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Mental health and solutions for losing weight
Sandy Woon
Introduction
People look at the mirror everyday and think to themselves, “I should lose some weight”. However, a major problem in the United States of America is obesity, around 2017-2018, the prevalence of obesity was at 47.8% among adults alone. Although people need to start getting healthy physically, it can take a toll on one’s mental health in both positive and negative ways. In the world today, many people are intensely focused on the nutrition facts on the backs of products, whereas some are focused on the amount of exercise they do in a day to achieve a certain body type.
Diets
People go on the internet and hope they can find the perfect diet plan. Nowadays, there are many types of diet plans and it ranges within these diet plans. People tend to only stick to a diet plan for a certain amount of time. In order to be successfully healthy when it comes to one’s diet, it has to be implemented into their life and not just a period of time. In order to ease into a diet, it takes time and patience, no one is able to completely change their food choices within a day.
Many people follow fad diets. Fad diets are diets that are popular for a certain amount of time and it promises unreasonably fast weight loss. Some examples of fad diets include: ketogenic diet, paleo diet, meditteranean diet, etc. Fad diets may lead to health problems because it restricts nutrients and food groups. These diets may lead to: dehydration, weakness and fatigue, nausea and headaches, constipation, and inadequate vitamin and mineral intake. Different diets work for different people, so it is best to consult a doctor to determine what is the best way to go to lose weight.
The best way to lose weight healthily is a balanced eating plan. A balanced eating plan is a plan where you can eat foods you like in moderation. Look for alternatives to something that may be processed and search for organic foods. If you know you can change a few things in your cooking to make a healthier alternative dish, then go for it!
Exercise
With a healthy eating style, there will be more fuel and energy for exercise. You cannot lose weight alone by just exercising. People tend to believe that physical activity is more important than diets when it comes to losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight. However, healthy eating and physical activity work hand in hand for a healthy living. Exercise can help you maintain your weight loss. Studies show that people who lose weight and keep it off over the long term get regular physical activity.
When a person tries to lose weight through exercise, they are burning calories. The calories burned through physical activity, combined with reducing the number of calories a person eats, is a calorie deficit, which aids in weight loss. Evidence shows the only way to maintain weight loss is to be engaged in regular physical activity and healthy food choices. Different exercises burn different amounts of calories and a person should be getting at least 30 minutes of exercise a day to maintain weight and increase the time to lose weight.
Mental Health
Social media and pictures of other people can degrade a person’s mental health into trying to reach for unrealistic goals. Once someone starts losing weight, they start getting into their head that they can continue to lose weight at a rapid speed. People tend to be focused on the number that drops instead of focusing on their overall strength and happiness. They use their scales as a sense of validation even though it does not determine how much of that is muscle or fat, and this stigma has to go in order for people to head on the correct health track. Negative self esteem and the idealization of being thin can lead to many eating disorders which will plummet one’s health.
However, losing weight can also boost mental health if in the right headspace. By losing weight, a person can feel better about their body image and feel much more confident about themselves. Living a healthy life leads to living a longer and higher quality of life. In turn, it means experiencing all the wonderful things that life has to offer.
Conclusion
Instead of looking at the scale for self worth, focus on growing stronger and healthier everyday. People go through this on a daily basis of trying to become thin and going on diets for periods of time that may not even suit them. Instead of going for fad diets, try to aim for a balanced eating style and look for healthier alternatives. Alongside a healthy, balanced diet, exercise daily and eventually the goal of being stronger and healthier will be reached. Most importantly, speak to a health professional if you don’t know where to start.
Works Cited
“Adult Obesity Facts.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, 29 June 2020, www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html.
Department of Health & Human Services. “Weight Loss and Fad Diets.” Better Health
Channel, Department of Health & Human Services, 31 Aug. 2011,
Donald Hensrud, M.D. “Exercise or Diet: Which Works Best?” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation
for Medical Education and Research, 20 Feb. 2020, www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-
lifestyle/weight-loss/expert-answers/weight-loss/faq-20058292.
Millar, Abi. “How Does Losing a Lot of Weight Affect Your Mental Health?” Patient.info, 13
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Publishing, Harvard Health. “How Much Exercise Do You Need?” Harvard Health,
www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/how-much-exercise-do-you-need.