Walk the talk: Right attitude could help think yourself thin'

What’s the secret behind politician-actress Kirron Kher’s weight loss? Is it simply a question of positive attitude? “I’ve lost close to 30kg. No crash diets. I love my work and it’s work throughout the day that has helped me lose weight. The last two years, ever since I became a Lok Sabha member, I’ve been working round-the-clock,” say Kirron.

Can someone just talk themselves thin? There have been studies in the past that have revealed how just thinking about your muscles, can boost strength and their performance. And now, John Richardson, a diet expert and hypnotherapist has released a book called, Talk Yourself Slim, in which he claims that in order to be successful in losing weight, you have to address behaviour first.

It is not food that makes people overweight, but the behavioural manner in which food is eaten, and until obesity is addressed and treated behaviourally, no solution will ever be found, he write. Hyderabad-based counseling psychologist Diana Monteiro says, “Positive self-talk is always motivating and helpful.”

She adds, “Positive talks can be used along with other things to overcome many challenges — like improving self esteem, combating depression and losing weight as well. You need to talk but also follow it up with action. Your self esteem can improve if you talk positively to yourself, but at the end of the day, only eating healthy and exercising will help you actually lose weight.”

Experts say that having the right attitude could help you ‘think yourself thin’.
Those who work on this attitude building claim this works. So even when Dum Laga Ke Haisha actress Bhumi Pednekar was 30kg overweight, it did not dent her body image. She went on record saying, “When I looked in the mirror I thought I looked stunning. My life had not changed, I was very happy and attracted good energy”.

Diana adds, “Attitude is important but doing the right things like eating right and being physically active is equally important. It’s pretty simple, but hard to do.”  
Actress Parineeti Chopra too had said that losing weight was just another mind game. You need to decide from within that you will spare time for exercise. Once this happens, you are already halfway there. But is it that easy to lose weight?

Dr Nandakishore Dukkipati, laparoscopic and bariatric surgeon, says that until obesity is accurately diagnosed, it’s not. “Obesity is a chronic condition defined by excess amount of body fat. Increased consumption of high calorie foods, reduced physical activity and sedentary lifestyles have greatly contributed to the spread of obesity. For morbidly obese individuals, weight loss surgery is the only viable and clinically proven solution for sustainable weight loss.”