Psychologist warns of the emotional effects of weight loss pens

One of the effects noticed by many people is the reduction of constant thoughts about hunger and food impulses. For those who have lived for years in a relationship of anxiety, guilt or a feeling of loss of control over food, this change can represent a great relief. However, it is important to understand that reducing appetite does not necessarily mean resolving the emotional issues that were behind eating behavior.

According to the psychologist, food often plays a role that goes beyond nutrition. It can be used as a mechanism to deal with anxiety, stress, loneliness, frustration and sadness. When the medication reduces the desire or ability to overeat, the emotion that led that person to seek food may continue to exist. Therefore, in some cases, it is necessary to develop other ways of dealing with feelings and understanding what was behind that relationship with food.

"A very important point of attention is the speed with which the body can change. Although weight loss can contribute to increased self-esteem and satisfaction with one's image, external recognition can also exert a strong psychological influence. When a person begins to receive more praise, attention and validation after losing weight, they may, unconsciously, associate their personal value with the new body. The risk lies in believing that they will only be accepted, desired or recognized as long as they maintain a certain weight. It is necessary to observe when taking care of the body stops being a search for health and it becomes an attempt to find acceptance, control or personal value”, says Paulo.

Pens can be an important tool within medical treatment, when correctly indicated, but they should not be seen as an isolated solution. Weight loss also involves understanding habits, emotions, self-esteem and the relationship that each person has built with food and their own body. Therefore, multidisciplinary monitoring is important, especially when there is a history of binge eating, eating disorders, anxiety, depression or a very conflicting relationship with weight.

Currently, changing the way people lose weight is very important. For Paulo, the discussion about weight-loss pens needs to go beyond the numbers on the scale and the aesthetic transformations displayed on social media. It is necessary to understand how these people feel, what they are looking for emotionally and how they deal with their own bodies during and after this process. Losing weight can transform your body, but it can also profoundly affect your identity and the way you see yourself in the world.