Gema García Marcos

Updated Friday, February 16, 2024-02:00

Losing weight is not easy. Not even a clean pill. Above all, if you take into account that we live under a constant schizoid bombardment that, on the one hand, alerts us to the

dangers of junk food

and, on the other,

shoves it into our eyes

,

seducing us with its dripping display of fat and flavor enhancers

that generate so much pleasure for our taste buds.

And if, to all this, we add the fact that the state of anxiety, exhaustion, stress and even bad vibes in which we have become accustomed to living makes us easy prey

for that emotional hunger

that so virulently drags us towards the sweets, fritangas and bad fats, losing weight becomes heroic.

It's the whiting that bites its tail: we want to lose weight, we get depressed because we can't,

we seek 'comfort' in junk food

, and then we beat ourselves up for having done so. And so, all the time.

Well, this

self-flagellation

that we subject ourselves to when we don't reach our goals on the scale, far from motivating us to persevere, what it does is

sink us deeper into misery

.

That is, at least, the conclusion reached by a team of researchers from the Center for Weight, Food and Lifestyle Sciences (WELL Center) in the College of Arts and Sciences at Drexel University (Philadelphia, United States) in a study that explored whether practicing 'self-compassion' (or, rather,

treating ourselves with the same care, respect and kindness that we offer to the people around us when they are not at their best

) It helps to be more resilient in those moments of binge eating relapse.

In this research, published in November 2023 in 'Appetite', its authors discovered that, when study participants had more self-compassionate responses to their 'weaknesses',

their mood and level of self-control over their eating

and eating behavior improved. practice physical activity exercise during the hours after that relapse.

Which, basically, would mean that self-compassion can help you adopt healthier weight loss behavior by stopping the

always self-destructive demoralization in the face of setbacks

.

"Many people worry that self-compassion will lead them down the path of complacency and lead them to settle for what they have, but this study is a great example of how

self-compassion can help people be more successful at compliance." of its objectives

," said Charlotte Hagerman, lead author of this research.

To reach this conclusion, Hagerman and his colleagues collected data from a group of 140 people who were trying to lose weight through a group lifestyle modification program in which their emotions, mood, and ability were continuously monitored. self-control over their eating behavior. "The path to achieving difficult goals, especially weight loss, is

fraught with setbacks

. Practicing self-compassion (far from what you might think) helps people confront counterproductive thoughts and feelings in response to setbacks, achieving that make less of a dent to them and, in turn, making it possible for them to more quickly resume their mission towards achieving their objectives.

Hagerman has also noted that weight loss and maintenance are extremely difficult and that those who face these challenges typically

blame themselves for their perceived lack of willpower

. "In reality, we live in an eating environment that has set us all up for failure. Practicing self-compassion instead of self-criticism is a critical strategy for building resilience during the difficult weight loss process."

But, be careful, the key for this to work lies in "

self-compassion and responsibility going hand in hand

. "

So let's take note and, instead of beating ourselves up by becoming our own worst enemies, let's remember the words of Charlotte Hagerman on behalf of her entire team. "The next time you feel the need to criticize yourself for your eating behavior,

try talking to yourself as kindly as you would talk to a friend or loved one

." Amen.