Building a psychological defense against fat cells: Reclaiming eating control through self-dialogue

Finally, please remember the most crucial sentence: "You will never starve your fat cells!" You might say, "Hearing you say that is terrifying. Doesn't that mean I have no hope? First, you say that the human body is naturally prone to gaining weight. Then you say that we women have larger, more stubborn fat cells that will never disappear. Finally, you say that even the only lifeline, 'dieting,' is gone! Does this mean I'm destined to be a self-destructive fat person for the rest of my life, without even basic self-confidence?" Don't worry, that's precisely the purpose of this book. This book is designed to help you intelligently fight fat cells, lose weight, and maintain a healthy weight; this book is designed to help you avoid dieting, preventing your body from facing repeated "droughts" that ultimately damage your health; this book is designed to help you make small, simple lifestyle changes to achieve your lifelong beauty goals; this book is designed to help you rediscover yourself, happily embrace diet and exercise, and enjoy the full spectrum of life's pleasures.

If your weight loss focus isn't on developing healthy eating habits but simply on dieting, you're likely to fall into a cycle of dieting and binge eating. A common problem is that you can't control your appetite once you have the chance, and once you start eating, you can't stop. Below is an excerpt from a letter I received from someone on a diet: "I can't control my eating lately. I eat like crazy around 4 pm. When I'm with my mom, she buys a lot of snacks and sweets, and I keep eating them for lunch. Is there any good way to deal with this? I've gained several pounds, and Chinese New Year is coming soon. I'm also starting my internship, how can I go out like this? I know it, but I just can't control myself!" Here is my reply to her: "Sister, there's only one solution to your problem: ask yourself why you're eating? You know you're full, so why are you still eating? Generally speaking: 1. Can you consistently diet, never letting yourself eat your fill, always feeling hungry? Can you always control yourself from eating? 2. You impose too many dietary restrictions on yourself, and they're all things you don't like. 'Where there's oppression, there's resistance!' Controlling yourself, afraid to eat this, afraid to eat that-given the chance, your mind and body will rebel; you'll want to eat, you'll want to eat like crazy! 3. You're too stressed. You think about gaining weight and needing to lose weight; you think about how to face family and friends during the holidays; you think about how to face the new environment of your internship. You're using food to escape thinking about these problems."

There are many ways to solve these problems. However, you need to try different methods to find the one that works best for you. 1. Eat smaller, more frequent meals until you feel full. 2. You can still eat your favorite foods, but you must control the portion sizes. If you say you just can't control yourself, you can divide your favorite foods into smaller portions or buy smaller bags of food. 3. Relax your mind and body. When you are relaxed, your nerves are less tense, and you can better feel your stomach – what is hunger, what is fullness? 4. "Mental illness requires mental treatment." If you have other psychological burdens, you must face them bravely and solve the problems. Eating or escaping is not the solution. 5. The last resort – talk to yourself. Why does your body sometimes seem to disobey your brain? Because you are multifaceted. One is the objective you, residing in your mind. The other is the subjective, willful you, residing in your body. When you encounter temptation, the willful you will come out and fight against the objective you, causing confusion in your mind and making your body disobey you. You can only soothe that willful part of yourself by gently calling her "baby" to calm your mind and make your body obediently follow orders.

Tell yourself, "Honey, all your favorite foods are here for you. We've already eaten today, and I'm so full. Can we eat more tomorrow?" Or, "Honey, look, you even ate potato chips today! Aren't you on a diet? This isn't dieting, it's heavenly! What more could you want? Don't be so ungrateful!" Or, "The ice cream I had this morning was so delicious, so creamy and fragrant! (Recall the deliciousness of the ice cream!)" Next time, if you want to eat something but aren't hungry, don't act on it, use your brain. Think about the delicious food you ate today and plan what to eat tomorrow. By tomorrow, you might not even remember it. If you're still interested tomorrow, then go ahead and eat! But be sure to savor it slowly and carefully!