Various statistics show that around 90% of women have slimmed down at least once in their lives, are currently on a diet or will make efforts to reduce their body weight in the future. In spite of this, the number of obese people is steadily increasing, and the preparations or ideas for effective weight loss that are still appearing on the market are in constant demand. Although the recipe for success seems simple - eat less and move more, in practice this proves difficult to achieve. A large proportion of those who lose weight fail, and those who succeed often return to their original weight within a few months or so of completing the treatment. There are certainly as many reasons for this as there are slimmers, but there are a few that recur. These include a fight-or-flight attitude, over-ambitious goals, thinking traps and unfavourable circumstances.
A fight-or-flight attitude
Very often, the decision to embark on a weight-loss programme is triggered by a specific event that, colloquially speaking, "spills the bitter end". This could be, for example, someone's criticism of one's appearance, the difficulty of buying clothes, seeing oneself in a photograph or weighing oneself. Although the awareness of being obese is usually available beforehand, the aforementioned event becomes the critical moment, triggering the necessary energy and a whole list of resolutions to change the situation. The most common expressions on this occasion are: "I have to do something about myself", "I have to take care of myself", "I have to get myself in order", "I have to fight temptations". This mobilisation is akin to declaring war on one's own body with a view to dominating and subjugating it. The battle begins - wrestling with oneself, denying the body's signals and needs, self-punishing in response to failure. Even if one succeeds in achieving one's goals, gradually tension and fatigue begin to build up. Sooner or later, exhaustion and cessation of action sets in, followed by a sense of failure and gradual weight gain.
