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We often aim to eat less and move more in order to lose weight. But
many aspects of our eating choices and physical activity are
determined by complex biological systems that lie beyond our
willpower.
Every day we make hundreds of decisions, big and small. Many of these
decisions are good, but sometimes we later realise that we’ve made a
poor decision. Sometimes, we even know we are making a poor decision
as we make it.
This is often the case when it comes to
our relationship with our food. We blame ourselves for not making the
right decisions to meet our weight
goals and therefore don't always succeed in managing our weight.
We try to eat less and move more, but we don’t always succeed in
managing our weight.
But what if we have far less free
will than we think we do?
We can thank the behavioural economist Daniel Kahneman for helping us
to understand that we have less conscious control over the decisions
we make, than we think we do. In fact, we make many decisions without
being aware of it.
He calls this System 1 thinking. It’s
fast, intuitive and unconscious, like picking a t-shirt out of the
closet, or tying your shoelaces.
System 2 works
differently. Let’s say you have an important date. You might spend a
lot of time trying on different clothes and asking your friends for
advice. This is System 2 thinking – slow and deliberative.
How do System 1 and System 2 work when it comes to weight and appetite
regulation?
Many people have thought long and hard
about their weight goals and the food that they want to eat. This
might mean that they diet or
make sure they don’t have second servings. This is what most people
would think of as willpower. Willpower works under the jurisdiction of
the System 2.
But sticking to food and weight goals is
made more difficult because of the plans System 1 has in place. Those
plans are governed by the rules of survival game that is no longer
relevant. The rules of survival favour over consumption of high-energy
foods and vigorously protect us from weight loss.
"A combination of therapies and approaches that address multiple mechanisms involved in weight regulation is likely to be most efficient way to manage obesity."
Science has proven that if we want to lose weight and keep it off,
willpower is far from being the only factor. In fact, it plays a much
smaller role when it comes to weight regulation than we used to
think.
Weight is controlled by many processes and some of
them are outside of our conscious awareness. That is why a combination
of therapies and approaches that address multiple mechanisms is likely
to be the most efficient way to manage obesity, according to the
research group from Louisiana State University.
Fortunately, you do not need to do it alone. Scheduling an appointment
with a trained healthcare provider to make a personalised treatment
plan is an important first step to start tackling the challenge
and make your biology work for you.
HQ23OB00079
Talk to your weight management provider about treatment options that could prevent the weight you lose from coming back.
The following directory is provided based on your geographical location and is not an attempt by Novo Nordisk to specifically promote any of the weight management providers. Please feel free to consult your own qualified healthcare provider if available.
