As a health coach, I talk about weight issues and weight loss a lot. Before that I lived a life of yo-yo dieting and food obsession. I’ve tried every diet on the market, lost weight with most and always gained it back.
Today, after years of experimentation and cold, hard research I’ve learned one crucial fact: Do the things that make you feel happy, the rest will follow.
Here are the 5 facts I’ve learned the hard way that I want everyone to hear:
1. Love your body for what it can do
If you’re constantly rejecting your body it won’t function properly. If you look in the mirror every morning and hate what you see, you’re hating part of yourself and it’s hard to take care of something you genuinely don’t like. Coming to accept and even thank your physical body for what it enables you to do is what will cause lasting change.
2. Stop blaming the food
If late night binges or weekend blow-outs is an emotional reaction then no amount of calorie counting or starvation is ever going to save you. You need to address the things you are too scared to face.
What areas of your life are unfulfilled? Are you bored with your routine? Are you driven to madness from your screaming children? What emotion is food covering up? When did you part from the happier, more content version of you and how can you get her back? What new skills, new routines, new approaches do you need to feel the best version of you?
3. STOP EVERYTHING
Stop exercising, stop running, stop getting up early to work out, stop counting calories, stop worrying about what you ate yesterday, stop planning how to avoid temptations.
Stopping can seem very scary, but sometimes the body need to re-establish an equilibrium.
Try to do nothing. A good place to start is with deep breathing or meditation - the most powerful weight-loss tool I’ve ever come across. Any means of stress reduction will lower adrenaline production and increase blood flow to skin, nails, hair and promote weight loss. Don’t over think it, if you aren’t an experienced meditator, sit quietly and listen to your breath.
4. Fats are not the enemy
Every diet I hear of tells you to avoid fat, fat is the bad guy. It’s time to get over the fat phobia and start blaming the real culprits - carbohydrates and sugars. The right fats can help you burn fat, eat them with every meal.
5. Practice patience
Try to let the little things go. Stop rushing through life, excited for the things that never come. A good example of this is how eager I am for my children to get home from school. Once they arrive I can’t wait until they are in bed so I can have a bit of peace and quiet. Once they are in bed I miss them even more.
Stress a little less about the things that don’t matter and save the real worries for when they are needed. If the traffic is a little slower, accept that you might be five minutes late. If people are bothering you with their chit chat, excuse yourself and move on.
Surrender to life’s uncertainty and accept what’s thrown at you with patience and readiness for life’s next challenge.
