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If you struggle with your weight, then it may increase your health risk and decrease your enjoyment of life. But research indicates that you may be able to fight it more effectively with mindfulness techniques.

 

 

Obesity is a serious problem in the modern world and it’s one that’s affecting more people as time goes on. This might seem impossible considering the overload of information available on how to live a healthy life. But the truth is that all the information in the world can’t make you healthy, it takes a lot more than that. Excess weight is a serious problem because it increases your health risk and your risk of serious, life threatening diseases. Now, there may be a new tool you can use in your weight loss battle. And it all has to do with mindfulness.

 

The Importance of Self-Control in the Obesity Battle

A recent study has highlighted the importance of self-control in the obesity battle. It suggests that the loss of self-control is strongly associated with obesity. Self-control is associated with activity in the prefrontal cortex of your brain. This is the part of your brain that’s involved in complicated activities like planning and other high-level cognitive abilities. When it comes to low self-control, the real question is whether obesity causes it or is caused by it. And the simplest answer is that both statements are true. The level of activity in your prefrontal cortex is essential to your self-control levels. And these levels are strongly influenced by your dietary choices.

 

Up until now, researchers have thought that overeating was caused by problems with the reward center of the brain. But this may not be the whole story. It may also be caused by differences in the form and function of the prefrontal cortex. Studies show that people who have naturally lower prefrontal activity tend to be predisposed to overeating. And this can lead to obesity and ongoing struggles with weight loss. When overeating occurs because of low activity in the prefrontal cortex it results in a vicious circle. The low activity causes low self-control and overeating. And the overeating itself affects the form and function of the prefrontal cortex, which causes more overeating.

 

Exercising the Prefrontal Cortex

This is important information because it highlights the importance of prevention and treatments that focus on the prefrontal cortex. Exercise in particular can be a very beneficial strategy. It increases activity in this part of the brain, which may help people ignore the desire for food. This is in addition to the fact that it can help with weight loss by burning calories. So basically, getting regular exercise can have a twofold effect if you’re overweight.

 

Another strategy that may be helpful is mindfulness, particularly when it’s focused on the eating behavior. Mindfulness is the practice of focusing on the present moment and on the body’s sensations. People who use these techniques must learn to accept their feelings, thoughts and sensations without judging or acting on them. However, there is some question about how to effectively use these techniques to help with weight loss.

 

Using Mindfulness for Weight Loss

Keeping a food journal is a common technique for helping with weight loss. And research into the mindfulness may show why. A recent study shows that recording your food intake does help you to lose weight. And the more dedicated you are to this task, the better your weight loss results will be. In fact, participants in the study who wrote in their food log three times a day for 6 months were invariably the most successful in their weight loss efforts. And the researchers noted that it wasn’t the time spent or the depth of details that made the difference. Just the simple act of monitoring regularly seemed to be enough to cause huge changes.

 

At this stage, there’s no evidence that this type of monitoring behavior increases prefrontal activity. But it does increase mindfulness. It encourages you to be more conscious about what you’re eating rather than eating on autopilot, which makes you more likely to overindulge.

 

The Takeaway

If you’re struggling with weight loss, monitoring your food intake could help. It would make you more mindful of what you’re eating and why. And this could help you take better control of this health risk. Another benefit of this strategy is that it’s fairly easy to do. These days, there are a number of health apps you can use to keep track of your food intake. And this is important because small, easy changes are far more likely to continue over the long term.

 

You can even intensify the effects of this strategy by combining this health monitoring activity with others that help with weight loss and emphasize mindfulness. This would create the effect of increasing your mindfulness surrounding this issue and your chances of success as well.

 

 

If you’re concerned about a health risk, try using HomeLab to keep track of your condition and any preventative measures you take. And if you see signs of a significant problem, you should check with your doctor as soon as possible.

 

Tags:  obesity, weight loss, overweight, health risk