Reacting to Intense Emotions
Many people turn to food to bury their emotions. It is a way of avoiding the negative feelings. To lose weight and end the internal conflict, however, you must be willing to experience the emotions and learn how to diffuse them. Welcome the intense feelings, try to understand them, be honest with yourself and focus on how to heal those feelings without using food for comfort. Facing problems head-on instead of internalizing them is extremely beneficial, but it also takes some practice.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy
When handling your internal conflict is too difficult, cognitive behavior therapy is an option. Don’t be afraid to seek help if you need to.
“Eating healthy foods in proper amounts is important, but other things must happen in order to ensure success in weight management.” (Cognitive Therapy Associates)
A therapist can help you see things in a new light, focusing on the positive. Cognitive behavior therapy also allows you to deal with problems without internalizing the pain.
New Ways to Cope with Emotions
Losing weight is possible if you can find a way to calm the internal conflict. One way to do this is to find new ways to cope with negative emotions.
- Solve problems as they arise
- Don’t internalize everything
- Journal about problems and conflicts to come up with a sensible solution and avoid overeating
- Rely on a friend for support
- Use exercise as a way to get anger out
- Adopt a positive attitude and try to see the silver lining in all situations
- Listen to you inner voice and challenge what you are telling yourself
If you are experiencing internal conflict, you will not be able to lose weight, regardless of how much exercise you do or what you eat. Weight loss is possible, however, if you can identify what is causing the internal conflict, deal with those issues, and learn to handle emotions without using food to cope.
