Are you in the constant process of trying to lose weight, going on a diet, then putting the weight back on and more? There can be multiple things going on in your body that is preventing the weight loss if you continue to try and nothing is coming off. But if you can actually lose some weight but cannot seem to keep it off you likely need to dig deeper to what is preventing you from being consistent and continuing with the habits you adopted.
First and foremost, dig deep to find the real reason why you want to lose weight. This can be easier while meditating. You want to find out why weight loss is so important to you and how the weight loss benefits will impact your life besides just vanity reasons. Think about how it will benefit your relationships, energy, finances, etc. Create long term goals and write them down; even post them places to remind yourself what you are truly working towards.
Next, it is very important to do interior work to deal with your emotions and triggers that caused the weight in the first place. Here is where you may want to consider a therapist to help you in this process. If you do not learn to shift the subconscious beliefs and your behavior you will likely fall back into old habits. Realize whatever is getting in the way of reaching your overall goal is a roadblock and you need to heal there.
Mindfulness, meditation and breath work are all great ways to feel your emotion in the moment and give yourself the opportunity to face the problem, breath through it and get past it. Address your emotional core and create strategies of how to work through it. For example, if you are feeling anxious, instead of resorting to food as your coping mechanism try doing some breath work and accept the anxiety; ask yourself what the cause is and connect or start using an alternative coping mechanism. If you can’t pinpoint the emotion look at patterns or start an emotional food journal where you write down feelings before, during and after meals and snacks.
Overall, you want to find peace with food and not use food to cope with other issues that are going on in your life. Food should not be used to heal and fix problems because it will only temporarily make you feel better and the underlying issue will not be fixed. Of course, it is alright to use food for comfort on occasion, but you don’t want to make it a habit.
It is also important to accept your body and acknowledge that this is your one body that you are given. Every body is different and what works for one may not work for another. Appreciate your body, it deserves to be fed and treated with dignity. Find out what your body needs to feel better, become in tune with what foods make you feel better or worse and when you feel hungry or full. Stop comparing your body to someone else’s, a thinner body does not necessarily mean a healthier body. If you start paying attention to your body and engage in healthy behaviors to take care of your body, you will feel better overall and your body will adapt.
Once you are in a good place you want to incorporating exercise and nourishing foods to heal and make you feel your best. Realize this is a long process and will take some work but there is support, reach out to resources such as Dietitians and Therapists to help you on your journey. Always remember you are in charge of your body and if you do not feel your best then do what you can to make positive changes to live your best life