RANT: Restrictive vs Sustainable approach

What is a restrictive and unsustainable approach when it comes to weight loss?

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What does a sustainable approach to your mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health look like?

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It’s a topic I have discussed with hundreds of members over the last few years.

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Let's start with restrictive:

1.?Punishing yourself with restrictive eating

2.?Someone telling you that you have to cut out a whole food group. For example, you can’t eat carbs, you have to eat low fat, no alcohol, no sugar, no bread…

(If you went with some people’s advice all you would be left with is water and oxygen.)

3.?Your food plan is so strict that you have to eat different meals than the rest of your family. (This one really annoys me and makes no sense).

It’s a common misconception that you need to be "strict” with your food if you want to see results with toning up, weight loss etc.

4.?Punish yourself with exercise because you were “bad” today.

5.?Falling out of bed at 6 am to go to the gym because that's what you “have to do” if you want to get fit. (no thanks?)

6.?Feel guilty for eating your favourite foods or enjoying a meal or a few drinks.

7.?Feeling shame for not sticking to your strict approach.

8.?Feeling like a failure because you weren't “motivated” enough to stay on track.

9.?Weighing yourself every day and then feeling awful when your weight has stayed the same or has gone up.

10.?Feeling a certain amount of shame that you are not seeing progress on the scales even after being strict with yourself.

11.?The frustrating feeling of “what's the point” when you haven't seen results from all your hard work.

12.?Placing all the emphasis on your physical appearance to look a certain way to conform to how people on social media say “how you should look”.

13.?Comparing yourself to other people (Comparison is the thief of joy!)

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All of these examples I listed are different points that 100’s female clients have mentioned over the years.

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I WANT THIS TO CHANGE!

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I’m helping my members move away from the unsustainable restrictive approaches you might have been exposed to. (think Weight Watchers, Slimming World etc) Towards a Self-care centred - Sustainable approach.?

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Here’s how we do it:

· Balanced approach?with food to give you energy and allow you to feel your best every day.

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· There are no inherently “bad” foods and?you don’t need to cut out sugar, bread, alcohol etc.

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· Instead, we help you track your food to?empower you?to make the right decision so you know what foods and what amounts of macro/micronutrients?work best for your body.

· Design a food plan that?compliments your busy work/family life?so you can enjoy meals together that are healthy for the whole family.

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· Use?exercise as a positive tool to help you feel less stressed,?more energised, present in the moment, fitter, stronger and more confident.

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· THROW OUT the weighing scales?and focus on positive measurements of progress. Such as Energy levels, mental health score, how your clothes feel, seeing strength progress with your training, increasing steps, quality of sleep, low-stress levels…

· If weight loss is a goal of yours it will happen in the background while you focus on positive goals each day as I have listed above.

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· Sleep as much as possible so it’s easier to wake up feeling recharged every day.

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· Having the?support to keep prioritising yourself?on those really busy or stressful weeks when it gets difficult and you feel like quitting.

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· Focus on?self-care so you are prioritising your mental and emotional health.?This means taking it easy some days when stress levels are high so you don’t get burnt out or sick.

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· Working with your body, not against it.?This means taking into consideration your monthly cycle, Perimenopause and Menopause.

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· Changing from a “strict” approach to a “supportive” approach.

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· This means doing things each day that?support you to feel your best.?Examples are stretching, meditation, walks in nature, getting a massage, lighting some scented candles, having a relaxing bath, workout,?nourishing yourself?with the food you enjoy etc.

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This is a topic that I could write a 10000-word essay on pretty easily. I think you get the point.

Sustainable is the way to go if you want to feel your best physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually each day.

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It’s an approach that requires some patience.

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It’s the exact opposite of the quick fix that most people sell you these days.

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The “six-minute abs” workout….The “lose 10kg in 10 days” detox tea… The “drop 2 dress sizes in 2 weeks” diet…

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Those restrictive and unsustainable approaches lead to getting stuck in a frustrating Yo-Yo cycle of weight gain and weight loss that for many people lasts decades.

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If you are willing to commit to a slower approach that requires patience, persistence, consistency, and making a whole mindset shift away from quick results…I guarantee you that you will get results that not just last for a few weeks but for a lifetime.