Rewarding

Probably everyone has experienced at least once in their lives how motivating a reward is - we then feel like doing even more of what we have been rewarded for. Often the role of reward is fulfilled by food, especially treats, in our lives. This is an enjoyable and, in addition, quick way of doing it, and it does not require the participation of other people. Rewarding oneself is a common and beneficial practice, but in the process of effective weight loss, the idea is that other values, objects or situations than just food should also play the role of reward. It could be buying yourself a small gift, going to see an attractive film or having a coffee date with a friend. For many women, buying new clothes, going to the hairdresser or beautician, having a 'beauty night' at home, become a valuable reward.

For many people who are losing weight, it is important that food, such as sweets or a favourite dish, is also a form of reward. In this case, the following premise may work: "I'll have a piece of cake with my coffee on Sunday" or "I'll have a wheat roll for breakfast once a week". By doing so, the dieter can enjoy the taste of their favourite food without feeling guilty or angry with themselves for breaking the ban, and at the same time lose weight - because, apart from the stated exceptions, they are obviously taking care to eat rationally. It is worth developing your own reward system.

Forbearance

The risk of failure is inherent in every action. Most people who are losing weight will fail at some stage. This may take the form of eating a high-calorie meal, losing motivation or even putting on extra weight. Failure can be the result of a stressful situation, but it also causes additional stress itself. A common reaction to failure is to give up on losing weight and to overeat uncontrollably, regardless of actual hunger.

Instead of breaking down and giving up, it may be worth doing one of the following things in the event of failure:

• move on from the setback (i.e. without overeating, but also without starving or skipping meals, simply return to your daily healthy eating style),
• "burn" calories at the earliest possible opportunity, e.g. by exercising, dancing, walking at a brisk pace (without extremely increasing the time or intensity of previous exercise),
• relieve negative emotions (guilt, anxiety, anger at oneself), e.g. by shouting, crying, laughing till tears, dancing, running, etc.
• talk to a sympathetic person who understands the difficulties of losing weight or who is losing weight themselves (doctor, psychologist, partner, friend),
• talk to yourself - consider what happened, why it happened and what lessons you can learn from it for the future.

Relaxation

There are many effective ways of dealing with stress. In addition to the well-known and widely used ones, there are also professional ones - based on the knowledge and experience of professionals. Relaxation is one of them. In the most general terms, relaxation involves relaxing the muscles of the entire body and calming down, which also induces mental relaxation. There can be different ways of achieving this state. The most popular, which include detailed instructions on how to do it, are the Schultz autogenous training and the Jacobson method. You can read the guidelines suggested by the above-mentioned authors and then, repeating their suggestions in your mind, perform the exercise. Alternatively, you can purchase a CD with a recorded relaxation and follow the instructions, or ask a loved one to read it to you.

However, if for some reason the above suggestions are not possible or easy to implement, you can also perform the relaxation yourself, following the following tips:

• make sure you have enough time (at least 30 minutes) and a space where no one will disturb you (e.g. lock yourself in your room, do the exercise in bed just before going to sleep or just after waking up, use a meadow or a park bench),
• turn off the TV and computer, mute your phone, sit comfortably or lie down,
• put on some quiet music (e.g. relaxing music, nature sounds or your favourite tunes),
• take a few deep breaths, so-called diaphragmatic breaths (causing the abdomen to push forward on inhalation and backward on exhalation),
• close your eyes and begin to walk along your body, starting with your feet and ending with the top of your head; concentrate on each part of your body for a moment, take care to relax it, you can imagine how this place gently warms up; you can also physically massage it, stroke it at the same time,
• even out and calm your breathing, listen to the music of your own body, let your thoughts flow freely, don't hold any of them back any longer,
• imagine a pleasant place where you would enjoy resting or where you have already rested (e.g. a beach, a summer meadow, a bath with warm water, a mountain top overlooking the world) and stay there in your imagination for a few minutes,
• slowly say goodbye to the pleasant place imagining yourself as a healthy, happy, strong person; make contact with your body (e.g. by moving your arms and legs), take 2-3 deep breaths, get up from your seat and return to your daily activities.

photo: panthermedia

Help from others

Other people play an important role in coping with stress. Not only can they help in times of need by providing physical, material or financial support. Just talking, complaining, getting comfort or good advice is also invaluable.

Social support (from relatives, friends, acquaintances and even strangers) helps to get through difficulties, boosts motivation, self-esteem, confidence in success, but also supports the immune system, which makes the body better able to cope with the health consequences of stress.

In addition to the help provided selflessly by kind people, it is also worth remembering to seek specialist medical and psychological help. Seeking psychological counselling that is limited to one or more visits or that develops into systematic psychotherapy is not evidence of mental weakness, incapacity or mental illness. It is an expression of responsibility and self-care. It can help to understand oneself and the situation, to cope with it and to strengthen oneself for the future.