Let's Talk Weight Loss

So far in 2022, you have stuck true to your new year's resolutions; well done!

You've maintained your diet well and exercised consistently over the opening period of the year, yet that excess weight you that so dearly gone won't budge.

All things being considered, let's look at why you can't lose weight.

Why the one thing is never the one thing!

Everyone will give diet advice, no matter experience or success; we grip onto it (well, for at least a minute or so) because this piece of advice sounds excellent, and it just may be the one thing! We are all searching for the one thing that will make a difference in our lives, our health, the magic pill. I know how that feels; it is probably why I love to research so much; maybe I will find it one day! Haha!

Who do you take advice from?

This is a question you can reflect on because we can find it challenging to take the advice that we need; anything that sounds out of our 'norm' will show up as resistance in our body, this may elicit an automatic defensive or hostile response or even just an unemotional glazing over or switching off for you. Your ego can be the enemy, and to have real success in your health goals, examining your mindset is essential. Who are you listening to? Have they achieved what you want?

I have tried so many diets, lost weight, gained weight, and the cycle repeats?

This is so common in our society. It is a conversation I am having so often with people who are so frustrated with themselves and see themselves as a failure that they cannot resist the packet of biscuits or crisps. It makes me feel so sad to see them beating themselves up.

We have to change our thinking to tackle what needs to happen to feel happy with our weight. It is a complex issue, and embarking on a diet where we focus solely on restriction, is setting ourselves up for failure. I could go into so many areas related to our innate response to sugar, fat, salt (the bliss point), and how this is used to keep us overeating. Still, in this article, I will focus on the most common reasons stopping you from keeping a healthy weight. You may never have thought about these, so keep an open mind and think about how you feel as you read each one. If you want to make that life change, these four key areas are where you need to look.

Do you believe you can be slim?

Can you visualize a happy, healthy weight for you? This is the most likely issue if you are continually not getting the results you want. You can only achieve something if you believe it can happen.

As you read the last sentence, what was your inner voice saying?

If you think of yourself as 'fat,' 'unhealthy,' 'ill,' etc., and you affirm it to yourself by letting your inner critic take over, "I am useless, I will never be slim, I am just meant to be overweight" then this will result in sabotage every time. You are not alone; most of us talk like this to ourselves. I certainly did it!

Solution

Wake up and recognize until you change your belief system; the cycle will continue. Do you want to break it? You need to be prepared to challenge your belief system; it takes practice, so you can not just work on your mindset for one week and then drop it. However, take this advice, and it will change your life! I know I have felt like you, and I have brainwashed myself to change my beliefs, and I am healthier and fitter in my forties than ever before; I can also still fit into my wedding dress which I wore 18 years ago. After a weight loss of over three stone!

Your task:

Write down everything about the person you want to be, as much detail as you can, specific weight, clothes size, how you want to feel, look, what you want to be doing, e.g., the difference it will make, for example being able to run around with your kids, grandkids, go swimming, wear a bikini, etc. Just do it? Don't sit there analyzing it, do it.

The next day, write it again as if it is already true. Write it in sentences affirming, "I am feeling so amazing in my size 10/12 bikini; I feel so confident as I swim in my local swimming pool with my children," and so on. Get the details in, feel the joy in the words and get excited as you write them. To make it even more robust, you can make a vision board of images, e.g., places you will go, things you will do, and your clothes.

Now write this again every day until it is true because it works.

You're Not Getting Enough Sleep

Yes, I can hear all of the new parents laughing at me right now, and fair enough, a good night's sleep isn't an option for some people.

So what's the solution:

Easy, start by being kind to yourself.

A lack of sleep over weeks or months can wreak havoc on your hormones and stress levels.

Your systems are already highly disrupted for a new parent, so perhaps wait until the sleepless storm has settled, then ease your way back into diet & exercise when the timing is more appropriate.

On the other hand, if late-night Netflix binges keep you from your recommended 7-9 hours of sleep, then some lifestyle adjustments need to be made if weight loss becomes a bigger priority.

Does your subconscious program connect weight loss with deprivation and lack of fun?

If your inner beliefs are that the only way to be a healthy weight is to deprive yourself, work hard, and not have fun. You will continually stay in a cycle of restriction and self-sabotage bingeing.

I had this belief when I was younger, and I have had to shift my belief system and perception of what fun is. This belief system is standard in our society because we tie junk food and alcohol to having a good time. However, if you look at other organizations worldwide where they live easily to 100 plus, enjoying life and not even trying to be healthy, they are having so much fun! Eating highly processed foods and drinking lots of alcohol is linked to switching off from stress, a form of numbing our worries. Unfortunately, it doesn't work and is a complex part of today's mental health problems.

Solution

As with the first solution, it does take practice to change subconscious programming, and to be successful; you have to replace habits over time. Find different ways to have fun, try new hobbies and activities, and socialize in different ways. Invite friends over and make some Mediterranean-style dips, play games, sing, dance, and have a go at wild swimming, biking, walking, or water sports.

Get an adequate amount of sleep and seek out stress management strategies such as Meditation and Yoga.

Your task:

Make a plan; make it easy to start small and grow.

This plan will be different for everyone, depending on where you are on your health journey. The best way to start is to think of one situation where you know that this belief is in play, e.g., the night each week or month where the whole health plan blows up and goes to pot! Tackle this one situation first and change one small thing; this could swap food, drink, or start up an entirely new hobby to replace it. It needs to be your choice and your change. You can do this!

It's the stress!!!

Stress and weight loss are the health world's 'chalk & cheese.'

Many factors will cause stress in people's lives. Some of it is helpful and meaningful in suitable doses. At the same time, other forms can be pretty detrimental to our health.

Managing this balance is critical within the realms of weight loss, and an over-exposure to cortisol releasing stresses will eventually impact the waistline.

Feeling stressed, tired, and completely overwhelmed will cause you to hold on to weight. High levels of the hormone cortisol can cause the body to hold on to fat, especially around the tummy. Feeling stressed and tired will promote sugar cravings and encourage comfort in eating or drinking. Being able to manage stress is key to supporting a healthy weight.

Solution

Get an adequate amount of sleep and seek out stress management strategies such as Meditation and Yoga.

Build your toolbox of strategies, find ways to feel calm, and promote your wellbeing. You are so important, and how you think will impact everyone around you. Topping yourself up and feeling calm will keep your cortisol balanced and support a healthy relationship with food. Please make sure you move in some way every day; our bodies need this and taking a walk outside in nature is one of the best ways to release stress. Everyone can have a different toolbox. For some playing a musical instrument, reading, writing, dancing, swimming, or yoga is their thing, and a range of tools is good. Also, the amount of decisions you make each day plays a huge part in your ability to make healthy choices.

The number of decisions we have to make can overwhelm us, so depending on your job, if you have children, having to care for others, etc., this can be different for us all. The more responsibility, the more challenging it is to navigate the overwhelm and access healthy choices. This is precisely why you will find successful people have routines and work on simplifying their life and reducing decisions.

Hormones

I introduced the hormone cortisol earlier, which is relevant to adrenal fatigue; all of the solutions above can help you keep your adrenals in check. If you are suffering from adrenal fatigue, you may feel continually frazzled and overwhelmed; you may feel exhausted as though you have never slept, even after eight or more hours of sleep (also check nutrient levels, especially iron and magnesium). However, we have more than a hundred hormones in our body, all contributing to our health and wellbeing, and so it would be craziness to try and tackle these in one short paragraph. However, the most common issue with weight center on the Thyroid is responsible for metabolism. If you are over 35 and cannot lose weight no matter what you are doing, it is worth having your doctor check your TSH levels. Hypothyroid or underactive Thyroid can be caused by nutritional deficiencies (iodine and selenium), stress, and environmental toxins.

Cortisol has already received a mention, but if you're feeling tired and exhausted all of the time, or even constantly stressed & anxious. Insulin, Estrogen, Testosterone, and Leptin should be explored when digging for a hormonal cause as to why you're not losing weight.

If things within your body don't feel quite right, i.e., you're always tired, visit your GP and suggest a blood screen to assess any hormonal imbalances.

If you have Hashimoto's or Hypothyroidism, you will need medical advice. However, the following advice will support a healthy weight.

The Snack Factor

Considered one of the biggest culprits of weight gain, snacking will be a surefire way of lampooning your weight loss efforts.

Environmental factors, such as keeping snacks in your house, are the main instigators here.

Sitting down to eat snacks while watching Grey's Anatomy or reaching for the emergency chocolate stash when you're tired and stressed can unravel any efforts you committed in the gym that day.

Either find a healthier alternative or throw out every snacking vice you have stashed at home or in the office.

You Don't Have Enough Variety In Your Exercise Routine.

Sure a walk around the park will make you feel great, but it's not a practical solution for long-term weight loss.

This is because the body is an innovative and adaptable entity, and if it's confronted with the same stresses each day, it will simply adapt.

We need to constantly vary the stimuli placed on our body for physiological reasons to counter this adaption.

So how do we achieve that:

By following a well-constructed fitness plan that encompasses a variety of modalities of exercises structures.

Cross-training is a brilliant example of this, where cardiovascular and resistance training are incorporated within a single program that includes mobility and recovery protocols.

You're Not Drinking Enough Water

Because up to 60% of our body is water, hydration becomes highly critical in the overall function of our body and its organs.

But did you know that water is a natural appetite suppressant that aids in fat metabolization?

Exciting stuff, I bet.

But what's the solution:

You are drinking adequate amounts of water, of course. Not only because it keeps you hydrated, but it also helps specific waste products from your body and aids in reducing weight.

You're Suffering From Digestive Issues

Digestion issues are a crucial indicator of poor gut health, so if you suffer from anything like indigestion, bloating, or heartburn, then poor gut health might be the cause.

This is usually brought about by poor lifestyle and dietary choices, and, in moderate cases, it can easily be remedied.

But How:

By eating whole foods rich in fiber and nutrients, of course.

But the advice doesn't stop there. Consider introducing probiotic-rich foods that can heal the gut lining and return you to a total bill of health.

·??Go gluten-free – follow a whole foods way of eating, avoid processed gluten-free products where possible.

·??Heal your gut – consume lots of fiber-rich foods, e.g., veggies, beans, and pulses, take a multi-strain probiotic, and introduce some fermented foods.

·??Reduce sugar and processed foods

·??Reduce consumption of meat

·??Do not eat raw cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, etc.) – cook well to destroy the goitrogens.

·??Avoid processed soy products.

·??Consume three brazil nuts a day for your selenium intake

You're Not Chewing Your Food Properly

This point extends the previous end but deserves its section.

Not chewing your food correctly leads to digestive issues because it doesn't allow your system to break down the food you're eating sufficiently.

My Advice:

My Grandma's advice is to slow down at the dinner table and chew your food correctly.

You're Fad Dieting

Here's a simple fact, fad diets don't work.

A clear case of these diets being largely misleading and rarely based on any actual nutritional science.

The diets promise a quick fix and promote 'magic' foods but offer very little in the way of long-term & meaningful results.

Worse still, they can be very dangerous as they restrict vital nutrients, can leave you dehydrated, and cause future digestive issues.

The Alternative:

Concentrate on eating a variety of wholesome and healthy foods. Practice portion control, and toss out the high-calorie and sugary foods such as ice cream, chocolates, sweets, and the like.

You Have An Under Active Thyroid Gland

Your Thyroid gland is what regulates your metabolism and can be over, or under-active.

Hypothyroidism (an underactive Thyroid) can often lead to uncontrolled weight gain. Other symptoms can include but are not limited to weakness, fatigue, and dry skin.

Seek advice:

If you are concerned about the symptoms, My best advice is to visit your GP because an under-active thyroid requires a medical diagnosis.

Insufficient Rest & Recovery Time

You're working very hard in the gym, but are you allowing your body enough time to recover?

This factor can be a bitter pill to swallow, and often we're left feeling guilty about missing out on time in the gym.

Having a day's rest might sound a little counterintuitive; however, it's often a case of it being 'exactly what your body needs.

The Solution:

Plan at least one or two rest days into your weekly routine and go for a light walk or bike ride instead. Your body will thank you for it, speeding up your results.

Things To Do:

1.??Make time for yourself each day – You may only have 5 minutes to start with (everyone can find 5 minutes); in these 5 minutes, you may go for a walk, play music, listen to a podcast, read, breathe deeply in and out, write a diary entry, journal about your feelings, do some yoga stretches, sit in the car and do a 5-minute meditation from YouTube or an app like 'calm' or 'insight timer. You can build on this. I have 60-90 minutes every morning to meditate, journal, stretch and work out/walk. You want to get up because you know this is your time. You may have your 5 minutes or more any time of the day to fit with what works for you, and it might be that you have a baby and that a 20-minute nap is your time each afternoon.

2.??Simplify your life – Do you have set routines? If you do, can you strengthen them a little more? If you don't start by introducing one thing at a time, make it a habit before adding something else. Like anything new, you have to practice it and make it stick. The most common things that will help you be successful in reducing decisions, getting into healthy habits, and enable you to be successful in reducing stress and making healthy lifestyle choices are the following:

3.??Have your outfit already decided the night before, or have a simplified workwear wardrobe if it is good enough for Barack Obama and Richard Branson!

4.??Meal planning – weekly meal planning is fantastic, but if this feels overwhelming, start with breakfast and build on it over time.

5.??Have lunches and or breakfast prepared a few days in advance. I tend to do most of my weekly meal preparation on a Sunday, e.g., making hummus/dips/dressings, chopping and freezing veggies and garlic ready for stir-frying, or adding chili, curry, soup, etc.

6.??Have a morning routine – knowing what is happening when you get up and just having everything organized, e.g., working out, meditating, taking the dog for a walk, etc., takes any decision-making out of the equation. If getting up is your issue, take a leaf out of Mel Robbin's book and jump out of bed! Launch yourself like a rocket, and resolve never to sleep.

7.??Move every day – even if it is just 2 star jumps every morning or walking to the end of the road and back, you will build your fitness, and you will feel amazing as it makes. This supports a healthy weight and releases stress. Add some resistance training, e.g., yoga, weights, etc. As we know, lean body mass (reducing/having a healthy fat percentage) reflects how well we age.

8.??Adaptogens are natural substances that can support a healthy lifestyle; there is very little use for them if we are eating highly processed foods. However, adaptogens are just as they are named, able to help us adapt to stresses. Ashwagandha has been utilized in Ayurvedic medicine for centuries; in addition, organic Peruvian Maca, turmeric, and ginger are all healing and supportive in managing stress levels.

Conclusion

Everybody will lose weight differently.

Whether that be due to your lifestyle or the foods you like to eat. Perhaps even how you want to train.

Your body will respond in its ways to the physical and dietary stimulus you apply to your daily routine.

In an extension to that, weight loss is not a straight line from Point A to Point B, and there will be deviations in your weight loss journey.

Make it your goal NOT to deviate from this path of total weight loss, and instead, focus on the simple things that work, like sleep, restoration, and healthy nutrition.