When most of us realize that we are getting fat, we think that we should give up bread first and do short periodical diet trials and then cannot achieve a permanent result. This causes the obese individual to gain more weight and increase the risk of chronic diseases. Restricting only one food or being hungry is not a solution to lose weight. Especially if we do not want to gain weight again after losing weight, we should change our behavior. Because obesity; It is a chronic condition that has the potential to recur and needs long-term treatment. Behavior modification therapy, which has gained value in our country in recent years, is the basis for the treatment of obesity. Behavior modification treatment applied in addition to diet and training increases the success rate of achieving the desired weight loss and preserving the lost weight in obese individuals.
According to the study, the reason why behavior modification therapy is indispensable in the treatment of obesity is that individuals have to give up their faulty habits that lead to obesity and instead gain wrong behaviors. In addition to diet and exercise, a weight loss of 0.5-1 kg per week can be achieved with behavior change treatment, and this weight loss can be maintained for about 1 year. Approximately 25% of individuals continue to lose weight after treatment. In addition, it is reported that mental functions are improved and the rate of attrition due to depression is reduced with behavior modification treatment.
Educating individuals about obesity and diet within the scope of behavior change treatment will increase their self-confidence and facilitate harmony with the determined treatment program. The aim of education is to draw the individual into the diet program, to make him believe that he is a part of the program, to raise awareness of what needs to be done to implement the program, and ultimately to achieve and maintain the desired behavior change.
Self-observation is the foundation of treatment. It is based on the definition of behavior that is under our control. In this way, the underlying causes of obesity are recognized. Is your weight gaining because you have binge eating or because you eat too much at night? Or because of changes in your mood; Do you get fat because of uncontrolled food in moments of finitude, tension? Self-monitoring will provide an opportunity to notice these behaviors. For this, the main and middle meals, the degree of hunger, the places and times of eating, with whom it is eaten, the activities during the meal, the size and type of the foods eaten, the feelings when the meal is eaten; A “diary” (record form) should be kept at the same time, which includes the type of physical activity, its duration, and what was felt after the activity. You can decide which defective behavior you want to change by looking at the record and then ask your nutritionist for help.
Another behavior modification method is to make a list of activities you enjoy doing. When we are bored, you should have a different activity option instead of eating during emotional changes. Different activities can facilitate the maintenance of eating control more easily, as well as the removal of ideas about eating. For example, doing a sport (exercise, swimming, table tennis, etc.), going for a walk, dealing with garden or house plants, books, magazines, newspapers, etc. reading, listening to music, making phone calls, doing hobbies (handicraft, housework, etc.), taking a shower, taking part in social activities such as cinema and theater, keeping a diary, writing down feelings and ideas, etc.
We will continue other behavior change methods in other articles. If we want to lose weight permanently and adjust the blood values, we should put aside the wrong eating behaviors. For this, you can start with these easy methods. You can beautify yourself in this sense.
I wish you healthy days…
