You’ve decided to embark on a healthier you. When setting health goals I’m sure it’s fair to say that a considerable number of those health goals will include wanting to lose weight. You may have embarked on a regime of watching what you eat, exercising regularly and saying no to fast food, alcohol and sweet treats. Some of us may be doing a low carb diet, maybe you’re trying a juice cleanse or maybe you’re attempting a 5:2 diet whereby you only eat a limited amount on two days of the week in an attempt to give yourself the weight loss boost before promising yourself that you’ll keep the weight off once you’ve lost it. All of these diets can be successful in the short term as long as you adhere to the underpinning principle of creating a calorie deficit.
The Calorie Deficit
Yes, I’m sure you’ve all heard of the calorie deficit. It’s that simple equation for weight loss whereby calories in equals less than calories out, therefore creating a negative energy balance and resulting in weight loss. The short term success creates the feeling of euphoria that all dieters look for. People begin to remark on your success with your diet and comment how good you look. However, once you reach a certain point in the diet you’re not quite sure where to go. Maybe the diet doesn’t feel very sustainable in the long term. The weight loss has slowed right down. Maybe you are now experiencing low energy levels and a lower mood. You may experience strong cravings for high calorie foods. You may find it difficult to concentrate for any length of time and you may even experience a loss in your libido. Your body is now sending signals that it isn’t very happy with your new weight.
You decide the only way to continue on your journey is to continue to cut calories and increase your exercise. Of course, if it is simply down to calories in versus calories out you just need to take less in and keep putting more out. You think this more aggressive approach is what is needed to maintain your weight loss. And the longer we fight to keep the weight off, the more aggressive our bodies response at trying to prevent even more weight loss. Our appetite hormones begin to scream at us to eat. The stronger the signals, the greater the side effects. The cravings become overwhelming. We are now in a full blown battle with our own bodies.
Ultimately, our bodies will win the battle. The mechanisms the body has in place for survival are so overwhelmingly strong that is the exact reason the human race exists today. By continually fighting against these signals through dieting you end up in a relentless cycle that finds you battling your willpower, your genetics and your environment. You then feel you have failed the diet.
Why The Diet Hasn’t Worked
Let me explain why the diet hasn’t worked and what is going on in our bodies. Our bodies can’t tell the difference between a voluntary diet and a food shortage or famine and your body’s job is to adapt and ensure your survival, even when there is a shortage of food. Once you have lost a significant amount of weight over a relatively short period of time through low calorie dieting you have changed your body biologically. Your body has adapted to it’s new lower weight by lowering your metabolism. You now need less energy to run your now smaller body. Your body will have become hyper efficient in order to maintain your weight loss. But here’s the thing. Your body needs to be happy with it’s new environment. When the body senses you are going away from an ideal environment it will intervene to change your behaviour so that it can return to ideal conditions. So, how do you create an ideal environment for your body to be happy in, yet achieve sustainable weight loss?
Why don’t you try a slightly less extreme approach? Why don’t you try gradually implementing the healthier changes and habits you were going to make when you got to your new desired weight? Maybe you could try cooking from scratch more often. Look to choose better quality food and maybe exercise a couple of times each week. Drink more water and get outside in the fresh air most days. Try to ensure you are getting between 7-9 hours of good quality sleep every night. There isn’t any calorie counting required. No extreme approach. No complete overhaul of your lifestyle. You are simply altering a couple of habits for the better.
Yes, this approach may take longer. Yes, you may not drastically see your weight come down. In fact, if you choose to go to the gym to exercise, you may actually see the number on the scales go up as your body adapts to the exercise and you gain strength. However, if you continued with your new healthier habits, the body would gradually adjust to it’s new environment and after a few months, your weight would naturally start to come down as the benefits of your new healthier habits begin to take effect. This time though, unlike the weight loss achieved through extreme low calorie dieting, this weight loss would be sustainable as the body would be happy with your new environment and not fight against you during the process. Slow and steady always wins the weight loss race.
How To Make The Results Last
Weight loss by changing your habits and your environment is the only way to achieve successful and sustainable weight loss whilst not affecting your mental health, your relationship with food and your relationship with your body. The approach that you take must be sustainable and you will need to visualise yourself doing this for many years to come. That is why it’s important to enjoy the process. Include the foods you love. Find a type of exercise you enjoy. Choose healthier habits that you enjoy. Set yourself up for success and most of all remember to be kind to yourself as you embark on this new journey.
