Many of us struggle to lose weight and also keep it off. In fact, so many of us wonder, ‘Why is it so hard to lose weight?’
This is because ‘in the wild’ we were programmed to look for food that kept us full until we hunted for our next meal. We would naturally tend to go for high-fat, high-carb food to keep us fuller for longer.
However, society has changed. We no longer live in caves, but our brains have remained the same from our caveman days.
Our bodies are still seeking food to keep us going. And a lot of the readily available food that is easy to get to is processed or high in fat and sugar. This is why it feels so hard to lose weight.
But there are things you can do to rewire your brain and help you lose the weight and keep it off!
10 ways to help you lose weight and stay on track
1. Adjust your attitude
A ‘can do’ attitude can get you so much further with your goals. Remind yourself that eating well will help you boost your mood, increase your energy, sleep better, and so many other benefits.
2. Get moving
Do the right workouts and keep moving. Start off slow and build yourself up.
3. Your diet
Make healthier food choices and keep track of what you are eating. Adjust portion sizes, and make conscious choices about what you eat.
4. Change your lifestyle
Break unhealthy routines, and cut back on alcohol. Try meeting up with friends by going for a walk rather than alcohol or something to eat.
5. Get enough sleep
Sitting in front of the TV might feel like a good way to unwind, but you could try going to bed earlier instead, so you wake up feeling more refreshed. By getting enough rest, you will make better food choices and have more energy.
6. Be mindful
Did someone bring a cake to the office? You don’t have to say yes to a slice just because it’s in front of you. Be mindful of what you put into your body.
7. Work on your mental health
If you believe you’re struggling to lose weight for mental health reasons, such as depression or comfort eating, seek help.
8. Set goals
If you find you have some success, don’t just stop. Keep going, and set new goals. It might be to eat better, maintain your success or get stronger.
How to work smarter, not harder, to lose weight
Does the process of losing weight feel like being in a boxing match? You are winning some rounds and being knocked down during others, and every time you get back up, your resilience gets lower, and the next round seems tougher.
Pretty soon, you find your motivation, energy and desire gone leaving you burnt out and reverting back to unhealthy habits.
The majority of people on their weight loss journeys experience this at some point; it’s a widely occurring phenomenon called ‘upregulation’.
Upregulation is the rallying of resources to give your goal/task your best, which requires a lot of energy in order to increase low levels of arousal or motivation.
Due to the resources being used in large amounts, upregulation increases exhaustion, which increases stress, which increases the likelihood of making unhealthy lifestyle choices. Sound familiar?
Taking time for recovery is just as important
In order to fix this, neuroscientists looked at homeostasis – the ability to maintain equilibrium between brain and body and your environment.
Thus they created the term ‘homeostatic value’ to describe the value that actions have on creating and maintaining this equilibrium. When this balance is out of whack, it can create burnout that has a ripple effect on other problems.
If you want to rebuild this equilibrium in order to work smarter this year, you can! It’s about working hard, then stopping to recover and then trying again!
So you smashed your goals, but you’re running out of steam! Instead of forcing yourself to continue trying to stop and practice actions with a high homeostatic value, such as:
- Using the 3, 5 or 10-minute MIND.BODY.BREATH sessions in our app for guided meditation sessions
- Use a gratitude journal to reflect on what you are thankful for
- Take time to picture who you were and where you want to be and how failure along the way may look
- Going for a walk, run or swim with the intention to unwind and relax, not burn calories.
The key to recovery is to take short sessions of breaks where you can divert your attention from the task at hand and then start again.
You may find yourself back at square one, or you may not. You may take a few goes at finding your equilibrium, or it may be a revelation, and you find your perfect balance.
There are lots of uncertainties. What is sure, though, is that this is not an easy journey and that you are supported by The Healthy Mummy to make the best choice possible for your body and mind.
Read 6 tips to get and stay motivated.
Read how to silence that negative voice in your head and succeed.
Kick-start your weight loss journey with the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge.
If you are interested in kickstarting your weight loss and want to improve your energy – not to mention – improve your overall health and wellbeing – our 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge is an awesome program to check out.
Our 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge includes:
- 28 days of at-home exercise routines (no gym needed) – with video instruction
- Customisable and breastfeeding-friendly meal plans (including a 7 day cleanse)
- Challenge combines Pilates exercises with interval and circuit training (HIIT)
- Suitable for basic to advanced fitness levels
- Home to thousands of EASY-TO-MAKE recipes!
To learn more about our 28 DAY WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGE, CLICK HERE
