The Fat-Loss Mindset
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Despite the common misconception that the word “dieting” is derived from some Latin word connoting death (although it really feels like it should be), it can be traced back to the Classical Greek term diaita, which means “regular daily work.”
Anyone who has ever cut weight will understand that dieting is hard work—arguably harder than training. We are literally at war with our biological systems when we induce fat loss, and our body’s defense mechanisms of hunger, cravings, and lethargy are very powerful. It quickly becomes a literal game of mind over matter; Mind over that jar of peanut butter, Mind over that plate of fries or Mind over donuts.
Psychological Warfare
But what if you could just as easily use psychological warfare on your biological systems to work for you instead of against you? A study published in the Journal of Health Psychology in 2011 by Crum et al. tested whether mindset could affect physiological markers of satiation as measured by ghrelin, also known as the hunger hormone. This hormone is largely responsible for appetite regulation and our subjective experience of hunger. The higher our ghrelin levels, the hungrier we feel.
In this study, participants consumed a 380-calorie milkshake believing that it was either an “indulgent” treat that contained 620 calories or a “sensible” shake that contained 140 calories. After consumption, they were asked to report and rate their feeling of fullness, and a measurement of their ghrelin level was taken. Those who believed that the milkshake had 620 calories in it felt fuller and had a dramatic drop in ghrelin levels. In contrast, those who thought they had consumed only 140 calories had a flat ghrelin response to the shake and did not subjectively feel as full as the other group.
In other words, our mindsets can have a very strong effect on the feeling of satiety following food intake. That’s amazing considering what the results of the study are proposing: Your thoughts can change your hormone levels!
This study is not the only one that highlights the importance of cognition involved with satiety and its effects on consequent food intake. Another interesting piece of research to note whose results converge with the article we are discussing here is a 2013 study conducted by Hogenkamp et al. and released in Obesity (Silver Spring) showing that when the amount of food eaten was not enough to trigger a state of physiological satiety, cognition was able to compensate and induce feelings of fullness.
Practical Implications
Are we advocating for you to stare at that stick of celery that you’re having for meal #3 while chanting “you are loaded with calories” five times before you eat it to overcome hunger? No. But we are saying that when the hunger and discomfort of your cutting cycle is getting to you, a change of mindset could be extremely helpful. The practical implications of these studies that can help you during your cutting cycle include the following:
1. Stop buying reduced-calorie foods.
If the perception of a food’s low-calorie characteristics leads to lower subjective feelings of fullness, then it would be wise to put down the reduced-fat peanut butter and sugar-free Jello. Sometimes those 100-calorie snack pack cookies are a godsend when we’re craving something sweet, but it’s probably going to take six more packs to really feel like you’ve eaten something—and you know what you could’ve eaten with 700 calories instead of processed cardboard? We’ll leave that to your imagination.
2. Focus on the feeling of fullness instead of hunger.
This seems to be a no-brainer, but sometimes when we lose weight, we tend to lose our minds in the process as well if the cut is harsh enough. The more you focus on the hunger, the more intense the feelings. Instead, remind yourself why you’re doing this. Be glad for the wholesome foods that you’re putting in your body and be aware of how nutritious they are on the macro- and micronutrient levels. Embrace and appreciate the process.
After all, we live in our bodies through our minds. You can’t train your body without training your mind as well!