Successful long term weight loss requires an understanding of the basic nutrition of weight gain. Physiological and biochemical modifications occur through the consumption of poor quality foods, and reversal of these effects is pivotal in order to facilitate effective fat loss. Any fat loss programme that does not address for example the underlying insulin resistant state that is the driver of weight gain, will unlikely be successful in the long term no matter how much energy is restricted or how much physical activity performed. However, there is a significant psychological component to successful weight loss that is not considered important by most mainstream health ‘experts’. Tapping into this psychological aspect of weight loss can enhance any nutritional strategies employed, and this combination of a mental and physical approach to weight loss can yield far superior results to a more traditional isolated nutritional strategy. The mind and body are intertwined like a set of clocks, and what happens to one clock affects the other directly.
Thousands of studies show that the placebo effect is a real phenomenon, whereby the power of the mind is able to affect the physical realm.
The increasing awareness of the connection between mind and body suggests that the thoughts and emotions of an individual play an important role in their physical ability. It has been known for along time that the physical realm can be affected by abstract thought, and because of this, for clinical trials in nutrition and pharmacology to be considered robust scientifically, they must include a placebo. The placebo is an inert pill containing an inactive substance that is taken alongside the active drug or nutrient. The fact that placebos often provide the same effects as the active pill suggests that the power of thought is much stronger than many consider possible. For example in a study that investigated the effect of a weight loss pill containing ephedrine, caffeine and aspirin, the placebo group who took a pill containing no active drug lost 0.53 kg of weight, 1.38 % body fat, 1.40 kg fat mass, 0.86 cm in waist circumference and 0.21 from their body mass index, despite performing no calorie restriction or physical activity.
Real weight loss is available purely through the power of suggestion from the mind. Believing body composition improvements are possible is the first step in effective weight loss.
The nutritional literature is replete with similar examples of studies that show that placebo tablets cause significant effects with regard to weight loss. Yes it is true that those subjects taking the active ingredient had significantly greater effects from their active drugs. But the point remains that nothing more than inert pills was enough to cause actual and measurable physical changes in the body composition of the control group. However, there is no requirement to consume a pill in order to take advantage of the placebo effect for weight loss. Believing that weight loss is possible and that long term success is achievable is all that is required. Many successful sports men take advantage of sports psychologists and it is well documented in the psychology literature that such strategies are effective at improving physical performance. Harnessing the power of the mind is fundamental to successful long term weight loss and believing you can be successful is the first step is proving it can be done.
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