Often times, we try our absolute hardest to lose weight, attempting to follow different diet plans and workout regimens, but always coming up short of our goal. Sometimes it’s because we skip a few days of our workouts and then end up stopping it all together, and sometimes it’s because we started to cheat on our diets.
However, while some might portray your shortcomings as being your fault due to a lack of willpower, recent studies suggest that your weight loss issues might be stemming from how your brain is wired.
Researchers have been able to identify key parts of the brain that control things like self-control and motivation, both being major factors in your success in weight loss. They were able to identify these sections using an MRI, which scans your brain and can detect activity.
By having people work out and observe motivational videos while hooked up to an MRI, they could soundly deduce the parts of the brain related to physical exercise and weight loss.
Another important find in this study showed the purpose and effects of two major hormones found in those sections of the brain: ghrelin and leptin. They were found to have influenced people to be more likely to eat more whenever they started to drop pounds.
This could be linked to an evolutionary response that would keep our body weights in check automatically, ensuring we always had enough energy to keep up with strenuous tasks.
The results of this study have not only helped scientists identify which portions of the brain contribute to a lack of weight loss, but also helped point out some good solutions. Namely, cognitive behavioral therapy was shown to have a great amount of promise considering the findings of the research.
Cognitive behavioral therapy involves working through the problems you might be experiencing that might have influenced your excessive eating habits in an attempt to rewire your brain.
A lot of people are what’s known as stress eaters, meaning they eat excessively to cope with anything in their lives that’s causing them stress. This usually involves eating a lot of comfort food, which can lead to rapid weight gain.
Cognitive behavioral therapy can also help you lose weight by increasing your self-control, something that many people struggle with. By making you more likely to control your eating habits, you’ll be less likely to snack or cheat on your meals.