problem internet has all the correct scientific information, but it is easy to find sources that present information that does not have any basis in science but agrees with your own biases > echo chambers workable tipps replace unhealthy foods and drinks with diet versions/ low sugar low fat recipes GET A STEP TRACKER AND WALK AT LEAST 7K STEPS A DAY > BUILD UP TO MORE AS YOU LOOSE WEIGHT BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF TO ANALYSE MISTAKES AND CORRECT BAD HABITS > IF YOU ARE NOT HONEST ABOUT YOUR MISTAKES YOU WILL KEEP ON MAKING THEM OR IN THE WORST CASE LOOSE HOPE IN ADIET THAT ACCTUALLY WORKS APART FROM THE MISTAKES YOU MAKEYOURSELF AND GIVE UP NEVER DO NOTHING > IF YOU ARE FEELING VERY HUNGRY TO A SICKENING LEVEL COMPENSATE SOMEHOW > EAT A SUPER LOW CALORIE BUT STOMACH FILLING ALTERNATIVE (LOTS OF SALAD AND CUCUMBERS Without dressing) OR DRINK GREEN TEA (0 CALORIES BUT SATIATES) FIND ROUTINES THAT WORK FOR YOU BUT BE AWARE THAT YOU CANNOT CHEAT ON ANY OF YOUR DIETING STEPS CHOOSE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY YOU ENJOY AND FIND SOMEONE TO HOLD YOU ACCOUNTABLE AND DOES IT WITH YOU FIND A DIET THAT WORKS FOR YOU > BEWARE OF FAD DIETS LIKE KETO ETC, MOST OF THE ADVERTISED BENEFITS ARE EITHER BUILT ON PSEUDOSCIENCE AND SELECTIVE SOURCING OR ESOTERIC CONCEPTS. TO CHOOSE A DIET FIND TRUSTWORTHY INFORMATION SOURCES THAT ARE EITHER ENDORSED BY GOVERNMENTAL BODIES OR INDEPENDANT SOURCES THAT CONSTANTLY BACK UP THEIR INFORMATION WITH LARGE SCALE SCIENTIFIC DATA (PUBMED, VARIOUS META ANALYSIS). OBESITY IS THE LARGEST HEALTH CRISIS FACING HUMANITY RIGHT NOW AND SO THE RESEARCH IS EXTENSIVE. IF YOU CANT FIND A STUDY TO A CLAIM DO NOT TRUST IT JUST BECAUSE IT SUITS YOU. YOU WILL NOT BE EATING TAKE AWAY FOOD FOR THE FIRST MONTHS OF YOUR WEIGHT LOSS. IF YOU ARE INVITED TO A DINNER YOU SHOULD OPTIMALLY EXCUSE YOURSELF OR EAT A HEALTHY MEAL BEFOREHAND SO YOU MIGHT ONLY ORDER A DRINK. DURING YOUR WEIGHT LOSS YOU MUST TRACK YOUR ENTIRE CALORIE INTAKE. BE REALISTIC. EVEN IF YOU START OUT LOOSING A LARGE AMOUNT OF WEIGHT IN THE FIRST WEEKS OF YOUR DIETING YOU WILL SEE A DROP OFF - BUT DO NOT LOOSE HOPE. IN THE BEGGINING YOU WILL BE LOOSING A LOT OF WEIGHT THAT ISNT FAT - IF YOU CONTINUE TO EAT AT THE SAME CALORIE DEFICIT RELATIVE TO YOUR WEIGHT YOU WILL CONTINUE LOOSING FAT. UNDERSTANDING THE SCIENCE BEHIND WEIGHT LOSS IS A KEY MOTIVATIONAL TOOL. IT IS ALSO EXTREMELY BASIC. 1KG OF BODY WEIGHT = APPROXIMATLY 7500 CALORIES. CALORIES SUPPLY THE BODY WITH ENERGY TO MAINTAIN ITS CURRENT WIEGHT - THAT IS WHY A MORBIDLY OBESE PERSON WILL STILL FEEL HUNGRY AFTER EATING 2X THE AMMOUNT OF CALRORIES AS A HEALTHY PERSON. THE BODY IS SIMPLY TELLING YOU THAT IT NEEDS MORE ENERGY IN ORDER TO NOT LOOSE WEIGHT, AS EVOLUTIONARILY LOOSING WEIGHT AT A HEALTHY WEIGHT IS BAD FOR YOUR ORGANS, YOUR MUSCLES AND YOUR ENERGY LEVELS THAT YOU NEED TO HUNT AND SURVIVE THE HARSH CONDITIONS. HOWEVER THE BODY ADAPTS TO HIGHER WEIGHTS IN SOME WAYS AND NOT IN OTHERS. SO WHILEST YOUR BODY MIGHT BE TELLING YOU I NEEDS TO BE FED CALORIES (ENERGY) TO MAINTAIN ITS WEIGHT IT IS ALSO SCREAMING AT YOU THROUGH WEAKEND BREATHING AND HEART PALPITATIONS, CONSTANT JOINT AND MUSCLE SORENESS, EVERY SMALL ACTION TAKING UP A DISPRAPORIONATE AMMOUNT OF ENERGY LEADING TO CONSTANT FATIGUE, DAMAGED INTERNAL ORGANS SUCH AS GUT ISSUES THAT ON A DAY TO DAY BASIS LEAD TO PAINFUL AND LONG TOILET SESSIONS. ALL OF THESE SYMPTOMS WILL LEAD TO MORE SEVERE AND LIFE THREATENING CONDITIONS THAT WILL CUT YOUR LIFE SHORTER. PERVERSELY, WHILE THE SYMPTOM OF HUNGER THAT IS TRYING TO MAINTAIN YOUR OBESITY CAN QUICKLY BE REMEDIED BY CONSUMING MORE FOOD, ALL OF THOSE OTHER LONG TERM SYMPTOMS THAT ARE RESULTS OF YOUR OBESITY CAN ONLY BE TACKLED BY LONG TERM WEIGHT LOSS. IT MIGHT TAKE A YEAR BEFORE YOUR JOINTS HAVE RECOVERED ENOUGH FOR YOU TO ACCTUALLY DO INTENSE SPORTS. YOU MIGHT STILL FEEL DISCOMFORT IN YOUR GUT UNTIL YOU REACH A HEALTHY WEIGHT. BUT THERE IS A MARKABLE AND STAEDY IMPROVEMENT OF ALL OF THESE SYMPTOMS THROUGHOUT YOUR WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY - LOOSING 10KG MIGHT NOT LOOK MUCH DIFFERENT BUT IT WILL UPON UP YOUR BREATHING TUBES, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO TRAIN AND GRADUALLY PUT A LARGER STRAIN ON YOUR JOINTS, YOU WILL CONTINUOSLY FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE MORE ENERGY, YOUR MENTAL CONDITION WILL IMPROVE AND SO WILL YOUR SELF CONFIDENCE, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY YOU WILL BE ABLE TO TRACK YOUR WEIGHT LOSS EVERY WEEK AND SEE THAT NUMBER ON YOUR SCALE FALL. I BELIEVE THAT SETTING A TARGET WEIGHT IS NECESARRY. I HOWEVER DO NOT BELIEVE THAT SETTING A STRICT TIMEFRAME TO HIT THAT TARGET IS A GOOD IDEA. IN FACT, IN MOST CASES IT WILL LEAD TO DISSAPOINTMENT AND GIVING UP ON WEIGHT LOSS. MY REASONING FOR THIS IS DERVIED FROM COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY, THE FAILURE OF HITTING A SET TARGET AS AN ANTECEDENT THAT LEADS TO A REGRESSION TO PREEXISTING NEGATIVE HEALTH HABITS AND THE ACCEPTANCE OF ONES OBESE CIRCUMSTANCES AS AN EMOTON REGULATION STRATEGY TO DEAL WITH EFFECTS OF OBESITY ON MENTAL HEALTH LEADING TO WEIGHT GAIN AND TOTAL FAILURE. TO MAKE MY ARGUMENT, LET ME OUTLINE AN AXIOM THAT WE HAVE TO AGREE ON. THE MOST RELEVANT FACTOR TO HOW A HUMAN EXISTS IN THE WORLD IS THEIR BEHAVIOUR THAT IS DICTATED BY COGNITIVE PROCESSES. (EXIST LOOSELY MEANS HOW A PERSON EXPERIENCES AND INTERACTS WITH REALITY. BEHAVIOUR MEANS THE WAY A PERSON ACTS IN THE PHYSICAL WORLD AS OBSERVABLE BY OTHERS. COGNITIVE PROCESSES ARE THE WIDE RANGE OF ALL INTELECTUAL ACTIONS PERFORMED BY THE BRAIN. THE MAJORITY OF MAJOR PROCESSES ARE FORMED STARTING FROM ABOUT THE AGE OF 4 BY DEVELOPING THEORY OF MIND. EVEN THOUGH THE BRAIN REMAINS MOLDABLE FUNDAMENTAL COGNITIVE PATTERNS ARE ESTABLISHED BY ADULTHOOD. THEY ARE MAINLY SHAPED BY YOUR EXPERIENCES EVEN THOUGH CERTAIN UNDERLYING ASPECTS ARE LIKELY DETERMINED GENETICALLY.) THROUGH EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF LARGE SETS OF DATA WE CAN PROVE THAT HUMAN BEHAVIOUR SITS ON A OBSERVABLY PROBALISTIC SPECTRUM, MEANING PEOPLE CONFRONTED WITH A STIMULUS WILL USE THEIR COGNITIVE PROCESSES TO BEHAVE IN DIFFERENT BUT PREDICTABLE WAYS. SO IN REVERSE BY MAPPING OUT REACTIONS, GATHERING INFORMATION ON PEOPLE AND CREATING APPLIED PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORIES FROM COGNITIVE SCIENCE, WE CAN ACCURATLY DESCRIBE MENTAL STATES THAT ARE LINKED TO SPECIFIC BEHAVIOURS AND HABITS. THEN WE CAN OBSERVE THE STATISTICAL PROBABILITY OF HOW STIMULI TO A RANDOM PERSON WITH AN UNKOWN COGNITIVE PROCESS WILL RESULT IN A SPECIFIC BEHAVIOURAL RESPONSE. FOR WEIGHT LOSS WE KNOW THAT THE LIKELYHOOD IS EXTREMELY LOW, WITH ONLY 1 IN 225 MEN WITH SIMPLE OBESITY MANAGING TO ATTAIN A NORMAL BODY WEIGHT. AS THE BMI GOES UP, THE LIKELYHOOD GOES EVEN FURTHER DOWN. OBESITY ALWAYS COMES WITH FURTHER MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS. LOW SELF ESTEEM, DEPRESSION AND LONG TERM STRESS ALL CONTRIBUTE TO A HOPELESSNESS, AN ACCEPTANCE OF OUR DIRE STATE OF BEING DESPITE THE FEELING OF SHAME. SOCIETAL STIGMAS CONTRIBUTE TO THESE ISSUES BUT SOME CULTURAL PERCEPTIONS AROUND OBESITY ALSO MAKE IT FEEL NORMAL TO BE MORBIDLY OBESE, ESPECIALLY FOR MEN AND OLDER PEOPLE. SO MY CLAIM IS THAT THE PROBABILITY OF FAILED DEADLINE (STIMULUS) LEADING YOU (RANDOM COGNITIVE PROCESS) TO FAILING YOUR DIET (SPECIFIC BEHAVIOURAL RESPONSE) IS HIGH. HUMAN BEINGS NEED SHORT TERM GRATIFICATION TO COMMIT TO BEHAVIOUR. THIS COMES IN THE FORM OF DOPAMINE RELEASES THAT IN TURN REINFORCE BEHAVIOURAL PATTERNS. HOWEVER, DIETING IS A VERY LONG TERM PROJECT. IT ALSO COMES WITH ALOT OF PAIN AND SACRIFICE. PROBLEMATICALY, EATING WILL GIVE YOU GRATIFICATION RIGHT AWAY, AS YOUR BODY REACTS POSITIVELY TO CALORIES THAT MEAN FUEL. ESPECIALLY FOOD THAT TASTES GOOD, AS EVOLUTIONARILY OUR TASTE BUDS ARE TRAINED TO FIND CERTAIN FOOD APPETISING TO FIRSTLY KEEP ON PUMPING FUEL INTO THE TANK AND SECONDLY TO AVOID DISEASED, ROTTING OR OTHERWISE UNSAFE SOURCES. ITS JUST A REAL SHAME THAT THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE HAS LED TO US TO SEEK PLEASURE AND MAXIMISE OUR EXISTENCE AND SO WE'VE MANAGED TO REFINE COOKING INTO A FINE ART FOR OUR ENTERTAINMENT, RATHER THAN ONLY SURVIVAL. BUT ACCTUALLY, THIS DOESN'T HAVE TO BE A NEGATIVE. IT DOESNT HAVE TO LEAD TO OBESITY. BY UNDERSTANDING THAT OUR COGNITIVE PATTERNS ALSO ALLOW US TO ADJUST OUR BEHAVIOUR WHEN WE RECOGNISE SOMETHING TO BE A DANGER TO OUR SURVIVAL, WE CAN CREATE HEALTHY HABITS THAT STILL ALLOW US TO ENJOY FOOD. BUT SETTING A STRICT DATE BY WHICH WE MUST LOOSE A CERTAIN AMMOUNT OF WEIGHT IS DETRMINTAL IN MANY WAYS. HERES WHY WE PROBABLY WON'T BE MAKING THAT EXACT DATE. EVERYONES BODIES ARE COMPOSED SLIGHTLY DIFFERENTLY, SO WE WILL LOSE WEIGHT AT SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT SPEEDS. EVEN IF WE CONTROLL OUR DIETS AS STRICLY AS POSSIBLE, WE MIGHT NOT ALWAYS BE ABLE TO CORRECTLY MEASURE THE TOTAL CALORIFIC INTAKE AND EXPENDITURE OF ENERGY. IF YOU ARE OVER THE AGE OF 60 YOUR METABOLISM AND ENERGY EXPENDITURE DECLINES, SO YOUR BODY DOESNT NEED AS MANY CALORIES WHILST ALSO BURNING LESS. WE STILL NEED TO LIVE OUR LIVES AND CAN'T PREDICT EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE. PERHAPS WE NEED TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO OUR DIETS OR WE GIVE INTO OUR CRAVINGS ONCE. EVEN MISSING A GOAL BY A COUPLE OF KILOGRAMS CAN FEEL LIKE A HUGE FAILURE. OK THIS ALL MIGHT BE TRUE BUT THIS DOESNT MEAN HAVING A CLEAR DATE IN MIND BY WHICH YOU SHOULD LOOSE A SET AMMOUNT OF WEIGHT IS A BAD THING RIGHT? WE COULD ALWAYS JUST MOVE THE DEADLINE BACK, RIGHT? WELL THIS JUST ISNT HOW YOUR MIND IS GOING TO PERCIEVE THIS. IN FACT IF YOU BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN PLAY LOOSE WITH YOUR DIETING GOALS YOU HAVE SIMPLY NOT UNDERSTOOD THE ENORMITY OF THE TASK AHEAD. IF YOU DONT UNDERSTAND THIS YOU WONT EVEN MAKE IT TO THE DEADLINE WITHOUT BREAKING YOUR DIET. LOADING A TASK WITH IMPORTANCE ATTACHES SGNIFICANT EMOTIONAL WEIGHT TO ITS OUTCOME. SETTING A DEADLINE IMPLIES THAT WHATEVER TASK WE SET OURSELVES IS NOW OVER. PUSHING A DEADLINE BACK IS ONLY REALISTIC IF WE HAVE SOMEONE ELSE HOLDING US ACCOUNTABLE, BUT WEIGHT LOSS HAS TO COME WITH INTERNAL HONESTY AND ULTIMATLEY THERE IS NO THIRD PARTY THAT WILL FAIL US ON OUR OWN JOURNEY. PROBALISTICALLY WE KNOW THAT IN THE CASE OF EXPERIENCES WHEN WE MAKE A BIG CHANGE IN OUR BEHAVIOUR THAT THEN LEAD TO PERCIEVED LARGE FAILURES, COUPLED WITH OUR HOPELESS OUTLOOKS ON OUR PROSPECTS, WILL LEAD TO A RETURN TO THE PREVIOUS BEHAVIOUR. SO IN THIS CASE FAILING TO HIT A DEADLINE WE WILL JUST REGRESS TO DROPPING OUR DIET PLAN, STOP COUNTING CALORIES, NOT TRACKING OUR WEIGHT DAILY AND ALLOW OURSELVES AGAINST OUR BETTER KNOWLEDGE TO HAVE THAT EXTRA SNACK. EVEN IF WE HAVE EXPERIENCE LEARNED AND COMFORTABLE NEGATIVE HEALTH HABITS REGRESSION. HOPELESNESS QUICKLY TAKES PLACE AGAIN AS THE PERSON SLIPS INTO THESE HABITS. IT IS SIMPLY NOT A FACT THAT ONE MUST AND WILL STAY OBESE. THE ACCEPTANCE OF ONES OWN OBESITY IS A PERVERSE COPING MECHANISM. THERE HAVE BEEN A GOOD AMMOUNT OF STUDIES INTO THE EFFICACY OF DEADLINES RELATED TO ASSIGNMENTS. MOST STUDIES AGREE THAT LONG TERM DEADLINES OFFER MORE DOWNSIDES THAN UPSIDES WHILEST SHORT TERM DEADLINES CAN INCREASE THE LIKELYHOOD OF HAVING THEM MET. BUT AS WE CANNOT SET UPER SPECIFIC SHORT TERM GOALS WE SHOULD LOOK TO TRACK OUR PROGRESS IN THE FORM OF WEEKLY RECAPS. SO OUR OVERALL GOAL MIGHT BE TO ACHIEVE A HEALTHY BMI WITHIN THE NEXT 18 MONTHS BY CREATING HEALTHY BEHAVIOURS AND FOLLOWING A DIET. OUR SHORT TERM GOALS MIGHT BE TO LOSE A NON-DANGEROUS AMMOUNT OF WEIGHT A WEEK (NO MORE THAN 1KG) WHILST ADOPTING NEW HEALTHY HABITS AND MAKING THEM INTO ROUTINES (WALKING 7K STEPS EVERY DAY TO START, THEN WHEN COMORTABLE GOING UP BY 1K STEPS ETC, MAINTAINING A HEALTHY SLEEPING RYTHM). THE TRUTH IS AFTER A WHILE WHEN YOU HAVE ESTABLISHED YOUR DIET AND ARE MAINTAINING HEALTHY HABITS THE REAL REWARDS WILL COME BY THEMSELVES. BE IT NEEDING TO GO DOWN A COUPLE SIZES IN CLOTHING, BEING OUTSIDE FOR LONGER THAN 5 MINUTES WITHOUT SWEATING BUCKETS OR SUDDENLY REALISING THAT YOU CAN DRAW MUCH DEEPER BREATHS - THESE UNPLANNED BENEFITS WILL START BECOMING MORE AND MORE COMMONPLACE AND BECOME MOTIVATION ITSELF. IT MIGHT TAKE HALF A YEAR OR EVEN LONGER, BUT ONE DAY YOU WILL HAVE HADE A CHEAT MEAL AND REALISED AFTERWARDS THAT EVEN THOUGH YOU BROKE YOUR DIET AND YOU MIGHT BE ANNOYED WITH YOURSELF FOR THAT, THAT DESPAIR AND HOPELESSNESS THAT MIGHT HAVE EXPLODED OUT IN THAT MOMENT HAS BEEN REPLACED BY AN OPTIMISM THAT YOU WILL RESUME YOUR DIET TOMORROW AND YOU WILL LOSE THAT WEIGHT. YOU JUST NEED TO TRAIN YOURSELF TO ADOPT THAT HEALTHY BEHAVIOUR SO IT REPLACES YOUR OLD HABITS TO THE POINT IT BECOMES ROUTINE. DO YOU REMEMBER THOSE LATE NIGHT MEALS YOU WOULD MAKE ALMOST REFLEXIVLY EVEN WITHOUT THE HUNGER? ASK YOURSELF WHY. IT CANT BE BECAUSE YOUR BODY NEEDS IT - YOU'D HAVE EATEN ENOUGH DURING THE DAY. IS IT BECAUSE IT MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD? WELL MAYBE FOR THE FIRST COUPLE OF BITES, BUT EVEN BEFORE YOU CAN FINISH IT YOURE ALLREADY FILLED WITH SELF LOATHING AND UNDERSTAND IT WASNT WORTH IT. SO WHY THEN? SIMPLY BECAUSE YOU HAVE ADAPTED TO BEHAVIOUR THAT AT ONE POINT SERVED A PURPOSE - PERHAPS IT WAS AS A CHILD WHEN YOU OBSERVED IT AROUND YOU - PERHAPS TO SATIATE AN EMPTINESS WITH SOME MOMENTARY GRATISFACTION - STRESS CAN ALSO LEAD TO COPING STRATEGIES LIKE OVEREATING. REGARDLESS OF THE REASON, THE BEHAVIOUR HAS A CLEAR OUTCOME, BUT IT ALSO HAS A CLEAR CORRECTION. BUT WHY THEN ARE THE ODDS SO VERY STACKED AGAINST YOU, AND WHAT CAN YOU DO TO GIVE YOURSELF THE BEST CHANCE TO ACHIEVE A HEALTHY WEIGHT? WELL, THE FIRST QUESTION HAS MANY REASONS AND WE'VE YET TO FIND A BROAD SOLUTION. BUT TO WHAT YOU CAN DO, THE STEPS ARE QUITE CLEAR. TO BE CLEAR, I ONLY TAKE ISSUES WITH FAR OUT DEADLINES WITH SET GOALS. You will make mistakes. It IS imperative that you understand you are making a mistake, not that you avoid them. When we make a mistake it is common that it is because our routine is unsustainable- so even if we realise we made the mistake, if we don't also adopt our routine we will fail again. Repeat failure also leads to loss of motivation. Analyse your current pattern and schedule. There will be some non negotiables. We need a certain amount of sleep. We can only eat a certain amount of calories. Almost everything else is customisable. Here is an exercise: Note your basis daily routine and patterns. If the patterns and routines themselves aren't unhealthy, don't change them! Adapt the details! Example: your routine is to eat 7 meals/ snacks a day, Wow, that seams high, right? Sure, but depending on how many calories you are supposed to be eating to lose weight, 7 meals can easily be fitted in. Again, you will fail because the routine doesn't suit you, not because you're not unable to lose weight or unwilling to fight. Or perhaps you really really enjoy sweets? well in the 21st century, its easier than ever to make healthy substitutes. Sure they wont taste the same or even as good, but we're trying to satisfy a compulsion, not your taste buds. Ultimatly weight loss isn't a battle against your body and mind, its learning to fit healthy behaviours into your daily routine.